Page 11 of Halloween Haunting
Caroline giggled with excitement. “We’ll need to get together to talk all about your first night at the Lantern House! I’ve already bragged about you to all my girlfriends and they are determined to meet you as soon as possible.”
“R-Really?”
“You say that like you aren’t absolutely fascinating!”
“Well, I –”
“Now, now, Grace Baker,” Caroline interjected, “are you or are you not the famous tire-changer on this side of the equator?”
Grace’s laugh echoed through the quiet woods, startling a few nearby birds. “You’re right,” she joked. “Excuse me. Iamthe famous tire-changer.”
“Perfect! Then you’ll come out to meet my friends for dinner, won’t you?”
“I wouldn’t miss it.”
Caroline clapped on the other side. “You won’t believe how excited I am! I’ll text you the details, okay?Ta-ta!”
As her new friend hung up, Grace found that her genuine smile was lingering on her lips. There was a sort of life that radiated off Caroline, even when she wasn’t physically around. It pushed through the walls Grace once held up with all her might, crumbling any sort of mask she carried. Suddenly she was more than excited to meet more strangers, to forge new relationships, to have even more beginnings to remember for the rest of her life.
Grace spun around, already eager to tell Bryant about her upcoming plans.
But he was gone.
The chairs were both empty, the guitar taken along with him. For a second Grace found herself simply staring at the spot he was once in, trying to convince herself that he had been there in the first place. Disappointment was starting to string through her heart as she watched, so she headed back inside, not daring to let it bring her down. There was nothing to be disappointed about, anyways. Was Grace not the one whojustsigned the papers to end a long marriage? She couldn’t even remember the last date she had that wasn’t with Chuck. Where did a relationship fit in? She shook her head and shut the back door firmly behind her.
Grace hurried to her bedroom, already beginning to consider what she would wear. First impressions were pivotal, after all, and she had always put on a good face when it came to meeting new people. Caroline’s friends could turn out to be Grace’s friends, if she didn’t make a total fool out of herself. She plucked a purple dress from her closet, one that had always managed topull compliments out of strangers. The fabric was form fitting around the heart-shaped bodice before flaring out into a delicate skirt around her waist. Casual and flattering, just what she needed.
Grace went to hold the dress in front of her mirror when a blinding white light struck across her vision, like an exploding lightning bolt. The world around her snapped away, and as if she was suddenly planted in front of the television screen, Grace watched an unfamiliar scene unfold.
There was a group of women sitting around a table at a quiet restaurant. Out of all the faces, Grace spotted Caroline amongst them, and stared uncomfortably at her own face looking back at her. A waiter passed by the table before tripping over his own feet, losing control over the round tray of scalding coffee he carried. The mugs tumbled onto one of the women in particular, a small framed lady with fiery red curls and an unforgettable yellow dress. Laughter turned into a scream, and then, to nothing.
As soon as it crossed over her vision, the image faded.
Grace staggered across the room, her knees knocking into the foot of her bed. She tumbled forward, landing against the soft mattress with ahumph.“What the…” she whispered into the comforter, blinking rapidly. The feeling of it was fading, but the image remained like a fuzzy photograph behind her eyelids. Migraines weren’t all that unfamiliar to Grace, but she hardly remembered experiencing anything like that before. She had the odd sensation of being ripped out of a dream, forced to be wide awake after being plunged into the deepest moments of slumber.
Grace regained her balance and straightened back up. “You’re fine,” she repeated while tugging on her dress. “That was strange, but strange things happen to delusional women in their forties.”
As she gathered her purse and headed for the door, Grace passed by the Lantern’s watchful eye and shook her head, the feeling of deja vu haunting her with every step she took.
6
Lakeside Cafe sat at the edge of a lake, where an outdoor seating area gave patrons a beautiful view while they dined over a luscious meal. Most of the outside tables were full of mingling customers, their attention devoted to their plates and company. Grace eyed their easy comfort and simmered with jealousy as she neared the front of the restaurant. Grace couldn’t remember a time in her life when she found it simple to make friends. Not that was all her fault – Gregory Baker, Grace’s late Father, moved their small family around the country frequently, even venturing out of familiar soil more than a few times. His good standing with the army forced them to do so, and it kept Grace from having real ties to any place, till she was finally on her own.
Of course, being on her own ended up with a marriage that would eventually lead to a divorce she never would’ve expected, but that was a thought for another night.
Either way, Grace wasterrified.Meeting Caroline was easy, but that was on the side of the road, with an impressive tool at hand. Grace was the knight in shining armor in that story. She saved the day, and that was enough to forge a friendship. But meeting people for the first time in a restaurant was real,it was as real as moving across the country and buying a house amongst strangers. If Grace messed it up now, there wouldn’t be any chance to come back from it.
It wasn’t like there was anywhere else for her to go either. The town had taken on a rather scary aura as the evening crawled forward, bringing a low hanging fog along with it. The Halloween decorations brought a sort of suspense to the place too, despite being made of plastic or glass. In the distance, a hooting owl made the hairs stand up on Grace’s neck as she faced the restaurant once more. There was only one way to go, and it wasn’t back to the Lantern House. She stared up at the lights surrounding the restaurant’s wide sign and let the cool air caress her skin one last time before she stepped inside.
“Hehehe!”
Grace jerked to the side, bumping into a few startled members of a tourist family as they tried to leave. There was a witch figurine positioned beside the front doors, with a wide-brimmed black hat and a twisted green nose. Grace’s shoulders fell with relief as she passed it by again, watching as the Halloween witch stretched out her arms and released a howling cackle.
A friendly faced host hung around the main counter, eyeing Grace with a curiosity she was still trying to get used to. “Welcome to Lakeside Cafe! Do you have reservations?”
“I’m not sure. I’m dining with the Caroline Shepard party,” Grace said nervously as she approached her.
The host beamed from ear to ear and nodded. “Right this way!”
