The Ghost in the Rocking Chair

Hello All:
The Ghost in the Rocking Chair: a spooky mystery that offers an important lesson to be learned. The short story was written a few years ago, and reminds me of a Goosebumps meets the Brady Bunch episode. As you'll find out, the Smith family is a totally normal family. Paranormal experiences will not happen in this family home! But what can be said of the spooky rocking chair in the attic with invisible ghost that sits in it?

The Ghost in the Rocking Chair
The Smith Family lives in two story home on a quiet street in the Atlanta suburb, Decatur. Husband and father, John Smith, works as an executive account manager for a highly established marketing firm. His wife, Mary, is a stay-at-home mom.

John and Mary have two children. They have a ten-year old son named Dan and a seven-year old daughter named Jill. Dan is in fifth grade elementary school. Jill is in the second grade.

***

It was a windy night in March when ten-year-old Danny was awoken from his sleep because of a banging noise. The banging noise seemed to be coming from upstairs in the attic. Curious of the noise, Dan got out of bed and quietly walked down the hall to the attic door. Opening the door provided an unfinished staircase to the attic.

The staircase and attic were pitch-black. This was certainly something that would have made a ten-year-old child uneasy. So before ascending the staircase, he switched on a light located on the wall which provided some crude lighting to the attic. Then he slowly and carefully ascended the staircase.

While climbing up to the attic, the banging noise got louder. Dan was scared! What could that noise have been? It wasn't until he reached the top step and looked over to the far wall of the attic that he could see what the noise was. Dan couldn't believe his eyes. An old rocking chair was rocking back and forth in the attic all by itself! Sometimes it rocked so hard that the top banged into the wall. That certainly explained the banging noise heard from the attic. But what could have possibly caused the chair to rock back and forth on its own?

There was only one rational explanation at the moment for ten-year-old Dan. He believed that an invisible ghost was sitting in the chair and rocking it.

Dan was terrified at the sight. He was so frightened that he ran down the stairs and closed the attic door behind him. But unbeknown to him, it didn't fully close. He also forgot to turn off the attic light. Dan jumped back into bed and pulled the covers over his head and tried to forget what he saw. But the rocking chair could be heard from upstairs in the attic. Dan put both of the pillows over his head to block the noise. It was some time before he could finally fall back to sleep.

***

The following morning was a Wednesday and certainly a school day, Dan dressed and went downstairs into the kitchen where Mother made breakfast and Father sat at the table reading the morning paper. Dan's younger sister, Jill, hadn't made it to the breakfast table.

Dan sat down in his seat and took a sip of his orange juice. From what he could see, it looked like Mother was making eggs for breakfast.

Just as Dan put his glass of orange juice down after taking a sip, Father lowered his newspaper and asked Dan a question. "Dan, I noticed this morning that the attic door was opened a crack and that the attic light was left on. Do you know anything about this?"

Dan was speechless at first and looked at the table.

Father didn't appreciate his son not being so quick to answer. "Dan, I asked you a question and I expect an answer. Do you know anything about that door being open and the light on?"

Dan hesitated for a second and shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I heard a strange noise upstairs in the attic last night and I wanted to see what it was."

"So you went up there?" Father asked.

"Yes." answered Dan

Father was puzzled and further probed. "Well why didn't you shut the light off and close the door?"

Poor, frightened Dan did all he could to hold back the tears. "I saw a ghost up there and I was scared. I really thought I shut the door, and I guess I was so scared that I forgot to turn off the light."

Father gave his son a very, strange look. "Dan, you know that there are no such things as ghosts. Why would you be afraid of a ghost in the attic? Ghosts aren't real. They are just a figment of your imagination."

"I know" answed Dan. "But I saw it rocking in the chair. I saw it with my own, two eyes."

Father took a sip of his coffee and continued. "Son, sometimes the mind plays tricks on us. Sometimes you truly believe in some circumstance or some fact that you actually think you see something that really isn't there. That's just how the mind works. Like I said, ghosts are just a figment of the imagination. You were probably half asleep and dreaming while up in that attic. Doesn't that seem like a more reasonable explanation?"

Just then, Mother walked over and put a scoop of eggs on Father's plate along with two slices of buttered toast. Then she did the same for Dan. She could see the pouty expression on her son's face and knew that he wasn't fully agreeing with Father. "Your father is right, Dan." mother reaffirmed. "Listen to your father. There are no such things as ghosts." Then she smiled at Father while walking away to check on her daughter, Jill.

Father took a couple bites of breakfast and wrapped up the conversation. "You don't still think you saw a ghost in the attic, do you?"

"No sir..."

"Good!" answered Father. "Now after breakfast, turn off the attic light and make sure the door is shut."

"Yes sir..."

After breakfast, Dan did as ordered and returned upstairs to the attic door. It was now morning, and not so frightening to reach his hand over to the wall and switch off the light. But he was quick to make sure the door was closed and maybe walked away a little faster than usual. As he believed, perhaps a ghost was behind the door and just seconds from opening it!
***

During the bus ride to school, Dan mostly forgot the previous night's experience. By midmorning, it was nearly purged from memory. But at recess on the playground, Dan spotted a plastic bag that had somehow blown into one of the branches of a tree. It was a gusty March morning which resulted in the bag blowing from side to side in the tree. It reminded Dan of a ghost and immediately called to mind last night's experience in the attic.

Now Father always stressed the importance of never standing out among peers or appearing different. Being different or having some unusual characteristic of uniqueness is not a good thing. This includes believing in things that go against the norm or what other people believe. As Father always explained to his son, it's important to be exactly like everyone else. That way, it will be easier to socialize and network throughout life and in a career.

But in that moment, Dan disregarded his father's wisdom and commented on the bag blowing in the wind. He pointed it out to his playground friends, "Hey, look at that bag! Doesn't it look like a ghost?"

