Haunted Ever After

by Juliet Madison

  ‘Wait, what is it? Why can’t you tell me why you’re here?’ I stood, moving towards her. ‘Does it upset you?’

  She turned her gaze away from mine. ‘If I tell you, you’ll hate me.’

  ‘Well, we’re not exactly best buds now, so why not continue your roll and put the icing on the cake, huh?’

  She shook her head, then met my gaze and plastered an obviously fake smile on her face. ‘You rest up now, you hear?’ Nighty night, girlfriend!’ She spun around and vanished into thin air.

  I shook my head in disbelief and stood on the spot for a moment, before returning to the warmth of my bed. As I tried to relax and get ready for sleep again, an uncomfortable thought floated through my mind. What if she still loved Greg and was here to break us up? To interfere with my dream wedding and not let the man who got away get away with marrying someone else. I clenched the blankets tightly around me, hoping I was wrong.

  CHAPTER 9

  I awoke to the sounds of cutlery clanging and bridesmaids chatting, and I rubbed my eyes as sunlight filtered through the gaps on either side of the curtains. I automatically scanned the room, but Red wasn’t there. I hopped out of bed and stretched my arms up high, squeezing the remaining sleep from my muscles. On opening the door, I almost stepped on something. A t-shirt lay folded outside my room, white with black writing. I lifted it and the folds dropped away.

  A chuckle tumbled from my mouth, and I called downstairs to Mel, t-shirt designer extraordinaire. ‘Um, I take it you want me to wear this today?’

  ‘You bet,’ she called back. ‘We’re all wearing different ones.’

  It didn’t bother me, I’d be covering up most of it with a jacket anyway.

  Ten minutes later I walked downstairs in my jeans and sneakers, my light brown hair in a neat ponytail, and a long-sleeved t-shirt that said: Sorry guys, I’m engaged.

  I hung my jacket on the back of a chair and sat at the kitchen counter with the others. ‘I’m flattered,’ I said to Mel. ‘That you think someone might hit on me this weekend. This t-shirt will set them straight. Good thinking, Ninety-Nine.’ I gently punched the side of her arm.

  ‘Well, you never know. You could get swamped at the festival today so I thought I’d save the poor fellas some time and heartbreak.’ She winked, then popped out her chest so I could read her t-shirt: Think I look good now? Wait till you see me on eight hours sleep. Note: You might be waiting a while.

  I smiled, and looked at Georgie’s which said: I’m not as sweet as I look, and Lorena’s whose made me chuckle: YES I’m pregnant, YES I know what I’m having, and NO you may not touch my belly.

  I reached my hand across and patted her belly to tease her, then eyed the plates of hash browns, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, crispy bacon chips, and gourmet omelettes. ‘Oh Georgie, I didn’t realise how hungry I was till I saw all this.’

  ‘Dig in, Sal,’ she said, handing me a plate.

  ‘Yeah, before I have seconds,’ Mel added.

  After a hearty feed and a quick freshen up in the bathroom, I grabbed my shoulder bag and met my friends at the door. Things were looking up. No sign of Red, and all I had to do was wear this t-shirt and enjoy the day at the Winter Solstice Festival. Easy.

  ‘Oh Sal, one more thing,’ said Lorena, grasping something from one of her secret bags. ‘Here, you have to wear this all day.’ She propped something on my head and I looked in the mirror. A glittery, sparkling, blingy-as-bling-can-be tiara with the words: Bride to Be.

  Aren’t friends just the best?

  * * *

  The bustling, colourful, vibrant atmosphere of the festival swallowed us up as we entered Barron Springs Park. There wasn’t much diversity among businesses and places in this town; it seemed everything had Barron Springs tacked onto the front of it: the supermarket, the park, the guest house, the post office, the doctor’s surgery, the corner cafe, the pharmacy, and even the pub. The addition of the town name seemed redundant, they might as well have called everything according to the nature of what it was: The Park, The Supermarket, or The Pub, and save a bit of time when greeting customers over the phone.

  People weaved in between each other in the crowd, some in regular clothes and others in costumes to celebrate the longest day of winter. There were a few witches, a fairy or two, some cuddly bears, some…unidentified strange costumes, and even a kangaroo. I turned around as the man-kanga literally hopped past me, his hands hooked in front of him. He stopped and made a noise with his tongue, like Skippy or something, and hopped away.

