"The Invitation"

       Christopher Pruitt sat beside his younger sister, Molly, in the back of the wagon, his eyes wide and on the alert. His older sister, Candy, sat in the front, beside her intended, Jeremy Bolt.
      Molly watched Christopher curiously. He usually was a chatterbox, but not today. She even wondered why Candy hadn't noticed their brother's sudden attack of quietness, but she had not. Molly thought about that for another moment, then she nodded her head with a child's understanding. Candy was busy with Jeremy and when she was with him most everything else slipped her attention.
      The foursome were on their way to a picnic; something they often did on Saturday afternoons. That is, if Jeremy was finished at the logging camp and could get away. Christopher always liked going to different places around Seattle and that is why Molly thought it odd that he was being unusually quiet. In fact, he looked almost... afraid.
      "What is it?" she asked him, scooting closer.
"Nothin'," Christopher shrugged. But when a flock of birds, startled by the noise of the wagon burst out of a tree, he jumped.
      "Nothin', huh?" Molly challenged him.
      "Well..." Christopher looked ahead to the adults up front. Jeremy was smiling and nodding as Candy smiled too and was obviously engaging him in another tale involving one of the Seattle brides. "Promise not to tell..." he looked at Molly.
      "I promise."
      "Pinky swear?"
      Molly sighed; the routine was always the same. She held up her right hand, pinky finger erect and ready to hook around his in a solemn pledge. "Pinky swear..."
      "The place we're goin' is haunted." Christopher's voice was low and secretive.
      "Is not..." Molly recoiled. "Jeremy wouldn't take us somewhere like that...Candy wouldn't let him."
      "Maybe they don't know..."
      "Jeremy would know, he's lived here all his life. And besides, how do you know it's haunted?"
      "Nate Tucker told me and Cody Fischer at school yesterday."
      "How come you didn't tell me?"
      "Cause you're a girl, and girls get scared at stuff likes this."
      Molly looked as indignant as a nine-year-old can. "Looks like to me, Christopher Pruitt, that you're the one that's scared!"
      "Am not!"
      "Are too!"
      "Am not!" Christopher said too loudly, they had managed to grab Candy's attention away from Jeremy.
      "What is it, you two?" Candy turned in the seat and saw her siblings huddled in the back.
      "Nothin' Candy..." they both replied at the same time.
      "Doesn't sound like it's nothing..."
      "Want me to stop?" Jeremy asked Candy.
      "No, they're fine...just tired of sitting, I think."
      "We'll b-be there in a few minutes..."
      "All right," Candy nodded. "Did you two back there hear what Jeremy said? We'll be there soon..."
      Christopher and Molly held their silence, but nodded an acknowledgment to their sister.
      "You are, too, afraid!" Molly got the last word in with her brother. Christopher didn't banter back with his sister this time for Jeremy had turned the wagon down a heavily wooded path, and although the afternoon sun was shining, the trees were so thick that the rays could barely cut through.
      It was much darker on this road and cooler, too. Christopher looked around the forest as they made their way; Molly was right, he was afraid.