All of Dan's friends laughed.

"Ghost?" asked one of Dan's friends. "You think that looks like a ghost? Everyone knows there are no such things as ghosts!"

Everyone agreed and chimed in laughter. Poor Dan was the butt-end of the joke for the rest of the morning. And it was a good lesson for Dan! He should have listed to Father and never said anything that might have stood out from the ordinary. Fortunately his ghost comment was forgotten by lunch.

***

The gusty winds of March died down and didn't return until Thursday evening. Dan was awoken late at night from the same noise of something banging in the attic. Despite the fact that Father advised him of ghosts being a figment of the imagination, a surge of terror rushed through him. As he believed, the ghost was up there and being just as noisy as ever.

At first, Dan pulled the pillows over his head to block out the noise. But for some reason, the sound seemed louder than on Wednesday and impossible to ignore. Lying there, Dan's imagination played all sorts of tricks on him. From what he believed, the ghost could easily open the attic door, come down the hallway and float into his room.

The dreaded fears were finally too much for Dan. He had no choice but to scurry into Mother and Father's room and whisper out to his father. "Dad? Dad?"

Father rolled over. "What is it son?"

"I hear that noise in the attic, again."

Father got out of bed and walked into the hallway. Sure enough, the banging noise could be heard from the attic.

"Hear it?" asked Dan. "That's the ghost rocking in the chair."

Father gave his son a strange look. "Now didn't I tell you that there are no such things as ghosts?"

Just then, Mother walked into the hallway where her husband and son stood. "What's going on?" she asked.

Father replied, "Dan woke me up because of a noise in the attic. I wonder what that is."

As the three of them approached the attic door, Dan's younger sister, Jill, quietly walked over in curiosity. Her presence startled Dan and momentarily caused him to believe that the ghost had vaporized through the door. He nearly screamed while quickly backing away from his sister.

Father was losing his patience. "Calm down! I don't know what's happening to you. See what I mean about your mind playing tricks on you? I'm going upstairs into the attic and get to the bottom of this so we can go back to sleep."

The family watched as brave Father opened the attic door, switched on the light and ascended the stairs. Banging could be heard, and Dan just knew that Father would finally see the ghost. But in a much unanticipated move, Father turned from the staircase and walked right over to the direction of the noise! Then he returned to the stairs and looked down the staircase to his son. "Dan, I want to show you something. Come up here."

Dan hesitated as he wasn't comfortable going up into the attic where he would encounter a possible ghost.

Mother encouraged her son. "Go ahead. Your father wants to show you something."

Now Dan knew that when Mother and Father asked him to do something, he was supposed to obey and do it. This included venturing into the attic where a ghost could be heard. Reluctantly, Dan ascended the stairs--maybe a bit slower than what he should have.

"Come on!" ordered Father. "I don't have all night. I want to get back to sleep."

Dan made his way up the final steps and took sight at what he believed to be the invisible ghost rocking back and forth in the rocking chair. Sometimes it rocked so hard that the back hit the wall.

Father gave his son a weird look while asking, "You don't think that's a ghost, do you?" Then he explained, "Now I want to show you something. See that window open near the chair?"

"Yes..."

"I was up here doing work last autumn and opened the window to get some air up here. Apparently I forgot to shut it. The wind is now blowing through the window and rocking the chair." Father walked over to the window and shut it. Immediately, the chair slowed down and finally stopped. "There's your ghost. Mystery solved!"

Dan was in disbelief! All this time he thought that an invisible ghost was sitting in the chair. Instead, it was the wind. How silly of Dan!

***

The following morning was a Friday as the entire family sat down to eat breakfast. Mother made waffles with bacon--Dan's favorite. As he took a bite of crispy bacon Father cleared his throat to speak.

"So do we have the mystery of the rocking chair ghost finally solved?"

Dan nodded his head. "Mmm-hmm..."

"Good!" said Father. "And let this be a lesson to you. You can't always believe what you see and draw inferences to create facts. If something mystifies you, there is probably some fact or truth that you are not aware of. There is always a rational explanation for some out-of-the-ordinary experience and it's best to get to the bottom of things before jumping to conclusions."

Dan continued to eat his breakfast. But unlike Wednesday morning, he believed everything that Father told him. The mystery of the ghost had been solved by Father.

THE END!

The Friendly Fort (Chapter Seven)

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. If this is your first time checking out the blog this week, be sure to read the previous chapters of The Friendly Fort.

VIEW PRELUDE AND CHAPTER ONE
VIEW CHAPTER TWO
VIEW CHAPTER THREE
VIEW CHAPTER FOUR
VIEW CHAPTER FIVE
VIEW CHAPTER SIX

***

Costumes purchased and ready for the kids...

Check!

Halloween decorations set up outside...

Check!

Halloween candy in a bowl to hand out to trick-or-treaters...

Check!

Spooky movies to watch later tonight...

Check!

Table set up with place settings in anticipation of a visit from your deceased relatives...

How many of you have done this?

If you are new to Halloween, or have always celebrated the mainstream-commercialized version of this holiday, then setting up a table for your deceased relatives might sound like a strange thing to do. But that, my friends, is one of the true purposes of Halloween. You see; this time of year makes possible for the veil that separates this world from the other to be ultra thin. This, in theory, allows those who reside in the after-life to make a cameo appearance here in the physical world. For many centuries, people have done such practices as setting up a table for deceased relatives, lighting a candle in the front room window to call the dead home, or burying fruit in the ground along with prayers to the deceased to help strengthen the journey to Heaven.

Now about these visits from your deceased relatives: Some claim that they return in living flesh for some warm conversation and lively partying, even to dine with the living. Others simply believe that a strong presence of various visits from souls of the dearly-departed can be felt in these next few days. Whichever you believe, it wouldn't be a bad idea to embrace traditional practices, and set up a table for the deceased. Light candles, set out glasses and pour drinks from this table throughout the evening to enjoy with them.

