Broken Dolls

Gene Mikel Fogerty

What would you say if you could speak, of things that you have seen? Do you sleep, and close your eyes, do you have sweet dreams? Ever watching all around, your shining eyes so still. Passing time, falling dust, as the hours fill. Through the years if you could speak, the tales you could share, Families and children, and music everywhere. ut never shall there !e a story told !y a young girl"s toy, #er lips lay silent always, in sadness and in $oy. ut somewhere there"s a story to !e told here in these walls, #inted !y the cracks and !roken paint on !roken dolls.

%opyright

&'(E ) phantom from a graveyard, the thunderhead that filled the sky over &illy *oad moved. 't seemed to stop and hover as if looking down on something !elow. Far down through space amidst tangles of dried and !are

tree !ranches punctuated with green leaves like !ones sticking through centuries old hands was the house. There had !een others, !ut over the years they had all fallen down into the fields !elow and vanished into the earth, taking their secrets with them. They had !een !uilt like a wooden family, and stood har!oring families and living through seasons, then the guns had fired, tearing some of them to pieces. Families had fled, and some had returned. +ne !y one time had claimed them all, then at length only the one stood. For well past a century it har!ored families and candles lit it"s windows at night, then electric lights. ) young girl had moved in and spent her many years there, almost a part of the house, till time had also taken it"s toll on her and she walked the halls day and night, ever more fee!le till time had swallowed her completely and she took up residence with so many others, silent among stones with names and memories written on them, a city where many stayed, !ut among the multitudes, no one spoke again as the days and years passed. The house stood then, empty, alone, it"s dark windows looking out over the landscape at night and day. ,othing moved...or did it? When the moon was high in the sky, was it a face in the upper windows, was it a light moving through the deserted halls? 'nside the wooden hallways as the moon reached like fingers through the windows the dust would gather on the floors and the thunder of storms would echo as lightning lit the house up in the night as if day came for only a moment. Then it was gone and left only silence. 'n the darkness a door would creep open, then shut, and tim!ers would creak. )s dust stirred here and there and a mouse would scurry through the dark into the walls to enclosed safety. The road crackled at length as a small van moved down it, and inside the van a mother, De!ra, sat ne-t to her hus!and .ohn, the radio playing /uietly as the sun !eat down on the concerned look on their faces. 'n the !ack was a !oy in his early teens, .ohn .r, and ne-t to him his little sister, 0inny, and at first glance !oth looked ordinary enough, !ut there was

an air of something amiss. De!ra spoke as she looked around. 1Wow, ' had no idea this erea was so remote.2 3he said with concern. .ohn replied 14eah, ' guess the courts forgot to mention that. Figures ' had to wind up with a place this far out in the sticks. )lot of the places out here look nice though.2 1' hope we have privacy though,2 3he replied. 1' don"t need a !unch of nosy neigh!ors coming around giving us grief when doctors come to look in on .ohn .r.2 .ohn .r. piped up in the !ack 1,eigh!ors? Did that cemetery count, cu5 '"m pretty sure they don"t care.2 %oming around a !end through thick trees on !oth sides, .ohn said 1't"s gonna !e fun trying to get materials and !uild a ramp up those stairs.2 De!ra took a drink and spoke. 1#ow much do you remem!er?2 1,ot much, ' was a kid the last time ' saw the place, !ut ' know it had a lot of trees and was a victorian two story house. 0ramma shut off the rooms she didn"t use and ' wasn"t allowed in any of them.2 'n the !ack seat, .ohn .r. an-iously spoke as he looked around. 1Dad ' hate to !e a pest !ut ' really need to....2 1#ang in there !uddy, we should !e there very soon. (eep an eye out for the num!ers. ' think we"re almost...2 1T#E*E6 0inny shouted suddenly. 1+# W+W TE&& 7E T#)T"3 T#E P&)%E6 'T &++(3 3+ F8,62 3he shouted as she pointed. The trees were snuggled up on the left side of the car, choking the face of a tall, spooky 9ictorian house with ornate carvings on it"s face and porches. 't was run down, with weeds standing tall in the front yard, paint chipped and peeling and a few !roken panes. There was a fence and at the end of it a gate that was open, !ut laying down as if to say 1well, here it is, ' guess you can

come in.2 De!ra and .ohn looked at the house as they drove up the driveway, and .ohn .r. curled his lip in dou!t. 0inny was e-cited and s/uealed like a mouse as they got close. 1't"s ours662 3he said. .ohn shut off the car engine and looked at the house. #e really did like it, !ut he could see that it needed enormous amounts of restoration. De!ra was not at all pleased, !ut she was accepting. 't almost !rought her to tears thinking that this tall, huge monstrosity was home and they would have to work on it. 1+h my 0od, it"s a return to the 7unsters.2 3he said de$ectedly. .ohn felt sad, partly !ecause of the work it would take, !ut he really loved the old place and was very disappointed. +h crap, it"s nothing like ' remem!er. 't"s totally run down. 't"s sickening. Damn it it"ll take a fortune to fi- this place up. ' !et there isn"t a modern fi-ture anywhere in it.2 .ohn .r. was opening the door for his sister as he spoke. 13orry to irritate you dad, !ut ' really like this place. 't"s a spook house.2 .ohn replied 1Pro!a!ly in more ways than one.2 7eanwhile 0inny was still overcome with e-citement. 1+h wow, ' think '"m in love.2 The !ack door was opened, and 0inny was then helped out of the car. #er legs were in !races and she was pushed up the sidewalk in a wheelchair. .ohn pulled her through the gate and up a weedy walkway to the porch, then he e-amined it to make certain that it was strong and safe !efore the family came together in front of the front door. 8pstairs an old curtain drifted as if something was watching as the family came toward the front of the house, and dust stirred in the halls. .ohn put the key in the old lock, standing and looking at the etched glass oval window almost e-pecting a face to look !ack. #e then turned the key

and De!ra commented 13hould we call an e-orcist !efore you do that?2 ehind her, .ohn .r commented 1' already know '"m going to !e married to a !room for a long time to come.2 The door opened, and amidst the dark, made slightly !etter !y the sunshine that came through the old curtains into the sparsely furnished interior were the old fittings, lights, and man co!we!s among the sheets of dust. 1+hhhhh 7y 0od.2 De!ra said. 1Wowwwww.2 .ohn replied. 1.ohn .r. nodded. 1't"s going to !e one of those really long wide !rooms too, methinks.2 0inny was over$oyed. 13o !eautiful62 3he said. De!ra looked at .ohn for a moment. 1What is it with kids? The place is an old ghost house that needs tons of work and they act as though it"s a new toy?2 .ohn smiled sarcasticly. 1That"s cu5 to them it is a new toy. 4"see as a kid it"s !ig and spooky. When you hit the age of twenty five plus nine tenths, you see mortgages, property values and !ricks stacked up to make walls.2 De!ra $ust looked at .ohn for a moment. :.ust shut up.2 3he said. The family walked through the front door of the house into the large living room. %urtains were hanging in decaying shreds and there was a thick coat of dust on the old lights which had !een converted from candles to electricity. We!s hung here and there and the smell of old wood was incredi!ly strong. .ohn looked around and nodded. 1Well ' can promise you one thing, the anti/ues in this house are worth a mint !y themselves. )s they walked into the house, .ohn and De!ra pushed the wheel chair, !ut 0inny strolled away from them in it and !egan to e-plore the parts of the place she could get to. De!ra cautioned her, !ut 0inny was hardly hearing anything. 3he was taken away !y the old house and it"s atmosphere. .ohn came !ehind her and as he turned a corner he saw a vert old carved wooden mirror and at once he liked it a lot. #e walked up close to it and was carefully e-amining the woodwork when he saw for a moment the figure of a woman in a very old dress looking at him. #e looked for a moment and

when it seemed she had vanished he dismissed it as one of his visions that no one else saw. 0inny wheeled herself around the lower level and found a large room that seemed to have !een a sitting room once. 't had some furniture in it, mostly deteriorated and torn to pieces !y mice. 3he still liked the room and decided to use it for her !edroom. 3he wheeled herself around and found it had a fireplace in it. 1,E)T62 0inny said loudly. 3he then turned around and for the flash of a second she thought she saw a man in a !lue uniform vanish through a wall in the corner, !ut she decided it must !e a trick of the light. 7eanwhile De!ra had looked over the kitchen. 1Wow, 7r. and 7issus )ddamns, no actually ' think they had working pipes.2 she said. .ohn walked !riskly up the stairs and from room to room looking, and came !ack in pleasant spirits. 1Well the rooms have a !it of old furnishing in them, not much, and there is much dust !ut outside of that it seems to !e a stout old house. &et"s get some stuff in here and arrange it, may!e eat something.2 De!ra nodded and they headed outside. .ohn .r. was wheeling 0inny around when they came to the stair case. .ohn .r. turned the wheelchair around and he pulled from the !ack as 0inny worked the wheels, and with some difficulty they got her up the stairs and she !egan to wheel down the wide halls. 3he came to the end of the hall to a small closet and without hesitation she leaned forward and opened it. )amidst the dust and mold there were two old dolls on a shelf, one of them a !oy doll that was !roken all to pieces and the other a !londe girl in a nice dress with shiny !lue glass eyes. 3he was very pretty and 0inny let out a sympathetic s/ueal and reached for her. .ohn saw some splits in her face, !ut he got her down and handed her to 0inny. 0inny !egan to smooth her hair and coo. 1't"s $ust a doll.2 #e said. 0inny stuck her tounge out at him and turned her wheelchair around. They went !ack down the hall and at the !ottom of the stairs was De!ra. 3he was irritated. 1' told you not to go around with that chair without help. 'f you lost your grip on these stairs...2 De!ra stomped up the stairs and helped get 0inny !ack down to the !ottom and into

the kitchen. )s they moved, they felt the air stir around them and the !rief scent of perfume caught their noses and sent shivers through them. De!ra said nothing as she pushed the chair into the dining room. ehind them a shadow passed across the stairs and vanished. 3itting down eating dinner, the family sat !eside an open front window as the !ree5e made the curtain drift in gently. 0inny had sat the doll ne-t to her on a chair and dusted it off. Dad looked at the doll. 1#mmm, looks a !it like a girl friend ' once had.2 De!ra glanced at the doll. 14ou had a girlfriend with a glass eye and cracked face?2 1,o, ' used to know this !londe girl that wore odd!all clothes. 3he was nice enough, !ut '"m glad ' didn"t get close enough to marry her.2 De!ra took a drink. 14eah, keeping her in hoop skirts could have !een a real pain.2 .ohn .r. took out his pill !ottle. 1'"m so sick of having to !e stuck on dope to get through life.2 De!ra looked at him. 14ou arent stuck on dope. 4ou have a little issue and $ust need a chemical you dont make enough of on your own. There"s nothing wrong with you as a person.2 Dad sat !ack in his chair. 1Every!ody has to eat, drink and !reath. 4ou $ust need a little something e-tra. 't"snever !een a pro!lem.2 0inny $ust gave him a friendly smile, and as .ohn .r. looked at her in her wheel chair he felt ashamed and said no more. 0inny finished eating and petted the little doll"s !londe hair. 13o dad, why did your granny have this house so long?2 Dad let out a small !urp and looked thoughtful. 1This place used to !e part of a little regular neigh!orhood. During the civil war they used it for a recovery hospital. They had men from !oth sides here. There was a nurse named %harlotte &ong who worked here. 3he was a little short woman, a!out four nine or so, and she treted everyone. 3he was really a good person so ' am told and she kept a pistol of her own to make sure there was no trou!le.

1They say there was a raid one day in ;<=> and !ullets were going all over the house. %harlotte was trying to get wounded men out of harm"s way when a musket !all went through a window and hit her in the neck. 3he died /uickly. They say a %onfederate 0eneral was so unhappy a!out her death that he gave his own custom made casket for her to !e !uried in and !oth north and south guys went to the funeral to pay their respects. 7y grandmother got the place when she was a kid and didnt do much to change it. 3he lived here all her life and none of the other kids wanted the place when she finally passed, so they sort of dumped it on me. ' dont mind much, so it"s a pro$ect, at least it"s worth it.2 .ohn .r. got up. 1't doesn"t !other you that there is a graveyard a!out a /uarter mile from here?2 Dad looked at him for a moment. 18h huh. y late tonight your !utt will have already gone there.2 .ohn .r. replied intensely, 1' know that, my /uestion was does it !other you?2 0inny started laughing. The rest of the family cleaned up the dinner dishes, and De!ra took 0inny to help her fi- the sitting room so she could use it for a !edroom. Dad and .ohn .r. swept out the kitchen and went through the furniture to see what could still !e used. To their $oy, with a little dusting and cleaning, the house needed only a few small things to make it liva!le. The pipes worked fine and the water was clean, with electricity working well in all of the fi-tures, far from their first impression of the old house. Dad was sitting on a futon looking around and .ohn .r. was looking out a front window into the yard. .ohn saw what appeared to !e a 8nion soldier in the front yard. #e shook his head, !ut the image was till there. #e watched the soldier walk into the dark and vanish and wondered if he should take one more pill, !ut decided against it. 1Well .ohnny !oy, '"m pleased at the fact that we have a home. 't needs a lot less work than ' thought, and with a !it of paint and some mowing it will !e a nice place.2 .ohn .r. nodded. 1)lot of mowing.2 There was silence, then in unison they !oth said 1) lot, lot, lot of mowing.2 3uddenly there was a loud s/uealing peel of screaming from De!ra in the !ack room and !oth men got up suddenly and ran for the sitting room. .ohn

.r. felt his right shoe fly off and dad slammed his left shoulder into a doorway as they ran to see what was wrong. )s they entered the room, De!ra was standing on a chair shivering in disgust as 0inny sat with a small a/uarium she had !rought from home in her lap. 3he was not in her wheelchair !ut on the floor ne-t to the fireplace and there was a grin of $oy on her face. 'nside the a/uarium was a little gray field mouse and 0inny was over$oyed. 1' caught it6 Wow, ' can"t !elieve ' caught it6 3o cuuuuuuute, look atthat little faaaaace62 There was shocked silence for a moment, then, as he nursed his shoulder with a groan, dad said 1) mouse6 ' all !ut !reak myself in half over a scream......!ecause of a stupid mouse62 .ohn .r. looked at De!ra, who was sitting in her chair shivering in disgust, looking at them. 10ee mom, a scream like that at least should get us a ra!id possum, not a little mouse.2 De!ra shivered. 1+h hush6 Disgusting little vermin62 Dad then straightened up and forgot his shoulder. 1#ow the deuce did a girl in a wheelchair catch a mouse? Do you know how fast those things are?2 0inny grinned. 1' !rought the a/uarium in to sit on the fireplace and a!out that time mom scared the mouse. )ll' did was roll down onto the floor and hold the a/uarium and he ran !ack and forth, then !ang, right into it and ' shut the lid really fast62 Dad shook his head. 1What a weird family, honestly.2 0inny cooed at the glass. 1,ice mousie pie.2 3aid.

'T W)3 ) +8T ten at night when the family settled into their victorian house and had a !ed set up for 0inny in her room, while De!ra had paced herself and put most of her things in the upstiars !edroom. 3he had set up a !a!y monitor so she could keep ta!s on 0inny and had night lights arranged so she could do her nightly check ups. .ohn .r. had taken 0inny around the property in her wheel chair !ut was not a!le to go far through the overgrowth. #e looked down the road and saw the tall monuments in the

graveyard as the sun was going down. 0inny saw him looking. 1We can go check it out later.2 3he said. #e smiled. 0inny wanted to keep the mouse !ut dad insisted a field mouse would not make a good pet, so he took the a/uarium out !ack, opened the top and let the mouse $ump out and run into the distance. 0inny watched from a window. 1)t least little mousie can go and raise a family someplace safe.2 3he said. The moon rose high over the house and the trees swayed in the light !ree5e like skeletons silently reaching out to each other. ) wave of invisi!le chilly air went across the grass, making it !end under an unseen force. 'nside the house the family was sleeping /uietly as the hours pased midnight and the openfront window filled with an icey !ree5e. The curtain !lew inward and a mist moved through the rooms, around the walls and into the sitting room. 0inny stirred gently in !ed and ne-t to her on a night stand was the little doll, it"s glas eyes staring silently into the darkness as the misty form slowly took the shape of a woman, drifting in the darkness, looking ast the doll. 0inny felt cold and she opened her eyes slowly to find a ghostly figure ne-t to her. 3he saw the long skirt, the hair that reached to the figure"s knees and the pale face, radiating in the darkness. 0inny opened her eyes wider and looked at the woman. 3he did not feel any fear, more curiosity. Then she reali5ed, there was a satin ri!!on around her neck, and she remem!ered what her dad had said a!out the woman shot !y the soldiers. 3he sat up gently, not wanting to frighten the ghost away and said softly, in a friendly voice 1#ey, can you see me?2 The ghost looked at her. 1' can see you. Do ' frighten you?2 1,o. ' don"t get scared easy. '"ve !een sick my whole life, sonot much gets to me anymore. Who are you? '"m 0inny, that"s short for 0innae.2 17y name is %harlotte.2 1Wow, that"s a nice name. 's this your house?" The ghost drifted over and sat on the edge of the !ed. 0inny could not see her !oots !ut she could see the room through her.