  ‘There’s one in every town,’ Mel said.

  ‘What, a man-kanga?’

  ‘An eccentric is a nice way of putting it.’

  I didn’t feel so conspicuous in my tiara now. In fact, no one had given me a second glance.

  Except for a clown who walked towards me blowing bubbles through a plastic circle on a stick, wearing — wait for it — purple polka dot baggy pants. I leaned closer to check it wasn’t Red in a different outfit, but no, the stubble showing through the white face paint and a hint of masculine deodorant met my senses, confirming it was a man. A bubble popped on my nose and I blinked away the splash of detergent.

  A woman up ahead twirled a long fancy ribbon, her red, curly hair appearing to twirl itself. Red? As we got closer I noticed her leathery tanned face, and her hair was obviously coloured as grey roots threatened to burst through the red.

  A child nearby laughed and cackled in a high-pitched tone, and once again I was reminded of Red. Geez, even when she wasn’t here I couldn’t get away from her.

  ‘Miss me?’

  I flipped my head sideways at the voice, and there she was, same pyjamas, same curly red hair, same mischievous grin. If everyone else could see her she would blend right into the crowd. No one would think twice about a young woman in polka dot pyjamas on a day where anything went in regard to attire.

  ‘Well, did you?’ she asked.

  ‘Did I what?’

  ‘Did you what, what?’ asked Lorena, her long mascaraed lashes casting a shadow under her eyes in the morning sun.

  ‘Did you miss me?’ asked Red.

  ‘No,’ I replied, then quickly turned my attention back to Lorena. ‘I mean, did I…what? Did I forget my, my…’ Gosh, what could I pretend to have forgotten? ‘Hand sanitiser?’ I rummaged through my bag.

  ‘What do you need that for?’

  ‘All these people, you know. Billions of germs just waiting to pounce on unsuspecting victims.’ I waved my hand about to the crowd. ‘Darn it, I did forget. Oh well.’

  I carried on walking, and Georgie stopped at a stall showcasing various antiques. I wondered, if life really did exist after death, did spirits, or ghosts, or whatever I was supposed to call them, stay connected to important or sentimental belongings? Did each of these items have its own ghost? I decided not to touch any, especially the gilded hand mirror Georgie had picked up, scared if I looked in it I might be met with the face of its deceased owner. I shivered and pulled my jacket more tightly around my shoulders.

  ‘Psst!’ Red whispered, though I didn’t know why since it wasn’t like anyone could hear her. ‘I want to watch the stage show. C’mon, let’s go!’ She gestured to the right.

  ‘Not right now,’ I mouthed, as Georgie was clearly fascinated by the antiques. I felt a slight pull against my jacket, and Red’s powers had no doubt increased as I stumbled over my feet as she made my body move sideways. I resisted, trying to move my body back to the stall, but she persisted, so I looked like I was doing some kind of linedancing.

  ‘Sally, what are you doing?’ Mel asked, intrigue on her rounded face.

  Red pulled me sideways, and I moved back again, and the tug of war continued so I clapped my hands and did a little twirl, then hooked my thumbs in my jeans pockets so I looked like a cowgirl.

  ‘C’mon Mel, join me for a spot of linedancing?’ I asked feebly.

  Lorena giggled. ‘Who are you and what have you done with Sally?’

  Mel didn’
t seem too fazed; she stood behind me and copied my movements, the ones to the right being slightly more awkward and jerky as a result of being pulled by Red.

  ‘Oh, why not?’ Lorena said, and joined in too.

  Within moments, a crowd had gathered around us and some people in costumes joined the line too, copying my every move. When Red flung my hand up in the air, they did too, and when she yanked me so hard sideways that I appeared to be suffering with some kind of muscle spasm, the crowd laughed and followed. I turned briefly. About ten people had joined in the dance, goofy smiles on their faces as they danced along to my impromptu performance.

