The Friendly Fort (Chapter Five)

Hello All:

"This is a very, special week at The Literary World of Tom Raimbault; for this is Halloween week! And like we do every year, new stories written just for the holiday are featured throughout the week. This year we roll out some brand-new Mapleview material in the form of a mini novella titled The Friendly Fort. Be sure to visit each day for a new chapter. The Friendly Fort will be featured from Sunday through Saturday."
***

VIEW PRELUDE AND CHAPTER ONE
VIEW CHAPTER TWO
VIEW CHAPTER THREE
VIEW CHAPTER FOUR
***

I am dressing up for Halloween this year with the intention of going door-to-door for trick-or-treating! Now before you think that I'm too old to trick-or-treat and that no one will give me candy, consider the fact that I'm will be in a costume. Who's going to know? As for my adult size giving me away; there are actually young kids who are bigger than me.

So what am I going as?--you might ask?

I had to think long and hard on this one. Over the weekend I visited one of those Halloween stores with my wife and daughter. When reaching the costume area, I found the simple masks. "I like the gold one. Let's see what I look like with this one." I put on the mask, and then reached for a nearby hat. Then I suggested to my daughter, "What do you say I go trick-or-treating with you?"

It was a great suggestion for my daughter. But what was I going to tell everyone who asked about my costume? The more I looked in the mirror, the more I considered that I resembled the famous Copper Cowboy (minus the sunglasses). Perhaps you've seen the real Copper Cowboy while visiting the city. He's a living statue who is painted in such a way to appear copper. He occasionally animates and surprises people who walk by. If you ever see this display out in the city streets, drop a couple of dollars in his bucket and be sure to have your picture taken with him. I haven't seen the Copper Cowboy in five years. And from what I've heard, there is a Copper Cowgirl!

***

We are suddenly talking about old barns this week at The Narrator. It's probably because a mysterious, old barn becomes part of our Mapleview mini-novella, The Friendly Fort. You'll read more about this barn in the chapter that is being shared, today.

I recall in high school listening in on a conversation from nearby classmates in which someone relayed a strange incident that had taken place over the weekend. On that particular weekend, a group of kids had been out in the forest (probably partying and up to no good). Suddenly, an abandoned, old barn was discovered. And just like most young kids who are up to no good, they began throwing rocks at the barn in an attempt to break the windows. It was then that people dressed up as monks had emerged from the old and seemingly-abandoned building and chased the kids off. A couple of them had pellet guns, and actually took shots at the kids in an apparent warning.

It makes you wonder what sort of people would live in an old barn, and would dress up as monks.

The Friendly Fort (Chapter Five)

Spencer woke up early on a Friday morning, two days after visiting the library and reading the urban legend of New Essex. He hadn't thought much about the story or the cemetery since reading it. He needed a rest from all of it. And quite frankly, Spencer didn't know what to think this new information. But by Friday morning; Spencer experienced, for the first time, some concern and maybe feelings for a possible area that would be acquisitioned for land. Maybe Doctor Millheimer was right. Maybe the recent visions and hallucinations originated from something unexplainable that called out to Spencer. Maybe he was supposed to make the cemetery known to his business partners to avoid any disturbing of graves.

There wasn’t much to do on that Friday. Today was a perfect day to visit the long-forgotten cemetery. But before doing so, Spencer drove into town for breakfast at McDonald's. The young woman who took his order at the counter was obviously pregnant. It was the feature that he noticed foremost. She might have been about month or so away from the due date. And while eating his two Egg McMuffins  with hash browns, orange juice and coffee; Spencer would occasionally observe this woman while wondering if it was okay for her to be working.

Upon returning home after breakfast that morning, Spencer cut across Lydia's backyard, and reminded himself that he received permission from her to do this. He followed the stream through the forest to the place where it opened up to a wide brook. It was there that Spencer made the most disturbing discovery some twenty feet away from the brook. The body of an animal hung at its hind legs from a rope that was tied to the branch of a tree. It had been sliced open down the middle of its body. As Spencer came closer, he soon realized that the animal was a dog! I'll spare any details of the gory sight, but it disgusted and deeply disturbed Spencer to see this. Who would do such a thing and why? There were a circle of stones underneath the hanging dog with the remains of a fire. It looked as-if someone had done a bizarre ritual, overnight—possibly satanic.

Spencer continued beyond the brook and walked towards the opened area where the cemetery is. And just like always—just like the black and white photo in the book of urban legends for Mapleview—there stood the old stone cross. Spencer approached Reverend Jensen's grave and stood before it. It was then that he realized that Jensen's remains were the only ones in the small cemetery that hadn't been burned. What did Reverend Jensen see on that fateful day in his church? What had come after him?