1,o, we used the house as a hospital a long time ago. They came and raided it to free the confederates they thought we had as prisoners, and all ' remem!er is getting hit. 't hurt really !ad at first, then it faded away.2 14eah, '"ve !een in hospitals and all over the place. 7y legs stopped working early. 't stinks having to run around in that chair.2 1That doll has !een here for a very long time.2 %harlotte said. 1Was it yours?2 1,o, !ut ' remem!er it was here then.2 1Wow62 That makes it really old...oh, sorry.2 1+h don"t worry a!out it. '"ve !een here for a very long time.2 1%an"t you go?2 1' guess ' could, !ut it seems like there is always someone else who needs me.2 14ou mean.....what do you mean?2 0inny asked curiously. %harlotte sat silent for a moment, then she reached a hand out slowly. 1Do you trust me?2 3he asked. 0inny looked pu55led. 1Well ' guess so. Why?2 3he asked. %harlotte e-tended a hand, covered in a smooth glove. 1%ome with me.2 3he said. 0inny stared for a moment. 17y legs don"t work.2 3he said. )fter a moment she gently took %harlotte"s hand. 't was soft and very cold. 3he then tried to move and her legs emediately responded, her feet going to the floor. 3he was so surprised that she sat and stared for a moment. %harlotte took her hand more firmly. 14ou must hold on to me, okay?2 3he said. 0inny looked into her eyes, which were a pale !lue !ehind the whiteness of her face. 3he nodded and stood up, her legs working fine. %harlotte slowly led 0inny to the door and as 0inny watched, the house seemed to change and !righten into what it was when %harlotte had !een there. 0inny went with her through the !edroom door and %harlotte led her through the living room, which was filled with nice furniture and people everywhere. There were men in !oth %onfederate and 8nion clothes, sitting in chairs or walking, some of them on crutches and others working in$ured arms and legs. 0inny looked around and %harlotte led her out of the living room and into the outside. 0inny looked around. Everything was different.

The trees and yard were trimmed and the house was !right and painted. 7en were outside, talking and eating. 3ome of the less friendly ones were off to the side staying to themselves while others were sociali5ing. %harlotte led 0inny around the house to the !ack where rose !ushes and flowering trees were standing in the place of the tangled mess 0inny had seen earlier. 3he went around with %harlotte and !ack through the !ack door into the house. They then went through the !ack hall and into the living room again. )s they moved toward 0inny"s room, the !rightness faded and the room turned !ack into the dark old house 0inny lived in. 3he then eased !ack into !ed, and %harlotte saw a drinking cup sitting on the night stand. %harlotte drifted out of the room and came !ack with the cup filled with water. 0inny drank a little and sat it down. %harlotte tucked her in and0inny looked up at her. 1Will you come !ack?2 3he asked. %harlotte smiled and told her to !e /uiet and not wake the others. 3he then petted her head and slowly melted !ack into the darkness. 0inny felt very tired and lay !ack in her pillow. +utside her !edroom on the staircase, .ohn .r. was sitting, shaking his head and repeating 1,o way. ,o stinkin way. .ust no way.2 The moon was still high in thesky when .ohn .r. got a flashlight and a small pistol from a !o- in a stack in the living room. #e checked the pistol. 1Thirty two cali!er, ' could throw spit !alls harder.2 #e said, tucking it into his pants. #e then dou!led toward the front door and out onto the porch. The moon made things easier, !ut still the trees and unkept growth made it hard to see. .ohn .r. made his way down the driveway to the road and walked along with a happy skip to his step, talking to himself. 1%emetery right down the road, !oyo. ,o way this good opportunity is going to get away, no sir. Forget the old crappy trappy houses in town where we used to live. 4ou want to get creepy, this is the good stuff. ,o!ody out here going to mess with me. )nd there"s no point going during the day....2 he grinned and made a silly laugh...2and it"s even !etter cu5 '"m nuts. 4ep, ladies and gents, the kid is

nuts, ,?8?T?3, nutso, nutsie, he"s nuts. 3ees and hears things no!ody else can. 7ore nutty than a 3nickers !ar. 3o there isn"t anything a!out the nutty kid in the !one yard that is strange.2 .ohn .r. walked up to the cemetery gates and found a lock and a rusted chain. 18h huh, you all think that will keep me out. Well us nut $o!s arent to !e deterred !y a lock. esides, who are they keeping the dead people safe from?2 #e scanned the fence with his flashlight and found a place where the iron fence was missing !ars. 1+h that"s genius. Put a lock on a !roken fence.2 #e said. .ohn .r. clim!ed through the opening and entered the overgrown graveyard. #e found a statue in his path and he walked up to the weather!eaten face of an angel that was missing !oth hands. 14o, howya doin?" #e said. 1'"m .ohn .unior, son of .ohn 3enior, the guy who inherited the house down the road. '"m a nutty teenage kid who has never !een in a graveyard and night, and '"m havin fun.2 #e patted the statue and skipped among the old stones. Through trails of weeds .ohn .r. walked happily along aiming his flashlight at some of the stones. #e then found a huge mausoleum and he shut off the light and stood in front of it. 1Wow. The nutty kid struck gold. This is creepy at it"s finest.2 #e walked up to the huge metal doors, covered with rust and toyed with the door handle. 't was loose and the door moved !ack and forth as if it would open. 1,o way. This is too cool. ' may have to go completely 0oth after this.2 .ohn .r. pushed the door and it swung inward. #e aimed the flashlight inside and stepped in. The smell of old stone, metal and mold was very strong, and .ohn was emediately overwhelmed !y what he saw. There were walls of crypts with old wooden and metal caskets in them, and the floors were cracked, covered with !its of de!ris, and he could see !ugs and mice scurrying for cover in a !uilding that had pro!a!ly not seen company in many years. .ohn .r. walked into the mausoleum and slowly walked around. #e read the inscriptions on the stones and plates he found. #e shined the light around, and at length he saw one casket that struck him as odd. There was something a!out it, something $ust not right. #e kept the

light on it and stood close, e-aimining the e-terior of it. .ohn .r. could not figure out why, !utthis casket simply did not seem like it !elonged among the others. #e then heard noise and shut the light off, turning toward the door. For a moment .ohn.r. 3tood in the darkness with a small shaft of moonlight coming in the doorway and then he !egan to laugh /uietly. #ere he stood, in the dark of night in an ancient mausoleum surrounded !y dead people in e-posed caskets, and the first thing he was worried a!out was if a sherriff car might !e outside with an officer wondering what he was doing. #e turned the light on and !egan to move toward the door. )s he slid out of the doorway, he closed the door !ehind him, then turned and fro5e. 3tanding in the moonlight, with it"s teeth !ared in a fierce snarl, was a large !lack dog. 't lowered it"s head and let out a menacing growl, then !egan to !ark and snarl as !its of saliva fell to the ground. .ohn .r. stood for a moment as the dog stepped !ack and forth in his path, snarling and !arking. 't was clear to him the dog was not well, and he eased his hands into his pants and wrapped his fingers around the grip on the gun. #e then slowly !egan to ease it out of his pants as the dog !arked and snarled directly at him and sniffed the air. 't took a step forward and he freed the pistol and eased the hammer !ack. #e could feel the cylinder turn and click into place. The dog snapped at the air and roared in a loud !ark, and stepped forward. .ohn eased the !arrell into the dog"s direction and it stood on it"s hind legs snapping at the air. #e saw it !egin a lunge toward him, and at that second he s/uee5ed the trigger. The air e-ploded with the sound of the pistol firing, and the erea around .ohn .r. lit up with the flash. 't sounded like a canon fired and his ears were hit with the sound. For a moment he was deafened, !ut he could see movement from the dog, so he /uee5ed the trigger one more time, and there was a second deafening e-plosion. .ohn .r. stood for a moment in a state of shock, smelling the !urned powder, then his eyes !ecame ad$usted to the moonlight again and he saw the dog, at his feet, mouth still in a snarl. 't had lunged at him, and the instant it had struck the ground in front, to leap for his throat, the !ullet had gone

home, s/uare !etween the eyes. The second one had gone into it"s chest as it recoiled from !eing shot. .ohn smelled the stench of disease radiating from the !ody and wondered $ust what the dog had. #e stepped around it and moved through the dark toward the hole in the fence, his heart pounding. #e looked at the revolver. 13orry for insulting you earlier. 4ou pro!a!ly $ust saved me from a nasty trip to the hospital, or !ack here, one of the two.2 #e said. .ohn .r. walked into the house and shook off the last of his confrontation with the sick dog. #e walked toward the stairs and as he did, he felt the air around him shift and distinctly heard voices. #e stopped on the stairs, then thought for a moment. #e then took the pill !ottle out of his pants and looked at it in the dim night light. 1#hmmmm2. #e said. #e went to his room and opened his drawer, dropping the pill !ottle into the drawer. 1' gotta wonder.2 #e said.

38,&'0#T 3T*E)7ED through the windows and 0inny woke to hear the sound of her mother taking old furniture and tossing it. 3he remem!ered the ghost suddenly and wondered if it had !een a dream. Then she turned and looked at the night stand and there sat the mug, still with water in it. 0inny got up and got herself into her wheel chair as she always did and she moved out of the sitting room into the main room. De!ra saw her and put down her cleaning. 1#ow are you feeling this morning?2 De!ra asked. 0inny smiled. 1'"m fine. When can we set up the computer so ' can look up some stuff?2 De!ra came over and felt 0inny"s forhead. 1't"s set up in the main room. 4ou seem like you"re fine, !ut ' dont want you to have any spells.2 .ohn .r. came down stairs with the revolver, got a can of car!urator cleaner and scru!!ed it. De!ra came into the kitchen where he was as he finished. 10oing shooting?2 she asked.

1,o, ' took a late night stroll and ran afoul af a sick dog. ' s"pose no one heard the shots.2 #e said. De!ra lined the trash can as she spoke. 1)round here they don"t care, there must !e a million hunters. 4ou could crash a plane and they wouldn"t notice.2 Dad came into the house and !rought some wood and other things with him. 0inny heard him talking to De!ra in hushed tones, and knew he did not want her to hear. 1' can try and put this stuff up, !ut if ' finish, the !ank account is dry. ' don"t know what to do. ' can"t even !uild a respecta!le lift.2 0inny logged on the computer and forgot the conversation. 3he then put charlotte &ong"s name into the computer and her dou!ts a!out what she had seen were gone when she saw a very old photo from ;<=@ come up that showed the ghost in a large fancy dress with her hus!and, a 8nion 3oldier. 3he then read the !iography and found that everything she heard was true. 0inny was e-cited in a way, and she read up on ghosts after that. 3he was on the computer for a while, !ut she understood then. %harlotte knew she was dead, !ut she was not willing to go from the house, feeling responsi!le for the people in it. ut 0inny had to make sure she kept the secret /uiet !ecause ghosts would stop coming if they got upset and she did not want to have %harlotte go away. 3he had en$oyed taking her hand and going into another world and time where she could walk and see the past. 'n mid morning, dad got a large lawn mower started and !egan to cut grass. 3oon the house filled with the smell of weeds and grass as the front yard !egan to appear. .ohn .r. was using a chain saw to trim trees, and there was no complaining !ecause he liked using the chain saw. #e was dripping sweat !ut !y mid afternoon he had helped get the front yard cleaned up and the place looked far !etter than it had !efore. 0inny was a!le to guide her wheel chair around the front yard. 3he was outside when two girls came !y on !ycicles. They stopped when they saw her and she rolled up to the fence. 14ou guys !uy this place?2 +ne girl said. 1,o, my dad inherited it.2 1+h, '"m )pril and this is my sister *ose. We live on the other side of the

cemetery.2 1%ool, '"m 0innae. The mutant who is coming up !ehind is myt !rother .ohn.2 .ohn .r. came up to the fence and the two girls smiled and chuckled a little at him for !eing a mess. #e smiled. 1+ther side of the !one yard huh. That"s a cool house.2 1Thanks. *ose replied. 3he had darker hair than her sister and !oth of them had small rodent like noses that made them look like a pair of little mice. )pril tipped her !ike !ack and forth. 1 e careful though, some idiot was raising some dogs and the 3herrif says one or two of them got sick and they"re out here trying to find them. They could !e dangerous.2 1,o kiddin.2 .ohn .r. said. 1'"ll keep that in mind. We have a gun or two.2 1+h ' dont like guns.2 )pril said. 1' think they"re dangerous.2 3he looked awkward, then turned to 0inny. 1' dont want to !e rude, !ut...um....2 1' was !orn with some sort of spinal thing.2 0inny said suddenly. 1They say it could !e cured !ut the operation is like a hundred thousand dollars or something and so ' $ust live with it. '"m used to rolling around.2 1+h. +kay.2 *ose said. 1Well we have to get going, !ut we"ll see you around.2 They smiled, and rode off on their !ikes. )s they left, De!ra called to .ohn .r. and 0inny and the went up to the house. Food was ready and De!ra was talking to Dad at the ta!le. 1' don"t know, ' at least have to raise enough money to fi- this place up with some paint or something. 't needs a little more furniture !ut mainly we need to get everything caught up. ' was thinking of renting out a room or two. We have enough.2 De!ra was skeptical. 1) renter. #mm, that could !e a lot of trou!le. ' don"t know.2 1't wouldn"t have to !e permanent, $ust for a while till we get things

settled.2 1,o, ' can"t go with having strangers living in our house. ad idea.2 1+kay, well if that"s how you feel, we $ust need some things done.2 )s they talked, .ohn .r. heard a door open upstairs and light !oot steps. #e listened intently as they went down the hall then another door opened and closed. #e got up from the ta!le and went /uietly up the stairs. #e rounded the corner and checked each room, !ut as he suspected there was nothing. )s he dou!led !ack down the hall he felt a !ree5e go past and smelled a dirty, cloth smell and sweat. #e stopped and waited for a moment and was certain he heard the sound of men"s voices talking unintelliga!ly in a room. #e slowly stepped down the hall, !eing as silent as possi!le, coming to a !ig room they had hardly !een in. #e could hear the voices, like men discussing something angrilly. #e slowly pushed the door open and heard the voices loudly, then as he stepped into the empty room he could hear them all around. #e also noticed shadows dancing on the walls, then there was a rush of wind and the noises were gone. .ohn .r. went slowly down the stairs as 0inny came out of the kitchen. 1Whatchew up to, creepy person?2 3he asked. .ohn .r. looked at her for a moment. 1#ey sis, how$ew feel a!out going to that grave yard for a !it?2 #e asked. 0inny smiled. 138*E.2 .ohn .r. got his little revolver and they went out the door. )s they moved down the road, he !egan to talk thoughtfully. 14ou remem!er when the doctor said ' had trou!le and put me on the meds, then he said that ' needed a doctor to check this and that and the other thing once a month?2 1Well, have you seen or heard anything strange around that house?2 18m, what in particular?2 1)nything spooky.2 1Well outside of a few !ree5e sand a smell or two not really. Well may!e something.2 1Well to !e !lunt, '"ve seen some funny !usiness in the house and '"m not so sure it"s my imagination. 3ee, ' never /uestioned anything till recently, !ut there is some stuff in that house that $ust doesnt seem right.2

