Callie's Haunting

"I swear to you it's all true!" Cody protested.

It was two weeks until Holloween and he kept the riders entertained each night with wild and scary ghost stories. The one he told this night had begun like most, usually "On a dark and stormy night", the only difference had been it's setting and the timing of the story.

"There are no such things as ghosts." Jimmy said.

"I'm just tellin' ya what folks say, and everyone says there's ghosts up in the old Forrester house. The daughter was murdered and she walks around moaning, and looking for the man that did it." Cody was annoyed that no one believed him.

Lou made herself more comfortable in her bunk, "That's just a tale folks tell bad children."

Cody rolled his eyes, "Well you'll never find me anywhere near the place. Ain't no ghosts getting me."

"I think you're safe. No one, livin' or dead, wants you." Jimmy muttered and everyone laughed as the blond rider threw a pillow at him.

Kid looked up at the storyteller, "I thought you didn't believe in spirits and such."

"After what happened with Buck and his pouch, let's just say I had a change of heart."

At the Way Station the lights were turned out and everyone went to bed , but five miles away at what was once the Forrester homestead a girl ran from the house covered in blood and screaming for mercy, she reached the bottom step, collapsed and vanished.

******

The following morning as Rachel served breakfast Cody asked Teaspoon about the Forrester ghost story.

"Well I don't know much about it, but from what I've heard it's a pretty tragic story, not to mention bloody."

"Please not at the breakfast table." Rachel reprimanded.

"Do you know the whole story?" Kid asked.

"Yeah, I've heard it told once or twice, and yes I'll tell it after breakfast."

The group ate quickly and even though Cody had two helpings, they were still done at pretty much the same time. After clearing the table Lou, Kid, Jimmy, Noah and Cody sat patiently waiting for their mentor to begin while Rachel stood just outside the circle trying not to let her curiosity get the best of her.

"Now mind you this is all rumor. No one is really sure what happened in that house ten years ago. The facts are that there was an only child, a daughter. Her name was. . .Calliope, or something."

"Calliope? What kind of name is that?" Kid asked.

"Oh, I don't know, some people just have strange names . . . Kid." Teaspoon said.

"I happen to have a normal name." Kid muttered, then added as the group looked curiously at him, "I'm just not saying what it is." The group rolled their eyes.

"Go on Teaspoon." Cody encouraged.

"Okay, now where was I. . . ah yes, Callie as she was called was supposed to be really very beautiful. Her pa promised her to a fella from England or wherever they was from, but she fell in love with a local boy and was gonna run off and marry him. Now mind you this is where the story gets fuzzy. The rumors or legend says that the night she was gonna elope, she was murdered."

"How?" Lou asked.

"She was stabbed with a kitchen knife," Teaspoon paused and as he looked at each face he whispered, "Ten times."

"Good Lord." Rachel gasped, "Poor girl."

"Who did it?" Jimmy asked.

Teaspoon shrugged, "No one knows, some say it was her father for disobeying his wishes. Others say it was the Englishman, who was in town. But there are others who say it was the local boy, who disappeared that night."

"What happened to her father?" Noah said.

"He died a short while later. He felt so guilty he hung himself in their back pasture." Cody answered, "Or so they say."

"What do you mean?" The question came from Jimmy who was trying to look as if he wasn't interested, but was secretly storing all of the information.

"What he means," Teaspoon began, "is that some folks around here don't think it was guilt that made him kill himself, they say his daughter's ghost was behind it."

Cody sat back with a satisfied grin, "See I told ya it was true."

"Come on Teaspoon." Kid said.

"I'm just tellin' what I've been told, people have told me there were no footprints in the mud, it had been raining during the day and the ground was still wet when they found him, but no footprints, and there was nothing by him that he could stand on in order to jump down. The branch was fifteen feet off the ground and the tree was difficult to climb without some kind of help but there was nothing there no ladder not even a chair."

"Maybe he was murdered too, could it be that whoever murdered the girl murdered her pa too?" Rachel asked.

"Anything is possible."

The riders all sat quietly around the table thinking about Teaspoon's last statement. Anything was possible, even ghosts.

******

Just before dawn, the next morning, Buck and Ike rode into the station. Both were glad to be home.

