With sore hands, Tori placed the handle back on its hook. “This isn’t over, Lantern.”
She glanced back one more time as she rounded the bend back to the path, and then picked up her pace with hopes of completing the trek to her grandmother’s house before supper was on the table.
Chapter Four
Tori sat through dinner, thoughtful and quiet, muttering yes-moms and sure-dads between mouthfuls of food.
She looked up when she realized everyone had stopped talking. All eyes, including Kimmy’s baby blues, were on her. She blinked, trying to remember the last thing anyone had said. Most of the conversation up to that point had been something about basement renovations. Her mother and grandmother disagreed about whether exercise equipment would be safe given the drainage problems in the house. Her father hadn’t said much, so she assumed he’d kept his opinions on the subject to himself. Tori would have fallen asleep out of boredom if she hadn’t been preoccupied with the lantern and whether the light came from inside of it or from something else.
“Maybe we should have let her stay in school instead of joining us for vacation,” said her father with a tender smirk.
“Something on your mind, baby? How’d your visit to the lantern go?”
Tori shoveled a mound of rice from one side of her plate to the other. “Not as well as I’d hoped. I found the lantern, but I couldn’t see inside of it and I couldn’t open it. I need to go back—”
“You mean tonight? Hon, I think you should rest. Halloween’s four days away and you’ll get in plenty more walking between now and taking Kimmy trick-or-treating.”
“But, Mom, if I look at it again tonight I might be able to find out where the light’s coming from. Maybe it will be easier to see the inside of the lantern in the dark.” That sort of makes sense, she thought. Covering her tracks, she added, “I’ll bring a flashlight and my phone; and it will be better now that I’ve been there a couple of times. I won’t get lost.”
Her mother heaved a long, drawn-out sigh before glancing at her husband. “What do you think, Carl?”
“The girl makes a good case,” he said. “Sure, why not? I think it’s worth taking another look.”
Yes! “Thanks, Dad. I’ll be careful, I promise.”
“Don’t mention it, hon. When you become famous, just don’t forget to mention me in your acceptance speech.” He raised his voice in a faux female tone. “And more than anyone, I want to thank my father, Carl A. Hale—”
Tori groaned and covered her face with her hands.
“Never was there a man like him—thoughtful, supportive, and devoted to his wife and children. But most of all, I’ll never forget that night at my grandmother’s house when my mother highly disapproved of my curious endeavor—”
“Carl!” Tori’s mother’s eyes flashed something fierce.
“My father, on the other hand, had all the faith in me. He knew that I would do great things, that I would someday—”
Giving up, Tori’s mother shook her head and laughed. “You know how ridiculous you sound, don’t you?”
He opened his mouth in mock surprise.
“Dad,” Tori groaned. “Fine, I’ll include you in my acceptance speech, but I better never ever sound like that voice you just used.”
Frowning, Tori’s mother bit the inside of her cheek. “Both of you are absolutely adorable when you want something, but I think we should give it another night. I’m sorry, Tori,” she added, noting the disappointment in her daughter’s face. “But if there was someone there yesterday night, that person may have noticed your curiosity. He or she might come back again tonight, expecting you to be there too. I’m not comfortable with it, Carl.”
Tori’s father lowered his head, looking foolish. “Your mother has a point, hon.”
“But—” Tori fumbled with her fork, feeling her chance slipping away. Her eyes darted to her grandmother, who sat with her lips pressed tightly together. One eyebrow arched above the old woman’s eyes, which, to Tori’s surprise, held a mischievous twinkle.
***
Tori closed the door to her grandmother’s house.
She grabbed the flashlight from her pocket and flipped the switch. Two minutes into her walk, music blasted from another pocket. Tori pulled out her phone. The screen lit up with a picture of her best friend, Shawna. The photo made Tori laugh every time. Shawna gaped at her with a toothy grin, holding her hand up to her ear with her thumb and pinky finger spread out like a phone, as if she were saying call me.
Tori accepted the call and said, “Hey, what’s up?”
“You won’t believe what you missed today. Mr. Peterson called on you and everybody sat there waiting for you to answer. Well, you didn’t answer—of course you didn’t because you weren’t there, but that’s not the point.”