14ou think the place has spooks?2 1'"m almost convinced it does.2 1't does. ' can"t say more right now, !ut it does.2 1+kay so '"m not the only one seeing something weird here and there.2 1,ope.2 )s the two of them went down the road, an old $unky truck appeared and came toward them. 't slowed, and .ohn .r. started to worry that some !and of !ackroads hicks was a!out to give them trou!le. 'nstead, the car stopped for a moment and two !oys regarded them. +ne was a trashy haired !igger !oy and the other was a !one thin !londe with a thin face that made .ohn .r. think of a goat. 1#owya doin. '"m .erry 3troh, this is my trou!le making ignorant half witted half !rother *o!ert. 4ou must !e new to this neck of the woods, what woods we have.2 0inny smiled. 14eah, '"m the crippled kid, 0innae and this is my odd!all !rother .ohn .r.2 )s they were greeting each other, the engine stopped and .erry smiled. 1Well it"ll take some time to get this thing started again.2 #e got out of the car with his !rother and they struggled to open the hood. 't was difficult and it took !oth of them to do it. The group was close to the cemetery, and .ohn .r. looked at the monuments down the road. 't looked very different duringthe day. #e still liked it !etter at night when it was creepy and you did not have to !uy tickets to get in. With the hood open the !oys displayed the old engine, and .ohn .r. looked under the hood. .erry looked a lot thinner standing there and *o!ert o!viously knew a !it more a!out cars. .erry looked over the engine and scratched his !londe head. 1Well, '"m $ust learning to drive so ' guess given the fact that ' have no licenese, no money, and this !ackroad is the only safe place to !e ' can"t

complain much. The car was free.2 0inny looked it over. The paint was !adly worn and the tires had little tread left, and underneath the car things were hanging down. 3he nodded. )!out that time *o!ert said 1+h goodie.2 The group of teens all turned to see two cars and a police car coming down the road. The cars passed them !y, and the policeman stopped for a moment. 1%an you get it going again?2 #e asked. *o!ert smiled. 14eah, so far every time, it stops running when it gets a little warm.2 The policeman glanced down the road. 1This particular one had a sensor on the fire wall. 't"s a little cu!e that looks like glass. 0o getcha a new one and screw it on and that will keep it from doing that.2 *o!ert looked surprised. 1Thanks.2 #e said. The officer nodded and drove away. .erry then walked around the wheelchair and opened the car door. #e paused for a moment and looked at 0inny. 14ou"re really cute.2 #e said. 3he wa surprised and laughed. .erry turned the key and the car !egrudgingly started. *o!ert $oined him and .erry looked at 0inny. 1&isten ' gotta see what ' can do a!out this car, !ut we"ll drop !y, okay?2 0inny smiled. 13ure.2 They drove away and .ohn .r. !egan pushing the wheel chair again #e went up to the gate on with the lock and looked at it for a moment. 0inny spoke from !ehind him. 1's thee something in there that is a really !ig deal?2 3he asked. #e replied 14eah. ) graveyard ' want to walk around in that has !een a!andoned and locked up for years.2 #e then picked up a rock and smashed at the lock several times. 't was hopeless and the wheel chair was not going through the hole in the fence. 14eah, ' know, this little pro!lem of useless legs is a !ooger.2 0inny said. .ohn .r. looked at her. 1,o, this pro!lem of ded people needing so much protection is a !ig pro!lem.2 They sat for a moment and talked, and suddenly down the road came the old car again, with .erry and *o!ert. They pulled up ne-t to them and .erry !ounded out. 1There"s a parts house right down the road. Five !ucks and '"m in !usiness again.2 #e came toward .ohn .r. and 0inny and handed them

each a !ottle of water. 3urprised, they thanked him. *o!ert then looked at the lock on the graveyard. 1+h, methinks ' sees the delimma.2 #e said. 1,ot to worry, teenage kid with a $unky car come prepared.2 #e went to the !ck seat, !rought out a huge hammer and walked up to the lock. With two swings he smashed it open and turned around. 1&ady and gentlemen, let"s go tresspassinngngng62 The kids went into the cemetery, only .erry had taken charge of the wheel chair. They moved through the collection of old monuments and fallen stone, having a good time reading inscriptions and talking a!out the history of what had gone on around them. .ohn .r. took them toward the mausoleum, and as they walked a smell came to their noses. 'n front of the stone !uilding was the dog on the ground, still much like it had !een e-cept !loated. 17e and him had a little discussion last night a!out whether or not he should $ump me.2 .ohn .r. 3aid. *o!ert looked at the !ody. 1What did you do? 3tare him down?2 .ohn .r. shrugged his shoulders. 1,oA ' shot him. ' carry around a little revolver.2 .erry came around the wheelchair. 1,o kiddin. 7e too.2 #e reached into his pants and pulled a pistol that was in a home made pouch. 1'"m a civil war nut. This thing is !lack powder. 7y mom hates guns, so ' keep it tucked away.2 )s they stood talking, a pickup truck passed with a man in the seat who had long !lack hair. #e drove slowly down the road, saw them and the car, then kept going. .ohn .r. felt worried. 13omething a!out that doesnt seem right.2 #e said. 'n a !it more of a hurry, .ohn .r. showed them all inside the mausolem which was gloomy during the day !ut much easier to see into. .erry had never !een in it and found the e-posed caskets to !e fascinating. )s the others satisfied their curiosity, .ohn .r. noticed the one again and still was trying to figure out why it stood out from the rest. 't was getting late when they all left the old graveyard and .erry fired up his old car one more time. #e petted 0inny on the head and said good!ye

and they all parted. 0inny was smiling, knowing .erry liked her a lot, as .ohn .r. pushed her down the road. )s they came near the house, they noticed that the pickup they had seen was in the yard. 0oing up the driveway faster, they went into the living room and were not overly pleased to find that the strange man with long !lack hair was sitting in the living room talking to dad. De!ra was there also and looked at the kids. 0inny was uneasy around the man and .ohn .r. $ust looked at him. #e looked like the main character out of the movie ram 3toker"s Dracula, with long !lack hair and a skift of !eard, his clothes were largely !lack and he wore a chain around his neck with an old medal on it. Dad looked up. 1This is 7r. 'sogul, he is going to finish the outside work on the house. .ust so you know. #e"ll only !e here a day or two.2 1#e"s staying?2 .ohn .r. asked. 1To finish up.2 De!ra replied. #er tone was serious, as if she didn"t like the idea. 7r. 'sogul then got up, nodded in a friendly was and said 1well, ' have a few things to lay out. 3ee you all later.2 #e then went outside as the rest of the family gathered in the dining room again. De!ra was looking through a financial planner and checking her phone. 3he shook her head. 1)fter this 'sogul guy gets done we can"t spend anything else.2 3he said tensely. Dad stared at the wall. 1' know, !ut ' have to take care of that stuff mself. 'f the city does it they will charge several times more.2 De!ra sighed angrily. 14es ' know, the good old city. This stupid house is so old and has so many pro!lems.2 18nfortunaely we weren"t doing much !etter where we came from.2 14eah ' know. For the last few years it"s !een nothing !ut deterioration.2 1' don"t know what to do. '"m open to suggestions.2 1' dont have any." 0inny looked up. 17ay!e dont hire another guy who looks like Dracula. 7ake sure this one....2 3he was cut off in mid sentence when 7r. 'sogul came in the front door. 13cuse me .ohn, !ut your outlets dont want to work.2

.ohn looked surprised. 1#uh?2 #e got up and .ohn .r. followed. 0inny felt a !ree5e pass her and distinctly smelled ladies perfume as it drifted past. 3he also notided that the chrome on the stove fogged for a moment and a paper cup !lew over. 3he stayed /uiet !ut at that moment she wondered how haunted the house was. When 7r. 'sogul tried to plug in a saw it would not work, !ut when Dad plugged in a power tool it worked fine. oth of them stood there and 7r. 'sogul said under his !reath 1What the deuce is going on here.2 )!out that time there was a loud crack, and 7r. 'sogul, Dad and .ohn .r. saw a lim! on the tree !eside the porch !reak loose and !egin falling toward 7r. 'sogul. )ll three of them scattered and the lim! landed inches from the power tool. )s they regarded the lim!, .ohn .r. commented 1wow, that thing must have really !een rotten.2 Dad and 7r. 'sogul looked at the tree. 1Doesn"t seem that !ad to me.2 7r. 'sogul said, and he gave the house an angry look. #e went to his power tool and s/uee5ed the !utton one more time. 't fired up, and with a look of surprise he glanced at the house one more time and returned to work. )s he did, Dad stood and stared at the lim! and .ohn .r. clearly saw the figure of a woman at the other side of the yard. 3he looked at him then faded away. De!ra was cleaning and dusting in different rooms and as she did she looked out the windows and kept an eye on 7r. 'sogul. 0inny was getting showered and changed and it was very difficult to do in a house not outfitted for a wheel chair. De!ra watched him and it seemed like the man was as !usy studying the house as working on it. #e would work, then take a !reak and walk around, then work some more. #e studied the !ack yard closely. 3he was going to !e very glad when he finished and left, he made her very uneasy. The sun got low in the sky and 0inny finished cleaning up and !egan to feel very tired. Dad watched 7r. 'sogul leave and turned to De!ra in the living room. 1Don"t worry, ' have my eye on him too.2 #e said.

T#E 7++, was high at eleven o"clock that night, and .ohn .r. was asleep, 7om and Dad cuddled two rooms down and 0inny snoring /uietly as another little mouse crpet from a corner of the room and stood for a moment, it"s little nose sniffing the air. 't skittered over the floor to where 0inny had dropped crum!s from a piece of cake and sat happily munching the remains, then with this done it scurried off into the dark. +utside the house, thunder rum!led and the moon vanished. *ain !egan to pelt the house and a car came down the road, the lights went off and it stopped in front of the house. The door opened and a work !oot struck the ground and out stepped 7r. 'sogul. #e looked at the house and straightened his clothing. #is face was a mask of dark evil and he walked toward the house slowly. #e entered the yard and inched to the front door. Trees !egan to sway violently around the yard, as 7r. 'sogul worked a device in the lock and popped the door open. 0inny moved around and opened her eyes. *eaching out to her china doll and touching it"s little face. 3he then rela-ed and went !ack to sleep, her hand resting on the dress. 7r. 'sogul walked through the house /uietly, and looked in the !edrooms. #e then saw 0inny laying in !ed and a grin showed on his face. #e took one step in the room and the wind outside !egan to !low violently. The window opened suddenly and the curtains flew outward as a misty form appeared in the room. 7r. 'sogul saw a woman take shape in the mist and he stopped suddenly. #e felt terror grip him as %harlotte !egan to take shape in the room and he !egan to !ack up in fear. 0inny !egan to wake from the distu!ance and 7r. 'sogul turned to get out of the room. #e had no idea what he hit, !ut he slammed into something and fell headlong on the ground. #is !ack popped and there was a sta! of pain. 0inny sat up and !egan to yell, and 7om and Dad woke up to hear her cries. .ohn .r. was not that heavily asleep and hearing his sister cry out he gra!!ed his pistol and ran for the door. 7r. 'sogul recovered himself and ran for the front door as pain sta!!ed his !ack. .ohn .r. could not make out more than a shadow going out the front, !ut his sisters cries of fear were enough.

#e raised his pistol, aimed for the form and fired. The e-plosion was deafening in the house and as Dad !ounded for the door it shocked him and he smashed into the wall, missing the door, with 7om right !ehind him. &ightnight flashed, !linding her for a moment. The !ullet seared through the air, ripped through 7r. 'sogul"s shirt and all the way through him, lodging in the door. The pain was searing and hot, and he went out the door s/uelching a scream. #is legs felt weak and his mouth went dry as he gasped for !reath, running for his car as !lood ran out of his front and !ack, soaking his shirt. #e got in the car and started the engine. ehind him, .ohn .r. was running down the stairs. #e heard his Dad"s voice and stopped. 1D+,"T %#)3E T#E 8*0&)* +8T3'DE, &ET #'7 0+62 .ohn .r stopped, then as he saw the door sway in the !ree5e he turned and went to 0inny"s room. #e turned on the light and saw her sitting wide eyed. #e went to her side, sat the gun on the nightstand and !egan em!racing 0inny. #er heart was pounding so hard that he could feel it. +utside thunder roared. Dad went to the front door to look out as 7om ran to 0inny"s room and they had a group hug to calm her down. Dad turned on the light, seeing a car tearing down the road and he saw !lood on the floor and noticed the door did not shut right. #e then saw the !ullet lodged in the edge of the wood. #e dialed the police, went to 0inny"s doorway and stood seriously looking at the others, who looked !ack at him. 10ood shooting son.2 #e said, his eyes reflecting anger. 1That was really good shooting.2 .ohn .r. knew the anger was not for him and he stroked 0inny"s hair. 1Thanks Dad.2 )s dad walked from the room he did not see the misty figure !ehind him in the dark that faded away. Down the road, 7r. 'sogul had stopped and was outside of his car wailing in pain looking at his !lood soaked hand. #e was cursing profusely and !reathing hard. #is phone rang and he tried to contain himself as he answered, sweat dripping down his face which was already wet with rain. #is pants were gooked with mud as well. 14eah. 4eah ' got in. The house is haunted. ,o '"m not whining and delusional. 't doesn"t matter, ' tripped over something and the stupid teenage

!oy shot me in the !ack. '"ll survive, he missed anything vital !ut ' can"t go to the doctor. The cops will check.2 7r. 'sogul !reathed hard and groaned in pain then spoke again. 1' used a different car. ' go !ack tomorrow. ' looked the house over, the stuff has gotta !e there. ' don"t think it"s inside, !ut '"ll find a way in. +h man that !ullet hurt, oh man oh man6 ' didn"t come this far not to get that stuff, it was worth a fortune in the civil war days, it must !e worth a hundred times that now. That !ullet #88888888*T3 so !ad62 #e cursed more then hung up and got !ack into his car. #e made one more phone call. 14eah, %layton, ' caught a slug, ' need patched up. %ool, '"ll !e there in a few.2 #e shook his head. 1'diots with a crippled kid who likes a !usted porcelain toy, !usted like she is. 't"s the house of !roken dolls.2 ,o one slept in the house the rest of the night. When the police arrived, they took photos of the !lood and asked countless /uestions. The detective in charge spoke to Dad. 1Well my first guess is that someone knew this place was empty and came to see if the new tenants had any valua!les. That would !e my first guess. 't"ll take time to investigate. 't"s very good that you stopped the shooting !efore going outside. *ight now we have it that the thug came into the girl"s room then you spooked him and were protecting the house. %lear cut case of self defense, so you"re good there. ut ' have to caution you against having a teenager with a gun.2 #e looked at .ohn .r and Dad, !oth of whom were staring at him with o!vious looks. 1+kay well ' guess we"re done here so may!e you can get some sleep the rest of the night.2 The police cleared out and De!ra got some cleaner and scru!!ed what !lood she could. 1' wish ' knew who"s !lood this is. ' also hope that !ullet hurt like mad.2 't was nearly sunrise as 0inny thought of %harlotte, !ut she was so e-hausted that she drifted to sleep. 3he never saw the misty hands that pulled the !ed sheets up and tucked her in. 3he slept fitfully, then as the sky !egan to turn deep !lue, she felt 7om ease into the !ed ne-t to her and she was still

after that. When the sun !egan to come up, .ohn .r. was sitting on the front porch as Dad came outside and sat with him. #e was cleaning his revolver. )s Dad sat down .ohn .r. !egan to speak in serious tones. 1#ey dad, ' have a couple /uestions in my head drifting around and ' wondered if may!e you had any of your own.2 #e said. Dad rocked gently !ack and forth and stared into the front yard. 14ou"re wondering if that wierdo vampire wanna!e guy had anything to do with last night.2 1Well that"s one issue. ' wonder if there was a reason why the perp was in 0inny"s !edroom.2 1' don"t know, !ut that little toy of yours gave him something to think a!out.2 1)re you going to say anything?2 1To Dracula? ,o. #e knows we have hardware, let"s see if he shows up again. 'f he does, let"s see what we see or if we"re $ust !eing paranoid. ' want 0in and your mom under, uh, surveilance shall we say, till we sort this out. 'f it was that guy, ' think we should try and !ag him.2 1'"m with ya.2 1)nd don"t let that pistol out of your site.2 1*ight.2 13ee, this clown doesn"t know who shot him, if it was our !uddy !oy, then he will !e thinking it was me.2 10otcha.2 1'f it was him, small odds he"ll !e !ack.2 14eah, !ut whoever it was, ' hope it hurt.2 Dad nodded. 1Was there something else?2 #e asked. .ohn .r. looked thoughtful. 1' don"t think '"m sick, ' think ' have some weird perception. '"m

still seeing people and things, !ut they"re civil war associated and at this house it adds up. First ' used to see 8nce o!, then ' saw 0randma and you thought ' was going !onkers. ,ow '"m seeing soldiers and some woman.2 Dad looked at him. 1#ere?2 14eah.2 1Well that"s wild !ecause ' was seeing and feeling a few things and thought ' was $ust imagining it.2 1Wow, that"s wild, the house is haunted62 1#ave you !een taking those pills?2 1,o ' /uit days ago.2 1+kay. Dont take them anymore.2 1Works for me.2 Dad got up and went inside the house. Within an hour the pickup came into the yard and as the family watched from the living room, 7r. 'sogul went around !ack and !egan to work. 7om watched him carefully, and while he seemed a !it slow, he worked right along. #e vanished a few times, taking little !reaks, then he went !ack to work. Finally he came up on the !ack porch and nodded to 7om. 1#owya doin. %ould ' talk you outta some water?2 3he smiled pleasantly. 13ure thing. #ow much more do you have to do?2 3he asked. #e came in the !ack door and $oined her in the kitchen. 1,ot much at all, ' need to finish a little trimming out !ack and then '"m done. '"ll make you a good deal. ' know you guys are having some pro!lems in the money department so '"ll ad$ust the rates. y the way, ' know some people who like anti/ues. There anything in this place you want to sell?2 7om turned around and handed him water. 1,ot much really, we might have a thing or two in the attic, !ut we havent looked.2 7r. 'sogul drank the water down and ran himself a second glass as he sat for a moment, as if he did not feel well. 1.ust keep in mind, E !ay is a !ooming !usiness too. 4"know, these old houses are historic. This one goes way !ack.2

1*eally?2 7om said curiously. 7r. 'sogul looked distant. 1+h yeah. There were some interesting people here. They had a railway down the road a !it, made things easy for the yankees, and that"s why they put a hospital here. Easy in and out with the soldiers. 'n si-ty four there was a cavalry raid they took payroll off a yank train. 3ome of the wounded men came here. They !lew up part of the train.2 1' didnt know that.2 De!ra said. 7r. 'sogul looked around and studied the house intensely. 14eah, most people don"t study history much. ' do. Where"s the young lady?2 13he"s sleeping. 3he had a rough night. 3omeone !roke in.2 1Wow, no kidding6 urglars?2 1,ot sure, !ut the cops are searching.2 1' !et. 4ou should get a dog or alarm or somethng.2 1We will. ' dou!t they will come !ack though.2 7r. 'sogul finished the water, and as he did, the curtains in the living room swayed as if !lown !y a !ree5e. #e then said 1Thanks for the water, '"m sure you gave your !urglar something to think a!out anyhow. '"m going to get on it and get it done, and that will !e that.2 De!ra stared at him and was a!out to say something when the chandalier overhead suddenly crackled, and as they looked up it !roke loose, struck the ta!le and rolled down onto 7r. 'sogul, who fell !ackward onto the floor. De!ra was shocked at the suddenl incident, and 7r. 'sogul came upalmost in tears holding his side. lood was dripping down his side and he got up with difficulty. 13T8P'D +&D #+83E.2 #e yelled. 1Pro!a!ly eaten up with termites.2 #e then saw De!ra and her eyes darted over the chandalier and his wound. 1'"m sorry 7iss. ' gotta go.2 #e hesitated for a moment then !egan walking for the door very fast. )s he went, the front room seemed to humm with a sudden roar and the windows !lew open. &ightning flashed from outside and rain came in, !ut 7om was astonished to see the motion of wind come in the room, swirl around, then racticly shove 7r. 'sogul out the door. #e went and the door slammed, then the wind went away. The thunder and lightning outside rum!led, and 7om stood in shock.