Teaspoon, hearing riders approaching, quickly dressed and met the two boys outside. "You're early, what happened?" Teaspoon whispered as the boys tethered their horses. The two boys glanced at each other, then turned back to the stationmaster.

"We were on our way back from Blue Creek and decided to camp out last night," Buck began, "We were out by the old Forrester house."

And we heard a woman screaming. Ike signed.

"A woman? No one lives there."

"We know. So we thought we'd take a look. We thought that maybe there were some squatters in the house."

"And?" Teaspoon said when Buck hesitated.

"The house was lit up, and a girl came out of the front door covered in blood and screaming, she must have fallen down because we lost sight of her from where we were standing in the trees."

She disappeared.

"Disappeared? Ike you mean she went back into the house."

"No." Buck said. "When we ran from the cover of the trees there was no one there, the house was dark and there was no body, no blood . . . nothin'."

The two boys were pale with fright. Teaspoon told them to put the horses in the stables and try to get some sleep.

Later that morning during breakfast, Buck and Ike told the story again to the rest of the riders. Cody was happily chatting about how he had been right all along, when Jimmy made a decision. He looked toward Cody.

"We're going to that house." He said.

"We who?" Cody asked.

"Me, you and anyone else who wants to go."

"Forget it. I told you Jimmy, I ain't goin' anywhere near that old house." Cody said decidedly.

"I'm gonna prove there are no such things as ghosts."

"How do you explain what happened to me and Ike." Buck asked.

Jimmy looked at the two scared riders, "Easy, either you're helping Cody try to trick us, or you and Ike didn't really see what you saw. You were both tired and hadn't slept. Your minds were playing tricks on you."

We know what we saw. Ike said. And we're not going back.

"Does he speak for you too Buck?" Jimmy asked.

Buck could hear the challenge in Hickok's voice, and at any other time he would have taken the dare, but after what had happened the previous night he couldn't. "Yes, I'm not going."

"Well if Buck and Ike ain't goin' neither am I." Cody said.

Ignoring Cody's protest, Jimmy looked over at Noah, Lou and Kid who had been sitting silently throughout the exchange.

"Well how about you?"

Noah shook his head, "I can't say I believed Cody's story, but after hearing Buck and Ike. . . I believe there's something there and I'd just leave well enough alone."

Kid began to shake his head, but Lou spoke before he could say no.

"I'll go." All eyes shifted to the female rider. "I ain't scared, I think there's a sensible reason for what happened."

Jimmy looked at Kid, "Well Kid how 'bout you?"

Kid hated the thought of Jimmy and Lou alone together with only Cody, who would probably have his eyes closed the entire time, watching them. "Yeah, I'll go."

"Happy Cody? There'll be the four of us. We could watch out for each other. We'll go next week, I should be back from Blue Creek by then and none of us has to ride out so we'll all be free to go."

Cody nodded his agreement, he had never been more scared in his life.

The week went by quickly for the four riders, faster than Cody would have liked. As Lou, Jimmy and Kid packed up supplies for their overnight stay, Cody followed the others around offering to do chores in exchange for their presence at the old house. Everyone turned him down.

Rachel packed the group some food and water, while Lou and Kid grabbed blankets and lanterns. Jimmy took care of the one thing he thought was necessary, he cleaned his Colts and packed extra ammunition. He knew if there was something going on in that house it was man made and it had nothing to do with ghosts.

Chapter 2

The small group of friends arrived at the house shortly after noon. In daylight they could see how terribly shabby the house truly was. The once white house was yellowed with age and badly in need of painting, there were broken windows, and the front door had fallen off of it's hinges and stood crookedly against the door frame.

"It's so sad." Lou muttered as they foursome tethered their horses.

"What is?" Kid asked.

"The house, it's sad."

"Yeah, seems like a good piece of property they let go to waste." Jimmy drawled.

Lou exhaled sharply, "No, you don't get it. The house is sad, don't you feel it?" She looked at the three male riders, who were looking at her with raised eyebrows. She shrugged her shoulders and turned to walk towards the house, "Forget I said anything."

Kid grabbed her elbow and turned her to face him, "Explain it to me."

"I can't, it's just something I feel. Forget it, let's just go into the house."