      Candy pulled her shawl up around her shoulders. "It feels much different..." she commented to Jeremy.
      "We're headin' down into a v-valley...not as much sun...but just up ahead the trees aren't so thick...you'll f-feel warm again."
      "Oh, I see," she answered and cast a backwards glance over her shoulder to her brother and sister in the back. They were being quiet now, almost too quiet. "Molly, Christopher, are you all right?"
      "Yes, Candy," they answered.
      Candy nodded and turned back around, facing ahead. "I'm surprised you've never brought us here before now, Jeremy."
      "Well...um...it's a long ride and usually we don't have that much time..."
      "It's pretty." Candy observed. "This time of year back in New Bedford is beautiful, too. All of the leaves change their color...just like someone painted red and orange on each leaf."
      Jeremy listened carefully as she talked about her home. He knew Candy was happy in Seattle, but he also knew at times that she missed New Bedford a great deal. "I didn't know October is your favorite time of year..."
      "I guess it is...but then in the Spring when all the flowers come back into bloom, I think then is my favorite time," Candy laughed lightly and smiled. "I guess I like all the seasons…especially here in Seattle," she added softly. Jeremy gave a gentle, quick kiss to her cheek and nodded; he had read between her words—he loved her, too.
      "Never, never, never...am I gonna kiss a girl!" Christopher vowed as he watched the lovebirds up front. "Never!" he added for emphasis.
      "You're silly..." Molly dismissed his comment. "Christopher?"
      "Yeah?"
      "Who's Cody Fisher? I don't know him..."
      "Oh, he's a new boy in school..."
      "But he wasn't in class yesterday..."
      "I know. His family just moved here...he came around to the school, but it had already started."
      "Then how did you get to see him?"
      Christopher frowned, the circumstances were not pleasant and he hated to recount them. "Remember when Mrs. Gustafson sent me and Nate out?"
      "When you two were making those noises?"
      "We were practicin' bird calls," he clarified.
      "You're not supposed to be doing that during school, Christopher."
      "But we were studyin' birds..."
      "Go on…what about Cody Fisher?"
"Oh yeah... While I was sittin' out front on the steps, he walked on up to me and started talkin'."
      "What did he say?"
      "Not much."
      "Christopher, tell me everything."
      "He said that him and his family had just moved to a farm just outside of Seattle..."
      "Does he have brothers and sisters?"
      "He didn't say, but he did say that he would like for us to come to his house and play with him."
      "Candy better meet him first, and his family…"
      "I know," Christopher sighed; he thought his big sister was a tad overprotective.

      Jeremy had been right. As soon as they pulled off the wooded road, the sun shone brilliantly, casting golden rays of light onto the expansive meadows on either side. "Which way?' he brought the wagon to a stop and asked Candy.
      "Over there is very pretty..." Candy pointed to the right.
      "Over there it is then," Jeremy clucked to the horses, prodding them forward. The wagon lumbered off the road and was soon cutting across the field. Trees edged the meadow, which would be nice. Although it had been cool only moments before, now it was feeling hot again and the shade that the trees could offer would be welcome.

      Jeremy helped Candy down from the wagon then went around to the back and lifted the children out. He handed the blanket to Christopher and carried the picnic basket, heavy with food. Jeremy slipped his hand into Candy's, offering a gentle, affectionate squeeze, and led the way.
      They walked a short distance to an area just over a little knoll with a beautiful view. Molly helped Candy spread the blanket out on the ground, then served the food.
      The children, as well as the adults, ate heartily, enjoying the picnic and each other's company. Like all meals, it took much longer to prepare the food than it did to devour it.
      Jeremy felt full, almost too full, and heaved a deep, satisfied sigh as he lay down on his back. He looked over at Candy for a moment; she was clearing away dessert. Jeremy could hear the children playing close by, the sound of their laughter was soothing, relaxing. His eyelids felt heavy and without putting up much of a fight, he allowed them to close.
      "Oh, going to sleep, are you?" Candy spotted him and couldn't resist teasing with him.
      "J-just resting my eyes," Jeremy answered, yawning. Candy threw a napkin at him, but her aim was off and it fell short of her target.
      "Missed," Jeremy said, a crooked, cocky, adorable smile, spread across his lips.
      "Hey Jeremy, Candy!" Christopher and Molly came running over. This got Jeremy's attention and he sat up.
      "What's wrong?" he asked.
      "Nothin,'" the children shrugged. "We just wanted to know if we could go explorin'." Christopher asked. By now he had put the notion of ghostly haunted happenings out of his mind and was no longer afraid. He actually felt silly about his earlier fears and hoped that Molly wouldn't embarrass him by bringing it up. This valley and the meadows around it were very pretty, inviting, and just screaming to be explored.
      "Sure," Jeremy glanced to Candy for approval; the children were her siblings, not his, and he deferred to Candy on most matters that pertained to them.
      "Just be careful..." Candy added.
      "We will!"
      "Christopher, Molly..." Jeremy called them back. "There's an old f-farm house around here...don't go into it, all right?"
      "How come?" Molly asked.
      "It's old, p-probably not safe... and ...um...well...j-just do me a favor and steer clear of there..."
      Christopher and Molly said they would and after receiving final instructions from Candy about not being gone too long, they ran off in search of an adventure.
      Jeremy yawned again and looked to Candy. "Leave that b-be for now..."
      "Whether I clean it up now or later, it will still need to be cleaned up."
      "B-but later is better..."
      "And why is that?"
      "Because you can come and sit with me..." he told her.
      Candy smiled, gathered her skirt and petticoat into her hands and crawled over to where Jeremy sat. "You really do look sleepy," she said and leaned back against the trunk of the large oak that shaded their spot. She got herself comfortable, then patted her lap. "Come here..." she looked to Jeremy.
      Jeremy grinned and sighed deeply as he lay back, resting his head upon her. "Close your eyes," she told him; and he did. Slowly, Candy caressed Jeremy's temples, in moments his breathing evened out, and she knew he had drifted off to sleep. In the distance, she heard Molly and Christopher playing; all around her seemed peaceful and happy, and this made her feel the same way.
      Candy rested her hand upon Jeremy's chest, feeling his heart beat beneath her fingertips. She sighed, too, rested her head back against the tree and closed her eyes. "Just resting my eyes," she smiled a little, talking to no one.