0inny was sitting in her wheelchair staring from the other side of the house, and !oth .ohn .r. and dad came running from upstairs. 1What happened down here?2 Dad yelled. +utisde the sound of 7r. 'sogul"s truck starting and slopping !ackward in the mud could !e heard. #e got onto the road and drove off as rains e-ploded down in sheets !ehind him. 1't sounded like a truck wreck6 First ' hear something crash, then there is a roaring wind and 'sogul is yelling a!out termites62 Dad said loudly. 7om stood and $ust looked at him in shock. 1' don"t know what"s going on. First the guy can"t make the tools work, then a tree tries to attack him, the chandalier !reaks loose and falls on him....it"s like the house is attacking him62 3he said. 0inny was motionless. 3he was staring at the mirror in the corner. 'n it she saw the misty reflection of %harlotte looking at her, then it faded gently away. .ohn .r. had seen it too and they e-changed silent looks. #e knew she had seen it and was now convinced that he was not mentally ill at all, !ut that he could see things others could not. 7om strode into the living room and went up to Dad. 3he put her hands on her hips and looked at him. 14"know, that goof!all said something that really got to me. #e knew we had one intruder last night, !ecause he said so, and he also commented that we gave him something to think a!out. #ow did he know that? 8h, yeah, and now that ' think a!out it, that chandalier didn"t cut him, !ut he had a !leeding wound on his...2 Dad cut her off as he dialed his phone. 1#e isn"t coming !ack, !ut he doesnt have to. #e"s the thug who came in here last night. #ello, police?2 )s he spoke, De!ra walked around the room. 1' wonder if there is something to all that his....wait a second. ' wonder if he was looking for some treasure here.2 .ohn .r. laughed. 1Treasure? This place?2 7om sat down in a chair as Dad hung up his phone. 1#e was yapping a!out the civil war, an attack on a train and yankee payroll.2

Dad stared at her. 1This adds up to one really odd!all story. 3ome clown shows up and works here, then weird stuff happens and he yaps a!out hidden treasure? )re we serious?2 #e said. .ohn .r. shook his head. 1' don"t know, me pappy, !uried treasure sounds good right now.2 Dad looked at the !roken chandalier. 1Thats a shame62 #e said. 1' wonder if ' can salvage it.2 The police showed up and the detective took more information from Dad a!out a man named %ale! 'sogul who had showed up to do some work. #e left out much of the story a!out the house seeming to attack him, !ut the police said they would follow up on the lead and look into 7r. %ale! 'sogul. )s the morning wore on, the rain slowed, !ut 0inny was giddy a!out going outside. 3he went in the sitting room and !rushed her long hair. Then she stopped for a moment and wondered if she would ever see the ghost of %harlotte again. 3he wondered if the events of last night had made her not show. 3he really wanted to see the ghost again. 3he wheeled herself out of the room and .ohn .r. came walking in. 1Wanna take a walk in the rain?2 #e asked. 0inny nodded a-citedly and they went out of the house, wrestled the chair down the steps and as rain gently pelted them, they went down the road in the direction of the cemetery, though not neccesarily planning to go there. )s they went, a car passed and honked, and )pril and *ose waved from inside. They waved !ack and moved on down the road. The cemetery was very creepy now, and they rolled past it and kept going. .ohn .r. felt his little pistol nestled in his !elt and he suddenly saw the lights of the old ratty car come along. 0inny giggled amusedly as she saw .erry 3troh !ehind the wheel. #e stopped and got out with *o!ert. 10oing to get wet huh?2 #e asked. 0inny smiled. .erry came over to her and sat down. 1&isten, me and this ugly minion who trails me around town were going down to get me a driving permit. '"d !e glad to toss your accesory in the !ack and give you a ride with us.2 #e said. .ohn .r. smiled. 1We appreciate that, !ut you can"t have anyone in the car !ut you and the e-aminer.2 1T"salright, we can figure something out.2 1't"s fine.2 0inny said.

'n moments, .erry had very tenderly e-tracted 0inny from the chair and set her in his front seat, then the other two !oys got in the !ack. 0inny liked riding up front and .erry carefully drove downt he wet road to town. #e talked to 0inny as he went. 14ou know, we got !roken into last night. We think it was a worker guy.2 1Wow, seriously? Who?2 13ome creepy guy named %ale! 'sogul.2 1Where would he come from?2 1' don"t know, !ut my !rother winged him with a gun.2 +ddly enough all three !oys chorused 14E)#62 at the same time.

.E**4 #)D to unload his !rother and .ohn .r., !ut the e-aminer saw 0inny in the !ack and smiled at her. 1Don"t say anything to anyone, okey little lady?2 #e said. #e then gave the driving test to .erry, who passed !y a single point. #e was pretty good, !ut he made a few mistakes. #e was awarded his paper license, and the kids all got together in the car and went !ack down the road. They talked a!out the entire story from end to end and .erry, e-cited that he had gotten his license, started weaving down the country road, sliding gently on the mud for fun. 1Wooooowww6 What a deal. ' can see it nowww. 3ome creepy dude from Transylvania comes along and searches for treasure on the grounds of an old civil war era house. There is a !ook or movie in here someplace. )ll we need is a werewof, and '"m !etting we can find one of those too.2 #e said happily. The old car rum!led down the road and the kids were having a good time making parodies of characters from horror movies. Then they got silent for a moment and .erry nodded his head thoughtfully. 14ou know, think a!out it. This goof!all comes to your house, gets firmiliar enoughw ith it to !reak in, then after getting shot he shows up the ne-t day for work. Does anyone !ut me think this is more than a little strange?2 #e asked.

There was silence for a moment, then 0inny commented 1criminals can !e pretty stupid.2 *o!ert piped up from the !ack seat. 1' don"t know. This guy would know the cops were going to !e on the lookout for him, and after he gets a !ullet in him he wont give up. #e takes his little search pretty seriously. ' wonder what he knows that we don"t.2 .ohn .r. spoke from his seat. 1We weren"t totally sure it was him, !ut all the evidence made him really suspect.2 They kept driving and 0inny said 1guys, ' hate to spoil the party !ut ' need to lay down.2 .erry was very sympathetic and he calmed her and drove to the house. The !oys helped get 0inny into her chair and .erry wheeled her into the house. 7om had reassem!led the chandalier, which had very little damage, all things considered, and Dad had put it !ack in the ceiling with new screws in different holes. 7om attended to settling ginny in for a nap, and the !oys !usied themselves at the computer. 7om !rought them a few small snacks then got out paperwork for her !usiness, to get caught up on the previous few days of doing other things. 3he went upstairs to the old !athroom and washed the dirt off from the chandalier, and as she walked out of the !athroom she heard voices in her !edroom. Walking down the hall it !ecame plain to her that they were not regular people. The voices were talking plainly !ut she could make out no words. +ne of them was a woman, the other was a man. 3he came to her door and paused. 3he was certain that she would not like what she found as she gently touched the door and pushed it inward. )s it opened the sounds echoed through the room and she saw two misty forms in the corner. 7om walked slowly into the room and as she drew near the forms faded away and the voices vanished into space, then there was a gentle !ree5e past her and she smelled old clothes and sweat. 7om sat down on the !ed and Dad walked into the room. 1Well tomorrow ' go !ack to having a $o!. 't will take time to get going again.2 1This house is haunted.2 De!ra said, ignoring his comment. Dad sat down ne-t to her on the !ed. 1' know, '"ve figured that out. That chandalier should not have hit the ta!le. The wood was fine. 't"s as if it had

help.2 1' $ust saw two ghosts.2 14ou arent alone, ' know !ig gusts of wind dont run people out of our house.2 1What do we do? We have no place else to go.2 1' don"t see any reason T+ go. They aren"t hurting anything. 'f anything they help. 1&ike running that 'sagul idiot out of here?2 14eah.2 13o we $ust go on living here with weird things around us.2 1They aren"t causing any harm.2 1' guess.2 Dad gave her a hug and he went !ack out of the room. #e saw the !oys on the computer and walked up to them. They were researching various civil war sites. 18h guys, '"m going to need to get this lift done so we can get 0inny up the stairs.2 They looked at him, and .erry asked 1why"s she go up stairs?2 13o we can give her one of the rooms.2 1Well it isn"t my !usiness sir, !ut what"s wrong with the room she"s in? 't"s !ig, she likes it and it works for that wheel chair. What"s she need upstairs.2 10ood point.2 Dad said. .ohn .r. commented 1#e makes sense, why tear up the house when 0inny has a good room and ficilities with access to field mice.2 Dad looked at them thoughtfully then said 1#ave fun reading what your reading guys, '"m going to clean up and shave for tomorrow.2 )s he walked out of the room .erry commented 1he is a !it fu55y in the face.2 Dad yelled 1' heard that.2 The storm picked up again outside and raged till the front yard was !ecoming somewhat flooded. Dad did not want his guests to have to drive their ragged car home in it so he phoned the family and decided to let them spend the night. The !oys migrated up the stairs and the house !ecame silent

e-cept for the sounds of the storm. 0inny s/uirmed in !ed, and De!ra came down to check on her. 3he was running a slight fever so when she woke up De!ra gave her medicine. 't was one of the spells she sometimes got since she had lost her a!ility to walk. De!ra held her as she sat up, asleep, limp ne-t to her and wondered a!out selling the house to raise money for the operation. 3he had no pro!lem selling the house and would have lived in a tend if it would fi- what had gone wrong with 0inny. De!ra eased her !ack down into the !ed and looked at the porcelain doll on the night stand. 't was clean and pretty !ut very anti/ue looking. 3he liked the doll too. De!ra picked her up off the night stand and looked at the face, with the little split. 3he petted the hair and looked in the !lue glass eyes. 1Well you !ring her happiness, she gave you a special place ne-t to her at night. That makes you worth a lot.2 3he stood the doll !ack up very carefully and straightened her dress. 3he did not want to !reak her. )s De!ra looked at her she picked her up one more time and looked for any morkings. 3he found a stamp on her !ack $ust under the dress, and looked at it in ama5ement. )lmost poeticly there was a crash of thunder and flash of lightning that confirmed what she read: Theile Doll %ompany. Francis. 7ade .uly ;B ;<CC. De!ra mouthed surprise and gently sat the doll down again. 1Well Francis, nice to meet you. 4ou"ve !een in this house a long long time.2 De!ra /uietly eased out of the room and up stairs. 3he went in the !edroom where .ohn was. 1With that 'sogul shmuck on the loose, what are we doing to keep him away from us?2 1The !a!y monitor is on so we can hear any noise and ' got the shotgun loaded !y the !ed. '"ve already locked the doors earlier. ' really don"t think he wants to mess with us here again. #e"s !een attacked from every direction.2 1+k.2 3he replied and sat down at her computer. 1' don"t think '"ll feel safe as long as that idiot is out there. The cops don"t seem to !e a!le to do anything a!out him.2 Dad smirked. 1,o dou!t, !ut you let me not stop on the way through a stop sign...2

The rain slowed down and after a while. De!ra and Dad left the door open and lay /uietly. They fell asleep and ne-t to them the !a!y monitor was silent...... Wind seemed to gra! the trees overhead and whip them menacingly around. The house shuddered and 0inny snored gently. The front windows opened with a slight !ang and the curtains flew for a moment. Then the windows closed and %harlotte walked slowly through the living room. 3he went to 0inny"s room and walked up to her !ed. 3he gently caressed the cracked face of Francis and 0inny turned over. 1%harlotte62 0inny whispered e-citedly. 14ou came !ack62 %harlotte"s spectral voice echoed in the room as she spoke. 1There is great danger, much more than you know.2 3he said, and reached her hand out to 0inny. 0inny /uickly reached for the soft, cold hand of her ghostly friend. )s they touched the hand did not feel so cold. 3he found herself stepping out of her !ed and drawing near to %harlotte. 3he smiled and looked into the pale !lue eyes of her friend. )s she did, %harlotte slowly led her to the door and 0inny felt strange. %harlotte turned to her 14ou must hold on tightly and trust me.2 3he said. 0inny smiled. 1+kay. )re we going someplace again?2 %harlotte touched her lips. 0inny said no more, !ut she felt strange, and again the house !egan to change, !ut this time it was so very different.... De!ra sat !olt upright in !ed, wide awake. 3he turned to the !a!y monitor and stared for $ust a second. 1Who was her daughter talking to?2 De!ra !ounded out of !ed and down the stairs. 3he went down the stairs and turned the corner toward the sitting room and suddenly fro5e. There in front of her was 0inny, walking, her !races off, her legs fine...!ut that was not the part that left De!ra so shocked that her heart pounded in her ears. #olding her hand tightly was a ghostly woman in a long victorian dress. 3he was gently leading 0inny across the living room. De!ra felt the urge to lunge forward and gra! her daughter from this ghostly figure, !ut her legs would not respond. 3he watched the figure of the woman walk through the living room and fade into nothing, and 0inny went with her. ) slight !ree5e

swirled in the empty space !ehind them. De!ra felt shock and panic overtake her. There was a rush in her head and she fell to the floor. 0inny looked around and the house faded away from her. 3he gripped %harlotte"s hand tightly and found %harlotte warm and filled with color ne-t to her. ut this time they were standing in another place. efore them was a railroad and a small !and of %onfederate soldiers. 0inny tightened her grip in sudden fear. The soldiers had gray and tan uniforms, !elts on their chests and waists and various pistols and rifles. +ne of them had a plunger and was smoking a cigar. ) train rum!led in the distance and 0inny saw the tracks, as the soldiers waited an-iously. The train came down the tracks and the man with the plunger took a long drag on his cigar and said to himself 1come to papa, illy 4ank.2 #e then pushed the plunger down and suddenly the tracks erupted in a violent !last of flame, smoke and flying de!ris. The scream of the train !rakes split the air, !ut the engine went into the flames and with a shudder, it left the space where the tracks had !een and e-ploded through the dirt. 't sent tons of rock and dirt flying as the soldiers cheered and when it came to rest the train cars smashed into each other and glass e-ploded from windows while wood splintered and walls !ent and !roke. The confederates rushed forward through the dust and !egan ransacking the cars. 3everal cars had 8nion 3oldiers in them and the ran outside of the wrecked cars, some of them in$ured, and others ready to fight. Pistols and rifles e-ploded to life and 0inny heared the air come alive with the sounds of gun fire and men shouting. %onfederate soldiers fell from !eing hit as did men in !lue and the shooting !ecame a deafening roar that seemed not to stop. 'n the middle of it several men pulled a chest out of the train and drug it to where their horses were. The !attle was fierce and as the %onfederates struggled to load the !o- into a wagon, !ullets smashed through the wood and several men were shot and killed. Three men managed to load the !oand they took off with it.