***

Today we present the final chapter of our Mapleview mini-novella, The Friendly Fort.

Happy Halloween!

The Friendly Fort (Chapter Seven)

At this point in time, Spencer just about abandoned his original purpose for coming to Mapleview. He received a voice mail the following morning—a Saturday—from one of the co-investors from Winds of Change Energy, reminding him to send his weekly progress report.

"Weekly progress???" Spencer snapped upon hearing the voice mail. "Yeah, I've scouted this whole area and have found some great places for wind turbines. But we need money to buy off all the property owners, not to mention right of eminent domain." As far as Spencer was concerned, his original work was done in Mapleview. It was now a waiting game, perfect to allow himself to become absorbed in the mystery of the cemetery.

And so Spencer trekked through the nearby forest with Ouija board in hand to the place that the boys from last night called, the Friendly Fort. The dog was no longer hanging from a tree near the wide brook, and the grounds almost seemed to thank Spencer for taking care of the unsightly display. And unlike last night, the old barn now stood a short distance away from the cemetery.

"So that's the ghost barn!" announced Spencer. "And what makes me so privileged to see it on a regular basis?" He sat down on the ground near the area of Reverend Jensen's grave, and removed the Ouija board from its purple, velour cover. The plachette was unboxed and set at the center of the board. With it resting on Spencer's lap, he glided the plachette from side to side.

"Lydia?" Spencer called out. "Are you there? I want to know more about this ghost barn. You said it's your barn, but those kids from last night tell a different story."

Almost, immediately, Spencer felt the Ouija board eye phenomenon. Theoretically, an external spirit was now viewing Spencer's reality through his own eyes.

The plachette spelled out the phrase, "Thank you..."

"For burying the dog?" asked Spencer.

Rather than circle the "Yes" portion of the board, the plachette actually spelled out, "Yeah..."

"Okay, so I did my job!" reminded Spencer. "You are welcome. Now could you please tell me more about this place? What's going on with the barn?"

The plachette spelled out, "You are here..."

"Come on!" complained Spencer. "Quit playing that game! Yes, I am here!"

There was a stillness that enveloped Spencer, almost as-if time had completely stopped. Not even the wind blew. And the next word spelled out with the plachette was, "Here..." It was then that whatever nearby spirit—whether it be hyper dimensionally connected, or physically close—used a more telepathic means to relay the information to Spencer. It caused him to nearly toss the Ouija board and plachette onto the ground as he leapt up and frantically scouted the grounds of the cemetery. "Here...? Here...? I'm here...?" Spencer was very much beside himself. Never before had he felt so consumed—nearly possessed—by an unexplainable force. He cried—nearly sobbed, "What did they do to us??? I told you that we couldn't trust them!" In those moments of running about, Spencer finally realized that his own charred bones from over two hundred years ago lay tossed and buried at one of those long-forgotten graves. This realization certainly explained the horrible dreams of begging Lydia, his mother, to flee because "they" were coming.

Spencer knelt down on the ground and sobbed over the eerie-green Ouija board; partly out of confusion and fear, partly out of sadness. He needed to talk to someone at that moment. While kneeling before the Ouija board, he slid the plachette from side-to-side. "Who is this? Who am I speaking with? Mother, is that you?"

The plachette spelled out, "You..."

Such a mind-blowing concept; Spencer nearly stopped breathing while contemplating the meaning. Or maybe it was a simply a reminder to recompose himself. His mind might only have been playing tricks on him. Surely they didn't mean that Spencer was talking to himself from his previous life.

Spencer resumed gliding the plachette from side-to-side. It actually spelled out, "Spencer..." Apparently, someone was calling him.

"What?" answered Spencer.

The Plachette spelled out, "Come..."

"The barn?" asked Spencer. "You want me to go into the barn?"

The plachette circled the "Yes" area.

"But it's a ghost barn!" argued Spencer. "It's some sort of mirage. You think I actually want to go into that building? Then what?"

The plachette spelled out the phrase, "Any day now..." It was followed by the disturbing mental image of Lydia rubbing her womb with the wicked smile on her face.

Terrified, confused and emotionally distraught; Spencer quickly packed up his Ouija board and plachette, and left for the day.

***

It was the following Monday morning, almost ten o'clock, as a shiny, black Oldsmobile Aurora pulled into Spencer's driveway. It was Doctor Millheimer who promised to meet Spencer at his house for that week's session of therapy. Yes, Doctor Millheimer is an old-fashioned man of science who makes house calls in the region of Mapleview. He truly cares for his patients. And in Spencer's case, Doctor Millheimer would hike through the forest to accompany his patient on a final visit to the cemetery in hopes to bring closure.

Spencer stepped outside to greet Doctor Millheimer as he exited his vehicle. "Good morning!" he called out.

"Good morning Mr. Doiler!" returned Doctor Millheimer. "My, I have always enjoyed this area of Mapleview." He glanced over at Lydia's house. "And I can see that the for sale sign is still up, next door."

"Yes it is." affirmed Spencer. "And I haven't seen her since the last visit when I learned that she was pregnant." When finally close enough, Spencer showed gratitude for Doctor Millheimer's house call. "Listen, I want to thank you for coming out here and seeing the place."

"Oh, it's nothing." reassured Doctor Millheimer. "I mostly want to guide you through making closure with this place that you found... this... Friendly Fort as you call it. And as you can see, I was sure to wear my hiking boots." Doctor Millheimer pointed them out to Spencer.

"Nice!" exclaimed Spencer. "Do you ever go hunting?"

"Sometimes..." answered Doctor Millheimer.

Both men walked their way into the back and then cut through Lydia’s yard. They passed the half-acre clearing of trees and then followed the path into the forest. It didn't take long before Spencer and Doctor Millheimer met the stream that snaked its way through the forest.