       Christopher darted ahead of Molly easily, but she didn't really care. She liked taking her time and looking at little things along the way. Jeremy had tried to teach them both about the woods, plants, wildflowers, and animals that lived in the wilderness. This time of year though, no flowers were still in bloom and it wouldn't be long before the leaves floated down from their perch upon the tree limbs, carpeting the ground.
      "Hey Molly!" Christopher ran back to her and tugged on her hand. "C''mere and look!"
      "What is it?"
      "Just come on!"
      The children took off down the path hurriedly; not noticing that again they were in a section of the woods that was thick with trees, allowing less light in. It was almost dim where they ran to now.
      Tree roots snaked across the ground and as Molly and Christopher climbed a small hill, they were able to use them as steps to climb up. When they came over the rise, Christopher stopped and pointed. "Look!"
      Molly stared for a moment, then smiled. "Wonder who lives there?"
      "Let's go see..."
      Christopher's sister started to follow him, but stopped. "We can't."
      "How come?"
      "Cause Jeremy said not to."
      "Jeremy said that there's an old farmhouse around here... That place isn't old," Christopher pointed again at the house just up ahead. "It can't be the same place."
      "I guess not..."
      "C'mon, don't be a scaredy-cat."
      Molly nodded, but remained uncertain. None-the-less she followed her brother this time.
      The house was very pretty; painted white with two stories, a front porch, and a stone chimney on the left side of it. Smoke spewed forth from the chimney, swirling up to the sky and as Molly watched it billow, something about that didn't seem right to her. She couldn't quite put her finger on what was wrong with it, but it tugged at her insides. All the windows were open and the white lace curtains that hung at every one of them blew in the breeze.
      She and Christopher walked closer and both noticed a swing suspended from tree in the front yard. Molly thought the tree must be very old, as it was very round. Jeremy's friend, Big Swede was the tallest, biggest man she had ever seen and she doubted even he could (even) put his arms around the tree.
      "We should go back..." she said quietly to her brother.
      "Just a little closer..."
      "It's not right, Christopher. This is somebody's house... what if we get in trouble for snooping around?"
      "All right," Christopher pouted a little. He had a spirit of adventure within him that seemed to annoy both of his sisters. Jeremy understood though—he said it had something to do with being a boy. A point he tried to make Candy see more than once.
      "Hi!" An exuberant voice called out.
      Molly and Christopher turned quickly and were faced with a boy close in age to them. "Hi!" Christopher said in return.
      "Is this your sister, Christopher?" the boy asked.
      "Yeah, her name is Molly."
      Molly looked perplexed as she turned her gaze onto her brother. "Christopher?"
      "Oh yeah... this is Cody Fischer... my new friend from school."
      "The boy that was there yesterday?"
      "Yep, that was me!" Cody answered. He stepped forward, smiling and bent over in an exaggerated bow. Molly giggled and curtsied in return. "I hoped you would come by to play, Christopher."
      Christopher shrugged his shoulders; he'd had no idea that Cody lived out that way. "We're here with our sister..."
      "Where is she?" Cody shifted his weight from side to side trying to see around them. "Why didn't she come too?"
      "She's a grown up," Christopher explained.
      "And her boyfriend is here, too." Molly added.
      Cody's expression changed at that. "He is? Where is he?"
      Christopher turned and pointed back down the path. "Back there."
      "Is he a nice man?"
      "I guess so..." Christopher answered. He had a good relationship with Jeremy, that he knew, but he'd never really thought of Jeremy as being "nice." He was "just Jeremy," and he always treated Christopher the same—fairly.
      But Molly had and she quickly answered. "Oh yes…Candy's very happy with him. They are planning to get married."
      "What's his name?" Cody asked.
      "Jeremy...Jeremy Bolt..." Molly told him.
      "Jeremy..." Cody smiled strangely. "C'mon, let's go play…" he turned to run off while waving at the children to join him.
      "We shouldn't," Molly grabbed Christopher's arm before he could run away. "I don't think Candy would like us wandering off..."
      "We're not wanderin'...we're playin'..."
      "But Jeremy said not..."
      "Cody just moved here. I bet if Jeremy knew him, he'd want us to be nice...and make friends."
      "I guess..." Molly was still uncertain. Cody had seemed to come out of nowhere and although he looked about her age there was something different about him…something older about him…and the house, it still didn't seem right to her. Again, she ignored her inner voice and ran ahead with her brother to catch up with their new friend.

