Emador- How did it confuse you? How was he acting weird? You totally lost me. But I am so glad you're done with classes! Have a good trip home.
Killerkeanegirl- YAY, you're back! (Happy dance!) I am so glad you're back and reviewing. I missed you.
Meadow567- The Pens will most likely leave Pittsburgh because the new owners want a new arena but the city is broke because they built two new stadiums that weren't needed, despite the fact the voters voted against the new stadiums. So now the city can't build a new venue for the team that deserves it. Don't get me started! LOL
Sonatack- Glad you like it. I enjoy encouragement.
Lia06- Glad you're still reading. Short comments but good.
Strangexbutxtrue- I didn't mean to delve into psychology that much, but thought it was needed. Glad you liked it.
Flowersc781- We're all a sap for Bah, he is just so cute. I am glad that you're warming up to Craig.
October 30, 1979
11:45 PM
(FPPOV)
I was in my apartment about to go to bed when there was a knock at my door. I walked over to the door.
"Who is it?" I called out.
"It's me Kylah. Open the door." Craig called.
I opened the door and Craig walked in carrying a duffel bag that he dropped on the floor. "Pack an overnight bag. We're going on a road trip."
"What? To where? What are you talking about?" I asked.
"I thought it'd be nice to take a little weekend trip for Halloween and have got it all planned." Craig said. "Pack a bag, we're off to Chicago."
"Chicago? Do you know how long it'll take us to get there?" I asked.
"We'll drive all night and get there tomorrow morning; it's only a little over six hours. It's a road trip, quit worrying so much. Go pack, and change your clothes. You can't go in your nightgown." Craig smiled.
"But, do you know how much fuel it'll take to drive that far? With the shortage, should we risk it?" I asked.
"I have stocked up, we'll be fine. Now if you can't find any other reason to object, go pack, I want to get going." Craig said.
I smiled and left to go change and pack an overnight bag.
"What exactly is in Chicago that we are going for?" I yelled into the living room.
"Resurrection Mary." Craig called back.
"Who is Resurrection Mary?" I asked.
"She is a ghost." Craig said. I stopped packing in mid-air.
"You're dragging me to Chicago to see a ghost? Craig did you hit your head at practice this week?" I asked.
"Well I wanted to do something fun for Halloween. While working with Jimmy a few weeks ago, he mentioned that he, Rizzo and OC used to drive to Salem for Halloween. You know look through the old cemeteries, find the graves of the women killed as witches, stuff like that." Craig explained.
"So what's that have to do with Chicago?" I asked.
"I wanted to do something similar, you know ghost hunting as a gag for Halloween. I asked a few of the boys from the area if there were any ghost legends about Minneapolis. Strobel piped up and told me that his family went on a ghost walk while visiting Chicago and heard about Resurrection Mary. So I made a few calls and everything is in order." Craig said.
"Sounds like fun….do you think we'll actually see a ghost?" I asked.
"No, but its Halloween so it'll be fun. And it gives us a weekend to ourselves." Craig said.
"It does sound fun. I am almost ready. I'll have to stop and ask one of the boys to take care of Smokey while we're gone." I said.
I grabbed a heavy jacket knowing that Chicago would be just as chilly as Minneapolis. I packed comfortable shoes, not knowing how much walking we'd be doing. I checked my bag twice and went into the living room.
"Okay, I am ready as soon as I get someone to check on Smokey." I said.
"Well let's go, the boys are doing something in the hall, so it won't be hard to ask around." Craig said.
Craig took my bag and we walked out into the hall. Sure enough several of the boys were sitting in the hall and hanging out of rooms. As I got closer I could see that they were setting up an Ouija board.
"Hey guys, what are you doing?" I asked.
"We thought midnight Halloween would be the best time to contact the dead." Verchota said.
"Phil thinks he's going to contact Marilyn Monroe." Janny rolled his eyes.
"If he gets anywhere on that thing, I want to talk to Amelia Earhart." Broten said.
"What for?" I asked.
"Ask her what really happened. Solve the big mystery." Broten shrugged.
"In that case, find out who was Jack the Ripper too." Craig chuckled.
"Are you guys going somewhere?" Johnson asked, pointing at our bags.
"We're going to Chicago for Halloween." Craig said.
"While I am gone, I need someone to look in on Smokey." I said.
"I'll do it." Pavelich volunteered.
I handed him my extra apartment key. "I left him water and food out, but he still has a hard time chewing hard food, so three times a day give him some kitten chow softened with warm milk." I said. "Check his litter box, make sure it doesn't get too full, and if there is any problem, take him to a vet and I'll pay for it."