"This is lovely out here!" exclaimed Doctor Millheimer. "You are fortunate to have such a nice environment to stay at. Who knows; maybe you'll decide to stay in Mapleview after your business venture is completed. How is that going, by the way?"

"Oh, we're just waiting to receive word of eminent domain along with funding.” answered Spencer. “There's not much more I can do at this point." For the remainder of the hike, Spencer discussed the details of his last visit to the cemetery which was Saturday.

Soon they reached the area where the stream opened up into a wide brook. Doctor Millheimer was in awe at the tremendous beauty; the depth of the water, the lily pads with flowers, and the moss-colored flagstone that surrounded the body of water that was stacked in such a way to look like a mini coliseum.

"Amazing!" exclaimed Doctor Millheimer. I'm no expert on fish, but this might make a nice place to go fishing. So peaceful and serene!"

"Yeah with the occasional sacrificing of animals by devil worshippers." added Spencer.

Doctor Millheimer chuckled. "Well perhaps you should adopt this area and take action to keep it clean. You only telephoned the forest preserve district, once. You should escalate these incidents and get the police to take action."

"Yeah, I suppose..." agreed Spencer.

Spencer and Doctor Millheimer continued walking, and finally reached the cemetery. Much to Spencer's surprise, the old barn stood not-so-far away from the cemetery. "There it is! I can't believe it!" he exclaimed.

"What?" probed Doctor Millheimer. "The barn?"

"Yes, the ghost barn." affirmed Spencer.

"Well it doesn't look like a ghostly mirage to me." pointed Doctor Millheimer. "It looks very real. Why don't we go up to the barn so we can physically touch it?"

"But it wasn't here when the kids passed through on Friday night. Why are we seeing it, now?" challenged Spencer.

"Well perhaps the two boys that you saw were nothing more than a vision from behind the veil." offered Doctor Millheimer. "The barn’s disappearance might have also been only a vision. Perhaps it has always been there. Did you ever consider that?"

Spencer sighed, "I suppose it's as good as an explanation as any.” Then he continued; “Now usually I bring the Ouija board out here, but you told me not to bring it this time."

"Right!" affirmed Doctor. I think you have pulled plenty of information out of your subconscious. It's now time to take action. Let's go over to the barn."

Both men walked a short distance past the cemetery until reaching the barn. Doctor Millheimer knocked on one of the logs of the building. "See, one hundred percent real. Go ahead and touch the building for yourself."

Spencer did as directed. Sure enough it felt just like log. He even went so far as to knock on one of the windows which felt as expected, glass."

"Very good!" congratulated Doctor Millheimer. "Now the next step—assuming the door is unlocked—is to open and enter like Lydia keeps asking you to do."

Carefully, Spencer pulled open the main door which was nothing more than logs tied together and fastened by some sort of hinge. He turned to look towards Doctor Millheimer before entering.

Doctor Millheimer read his patient's expression. "No, this is a journey that you must take by yourself.” he said to Spencer. “Don't worry; I will be out here and will run in after you if you happen to get into trouble. Now go inside, and see what it is that Lydia wishes for you to find." He watched as Spencer hesitantly entered. The door was left partly opened which allowed Doctor Millheimer to observe his patient. Inside, Spencer walked about the barn to study the furniture and various pictures.

There was a noise in the nearby forest; perhaps a deer or some other animal that stepped on a large branch on the ground. Doctor Millheimer was concerned that maybe someone was coming; maybe the owner of the barn who wouldn't be happy to see someone trespassing. He only turned around for some several seconds to reassure himself that no one was there. Satisfied, he turned back towards the direction of the barn.

But what was this? The barn was gone!

"Mr. Doiler???" called out Doctor Millheimer. "Mr. Doiler, where are you?" He scurried about the ground where the barn once stood; desperately searching for the building, and desperately looking for some sign of Spencer. There was no evidence of the building ever sitting there—no remains of foundation or imprint on the ground. In fact, the area where Doctor Millheimer stood was now tall weeds that surrounded the long-forgotten cemetery.

"Mr. Doiler!" Doctor Millheimer continued to call out. He ran back towards the area where the forest met the cemetery. It was the very spot where he first saw the barn. But just as expected, the barn was no longer there.

The brook behind him softly babbled. A gentle breeze began to stir from all around as Doctor Millheimer struggled to make some sense out of what happened. "This is truly a strange place." he cried out loud. "I'm afraid I lack the ability to understand what happened. It's as-if something from behind the veil reached its hand into our world and took Mr. Doiler." Confused and unsure of what to do, Doctor Millheimer reluctantly left the cemetery. He trekked through the mysterious forest, and head back to his car. Oh he did knock on Spencer's door just to make sure that his patient wasn't actually home. The mind, after all, is capable of playing tricks on us; even psychiatrists who are experts on the mysteries of the human mind.

***

Later that night, Doctor Millheimer sat at a desk in his study with a glass of scotch whiskey while writing in his daily journal.

"…I still don't know whether or not to call the police. Who would believe me if I made such a report? The whole thing sounds too fantastic. They might think that I had something to do with his disappearance.

In going over some of the notes that were taken during Mr. Doiler's therapy sessions, I can't help but wonder if we both saw hints of a world outside of our lifetime. Perhaps we are all forming inside of some great womb and waiting to be birthed in that vast world that exists beyond the veil. Maybe that's what the veil is; the tissue that encases us as we grow inside of this womb. But so peculiar; in Spencer's case, his birthing appeared voluntary. They actually came for him and invited him to join them. Maybe they brought him back to some ancestral mother spirit from where he and many others like him originated."

The End!

The Friendly Fort (Chapter Six)

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
VIEW CHAPTER FIVE
***

I am sharing with you some recent photos that were taken at the legendary Friendly Fort. The place is now in ruins. The condition of the landscape saddens me—while at the same time—amazes me, considering how little time is needed for a landscape in the forest to change.

