That night Sally sat at her table, pen and pad in hand. "So mom, first question. Who's your favourite ancestor?"
Her mother stood by the oven. "Honey I really don't have time for this right now. I have to get the food on the table and then I have five minutes to get ready for work. Aren't you supposed to do your homework yourself?"
"Mom this is important. Come on you can talk as you cook."
"Why don't you do your project on your grandmother. She's led an interesting life."
"No she hasn't, she's just crazy and thinks she has. Besides I need someone further back in the past. Our family have lived in this town for generations. We must have some interesting ancestors."
Her mother turned around and looked at her, thinking. "Well there was this woman my mother used to tell me about when I was a child. Bernadette Allison, I think. She was a white witch. The townspeople burnt her of course."
"Really, that's great! Well not for her of course. So could she really cast spells?"
"I don't know. All I know is that she lived a couple of centuries ago, when the witch-hunts were in full swing. Oh, and we have her ashes! I had almost forgotten about that."
"Her ashes? Here?"
"In that metal jar above the fire place." She paused, thinking. "Well actually that was your grandmother who told me she was in there. So maybe that's not so reliable.
"Oh no," Sally shook her head "Grandmas a little odd but not crazy. She would know. So why do we have her ashes if she was burnt at the stake?"
"Well apparently she desperately wanted to be buried in the churchyard. But the townspeople wouldn't allow it. So after she was killed her family gathered up her ashes and brought them here, hoping that one day they would be allowed to bury them."
"That's so sad. But why haven't we buried the ashes?"
"I hadn't thought of it till now. Besides its probably just a story." Sally's mother looked at her watch. "Look honey I really have to go now. Can you finish getting the dinner ready?" She hurried out of the room.
"Ok" Sally stood up and walked over to the oven "Hey mom" she called after her mother, "Do you think if I scattered the ashes that would be ok? She'd be at peace then right?"
"I seriously doubt there are any ashes in that old jar." Her mother called from the top of the stairs. "But if you want to try then go ahead."
..............................................................
Adam pulled up on his bike outside the graveyard gates where Sally was stood, waiting.
"So do you want to tell me what this is about?" he said as he dismounted.
"I'll tell you as soon as the others get here. You did call them right?"
"Yeah" he answered, hiding his bike behind a bush so it wouldn't be visible from the road. He walked over to Sally and leaned back against the gates. Sally looked up and down the road impatiently.
"What's in the box?" he asked, noticing the silver box she was carrying.
"I'll tell you when everyone is here. I don't want to have to repeat myself" she said.
Adam turned around and looked through the gates, into the graveyard. There were streetlights where they stood but inside the graveyard was pitch black. After the adventures which he and his friends had experienced in Spooksville not much scared Adam. But a graveyard at midnight was still a little creepy. Especially the Spooksville graveyard. A mist hung over the ground. In the dark it looked like the graves went on forever, broken only by the occasional wizened old tree. The place had an aura of age and death.
Sally didn't seem affected by this. But then she had lived in this town a lot longer than Adam. " You'd think they'd be here by now" she said, breaking the silence. "Especially Watch. For a guy who wears four watches he's not so hot with his timekeeping."
"He probably stopped off at Cindy's house. She didn't seem to into wandering round a graveyard at midnight."
"Here they are!" Sally said. Adam looked down the road to see two familiar figures walking towards them.
When they were all together Sally told them about her ancestor and the ashes.
"So I figure we can scatter her ashes and then she'll finally be able to rest in peace" she finished, holding up the box.
"But why do we have to do it tonight, in the middle of the night?" said Cindy, looking around apprehensively.
"My ancestor has waited centuries for this and I don't see why she should have to wait a minute longer. Besides midnight is the witching hour."
"Fine" said Cindy "Lets just get it over with."
"That's the spirit" said Sally, opening the gates. They walked into the graveyard and Sally and Adam switched on the torches they had brought.
"Lets go over to that little hill in the centre" Sally said in a whisper that sounded loud in the dead quiet of the graveyard "that looks like as good a place as any."
They walked on through the graves. "Hey Sally, are you sure those are your ancestors ashes?" asked Watch. "Have you even checked that there are any ashes in there?"
"Of course I have". She opened the box and held her torch over it, revealing that it contained a fine grey powder. "And of course they're my ancestors. I mean who else would they be?"
"Well you said that was what your grandmother told your mother. And you know your grandmothers a little..."
"My grandmother is perfectly sane" Sally broke in, "Just because she has some odd habits."
They reached the centre of the graveyard, where a strange mound about two foot high protruded from the ground. Sally stood on the mound, the light breeze blowing her dark hair back from her face. "Ok here goes" she said. She looked at the others "What do I say?" she whispered.
They looked around at each other. "No idea" said Watch.
Sally opened the box and held it high above her head. "Bernadette Allison Wilcox I hereby transfer your ashes to these consecrated grounds. May you rest in peace!" She threw the ashes into the air. As she did so the breeze increased in strength and caught the ashes, blowing them straight ahead at a nearby tree.
Sally jumped down from the hill.
"Can we go now?" Cindy asked.
"Yeah lets go. This place is starting to give me the creeps." said Adam. They turned and walked out of the graveyard.