"Kylah, you're having Pav look in on your kitten for two days, not leaving your child behind." Silk said.
"And don't let this key out of your site. I don't want Janny and Verchota sneaking into my apartment and looking through my lingerie and underwear drawer." I said.
"Is there any dead people you want to talk to before you leave?" Ramsey asked me.
"No. You guys have a good time and remember to shut any doors to other dimensions you open." I winked and followed Craig out of the dorm.
Craig put our bags in the back of his car and we climbed in. Craig started the car and pulled out onto the road. There were few other cars around and we were quickly out of the city. The highway was empty except for us.
"What did you mean about shutting doors to others dimensions?" Craig asked.
"I heard somewhere that when you use an Ouija board, you have to close the doors you open so that you don't let ghosts out among us." I said. "I am not sure; I never used one or anything. Back home they were strictly forbidden. I never even saw one until I was in college."
"The boys were just kidding around. I don't think they seriously believe they're going to contact the dead." Craig smiled.
"Yeah, just like I don't believe we're going to see a ghost in Chicago." I said.
"Me either." Craig smiled. "Why didn't you ask to contact Jake when Ramsey asked?"
"Whatever happens to us after we die…..I believe Jake is at peace and resting. He is no longer suffering or in pain. I don't want to bring him back to this miserable world if those silly things work, just leave him at peace." I said.
"Isn't there anything you'd like to say to him?" Craig asked.
"Of course…..there are days I'd give anything to have Jake back. But things are so bad; I wouldn't want him to see this. Some times I think Jake dying was a blessing. He's missed Watergate, the fall of Saigon, the 3 Mile Island meltdown, the fuel shortages, not to mention this Cold War that goes on forever." I said.
Craig reached over and took my hand as he drove on through the night.
October 31, 1979 8:12 AM
Chicago, IL
"Wake up, we're in Chicago." Craig said and nudged me.
I opened my eyes and looked around. There were tall buildings in the distance. We seemed to be on the outskirts of Chicago. The sun was shining bright.
"Wow, how long did I sleep?" I asked.
"About three hours." Craig said.
"I'm sorry. I should've stayed awake with you." I told him.
"Don't be silly. I was fine driving." Craig said.
"So where is this Resurrection Mary ghost person?" I asked with a yawn.
"Well I figured we could grab some breakfast and then find a hotel. Rest and freshen up and then this afternoon see some of the city before we go on our scheduled Ghost walk tonight." Craig said.
"Oh, sounds good to me. Where is this Ghost walk thing at?" I asked.
"Resurrection Cemetery on the edge of the city. It's one of the largest graveyards in the Midwest." Craig said.
"What gave you the idea to do all this?" I asked.
"I just wanted to do something fun for Halloween. And I know you're a little superstitious down deep so I thought this would be perfect." Craig said.
"For Thanksgiving are you taking me to Plymouth Rock?" I giggled.
"Are you kidding? I thought you'd be making me a big Thanksgiving dinner." Craig winked.
"I start cooking a big dinner at the dorms and those boys will smell it a mile away and we'll have an apartment full of people." I chuckled. "I am not sure even I could cook enough to fill up Rizzo."
7:30 PM
Resurrection Cemetery
"Kylah, I thought you didn't think we'd see a ghost." Craig said as I clung to his arm.
"I don't but, you just never know. I mean people claim to have seen this Mary ghost, not all of them could be lying right?" I said.
Craig chuckled. "Well according to the tour guide, Resurrection Mary has never tried to hurt anyone, she just hitch hikes and walks outside the cemetery gates."
"Whatever the case, you move farther than three feet from me and I will never forgive you." I said.
"I couldn't get away from you if I tried. You're squeezing my arm so tight that you're cutting off blood flow." Craig said.
"I think the guide is getting everyone together for the tour." I said, watching a small crowd gather around the guide.
Craig and I walked over and joined the group.
"Welcome to Resurrection Cemetery, home of Chicago's most famous ghost- Resurrection Mary. Our very own Resurrection Mary falls into the 'vanishing hitch hiker' folklore. For over forty years, residents of Chicago have reported a young blonde woman, in a long white party dress, walking along the outside of the cemetery. Those that have tried to give her a ride report that she vanishes into thin air." The guide started.
"We're not picking up hitchhikers when we leave here." I whispered and Craig chuckled.