Yes, the Friendly Fort is a real place.

Yes, portions of this week’s featured Mapleview mini-novella are based on an actual area in the forest that I used to visit over twenty years ago. At the time, my brother and I used to like to go on mountain bike expeditions in the Cook County Forest Preserves. Many trails throughout the forests are paved so that people can bike on them. But just like many forest preserves, there are alternate, unpaved trails that lead to some deep regions of the woods. And this is where my brother and I discovered the Friendly Fort.

We followed a snaking creek through the forest that is very much like the one that our main character, Spencer, follows to the cemetery. At some point in our biking we realized that it would be easier to get off the bikes and continue following the creek. And then we reached an

amazing place where the creek opened up into wide brook. The brook was surrounded by flagstone; three-tiered stacked in such a way to resemble a coliseum. The view was spectacular and breathtaking. I remember the first time we found the place it was the middle of summer. The surrounding forest was a beautiful lush green that matched the moss-covered flagstone.

"This is the Friendly Fort." my brother announced. (I'm going by memory from twenty years ago). Either he just realized that we stumbled upon the legendary Friendly Fort, or he had been there with his friends who knew of the legend and relayed it to him.

You see; despite how beautiful the Friendly Fort was, it had darkness to it. My brother proceeded to explain to me that devil worshippers came out to this area of secluded forest to perform their rituals and do their animal sacrifices. Back in the 1980s, there was a peculiar fascination with the occult in the area where I lived. A friend of the family who worked for the Cook County Forest Preserves disclosed that it wasn't uncommon to discover remains of rituals performed in the forest along with dogs or cats that had been mutilated for

apparent sacrifices. The early-1990s (the time when my brother and I did our mountain bike expeditions in the forest) would have been the very tail end of the region's fascination with the occult.

It was soon realized that the place possessed an eerie and disturbing vibe to it. And then came the noises of something in the forest; something—whether it be people or malevolent spirits—that did not want us at the Friendly Fort. Whatever it was, it began to chase us.

"Let's get out of here!" my brother and I simultaneously said. Now keep in mind that I was in my early twenties at the time; my brother in his late teens. We weren't little kids who were easily spooked. But something clearly terrified us, and we interpreted  it as a warning to leave.

"Those are probably the devil worshippers!" one of us speculated while running off. I recalled the account from high school of the monks emerging from an old, abandoned barn and chasing off my classmates. Was this the same people?

And get this! Upon reaching our bikes, we crossed the creek and cut through the forest preserve in the opposite direction of the mountain

bike path to quickly access a road. It was then that we found an old, abandoned barn sitting out in a prairie. "That's where they live!" I warned my brother. "I've heard about this place!"

We made it out of the Friendly Fort alive that day. But wouldn't you know it? There's a funny thing about young men who are adventurous—like to mountain bike through off-beaten paths in the forest and such. You see, the visit to the Friendly Fort was actually an adrenaline rush. We had a good time that day!

"Wanna go to the Friendly Fort?" one of us might have suggested to the other.

"Yeah!"

And we'd go through the same ordeal as the last time. It was an adventure to stand up to our fears and face whatever frightening thing was out there.

I will not disclose the location of the Friendly Fort. You see, I recently paid a visit with my daughter to take these photos that I am sharing with you. In the twenty years of the Friendly Fort's decay, the landscape has healed itself from the negative energy. Nothing

dark and disturbing exists there anymore. Although sad that the place's beauty of twenty years ago is now in ruins, I wish for the region to continue healing—the water to wash over and carry downstream the horrible things that once occurred in that place.

The water, however, did speak to me during my recent visit in a few micro-second visions. The flagstone coliseum from twenty years ago was used for those who participated in the evil rituals to gather round the circle which surrounded the water. Water is an excellent element for merging, projecting and amplifying consciousness. The people who performed these rituals knew what they were doing. But like I said before, twenty years of living water passing through a circle has the power to wash over and clean the area.

I found the area where the barn once stood. Of course it is no longer there. How I wish I could have gotten a photo of it to share with you.

***

In chapter six of this week's feature Mapleview mini-novella, we learn some more things about the mysterious barn.

The Friendly Fort (Chapter Six)

Per the homework assignment; Spencer spent the early portion of his Friday on a mission to purchase a Ouija board, something not-so-easy as Doctor Millheimer had explained. Mapleview Walmart did not have them. A nearby employee stocking the shelves had answered upon being asked of their whereabouts, "Ummm… That's more of a seasonal item. If you come back around Halloween, they will be here."

"Why Halloween?" asked Spencer.

"Because you talk to ghosts with them." he answered.

Spencer turned to walk away.

"Oh, sir." called out the Walmart employee. "You might want to try a place out in Sillmac called Sillmac Quartz and Candles. It's an occult bookstore with black magick items and stuff."

And so Spencer drove to the neighboring town of Sillmac—a 10.6 mile cruise down the open highway of Route 4. Unknown to Spencer at the time, the occult bookstore was located on a street in town that locals nickname, "therapy lane". Simply turn a left off the main road in town onto a street named Benchview. There you will find yourself on a block of historic homes that have been renovated for business purposes. And most of these businesses are the offices of psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers. There is also a Gypsy fortune teller who lives on the end of this block, along with a kung-fu school next store. And at the center of this block is a peculiar occult book store named Sillmac Quartz and Candles. To this very day, it remains in operation and is surprisingly a successful business. It's actually a haven of quartz crystals and various stones used for magick and metaphysical purposes; oils, incense and herbs; items from around the world that are used in voodoo, paganism, and miscellaneous religions outside of Christianity. Upon entering the shop there is an overpowering scent of some herb or oil that would remind one of Patchouli—or "hippy oil". And the small staff that works there behaves strangely towards intrigued customers who are clearly not witches, psychics or fortune tellers.