+ne 4ankee soldier with a strange rifle ran to the grass and he cracked open his rifle, fitted it with a paper cartridge and snapped it shut. #e then muttered something to himself as he primed the rifle and aimed it. #e fired and the !ullet whi55ed over space and struck one of the men. 3everal more shots rang out as the other %onfederate soldiers turned to ride away and they continued falling. ) num!er of 8nion men had the same rifles that !roke open in the middle and they were a!le to shoot faster than the %onfederates who had muskets and they were swiftly shooting them down. )s the last of the attacking soldiers ran to their horses to escape with the chest they had stolen, the 8nion men formed a !attle line and loaded their guns, then fired one more round. 0inny could not tell how many fo the thieves had !een shot, !ut there were men all over the ground. The train was wrecked and in a few moments there were wounded and in$ured men everywhere. There were other passengers also, !ut 0inny felt %harlotte leading her away. They walked for a moment and 0inny saw the !right day melting into darkness and the sounds of thunder and rain !egan to fill her ears again. 3oon she saw her house around her again and she saw her !ed. %harlotte led her into her room. 0inny turned to her sadly. 1 Do you have to go?2 ' like your visits. 4ou"re my friend and ' can walk when you hold my hand.2 3he !egan to cry. %harlotte em!raced 0inny. 1 e strong. Everything will !e alright, !ut you must !e strong.2 3he said. 3he gently put 0inny to !ed and tucked her in. 0inny s/uee5ed %harlotte"s hand once more as she !egan to fade away, and 0inny reali5ed her time was limited. 1%+7E )%(62 3he whispered loudly as %harlotte faded away. 0inny turned and looked at Francis. 3he touched her dress and thought she must have !een %harlottes. 3trange she had !een in this house so long....not really though. 0inny fell asleep right away. +utside of her door De!ra sat up on the floor, di55y. 3he looked around the living room. ,othing had changed. 3he got up with difficulty and went into 0inny"s room, !ut she was in !ed. De!ra stood for a moment and stared at the little hand resting on Francis. 3he knew she had seen 0inny leave the room with a ghost. 3he checked 0inny closer and she was !reathing peacefully. De!ra went !ack to her room and

sat on the edge of the !ed. Dad turned over. 1Did you check on 0innae?2 #e asked. 14up.2 3he replied. Dad cleared his throat. 13he fine?2 #e asked. 14up." %ame the reply. .ohn sounded calmer. 10ood, then that was you she was talking to.2 #e said. 3uddenly De!ra was wide awake again. 1' didn"t say one word to her.2 3he replied. .ohn mum!led. 1'n a haunted house, '"m not too surprised.2

E9E*4+,E W)3 up early the ne-t morning. Dad was going down town to get ready for a new $o!, De!ra was taking care of !usiness for her $o! that she ran on her computer and she was taking .ohn .r. and 0inny to get signed into school. )s they sat at the ta!le that morning, De!ra seemed very distant, and as the others made small talk, she finally spoke. 10innae, were you talking to someone last night?2 13orry, ' tend to talk to the little Francis doll ' found in the upstairs closet.2 Dad smiled. 14eah, that doll has !een around. 7y grandmother found it in the house and she kept it in her !edroom forever. 3he said it was !rought here !y one of the nurses during the civil war. That thing was made in ;<CC.2 De!ra hesitated for a moment, then she spoke again. 1't sounded like you were talking to someone else, and ' had a really strange dream, that you could walk.2 3he said. 0inny looked at her for a moment. 3he seemed very awkward and finally .ohn .r. !roke into the conversation. 1+kay, let"s $ust lay this to rest. This house has spooks in it. '"ve heard voices and seen stuff, and so has dad and 0inny. &et"s $ust say it, this house is haunted and there are pro!a!ly a 5illion spooks from the war hanging around. )long with that, we had a really nasty visit with %ount Dracula.2 )ll four of them looked up at the chandalier and could not help laughing. De!ra then looked !ack at .ohn .r. 1We"ve !een through this with doctors and they said...2 Dad !roke in. 1Theyn were wrong, !a!e.2 #e said. 1'"ve

seen and heard stuff here too and he has !een off the meds for a while. 'f ' had to guess, '"d say he"s one of those kids who sees things others can"t.2 De!ra nodded as if she understood. 3he then turned to 0inny. 1)ll ' care a!out is that you are okay.2 3he said. 0inny looked worried then, and she finally spoke. 1' think '"m supposed to tell you guys something. 3ince may!e you might !elieve me now. ' think there is some sort of treasure or something around here !ecause there was a train ro!!ery !ack then and some men got away with a trunk full of money.2 .ohn .r. looked pleased. 1Wow. We found that out on the net too. 3eems a !and of re! solciers $umped the train down there and they may hae done it more than once.2 Dad spoke then, sounding serious. 10uys, ' think we need to slow down a little !it. *eally, we live in this old creaky house with strange sights and sounds, and ' can accept that it might !e haunted, and even that .ohnny has no need for meds anymore. '"m great with that. ut really, some sort of !uried treasure? The civil war happened over a century !ack. y now if there was money or treasure, some!ody would have found it. There"s no way a !unch of valua!les is going to stay hidden. ' mean, this place was a hospital. #ow would that work? *e!el soldiers come and ro! a train of a !o- of something? We dont know that the !o- e-isted, and if it did, what was in it, or what they did with it. Even if the story was true, they"d have spent it, right? What would they do? 3et up a !ig !unch of treasure for people from the future to come find?2 10ee5 dad, they pro!a!ly needed new clothes after the war, $ust kidding.2 .ohn .r. said. De!ra was very gentle as she looked at 0inny and spoke. 1Did someone visit you last night? ' really $ust need to know.2 3he asked. 0inny was worried that if she spoke, %harlotte might not come !ack. ut she also wondered a!out what she had seen. 0inny"s eyes !egan to tear up and she !egan to shake a little. .ohn .r. put

his arm around her and Dad and De!ra looked at her with sympathy. 1,o one is going to call you cra5y or any of that $unk.2 Dad said. 0inny !egan to speak. #er voice was filled with worry. 1There is this woman named %harlotte who comes and talks to me now and then. 3he is really nice, and when she holds my hand...2 0inny paused and looked at the looks on her family"s faces. They were not dis!elief, !ut concern. 1...3he took me for a walk. ut she took me and showed me soldiers fighting and men stealing a !o-. 3he said there was great danger.2 Dad spoke to her gently. 1+kay, did she say what kind of danger?2 0inny shook her head. 1,o, !ut she said to !e watchful.2 De!ra looked at Dad. 1What do you think?2 Dad sat !ack for a moment then after a pause he spoke. 1' think your ghosts tend to !e shy !ecause people are aggressive toward them. For the record, ' have to wonder how this all connects. 'f this ghost gave a warning, ' think we should !e alert and take it seriously. '"m not going to call some e-corcist or medium, and from what ' can tell, if this %harlotte '3 here, she hasn"t done anything !ad. What do you mean she helped you walk?2 13he took my hand and for a few minutes we walked around out !ack. 't was so nice. ut she can"t stay long.2 1+kay.2 Dad said. 1&et"s $ust keep our eyes open and not get carried away. '"m not looking to scare away your ghost. ' wont mess with her since she hasn"t came around me, !ut ' have no idea what to make of this mysterious !o- you say the %onfederates took off a train. Did anyone say what was in it?2 1Payroll.2 .ohn .r. replied. 1The 8nion army was paying their !oys and the re!s ro!!ed the train. 't was all over the net. 7an ' wish they would have !uried the stuff, cu5 '"d love to dig up a !o- of money.2 17e too.2 Dad said. 1 ut ' can"t imagine men staling a !o- of money and $ust !urying it. Why would they do that?2 1 ecause this town was occupied !y the 8nion and their men got shot to

!its stealing the money and needed the nurses.2 The others looked at her in surprise and De!ra shrugged. 1'"m $ust sayin......2 she replied. 1#mmm, '"d like to argue that, !ut it makes sense.2 Dad said. #e got up from the ta!le slowly, as if his mind was far away. 1#mmmm. This is really fascinating.2 Dad walked out of the kitchen and De!ra s/uee5ed 0inny"s shoulder in a friendly way. 0inny felt good, feeling that she had not !etrayed %harlotte. 3he wheeled herself out of the house to the car to go to the school. Dad went upstairs and he was a!out to gra! his keys and leave when he saw a form pass in the mirror. #e looked and saw a hoop skirt go around the hall corner. #e turned and walked very fast and went around the corner also. )head of him was a figure, a !lack woman in a hoop skirt drifting down the hall toward a room. #e saw no feet, she seemed to glide and he could see through her. efore he could move again she vanished through the door. Dad thought for a moment. #e wasn"t afraid fo the ghosts. #e now knew they were there. #is son saw things, his handy man had !een attacked, and 0inny said she had a friendly woman ghost. 't was like living Dark 3hadows. #e also wondered what the story was on the mysterious !o- from the train ro!!ery. #e determined to find out all he could. Dad left for work feeling pleased. #e liked having a house filled with mystery and a few ghosts thrown in. 0inny and De!ra went to the school and 0inny was e-pecting to !e stared at !y students who could walk. 'nstead she was surprised to find that there was a section of the school that was for the physically challenged. The rooms were wide for wheel chairs, and there were accessories for deaf and !lind students. ut they were integrated with the other students so that no one felt strange. 3he was almost ignored, !ut then she ran into )pril and *ose. To her surprise they were very happy to see her. They !egan to talk to her and to push her chair around as De!ra did the paperwork and dismissed her. The wind and rain had !egun to !reak up, and !y that afternoon it was sunshine and wind. Everything was muddy, !ut 0inny found herself !eing pushed first !y )pril and *ose, then !y .erry 3troh. #e showed out of nowhere at lunch and hung out with the girls !ut it was clear they were not

comforta!le with him. )pril in particular did not like .erry and she left, then soon after she was $oined !y *ose. 0inny started out en$oying her classes for the most part !ut she !egan to feel oddly tired and wanted to go home. #er legs !egan cramping and she !egan to think a!out calling her mother, !ut she knew De!ra had a lot going on to catch up on what money had !een spent. )t the last class, everyone had gotten their opening day materials together and april was sitting !y a window. 0inny came up and $oined her. )pril smiled when she saw her. 1' don"t mean to !e nosey )pril !ut what is it a!out .erry you don"t like?2 1' don"t really know, !ut the little snert $ust seems so creepy. #e"s like this nutty little wierdo who wants attention. #e"s into all this history stuff and cemeteries, guns, stuff like that. ' hate guns, and ' don"t know why anyone would want to hang out in a nasty old graveyard. #e"s like some closet 0oth.2 0inny was disappointed at her answer !ut she answered 1yeah he is a little odd, !ut he was nice to me from moment one and he"s always !een very considerate.2 )pril looked at her. 1'"ll try to !e nice to him, he $ust !others me somehow.2 The afternoon !ell rang and they all went into the hall. *ose met )pril and .erry plodded along and greeted 0inny. #e looked at )pril and she gave him a disapproving look. 13o what"s up snert? 0oing to a graveyard this afternoon?2 1Well actually ' have a little pro$ect to work on. 4ou really have nice hair. 't looks smooth.2 )pril was a !it stunned at his compliment and 0inny grinned. .erry then politely asked 0inny if she needed anything. 1' might later. 4ou should call my house, ' want to talk to you a!out something.2 3he replied. .erry smiled, then tottered off down the hallway. )pril shook her head. 3he pushed 0inny down the hall and as they passed a la! room 0inny noticed a cage with white mice. 3he turned her chair and !oth of them went into the la!. *ose came up !ehind the two girls, fiddling with something in

her purse. 0inny went up to the cage and looked at the little mice and was cooing. )pril looked at her with a sick look. 1,o wonder you like snert so much, you"re a wierdo too62 *ose looked at the mice. 1' don"t know, they"re kinda cute with those tiny little paws and pointy noses, they look like a 3helley &ong !a!y picture. Who the heck is snert, anyhow?2 )pril looked at the mice in disgust as the instructor came out, a !ig man with glasses who grinned at the girls. 0inny did not look away from the mice. 13he thinks .erry 3troh is a snert, whatever that is. 3o tiny and soft looking.2 The instructor came around the ta!le and smiled. 1They"re feeder mice, !ut they make good pets. ' don"t feed them to snakes, ' use them to e-periment with training techni/ues in class.2 0inny looked up at him and he smiled. 1'"m Davis *ogers. 4ou must !e 0innae. '"m firmiliar with all of the physically challenged teen girls here since ' also e-periment with remedies for their concerns.2 1That"s really neat, !ut my doctors said ' needed an operation on my spine up !y the !rain and it would cost a small fortune. ' need a lot of sleep from time to time too.2 1'"m firmiliar with the ailment you have, a spinal disorder called 3pinal 7alapaloma, !rought on !y a severe antigen malfunction during the time your mother was pregnant with you when anti!odies in her system....2 #e noticed the !lank stares from the girls and paused for a moment. 18m, that is, don"t worry a!out the little mouse, she isn"t snake food, she"s a la! assistant.2 0inny grinned. *ose glanced at her phone. 1Well speaking of food '"m ready to go home. '"m starving. The *ose is soon to wilt.2 3he said. )t the moment .ohn .r. walked in with .erry and *o!ert. .ohn .r. smiled. 1Well, ' heard from mom !ut she"s a few minutes late. ' wanna go home and look into this treasure thing a !it more.2 7r. *ogers laughed. 1Treasure huh, what would some young teenagers

consider treasure?2 #e asked. 1+h, there was a rumor on the internet a!out some re! army that ro!!ed a train and took 8nion payroll.2 .erry said. 7r. *ogers suddenly looked keenly interested. 1E-cellent6 )nd as a matter of fact, the legends are true.2 )ll of the teenagers e-cept )pril and *ose chorused 1*E)&&4? #ow do you know?2 7r. *ogers laughed openly laughed. 1+ne of my ancestors was a man named 'mmit *ogers. #e was known as *uthless *ogers !ecause he was !old and daring. ,ow he had !ad points, he was outspoken for slavery, !ut he also had good points such as !eing a good !usiness man and family man. Well anyhow, he ran a !rigade under 3tonewall .ackson and his cavalry team, among many others, used to raid trains and steal the money. 3ome of them would hand it over to their military unit as good soldiers, !ut plenty of them, especially as the war wound down, !egan taking gold and other treasures for themselves. 1There are many legends of treasure out there, and ' am certain that the ones around here have truth to them.2 #e finished. .ohn .r. spoke with interest. 1Well there is some theory that our house might !e associated with treasure since it was a hospital.2 1Well my young friend, it might !e, !ut as a rule, it would have !een tricky to hide treasure, impractical if you wanted to spend it later, and generally wounded men arent efficient at it, !ut you never know. ' wish you all the luck in the world. 4ou might get rich and drive a fancy car if you dig in the right place.2 #e said. .erry looked at 0inny. 1+r may!e get my friend an operation and fi- her legs.2 Everyone looked at him and7r. *ogers nodded. 19ery nice, young man, very nice.2 )s the teenagers left the la! to wait for their rides home, )pril looked at .erry. 1Wow, snert has a really good heart.2

T#E 'DE) of finding a mysterious treasure consumed the family and as they settled at home after a long day, Dad walked out into the !ack yard, then he went into the house again and !egan doing research on the internet. .ohn .r. was organi5ing his !edroom and 0inny was helping De!ra make dinner. )s she strolled around in her wheel chair, she felt it"s wheel hit something and she picked a chain off the ground that had a strange sym!ol on it. 3he showed it to De!ra. 1'sn"t this the thingy that that 'sogul dude was wearing?2 De!ra came over emediately and looked at it. 1,o, this looks like the chain, !ut he had a !ig medal, not this. #e must have changed $ewelry then dropped the thing when he ran out of here.2 0inny looked at the chain and sym!ol and she rolled to her sitting room with it. De!ra stood and stared at the place where 0inny had found it. 3he then shook her head and went !ack to dinner. Dad was checking on railroads, and everything related to the civil war. )s he did it, a shadow passed over the ta!le and he turned slowly. ) dark figure moved through the room and he turned the other way to see a hint of it go into a wall. #e shivered slightly then went !ack to his computer. )s he worked, .ohn .r. finished what he was doing and came out of his room. #e was looking at how the family had made a home in a few days time when he noticed something he had not seen !efore. There was a door in the ceiling of the upstairs. #e knew at once it was an attic. #e did not want to say anything to 0inny !ecause he knew it would !e very hard for her not to !e a!le to go up there. 3o he got a chair, reached the door handle and pulled it down. With a grudging sound, the door opened and a folding ladder, covered with dust came down. .ohn .r. felt a !olt of e-citement go through him. 1+h yeah62 #e said to himself. There was a !ree5e of air that came down from the attic, !ut whether it was a spirit or wind he did not care. .ohn .r. went up the ladder, flashlight in hand. #e saw co!we!s hanging in long strings from everything and little tiny mice scurried around. 't seemed this erea was mouse central, he thought.