      Cody's favorite game was hide and seek and he was just lucky enough to have as his playmates two children that were as fond of the game as he was. Cody was especially good at it though, seeming to disappear into the woods surrounding his home with ease.
      Molly and Christopher willingly played with him and marveled that no adults ever game out of the house to call them down or tell them to come in for a while.
      The wind kicked up a little, adding a mild bite to the waning afternoon's temperature. Still, the house looked the same, and to Molly the way it looked was still unsettling. She watched Christopher and Cody run around to the back of the house in a game of chase, but chose this time not to join in. Instead, she stood upon the narrow stone walk that led to the front porch and stared at the house for a minute. Then she slowly began to walk up to it.
      The steps creaked as she stepped upon them, walking up slowly, timidly. The floorboards cried out as well as her little feet stepped upon the porch. "Hello?" Molly said with a voice that was...scared?
      She stared at the front door. It wasn't closed all the way and if she had leaned a little to her left, she could have seen inside. Molly wasn't quite ready to do that though. What if Mrs. Fischer was inside and became upset that she was staring into the house?
      Molly stood perfectly still, her feet feeling like rocks were in her shoes. Suddenly it dawned on her what was amiss. The curtains at all the windows blew in the wind. They swayed rhythmically, in and out, together in a perfect harmony. Curtains don't do that, Molly knew and further more, the wind had just begun to blow, and at that, it was only a gentle breeze. How could the curtains have been moving earlier when there had been no wind?

      Candy's head fell forward, snapping her awake. She looked around for a moment, getting her bearings, then noticed that Jeremy still slept. Candy thought for a moment, bringing the memory of the day into full focus. When she realized she didn't see her brother and sister playing close by, she jostled Jeremy.
      "Jeremy!" she shook him harder. "Jeremy!" Candy nearly shouted, but still he slept. Candy lifted his head from her lap and moved away from him. Resting on her knees, hovering over him, she called to Jeremy again. It frightened Candy a little when he didn't even stir. "Jeremy! Jeremy! Wake up!" she shouted now and shook him hard. "What's wrong with you?" Fear swelled inside of her and tears stung at her eyes. Had something happened to him in his sleep? Why didn't he awaken? "Jeremy!" she shouted again, but before she could call out his name another time, a blood-curdling scream rode the wind through the trees and slammed into her; it was Molly she heard. Candy jumped up and began to run.

      "Cody?" Christopher made his way through the trees, jumping out to startle a friend that wasn't there. When he heard Molly screaming, he grabbed his hat off his head and clutched it to his chest. His round face reflected how afraid he felt, his eyes growing wide with trepidation. "Cody?" he called again, but this time his voice was small, fearful. What was wrong with Molly? And where had Cody disappeared to?
      Christopher turned a little circle, looking all around him. The woods seemed dark and shadows lurked about.