Kid nodded and followed as she turned and walked toward the old homestead, Jimmy and Cody following closely behind.

Once inside, the small group began to look around. The first thing they saw was a long staircase that led upstairs, to their right was the small family room and to the rear of the house was a small kitchen. The rooms were dusty and smelled of decay and the wood floors creaked with every step they took

"I don't like this, don't like this at all." Cody muttered.

Jimmy rolled his eyes and was about to reprimand his friend when suddenly there was a loud crash upstairs.

"What was that?" Kid asked,

"Don't know, but I mean to find out." Jimmy turned to go up the stairs, the others quickly followed.

On the top landing were three bedrooms, two to his left and one to his right. Jimmy went towards the last room to his left. As Lou, Kid and Cody reached the top of the stairs they saw the door slam behind their friend.

"What the-?" Jimmy said as he turned around quickly, "Kid this ain't funny! Open the door!" He yelled as he turned the door handle. The door was locked. "Come on, you ain't gonna scare me, now open the door! Cody, Lou? Open up!" Hickok began to pound on the door with his fists.

"Stop holding it!" Came the reply from the other side.

"I ain't."

Kid glanced at the other two riders, and shook his head. "Jimmy stop foolin' around. Let us in."

Jimmy looked heavenward. "I'll tell you what-," he began, "I'll let you in when you let me out. Now come on!"

"Jimmy, we ain't doin' nothin'. You're the one trying to scare us." Lou said.

"I'm the one who's saying there ain't no such things as ghosts."

As soon as Jimmy had finished his sentence he felt a soft breeze caress his cheek like a hand. He turned around quickly and noticed the windows to this particular room were intact, and the windows were shut. Hickok took a few moments to assess the room he was in. The room was small, but comfortable. In the middle stood a full size bed covered in dust, on either side of the bed were two windows that faced the front of the house To the left was a small closet and chest of drawers, and to the right was a small vanity, the mirror also caked in dust. Laid out on the vanity were hairbrushes and combs.

This is her room. Jimmy thought. He was sure this was where the crashing sound had come from, but nothing seemed out of place. Hickok walked over to the vanity, there on the floor was a music box. He picked it up and examined it. It looked as if it would never play music again, and if it could he was sure the fall would have jarred a few pieces loose. He shook it slightly, sure enough, several pieces rattled on the inside. Jimmy placed the music box back on the vanity and turned towards the door. As he reached it, a soft melody began to play from the broken box. Jimmy turned slowly to gaze at the object he had just held.

Help Me

Hickok had taken two steps towards the box when he stopped. A voice, he was sure he had heard a voice.

Help Me.

It was whispered and he wasn't sure exactly what it was, he turned around slowly, noticing that the closet door was opened slightly, Jimmy grabbed his Colt and cocked it as he walked to the closet. Quick as a flash he swung the door open and pointed his gun. Nothing was there.

Help me please.

There it was again, coming from behind him. Hickok turned once again and for one brief instant he would swear he had seen a woman by the vanity, but now there was no one there.

The door opened quietly and the three riders entered the room quickly.

"What were you doing in here?" Kid asked. The group stood quietly staring at their friend. Jimmy was standing in front of the vanity staring at it. Lou, Kid, and a reluctant Cody stepped up in back of him to see what he was staring at. What they saw made them all pale. Written in the dust of the mirror were three words. . .

HELP ME JIMMY

The group stood silently, staring at the three words in the mirror.

"Please tell me you wrote that to scare us Jimmy." Lou said, in reply Jimmy shook his head.

"That's it I'm going home!" Cody exclaimed.

"Right behind you." Kid said as he turned to follow his friend. Silently a stunned Hickok also turned towards the door.

"Wait." Lou called out, "We can't leave." The three men turned and stared at her. "She needs our help."

"Have you gone crazy?!" Cody asked. "Listen, you can stay here and help this thing if you want, but two people have died in this house and I'm not staying and chancing being the third."

"Cody's right Lou," Kid began, "we can't stay here. We have no idea what we're dealing with." He reached out to take her hand.

