Maddie Ann s Playground

by Mackenzie Drew

  Halfway around the lake, she heard laughter and someone calling to her, softly.

  “Jen, you came back.”

  Stopping short, she turned around to see Claire, Kari, Lisa, Tina, and Liz waving at her from the top of the boulder. Jennifer froze. It’s not like she didn’t want to see them, but under the circumstances—all alone in a dark, lonely park—chills spread up her spine. She swallowed thickly and took off through the eroded path trying to get back to the car. Calm down Jennifer. You’re fine. Nothing’s going to get you! Once she spotted the car, she dug for the keys in her pocket and jumped in, locking every door. Get a hold of yourself, damn it. It’s not like you haven’t seen Claire’s spirit before. After taking a few deep breaths, she started the engine and headed home.

  This can’t be happening. I’ve got to get over this fear of ghosts , she thought. There’s going to be no marriage if I continue to talk to dead friends. What would Keith say? I know what he’d do. He’d run away and never look back.

  She remembered to stop at a 7-11 and get a newspaper, as well as grabbing a burrito from the freezer. Back in the car, wiping the sweat from her forehead, she kept her eyes focused on the road as she ate. She didn’t want to think about it, so she tried to think of something pleasant. Her mind wandered above the clouds, in another realm, looking down on this big world. So distraught, she drove past her street and when she realized what she did, she slammed on the brakes.

  “Ah shit! I missed the dang turn.”

  Doing a U-turn in the road, she whipped around onto her street but before she pulled into the driveway, her mother met her by the mailbox.

  “Oh good, you’re home. Will you take me to the store?” she pleaded, a smile on her face.

  “Sure, get hop in.”

  Relief washed over Jennifer. Maybe getting out with her mother would take her mind off her problems. But she didn’t know how long she could keep from telling Cindy she went to see Claire’s grave.

  “Did you have a nice time driving around?”

  Jennifer wished that’s all she did. “Nothing’s really changed. Except I did notice the city gave in and let the retailers build an indoor mall.”

  Cindy laughed. “Yeah, it was either that or they’d get their butts voted off the county seat. Oh, and they finally built that skateboarding bowl in the new city park.”

  Jennifer realized now why the old park went to hell. City Hall’s priorities. That explained the tall grass, trash laying all over the place and big pot holes in the parking lot. “I went to the old park, Mom. I had to.” She couldn’t hold it in any longer.

  Cindy bit her lower lip and frowned. “Why did you go there after we talked about it? You know how dangerous it is,” she said smacking her thighs in disgust. “Someone or something could have nabbed you and I’d never see you again.”

  “Listen, I needed to go see for myself. Please, don’t be angry.” Jennifer pulled up near the store and parked. “And I saw the girls. Yeah…they stood on the Rock and called out my name. It was real, Mom. I promise.”

  The more she talked, the more her mother’s face darkened to crimson. “Just stop it, Jennifer. I don’t want to hear anymore nonsense right now. You know I have had it up to here with all this. First, you disappear for a month, then when you almost died, you take off from the hospital, someone kidnaps you, and then you go into a coma. Don’t you think you’ve put me through enough already? You need to stay away from that park. If you are ever going to get on with your life, you need to forget all about the cemetery incident and move on.”

  Deep down, Jennifer knew her mother made sense. But the urge to connect with her friends again lived deep down inside her. Even if she tried to forget the tragedy that happened, she couldn’t. Everywhere she looked, this town reminded her of the past. But to ease her mother’s mind, she promised to put all that behind her.

  “I’m engaged to Keith Wellington,” she blurted.

  Cindy’s mouth flew open and her eyes widened.

  “Hello…earth to Mom. Did you hear what I said?” Jennifer asked.

  Her mother cupped her hand over her mouth the way she always did when she smiled. Even Cindy’s eyes danced with mirth. “I can’t believe it! This is the best news I’ve heard from you in a long time.”

  Jennifer pulled into the Wal-mart parking lot, took a deep breath and suddenly, she felt the weight lift off her chest. “So, you think this is a good thing?”

  “Yes, Baby! I’m so happy for you! I can’t wait to meet this young man. Does he live in Old Creek?”

  “No, he lives in the next town over—in Ashland. And he’ll be here in two weeks.” Now, she could start planning her wedding. But before Jennifer could do anything, she had to tell her dad and she fretted over it. Convincing him of anything wasn’t an easy task. “Wait…there’s a problem. What about Dad? You know he’s going to frown on this.”

  Cindy gently tapped her hand. “Sweetheart, let me talk to him. If the young man is as nice as you say, I’ll convince him,” she said. “Jennifer, you need this in your life. This is the first step in taking charge of your future and I’m sure Daddy will understand.”

  Finding a parking spot next to the shopping carts, Jennifer pulled in and parked. Everything started to come together nicely and she didn’t have to do much to accomplish it. Just knowing her mother approved of her plan, there’s no way her dad would object. “You are going to love him. He is the nicest person you’ll ever meet, not to mention how much he cares for my feelings and views.”

  Her mother smiled. “You know, I dreamed this day would come and I can’t tell you how happy I am for you.” Cindy opened the car door and got out. “Then it’s settled. We’re going to have a wedding!”

  About the Author

  Mackenzie Drew is the author of Maddie Ann’s Playground series and other novels. From childhood up, she’s been a dreamer with a vivid imagination. She loves to write stories about the unknown, sing, and spend time with her five children and husband who reside in Southern Indiana.

  About the Book.

  What would you do if you found yourself trapped in a cemetery on Halloween night, faced with the evil of the century? Maddie Ann’s playground, takes the reader from the streets of Old Creek, Wisconsin, to a hellish world deep within the old cemetery.

  It began as a deadly secret, turned into a dark legend, then eventually a fairytale told by the locals. Now, after two hundred years in silence, Old Creek cemetery awakens once more. But this time, the wicked doesn’t only want blood, it needs young souls and Jennifer Cravens and Claire Barton are it.

  On Halloween night, Jennifer agrees to go to Old Creek cemetery with Claire on one condition; they are to stay long enough to scare their friends and to see if the legend carries the truth or is bogus. But when the girls arrive, Jennifer backs out and stays inside the car. What she doesn’t expect to happen: coming face to face with a demon and having to enter the graveyard to fight to save her friends from the pits of hell.

  After witnessing two friends being slaughtered by a vicious fiend, Jennifer is cast out of the graveyard with no memory of what happened. Stumbling through the woods to find civilization, she’s able to make it home, but instead of finding comfort, her biggest nightmare has just begun. Her mind has become a human dream portal for the devilish child, Maddie Ann.

  Jennifer must seek the truth before time runs out for her friends and they become part of Maddie Ann’s Playground forever.