Welcome the Winter Sky--2015

Hello All:
Happy Thanksgiving and welcome to our annual publication of Welcome the Winter Sky. Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the winter holidays. And if you step outside in the evening, you can immediately recognize the beautiful, winter sky. That's why tonight is the perfect night to dust off the telescope or binoculars and head outside to see what the sky has to offer.
***
Happy Thanksgiving! If the weather permits, do step outside to check out the winter sky.




Welcome the Winter Sky--2015

Most people who observe the night sky plan on doing so in the evening. But for some extra credit; why not venture outside on the morning of Thanksgiving, before dawn, and view the Moon's occultation of the star Aldebaran? This is a major occultation as Aldeberan is a bright, red star in the constellation, Taurus. You won't want to miss it! The Moon will actually pass in front of this star.

Go back outside in the evening. The Moon's phase will just start waning from full on the night of Thanksgiving which means it will be approximately 99% illuminated. It will begin rising just a couple of hours past sunset, and will--unfortunately--interfere while viewing fainter celestial objects on Thanksgiving night. But don't get too discouraged. Viewing other objects in the sky won't be entirely impossible.
The waning gibbous Moon will be with us all night. Even a couple hours after sunrise, the Moon will still be visible in the sky. So if you're really into the Moon, Thankgiving night will be your night!



Although Mercury has recently transitioned to an evening sky object, any viewing will continue to be drowned by the sunlight. The planet will set below the western horizon around 4:30 in the afternoon. So I guess that means good luck with trying to see Mercury on Thanksgiving night! You might want to wait a few weeks when Mercury will be in an optimal viewing position throughout the Month of December.

Do you love Saturn? Everybody loves Saturn! Those glorious rings can be seen with a decent pair of binoculars. Unfortunately, Saturn is at solar conjunction which means that the planet will will mostly be hidden behind the Sun. Sure, you might be able to see it with some sophisticated equipment and discern the 1 degree separation imagery from the Sun. I won't be able to do that, and I'm sure the same holds true for many of you. Word of advice: Don't even try to view Saturn through a telescope on Thanksgiving night. You'll damage your eyes, and won't be able to see the turkey or pumpkin pie.

All hope isn't lost for planetary viewing on Thanksgiving night. Pluto doesn't set until around seven o'clock at night. But keep in mind that it's a dwarf planet and roughly 4.5 billion miles away. It takes much skill to catch a glimpse of Pluto through a telescope. If you can do it, then this challenge can be found somewhere in the constellation of Sagittarius throughout November and December.

You'll probably have better luck locating the outer heavenly giants, Neptune and Uranus on Thanksgiving night. Both planets rise in the early afternoon. Neptune will set around 11:30PM. Uranus will set at 3:00 in the morning. So there is plenty of time to view these wonderful planets. Neptune can be found in the constellation, Aquarius. Uranus can be found Pisces.




You can't go wrong with the king... the king of the planets that is! Jupiter never disappoints those who view it. Even in a pair of modest binoculars, one can see the bright colors and four of its orbiting moons. If you stay up late on Thanksgiving night, you'll be happy to know that Jupiter rises around 12:30 AM. Just look for the brightest star in the eastern sky. That should be Jupiter.

By predawn, Venus and Mars should be fairly high in the eastern horizon. Both planets are absolutely beautiful with the naked eye. They look even better through a telescope. Mars comes up at 2:00 AM; Venus comes up at 3:00 AM. 

We are still waiting for details on the exact position and location; but the theoretical planet, Nibiru, is supposed to near Earth some time in December. Planet Nibiru has been a concern for many people since its discovery. Some fear that it may one day collide with Earth. If anyone has any information on the whereabouts of Nibiru, please feel free to comment. Many would love to view this planet through a telescope.

There is still time to left to see the Summer Triangle!