Suddenly, Spencer spotted a barn a short distance away. He hadn't noticed it the past two times of visiting the cemetery. But to be fair, the first time he visited with Lydia, it would have been too dark to see it. The building didn't look terribly old. It wasn't sagging; the roof was in good condition; and it had glass windows. As Spencer continued to study the barn from a short distance away, he realized that it appeared to be constructed out of log.

"Good morning!" a recognizable voice announced some distance behind Spencer.

Spencer turned around to see Lydia approaching the cemetery. Unsure of how to react to the presence of someone who probably didn't exist, he simply returned the greeting. "Good morning!"

He watched as Lydia appeared to waddle towards him. She seemed to have difficulty in breathing. "I really shouldn't be walking out here.” she informed him. “But I saw you on your way to the cemetery. I'm pregnant, and I'm under doctor's orders stay off my feet."

"Pregnant?" asked Spencer. For the first time since meeting her, he noticed that Lydia's lower abdomen protruded outwards—just like the young woman who waited on him at McDonald's that morning. "Oh, I didn't notice that before."

"Yes, I'm really starting to show." answered Lydia.

Spencer wasn't sure of how to comment. Part of him believed that Lydia was only an intensified output of his imagination. But he still wished to be polite to her. "Well congratulations!" Spencer finally said.

"Thank you!" acknowledged Lydia.

"When's the due date?" asked Spencer.

"May 3rd..." answered Lydia.

The answer was Spencer's confirmation that he wasn't dealing with someone or something from reality. You see, May 3rd was over two months ago. "Well that's any day, now..." he commented.

"Yes, and I'm supposed to be getting my rest." answered Lydia. “Strict doctor’s orders.”

"So I never noticed that barn, before." said Spencer while pointing towards the building a short distance away.”

"That barn?" she answered. "Oh, it's been there for a while. Our horses are in there along with tools and equipment." Then she asked, "Did you learn anything about the cemetery?"

Spencer sighed, "Yes, I did some research at the library. From what I’ve learned, there was a small town back in the early 1800s called New Essex that settled in this area.

"New Essex... Oh, yes! Over by the lake.” added Lydia.

"Right..." affirmed Spencer before continuing. "Well there was a smaller group of people who settled in this area at the time who might have been different from the people of New Essex. And because they didn't show any interest in going to church, the Reverend concluded that they were witches."

"Witches???" exclaimed Lydia.

"Yeah, supposedly their kids didn't have any basic knowledge of Christianity. They didn't know about Christmas or Easter. They didn't know about Moses, Noah or Jesus from the Bible. So the town of New Essex seized the small group of people who lived in this area and gave them a trial by fire. They burned them at the stake.”

"Good heavens!" exclaimed Lydia. "That's awful!"

"Yup! And the bodies that lay in this cemetery are the remains of those people. And this grave down here belongs to the very reverend who launched that witch hunt. You see, something happened to him a few days later—died in his church while trying to get away from something. The people of New Essex buried him out here to avoid any curses."

Lydia shook her head in disbelief. "Well if you ask me, the only witches around here are those bad people who come out at night. Did you see what they did to the poor dog?"

"Yes, I saw that on the way over here. Is that a normal occurrence?"

"Yes it is." affirmed Lydia. "That brook used to be a beautiful place. But they come out here to make deals with the Devil. They usually end up sacrificing some unfortunate creature. If you ask me, those are the people who should have been burned at the stake."

"Right..." agreed Spencer.

"You should probably have someone take that dog down." suggested Lydia.

"I think I'll do that." agreed Spencer. "And I hope all that I told you shed some light on the cemetery. It's a long-forgotten place, and it has a shameful story behind it. But it needs to be respected and care for. I think that's what I've taken from it all.”

A few minutes later, Spencer and Lydia walked back. The journey was mostly silent. And it was done slowly to accommodate Lydia's pregnant condition. Occasionally they would stop and rest so that she could catch her breath. "Any day now... Any day..." she would comment while rubbing her belly. During one of these moments Lydia did something that was a bit alarming to Spencer. She looked at Spencer with a peculiar, wicked expression on her face. While rubbing her abdomen, it made him feel as though he were the one in Lydia's womb!

Upon their return, Lydia's home now appeared to be lived in with the large garden at the side of the house. And of course it all vanished an hour later to be nothing but a sad, vacant home with real estate sign in the front lawn.

