Golden Glories

by Gerald Lopez

  I put my hand firmly on his shoulder and spoke. “They’ll be fine. Chip knew what to do in an emergency, and they have a decent supply of holy water.”

  “The children are in the chapel?” the wife of the store owner said nervously, then shook her head. “No, they’ll be safe there—that’s holy ground.”

  “Look!” someone shouted. “I see movement!”

  We got out of the golf cart to look ahead and saw a group of people—but they were in the water. Someone screamed and a moment later we understood why. That was when we saw them wading through the water at a very slow pace. At least thirty to forty senior citizens in their wheelchairs or using canes and walkers—some of them walking on their own. But they had one thing in common—they’d been drained of all color.

  “Oh great,” Sassy said, then began licking the lollipop she’d gotten out. “Just what we need, senior citizens possessed by ghosts and turned into an army.”

  “You mean they’re not zombies,” the store owner’s wife said.

  “Nah,” Sassy said.

  “The color of the water is beginning to change on the right side,” Alex said.

  People were running out of Poppy’s that was located on that side. Using my binoculars, I was able to spot Pete, Don, and Braeden leading Poppy, Bambi, Lady Momma, Babette, and others out of the building.

  They were doing well in the waist-high golden water, then it turned back o a normal color and the army of seasoned citizens headed their way.

  “We’ve got our guns and Forrest’s Super Soaker refilled,” Sister Mack said. “We’re gonna stand by the edge of the water and try to help.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Forrest said. “Someone stay with the golf cart.

  Sassy stayed behind while the others of us left.

  The group from Poppy’s was making good progress, but the elder army was still after them. Looking through my binoculars, I saw Babette fall without anyone in her group noticing. She panicked, looked back at the old people and screamed. That was when Poppy and Bambi spotted Babette, and went back for her. Babette was almost hysterical, looking back at the old folks, until Bambi pointed at them to show how slow they were moving. Then Babette calmed down, laughed, lifted her shirt, and flashed the old folks. I assumed she was trying to stop them in their tracks. Not the smartest thing to do, though, because that brought the ghost pirates. And the old folks who had been moving slowly, suddenly jumped forward at astonishing speed. Poppy and the others screamed, and began rushing through the water, while everyone with water guns took aim at the ghost pirates and old people. Whenever an old person was hit with holy water, they regained their coloring and became fully human again. But then they had to be helped out of the water by others.

  Just when I thought we might have been gaining ground, and all the people with Pete and Poppy were safe, something else occurred. The water was no longer gold or silver, but a strange glow came upon it—a bluish and familiar hue. Alex looked at me.

  “Layton—blue light,” Alex said. “It’s blue light.”

  And with the blue light came an army of ghost nuns with glowing eyes. They floated in, interlocked arms, and surrounded the downtown area like a ghostly fence. Darker hues of blue rays shot across the water, as everyone silently watched. A crackle of what looked like electricity went across the water’s surface. And the rays of blue were starting to come out of the water onto the surface.

  “It’s time to fight fire with fire,” I said.

  Chapter 37

  The Calvary Arrives

  “IF YOU SEE A break in the water or between the nuns, and have a chance to get to Chip—go,” I said to Forrest.

  “Layton, I know what you’re gonna do and I’m helping,” Alex said.

  When Alex put his camera down, I chuckled—he meant business. Alex followed my moves when I crouched down and put my hands to the ground, then summoned the blue light energy in the area. I felt the energy sizzle through my body to my hands, then directed it toward the water and the nuns. My every move was matched by Alex.

  The water turned completely electric blue several times, then shot into the air and back down. Pirate ghosts scattered, but the ghostly nuns were unmoved. Then from the corner of my eye I saw something unexpected.

  Ebony and Ivory, still dressed in their chicken outfits with Buck by their side, were pushing a cart into the water. In the cart was a huge cannon and Miss Lucy stood behind it. I heard them do a countdown from three-to-zero, then they did it. Miss Lucy fired the immense water cannon toward the nuns and the water in the street.