If you get outside early enough--say around 9:00pm--you will find yourself in the very center of the autumn and winter sky with the famous Summer Triangle in the west and the winter objects in the east. The Summer Triangle is a beautiful right triangle in the sky that is formed by the stars  Altair, Deneb, and Vega. You can think of the Summer Triangle as an "unofficial" constellation as the bright stars belong to the individual constellations of Aquila, Cygnus, and Lyra. But how nice of these borrowed stars to be joined in a right triangle whose hypotenuse is formed by the vertices of  Altair and Deneb. Be sure to bid this beautiful, celestial summer shape goodbye as the sky will soon be dominated by the objects of winter.
In the east, the first thing you will probably notice are 3 bright stars with a patch of light underneath them.
As most people are aware, these belong to the constellation Orion as the belt. Take a look through your binoculars at this patch and you will be amazed. This is the Orion nebula, or what some people call it: the stellar nursery. At this moment millions of stars are being created and migrating their way out of this nursery. Our sun came from the Orion nebula.
Unfortunately you will not be able to see the intense red color as seen in the photograph. You will see however a hazy cloud surrounded by stars.

Now scan around the Orion belt. Above the belt and slightly to the left is the star Betelgeuse. You can recognize this as the star that glows with a dull red. In the opposite corner of the constellation, to the southwest is the star called Rigel. This is the brightest star in the constellation and has a mass estimated to equal 250 of our suns. The most recognizable feature of Orion is, of course, the three stars ( Mintaka, Alnilam, and Alnitak) which form the belt.

The famous Horsehead Nebula is immediately recognized by the striking resemblance of a horse's head as formed by a dark shadow. Not much further south of Orion is this famous nebula that might be a challenge to see in a telescope or binoculars  Of course the red color isn't seen from Earth. Long-exposure photography must absorb this light to reveal it--so beautiful.

Look for the recognizable, small patch of stars called the Pleiades. Sometimes beginning astronomers mistake this group of stars as the Little Dipper. It is not the Little Dipper, but it yields a spectacular view in binoculars. The Pleiades are a network of young stars which were formed together and still travel together. We know that they are young as evidenced by their blue color. One day they will change color and eventually through billions of years go in their own directions.
Looking above the eastern horizon is an unusual looking star that catches the attention of many people later in the evening. It appears to have a fluorescent glow when rising and is very bright. This is the star named Sirius and is the main star in the constellation Canis Major. Actually there is nothing out of the ordinary about Sirius. The only reason why it is so bright is because it is closer to us than many other stars. It is so bright, that star maps use it as a reference to compare large objects to. There is something interesting about Sirius. It has a small companion (invisible to Earth) that orbits with it. This star is called Sirius B and it plays a gravitational dance with the larger.
 There are so many objects to entertain us in the winter sky and we could never get to them all in one edit. If you do not go out on Thanksgiving night and look at all of this, at least venture out some time this winter and see what I am talking about.

Terror at the Public Storage Facility

Hello All:

What sort of vehicle does my fictional character, Daren, from the Mapleview series of novels drive? Now if you've read the Tree Goddess and Sex Magick, then you might answer that he actually has two vehicles. (Shhhh... don't spoil it for anyone who hasn't read these books.)

Okay, so you can quickly identify one of Daren's vehicles; but he does have a main vehicle used for business, and driving around town with his wife in the passenger seat. Might you know what sort of vehicle this is?

The truth is, I have never described this second vehicle, until now. In writing the upcoming Mapleview novel, House of Witches, it's disclosed that Daren drives a black Lexus IS250 with license plate that reads A554073. I'm not too familiar with the Lexus brand of vehicles. It's just that when asking myself what sort of car Daren would drive, I immediately answered a Lexus, of course. I guess characters come to life for a writer, and supply the writer with necessary information.

This morning I was commuting to work, and stopped at a red light. And right in front of me was a Lexus IS250. "Whoa!" I exclaimed. "It's a Lexus IS250! That's the sort of car that Daren drives!" It was an interesting moment for me because up until then I had never paid attention to the Lexus IS250.

