Steven Jones Mysteries: The Masked Ghost of Tremble Tower

December 6, 2014 (7:30 P.M.)

December 6, 2014 (7:30 P.M.)

Dear Journal,

          I'm back from Tremble Tower. My heart is thumping at approximately a gazillion beats per second. You probably want to know what happened tonight, and I want to remember this exhilarating night, so I'll write it down. Here you go.

          So I had just finished writing in this here journal. The street was filled with ancient, rickety cars, which all seemed to be driving away from the mysterious Tremble Tower.  Must've been my over-imaginative mind working its magic. Pavement passed by as I quickly jogged down the street, heading for the house hiding in the woods. As I got closer, the sky turned a murky black and grayish clouds appeared from behind the circle of mountains that surrounded our forest. We're sort of a trapped land, surrounded by forest and mountains, and then miles of prairieland surrounding the mountains. Or so I've been told.

          Eventually I reached the edge of the wood's boundaries. There was a policeman talking to someone who wanted to enter, and the policeman wouldn't let her in. I could hear the lady shriek about how she had to get to Tremble Tower before it was knocked down. That's when I stampeded across the street and was hounded by the pair of adults. I flew into the forest. Sticks crackled beneath my feet, twigs and branches whipped my face and lashed at my arms. Tears flung from my eyes, but I didn't stop. I wouldn't stop. I couldn't stop. When I reached the field that housed the building, my arms were cut up and starting to bleed. I collapsed in a heap, frantically searching around for a certain pursuing policeman. My eyes hadn't yet spotted the ancient, wooden building that was looming over me. I sat for a few minutes, then painfully limped over to the dusty doorway that marked the structure's entrance.

          I twisted the rusty doorknob. It made an unearthly creak as it spun, opening up the ancient door. I slipped through the doorway. The sight that caught my eyes drew a gasp from my lips. It was moving. The house was moving. Window shutters were snapping open then slamming closed. Antique wooden furniture was swirling around the air. I did a 180 degree turn and was about to leave, when I found it. The ghost.

          She was beautiful. She had flowing black hair, ending in elegant curls. A sparkling, red mask sat atop her attractive face. She had a fantastic ruby gown that made her body look even more beautiful. Silver heels made her look like a royal. The masked ghost of Tremble Tower was beautiful, but she was dead, and the look in her eyes was of pure rage.

          "Another one! Dang it. How many of you living want a picture of me. One long ago, got a picture of me, became famous, and showed the world that I existed. You look just like him. His name was George Jones. Name sound familiar?"

          I could not believe what was happening. All the air had been sucked from my lungs when the ghost spoke. My arms started to vibrate when she inched closer. I was drenched with sweat. But most of all, I was afraid. Even though my heart felt like it would thump out of my chest from the pressure, I was still a little curious. "He was my grandfather," I replied weakly.

          The ghost was right up in my face by then. She looked about my age, seventeen. "The greatest mystery detective of all time was your grandfather? Prove it. Follow me," she said. Then the ghost began to float away, up the stairs, and through, straight through, the door. I stood there taking it all in for about ten seconds, then sprinted to catch up. As I passed underneath a closet swirling in the air, it started to chase after me. Its doors opened to reveal shimmering. All my energy was put into my legs as I dashed up the stairs. The closet was at my heels. I dived, my heart in my throat, through the doorway, which was now open. Laying on the ground, I prayed I wouldn't die. It was getting closer and closer. Thunk! Its doors got caught on the door frame, and its spikes trapped it there! I got up and sped over to the masked ghost. She was standing beside a puzzle, a maze-like contraption.

          "Only one person, George Jones, has every solved this challenge. If you are truly his heir, you should be able to solve it too. If not, you can keep trying until you grow old and die, as you will never leave this building if you can't solve this puzzle," the ghost explained.

          I jogged over and blew some dust off the contraption. It was a maze all right. A complex one at that. I analyzed all of the cracks and crevices until I came to a conclusion.

          "You can't solve it. My grandfather was the only one to realize that. I have found that out too, so that proves I'm his heir," I announced.

          The look on the ghost's face was priceless. Her eyes were as wide as dinner plates, and her jaw had hit the floor. Not literally. She floated over to me and rubbed my cheek with her smooth hands.

          "Who are you?" Her words were a whisper.                        

          "Steven Jones," I replied.

          The ethereal girl had a quizzical look on her face, sort of like she was making a difficult decision. "Take a picture of me. Prove to the world I'm real. I'm going to the ethereal plane anyway. The ethereal plane is where ghosts go when their homes are destroyed, and Tremble Tower is being knocked down in 30 seconds."

          "What!" I shrieked. I fumbled at my camera then took a picture of the masked ghost of Tremble Tower. I started to leave but I turned around and mentioned one last thing. "Thank you." Then I was gone. I slid under the closet and stood up. I spotted the exit and stampeded towards it. The ground started to shake and a massive object smashed through the wall. A wrecking ball! The roof began to fall as I neared the exit. A sharp chunk of wood flew through the air and plunged into my leg. I screamed and fell down. This was it. I was going to die. The roof above me began to fall. Then it stopped. The ghost was there holding it up. She mouthed the word "go" and I did. I dove at the door and was instantly surround by adults. Then everything went dark. The last thing I saw was the masked girl rising up to the sky. "Goodbye." I weakly whispered, then blacked out.

          I woke up on a hospital bed beside by parents. They were crying and hugging. I sat up and groaned "Steven!" they both cried in unison. They gave me a giant group hug and said the last thing I would've expected.

          "We're so sorry! We're such horrible parents!" they each shrieked. I responded, "I love you guys" and hugged them back. I guess they weren't as despicable as I thought.       

          Well, that's the end of my story. I'm going to make a website where people can post their stories. I'm also going to my grandpa's house after I heal. Maybe I'll even meet some more ghosts!

          But until then, this is Steven Jones, signing off.