Rosemary's Ghosts (Tess Schafer-Medium)

by Deborah J. Hughes

  Rosemary's eyes watered and she blinked rapidly to clear them of tears. "You really think we can do that?"

  "Yes."

  Rosemary's fingers worked the crochet hook with nimble swiftness and I watched in fascination as she enclosed the white star in an interesting pattern. "It's so neat you can do that."

  "My mother taught me just before she died. She was so sick she couldn't get out of bed so I'd lay with her as often as I could. She taught me how to do this and well, I feel her with me every time I pick up this crochet hook." Raising one brow in inquiry, she looked at me and gave a nod toward her doily. "Would you like me to teach you?"

  "I don't know, Rosemary. It looks hard."

  She laughed at that and it was such a nice sound coming from her. "It's not hard at all. If it was hard, then I wouldn't have learned it at such a young age." She joined me on the sofa then reached for the basket next to the rocking chair. "Here, take these." She handed me a crochet hook and a skein of white yarn. "Just watch what I do and then you try it."

  An hour later, I was well on my way to making my first doily. It was quite the accomplishment for me and I know I was grinning like an idiot but didn't care. It was always fun learning a new skill and I was determined to keep at it until I could make Rosemary something. Not that she needed any more crocheted items but that didn't matter. I knew she'd treasure it.

  Since the cabin was getting dark with the onset of evening, Rosemary lit a couple lamps and then headed for the kitchen. "I best set to work getting dinner started. We've a bonfire to attend to later."

  "Do you need any help?"

  "No, not in here but if you don't mind bringing in some more wood that would be nice. It's just around the side of the cabin stacked against the wall."

  Rosemary had over two cords of wood stacked next to the house under a lean-to. I wondered who cut it and brought it out here to the island for her. Not Grace surely. Who filled her propane tanks? Fuel companies didn't deliver to islands like this. Her tanks weren't that big, Grace probably swapped them out when needed though I would think she'd need help. Did Rosemary not have any other family? Surely Grace knew people.

  Rosemary held the door open for me on my last armload in. "Dinner is ready. Thanks so much for bringing the wood in."

  "You're welcome. Thanks for dinner. It smells great by the way."

  Rosemary waved a hand toward the kitchen. "Go wash up and come join me at the table."

  Dinner was a hash of some sort. It certainly smelled good. I slid onto my seat and gave the heaping plate before me a deep, appreciative whiff. Rosemary was a master in the kitchen, no doubt about it. I picked up my fork and eyed with curiosity the strange green vegetable next to my hash. "What is that?" I poked at the green stuff with interest.

  "Fiddleheads. Haven't you ever had them before?"

  "No. What are fiddleheads?"

  "They are a fern actually but you pick them before they unfurl, just after they poke through the ground. You see how they resemble the head of a fiddle?"

  They did indeed. How interesting. I picked a couple of them up with my fork and put them in my mouth, hoping as I did so that they weren't disagreeable to me in any way. Last thing I wanted to do was have a negative reaction to Rosemary's dinner offering. I found them to be rather mushy and compared their texture to that of okra but with more substance. The taste was like a cross between asparagus and dandelion greens, both of which I liked very much. "Mmm, these are really good!"

  Rosemary laughed. "You look surprised."

  "Where did you get them? Do they grow on the island?"

  "Oh no. Fiddleheads grow along river beds. They like damp rotting vegetation and grow well around rocks and trees. Grace picked these for me and I canned them. You pick them in the spring when everything is starting to come back to life." She nodded with approval as I finished off the fiddleheads and dug into her hash.

  "This is great too, Rosemary."

  "I always put beets in my hash. I pickled these right from my own garden. I made a small boiled dinner a couple days ago and have been saving the ham for hash. It's so nice to be sharing dinner with someone."

  "Grace doesn't share meals with you? Does she ever stay over?"

  Rosemary shook her head. "No. She says she isn't going to bring me food and then turn around and eat it. She doesn't like it here at night and is always gone by late afternoon."

  Again I wondered about Grace's situation. Did she have any friends? Was she as lonely as her mother? When did Rosemary decide to come here and live? "So did you both move back to the house after..." Since Rosemary went pale before I could even mention the baby, I drifted off and wasn't sure how to finish the question. But she knew what I meant.