  “Get in!” Forrest said, when he drove up in the golf cart with Sassy. We got in and Forrest floored it. Sassy had Forrest’s Super Soaker and was using it. The nun boys were standing on the back edge and sides of the golf cart, and were shooting at pirate ghosts that were on our tail.

  “Good ole Daddy came through with that mobile water cannon Miss Lucy fired!” Sassy said. “He always knows what we’ll need.”

  “I’ll say,” I said.

  As we turned onto the street the chapel was located on, I saw a familiar blue light. A crowd was gathered across from the chapel. And Jorri was there with Granny and the kids. When Sassy pulled over to the side and stopped, Braeden and Don ran to us.

  “Nikki’s fighting the nuns using that blue light!” Braeden said. “She knew Layton had done it before, and said she won’t be a coward this time around.”

  The chapel was surrounded by nuns, some of whom had blue light glowing from their hands and were looking our way. I crouched down again, but was too late. Blue light was heading our way and we were in trouble. Don jumped between us and the blue light. I gathered some blue light energy from the ground and fired back at the nuns but by then Don was in the air. In one quick move he was tossed into the distance.

  “Don!” Braeden shouted. “Don!” He ran off to try to find Don, while I was firing at the nuns.

  “Layton, Forrest,” Alex said. “I can see Chip, Charity and the others on the chapel roof. They look fine but—”

  “But they’re surrounded by ghost pirates and ghost nuns,” Sassy said.

  Forrest’s phone rang, and I went back to shooting nuns with blue light. Seconds later I felt Forrest tap my shoulder and stopped what I was doing.

  “Charity said we need to get inside the chapel,” Forrest said.

  “We can cover you from here if you guys wanna make a run for it,” Sister Mack said.

  “I’m going with you,” Alex said. “You may need help getting back.”

  While Alex and Forrest filled their water guns and mine, I shouted to Nikki.

  “Ya doing OK, Nikki?”

  “Yeah!” Nikki said. “Do what ya gotta do!”

  “We’ll try to clear you a path,” Granny said.

  “I’m going with you, guys,” Sister Joe said to me.

  The group around us all took aim using their water guns on one side to clear us a path, and we ran for it. As we moved forward, ghost pirates approached us, but Forrest was quick on the draw, as was Alex. My poor gun just didn’t have as big a range. After running through knee-high water and past several graves, we finally made it to the front door.

  Sister Joe wet the doorway and front step with his water gun.

  “I’ll stay by here and make sure you have a way out,” Sister Joe said.

  “Thanks,” I said. “Stay safe.”

  The rest of us went inside, where several ghost pirates were floating around. Forrest and Alex did their thing, the ghosts shrieked, and quickly disappeared. I ran toward the back, went up to the roof, and returned with Charity and Chip.

  “I shouted down to Sister Joe from the roof,” I said to Alex and Forrest. “He’s gonna help the others down from the roof and out of this area.”

  Forrest walked up to Chip, checked him for injuries, then hugged him.

  “Guys, I noticed something earlier,” Charity said.

  “What?” I said.

  “The writing on these statues of Christ the Sheph
erd is in Russian,” Charity said. “And they all have staffs.”

  We all ran to a statue and checked them to see if they hid a passageway or secret compartment. But there was nothing.

  “Anyone have any other ideas?” I said.

  “Maybe,” Alex said. “Sometimes a famous work of art is hidden under another work of art. It could work the same way with the treasure.” He pulled out his keys and made a discreet scratch on the statue in front of him. “Nothing.”

  Forrest scratched at the statue in front of him and Chip—the one with the reclining Jesus next to the sheep.

  “Gold!” Chip said.

  We gathered around them, then heard Father Paul speak from behind us.

  “You’ll be needing these, I think,” Father Paul said, then smiled.

  I turned and saw him holding a sledgehammer and a regular hammer.

  “Yes, Sir,” I said. “Those are just what we need.”

  We let him take the first whack at the statue—near the sheep. When he broke through the plaster or clay, gold coins and jewels began spilling out of it.

