Everyone who was anybody stopped, mulled and ambled forward into the restored Gotham City County Museum. Guests still arrived by limousine and caterers distributed champagne as police officers hob-knobbed with the town's social elite. A few guests even arrived from out of town to partake on the renewed and restored museum. Reporters clambered for quotes and flashing lights bobbed over the heads of eager Gotham City citizens trying to get a scant look as the prestige guests who arrived. A few ladies screamed in delight as they recognized wealthy Tony Stark in his tux and realized his rugged Tom Selleck looks. A few even bemoaned as he reached to his lovely female escort. Raven-haired Pepper Potts regally waved to the crowd as if she were a princess or a movie star. From the sidelines, Peter Parker struggled for a decent shot even if he had to elbow Jimmy Olsen out of his line of shot.
"This isn't Spiderman, Parker." Olsen poked fun at him. "This is the big league."
"Just remember to take off the lens cap…" Parker remarked and quickly reacted to keep Olsen from falling on his own feet from the museum steps. Parker was fast to catch him that quickly as if he had a premonition of a fatal tumble. In this gathering, one could get stomped into the sidewalk. Peter turned his brown eyes to the next limo as Police Chief Seamus O'Hara took the luxury to open this one. Reporters now screamed louder to get Bruce Wayne's attention. Had he had Barbara Gordon set a date for their wedding? Were they interested in children? Everyone wanted to know. Mrs. Gordon appeared bosomy in her long dark dress and very regal in the sparkling photographer bulbs lighting up her azure eyes. Behind her, Dick Grayson appeared from the limousine in a tuxedo in his size. On his arm, Donna Troy waved as well to the cheering crowds looking for a face. Standing by the Avenger Thor Odinson, Government agent Diana Prince revealed her presence and nodded her approval to the two. A secret look between Troy and Grayson realized the bonds they shared. A brief few seconds for pictures, Bruce pressed on someone pushed through the crowd. He looked up from the microphone in his face to the face of Lois Lane trying to get a response from him.
"Mr. Wayne," She fought to stay standing. "You are among seven other investors responsible for the new security systems on the museum, what sort of new exhibits does the museum have that require that much security?"
"As you may already know," Wayne held Barbara Gordon on his arm as he continued. "The museum has successfully purchased from the Nashville Metropolitan Museum in Tennessee the rights to exhibit its History of Witchcraft artifacts along with our own limited witchcraft exhibits."
"Not many people know it," Barbara spoke up. "But in the Seventeenth Century, we had a few witchcraft trials on this very site as well, and a few artifacts from the time too, but not enough to warrant a full exhibit. We are all very pleased with what we have been donated from abroad to properly warrant this new wing."
"One of the artifacts is the mummified remains of an obscure Wiccan practitioner." Lane remarked. "Very appropriate for October and Halloween."
"I truly doubt we are at risk of her returning to life." Bruce grinned his steely grin and pressed on behind Dick and Donna. At the top of the stairs, he had a brief chance to acknowledge Stark and his date. With him, Radley Crown had arrived from Boston as well to share in the spectacle. He and Bruce shared a secret look over their glasses of champagne as the crowd of wealthy and elite waited for their host. Before any regular patrons or reporters would be shown through, the investors would be allowed a first glimpse at their financial labors. Grousing over his tuxedo, curator James Michael Hackett tugged at his collar and hesitated insecurely from starting the tour.
"Ladies and gentlemen," He had to speak up to be heard over the roar of guests outside wanting to come in and seen the refurbished museum. "Welcome to the new Gotham Museum. If I appear a bit incoherent, please forgive me. I've never done this outside Nashville in a building of this size. This way please…"
Dick turned up from looking at Donna's dress and noticed someone who didn't seem to belong. Off to the side, a figure in a long coat and heavy cap was watching from the shadows. He couldn't see any features, but the figure seemed too thin to be human. Its overcoat clung to the shadowy stranger as if it were draped over a thin skeleton.
Hackett used an electronic key designed by Crown's Security Company to unlock the gates to the museum and enter from the foyer to the main hall. A mild applause resulted to see that it actually worked. Dick looked up again to the strange figure and realized it was missing.
"Dick?" Donna tugged at him.
"I'm coming…" He felt himself pulled along after her.
"Welcome to Sixteenth Century Gotham…" Hackett stood in a room surrounded by old colonial artifacts existing back to when the city was a mere trading post and a few cabins on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. His discussion of the artifacts continued on as Security Guard Walter Finch winced from the talk. This place was spooky enough as it is without a discussion of witchcraft and the Salem trials. Even with Halloween coming, Finch knew this place was growing much more ominous.
"Over here," Hackett turned the investors and museum curators to a shriveled barely human figure in a sealed glass case. "…Are the remains of Constance Barnes. Exiled from Blair, Maryland, she ended up living on the Gotham River in 1658 selling potions and charms for three years before a band of thieves killed her for her money and dumped her remains in the bog. The bog kept her preserved for three hundred years until she was discovered during the construction of the local highway."
That did it. Finch knew working with that preserved dead body in this building was going to prey on his fears and imagination. Reminding himself that he was a World War Two veteran and a former Gotham City Police Officer, he just rubbed his head and tried to bear it. His partner came to give him a break and Finch headed down the block for his dinner at the diner. When he returned for the second part of his shift, the tours were over, the people were gone and the ghosts of the museum started coming out. Exhibits grew frightening as Finch and his partner was locked into the building to patrol the place until one in the morning. Not really interested, Finch forced his way back to the witchcraft exhibit and then stopped where he was.
Where did the skeleton come from?
Propped up on a display outside the exhibit, Finch started wondering if someone had snuck in an extra exhibit on him. They looked like real bones, but there was no plaque saying who they used to be. The body of bones even seemed to be looking at him as he ran his eyes over ever crack and ligature on it. To his eyes, it appeared to be a genuine human skeleton, but it didn't have any supports or rods holding it up. It just seemed to be standing on the pedestal without anything keeping it together; yet, somehow, it was all in one piece.
"Where did you come from, skinny?" Finch leaned in curiously as a breeze swayed one of its arms and then its hand grabbed him by the neck. Its head leaned in to him cracking and clicking as its dried backbone grinded against each other.
"Hasn't anyone taught you to be respectful to your elders?" A dried hollow voice emerged up out of its ribcage. Finch could only gasp for air. It wasn't possible! It just wasn't possible!! It was alive and it talked with a voice that could only come from the grave! Instead of reaching for his gun, Finch could only clutch at his heart. It felt it was about to come through his chest. One last wheezing gasp came from his throat as he fell limp to the floor.
"Cretin." The skull dropped off the display and walked across the cold parquet floor to the witchcraft exhibit and in particular the dried earthly remains of Constance Barnes. Its fleshless feet scraped and scratched the floor until it stopped and looked up to her. Before her, its head seemed to admire her browned mummified remains twisted and contorted out of shape by the earth that had preserved it.
"I've found your body, Connie." An unearthly wheezing vibrated the jaw of the skeleton. "Now, to find you a soul to restore you to life…" It began chuckling.