  To make the most of the situation, I flexed my foot and pointed my toes repeatedly in a heel-and-toe linedancing movement, then prepared for the tug of war with Red. Her ability to move living objects seemed limited, only lasting a few moments before my human ability to regain my posture overtook her. She growled in frustration, then on seeing the laughter and cheers from the crowd, took it upon herself to make the most of it. She pushed my head sideways so that my ear almost touched my shoulder, then again; push, push, push, as though I had a tic. Amazingly, my tiara stayed put, thanks to the clips on the side of the headband, which Lorena had snapped onto my hair to secure the glittery abomination in place. Red poked my stomach and it tickled, which made me double over, and she kept repeating each movement so it turned into an extremely weird, though original, seizure-like dance.

  Ty has nothing on me, I thought to myself with a grin. I may look like a fool, but I was an entertaining fool, and at least Ty wasn’t here to witness this strange public show of my dancing ability, or lack thereof. I spun around one way, then the other, then Red flung both my arms up in the air at once, and when they dropped to my side for the third time I saw him. Ty. Standing right in the middle of the crowd with a wide grin on his face.

  If that wasn’t bad enough, some guy with a microphone came over from a sideshow game to commentate on what seemed to be a flash mob initiated by yours truly.

  ‘Lookie here, folks, step right up! We have a bride-to-be linedancing guru showing what she’s made of, and showing what appears to be a tribal dance of some sort, or perhaps a mating ritual of Amazonian gorillas?’

  I rolled my eyes, and Red laughed, and Ty must have seen enough because he gave a small wave and walked off. Great, more embarrassment to add to my collection. Red broke away from her puppet master duties and said, ‘Okay, I’ve had enough, now I really want to go to the stage show. C’mon!’

  I gave an awkward bow to the crowd, who clapped and cheered, though I thought I heard someone say: ‘What a strange woman.’ Georgie, with a bagful of antiques, approached me and asked if I was alright, and Mel said she reckoned she’d burnt off enough breakfast to have morning tea now, despite having only been at the festival a matter of minutes.

  Red urged me with her eyes, and I pointed towards the stage. ‘Why don’t we go see what’s happening over there? I’m sure whoever’s on stage will be a bit more accomplished than me,’ I chuckled.

  ‘You were tops, hun,’ said Lorena. ‘You’re really coming out of your shell this weekend, good to see! I told you you’d have some fun.’ She hung her arm around me and we walked towards the stage where a new crowd had gathered.

  Boppy music began playing from the large speakers beside the stage, and a young man in a wheelchair was helped onto the stage. His mouth was wide in a smile, and he clapped his hands in time to the music, encouraging the audience to join in. As hands clapped, a few more people walked onto the stage, clapping their hands and bobbing their heads. One of them simply stood behind the man in the wheelchair and patted his hair affectionately like an animal. The man didn’t seem fussed. The music intensified and someone else graced the stage, his body moving in time to the music in a way that oozed rhythm and experience. Ty. He high-fived each person on the stage, then they (or most of them, except the head-patting young man) performed a series of basic dance moves. Some in time to the music, some not so much. But the looks on their faces showed they were having the time of their lives. A serious-looking woman of about twenty was quite good. She never smiled, but copied each of Ty’s movements with vigour and purpose, like her life depended on it. She was practically working up a sweat from pure concentration. I glanced at my friends who clapped along, and Mel repeated her statement from last night: ‘What a guy.’

  The dance crew certainly overshadowed my lame performance; they were delightful to watch, and it warmed my heart to see these people with various challenges overcoming any inhibitions or limitations and putting on a damn good show. So not only did Ty teach life skills and take his ‘team’ on outings, he also taught them to dance. What a guy indeed. Though I hoped his instructions stopped there and didn’t include stripping, that would be taking it a bit too far.

  The performance ended with the team’s fists pushing high to the sky with the last burst of music, followed by a bow. The audience clapped and whistled, and everyone had a big smile on their faces. Maybe Ty hadn’t walked away from my performance in boredom after all, he just had to get ready for his own.

  As the team filtered off the stage, some with a bit of help, appreciation drew me towards them. Ty noticed me and waved me over.

  ‘What a great performance,’ I said.

  ‘Could say the same thing about yours,’ he replied.

  I flicked my hand. ‘Oh, it was just a bit of silly fun. But yours,’ I glanced at a few team members who had gathered around Ty, ‘yours was the most entertaining thing I’ve seen this year.’

  One of the young men’s faces glowed, and I reached out and shook his hand. ‘Well done,’ I said.