"I'm looking for a Ouija board." announced Spencer to the clerk behind the counter—a strange, Gypsy-looking woman who adorned herself in gaudy jewelry. "The kid at Walmart said I could get one here.”

"And why would you need one of those?" interrogated the clerk. Like everyone else who worked at Sillmac Quartz and Candles, it was her job to deter random customers who wished to merely play with the supernatural as a means of entertainment.

Spencer hesitated, "Well... my therapist wants me to start using it."

"A therapist recommends using a Ouija board???" the clerk continued to interrogate with a now queer expression on her face.

"Yeah... so you do you have any?" asked Spencer.

The clerk sighed, "We do... But we don't have the typical Ouija board made by Parker Brothers. Ours are actually hand-crafted and then blessed by the Maple Society of Witches on either the vernal or autumn equinox. We keep these in the back. Let me get one for you."

The clerk stepped away for a moment to an apparent stock room behind the main counter. She returned with a specially-handcrafted Ouija board that was stored and protected inside a soft, velour-appearing, purple-colored cover. Resting on top was a small box that assumedly contained the plachette (or pointer, as some people like to call them).

"We have two of them in stock that use the Theban alphabet." announced the clerk while approaching the counter. "But I'm assuming you don't read Theban?"

"Never heard of it..." answered Spencer.

"So I got the right one..." commented the clerk while carefully pulling the Ouija board from its cover. The physical board was an eerie-green color with a coat of shellac to make it appear glossy. At the center of the board, was a pentacle that had been superimposed over an image of the World Tree. The symbols that represent Air, Fire, Water, Earth and Spirit were located near their rightful places at each point of the pentacle. The English letters of the alphabet were lined up at the top of the board as do most Ouija boards. "Yes" and "No" appeared at the top with artful representations of the Sun and the Moon. The numbers zero through nine were lined up underneath the alphabet. And unlike most Ouija boards, the phrase, "Merry Partings" was used as "Good Bye" to close the subconscious portal between the physical and spiritual world at the end of each session.

 This was a real Ouija board! Handcrafted and then blessed by the Maple Society of Witches at the time of vernal or autumn equinox; the people who made these boards truly knew what they were doing! It was definitely the sort of Ouija board that one would want to use.

But there's more! The clerk unboxed the plachette which was a polished, clear-quartz, hand-sculpture of the Triple Moon to represent the Maiden, Mother and Crone. Whoever was to use the plachette would hold it by the Maiden and Crone moons to observe the letters and symbols on the Ouija board through the Mother moon. Yes, the quartz was that polished and clear!

"Wow!" exclaimed Spencer. "It's beautiful! The whole thing is nothing short of art!"

The clerk smiled. "Yes, they do a good job, don't they?" Then she began to explain the Ouija board and plachette to Spencer. "Now I know that your therapist probably gave you some instruction on how to use these. But I want to, first, talk about the plachette. This symbol is called the Triple Moon. It represents the spiritual world... feminine energy... mystery and psychic powers. There is very, good reason why it is being used as a plachette for a Ouija board. And just like the Ouija board, it had been blessed so that mystery and occulted knowledge be granted to the user from the best and highest spirits.

Now about the Ouija board: although it was handcrafted and blessed under the best and highest good, there is no guarantee that you don’t run the risk of attracting and communicating with something negative or evil. I want to warn you about an occasional phenomenon in which the plachette counts down or up; or goes through the letters of the alphabet in order. If you notice something like this, immediately close the session by moving the plachette over to the Merry Partings portion. Do not allow the plachette to count or repeat the alphabet! This is a strong indicator that a negative or evil spirit is looking for a way to unlock the door into this world. Counting or going through the letters of the alphabet is the attempted incantation to do this.

If you are new to using Ouija boards, I would strongly suggest that you not use it alone until you are fully familiar with it. There have been many explanations to this suggestion ranging from moral support of other users, to eliminating the possibility of controlling the Ouija board yourself. And if you start off as being fearful of the Ouija board; negative entities from the other side might try to prey on you. This can be especially overwhelming if you are alone.

Some experienced users like to place a silver coin on the Ouija board. Supposedly this eliminates evil spirits from entering. You can try that if you have any silver coins on hand. We don't sell any here.

Now, if something really bad happens and you can't seem to get rid of a negative spirit; it's suggested to break the board into seven pieces and then bury it in the ground to successfully banish the unwanted spirit."

The clerk paused for a moment and then asked, "So is this a tool that you truly feel ready to use?"

Spencer sighed, "Yeah... I mean my therapist taught me how to use these, but you certainly explained some other things that I wasn’t aware of."

"Do you have any questions?" asked the clerk.

"No..." answered Spencer. "I guess the only thing I want to know is how much does it cost?"

"Well, the Ouija board and plachette are sold separately." explained the clerk. "But it's strongly recommended that you purchase and use them together. You wouldn't want to use—say—an ashtray."

"How much?" asked Spencer a second time.

The clerk nearly gulped while carefully answering, “The handcrafted Ouija board that has been blessed by the Maple Society of Witches goes for $79.99. As for the plachette: because it's handcrafted, polished, clear quartz and blessed by the Maple Society of Witches as well; it goes for $199."

Spencer gasped. "Are you serious?"

The clerk nodded in affirmation.

"That's crazy!" exclaimed Spencer. "And there is nowhere else I can get one of these for cheap?"

"You can try the toy store or wait for Walmart to carry them around Halloween." suggested the clerk. "But you have to admit that this Ouija board and plachette will truly work, right?"

Spencer shook his head in disbelief while pulling the wallet out of his back pocket. "Do you take credit card?"

"We sure do..." reassured the clerk.

