He ruffled her hair, breaking the spell. Lori grunted and shook her head free of his grasp. "You're a good kid, you know that?" he said.
"So are you," she said.
"Nah." She was always saying stuff like that, making him feel good when all he'd wanted was to feel rotten, to feel like the jerk kid he was.
"Course, you are," she assured him. "You're the best older brother I ever had."
Owen smiled at this, mystified, as his little sister—so much older than him in many ways—scampered off to the car and got in the back seat.
After some time, he followed her.
Chapter 1
In His Image
1
WHEN OWEN WAS forty, the people of St. John's Norway Cemetery put his sister Lori in the ground. Had she lived, she would have turned thirty-two in a month.
The non-denominational minister, who had been provided by the funeral home, read the standard verses: the one about the deceased being not dead but merely sleeping, followed by a bit of Psalm 23, John 3:16's "only begotten Son," and then another about ashes and dust—nothing particularly inspired or personal. Owen saw his mother's jaw clench as she ground her teeth. Distaste for religious platitudes was one thing they still had in common, aside from their love of Lori, who was dead and soon to be buried.
Even Lori's headstone was just like the others beside and behind it. Speckled granite with too much polish, more like a jewel than a grave marker. The artificial grass was too green, sterile. Owen had expected to see dirt, a small sign of the grim business being done, but aside from a few specks along the too-smooth edges of the hole, there was none. What had been taken out—and subsequently covered by more green plastic shag—had been expertly removed, leaving a perfectly rectangular chasm in which Lori, Owen's little sister, would lay until time wore her bones to the minister's dust and ash.
Owen was glad for the few mourners who cried, because he couldn't seem to manage tears himself. Even when he thought back to the last time he'd seen his sister alive, and the bad way they'd left things, he felt cold, detached. The others, the people who smiled for her life instead of weeping over her death, he wanted to grab by their shoulders, shaking away their smiles, the way he'd shake away bad art on an Etch A Sketch. He wanted to shout in their faces, She's dead! Stop smiling! Lori's dead, you maniacs, and she's never coming back!
He couldn't, though. Not because doing so would violate social norms he cared little about at the moment, but because he lacked the courage. Stewing in impotent rage, Owen shoved his hands deep into his pockets and watched the casket sink into the ground, sinking the way Lori had sunk in that lake up north—whose name he couldn't recall—before she'd finally begun to float again, not from the force of her own will, but from the gases of her decomposition.
Death is lighter than water, he thought.
"For today we grieve the loss of a good soul," said the minister. "But rest assured, life will go on, and happiness will surely find us once more."
Surely, Owen thought grimly. In his right pocket was a handful of dirt, smooth and without stones. Between his fingers, it felt something like ashes.
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* * *
[i] Excerpts from
KNOW YOUR GHOSTS:
A Ghost Hunter's Guide
to GHOSTLAND
compiled by the Ghost Brothers,
Eric and Jake Gallagher
Within these pages you'll find a comprehensive guide to the types of hauntings you'll encounter at GHOSTLAND, the Most Terrifying Place on Earth! We've investigated a bunch of these hauntings in our Documentary Network series Ghost Brothers but nothing like the way you'll see them here, "live" and up close.
As expert ghost hunters and fans of pretty much everything paranormal, we had a blast at GHOSTLAND during the creation of this guide and we're sure you'll have a great time here too. So c'mon, guys—let's go check out some ghosts together!
HOW IT WORKS
First, let's run you through the science part really quick, okay? GHOSTLAND features hundreds of exhibits and objects haunted by many types of spectral beings (see Index). Each ghost is made visible using a combination of state-of-the-art Augmented Reality and breakthrough Recurrence Field™ technology. Entire buildings have been disassembled and reconstructed here, alongside the most haunted house in America: Garrote House.
With your patented GHOSTLAND AR glasses you'll be able to see things that have never been visible to the human eye before. Our ghosts are actually holograms (or "spectrograms," as we call them here). But they are 100% real, recreated using the most advanced 3D animation available, historical images and data, and actual "dead energy" of once-living beings—all of which are stored on GHOSTLAND's massive server array.