So now you know.

***

Today's featured writing as an old, old story of mine that had been written a number of years ago. Are you fearful of being alone at public storage facilities?

Terror at the Public Storage Facility
It was just what newly weds, Andy and Trish, needed who moved to the beautiful and semi-rural town that seemed so isolated from the hustle and bustle. Andy had accepted a promotion which resulted in transferring out of state. In the new environment, Andy's work was now 45 minutes from the country-like setting, making it nice to come home to tranquility and after a stressful day. The only problem was the builders had yet to complete their new home! There was about a month left to go which forced Andy and Trish to live out of a hotel. Good thing the company covered job transfer expenses.
Living out of a hotel, it felt as though they were on vacation. Dining out every night and attending the various sources of entertainment in town, Andy and Trish took full advantage of their 100% covered living expenses while waiting for the home to finish. They simply kept all their furniture and other belongings at a public storage facility located on the outskirts of town. But this did present a small problem because they were inconvenienced with the need to get something at the garage from time-to-time.
And this is what led to their suspenseful moments late one Friday afternoon at the public storage facility. It was a strange place for a business to be located; making it necessary for Andy and Trish to drive about 15 minutes in wide, open, cornfield highway.
Suddenly it’s there, out in the middle of the open. The business was a state-of-the-art facility as it offered keyless entry, environmentally controlled garages and security cameras—not to mention the fact that everything was brand-new and well maintained.

Andy was a bit annoyed that he had to rush out to pick up a few odds and ends with his wife after a long day of work. "You couldn't drive out here today and pick this stuff up?"

But Trish was not easy with going alone. “Andy, I told you I'm not comfortable with these places, not after what happened to Lori years ago."
When Trish was younger, her best friend had been abducted. Her body was found with many others in a garage at a public storage facility. The tragic event caused Trish to pay attention to the many crimes that took place at remote businesses, and she learned to never trust them.
Andy sighed and maintained his patience. “Alright, fine; the house is almost done and soon we won't have to come here.” He realized it was a small inconvenience to put up with, and his wife's safety should have been a concern. Besides, the possibility remained that someone could, in fact, find his wife alone as a perfect opportunity to attack Trish.
“Awe jeez… I’m almost out of gas!” exclaimed Andy as they finally pulled in to the parking lot. The next opportunity to fuel up was 10 minutes away.
"Why don't you get yourself something more economical?" challenged Trish. "You drive 45 minutes to work each day and you do it in an oversized, gas-guzzling pickup truck!"
There wasn’t a soul in sight. The only thing that could be heard was the gentle wind blowing through the cornfield next door as they got their needed items from the rented storage garage. Andy locked up and made his way for the exit. But what they saw next was a bit alarming.
There was a very, large, dark SUV blocking the exit gate and parked at a diagonal as if not to let someone in or out of the gated premise. As Andy and Trish examined the situation more, they realized that the only way out was through the electronically, controlled gate which was now blocked by the large SUV. It was easy to conclude that whoever parked the truck there was making sure no one could escape.
"I thought they allow 24 hour access here?" Andy was searching for a rational explanation as to why the entrance was blocked.
Trish shrugged her shoulders and hoped, too, that there was some rational explanation for the exit being blocked.
But soon a rugged man who wore nothing more than suspendered-coveralls approached their pickup truck. He was nearly bald with a dirty, messy, red beard. We are often instructed in life not to judge a book by its cover; but in an isolated situation like this, Andy and Trish felt obligated to be fearful and mistrusting.
Trish begged her husband, "Andy, get away! Get away!"
Andy immediately put the pickup truck in reverse, and backed through the alley of storage garages until able to turn 180 degrees and go forward. “Call the Police!” He shouted at his wife as he realized this was a seriously, dangerous situation. He didn't care what explanation there was to block the entrance; this guy had no business locking them in the gated facility.
Andy made it to the main roadway of the property and could see the diagonally parked SUV at the entrance about a 1/4 block away. They were now as deep into the facility as one could go. Imagine pulling through the gated entrance and driving until reaching the other end of the property. This is where Andy and Trish sat parked, and the only thing behind them was a fence. For some reason Andy felt safe being able to see everything as his wife tried to call the police.
Trish began to cry. "Andy... there is no service out here! I can't get a signal!"
He yanked his own cell phone out and gave it to Trish. "What do you mean no signal? Try mine; not that piece of crap you own! We have to get the police here!" Andy was too busy to worry about silly, technical glitches as he needed to watch for their captor.
Trish grew increasingly hysterical with uncontrollable crying. “Yours doesn’t work, either! No Signal!”
He yanked the phone from his delirious wife who was obviously unable to work it properly. Those years of fear towards isolated businesses were having a serious impact on Trish. It was best that Andy remove her from the current situation as quickly as possible. But then Andy verified for himself that his own cell phone did not work, finally concluding they were in an area with no signal. He looked up and saw the creepy guy in suspendered-coveralls running up to them.