  “We’ve got to separate the staff from the rest of the statue,” I said.

  My phone rang and I stepped away, letting Alex and Forrest deal with freeing the staff. After ending the call, I shared what I had learned.

  “The other kids and their parents are safe, and all the ghosts, including the nuns that were around are gone. But there’s a crowd headed this way thinking the treasure is in here.”

  “Hurry and free the staff,” Charity said.

  Sassy rushed inside followed by Granny, Nikki, Bogie, and Antoinette.

  “Put a rush on it!” Sassy said. “We’ve got a golf cart outside. Jorrie’s guarding it.”

  “Kids, Granny, gather up the treasure,” Father Paul said. “I don’t want those ill-gotten goods in this holy place.”

  Granny, Sassy, Nikki, and the kids gathered up the treasure and put it in the tote bags Granny and Sassy had brought in for that purpose.

  “Chip, go with them back to the compound,” Forrest said. “And stay there till we arrive.”

  “Yes, Daddy,” Chip said.

  “We’ll keep an eye on him,” Bogie said.

  “I’ll stay,” Charity said. “Lily May’s in labor, and her mom may need help with the delivery.

  “God bless the woman in labor,” Father Paul said. “May angels surround that baby and keep him safe as he enters this world.”

  “Amen,” we all said.

  “Nikki, make sure to rest when you get back to the compound,” I said. “You’re not used to dealing with blue light energy.”

  “I will, honey,” Nikki said. “Y’all be careful.”

  “We will be,” Alex said, while carefully hammering away at the staff.

  Once they’d gathered all the treasure, the kids left with Granny and Nikki. Sassy stayed behind with us. Alex and Forrest managed to free the staff, and we hightailed it out the side door. As we were leaving, we saw a crowd rushing into the cemetery and heading toward the chapel. Luckily the staff in Forrest’s hand didn’t look like anything special. It was just wood covered in chips of plaster and/or clay.

  “Layton, why would the nuns and other ghosts have left so suddenly?” Alex said as we walked.

  “Maybe they left once we found the treasure,” I said, then something popped into my mind. “Or they could be guarding the third hidden treasure.”

  “I forgot about the third moonbeam,” Forrest said.

  “Hey, those guys got something out of the chapel!” a man shouted, then pointed our way.

  “What is it?” A woman said.

  “Some sort of stick,” someone else said. “Maybe it’s gold or magic.”

  “Time to make a run for it?” Alex said.

  “I think so,” I said.

  “I’ll make my way to Lily May’s hotel,” Charity said. “There’s no reason for a crowd to follow me.”

  “We’ll make sure she gets there,” Sister Mack said, as he and Sister Joe emerged from the shadows.

  Forrest, Alex, and Sassy made a run for it down the alley next to the chapel. But I stayed behind. I stopped and tried to think of a way to divert the crowd. Spotting some rocks, I picked them up, threw them in a far corner, then shouted toward the crowd.

  “Gold! That man’s throwing gold!”

  The crowd was momentarily distracted so I ran after Forrest and the others. Let the games begin anew, I thought.

  Chapter 38

  Bright, Shining Light

  AS I TURNED the corner onto the main street, my jaw dropped. While I ran, I looked straight ahead at a bright, shining light. What in the hell was happening now? I thought.

  My phone rang, I stopped running, and walked while I took the call.

  “Layton, It’s Charity. I’m on the main street downtown. Lily May’s in front of one of the stores. She was getting something to drink when she went into labor.”

  “Do you see that bright light?” I said.

  “Yes,” Charity said. “It’s hovering above a hole in the middle of the street and there’s a crowd gathering.”

  “I’m close by,” I said. “Everyone there keep safe. If you need us call.”

  “I will,” Charity said.

  Once again, I ran while keeping my eye on that light. I stopped when a familiar hand grabbed my arm.

  “The light’s got everyone’s attention,” Forrest said.

  He was with Sassy and Alex.

  “Sassy,” I said. “Take the staff and try to go back to the compound.”

  “Will do,” Sassy said.