Every single haunting in this park is a digital imprint of the "dead energy" still haunting and/or possessing these buildings and objects, contained by the Recurrence Field™. That means any ghost you see here was once a living, breathing human being—so please, treat them with respect. Like they say at the zoo, please don't tease the "animals"!
GHOSTLAND was the brainchild of deceased horror author Rex Garrote. But the real genius behind the theme park is maverick inventor, Sarah Jane Amblin. If you want to know more about the history of the park, take a tour of the Visitor Center located near the entrance. And if you want to experience the exhibits the way we did, check out our interactive Ghost Hunting Experience in Legion House while you’re there!
TYPES OF HAUNTINGS*
ORBS – These are the most basic form of leftover "dead energy," stripped of any human essence. They're essentially harmless and present themselves as white or multicolored balls of light. They're often mistaken for dust in video/photographic evidence. Also called: sprites, will-o'-the-wisps. Orbs can be found in many exhibits throughout GHOSTLAND.
REVENANTS – These are full-bodied, floating apparitions. They're potentially harmful when in "solid" form, though they're most often seen in a confused or agitated state. Many examples can be found throughout GHOSTLAND, including Legion House in the Ghost Hunting Experience (Visitor Center), Bright Falls Sanitarium, Historic Beacon Barracks, The Gentlemen of the Sea, Garrote House.
POLTERGEISTS – These are noisy, messy spirits that can move and/or levitate objects using what is believed to be either short-range telekinesis or particle manipulation (further research is being done on this subject at GHOSTLAND's Science and Technology building—which is off-limits to the general public but is a pretty rad place if you're able to get a tour). Poltergeists have been known to physically harm the living but only in minor ways: unexplained scratches, bruises, etc. Prime examples can be found in several Visitors Center exhibits, Fontaine County Correctional, Crane Gardens, Apache Theater.
ELEMENTALS – Similar to poltergeists, though these ghosts can only manipulate water, air, fire, earth and in some cases, electricity or metal. Many vengeful spirits are known to have elemental powers. Prime examples are Mrs. Crane (Crane Gardens), Charles Manafort (The Gentleman of the Sea), the Magnificent Quentin (Midway), the Mime (Merchant Bros. Circus), the Behemoth (Garrote House).
POSSESSORS – These extremely dangerous ghosts can enter living hosts and make them do their bidding for short periods. As with other hauntings able to manipulate objects and living beings, this ability is being researched in the Sci/Tech building. Examples can be found in: Apache Theater, Bright Falls Sanitarium, Starlight Arcade, Garrote House.
DOPPELGANGERS – Appear in the form of someone known to the haunted. Because of this it's been thought they have a low-level ability to read minds, though some paranormal investigators believe they act as mirrors, tapping into the latent psychic abilities of the pe
rson being haunted. Found in: Fontaine County Correctional and Garrote House.
TRICKSTERS – Extremely dangerous spirits who use psychological manipulation including many of the above influences to terrorize the living. Though the exhibits at GHOSTLAND have been rendered harmless via the Recurrence Field, it is important to never taunt this type of spirit. Often mistaken for demonic presences. Also called: mesmeric ghosts. Found in: Fontaine County Correctional, Bright Falls Sanitarium, Garrote House.
* Most apparitions have very limited abilities to affect their surroundings. Others, like Revenants or Tricksters, can be very dangerous when encountered. It is advisable that Ghost Hunters avoid contact with them at all times, except under the safe conditions at GHOSTLAND.
EXHIBIT INDEX
[ii] REX GARROTE (1947 - 1999) – While not one of our "ghosts," you will encounter Mr. Garrote's likeness throughout the park as a holographic host to many of the exhibits. Mr. Garrote burst onto the horror scene in the late-1970s with A Roller-Coaster Ride Thru Hell, a violent, psychedelic retelling of Dante's Inferno. He wrote several dozen novels over his lifetime, multiple screenplays and teleplays, and created the short-lived television series Ghost World, which he also hosted. His career truly flourished after his purchase of Garrote House, previously the Hedgewood Estate. It was believed by some that the spirits of the house influenced his output from the late-'80s through the '90s. In 1999, his cremated remains were found in his library. Though police suspected self-immolation, the case is still considered "cold." Among all the spirits visible at Garrote House, Mr. Garrote himself has never been seen.