"Please help," Kid snatched his hand back as if he had been burned. It was Lou's lips that were moving but it wasn't her voice the young men heard. When asked later, the group in the room would say that not only was her voice different but it had appeared as if Lou's feature's began to change slightly as did her mannerisms.

She continued as her friends looked on. "You must help me, he won't let me leave. He's still keeping me a prisoner here, I thought I would finally be free of him."

Jimmy approached the young woman cautiously, "Lou?" He looked at Kid, "What's goin' on?"

"I don't know, coming here was your idea remember."

"Well grab her and let's go." Cody demanded.

Kid turned to her, "Come on Lou, let's go back home."

"I am home," she said in that other voice. She then turned to Jimmy. "Please stay and help me. I can't do this alone, I've been trying so very long."

Suddenly everything fell into place for Hickok, he approached Lou and held at arms length. Jimmy then looked directly into her eyes, which were different somehow.

"Callie?" He asked.

She smiled and gently caressed his cheek, "Say you'll stay and help me, I need you."

Without warning there was a loud crash from downstairs, as if someone had thrown open the front door of the house. Seconds later there were the distinguishing sounds of heavy footsteps moving around the ground floor and heading towards the stairs.

"We're saved! Someone's here," Cody said, "Maybe they can help us."

"No!" Lou exclaimed. When the men turned to look at her she had become pale, her eyes huge and glossy. "It's him!" She hissed then collapsed.

"Lou!" Kid ran to her side immediately.

"Him, who?" Jimmy asked the air.

"I don't think I want to know." Cody answered.

The footsteps had become louder as they came up the stairs slowly, the two friends turned their attention towards the staircase halfway down the hallway. Cody wasn't sure if the thudding he heard was the sound of the footsteps or if it was the beating of his heart. The steps had finally reached the top of the stairs but there was no body to connect them to, the sounds stopped as suddenly as they began.

The two friends stared at each other and wordlessly turned to Kid.

"Is she all right?" Hickok asked.

Kid nodded, "She seems to be sleeping if you can believe it."

"Good, let's get the hell out of here!"

As Kid picked up Lou, the sounds of the footsteps began again, only this time it was headed for the room.

"What the-?" Kid did not get a chance to finish the statement, because as quickly as the slow steps started, they became quicker almost as if someone were running.

"Close the door!" Kid yelled.

Jimmy grabbed the door and pushed it with all of his might. Just before the door slammed shut the group heard a menacing growl. The door shut, and it took both Hickok and Cody to hold it closed as Kid, who had placed Lou on the bed, locked the door. However it seemed even the lock could not hold out whatever was on the other side of the door. The three men leaned all of their weight against the powerful thrusts being hurled against the door.

"Coming here was a great idea Hickok." Cody said sarcastically.

It was almost an hour before the banging had stopped at the door. When they were sure it was truly over, the three men stepped cautiously away. Kid went directly to Lou who was still sleeping peacefully on Callie's old bed. Hickok and Cody drifted off to the window farthest from the young couple to give them the illusion of privacy.

"So what do we do now?" Cody asked.

"I don't know, we have to find a way to leave."

"Wonderful, this was your idea and now we're trapped in here and it's gonna be dark soon." Cody began to babble.

Kid walked up to the pair, "Would you please keep it down."

"How is she?" Hickok asked.

"She's still asleep." Kid glanced out the window, it seemed as if a curtain had suddenly been drawn. "Well are we staying here for the night?"

Cody stared at both men standing before him, "No way. I am not spending the night in this house". He walked over to the door and reached for the knob with a trembling hand. Grasping it firmly he unlocked the small hook that was used to lock the door and said a small prayer that nothing would be out in the hallway when he opened the door. Cody then turned and looked at his two friends.

"Ain't you comin?" He asked.

Hickok gestured towards the door, "You first."

Cody turned his attentions back to the door, then quickly turned and faced Jimmy again. "Wait a minute. This was your idea, I'm not gonna open the door and get murdered or eaten by whatever's out there. You do it, you were the one who wasn't afraid of ghosts."

Jimmy heard the taunts in Cody's voice, then looked over at Kid who was sitting by Lou's side. "I never said I wanted to leave, I'm staying here."

"Don't tell me you still don't believe in ghosts? How can you explain what's happened here?" Kid asked.