***

"So did you get any of your homework done since last week's session?" asked Doctor Millheimer. It was now Monday morning—a week since Spencer’s initial visit to Doctor Millheimer. He was ready for his second session of therapy.

"Yes I did." he answered while holding up the book, Hauntings and Urban Legends in Mapleview and Surrounding Areas

"What do you have there?" asked Doctor Millheimer.

"Well I went to the library and spoke with the librarian about the cemetery.” began Spencer. “She believed that urban legends might be the best place to start. Well, the cemetery is in this book." Spencer relayed the urban legend that was discussed in the book to Doctor Millheimer who carefully listened while taking notes.

Doctor Millheimer next asked, "I assume that the cemetery is still there? You visited, and it was physically present—not a vision or hallucination like your next store neighbors?"

"Yes..." answered Spencer. "It was there just like you said it would be. I actually visited a third time because I'm beginning to have some feelings for the place. I'm beginning to accept your theory of the visions pointing to something mysterious and unknown that calls out to me."

"And what is this that calls out to you?" probed Doctor Millheimer.

"I believe that maybe the dead, or maybe some spirit that watches over the cemetery, is aware of my purpose in Mapleview.” answered Spencer. “I believe that I am supposed to see to it that nothing happens to the cemetery when the land is finally acquisitioned for wind turbines. I might actually go so far as to clean up the cemetery and have a sign or landmark that designates the area as a cemetery."

"Very good!" congratulated Doctor Millheimer. "And I do believe that once you follow through with all of this, your visions and hallucinations will go away. You see, there is a vast and mysterious world that we cannot see. Some like to say that it is hidden behind a thin veil which is sometimes lifted so that we can see what is behind. There are things which we will never fully understand behind this veil, but the subconscious mind is connected to it. I believe you are right. I believe that something from behind the veil wishes for you to take care of that cemetery. This is why you have been receiving these strange visions and hallucinations."

Spencer interrupted. "Oh, but I did see my imaginary neighbor, Lydia, on Friday while visiting the cemetery."

"You did?" asked Doctor Millheimer. "And what did she want this time?"

Spencer went on to describe Lydia's pregnant condition, and the fact that she was due in May.

After hearing Spencer's account Doctor Millheimer suggested, “You keep referring to Lydia as imaginary. But, perhaps, she isn't imaginary at all. You see; she's expecting in May, but it's now June. I think this is a clear indicator that Lydia has originated from behind the veil. She probably accesses your subconscious mind which projects her as a vision into our world. How long did she stay with you?"

"Well I told her about what I've learned.” explained Spencer. “And it seemed to outrage her as to what the people of New Essex did to the newcomers. She thinks that the devil worshippers who now come out to the forest to sacrifice animals should be the ones who are burned at the stake." Spencer described the dog which hung from a tree. Then he continued with the visions from Friday morning, "Oh and then there was a barn up in the distance which I had never seen during the past two times of being there. It was actually made of log and looked relatively new. She said that it was her barn. She said that horses are kept in there along with plows and tools. On the way back, we had to stop a few times for her to rest due to her pregnant condition. And she did something that really bothered me, actually frightened me."

"And what was that?" probed Doctor Millheimer. He was very interested in Spencer's account of these visions.

"She rubbed her lower abdomen while looking at me and saying, 'Any day, now... Any day...' She had this frightening smile on her face, and I never saw her look like that before. It's like she was trying to say that it was me in her womb!"

Doctor Millheimer calmly explained, "It is often difficult to fully comprehend what something behind the veil is trying to communicate or show to us. The visions of Lydia's pregnant state, and the fact that she is implying that you are in her womb, might simply mean that she is waiting for you to take action with the cemetery."

"But Doctor, what about the dream I had about handing Lydia a pink carnation on Mother's Day?"

"Again, she might have accessed your subconscious in that dream for purposes of communicating an expected relationship.” answered Doctor Millheimer. “A mother can be considered a figure of authority. In this sort of relationship, Lydia would have expectations for you to follow."

Doctor Millheimer stood up from his chair, and walked over to a nearby closet. "I want to show you something; something to use for your next homework assignment. You can get these at a number of places." He pulled from the closet a Parker Brother's game box that had a picture of two hands over a Ouija board. The front cover said, "Ouija" at the top along with, "Mystifying Oracle" underneath.

Now you (the reader), Doctor Millheimer and I (the narrator) certainly know about Ouija boards. But Spencer had never seen or heard of them. "What's that?' he asked as Doctor Millheimer placed it on the coffee table before him.