)s he shined the flashlight around, he saw mostly dust and a few damaged pictures. #e then suddenly found himself glaring eye!all to eye!all with a woman who was staring him straight in the face in the dark. .ohn .r. suddenly $olted !ackward and fell over an old rocking chair, landing painfully. #e was almost in tears, and desperately aimed his flashlight at the woman to see what hideous hag was in this empty attic. #e got a full view of her then and reali5ed that the hag was a very detailed dummy that had a dress on that at one time had !een a very fine piece of clothing till it was destroyed !y mold and mice. 't was now ragged and ruined. .ohn .r. was surprised no one heard his accident and he walked through the attic aching. #e saw many things, !ut they were destroyed treasures. There were some old lamps, all !roken and missing parts, and he was ama5ed to find several half done oil paintings that were very old sitting in a corner. #e looked at them closely. They had once !een !eautiful renderings of wagons, people and nature. They had !een fine work, !ut had !een chewed and also leaked on and were damaged and stained. Worse yet, he saw at the !ottom of the paintings was the same name: %harlotte &ong. #e reali5ed she had once !een a great painter, and still did some while she nursed. +!viously her death had stopped her work. .ohn .r. then saw a small dresser sitting !y itself, cracked and worn, with a dusty picture on it. The photo was a man in a nice suit, and %harlotte &ong was sitting ne-t to him. The photo had words at the !ottom, and he shined the light close to read them: 1Together again. 7y dear %harlotte, from your hus!and, Thomas 0ardner.2 .ohn decided to take the picture and give it to 0inny he knew she would !e thrilled. #e turned and found directly !ehind him a figure was standing. 't was %harlotte &ong. .ohn .r, had seen and heard things in this house !ut actually seeing a ghost ten feet away was almost overwhelming. 3he was very !eautiful, with long dark hair that reached her knees. #er dress was a fancy victorian one with designs on it, and she wore gloves, pro!a!ly the outfit she was !uried in. 3he

was deathly pale and he could see light radiating from her. #er eyes were a pale !lue and she looked almost lost. For a moment .ohn .r. was stunned that she was there, then he !egan to feel his heart pounding violently as this victorian ghost moved toward him. 3oon she was right in front of him, like his own mother. #e was too shocked to move or speak. %harlotte took the picture from his hand and looked at it sadly. 1#e didn"t want to wear his uniform that time. #e knew it might !e our last photo, so he wanted to !e $ust a man. #e was thoughtful and kind and such a gentleman.2 she said, her voice soft and light. 1What happened to him?2 .ohn asked, ama5ed he was talking to a ghost. %harlotte looked at him. 1' don"t know. ' never knew.2 %harlotte &ong looked so sad at that moment, and .ohn knew then why she was still here. 3he was lost and alone. #e felt terri!le for her, alone so long in this house in the darkness. ,o wonder she had gone to 0inny. 1's there anything ' can do?2 .ohn .r. asked. %harlotte gave him !ack the picture. 1 e watchful. There is so very much evil, !e careful. 'n the !asement....2 3he !egan to fade. 1&ook in the !asement, take it. 't was mine. 4ou will need it. Don"t !e afraid.2 3he faded away and .ohn stood in the dark alone. .ohn .r. felt so strange and was still filled with surprise as he went !ack down the stairs, closed the attic and went straight to 0inny"s room. 3he was sitting on the edge of her !ed. 3he looked tired, !ut it did not register this time. .ohn .r. walked up to her and handed her the photo and said 1' found this in the attic. +h yeah, ' met your ghost. 3he"s really cool. Wow, ' can go for victorian women.2 0inny took the picture and her face was a mask of surprised $oy. 1Wow6 This is her62 .ohn .r. sat down on the !ed. 13he told me something, she said that there was great evil and to go to the !asement and get something that was hers and use it. ' don"t know what she meant. Do you think it could !e this treasure $unk we keep hearing a!out?2

3uddenly Dad"s voice came through the door. 1We can sure as heck find out6 That sounds great6 ' forgot this house had a !asement, ' havent seen it since ' was a tiny kid. We $ust need to know one thing62 .ohn .r. piped up, 1what is it?2 Dad had a funny happy look. 1We need to know where the deuce the !asement is62 ehind him, De!ra spoke suddenly making them all $ump. 1 asements are generally found in the !ottom of houses.2 1' know that darlin" !ut there has to !e a door and ' have no clue where to find it. 0randma told me to stay out of the !asement that it was dangerous.2 De!ra looked at her family. 1Dangeous is what a woman !ecomes when her family talks of ghosts and treasure and then a !asement.2 0inny and .ohn .r wheeled around the house for a while, and helped Dad and De!ra e-amine every wall and crack, !ut they could find no hint of a !asement. Dad went outside and walked around the house looking for windows, !ut he found none. 1Well this stinks, everything adds up !ut this.2 #e said. )s he walked around, the ratty old car pulled up and .erry got out with *o!ert. 1#ey man,2 .erry yelled, 1' tried to call, is it cool if we hang out for a while? We wanted to study more a!out hidden %onfedrit treasure.2 14ou and everyone else.2 Dad replied. 1We"re looking for a !asement door and all the kings horses, men and wives can"t find it.2 They all walked into the house, and .erry walked around thoughtfully, then he walked up to a !ook case, took it !y the edge and pulled. 't was ampty, !ut it came over somewhat easily and hit the ground with a !ang that echoed all through the house and shook the walls. #e looked at the !lank wall !ehind the !ook case, turned to the group of people !ehind him with indredulous looks and said 1+kay, we have now esta!lished that the !asement door is not !ehind that.2 efore anyone could say anything a faded painting fell off of a wall and !roke on the floor. *o!ert looked at the painting and said 1That pretty much

ruins us !eing invited for dinner.2 )s he finished speaking, the family noticed that when the painting landed it caused the carpet to shift revealing a s/uare shape under it. Dad looked at .erry. 1' think you found the !asement, now if you don"t mind please don"t damage anything else.2 They rolled the old rug away and there was the !asement door, to the side of the living room. Dad pulled the door up and !elow them was a !lack hole with we!s hanging down into the a!!yss. Dad shined the flaslight down into the hole and said 1' think ' hear my grandma telling me again to stay out of there.2 There was a !rief argument a!out who would go into the !asement, then finally .ohn .r. stepped down the old wooden steps into the darkness and !egan to shine his flashlight around. 1+kay, it"s $ust a really creepy hole. Dad $oined him and they walked around in the !asement, !ut they found nothing !ut a few old $ars and a section of wall that had a crack in it, toward the top of the !asement !ricks. oth of them looked at it and Dad said 1Forget it, there isn"t going to !e any %onfederate treasure there.2 9ery /uietly the two looked at each other and Dad said 1' don"t know lad, !ut '"m thinking that even if we do have ghosts, they are living in their own world and that this treasure hunt is like %aptain %runch. ' don"t mean disrespect to your ghosts.2 .ohn .r. looked at the little crack in the stone. 1)n empty !asement with a shift crack. +k, whatever.2 )s the two left the !asement the words of %harlotte &ong went through .ohn .r."s mind one more time and they made no sense. 1't was mine, take it and use it, don"t !e afraid.2 #e pu55led.

.E**4 ),D his !rother, 0inny and .ohn .r. sat in the living room later that evening with Dad and De!ra and talked a!out the matter of treasure.

Dad had !een on the computer and he had decided that it was logical that if there was anything, it was pro!a!ly !uried in some hole some place. Dad didn"t think it would ever !e found, if there truly was anything. Finally the two !oys went home so they could rest for school tomorrow, and De!ra got on her laptom computer again. Dad went up stairs and was playing music while .ohn .r. sat stretched out ne-t to 0inny on her !ed. They talked a!out their previous home, and their adventures here in the old house, and soon they !oth went off to sleep. De!ra came to the door and saw them and decided not to distur! them. 'f 0inny had pro!lems, her !rother was right there. 3he left the room and lay for a while listening for sound from the !a!y monitor, !ut there was none. 3he finally decided that tonight might !e a /uiet night. The wind picked up and the trees swayed around the house as everyone slept. De!ra got out of !ed and went down to check the kids and found them asleep as they had !eenand she wondered if it was possi!le they had offended the ghosts and driven them away. 3he turned to leave the room and saw moonlight streaming through the front window. ) little girl in old clothes was standing in front of her. efore she could say anything the little girl smiled and faded from view. 7orning !rought a chill and the family got up to go to school and work as any other family, and 0inny wondered if her ghostly friend would come !ack. 3he felt inside that she had done what she needed to the right way and there should have !een no reason %harlotte would !e mad at her. The conversation at the ta!le got diverted on to matters of school and work and ghosts, treasure hunts and scary things seemed to disappear from the ta!le. 0inny and .ohn .r. got in the car to ride with De!ra and Dad looked at the house from the porch. 1) !asement and e-tra rooms. This place offers some possi!ilities ' should e-plore when ' have more time on the weekend. #e then got into his car and they all left. They saw the ratty car with .erry !ehind them and .erry decided to !e silly, weaving !ack and forth and waving 1rock on2 signs out the window. They arrived at school and

*o!ert greeted them as .erry came over to push the wheel chair into school 7any girl were passing, and )pril and *ose were among them. )pril looked at .erry and punched his arm in a friendly way as she passed. 1#ey snert.2 3he said. #e looked confused, !ut 0inny chuckled. 3he knew april had !een impressed with his care of her and his comment a!out getting her an operation. They vanished into the school and the !ell rang. ) holiday weekend was going to !e coming soon and traffic was heavy. )t lunch, 0inny wheeled around with )pril and *ose, and they went over their first home work. .erry and *o!ert $oined them and they studied together. Toward the end of the day they heard a rumor that 7r. *ogers had not shown up for class. efore they went home they were very surprised to hear that he had gone to the hospital after !eing !eaten up. ,o one knew why, !ut during their last class of the day the teacher asked if anyone wanted to !a!ysit the mice for a few days. +f course 0inny volunteered and when De!ra showed to pick up the kids she laughed when she saw the little cage with three little white mice. 1What is it with you and mice?2 3he said. )s they were driving home, .ohn .r. seemed strangely down, and De!ra kept glancing at him. #e didn"t say anything, and he took one of the mice out and played with it, then put it !ack. 't had rather large ears and a very pointy nose. When they got home, Dad was already there. #e was on the internet again and he he was e-amining the chain 0inny had found on the floor. De!ra noticed that .ohn .r. went upstairs and stayed to himself. 3he went up !ehind him and sat on his !ed. 1)re you okay?2 she asked. 1' guess all this treasure stuff and all is a !it too much stress.2 1Why would treasure !other you?2 1Well, we all pretty much got used to the idea that this house has ghosts, and that"s fine, we arent going nuts and calling the church !ut we have all these little pieces to a pu5le and it stinks. We don"t find treasure, !ut you know, 0inny has !een in a wheel chair for ten years she doesn"t ask for much.

'"d like to find some of that stuff and see if they could fi- her !ack.2 De!ra looked thoughtful. 14eah, me and your dad talked a!out selling this house to raise money, !ut 0inny would !e crushed to have this neat old place gone. We would go !ack to renting from people, having all kinds of pro!elems and she would think it ws !ecause of her.2 14eah, you"re right on the money. ut y"know mom, thing is ' still don"t get what %harlotte"s ghost meant !y great evil, !e watchful and look for something in the !asement. 3he said use it, it was hers, don"t !e afraid. ' can"t figure any of that out. This is all so weird.2 De!ra thought for a moment. 1The !asement was empty wasn"t it?2 14eah, there was a cracl in the upper wall where the house shifted a little and some old !ottles that might have !een wine. What would pertain to a woman? ' found a !unch of her paintings and some clothes in the attic !ut they were trashed so ' $ust didn"t mention them.2 1Well the only thing ' can think is that may!e !eing a 0host she is a little out of touch with things.2 1' hope you"re right mom, cu5 the terri!le evil thing worries me.2 De!ra got up to leave the room and as she did she smelled fa!ric from a dress and a !ree5e !lew around her. 3he then heard faint foot steps and saw a door at the end of the hall open and close !y itself. 3he didn"t feel any fear, instead she was a !it surprised and fascinated. 3he remem!ered an old show called Dark 3hadows on television and how it was full ofghostly shadows. &iving in a house like that was almost fun. The ghosts never hurt anything, $ust came an went. 3he went down stairs and saw Dad getting up. 3he grinned. 14ou"re spending a lot of time on that computer, young man.2 #e looked at her. 4eah, !ecause ' think ' may have found something. ' went through every known record of civil war and other history of this erea and ' am pretty sure that some things were hidden around here. This property may have a secret

or two.2 1&ike what and how do we find them?2 1Well,2 .ohn said thoughtfully as 0inny rolled into the room. 1First the what. ' think the re!el soldiers were hiding stuff !ecause in ;<=C a lot of them knew the south was a!out to lose and some ofthem wanted to form another army and fight on. This house is mentioned in a few places. )s far as finding, ' know a guy at work that was talking to me a!out this stuff and he has a thing called a 0eo3can which is used for finding ca!les under ground and other things !efore people dig. '"d like to use it and search this property.2 1(ewel6 When could we get it?2 0inny piped up. Dad looked pleased. 1We can get it right away !ecause ' called him. #e said to !e careful with it, !ut he has an older version and if we find anything, don"t forget him.2 De!ra went up and told .ohn .r. and within a short time they had paid a visit to a fat little !ald man with a roaring laugh and a tendency to make his own $okes. #e referred to himself as shiny since his hair was gone and $oked a!out !eing old and having them find one of his close friends. #e loaned them a device that had a screen on it, with some controls, and a pad on the end of a long tu!e, and he showed them how to use it. #e demonstrated !y showing them the skeleton of a cat he had !uried last year under his garden. They drove home a little faster than they should have and when they pulled in the yard, .ohn .r."s phone rang. 1#ey Dad do we mind if snert and *o!ert get involved in this?2 Dad laughed. 1Why would ' care. They"ve !een our !uddies since we moved here.2 Within a few minutes, the ratty car had pulled up with a !ouncing happy .erry and his !rother, who came with shovels in case they found anything. ) !uried treasure hunt 38PP+*TED !y the adults, how cool was that? Dad !egan walking around the !ack yard with the scanner and as the group of family and friends followed him along, he carefully watched the screen. 0inny was wheeling herself along without help and Dad commented 1' never saw so many roots. 4"know, trees really have a &+T of roots. +h

wow some old shoes, must !e ten years old. That"s a really !ig !ug. you know worms got that long?2

Did

De!ra finally said 1)ll this inching around the !ack yard looking for !uried %onfederate goodies is making me thirsty, '"m going to hit the fridge.2 3he then departed for the house. )s they neared the edge of the property, they found where the trimming had stopped, ragged and trashy, and there was a wooden fence leading to some trees. Dad kicked through the fence and they moved on, !ut after two hours of walking through the dirt, they had found nothing. De!ra put an arm around Dad"s shoulders. 17ore than likely you wont find anything. ut you"re a hero for going to all this trou!le to find treasure, all the research and all the scanning.2 3he said. Dad looked thoughtful. 1Well, we arent in good shape with money, !ut ' have a dream of seeing 0innae walk someday and toss that wheel chair down the front of the house.2 #e said. Finally Dad told the kids they could use the rest of the !attery, !ut he was going in, so they drew straws and .erry won. Dad turned and he went with De!ra and 0inny on a slow walk toward the house. They were en$oying the slight chill in the air when a yell came from !ehind them and .erry almost shrieked, along with the other two !oys. Dad turned with the others and .erry was standing wide eyed. 1' F+8,D ) 8*'ED +D 4 T#E T*)%(36 'T"3 )3 +D6 ) 8*'ED +D62 #e screamed. ,ever had Dad seen a girl in a wheel chair roll it so fast, she kept up with De!ra and him and didnt want help. y the time they got there, shovels were throwing dirt and the !oys were digging franticly. Dad $oined, and within a few minutes they heard a scrape of shovel on !o-. The !oys tore at the dirt and e-posed the arched lid of an old !o-, m5ade of rusty metal with old fittings. Dad was digging and cautioned them not to get too e-cited !efore they found out what was in it. #e then found the rusty latches and !eat them loose with a shovel. They all were staring keenly as the !oys pried the lid open. )s waning sunlight hit the inside of the !o-, they were !oth thrilled and disappointed. The !o- held several rifles and some

pistols, all of them from the civil war era. Dad took one of them out and looked it over. 1Wow. The southerners knew they were soon to lose the war !y ;<=C and some of them hid guns in the hope of starting a new army and fighting on. '"d !et that this stash is part of that. There may !e more. ' don"t know. ' learned that in my research.2 The !oys were in a state of shocked $oy that at least they had found this neat treasure, and as the sun got low in the sky, Dad drove his car out !ack and they worked together to load the !o- into the trunk. *o!ert walked around with the scanner and checked to see if there was another !o-, !ut he found nothing. .ohn .r. held a musket !ack to the house and commented 1actually Dad '"m !etting they knew that their guns could not go to a 8nion controlled hospital so they hid them. Pro!a!ly this !o- !elonged to men who didn"t survive.2 When they got to the house, 0inny wheeled !ehind them all as the !owas taken inside the house and it"s contents were spread onto the living room floor. There were seven rifles and si- pistols. 't took all of them to move the !o-. The !oys picked the rifles up and looked at them very closely. .erry was thrilled. 1Pieces of history. 'n good shape too. We may not have found gold, !ut these are really cool. They might !e worth money.2 Dad sat and looked at the guns, and .ohn .r. *o!ert and .erry got up and left the room for a moment. They then came !ack and .erry stepped forward. 1We $ust talked, and we aggreed that if it"s okay with you guys, well these guns are going to !e worth a lot of money and we"d like to put it toward getting 0inny...2 there was a pause and 0inny"s face !egan to melt into tears. ...2that operation on her !ack.2 3he !egan to cry and reached out to the !oys. Dad smiled. 1'"ll find an anti/ue dealer and get them appraised. ' don"t think they would !e worth /uite that much realisticly !ut we can certainly try.2 .erry picked up a musket and said 1' wonder how it felt to shoot one of these.2 #e said. 1' !et this !a!y had a huge kick.2 The family e-amined the guns a !it more, then put them !ack in the !oand it was slid into 0inny"s room for the time !eing. .erry and *o!ert got

ready to leave for home and .ohn .r. stood with his dad at the door. Dad shook the !oy"s hands. 1' appreiciate you guys helping with this adventure, and if in the end there winds up !eing guns we can"t get money out of...2 .erry !roke in. 13ome collector would love to have those. 't"s fine, ' don"t need some old gun more than 0inny needs to walk.2 The !oys left and Dad smiled. 1Fine young men.2 #e said.

