"Hate always meeting under these circumstances," Istvan joked with a half smile. We were sitting outside in the center of the town, anxiety had rooted in the bottom of my stomach as I realized that Halloween was approaching. The reason for my anxiety was that our hometown had all ready decorated for the season.
Pumpkins, bats, Skeltons, and monsters decorated every corner. Orange, black, green, and red was splashed everywhere. The essence of Halloween, including the fall like chill in the air, was woven throughout the town. Posters hung in shop windows, reruns of old horror movies were beginning to show and it all was giving me the feeling of sitting on pins and needles.
Next to the bench we sat on was a smiling plastic pumpkin.
"It feels good out here," Istvan noted in attempt to stir up conversation but I had nothing to say. Rather, I had no strength to say anything after not sleeping the last two nights. Four days ago I awoke from a horrid dream to a fit of vomiting and since then, sleeping hasn't been much of an option for me. My dad ended up convincing me to chug a bottle of Sleep Aid, one night, then stayed up all night to make sure my heart didn't stop.
I nodded and looked down the street, a shop owner was hanging a flag with a witch flying in a broom stick on it.
"You sure you don't want a hot chocolate?" Istvan offered for the third time, I laughed quietly to myself and shook my head. "Okay, just thought I'd ask."
"Again?"
He laughed, "Yes again."
"So, why did you want to meet?" I asked after a moment, we had both watched a crew change the lettering of a building across the street. The building use to be a theatre house but was bought and renovated as a restaurant. Their special today was Ghoul-ash with a signature drink of Boo-berry Temple.
"Madam Luna said she found out something interesting," Istvan took a sip of his hot chocolate then pulled the sleeves of his burnt orange sweater over his hands. He often did that.
"What about?" I couldn't hide my eagerness but, as I sat up, a shiver went down my spine. My jacket had picked up, revealing part of my lower back and let in cool air.
"She said to meet her here,"
Just as he finished his sentence, in the distance I saw a woman bundled in a red trench coat and blanket scarf. When the wind caught the coats flaps it revealed a jean skirt with knee high black boots. The outfit was surprising and I couldn't help but stare.
After waiting for her to cross the street, she walked up to us. "Splendid to see you both in high hopes." Madam Luna smiles brightly, her long hair was tucked under her scarf and her blue eyes were bright. "Wonderfully chilly day, isn't it?"
"Definitely chilly," I agreed and Istvan nodded, wrapping his arms around himself. Our eyes meet for a moment then fell back on Madam Luna, who was staring at the closest tree. "Madam?"
She snapped back, "Apologizes," She laughed then waved for us to follow as she modeled her way down the side walk. "I realized it wasn't fair to you, Stevie, to overload you like I did during our last visit. I apologize for that. So, this time, I decided to come and visit you both in your city."
"I've been meaning to ask abo-"
"My home is a spiritual oasis, whatever is affecting you and Istvan can't manifest in my home." She explained without needing me to finished my question. "Which leads me to the reasoning behind this visit."
She continued to walk down Main Street and didn't seem to care who heard what she was saying, I slightly envied her in that moment of rawness.
"Whatever is attached to you both is definitely a spiritual force and it seems the only way you can truly connect with it is through a mirror." She turned off Main Street and down Second. "Make sense since mirrors are considered a door way to another world."
Madam Luna paused for a moment as a car passed then continued into Sixth Street. "After doing some research and connecting with friends, I've found a very interesting piece of information that you two would both like to know."
As soon as she turned down Turner Drive I knew where she was headed, a place that most kids avoid, a place where pets go missing, a place where strange things happen. Where the wind rarely blew and flowers never grew, a place that wasn't hallowed ground.
"A friend of mine mentioned a group of people he meet one time, a group that existed among the living and the dead. They had many sensitivities to everyday things, however, this was many, many years ago."
Madam Luna rounded another corner and the Historical Cemetery came into view.
"I asked more about these people, no worries I kept your identities a secret," She smiled back at us, "Anyways, he told me of a book to read that would explain it all. Naturally, I found the book a read it." She flashes us a leather bound book as she entered the graveyard, and stopped at the first bench she reached.
There was nothing special about this graveyard, to the eyes. It had tombstones, fences, everything a regular graveyard has however, everyone could feel something rotten in the air. A presence of something beyond the normal world hung out around here, not evil but not good. Madam Luna waved for us to sit on the bench in front of her, the grass was still wet from this morning rain shower but the bench was oddly warm. A tree sat behind us leaning over casting shadows all over the ground, almost like a spiderweb.
" Vivens Mortua, children."
YOU ARE READING
Thirty One Days
Mystery / ThrillerAs a way to better myself as a writer I've decided to challenge myself this October. This book will begin on October 1st and end of October 31st. Everyday I will push myself to write and publish a chapter. I honestly do not know where this book is...