       Jeremy felt sluggish as he awoke. He sat up, moved his head from side to side and rubbed the back of his neck.
      "Candy?" he said. He was alone, and shouldn't be. Candy and the children were there with him, somewhere. He remembered as he stood on wobbly legs that he'd brought them out there for a picnic, a day of relaxation. But that had been when? His sense of time was off and Jeremy had trouble figuring out what day it was.
      That brought on a tinge of anxiety. He KNEW that Candy and her brother and sister had been there earlier, but where were they now? Jeremy straightened up and starting waking up more. The soiled plates from their lunch still sat as they had been left, as he had asked Candy to leave them. Now, he was beginning to remember.
      "Candy?" he called to her. He'd fallen asleep, but she had been there with him. Jeremy remembered the soothing tone of her voice and the absolutely wonderful feeling of contentment that had covered him like warm blanket. That had been right after lunch, the children had gone off to play, and he had decided to rest for a short while, and Candy had joined him.
      Jeremy looked up at the sky and noticed how the sun hung in it. It was beginning to dip, afternoon had slipped away and evening was fast approaching. It would be dark soon and they still had a long drive out of Fischer Valley.

      "Molly? Christopher?" Candy ran through the woods, her skirt gathered up into her hands so that she wouldn't trip and fall. She'd only heard one loud shriek from Molly but in a way, that worried her more. Candy's mind raced with possibilities; was her sister hurt? Had Molly fallen? What could have caused her to cry out as she had? And nagging in the back of her mind was Jeremy. It was almost as if he was drugged. She could not awaken him, or even get him to stir.
      The afternoon had started out lovely, but something had gone terribly wrong along the way, and it had seemed to happen after she had fallen asleep. That had been odd, too, for Candy never napped, ever. She called again, loudly, to the children and ran faster.
      Christopher was a still a ways from the house, but he was trying to get back to it as fast as he could. Cody still hadn't come out from his hiding place and that made Christopher worry that the boy had become lost deep inside the woods. He wanted to look for his friend, but the forest looked dark and spooky and he couldn't bring himself to venture in. And then there was Molly. Something had happened to make her scream like she had.
      A strange, nervous, quivering sensation filled his belly and made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. "Cody?" he called out another time. A giggle floated in the air and Christopher didn't know if he'd really heard the faint laughter or if it was his imagination.

      Candy ran into the clearing and saw the farmhouse. This had to be the one Jeremy had been talking about for it was old, weathered and looked abandoned. She stood still for a moment trying to listen carefully. "Molly?" she called again.
      Candy was shocked when she saw her sister come running out of the house. She lost no time in getting to her, and grabbed the child by the arms as she ran by Candy. Actually, if Candy had not grabbed Molly, the little girl would have run right past her.
      "What?" Candy dropped to her knees and held onto Molly. "What is it? Where's Christopher?"
      Molly stared at Candy as if trying to remember who she was. Slowly, the little girl shook her head back and forth. "Is Christopher in the house?" Candy gave her a little shake of the shoulders and asked. Molly glanced back over her shoulder at the house and her eyes widened in fright again. "Molly... Is Christopher in the house?" Candy demanded to know.

       The further Jeremy ran, the faster he ran. Something seemed to be pushing him, telling him to find Candy and the children as quickly as he could. He felt something he hadn't felt in a very long time, and that was fear. Jeremy didn't know if it sprung from the unease growing within him or a foggy memory belonging to his childhood—a memory of a day spent in these woods, lost, but not alone.
      Jeremy ran, bursting out of the woods and into the clearing. He saw Candy trying to calm Molly down. "Candy..." Jeremy's breathing was labored. "Is she all right?"
      "Oh Jeremy..." Candy stood. Tears gathered in her eyes as she turned to him. "I couldn't wake you up...I tried, but you wouldn't..." she began to cry now. "Why, Jeremy? Didn't you hear me? Molly was crying...crying out..."
      "Candy..." Jeremy looked beyond her to the house. "Where's Christopher?"
      "I don't know!"
      "Molly..." Jeremy knelt in front of her. "Do you know where he is?"
      "No..." Molly answered her voice meek and vulnerable. "He's playing with Cody..."
      Jeremy's face paled. "C-Cody?"
      "Our new friend..."
      He stood and looked to Candy, but was speechless for a moment. "Are they in...there?" he finally asked Molly, nodding his head towards the house.
      She began to cry again. "No...nothing's in there, Jeremy...NOTHING!" Molly wept harder.
      "Molly..." Candy grew alarmed. "Did you get hurt in there?" she asked, kneeling eye-level to the child again.
      "She was in the house?" Jeremy swallowed.
      "What is going on here?" Candy's patience waned. "And where is Christopher?"
      "I'll get him..."
      "I'm taking her back to the wagon...see if I can calm her down..."
      "No!" Jeremy nearly shouted. "No, wait right here...I d-don't want you going into the woods alone..."
      "What is it, Jeremy...I'm afraid..." Candy looked deeply into his eyes; he knew something, but what? "Should I be?" her question came in the form of a whisper...a frightened whisper.