  “I’ll go with her in case she needs help,” Alex said.

  All of the boy nuns ran up to us, as Alex and Sassy left with the staff.

  “Don’s missing,” Sister Vaughn said. “And Bean is caught in that strange light, along with some woman. They can’t move or get out.”

  We made our way through the water and the crowd, with Forrest flashing his badge to get us past a lot of the people. When we got up close to the light, we spotted Bean and the woman, but then I felt a trembling beneath my bare feet.

  “What was that?” Sister Randy said as ripples formed in the water.

  The ripples turned into bubbles, the ground shook, and there were small tremors. People screamed and some fell to the ground, while others held onto one another.

  “Am I seeing what I think I’m seeing?” Forrest said.

  Bean and the woman caught in the light began to glow and grow. Their bodies were stretching and looked like human sails rather than solid bodies. And something else was happening. The water we were in began to move in a circular motion. People rushed to get out onto the raised decks of some of the storefronts and buildings but couldn’t. I could see Miss Lucy firing her water cannon into the water, but it did no good. She was soon riding the cannon in the whirlpool that had formed. The two chicken costumed performers—Ebony and Ivory—were with her, along with Buck. Forrest and I held hands with the boy nuns and we floated on top of the water.

  “Help! Help!” a woman screamed.

  “It’s Ginger!” Sister Vaughn said, then swam over to Ginger.

  “I can’t swim,” Ginger said.

  A familiar old woman floating in her wheelchair went by yelling. “We’s all gonna die! We’s all gonna die!”

  Meanwhile our group had managed to form a chain to reach Ginger and Sister Vaughn. Once Ginger was with our group, she floated amongst, and on top of the boy nuns.

  “If we get sucked down that hole in the street into the water I’m a goner,” Ginger said.

  “What’s Miss Lucy have to say about everything?” I said, as we went around a corner.

  “She hasn’t got a clue what’s happening,” Ginger said. “The blessed water isn’t helping anymore.”

  Suddenly ghost priests and monks appeared above us, floating in the sky.

  “They tortured us,” a ghost priest said.

  “And threw us off the tower to our deaths,” a ghost
monk said.

  “All out of pure greed for gold and treasure,” a priest said.

  They all disappeared to be replaced by ghost nuns.

  “They raped and tortured us—the pirates did that to us,” a nun said.

  “Some of us turned to an evil cult for help,” a ghost nun with silver eyes said.

  “We harnessed the blue light’s powers,” another ghost nun said.

  “And others of us drowned,” a final ghost nun said, before they all disappeared.

  The water was moving faster now, but people were helping one another stay afloat. Things got scary when the water began to drain down the mysterious hole in the street.

  But Bean and the woman with him grew even larger in size. They managed to push people away from the hole so they wouldn’t get sucked in. Finally, they covered the hole with their bodies, leaving only enough space for the water to drain. The water drained away completely, and people struggled to stand. The boy nuns helped Ginger, while Forrest and I helped put a wheelchair and its rider upright. I noticed the bright light was still over the hole in the street but nothing else had changed. While I helped someone get his cane, there were more tremors beneath us.

  “Layton! the ghosts are back,” Forrest said.

  Three ghosts appeared in front of the light—a single nun, monk, and pirate. The nun was first to speak.

  “The time has come to give up the last of the key’s treasures.”

  “May the bloody bounty bring you joy,” the monk said.

  “It’s the real thing,” the pirate ghost said. “Fight for it, ye bastards!”

  They disappeared, and Bean and the woman trapped in the light fell to the ground, and their bodies became normal again. Alex, Forrest, and I ran toward Bean. We were helping him up when a loud rumble coming from underground could be heard. Gold coins and jewelry began to shoot out of the hole in the ground and people ran to it. My phone rang, and I tried to answer it while people fought around me. Fists, canes, and walkers were flying through the air. I ducked to miss a walker as I listened to Alex.

  “Forrest!” I said, once I ended the call. “Alex and Sassy are trapped on a rooftop near here. “They need our help.”