***

Spencer had been to the cemetery a total of three times; once with Lydia escorting, and twice by himself. He never felt uneasy or apprehensive during these visits. But that Friday afternoon's return was the first time that he felt fearful. Why wouldn't he? Spencer had a real Ouija board in his hands that had been made and blessed by witches. He was advised by the clerk who sold it to him of the possible danger of attracting malevolent spirits that won't go away. To top it off, Spencer was now trekking through a region of forest where heartless devil worshippers sacrifice animals. Unsettling memories of the mutilated dog hanging from its hind legs didn't help him feel any better. And what's more?—the Mapleview Forest Preserve District had yet to take the rotting corpse down. Apparently, Spencer would have to do that by himself.

But that's not all that bothered him. You see; since his setting up residence in Mapleview, Spencer experienced regular face-to-face encounters with the mysterious phantom of Lydia who manifested herself at will. There was something important about the cemetery that she needed him to know about. And then there were the new, disturbing revelations of actually being the baby in Lydia's womb. Had millions of dollars not been at stake (the wind turbine investment), Spencer would have packed up and moved out of Mapleview to save his sanity.

Finally at the cemetery; Spencer sat down, cross-legged, near the area of Reverend Jensen's grave. He removed the Ouija board from its purple, velour cover and set it on his lap. The Triple Moon plachette was unboxed and then set at the center of the board—the location of where the pentacle superimposed the World Tree.

"I guess this is where we start." said Spencer out loud. "And then we just slowly glide from side-to-side like this..." The expensive Ouija board and plachette combination were extremely smooth. Because of this, the plachette nearly glided across the board as-if it had a life of its own.

"Lydia?" called out Spencer. "Are you there? I know you sometimes appear when you feel that you have something to tell me. But I still have some questions for you. That's why I have this Ouija board. I hope I can make contact with you."

Suddenly, Spencer received what some people describe as the "Ouija board eye phenomenon". It's a phenomenon in which the user feels as if his or her eyes are being used by a nearby spirit. The user then views the surroundings through the senses of this outside entity.

The plachette spelled out the word, "Dog..."

"What about the dog?" asked Spencer out loud. "And is that you, Lydia?"

The plachette spelled out the word, "Duty..."

Spencer knew what the Ouija board was implying. But he wanted to make sure. "Are you telling me that it's my job to take the corpse of that dog down?"

The plachette circled around the "Yes" area of the board.

"What am I supposed to do with the dog when I cut it down?" asked Spencer.

The plachette spelled out the word, "Grave..."

"Bury it?" asked Spencer. "You want me to bury it in this cemetery?"

The plachette spelled out the word, "Good..."

Spencer sighed, "Okay... fine... Seeing that the forest preserve district won't do it, I guess I have no choice."

In the seconds that followed, Spencer received a silent transmission of information that hadn’t been done through the Ouija board. You see; oracles, Ouija boards and spirit boxes aren't always necessary for communicating with ghosts and discarnate entities. Many times they can telepathically communicate with us. And this is what happened to Spencer. In a brief few seconds of receiving a telepathic message, he quickly realized that it was his duty to keep the area surrounding the cemetery clean. The dog was a disturbing sight. It needed to be properly laid to rest so that peace could be restored in the area.

Several seconds later, communication through the Ouija board had returned. The plachette spelled out a phrase, "You are here..."

"Yes, I'm still here." affirmed Spencer.

Again, the plachette spelled out the phrase, "You are here..."

"Yes!" answered Spencer a second time. "What else do you need? I'll take the dog down and bury it."

The plachette spelled out the word, "Come..."

"Come where?" asked Spencer.

The plachette spelled out the phrase, "You are here..."

Spencer was getting annoyed, "Yes, I'm here! Where do you want me to go?"

The plachette spelled out the word, "Find..."

"FIND... WHAT???" shouted Spencer. "That's what I'm here for! I'm looking for answers!"

The plachette spelled out the word, "Horses..."

"Find horses?" asked Spencer.

The plachette spelled out the word, "Duty..."

Spencer sighed, "Alright, this isn't working." Almost immediately, he looked over his right shoulder towards an area that was a short distance past the cemetery. He noticed the old barn that had been constructed out of logs. Spencer wished he had paid more attention while entering the area of the cemetery. He never knew for sure if it truly existed, or merely manifested itself from behind the veil like Lydia did.

Frustrated with his Ouija session, Spencer set the board down and then cautiously walked his way over to the barn. He was curious of the barn's nature of existence. "Horses!" he suddenly shouted. "Yes, there should be horses in there! Lydia said this!"

Close enough to the building; Spencer could see that it actually appeared fairly new. The glass windows were not distorted or broken. The wooden logs were in good shape. If not actually Lydia’s, perhaps the building was a storage area for workers of the forest preserve district. Curious, he peaked through one of the side windows.

But what was this? Spencer expected to see tools and equipment used for farming or landscaping. Instead, it looked like a barn that had been converted into living quarters. There was a main table with surrounding stools where people apparently ate their meals. Nearby was a wood burning stove for cooking. Horse stalls had been converted into individual bedrooms, complete with dressers, beds, and cracked & dusty mirrors. Throughout the barn there were antique & warped photos of people who lived, perhaps, over a hundred years ago. The floor was dirt, and there were small farming implements stacked up on the wall. On the upper level were bundles of hay and additional tools for working the Earth. Everything in that mysterious barn—the furniture and tools—were antique. Abandoned and sitting out in the open, one might think such a place would have been vandalized and plagued with graffiti, or perhaps used as a drug house. But surprisingly, this was not the case.

"Is this what they wanted me to see?" asked Spencer to himself? "But Lydia told me that she kept horses in here."

Spencer returned to the area near Reverend Jensen's grave and sat down with the Ouija board. He slid the plachette from side-to-side. "I looked inside the barn." he announced. "It's a bunch of old furniture. It looks like people lived in there. Is that what you wanted me to see?"

The plachette spelled out a series of nonsensical numbers and letters. "AZX12X21ZA..."