"It is most likely that Resurrection Mary, while alive was Mary Burgoli, who was killed in the early 1930's while hitchhiking home in a storm. As legend holds, Mary had been dancing with her boyfriend at the O'Henry Ballroom. They got into a quarrel and Mary left alone, deciding to hitchhike home. She was walking along Archer Road when a motorist hit her and fled the scene. She was dead before anyone found her. Mary was laid to rest in Resurrection Cemetery. It was after this that sightings of Resurrection Mary began."
We walked along a bit through the cemetery as the guide continued talking. Speaking of different sightings and such of the ghost. I stuck close to Craig, who was carrying our flashlight.
"One of the most well documented and believable encounters with Resurrection Mary happened in 1939. A young man named Jerry Palus. Jerry was out dancing at one of the local clubs, when he spotted a young girl wearing a long flowing white gown. He asked her to dance, and later said she was cold to the touch. The girl called herself Mary. At the end of the night, Jerry offered to give Mary a ride home. Mary asked to be taken to Archer Road despite that earlier she had told him she lived in another part of town. Jerry was driving along Archer Road when Mary asked him to stop the car across the street from Resurrection Cemetery. Mary got out of his car and asked him to wait for her. She crossed the street and vanished in front of him."
"Kylah, you're not breathing." Craig whispered.
"Oh sorry." I said and let out a breath I wasn't aware I was holding.
We walked over to the gates of the cemetery.
"It was here that just three years ago one of the strangest occurrences involving Resurrection Mary took place."
I stepped closer to Craig, who chuckled again. I was a bit angry with myself for getting so worked up over a ghost story. I was scared, but having fun.
"On August 10, 1976 around 10:30 at night a local cab driver passed by the cemetery. He saw a girl inside the cemetery grasping the bars of the gate. The driver stopped at the nearest police station and reported that someone had accidentally been locked inside the cemetery. A police officer was dispatched, but was unable to find anyone when he arrived at the cemetery. When the officer looked at the gate itself, he found two bars on the gate had been pulled apart and bent at sharp angles. And on the bars were handprints scorched into the metal. All attempts to rationally explain how the gate was damaged failed. And to this day, all attempts to cover the scorch marks fail. No matter what is tried, the marks show through."
The guide shined his light on the bars of the gate and sure enough there were handprints scorched onto the bars. My eyes widened and my heart started pounding faster.
"Kylah, are you okay?" Craig whispered.
"It's really handprints." I whispered back.
"I thought you didn't believe in ghosts?" Craig asked.
"I am quickly changing my mind." I told him.
11:30 PM
"Craig, do you believe Resurrection Mary is real?" I asked across the dark room. We were lying in separate beds in our hotel room. I couldn't sleep.
"I don't know. I don't understand everything about the afterlife and ghosts and reincarnation or any of that. But it was a great Halloween trip. If someone had jumped out and said 'boo' we'd have had to do CPR on you." Craig laughed.
"No kidding. I know it was all a gag, but when you're in a cemetery at night and hearing a ghost story….it gets to you." I giggled.
"Well I am glad you had fun. It's been a good day." Craig said.
"Yeah it has been." I agreed. "Uhhh, are you tired?"
"Yeah, why……oh, are you afraid to sleep?" Craig asked.
"Well….yeah. I know it's silly and you must think I'm really childish, but…"
"I think it's cute." Craig said.
"But I feel jumpy and every noise has me looking around." I said.
"Do you want me to sleep with you so you're not alone over there? Maybe you'll feel safer." Craig said.
I paused for a moment. Craig and I hadn't slept in the same bed before. I knew that he just wanted to be near me and nothing else, but lately I had been feeling guilty because I felt I was not satisfying Craig sexually. He never complained but being older than me it had to bother him to be stuck between first and second base- metaphorically speaking.
"Kylah, are you still here?" Craig broke me from my thoughts.
"Yeah….I just, well I don't want to be a bother." I said, thinking it was a safe way of putting it.
"You're never a bother. I don't want to make you uncomfortable, but if you want me to hold you I will." Craig said.
I took a deep breath. "You won't make me uncomfortable, come on over."
I heard Craig climbing out of his bed and move the few feet across the room to mine. I held up the covers to make it easier for him to climb in. Craig slid into the bed and I moved closer to snuggle with him.
"Feel better?" Craig asked.
"Much better." I said and laid my head against his shoulder. I yawned.
"You tired?" Craig asked. I nodded. "You sleep in then. I'm getting up early to shower. I am going to really need one." Craig said.
"Okay. Goodnight Craig." I said and kissed him.