  "Grace left."

  "Oh my gosh, Rosemary! You've been here that long?" Although I wasn't sure how long that was, it had to be quite a while. I wasn't sure of Rosemary's age but she had to be in her early forties at least. It was hard to make a guess from Grace's end because at first glance I thought her to be in her late twenties but there were times when she looked much younger. Some girls aged well. I sure hoped I fell into that category. I thought my mother was still great looking for her age so there was hope.

  "Time goes on, Tess, no matter where you spend it."

  But to spend it in relative seclusion? How sad. No wonder Rosemary was enjoying my stay here, forced though it was.

  Waving toward the window, Rosemary pushed away from the table. "It's almost dark. We should get these dishes cleaned up and prepare our bonfire."

  "Good idea." I finished off the rest of my hash and then followed Rosemary into the kitchen. She hummed a tune I didn't recognize as we washed up and I smiled contentedly. Rosemary was happy and that made me happy. Now to get her house in a happy place as well.

  But as we moved about the kitchen, I could feel the presence of others and there was a growing angst among them. If they weren't anything to worry about as Grace suggested, then why was I getting a distinct feeling of unease in the room?

  Mike's words came back to haunt my thoughts and a shiver traced along my spine, chilling me to the bone. What did he mean by asking why I was here? And in such a way that suggested it was much more than my responding to Rosemary's plea. Bonfire or not, tonight was going to get interesting. It was Halloween after all.

  Chapter Six

  We made our bonfire in the center of Rosemary's small lawn, using a few logs from the woodpile to get it started. Once we had a nice steady burn going, we gathered twigs and branches lying in the vicinity to build it up. There was enough wood debris to get a decent fire going and the build-up of anticipation grew steadily within me. The very idea of conducting an ancient ritual was quite thrilling. Maybe I'd start a tradition from here on out and have a bonfire at my house every Halloween night.

  Rosemary and I worked in silence but with a harmony between us that was comfortable and familiar. It seemed like I'd known her forever. Perhaps that was indeed the case. Who is to say Rosemary and I hadn't met in some other lifetime? Smiling at the idea and wondering what Rosemary would think about it, I tossed a small dried-out tree stump onto the pile then glanced over in time to see her snapping off the dying branches of an Elder tree. Given the situation we were in, I did not want us risking the possibility of inviting more trouble so hastened over to stop her.

  "That's an Elder tree. You shouldn't use the wood from an Elder tree in a bonfire."

  Rosemary swung around and looked at me with surprise. "Why ever not?"

  "Elder trees are considered a sacred tree and their presence acts as protection from evil spirits. The fact you even have one on the island is pretty awesome. There is a belief attached to the Elder wood that to burn it brings bad luck."

  Rosemary dropped the twigs in her hand. "I have enough of that. I sure don't want anymore." She cast a dubious glance at the tree. "Not that it's stopped the spirits from bothering me or anything."

  She had a point, though in all fairness to the spirits, I didn't think they
were evil. Then again, they weren't all good either.

  I started to turn back toward the bonfire when I spotted some mugwort plants growing along the edge of the clearing. Since Rosemary wanted to get into the spirit of things, I pointed to the plant and dropped to my knees next to it. "You know, Rosemary, the mugwort plant was often used to make garland which was then worn on the head while dancing around a bonfire. At the end of the dance the garland is thrown into the fire and it's supposed to guarantee protection throughout the year ahead." I paused to look up at her, saw that I had her rapt attention and continued on. "I don't think they did this during Halloween though. Probably because the plants have usually gone out of season but since you have some available, I can't imagine it would hurt to give it a try. Besides, when mugwort is burned it is supposed to help with divination. Not only that," Rosemary dropped down next to me and I touched her arm with growing enthusiasm for our coming celebration. "Its smoke offers protection from evil."

  I snapped off a few of the plants at the base of their stems. "Let's give it a try. Maybe we'll learn something useful, either through a vision or during our dreams tonight."