[iii] ROBERT THE ENCHANTED DOLL (Poltergeist, 1904) – Thought to be the most haunted doll in the world, Robert originally belonged to Robert Eugene Otto, an eccentric artist from a prominent Key West family. The doll was of German origin, given to Otto as a child by his grandfather in 1904. Some believe the child-sized doll, dressed in Otto's boyhood sailor suit, is possessed by the spirit of a young Bahamian girl. Others believe it was cursed. Robert was said to have moved throughout Otto's house on its own after the artist's death. Footsteps and laughter were often heard in the night, and children claimed to see Robert looking down at them from the upstairs window.
[iv] JOE “SCHMO” RUSSO (Apparition, 1935) – Joe Russo was a small-time hoodlum who joined the ranks of the Oklahoma City mob as an enforcer in the early ‘30s. Ruthless and violent, Russo’s favorite method of inflicting pain was psychological torture. He would give his victims a headstart before chasing them in his car, batting them around like a cat with a mouse. Russo was gunned down by the FBI during a raid. His Model-T was said to have spooked workers at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI, with the flashing of its headlamps and the rumble of its engine late at night.
[v] GENTLEMAN OF THE SEA (Various, 1721) – Charles Manafort was an officer of the British Royal Navy until his ship and crew were held for ransom by Edward Teach (Blackbeard) in 1713. When England failed to negotiate, Manafort and most of his crew agreed to join with Blackbeard—those who did not were promptly executed. Though his exploits were often attributed to Blackbeard, Manafort and the Gentleman swept through the Caribbean Sea, mercilessly commandeering lone ships and attacking full armadas. The Gentelman was ultimately caught off-guard and surrounded by a French fleet. His crew died in cutthroat combat and he was strung from the mast of his own ship, left to die of exposure, an example to all pirates who dared challenge King Louis XIV. Dry-docked since its capture in Portsmouth, England, one of the only surviving ships of its era, its ghostly crew have been seen manning their posts over the years.
[vi] APACHE THEATER (Various, 1982) – From Rex Garrote's narration: "This sprawling one-story theater was owned and operated by somewhat of a showman who had employed rather ingenious tactics to terrify his audiences. On this particular evening, each of the theater's seats was fitted with a 'shock chair' and wrist shackles for a special one-night-only screening of the cult film House of the Zapper. But their host was a madman bent on murder. He invited only the harshest critics of the film, his personal favorite. When the shock chairs caught fire, he stood in the wings watching until all the critics were crispy. Summing up a career in cinema, when he was condemned to death and given the electric chair his last words were the film’s final line, "That’s showbiz, folks–and ain’t it electrifying?'"
[vii] DOLL’S HEAD MURDERS (Poltergeist, 20) – Six women were murdered over the course of one summer, each victim a young, beautiful woman found nude and heavily made-up, the head of a similar-looking fashion doll placed between their lips. Lead suspect Alexander Robin Fischer, of the esteemed Seattle Fisher family, was released on a technicality. Valencia Motton was the fifth victim, her body discovered in her University Trailer Park home. Her ghost has been known to rattle the door, raise and lower the blinds, as well as turn on and off the lights despite a lack of electricity.
[viii] THE MAGNIFICENT QUENTIN (Poltergeists, 1930) – Quentin Taft was an illusionist of little note. Born an orphan, he spent his youth learning card tricks and illusions to prove his worth to the rich and powerful. He achieved some success between 1899 and 1902, when another illusionist came into prominence. Since then, he remained under Houdini's shadow. His final "illusion" was to drown his lovely assistant Minnie Winslow in the water tank escape while making himself "disappear" by dousing himself with sulfuric acid—to the horror of the unsuspecting crowd.
[ix] ROCKY’S FUN WORLD (Apparition, 1985) – The owner of this traveling midway, one Rocky Arnault, killed himself in a bizarre fashion within his own mirror maze. He had cut pieces off of his body—small at first, then progressively larger and more vital—leaving them at the base of the mirrors at each dead end so that the pieces of himself had lain against their reflections. By the time he'd crawled legless to the stairs leading up to the second level, he had bled out and died, his remaining hand slick with blood, still holding the sawblade. None of Rocky's colleagues or friends could explain this seemingly ritualistic form of suicide and it was later chalked up to the funhouse itself being cursed. Whatever the reason, his funhouse remains the most haunted in all of America, Rocky himself often spotted as a reflection within his hall of mirrors.
