Chapter 15 - Things that Go Bump in the Night

When Lee arrived back at the Farmhouse, Amanda noticed and asked with a glint in her eyes "Did you have fun milking a cow?"

Lee answered her by saying "It was a mind shattering experience."

Amanda tried to get him to share more of what happened but he refused. "That's a Need to Know, Amanda" He said.

She giggled and decided she would try to get Bubba to tell her later on.

She told Lee that they should talk later tonight. He agreed and went upstairs to clean up for dinner. After eating dinner with the other Ghost Walk Hosts, Lee made his way down to the buses that would take them back to town. Meanwhile, Amanda made herself comfortable on the Farmer's porch with the rest of the staff. It didn't take long for the men to catch sight of Amanda and realize that she was alone. After several men came up trying to get her attention, an older gentleman went and sat in the rocker beside her. "Hi, my name is Tom. Looks like that boyfriend of yours shouldn't leave you alone too long. There's an old saying about how it is never a good idea to leave the fox to guard your henhouse."

Amanda laughed and said "I can take care of myself but my boyfriend would definitely not appreciate coming back to see all these foxes."

Tom laughed at her guts. "So where are you folks from? I haven't seen you during the holiday season before."

"No, we are from the DC area. We wanted to come experience something different and we read an article about this place and applied for jobs. We were both excited to get hired. What about you?"

"Oh, I've been here a long time. I have seen it all, I think. It used to be the same crowds coming through but the last few years, it is surprising the amount of people who show up. I keep telling my niece that it has changed and I should move on but I would miss working with the animals."

Amanda suddenly realized who this was. "Are you Tom Hanko? Do you have a niece named Stacy?"

Tom looked up surprised "Yes, I am Tom and I do have a lovely niece named Stacy. Do you know her?"

"We met her at the diner she works at. She asked us to say hi to you for her."

"She is such a sweet kid. I haven't seen her for a few years but we stay in touch."

"She was telling me about the strange things going on here. I would love to hear more about it."

"Well, everyone would just tell you that it is my imagination and that I have heard too many of the ghost stories."

"Do you believe that?" Amanda asked.

Tom said "No" and then grew quiet for a moment before saying "Do you want to take a walk with me?"

"Sure" Amanda said. She wished that Lee was here so he could listen to what Tom had to say but she was sure if there was anything important, then Lee could talk to Tom later.

Tom linked his arm with hers and the two of them began walking out to the pumpkin patch. It was a beautiful night and the moon was just cresting over the horizon. It wasn't a full moon yet, that wouldn't happen until October 20th but the crescent moons could be just as mysterious and impressive.

After they were far enough away that no one could hear, Tom began talking. "I have been here nearly 20 years now and have always heard rumors of ghosts and things happening that couldn't be explained but it has only been in the last few years that I began witnessing them. At first, I thought it was just my eyes playing tricks on me, but as time went on, I knew that it was really happening."

"What was happening?" Amanda asked gently.

"Supplies were missing. Company vehicles would disappear for a week and then suddenly show back up again, strange people would appear in the fields only to disappear again the next day. When I would bring it up, people would tease me and tell me I was getting old."

"Who did you tell?"

"Our foreman Stewart mostly. He's supposed to be our go to guy. He told me that he reported it to Bubba and Dennis and after an investigation, it was determined that the supplies were being used by staff and that the vehicles were on site but I just hadn't seen them. I trust Bubba so I dropped it but I just know that something isn't quite right. Anyway, I shouldn't be telling you any of this but it is nice to have an outsider to talk to since the people around here just think I'm crazy now."

"Oh, I don't think you are crazy at all Tom. Have you ever actually witnessed anything happening at the time it happened?"

"Well once I did see a strange man get into one of the vehicles with one of the security guards. I only thought it was odd because the man was dressed in a suit and tie and no one wears a suit and tie around a farm."

"Did you follow them?"

"No, I wish I had thought of that but it all happened so quickly."

"What about the falls?"

"What about them?"

"Dennis had mentioned that there are strange things that happen there."

"Yes, it is not a safe place, especially at night. No one is sure if a group of homeless people live on the Appalachian Trail or if it is kids terrorizing people but there have been times when people feel they have been shot at. People are so wound up in the ghost stories of this place that they are convinced it is ghosts because they can hear whispering and some claim to hear boats on the water. One time, a few years back, someone claimed they heard a woman screaming and it sounded like she was drowning but her body was never found and the person was so scared that they ran from the area that night. I try to stay away as much as possible."

"Is it safe for Lee to be doing the Ghost Walks out to the falls?"

"Yes, most of the activity seems to happen to people who are alone. Nothing seems to happen when there are crowds."

"Well that's good to know. Tom, would you tell me the next time you see a vehicle disappear?"

"Yes, I guess I could do that. You probably shouldn't get involved though. There's no telling what is going on here. I'm actually considering giving my notice when Halloween is over this year."

"That would be a shame for the place to lose you Tom."

"Yeah, I know. But I'm getting scared Amanda. Something's not right and I just don't know what to believe anymore. "

They had slowly walked back to the house and they quietly slipped off in different directions. Amanda wondered what it all meant. She had to tell Lee when he got back.

TBC