"Alright, we need to let this guy know we mean business." Andy floored the pickup truck and headed towards their captor, showing intent to run him over.

The man simply ducked in one of the walkways to avoid getting hit.
Andy hoped that the frightening-looking man received the message, and would move his SUV. He drove around the garages until back where he started, keeping watchful eye on the entire roadway and SUV blocking the entrance.
But moments later, the man in suspendered-coveralls emerged with a brick in one hand and a baseball bat in another. Andy had no items that could be used as a weapon in the truck which was seriously low on gas. Could he fight this man hand-to-hand? In his late-teens and early 20s, Andy studied the art of Jiu-Jitsu which offered some means of self defense. And perhaps if he was still 20 years old he would jump out of the truck and do some moves as Andy felt invincible back then. But there was something frightening about the captor, almost as if he had a strength that could out-smart and overpower the frightened couple. Aside from that, Andy was wiser and older than in his early 20’s. He decided that staying in the truck was much safer.
The creepy guy in suspendered-coveralls was in a furious psychosis while yelling out, "You son-of-a-bitch!" He hurled a brick which landed on the hood of Andy's pickup truck and cracked the windshield. That was Andy’s cue to floor the pickup truck and chase the man to a crossroad. The man desperately turned left to avoid the assailing vehicle, but Andy spun around in a donut maneuver which caused their captor to reverse direction. Andy’s defensive attack in the pickup truck looked like a mad bull chasing someone in circles.
And then out of the corner of his eye, Andy saw a child in one of the roadways, crying. He stopped and could hear the child screaming, “Daddy!”
Now Andy was confused as he watched the man in suspendered-coveralls run towards the crying child, scoop him up and hide in one of the walkways. Andy slowly pulled up to the walkway, but was still in battle mode and ready for another possible assault from their captor.
Andy yelled out his window, "What are you trying to do? Get your freakin' SUV out of the entrance so we can leave!"
The creepy guy in suspendered-coveralls held his crying child behind him and was prepared to spring out in attack. "You son-of-a-bitch; I have my kids here riding their go-carts around. You're going to run them over!"
It was a small misunderstanding that could have easily turned into a tragedy of errors as this man had brought his children to the public storage to ride their go-carts. Apparently he parked his SUV to block the entrance and monitor who was coming in, thereby preventing his kids from being run over by vehicles.
It was a very awkward 10 minutes. Andy exited the pickup truck while hearing the irate man cuss and yell. And through this, he attempted to explain the series of misunderstandings which led to the potentially, tragic event. Andy found out that their perceived captor in suspendered-coveralls was the actual owner of the public storage facility! He usually parked his SUV diagonally at the entrance every Friday afternoon so his children could cruise around the gated parking lot with their go-carts. His business was usually a ghost-town Friday afternoons; but today, Andy and Trish were there.
After the apologies were given and accepted, Andy drove to the nearest gas station while yelling at his wife for causing so much trouble!

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.