"It's called a Ouija board." answered Doctor Millheimer. It was invented in the late 1800s for purposes of allowing people to communicate with the dead. You see, times could have been considered much sadder over a century ago. The average life expectancy was just over fifty-years-old. It wasn't uncommon for families to have children that were suddenly dead from some disease or condition. Women died while giving birth. Sudden death is a terribly-shocking phenomenon. And the human mind has sought ways to reach out and maintain contact with deceased loved ones. The Ouija board was one such tool. Are you aware, Mr. Doiler, that in the 1800s it wasn't uncommon for homes throughout America to host séance parties on any given night of the week? Abraham Lincoln actually held séances in his home."

Spencer stared at Doctor Millheimer in disbelief. He was beginning to doubt the credibility of his therapist. But this is completely normal for a patient to experience this after a couple of sessions. "You're talking about séances, now? You want us to do a séance?" he asked.

"Trust me!" reassured Doctor Millheimer. “I'm not about to do anything theatrical. But in my medical opinion, I do believe that the Ouija board is an excellent tool to help pull out knowledge from the subconscious mind. And it’s the subconscious mind that is in contact with Lydia. Let me show you how to do this."

With the Ouija board unboxed, he placed it on the coffee table before him. This coffee table was actually between Spencer and Doctor Millheimer which made it ideal to do a Ouija board session.

"Now... you place the plachette at the center of the board like this..." explained Doctor Millheimer. "You can work the Ouija board with another person, a group of people, or by yourself. Go ahead and rest your fingers on the plachette like I am doing."

Spencer did as directed.

"Now relax your hands and arms, and let's begin to slowly move the plachette back and forth... that's it... nice and slow... nice and easy... you'll find that through time there will actually be random patterns of circles being made."

After nearly a minute or so of exercising the plachette on the Ouija board, Doctor Millheimer explained, "I am going to use the Ouija board as a tool to help access our combined subconscious minds. To do this, I am going to call out to your neighbor, Lydia. Chances are if she resides behind the veil, she will have some hyper dimensional existence and will be able join us in this moment."

"Lydia?" called out Doctor Millheimer. "I am Doctor Millheimer. Perhaps you recognize me as the person who is helping Spencer understand who you are and what you want. I am showing him how to use the Ouija board so that he can unlock the knowledge from his subconscious mind. Are you there, Lydia?"

It nearly felt automatic as-if some force outside of Spencer and Doctor Millheimer had circled the plachette near the image of the Sun which clearly made contact with the word, "Yes".

"Excellent!" answered Doctor Millheimer. "I thank you for being here with us today. What is it that you want from Spencer?"

After some twenty seconds, the plachette seemed to automatically spell out the name, Spencer.

"Yes..." answered Doctor Millheimer. "I want to know what you need from Spencer. We are talking about him."

Another twenty seconds passed. "To return..." answered the Ouija board.

"Apparently, Lydia wants you to return to the cemetery." speculated Doctor Millheimer while speaking to Spencer. Then he addressed Lydia, "And what is it that Spencer needs to learn, understand or find upon returning to the cemetery?"

Under the guidance of Spencer and Doctor Millheimer, the plachette moved in a figure 8 pattern before spelling out the word, "Himself".

"What does that mean?" asked Spencer to Doctor Millheimer.

"Why don't you ask Lydia?" suggested Doctor Millheimer.

"What does that mean, Lydia?" Spencer asked to Lydia.

The plachette circled and moved about before spelling out the phrase. "Any day now..."

Suddenly, the overwhelming vision of Lydia appeared in Spencer's imagination. She rubbed the baby in her womb while smiling at Spencer. It was a wicked sort of smile that frightened Spencer to the point of removing his hand from the plachette and nearly leaping out of his seat.

"What...? What is it?" inquired Doctor Millheimer.

"She just appeared in my mind. It was so strong that I almost hallucinated her. She was rubbing her abdomen and smiling at me."

"Good!" exclaimed Doctor Millheimer. "We have succeeded in using the Ouija board as a tool to unlock your subconscious mind. Your homework before our next session is to purchase one of these Ouija boards at some toy store. Technically it is only a game, and the Ouija board is very popular. Once you have a Ouija board, you should next visit the cemetery and use it there like we just did. Maybe sit cross-legged on the ground with the board resting on your knees and legs. You can move the plachette on your own. And have no fear of the Ouija board. There are all sorts of strange beliefs that it will attract demons or monsters from Hell. But the Ouija board is totally safe. It is only a scientific tool to help unlock the information from the human mind.

To be continued...