  I stood up and handed her a couple of the plants. "If it helps send the bad spirits away, well that's an added bonus."

  Rosemary took the mugwort plants and headed for the porch, sitting on the steps and getting right to it creating her garland. She looked so excited by what we were doing that I was glad to have suggested it. It was nice to see a smile on her face.

  We worked in silence and after a few tries, managed to make something that would stay in place on our heads. Rosemary laughed as I modeled before her and then I laughed as well when she did the same. We looked rather ridiculous but it was all in fun and besides, who was here to see us? A few ghosts? Being on a small secluded island did have its perks.

  We soon had the bonfire going strong and Rosemary and I danced around it with much merriment and laughter. The flames shot high in the air and I caught myself looking several times towards the mainland. Though I no longer could see it through the dark, I knew it was there and I couldn't help but wonder if anyone was noticing our fire.

  The night was very crisp with cold so the fire's warmth felt great. Rosemary gave me one of her sweaters but it really wasn't sufficient for this time of year. Luckily there was no breeze, making great conditions for the fire.

  With just a tad bit of remorse, I thought about all the trick-or-treaters that would be out roaming the streets tonight. Although I was pretty sure no one would drive up my private road in search of candy, I was planning on going into town to watch the festivities.

  The town wasn't the only place getting into the spirit of things (an interesting choice of wording but apt!). Fort Knox, located right across the river, was putting on what they called a "Fright Night". The old fort, built to protect against a British invasion that never took place, was now a national park and one of the most visited tourist spots in the area. Revelers of Halloween put on a "Fright Night" there by dressing up in various costumes and doing what they could to frighten those who paid a nominal fee to walk through the fort in the dark of night. Little did they know that Fort Knox did indeed have its own ghosts and though there were many ghouls in costume, others roamed those darkened hallways and byways that didn't need a costume.

  Kade and I went through the fort a few days back thoroughly enjoying the experience, amused by the efforts the actors made to frighten us. It was even more fun when I announced to the group we were walking with that a real ghost was following close behind us and wishing desperately to make contact. It couldn't have been planned any better when someone jumped out from behind a hidden room at that moment screaming bloody murder. Even now I had to chuckle at the memory for several of my fellow fright mates had screamed right along with the actors. And now here I was on a quiet little island with Rosemary and her own group of ghosts.

  They gathered around us, hovering close and yet keeping enough distance so as not to enter my personal space. Thankfully their presence didn't disturb our ridiculous dance around the fire for Rosemary was having so much fun that I didn't want anything spoiling it for her. At the moment she was oblivious to our spirit company but it was only a matter of time before they would make themselves known.

  Pushing all worry away, I decided to just enjoy the moment. I'd deal with the rest of this sorry mess when it was time. Glad for the pleasant reprieve, I did a silly little jig that made Rosemary laugh and then Tootsie came running out from the woods shocking me into immobility.

  She pranced my way in a high step that I thought was unique only to her until I saw my friend Charlene's new puppy Morgana do the same thing. She clearly wanted to join in on the fun and when I started dancing again, she kept pace with me around the fire. A quick glance toward Rosemary told me she couldn't see my precious dog but I could and for the moment, that's all that mattered.

  I'm not sure how long we danced and laughed, singing at the top of our lungs but eventually we started running out of steam. Tootsie gave my hand a lick and then turned her head expectantly. I glanced in the direction attracting her gaze and saw Mike standing at the edge of the lawn near the trees. He snapped his fingers and Tootsie started after him. But she only took a few steps before turning back and giving my hand another lick, nudging me with her head. I patted her with affection. "Go ahead, girl. Go with Mike."

  Tootsie looked up at me and barked and I had a feeling as she bounded across the clearing towards Mike that I wouldn't be seeing her again. Though sad at the idea, I was grateful for the time I'd been given with her. Not many people got the opportunity to enjoy a visit from their dead pets. I truly was quite blessed.

  "When do we throw in our garland?" Rosemary touched my arm to gain my attention and then looked to see what I was staring at. "Do you see something, Tess?" She was a little winded from her enthusiastic dance and I couldn't hold back the grin. She looked years younger and I was so glad we decided to do this.