[x] GHOST TOWN, USA (Apparitions, 1885) – The outlaw Henry Smokes and his gang met the deputy of Lonesome Plains in the desert the night before the massacre and warned him they would be riding through town to rob Great Western Holdings. Sheriff Boone Holden, a self-declared "hero" of the Black Hills War, had never bothered to warn the townspeople, believing he and his deputies could outgun the Buckskin Gang with minimal if any collateral damage. To prove just how wrong the sheriff had been, Smokes had ordered his gang to kill every last man, woman and child in Lonesome Plains before he and the Buckskins rode off with the money. (The Lonesome Plains Massacre is one of GHOSTLAND's main attractions, with shows repeating on the half hour.)
[xi] MUSEUM OF CURSED OBJECTS (Various) – This exhibition currently houses the original Annabelle doll, the Dybbuk Box, "The Hands Resist Him" (painting), the Killing Chair, the Myrtle's Plantation Mirror, and various other high-profile haunted objects from around the world.
[xii] MORTON WELLES (Revenant, 1943) – Also known as the Bright Falls Zombie, Welles was a mild-mannered yet manic patient of Bright Falls Sanitarium made to murder hapless citizens in the surrounding area by his psychiatrist. Dr. Hammersmith—aka Dr. Death; see: Bright Falls Sanitarium—considered Welles his "finest work," a "somnambulist [sleepwalker] worthy of the great Dr. Caligari." As Welles's case files were missing, little is known about the former tax collector aside from the murders he committed at the behest of Hammersmith, though it is believed he was self-committed. He was shot by police at the scene of an attempted murder, and left no surviving family members.
[xiii] BRIGHT FALLS SANITARIUM (Various, 1882 - 1956) – A "snake pit" asylum in its heyday, during head psychiatrist Dr. Hammersmith's reign of terror, patients were subjected to all manner of psychological and physical torment. Known by the handl
e Dr. Death among patients and some staff, Hammersmith appeared to have taken a page from Mengele's handbook, though he claimed to have been inspired by the 1920 silent German film, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Using a combination of psychic driving and prefrontal lobotomies, Hammersmith created zombified patients who would kill on command. It's been speculated that Hammersmith was on the CIA's payroll, but no evidence has been found linking them. Over the course of his tenure there, at least eighteen patients were murdered with dozens more tortured and abused. The remains of the dead were found among those who had died of tuberculosis.
[xiv] CRANE GARDENS (Various) – From the Solitude Fountain exhibit sign: "The widow Agatha Crane began constructing her garden after the death of her husband, a wealthy Southern plantation owner. This portion of the garden, the yew maze, took an entire year to construct and cost a small fortune. Upon its completion Mistress Crane spent much of her time within this courtyard at the center of the maze, a space she'd named Solitude. If a slave disturbed her silence, they were harshly reprimanded. It was rumored that several were never heard from again, believed to have been chased into the maze by Mistress Crane's henchmen, and murdered at her hand." From the Beauty Fountain exhibit sign: "The courtyard at the outer edge of the Crane hedge maze, named Beauty, is a near exact duplicate of Solitude at its center. It was believed for many years that Mistress Crane had ended her life here, drowning herself in this very fountain. Recurrence Field evidence has proven that Mistress Crane did not commit suicide however, but was murdered by the very slaves she had killed."
[xv] STARLIGHT ARCADE (Various) – Opened in 1969 by one Wallace Braugham, the Starlight became a Times Square staple in the '70s and '80s, but fell into disrepair in later years. It was discovered that Braugham was a convicted pedophile from Omaha living under an assumed name, but not before his six victims, boys ranging in age from ten to thirteen, were dredged from the sewers. The interior is a recreation of the actual Times Square arcade, featuring décor and many of the original games, including the Dr. Dude pinball machine, the Angel Knives and House of the Dead games, along with various haunted cabinets from arcades and private collections throughout America.
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