Jeremy sighed, and stood up. "Yes...Maybe...I'll b-be back with Christopher... wait here..." Before Candy could reply, Jeremy ran off, heading around to the back of the house.         Christopher ran faster, but still wanted to turn around to see who or what was behind him for he could hear the laughter, feel the presence. The small voice that lives inside of every one protected him though and kept him running straight ahead—and into Jeremy.

        "Christopher!" Jeremy grabbed him. "Where've you been?" 
      "Jeremy!" the little boy breathed out, laboring. "Somethins'...somethins'..."
      "Something's what?" Jeremy knelt in front of him.
      Christopher was nearly too frightened to speak, but he heaved two deep breaths, his eyes nervously darting side to side. "BACK THERE!" he exclaimed. "In the woods...it's after me!"
      Jeremy stood quickly and stepped in front of Christopher. Whatever it was, was going to have to go through him to get to the child. "Who?" he glanced back to Christopher. "Who is after you?"
      "I don't know!" It was all getting too much for Christopher and tears threatened to spill out of his eyes. "But I think it got Cody!"Hurry! Jeremy's mind urged. Be there, Candy...Be there...

       "Christopher!" Candy exclaimed. Worriedly she looked her brother over—or tried to, but Jeremy took hold of her arm, his grasp firm, hurried.
      "C'mon...Now!" He told Candy, dragging her and her siblings along.
      "What is that?" Candy stopped dead in her tracks. Laughter resonated, building, growing stronger. "That's a child! Jeremy?"
      "Now, Candy..." he turned to her. The peering gaze of his eyes into hers told her something was more than wrong, something horrible and unnatural was unfolding around them, inviting them to join in. "When we start down the path, run...I mean run...and don't look back..." he added and particularly emphasized that to the children. He scooped Molly into his arms, and they ran.

       Quickly, Jeremy put Molly in the wagon, then lifted Christopher in beside her. Candy was already climbing into the seat, and as she turned to look in the back at her brother and sister, she saw the remains of their picnic, still sitting as they were left. The blanket, the basket, everything would be left behind.
      "It's all right..." Jeremy told them. The children were frightened and huddled together taking comfort in each other. He saw Candy watching him hurriedly settle them in, and her looking at the picnic spot—and perhaps to the woods behind it? "Turn around..." Jeremy said to Candy. "We're goin' now..."
      He didn't want to look; he had told Candy not too, after all. But the pull was too great and Jeremy did look back to where they'd spent their afternoon and beyond...to the edge of the woods.
      What he saw, he's seen before as a little boy, and had hoped...prayed...to never see again. The ghostly image of young Cody Fischer stared back at him; stared into his soul. Jeremy...the ghost child's lips moved, whispering Jeremy's name, calling to a former playmate, beckoning him. When Cody's mouth curled into a chilling smile, Jeremy swallowed nervously. I can't move!!!! Everything within him screamed to get out of there, and fast, but his legs felt dead, buried, unable to move.
      "Jeremy!" Candy called to him and turned. She saw a child standing at the edge of the woods and as she looked closer, she realized she could see THROUGH him. "My God...Jeremy! Jeremy!"
      But Jeremy didn't seem to hear her. "Jeremy!" she shouted again. Molly and Christopher covered their heads—hiding. Candy frantically climbed out of the wagon and ran around to Jeremy. She stood in front of him, but it was as if he didn't see her at all. "Jeremy!" she shook him. "Come on, we have to go! Please!" Candy looked behind her; the ghostly specter was walking towards them. Her eyes grew wide, horrified. "We have to go!" Jeremy remained unmoved, transfixed. "Jeremy!" Candy yelled, and slapped him.
       Recognition poured into his eyes and he saw Candy now; saw her standing in front of him, tears streaming down her face. And he saw what should not be of the world anymore, smiling, approaching. Jeremy turned around immediately, pushing Candy in front of him. "Get in!"
      Candy did just as he said and scrambled back up into the wagon. Jeremy did the same, slapped the reins down upon the horse swiftly and they tore out of Fischer's Valley with the sound of a child's laughter following them.