  The other young man, whose specialty was patting people’s heads, came close to me. ‘Would you like my autograph?’ he asked in a nasal voice that suggested he might be hard of hearing, or had had trouble learning to speak.

  ‘Cody!’ Ty gently whacked his friend on the chest.

  I chuckled and replied, ‘Yes indeed, I would love your autograph.’ I pulled a pen and notepad from my shoulder bag and handed it to him. He scrawled something illegible on it, then added a drawing.

  ‘It’s a tree,’ he said. ‘I like trees.’

  ‘I like trees too, how did you know?’ I smiled at him as he handed the paper back to me.

  ‘Sally, this is my brother Cody. Codes, this is Sally,’ Ty said.

  I held out my hand and Cody gripped it. A little too tightly, but it was cute. ‘Nice to meet you, Cody.’

  ‘You were right Ty, she is pretty,’ Cody said, and Ty’s face grew a little pink as he shushed his brother. ‘She’s like a beautiful tree.’

  Ty offered a lopsided smile, and pointed to my t-shirt. ‘See that, Codes? It means she’s getting married.’

  ‘To you?’

  ‘No, of course not! To someone else.’ He ruffled Cody’s wavy hair.

  Then without warning, Cody wrapped his arms around me in a warm hug. His hand patted my back lovingly, and although I stiffened at first, I soon softened and allowed myself to enjoy this random act of affection.

  ‘C’mon Codes, we better get everyone together and let Sally enjoy her day.’ He turned to me. ‘I’ve got to get everyone sorted out and back to their respective carers, but I might see you and your friends around a bit later. Maybe you can teach me some of your moves.’ He hooked his thumbs in his jeans pockets in a teasing mockery, and I covered my face with my hand and lowered my head.

  ‘Have a good day, Cody,’ I said, and he waved as he walked off with Ty.

  I turned around to find Red with her hand over her heart. ‘That was adorable. I think I’m going to cry.’ Her face contorted into a slightly exaggerated expression of happy crying. I left her there and walked back to my friends.

  ‘Let’s go Sal, I’ve found something fun for us to do!’ Lorena tugged on my jacket much the same way as Red had done, and out of my newly ingrained habit I considered breaking into a linedance again, but thought better of it.

  She led me towar
ds the stalls.

  What surprise would greet me next?

  * * *

  ‘Palm reading?’ I asked.

  ‘Why not?’ Lorena shrugged. ‘It’ll be interesting.’

  ‘Guess so, but you know that stuff is just a load of hocus-pocus, right?’

  ‘Hocus-pocus or not, I’m in.’ Mel approached one of the kaftan-wearing women behind the stall and handed her some cash.

  ‘My shout,’ Lorena said. ‘Ooh, but wait. Do your jacket up and let’s get rid of this.’ She unclipped my tiara and I buttoned up my jacket, hiding the fact that I was a bride-to-be, unless they’d happened to see my tribal, bridal, mating ritual or whatever that man with the microphone had called my dance. ‘Wonder if they can tell you’re about to get hitched!’

  ‘Hmm, and I wonder if they can tell you have a baby on the way.’ I glanced at her rounded t-shirt poking beneath her long purple cardigan.

  ‘Haha. But if they can predict what I’m having, then I’ll be impressed.’

  ‘What are you having by the way?’

  ‘Ah, nice try, hun. You know I’m not telling anyone.’ She winked.

  Lorena paid the other woman and I held out my hand.

  The woman grasped it gently and gave it a rub. ‘Okay, let’s have a look, sweetheart.’ She pushed her glasses higher on her nose and studied my palm. While I waited for her to analyse it, or make stuff up, Red stood beside me staring at my face with an intense look of concentration. I wanted to ask her if she was giving me a face reading or something, but kept my mouth shut. Instead, I eyed her with a curious ‘what are you doing?’ expression, and she stopped her staring and said, ‘Drats. Oh well, I’ll try again later.’

  Try what? I narrowed my eyes, but she ignored my silent request and tried to fiddle with the crystal wind chimes hanging from the stall. They tinkled slightly and she smiled.

  ‘You have a good, strong lifeline, sweetheart,’ said the woman, running her finger along a line that curved down the middle of my palm. ‘Some challenges early in life, but as an adult you have stability and security, and a fairly straightforward direction.’