"Hello?" called out Spencer. "You're not making any sense."

The plachette spelled out, "Cant do..."

"Can't do what?" asked Spencer.

The plachette spelled out, "Inside..."

"Inside?" asked Spencer. "You want me to go inside the barn?"

The plachette circled around the "Yes" portion of the board.

He wanted to do what the Ouija board suggested. But there was just something not right about the barn. It didn't belong there. Clearly an antique building, it appeared relatively new. And the items, inside, conflicted with what Lydia had told him.

Then a wave of terror hit Spencer: perhaps he wasn't communicating with Lydia. Perhaps it was one of those malevolent spirits that aimed to trick him. And maybe the barn was a dangerous manifestation of something that Spencer couldn't understand. For these speculations, Spencer quickly packed up his Ouija board and plachette, and hiked back to his house. Of course he passed the opened brook with flagstone that was stacked like a coliseum. And the decomposing corpse of the unfortunate dog continued to hang from the branch by its hind legs.

"I've got to get that down." he said to himself while continuing to hike back to his house.

***

Midsummer brings with it longer days. Because of this, Spencer was able to return to the cemetery around seven o'clock that evening. His purpose was to cut down the corpse of the unfortunate dog, and bury it at the cemetery. Spencer was tired of looking at it. And he felt it was best to obey the orders from the Ouija board—whether they be from Lydia or some other spirit that resided in the cemetery.

While trekking down the bank of the stream through the forest, Spencer rolled an old wheelbarrow in front of him with pick axe and a couple of shovels. He found these leftover tools from the house he rented in the corner of the two stall garage  He also had in his possession a couple of bed sheets that were purchased at Walmart while in town for supper that late afternoon. There was a pair of side-cutters in Spencer's back pocket that he hoped would be able to cut the wires that hung the dog.

When finally reaching the area where the stream opened up into a wide brook, Spencer momentarily paused and examined the corpse of the dog from a short distance away. He sighed and shook his head in disbelief. I'll spare you the gruesome details of those few minutes that Spencer spent cutting the corpse down; all the while wincing and gagging. All you need to know is that the bed sheets were spread open and laid over the wheelbarrow. The wires that hung the dog from its hind legs were cut so that it dropped into the wheelbarrow. From there the bed sheets were folded over the corpse so that Spencer could wheel it over to the cemetery.

"Disgusting!" exclaimed Spencer out of outrage. "What kind of asshole does something like this?" Then he answered his question. "Devil worshippers, of course. They're cold and heartless!"

Twenty minutes later; Spencer huffed and puffed while swinging the pick axe into the ground at the nearby cemetery, and then scooped the earth up to the side. He already had about a two foot deep hole in the ground. "I'm not making this six feet." Spencer declared out loud. "Maybe just a few feet—enough to cover the dog up." He paused for a few seconds to catch his breath and wipe the sweat off his forehead. Then he took a couple more swings into the ground with the pick axe.

Just then, the voice of a boy could be heard from nearby. "Hey Mister! What are you doing?"

Spencer stopped and turned around to see two boys standing nearby. "I'm digging a grave for this dog."

"Is that your dog?" asked one of the boys "Did he die?"

“Is this your cemetery?” asked the other boy. “Is your family buried here?

Spencer paused for a couple of seconds in deliberation. There was something eerie about hearing that perhaps his family was buried there. "No, my family is not buried.” answered Spencer. “An, no, it's not my dog. I found it over there, hanging from a tree." He pointed towards the direction of the wide brook. Then he sternly looked at both boys before asking, "Did you do that? Did you hang that dog from the tree and mutilate it?"

"Uh-uh!" denied one of the boys with a serious expression while shaking his head in negation.

"No!" denied the other. "The devil worshippers do that. And that's the place that they call the Friendly Fort. This whole area is the Friendly Fort. And the river is where they do their sacrifices."

"So people actually call this place the Friendly Fort?" queried Spencer. "It doesn't seem too friendly to me. Nothing nice ever happens over here."

"It's a sarcastic name." explained one of the boys.

"I see..." answered Spencer. "And what are you two kids doing out here? Isn't it getting dark? It's kind of dangerous, too."

"We're just cutting through to get home." answered one of the boys.

"Well you better hurry up!" urged Spencer. "I don't want to take anymore of your time."

"Okay..." acknowledged one boy.

"Bye..." said the other while waving his friend to continue hiking.

Spencer watched as both boys ran off towards the direction of the stream. What was wrong with them?—cutting through this area to get home. Those devil worshippers could abduct them and do the same thing that they did to the poor dog. He glanced at the sky to see how much light he had left, then looked over towards the area of the barn.

But what was this?

The barn was not there!

"Hey!" shouted out Spencer to the two boys who were some distance down the stream. "Wait!" he chased after them.

Both boys turned around, and cautiously backed away upon seeing Spencer running towards them. Obviously they were unsure of a grown man at the Friendly Fort who chased after them.

"I'm sorry!" apologized Spencer, now twenty feet away. He stopped running upon realizing that the boys were frightened. "What happened to the barn?" he asked.

"The barn?" asked one of the boys with a baffled expression on his face.

"Yeah, the barn!" repeated Spencer. "It was over there earlier today."

"You mean the ghost barn?" both boys simultaneously asked.

"Ghost barn?" probed Spencer with a queer look on his face.

"Was it an old barn over there near the cemetery?" asked one of the boys.

"Yeah!" answered Spencer. "Where did it go?"

"It's the ghost barn!" explained one of the boys. "Sometimes people see it. It's usually not there. Some believe that ghosts and demons live in there. They come to help the devil worshippers at the Friendly Fort.

"Okay!" acknowledged Spencer. "Just checking!" He turned and head back towards the cemetery where the barn was still missing. Upon examination, there was no evidence of a building ever sitting there—no foundation or imprint in the Earth.

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...