        It took Candy some time to get Molly and Christopher settled in for the night. While she stayed with them, talking to them, Jeremy waited in the main room of the dormitory. He waited, alone with his thoughts, thinking of how to explain all of this to Candy.
      She found him standing in front of the window, staring out. No one else was in the room, the other women had scattered to the winds, or so it seemed. "Jeremy?" Candy said softly, joining him. "Will you sit down with me?" He nodded and they took seats across from one another at one of the long, pine dining tables.
       "I need to know what happened today," Candy began. "I don't understand, and I'm afraid."
      "Are Molly and Christopher all right?"
      "I think so. They aren't sure what happened, especially Christopher. But Molly..."       "B-but what?"
      "Jeremy, she says that when they first saw the house, it looked new. They thought someone was living in it. The chimney smoked, the windows were open...It looked..."
      "Inhabited?" Jeremy interlaced his fingers and stared at his hands. His eyes closed at his question; he knew how the children had felt, what they had seen. He'd felt and seen the same at their age, too.
      "Yes...but Molly says that when she went inside, it was...well...Jeremy, she says the house was old, abandoned. Cobwebs were all over, the windows were closed and some of them broken, and smoke was coming out of a chimney where there was no fire..."
      "I know..." Jeremy sighed. "No one has lived there for years..."
      "How do you know this?"
      Jeremy slowly looked up at her, then away as he remembered and recounted for her his friend, Cody Fischer. "He was my age when he d-died, Candy. Cody caught the fever...he died; he was only ten. After that, his parents moved away f-from here."
       "I don't believe this..."
       "B-believe it. Cody was born here, just like me. And we grew up together, played together, that is until he got sick. I never saw him after that...not until later, after..."
       "After when?"
      "After he was dead."
      "Jeremy, do you know what you're saying?"
      "Yes, I do. You saw it t-today too, Candy...you saw him, I know you did."
      "I saw something...a shadow..."
     "You saw what I did...what Molly and Christopher saw...that b-boy's ghost..."
       Candy closed her eyes briefly; it just all seemed too much to take in. "You've seen this...this..."
      "Ghost..."
      "Ghost before?"
       "When I was around eleven, I wandered off t-too far into those woods. My father, Jason, Josh and me were out huntin'.
       By then the house was starting to look run down...or should have been...but it wasn't. It looked j-just like I'd last seen it... just like when Cody was alive and living there with his parents. Just like Molly and Christopher saw it today."
       "And you saw..."
       "Yes," Jeremy sighed wearily, he hadn't thought of this in years; it's funny what the mind needs to shut out and readily does. "I thought someone had lied to me, that he wasn't really g-gone...he asked me to stay there…always…About that time, Jason came lookin' for me. When he found me, I told him that I'd been talkin' to Cody."
"What did Jason say?"
      "That my imagination was workin' t-too hard. But I saw something in his eyes, Candy. And even though Jason has never said so, I think he believed me that day. I think he'd seen Cody for himself, too."
      "I don't understand..."
      "Cody was lonely...my brothers and me were like his brothers..."
       "And you still think he's lonely? He haunts these parts, looking for a playmate? A family?"
      "I think so..."
       "Why did you take us there, Jeremy?"
       "Because all that was so long ago...I thought I was a k-kid just being scared of nothing...He died this time of year...it's the same season I saw him, too." Jeremy looked sick with worry as he took Candy's hands within his. "I'm sorry, Candy, really I am...are Christopher and Molly all right?"
      "They will be. But what on earth I'm going to tell them about this, I don't know..." Candy shook her head. Jeremy's story was fantastic, but true...she knew he was telling her the truth.
      "We'll f-find a way to explain it..."
      "How did you father explain it to you?"
       "He said there are lots of things in heaven and on earth that man can't understand...and he said to never go into Fischer Valley again."
      "Good advice..."
      "Let's go look in on them, all right?" Jeremy stood to go to the little room the children and Candy shared together.
Jeremy and Candy were quiet as they crept into the room. Molly and Christopher were asleep, a fitful sleep. Hopefully they would rest through the night, and hopefully a new day would bring with it the right words to the adults that loved and cared for them…the right words to explain the unexplainable.