Twin Paranormal: Monster In The Pub

Chapter 2: The Meet and Greet

Chapter Two: The Meet and Greet

The boys had all their gear packed into the SUV and were traveling to O'Connell's Pub, discussing what kind of questions they might need to ask the owner and the entity. There hadn't been much information about the restaurant online, just that it had been there for about 25 years and was a family-run business. 

One thing that had really had them hyped was that in their back-and-forth emails, Jay said he owned the whole building, and there were three floors. The top floor housed the family that ran the restaurant (which was on the ground floor) and the second floor was rented out as an Air BnB. Jay had no problem letting them stay there for a night or two, depending on how the investigation went. Everything seemed to be win-win so far.

They blasted music for most of the ride, belting out their favorite songs and contemplating some potential new tunes to use on the channel. They captured a little bit of themselves being silly for an intro that might get edited into the O'Connell Pub video, if all went well. Ryan doing a lip-sync to the 80's classic 'Don't You Want Me' while Wyatt filmed was at least going on Instagram.

Before too long, the GPS directed them onto a skinny one-way street and into a small parking lot opposite O'Connell's, which it apparently shared with another local restaurant called 'The Beanery'. They got out of the vehicle to survey their surroundings, gauging whether or not it would be safe to leave their equipment inside for a little bit, just while they met with Jay so he could tell them where to take everything.

"Don't let River go in there," said Wyatt with a grin, pointing over to 'The Beanery.'

"It's a coffee shop, not like actual beans, you shithead," said River, pretending to be indignant. He gave Wyatt a playful shove as Ryan giggled at their antics.

"Okay guys, it's hot out here, let's go talk to Jay real quick and then come get our stuff," he said, wanting to go in and get a feel for the place.

Watching for traffic, they crossed the street and went up the three concrete steps into O'Connell's Pub. A small metal bell jingled above them as they opened the heavy wooden door. It was a bit warm inside, but smelled deliciously of fish and chips, bread, and high quality yeasty beers. Irish reels played through the speakers and a small group of tipsy men were gathered at the end of the bar, enthusiastically watching a game of soccer. 

Otherwise, the place was empty. Even though the overall vibe was very positive, River felt the smallest tingle run down his spine as he looked around.

A short, round waitress with a greying top-knot, sensible shoes, and lot of red lipstick saw them almost immediately, walking over as soon as they crossed the threshold. "You boys stopped in at a good time," the waitress remarked, whose name tag read 'Bethany.' She began to gather menus as she continued. "Not a lot going on here at half past 3. Bar or booth?"

"Sorry ma'am, we're actually here to see Jay," Ryan said to her apologetically.

Bethany smiled. "So polite! She told me you were coming today. Go sit down over there and I'll get her." She handed Ryan the menus and gestured to a large wooden booth near the window.

The three of them looked at each other, deciding without speaking that it would be best to just do as Bethany said while they waited for her to go get Jay.

"At least we can see if our car gets robbed," said Ryan, grateful for the view of the parking lot. He was glad River had parked under the shade of a tree.

"I guess Jay is a lady," said Wyatt, scanning the menu.

"For sure," said River under his breath as another woman followed Bethany out of the kitchen.