Those Darn Ghosts

Chapter 3- Those Darn Ghosts

 

Monday April 17^th 1950 6:00PM

“Well now, I told you it wasn’t ghosts.”  I said to Catlin placing my fork down.  Upon finding are old friend we had found out that it was indeed him that had been scaring towns folk away from the park; as there was a rather mean collection of fairy living in the forest.  Aatxe had invited us to diner and had feverously been talking about a witch he had met in London.  His story was that she had cursed him to find only bad luck in England; mind you he never said why she had done it.  He had made his way by boat to the new world and wandered for a few years finally finding the abandon Blood Angel hole near Armstrong B.C. chasing tales of Hobby lanterns capturing people.  “These orbs of light, turned out to be nothing more than pesky fairy’s and there tricky fairy rings.”  He said placing his feet on the now cleaned of table.  “Fairy’s, such a troubling race, and the woe of my stockings existence.” I mumbled.  “Its not the fairys that steal socks Alden it the pixie’s and I guess it wasn’t ghosts after all.”  Catlin said looking a bit sad, before perking up again.  “What do you need fairy dust for?”  She asked looking at Aatxe with her doe brown eyes.  He leaned forward and inspected her for a minute when he seemed content he leaned.  “Hmm.  Well you don’t look fixed?” The next part he said quietly.  “Well you see I have a plan, a plan to use the fairy’s magic against them.  They think there so smart lying with the truth; well I have been around just as long!”  I just stared at Aatxe.  “Wait so your plan is to out lie a fairy?”  Aatxe burst up from his chair and slammed his fist on the table.  “That! Is exactly what I am going to do.” He said waking back into the make shift parlour. 

After unsuccessfully trying to convince Catlin to leave the dishes and come to the living room.  I made my way alone in to the room, where Aatxe was steadily talking.  “Aatxe are you talking to yourself?”  I asked walked up behind him; he was sitting in his chair watching his picture box.  “Don’t be absurd I’m talking to you.” He said.  “But I wasn’t-“ Aatxe stuck one of his fingers up in the air interrupting me.  “Now I was just getting to the good part!  You see after I save the queen she will be in debt, and I will ask for her hand in marriage then when I’m the king they will simply have to do what I say.”  I choked back a laugh.  “You a fairy?  How does a demon bull become a fairy?”

“Alden!  We must go the clock says it’s almost six thirty and the public carriage stops at seven.  Also I think I may have broken your wash bin” Catlin said coming into the room, the front of her dress soaked.

“Catlin!  Are you ok?  You’re going to catch a chill!”  I said shrugging off my coat and walked over to her.  “Yes, yes I am fine Alden. But I twisted a nob and now there seems to be water spewing everywhere.”  She said looking apologetically at Aatxe.  “A nob?”  He asked walking into the kitchen.  A loud laugh came from the room and he walked back out.  “Dear you just turned on the sink.  Its fixed now.  Now you two should be off before it gets to cold out.”  I nodded in agreement and took Catlin’s arm and walked towards the stairs.  “Thank you for the diner Aatxe.”  I held out my hand to shake.  He stared at it and said.  “Good byes are for those that don’t plan to come back.  I will see you soon.”  A smirk crossing his face.  “Well then I look forward to seeing you again.” I said smiling and turned to walk up the stairs as he kissed Catlin’s hand.

When we reached the top of the stares I turned to see Catlin staring down the stairs wistfully.  “What ails you dear Catlin?”  I asked helping her thru the rocks.  “Do you think we will see them again?”  I knew perfectly well who she was talking about but asked anyways. “Will we see who again?”

“Our friends, the workers, Jane and James I even miss the pixies and there little games.”  She said looking at me with her beautiful eyes, so innocent and calm.  Catlin was the calm to my storm.  I could not think of a single thing I could say to comfort her, so I went with a quote my father once told me.  “Home is not where you come from it is where you make it.”  She smiled and walked towards the huge staircase.  From the corner of my eye I thought I saw something flicker at the top of them, but when I looked I could see nothing.  She walked out the door frame.  I followed her but as I walked in front of the stairs towards the door I heard a noise behind me.  Flipping around I asked. “Aatxe?” But a moment after a faint woman appeared and it felt like a giant hammer hit the front of my body sending me crashing into the wall.  My body started to become unbearably cold, and my eyes slipped shut as a faint outline of a woman walked towards me.  I heard Catlin call out to me before the waters of darkness filled my head.

 

A sweet smell filled my head, and I could hear what sounded like laughter.  I slowly sat up, having known from experience getting up quickly never works.  I was surprised to find that I felt exceptionally good, which was confusing as I had hit the wall pretty hard.  “He’s awake, can I bite him mother? He looks so tasty.” A small voice sounded from the left.  “Hello? Bite me?” I looked around and spotted a tiny beautiful woman with the most vicious eyes I’d ever seen. Oh no pixies I thought to myself a prick came from my arm.  Lifting it to my face there was another smaller boy pixie with his rose torn teeth planted firmly in my arm.  Gently I shook him off into my palm.  “Alright what do you want socks? Penny’s?” 

“Why would we ask you for things you don’t have?” The Woman Pixie said in a shrill voice.  She had exceptionally long legs and bright blonde hair tied of to the left and half way down it formed into a braid.  The tips of her bangs were blood red.  Matching her eyes; red orbs with sideways black diamonds.  I looked at her confused. “What do you mean?  I am wearing stocking unless you’ve already taken them?”

“The little boy pixie stamped his foot on my hand.  He was shorter than the woman pixie, he had dirty blonde hair tipped with a purplish-blue color and his was completely braided.  I also took notice of the scabbard at his side.  “Ghosts cannot give the living gifts!  I demand you put me down” He yelled out.  “Ghost?”  At this I shot up and looked around.  I seemed to be in the middle of the clearing a small creek to my right and a patch of buttercups and lavender to my left.  “If I am dead then how am I holding you?”  I asked the boy pixie.  “You’re not.”  He simply stated.  I suddenly noticed a glint in the air behind him slowly the outline of wings started to form.  “Ok well if I am a ghost then how did I feel you poke me?”  At this he crossed his arms and looked triumphantly. “Well you see my father enchanted this rose thorn teeth and blade when I was born, there’s  not a single being alive or dead.  That it cannot pierce.”

“I see.  Well it’s a shame there too small to do any real damage then.”  I said