"I didn't say I still didn't believe, because I do think there's something in this house. But this something needs our help." Hickok shrugged while he walked to the door, "So I'm gonna open this door and you can leave if you want but I ain't goin'."

Cody stepped away from the door to give his friend some room. "It was nice having you as friend, I'll miss you." He muttered.

Jimmy glared at his friend for a moment before turning his attention to the door. He grasped the knob more firmly in his hand and turned it slowly until he heard the distinctive click which seemed to echo in the silence that descended upon the room. Hickok then drew in a breath to steady his nerves and quickly swung open the door.

The group was met with silence.

"See I told you, nothing to be afraid of." Jimmy said as he came from behind the door. He then turned to Kid, "Are you going too?"

"I'm not sure. Lou seems to be sleeping so deeply I'm afraid to wake her up. You both saw how she was acting."

"That's all the reason we need to leave." Cody said.

"I agree," Jimmy said and when both men looked at him with raised eyebrows he continued, "alright so it's a rare thing for me to agree with Cody, but I don't want Lou to get hurt. She wasn't acting like herself, so if it's safer for her to be away from here then I say take her as far away as possible."

Kid thought about the situation they were in, "Okay we'll go, but Jimmy you should come with us. I don't like the idea of leaving you in this house alone. Besides, we can all come back tomorrow during daylight."

"I can't go, she needs my help." Jimmy answered as his gaze drifted to the space in the doorway behind Cody and Kid.

"Who needs your help?" Cody asked.

Jimmy pointed to the doorway and said blankly, "She does."

Kid and Cody both turned quickly to see who their friend was pointing at. There in the doorway of her bedroom stood a woman in a long skirt and long sleeve blouse. Her midnight black hair hung loosely down her back and fell to her waist. She looked as if she could have any man that she wanted if it weren't for the fact that she was also transparent. She stood silently staring at the group in her bedroom.

Cody yelped and ran to stand behind Hickok, Kid took up position in front of Lou, guarding her.

"Please stay and help me." She said softly, her voice held the trace of an English accent.

The three men stood speechless, their eyes wide in astonishment. Jimmy slowly walked around the bed; towards the door.

"Are you Callie?" He asked.

"Yes."

"You're dead!" Cody blurted out. "You ain't supposed to be walking around and scaring people."

She gave the blond man a small smile, "I know I'm not supposed to be here. I've known for the last ten years."

"So why are you here?" Kid asked.

"It seems I'm doomed to relive my death over and over for all eternity, and he won't let me leave."

"Who won't let you go?" Jimmy asked.

"My father."

"He's dead too!" Cody added. "You killed him."

Callie turned to face him, "No I didn't. I hated my father for being so strict, but I could never kill him, not even after my own death."

Cody stepped away from the apparition before asking, "Then who did?"

When she didn't answer Cody stepped around the bed and headed towards the door. "Forget it I don't want to know. I just want to go home." He stopped in front of Callie. From his distance he could see completely through her as if she were a window made of lightly colored glass. Cody eyes opened widely, "I'm sorry I can't help you, now if you'll excuse me."

Callie nodded slightly, "I understand." She said sadly, she then walked through the rider.

Cody felt her pass through him and it not only left him cold but it left traces of the perfume she must have worn when she was alive on his clothes. He shivered and screamed "Don't do that!"

Callie was surprised at his tone of voice, "I'm sorry, I usually don't have to walk around things." She then turned to Kid, and gestured towards Lou, "She'll be fine in a couple of hours I've never entered a body before. I didn't know she was going to react this way."

"'Sorry' she says, she walks through me and uses Lou as a puppet and all she can say is 'sorry'." Cody mumbled as he walked out of the room.

Hickok turned to Kid, "Aren't you going too?"

"No one can go anywhere. Not tonight anyway." Cassie said.

"What do you mean?" Kid asked her.

"I think I'll let your friend Cody tell you." She said as she vanished.

When she had been gone for only a few moments Cody came running back into the room flushed and out of breath.

"What happened?" Jimmy asked.

"I can't leave. . . none of us can."

Kid raised an eyebrow, "Why not?"

"The horses are gone. Unless you want to walk we're trapped here."

To Be Continued...Chapter Five