),+T#E* 3T+*7 was !rewing and it looked like a !ad one, as wind !egan to pick up around midnight. The family was in !ed sleeping and there was the sound of snoring all through the house. 0inny had snacked on some crackers and the happy paws of a grateful house mouse came tearing out of the closet and snacked on a !uttery feast on the floor. 't munched happily for a few minutes, then took some e-tra and scurried !ack home in the !ones of the old house. )s it left, the living room lit up and the form of %harlotte faded into view, as 0inny stirred in her !ed and woke. 3he saw her and called softly. %harlotte seemed to drift into the room and sit on the !ed ne-t to her. 0inny forgot everything e-cept having her there. 3he smiled and took the cold, gloved hand. 3he was not trying to walk this time, she $ust looked at her. 1Did you used to paint?2 she asked. %harlotte smiled. 1' was an artist. 7y hus!and helped me through school !efore the secession and we traveled together. We had a nice house and ' painted all the time !efore the war. When the war started ' !egan to nurse. ' worked day and night, and ' !ought the pistol. 3ome of the men were very nice, $ust young soldiers doing their $o!, others were very evil and untrustworthy. ' had to use my revolver when fighting came too close to the hospitals. 3ometimes we used houses. 't was necessary the men knew ' had a gun.2

1Wow.2 0inny said, then she remem!ered .ohn .r. 1#ey %harlotte, what did you mean !y something evil was waiting?2 3he asked. %harlotte looked at her. 1' can sense great evil, !ut ' don"t know the future.2 3he said. 3uddenly there was a very soft voice, from De!ra calling into the room. 1%harlotte? Please dont !e upset and vanish. %an ' please meet you?2 3he asked. %harlotte stood and floated ne-t to the !ed as De!ra came in. 3he did not vanish, and De!ra was thrilled. 3he slowly entered the room and held out a friendly, !ut shaky hand. %harlotte reached out to her and De!ra smiled, almost in tears. 1' heard you talking on a !a!y monitor upstairs.2 De!ra looked at %harlotte and studied her clothes as she stood in front of her. 3he was so taken !y meeting a woman from the past that she could not stop smiling. Then %harlotte spoke again. 14ou found some of the guns.2 3he said. ' see a !o- with a lock. The %onfederates could not face losing the war so they often took their weapons and hid them as the south fell slowly so they would not have the guns taken. 3everal !o-es were !uried here, !ut they were found over the years !y treasure seekers.2 3he said. De!ra"s eyes got wide. 1 oy that e-plains a lot.2 3he then looked almost pleading. 1%an you make my !a!y girl walk again?2 3he asked. %harlotte looked at 0inny. 1.ust for a moment, so ' will give you a gift.2 %harlotte took 0inny"s hand one more time and 0inny got out of !ed and walked shakily to her mother. De!ra !egan to cry as she reached out and hugged 0inny. 0inny smiled and hugged her mother with her other hand and De!ra looked through her tears at %harlotte"s pale, ghostly face. 3he whispered a thank you and gently let go of 0inny, who laid !ack down in !ed. %harlotte then looked at De!ra as she !egan to fade away. 1 e watchful, great evil is here in this house.2 With that she vanished. De!ra sat down on the edge of the !ed and Dad came into the room. #e sat down ne-t to her and put an arm around her shoulders. 1' saw !ut ' didn"t want to take the chance of scaring her off. ) man !arging in might not have !een good.2 #e said. De!ra sat for a moment !efore she spoke. 1What the deuce evil do you

think she is talking a!out?2 1' don"t know, !ut she seems to !e the only ghost here we have had real contact with. There seem to !e /uite a few, !ut they come and go and that"s that. 3he seems different, like she has a certain level of energy. ' find it interesting that 0in can walk when she holds her hand.2 0inny sat up more and spoke thoughtfully. 13he somehow took me into her world twice.2 1+h yeah, so that little stint ' saw of you walking into the living room with her was real. ' fainted, !ut ' was sure ' saw it.2 De!ra said. 14ou fainted?2 Dad asked. 1When was this?2 De!ra looked at him strangely. 1Well funky thing a!out it is moms generally don"t see their kid walk into the living room with a ghost, then vanish into another world. That"s sorta, what"s the word, 3T*),0E?2 1Then she took me all the way into her world. Wow. 't really is ama5ing. ' guess a ghost can take you to it"s own time6 #ow cool is that?2 1,ever !een there.2 De!ra said. 1This is my first haunted house, and !oy what a ride it has !een. ,o normal days so far.2 Dad tucked 0inny !ack in and he retired upstairs for the night with De!ra. ) few minutes later .ohn .r. came out of his !edroom with a camera in his hands and dou!led down the stairs. #e slipped out of the front door and as the rain pelted him gently he got on his !ike and pedaled through the dark toward the cemetery. The lightning lit up the sky and he was e-cited as he saw the clouds, dark and menacing, crawling through the air overhead. #e then stopped his !ike !y the cemetery fence and to his $oy he noticed that fog was moving over the ground inside the graveyard and the front gate was swinging !ack and forth, the hinges wailing in the wind. 1,ow that"s creepy stuff. 4ou tu!e here we come62 #e said. #e !egan filming and walked through the gates of the cemetery, going to the left, where the oldest stones and the tall crypts were. #e was interested in those more than the !ig one

this time. )s he walked he filmed and was getting footage he thought would totally leave his friends speechless. #e then noticed a small !uilding off to the side and walked toward it. There was a flash of !right lightning and he sa the long, !ent !ody of an old hearse and reali5ed there was an old funeral home right there. E-cited, .ohn .r. ran through the darkness to the old !uilding and with no fence, he was a!le to walk right up to the hearse. #e had never seen sucha neat car and was totally taken !y it. 't had an arched roof and old curtains in it. #e looked in the wondows, fascinated. 't was the first hearse he had ever seen. .ohn .r. walked around the hearse and laughed a little. 1+ther people pay money in +cto!er for this stuff and ' have creepy friends, a graveyard and now this.2 .ohn .r. filmed the hearse as he walked around it and he looked inside. There was a long ta!le in it and clamps to hold a casket. .ohn was so overwhelmed at the neatness of the hearse that he decided to come !ack tomorrow and see who owned it, !ut he did not want to do it tonight, since he would have to !reak a lot of laws. .ohn .r. dou!led home and went inside the house. #e was not too wet since it was not raining hard and he went toward the door where the !asement was. #e opened it and stepped down into the darkness. #e smelled the aged dirt and turned his flashlight on when he knew the !eam would not show upstairs. #e then carefully walked around the !asement and looked at the old stone walls. There were old !ottles and he looked at the la!els. They were not wine, as he had suspected, !ut insteadthey were very old !ottles of em!alming fluid and medical fluids. They told a story. The story was of a house that had !een a hospital, a woman who had gotten it and pro!a!ly was trou!led !y ghosts and lived in enough fear that she stayed out of the attic and the !asement. 't all made sense. .ohn .r. was playing his flashlight over the walls when he saw something etched in the stone with an instrument that must have !een a knife !lade. #e got close to it and read clearly 19ictor 0a!riel, second level up.2 #e stood straight up and wondered what in the world that meant.

)!out that time he !egan to think a!out school tomorrow and he left the !asement and retired to !ed. #e came to the conclusion that 9ictor must have !een one of the soldiers from the hospital. What the second level part was he had no idea. #e played his video !ack once, then went to sleep as the storm rained gently outside. 'n the night, phantoms stirred in the hallways and doors opened and shut, with voices that echoed the past speaking in the halls. When morning came the sun did not show under the thick !lanket of gray clouds. )gain everyone got out of !ed, and instead of eating, Dad !egan making phone calls to anti/ue dealers, o!sessed with getting an idea what the guns were worth. #e was a !it disappointed when he got off the phone. #e came in the kitchen as the others finished up and told them 1Well the guns are worth a few thousand, !ut that"s all. They dont have names or anything, so they are !asic old guns. We might as well share them among us. That"s how it is, sorry. ,o real treasures here.2 .ohn .r. was disappopinted !ut 0inny $ust shrugged. 1,o !ig deal, some happy !oys and one of the pistols is for me.2 3he said. That esta!lished, they all left the house to !egin their day. )s Dad went out the door he noticed it was hard to shut, and he looked up and down the frame. Pro!a!ly needed some lu!ricant, he thought. #e then went on to his car. #e still liked the house with all of it"s personality. 3chool was fast paced that day, with a lot of assignments !eing thrown at everyone, and )pril and *ose seemed very distracted. They passed .erry once in the hallway and he heard 1#ey ya, snert.2 )s they passed. .erry ignored the snert thing since at least it was not meant nasty anymore. 0inny noticed that 7r. *ogers was !ack at school, although he was not his friendly self as he had !een !efore. 3he asked him if he wanted the mice !ack, !ut he !ehave very strangely. #e smiled nervously and told her he"d get new ones, to keep those as pets. 3he was happy !ut pu55led at the same time.

)fter school everyone went their respective way e-cept that .erry and *o!ert wanted to see what was going on with the old guns. They were very an-ious to find out. Dad was at the house ahead of everyone and when .erry and *o!ert came in, he was pleasant with them and told them what he had found. 1'f you guys want one, ' have to talk to your parents a!out it. ut the !est thing to do is $ust keep them and en$oy having historical relics.2 The !oys agreed and .erry called his step dad. The step dad was happy to have a neat old relic and he wanted Dad to come !y and meet him and !ring one of the guns for him to check out. .ohn .r. had the funeral home on his mind also. The !oys looked the muskets over and Dad drove them to the elgrade house, where they lived with *o!ert"s father and the men introduced themselves. 7r. elgrade was a tall fellow and he had a nice home. 't was an old ranch house that had !een handed down from one generation to the ne-t. 7r. elgrade studied the two muskets with interest as his wife stood !y and $ust looked. 1Whatever, guns aren"t my thing.2 3he said. When the visit was done, the !oys stayed home to work on school work and Dad drove .ohn .r. home. )s they made their way down the street, .ohn .. looked to the side and saw that the funeral home was very old and looked like the few other houses on the road e-cept that it was shrouded !y trees and !rush. .ohn .r. spoke as they drove near it. 1#ey Dad ' noticed that old funeral home the other day. They have an old hearse. '"d really like to check it out.2 14ou want a hearse?2 1' don"t know, ' saw it from a distance, it was an awesome looking old car. Does that !other you?2 1+h no. '"m not worried over it, '"ve seen enough wierdness in the last week to cure me of that, it"s $ust hat your sister will fight you for it if you get one.2 #e said. .ohn .r. !egan to laugh. They stopped at the old house, which seemd like it had slowed down and

fallen !ehind time. 't was clearly out of service !y years and when they walked up toward the house they noticed the cars sitting in the garage, from a few years ago, and the used !ut decayed look of the house. They knocked on the door and an old woman answered the door and looked them up and down. 3he had a !ig forhead and made .ohn .r. think of a chihuaha. 1%an ' hep ya? Tell me you aint sellin nothing, cu5 ' aint a ?!uyin.2 1,o, my son said you had a hearse and he wanted to see a!out it.2 1What kind a son you got?2 3he asked in a grouchy tone. 1This is him right here.2 17mmm, ' see. 3hort little feller isn"t he? 4ou sure he"s yours? %ome on in.2 Dad looked at .ohn .r. with total surprise as they stepped into the house. The woman walked into the house, which was almost a museum of old things and it !ecame /uickly aparent that her grouchiness was not really meanness. 14ou two want somethin to drink? ' got tea and pop, water and milk, old lady stuff. .unior doesn"t want !lood does he?2 3he asked. They !oth cuckled. 1.ust a pop will !e fine.2 Dad said. The old lady nodded. 1Th$at"s good. ' got all kinds of pop. Pepsi, %oke, hip, !ack, everything pops.2 3he handed !oth of the men a drink. 1' gotta know. ' don"t mind sellin that thing, !ut what chew gonna do with it? 'f you want to drive it and en$oy it fine, !ut if you want to cut it up and ruin it '"d sooner send it to the crusher.2 1.ohn .r. replied. 1'"d really like to drive it62 The old woman nodded. 10ood. ,ice old car, and it will make you real firmiliar with all the local gas stations fast.2 The old woman gra!!ed some keys, tottered out !ack with her guests !ehind her and got into the hearse. 3he pumped the gas and as the men stood and looked she fought for a moment then the hearse !egan to run, puff a !it of smoke, then smooth out. 1What year is this thing? 1 Dad asked. 3he looked up at him 1;[email protected] 3he replied. 3he spoke as the car warmed up. 1This !ig !ath tu! on wheels was !ought!y an old movie man who went !roke during the depression. #e started a funeral home to survive, and with

the war he had so much !usiness he got two of these. #e !aught em used in forty and drove them for twenty years !ufore decidin he"d had enoughs tickin people in that !one yard. 't"s seen some re!uilding !ut it hasnt !een messed with in a!out fifteen years. The other one isn"t in very good shape. 3ome!ody should get this that will cherish it.2 Dad then asked 1what would you want for it?2 #aving no idea where they money for a hearse would come from. 1't"s a runnin drivin ninteen thirty five, '"d want a!out five !ills for it.2 1Five thousand?2 Dad echoed. The old woman shut the engine off. 1ts"right, five thou. That"s cheap as dirt, !ut then a year or two from now '"ll !e riding one anyhow.2 .ohn.r. Was stunned that she would part with the car so easy and cheaply. #e replied 1well let me see what ' can do. '"d love to have this thing.2 3he smiled for a second. 14ou do that, it"ll !e sittin here. +h yeah, ' wont take fourteen hunnerd for it for two reasons.2 3he said. 1First my price is low and second people make me mad when they can"t say the word thousand. ,o such thing as a teen hunnerd. ,ow if you don"t mind ' gotta get !ack to !usiness.2 They thanked her graciously and went out through the front door. )s they were leaving she said 1yep, lunch time, lotsa chips and crap like that. ' need the preservatives as you can tell.2

1'"7 0+',0 to kill you and smile while '"m doing it62 0inny said. .ohn .r. .ust sat at the dinner ta!le and looked at her. 1First you find a hearse and then you go and look at it and dont tell me. Do ' look like a stranger to wheels?2 3he asked. De!ra chuckled. .ohn .r. spoke with a !right tone. 1Well ' knew you"d !e thrilled, and ' can take you to see it, !ut ' have no idea where five thousand dollars would come from.2 #e said. Dad shrugged. 1We have five muskets left and some pistols. ' !et we could get a lot out of

those.2 De!ra got up to get more drinks. 3he opened the refrigerator and got a new gallon of milk. 't had a leak in the top and she made an angry noise as milk dripped on her. 1This $ug didn"t leak when ' !aught it. 4ou know, ' don"t really care, !ut the thing is you have to remem!er that first off, these kids are not old enough to drive, !ut second, we are not doing well dollar wise.2 3he poured milk into four glasses and a dirty van stopped across the street. De!ra sat down as the others mulled over the pro!lem, !ut .ohn .r. aggreed with Dad. 'f ' had to choose, ' think '"d go with the hearse. 't"s a ;B@C model. That would !e incredi!le. 't would !e 0inny"s too.2 0inny grinned. 1,ah, throw me that anti/ue revolver and call it a day. We !oth know ' can"t use a car with old floor pedals. ' have my wheels for now.2 3he said. .ohn .r. looked sad. 14eah, !ut ' had hopes of doing you some good.2 #e said. 0inny smiled and patted his arm. 1' know you mean well and ' appreciate it tons, !ut really, this operation would take over a hundred thousand dollars to do and there is $ust no way. '"ll!e alright, '"ve live this way for years.2 .ohn .r. looked at her and smiled softly. #e would have traded her his a!ility to walk at this point, !ut there was nothing he could do. De!ra got up as the rest of the family ate and she dou!led up the stairs to get her lap top. )s she moved, she felt oddly tired and e-pected that the stress of the whole week was catching up with her. 3he moved down the hall and felt soft fa!ric !rush past her and a cool !ree5e. 3he stopped for a second and thought, !ut she knew that whatever she had felt was long gone. Picking up her computer she dou!led !ack down the stairs and almost fell, catching herself against the rail. ,o one noticed since they were in conversation, then as she walked into the room she noticed something very strange. The others were correcting themselves, as if they were confused a!out what they were saying.