  "No, not anymore." And because I didn't want to explain, I waved my hand toward the fire. "Whenever you are ready. But first, let us summon the spirits."

  Rosemary's eyes widened in sudden apprehension. "Why?"

  "To send them off into the light! If we are successful in that endeavor, then you won't be bothered anymore." I wiggled my hand in encouragement for her to take it. "There's nothing to fear. They've been around us since we came outside and you haven't experienced anything bad have you?" She didn't answer right away and I turned to look at her more fully. "Rosemary?"

  Expelling a quick breath, Rosemary scrunched her thin shoulders. "I've been hearing whispers. Mostly just my name. I thought it was you a time or two but then I knew it wasn't you."

  "What did they whisper?"

  "As I said, mostly just my name." Rosemary stared into the flames, her expression pensive. "For the first time since they started bothering me, I wasn't afraid." She turned her head and smiled at me. "Thanks to you, Tess. I've actually felt happy the past couple days."

  I reached over and squeezed her hand. "I'm glad, Rosemary. You deserve it."

  "Do I?" Rosemary sighed heavily and turned back to the fire. "I'm not so sure about that."

  "Why do you say that?"

  "My life has been one struggle after another, Tess. I must be on the punishing end of life for a reason."

  "The reason for all manner of adversity is to achieve emotional, mental and spiritual growth. Every obstacle you've overcome, Rosemary, has made you a better, stronger person. You've learned a lot in this life and for sure you will see rewards in the afterlife."

  Rosemary turned to look at me with widened eyes, clearly disbelieving and yet filled with hope. "You think so?"

  "I do, Rosemary. I really like the person you've become. You are a good, kind person. You've made me most welcome here and I hope that we can be close friends from here on out."

  Rosemary smiled in response giving my hand a squeeze before releasing it and tugging the garland off her head. "Shall we?"
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  Grinning with anticipation, I pulled mine off as well and held it high in the air. And then, getting into the spirit of the thing, I tilted my head back and spoke with dramatic flair. At least that was the effect I was going for. Judging from Rosemary's rapt attention and awe-struck expression, I'd say I played my part quite well. "We ask for protection from all evil and for the banishment of all spiritual beings not here for our own good. Please bless us with peace as we offer you our gratitude." I tossed my garland into the fire and Rosemary, doing the same, gave a little whoop of joy as she did so.

  The flames whooshed high, torching the wilting leaves in mid-air and sending out a spray of sparks. Startled, Rosemary and I took a few hasty steps back, glancing at each other in mutual surprise. The heat from the fire grew more intense, forcing us back even further.

  Although I was puzzled by the fire's response, it was the feeling of urgency suddenly racing through my blood that put me on alert. Before l could react to it, however, I felt a sucking sensation, as if the air was trying to pull me toward the fire. It was so strong that Rosemary and I nearly tumbled along with it. Thank goodness we were close enough that we managed to grab each other, holding tight, resisting the pull with every ounce of strength we had. The suction was so strong, though, that fear surged within me. How long could we hold out against it? Dear God, were we going to lose this battle and be pulled into the fire? Is this how I was to die?

  The flames grew brighter and brighter until it blinded us with its brilliance. A roaring noise, like a freight train speeding past us, sounded loudly in my ears and I closed my eyes in an effort to resist the lure into that light. I hated to admit it but part of me wanted to stop resisting and let go. But then an image of Kade entered my thoughts and my resolve to overcome this situation returned. Knowing Rosemary was probably dealing with the same emotions as me, I pulled her close, yelling over the roaring wind, hoping she heard me.

  "Fight it, Rosemary!" When she didn't respond, I opened my eyes and found her staring transfixed into the bright light of the fire. There was a fascinated look on her face that frightened me. "Rosemary! Look at me. Look at me, Rosemary!" My hands tightened on her arms and I shook her as hard as I could. Even so, she barely felt the effort, standing steady against the pull, unlike me who had to struggle to remain standing. I wasn't sure why but I had the strongest suspicion she was about to leap into that fire. Somehow I had to get her attention. Fighting down the desperation clawing away at my self-control, I leaned close and spoke directly into her ear. "Rosemary!"