)s they sat and talked, wind picked up outside, and another fall storm !egan to rum!le. The air !ecame chilly and the trees swayed in the gathering storm. )s dinner disappeared, thunder rolled across the sky and the house shook and echoed from the sound. *ain pelted the already muddy outdoors and a lim! scraped against the side of the house. 0inny !egan to feel very drowsy, and she was a!out to say that she wanted to lay down when she reali5ed that her entire family was acting very tired. .ohn .r. was holding his head and Dad was moving around as if to wake up. De!ra looked around and !egan to look scared. 3he tried to get up and her legs failed. Dad saw De!ra fall on the floor and as he tried to get up he fell against the stove. #e tried to speak !ut the words came out as noise and he found that his entire !ody felt e-tremely heavy. #e felt himself sink to the floor and the world went !lack. ) cigarette lighter suddenly snapped to life and a glowing em!er lit, followed !y a puff of smoke. Dad was the first to smell it and caugh to wakefullness, groggy and heavy, !ut hearing his family making noises as they woke up. #e opened his eyes to reali5e with shock and horror that he was !ound firmly to a chair and so were !oth De!ra and .ohn .r. The storm was raging outside, thunder and lightning pushing waves of rain again, and in front of them in !lack clothing sat a man, calmly regarding them with a chuckle. 't was %ale! 'sogul. 1*ight now,2 he said with one more drag on his cigarette, 1' so wish ' had my camera. The looks on your faces should go on the internet.2 #e laughed and got up, dousing his cigarette on the floor of the house. #e turned his chair !ackward and got close to Dad, who"s face !ecame a mask of anger. 1What did you do with...2 %ale! cut in. 1oh, the !roken doll? 3he"s fine papa daddy, in there with that other !roken dolly sitting on the night stand. 3he"s a little...insurance policy in case you get smart. +h, ' !et you have a million /uestions, so let me tell ya a little story !a!y.2 %ale! got up and !egan to walk around the room as the groggy stares of De!ra and .ohn .r. !ecame looks of anger. 13ee here"s the thing.2 #e !egan. 1' tried a !unch of things over the

years and nothing worked out. ' tried !eing an honest man, then ' tried ro!!ery, shot a guy, got fifteen years for that. Well while ' was doing my time for one murder, ' did some reading on history. 3ee you can do a lot of reading when you are in the gray !ar hotel. 1Well, seems that there was a !unch of southern cav down here a piece !ack, one of who"m owned this house. Then after the rail road came, so did the yankees, and they took over. Well it wasn"t safe here anymore !ecause of the !lue !ellies, !ut they occupied the town with a small !unch of men. %harlotte &ong got stationed here and turned this house into a hospital, of course you know that. Well here"s what you don"t know. %ertain people, such as 'mmit *ogers, who"s descendant worked at the school and had all his papers and diaries, knew the south was soon to lose the war. 'mmit !egan to turn a !lind eye to the raids his cav did on yankee trains !ecause the !oys were stealing pay roll gold to give them a little something after the war when the south was in ruins. They also !uried a!out twenty !o-es with guns to help raise a new army, and you pinheads found the last one. 1+h yeah, ', um know a!out that. 3ee here is where it gets interesting. When ' heard you got this dump and wanted a handy man, '"d !een outta the cage for a year or two and your timing was perfect. '"ve !een researching this place, and you $ust...well you helped me in a !ig way.2 %ale! sat down in the chair again and continued. 1Well, most of that yankee gold was recovered later, !ut it would seem that there was one shipment that landed them in a !ig fire fight with Tillman ryant"s !oys who had special !reak open rifles that loaded fast. They shot the dickens out of the last !unch, and two !rothers were all shot up. +ne of them went home, the other was too !ad to go, so he stayed. Well they had a !o- of 8nion pay and !efore they got stuck in a yankee hospital they needed to hide it fast. ,o one knows how they spent the last few hours !efore they got caught, !ut what we do know for sure is they hid the gold, then one of them got stuck here as wounded and sent a message to his !rother where that gold was !efore he died. 4ep, you guessed it, '"ve torn the city apart to find

that message. 1There is no dou!t it"s here, so ' was workin and searching till your idiot ghosts started raising pro!lems. That %harlotte ' think is the worst, stuck here pining for her hus!and, 0eneral 0ardner. 1Well anyhow, ' found out that old doll was here and 0innae had adopted it, so ' come to see if that thing had a clue, since it is one of the few relics still here after all this time and yer granny kept it for some reason. .unior here shoots me and so ' get patched up and manage to eat enough pain killers to come !ack. 1Well your ghosts didn"t like that, so ' got ahold of a ghost specialist ' know and he got me some medalions that keep ghosts at a distance. ' dropped one of them in your kitchen !ecause after you went to work and school, ' $ust came !ack in and kept searchin, watching you and your house to see if you found the stuff !efore me. 1Well you didn"t and that *ogers nut at school !la!!ered a!out some of the legends and so ' paid him a visit. #e had a partner in !usiness and ' had to cap him, !ut *ogers is a weakling and he wont say anything, too afraid of me.2 )s he was speaking, 0inny woke to find her hands tied. 3he felt horrified, desperate and !egan to cry, stifling her so!s so %ale! would not hear her. 3he was terrified and !egan to whimper. 1#e"s going to kill my family. 7y legs don"t work, there"s nothing ' can do62 Tears filled her eyes and she cried hard, then she looked toward the door. %harlotte was standing there. 1Do you trust me, 0innae?2 she asked. 0inny looked at her with utter panic. 3he nodded hard. %harlotte melted into a mist and suddenly 0inny felt her !ody $erk as %harlotte enveloped her. 3he felt ice cold, then reali5ed she was not controling her !ody anymore, !ut %harlotte was. %harlotte !egan working her hands. 3he was much stronger than 0inny and soon tore the tape loose, unstrapped the leg !races and 0inny"s !ody rose onto her legs. %harlotte took a long !reath and saw her image in the mirror, a victorian lady staring out of 0inny"s !ody.

0inny felt %harlotte"s anger !urn and she walked slowly to the door then out into the living room. %ale! did not see her at first. 1*ogers had some missing pieces. ' put them together and now ' know where to look for the message in this house. Do you know how much that gold is worth in modern terms? %ould !e tens of millions6 +h sorry a!out the drugs, ' noticed when ' was spying on you you favor certain drinks at dinner, so ' stuck a needle in your milk. Thank you all for drinking milk tonight and...2 #e saw 0inny standing in the room then, and .ohn .r., Dad and Der!ra looked at her with ama5ement. They had not seen her stand in years without !races, then when the lightning flashed they could clearly see %harlotte &ong in her place, her dress flowing to the floor with it"s victorian style and her long hair, her eyes !urning with rage. %ale! 'sogul stood and looked at her with hostility. 1,othing you can do to me, you stupid outdated spook. This medalion is a protective one. 4ou can"t touch me or put your power on me.2 With great arrogance he finished. 1,othin you can do, ghost woman.2 %harlotte stood motionless and the chandalier over his head !egan to swing. #e stepped to the side with a laugh. 3he then looked at the ta!le and the silverware. 't flew through the house and %ale! was struck, !ut he flailed at it and knocked it harmlessly to the ground, !eginning to laugh. ) chair scooted over the floor and knocked %ale! !ackward, !ut he fell to the floor and !ounced !ack up swiftly and laughed at %harlotte. 1That all you got, you stupid dame?2 #e said. %harlotte then looked at the !asement door and it flew open. 0inny"s !ody walked to it and !egan to step down the stairs. ehind her, %ale! 'sogul was laughing. 1't"s cra5y. 4ou city nuts come out here and there is freaky ghost $unk all over. 7ost people would run screaming, !ut no, not you.2 #e went to the kitchen and gra!!ed a can of 7ountain Dew from the refrigerator as the family sat and stared at him in silent anger. 1Don"t want a glass of 7'&(62

#e laughed heartily. 'n the !asement, %harlotte walked to the crack in the wall, tore loose some stone and reached into a dark hole. 3he drew her ;<=; %olt revolver, loaded and ready, that she had kept there at night when she slept. %harlotte walked !ack up the stairs, the gun right !ehind her !ack and looked angrily on %ale!, who stood with his !ack to the !ig living room window, an evil shadow of greedy, murderous man in the flashes of lightning that illuminated his victims"s faces. %ale! toasted her. 1' gotta hand it to you though %harlotte, for a spook, you really handle a crippled kid good. 7ay!e you should fi- her !usted doll in the !edroom too6 4ou know ' have to kill you guys though, right? For a few million dollars...2 3uddenly %harlotte"shand came up and she cocked the old revolver. %ale! looked at her with scorn. 1Women are generally pretty dum!, !ut you...2 #e shook his head. 1That gun is over a century old, it aint gonna?2 The air e-ploded as the revolver fired and %ale! $erked !ackward, throwing the soda can and yelling. %harlotte worked the hammer and fired again as %ale! stum!led !ackward. 3he fired a third time and for a !rief second the family saw shock on %ale!"s face, then with the fourth shot he fell !ack through the window and as the galss collapsed with a roar he fell into the !ushes !elow. %harlotte dropped the revolver and stared for a moment, then she walked over to Dad, took the edge of the tape and unwound it !efore she collapsed to the floor. Dad was fast to undo himself and free his family, then he cradled 0inny as %harlotte"s ghostly form showed in a corner than faded into darkness.

De!ra dialed the police, and Dad gently eased 0inny into her !ed. 3he was awake now and wide eyed. 1%harlotte shot %ale!6 Wow6 That"s the evil she was talking a!out6 ' felt her anger6 3he was soooo angry at him62

DE *) D'D not even care anymore that the police had failed to find %ale! 'sogul. )s far as they were concerned he was a murderous stalker and a !rave little girl had gotten an old pistol that she found in a treasure !o- and shot him with it. The detective was impressed with her !ravery as they loaded %ale! up and drove off with him. *ain was slowing down, and the family went !ack into the house after filing a report. De!ra emediately dumped the milk down the drain. The little family sat down in the living room and 0inny was sitting !etween De!ra and Dad, with .ohn .r. drinking another soda and shaking his head. 1Wow.2 #e said. ' wish ' could $ust gra! %harlotte and hug her silly. What a deal. 3he took 0inny"s !ody and saved our lives with it. ' was so stupid, ' looked right at that crack where that gun was and didn"t get a clue that ' should check it. We had guns though62 #e said. 0inny piped up. 1%harlotte didn"t think a!out our guns, she knew where hers was so she did what she knew, went and got it. .ust like !ack then.2 De!ra smiled. 1Well all ' know is that that monster is gone for good and ' don"t have to !e afraid of ghosts.2 3he said. Dad petted 0inny on the head. 1'"m glad you"ve got a friend.2 #e said. 1' $ust wonder what other surprises this old house has.2 .ohn .r. suddenly sat !olt upright. #is eyes were wide. 1Wait a sec. Dad, you did research, what did they do with the !odies of the men who died in this place from their wounds?2

Dad shrugged. 1 uried them...wherever.2 #e replied. .ohn .r. looked at him wildly. 1%an you help me investigate a soldier, or whoever, named 9ictor 0a!riel?2 Dad got on the computer and went through a num!er of sites he had saved and scrolled through the documents on the house and the men there. There was a 9ictor 0a!riel, a 8nion soldier from a %leveland +hio company. #e had died here during the raid and the records said he was !uried in the cemetery. .ohn .r. seemed overwhelmed with e-citement. 1Dad, come with me. Every!ody else hang loose.2 Dad got in the car with .ohn .r. who !rought a hammer and pry !ar. 1What the deuce are you doing?2 Dad asked. .ohn .r. stared straight ahead. 1'"m either doing the smartest thing ' ever did, or getting in the worst trou!le ever.2 10ee son, that sounds great. Feel free to !ring me along.2 Dad said sarcasticly. Dad drove the car down the road through the old cemetery gates and parked it, then followed .ohn .r. into the mausoleum. 1) storm outside, rain, and you want to visit a dark mausoleum. Perfect. %an"t this wait till...2 1,o62 .ohn .r. replied. Without hesitation, .ohn .r. went to the second row up on the mausoleum wall where the stone covers had fallen and he shined the light on the odd design he had seen on his first night in the mausolem. The design was a letter 9 that was intermingled with a 0 on the plate. #e reali5ed the casket looked like the others, !ut to him.... .ohn .r. Took the hammer and poised to swing. #e heard dad !ehind him and gave him the flashlight. Dad muttered 1oh!oyo!oyo!oyo!oy...2 and the hammer smashed the wood hard. 't did not harm it. .ohn .r. was angry, then dad put the light on a crypt and said 1okay, here goes.2 #e $oined .ohn .r. and they pulled. 't took ever ounce of strength they had !ut they pulled the casket enough to get it to the edge, then the floor of the crypt cracked, !roke

away, and as the two men $umped to get out fo the way with a cry, the casket fell to the mausoleum floor with a deafining !ang. The end !roke off, and in the light of the flashlight and a flash of lightning, they saw the gleam of gold. Dad !ounced to his feet and yelled in shock. .ohn .r.was e-tatic. 1' $ust knew there was something odd a!out that casket when ' saw it6 Those soldiers couldn"t $ust !ury all that payroll gold, so they found a union man !uried here, took his casket and stuck it in there instead6 3orry " !out that 9ictor6 ' hope you"re in a !etter place.2 Dad looked at some of the gold in the flashlight !eam. 't was 8nion money, minted in ;<CB. #e looked at his son"s wide eyes. 1Forget school tomorrow, we have some serious work to do. This stolen money is a!out to do some good.2 't took some time for them to take the gold and put it in the trunk of the car, then they put the casket !ack where they had found it. ,either of them said anything on the way !ack to the house, they were shocked and many things were going through their minds. When they got !ack to the house, Dad came in and De!ra was sitting with 0inny, who was still wide awake and she was ama5ed at how dirty the two were. 1What did you do, go gravero!!ing?2 3he asked. Dad and .ohn .r. were laughing so hard they fell to the floor. Dad took one of the gold pieces and tossed it on the couch. De!ra and 0inny looked at him in stunned silence. 1To %ale! 'sogul it was worth killing everyone in his path to get to, and he evidently figured out who 9ictor 0a!riel was. %harlotte really did us a good turn.2 #e said. Dad turned to .ohn .r. 1We have to cover some !ases in order to make use of that gold, !ut in a few days ' think we can get that hearse.2 #e said. .ohn .r. smiled gently. 14eah, !ut that is the least of my concerns. +utside there was a !rief moment of rain, then the moon came from !ehind the clouds. 't shone !right as the little family worked at transporting the gold into the house. The rest of the night went without incident as the family collapsed into !ed and slept soundly. The kids took the ne-t day off

school, and the superintendant was glad to e-cuse them, given the fact that they had !een drugged !y a vicious criminal and had a horri!le night !y all accounts. )ccording to state law, Dad was a!le to file a claim for the gold as an amateur salvager and he was e-tatic when he found out, and his attorney drew up the paper work. #e scheduled a time to go in and sign everything and that night the family went out to dinner on what moneyh they had availa!le at the time. 'ncluded in the evening"s cele!ration were .erry 3troh and *o!ert. )pril and *ose were !usy chasing some of the cute guys on the school !all teams. 0inny didn"t mind. Friday came and Dad signed his paperwork in the attporney"s office and as they shook hands, the attorney held his hand for a moment. 18m, o!viously '"m not going to refuse my service fees from a !unch of %onfederate 0old, !ut in the event you do any more treasure hunting...2 #e winked. 17ake certain you have the salvage papers in order EF+*E you go and get the stuff.2 he said. The whole family took a day and drove the hour trip to the cemetery where %harlotte &ong was !uried and they found her ne-t to her hus!and, with a huge weathered angel over her. The inscription read 1%harlotte &ong, ;<;C?;<=>. )ngel of 7ercy to the norht and south.2 They placed flowers and said a !rief prayer that she would find peace forn herself after helping so many. )s they turned, all four of them saw an inccredi!le sight. There was shadow over the grave yard from the gray clouds over head and %harlotte was drifting through the graveyard a small distance off. Waiting for her was a man in a nice victorian suit. #e took her hands in his and she turned to her friends. 0inny !egan to wheel toward her and shout, !ut with a smile, she faded away. 0inny cried as she watched her go.

'T W)3 a sunny day in front of a !eautiful victorian home that had fine land scaping and a fountain in front of it. There were trimmed trees and !ushes all around the house, and in a car port, on display, was a ;B@C #earse

gleaming in the sun. Down the road came a car with a thin man with light !rown hair tied !ack in a pony tail who had a license plate that read Wierd;. 't pulled up in front of the house and .erry 3troh got out of the drivers seat and stood in front of the house. 1#ey 0inny, ' picked up your mom and dad, and .ohn .r. and his wife. 4ou took enough time in there. We gotta go, '"m starving.2 The front door opened and 0inny strolled out of the house, straight and tall with her hair done, and she walked happily down the steps of the house. 3he went up to .erry, kissed him and as he opened the car she said 1Patience patience, you know women take more time to get ready...snert. ' wanted to look nice for our anniversary2 3he winked. #e closed the door with a smile.