“Yeah?”
“Uh-huh, so, we all stared at him. ‘Would anyone like to tell me where Miss Hale is today?’ Total grumpster, I know, right? Anyway, you won’t believe what happened next!”
“Oh? What?”
“Adam happened, that’s what. He raised his hand and said, ‘Tori’s still visiting her grandma. She won’t be back until Halloween, after the weekend.’ Well, Mina gave him a look like she was ready to kill him for knowing about that—even though we all knew. Adam’s hers, you know.”
“Yeah, hers.”
“You okay? You sound, I don’t know, focused on something. You don’t wanna hear about your crush?”
“Yeah.”
“Tori!”
“Sorry, I’m outside my grandma’s place, looking for something. You wouldn’t believe what’s happened here either.”
Tori told Shawna everything she’d learned about the lantern—when she’d first found it, what it had looked like in the daylight, and how no one had seen it light up before she did. Shawna listened in stunned silence—at least that’s what Tori imagined, given that she hadn’t been interrupted at any time while telling her story. When she finished, all she heard from the other end of the line was a deep breath and “Whoa…”
If Shawna said more, Tori hadn’t noticed. The light that caught her eye the night before was there, along with its calming presence. “I’m almost there. I can see a glow,” she said, trying to keep the tremor out of her voice. “It must be lit.”
“So, so, so spooky. I’m getting chills just thinking about it. You want me to keep chatting with you so you’re not alone?”
“No, that’s all right. I’ll probably need both hands to get a good look at Lantern.”
“Okay, well, let me know how it goes. Tell, um, Lantern that I say hi. Wish I was out there with you for Halloween.”
“Me too. Talk to you later, okay?”
“Definitely. Night, Tor! Be safe.”
Chapter Five
Tori slipped the phone in her pocket and looked up. It was a clear night with a round moon and a sky full of stars. The glow of light brightened as she neared the lantern.
She stopped about a foot away from the pole and shined her flashlight at its base. Unsure whether she felt more relieved or terrified that she didn’t see a pair of shoes and legs, she circled the pole to make sure no one was behind the lantern.
“No one’s shining a flashlight through it, so I can check that off my list. Now what?”
Tori stopped to think. She reached up to hold the lantern in her hands and took a look inside. Once again, condensation from the inside of the globe blocked her view. The glass felt smooth and cool between her fingers.
“Well, Lantern,” she said, “explain yourself. How come you’re out here all alone? And where does your light come from?”
Tori breathed through several beats of silence.
A dot appeared on the left side of the glass as if some of the condensation had melted away. The dot stretched to the right, and then turned back on itself and reached downward, forming the letter T.
Tori’s breath hitched. Her hands sprang free from the glass. Too scared to resume breathing, she watche
d, mesmerized as another dot appeared, then five more, each forming another letter until the globe of the lantern spelled out a message:
Too Loud
“What?”
The lantern dimmed, and then brightened, as if accentuating its point.
Tori swallowed a lump in her throat. The words looked like they were written by a child, wavy and shaky, like someone forced to write backwards.
Okay, don’t freak out. Lantern hasn’t hurt me; there’s no one else here. Too loud? Maybe it means me—I guess I’m shouting right at it.
“What are you trying to tell me, Lantern?” she whispered. “Are you a ghost?”
Another dot disappeared from the condensation below the T and formed the letter N, followed by more dotting and stretching until a second message appeared:
No I’m Jared
Tori chewed on her lip as she looked left and right, and then peered back over her shoulder. Are you kidding me? Remembering to keep her voice low, she cleared her throat. “Jared? Are you inside the lantern?”
Instead of spelling out more words, the condensation began to disappear as if someone were wiping it away. Beads of moisture gathered and dripped along the inside of the glass. The closer she looked, Tori noticed two tiny hands swiping along the surface. She gasped, squinted, and then looked closer.
Unable to hold it in, she screamed.
The light dimmed.
Tori pressed her lips together and covered them with her hand. Finding her voice again, she whispered, “Sorry—I’m sorry. If I was too loud before, that must have been horrible.”
The lantern brightened again. Tori tentatively glanced at it and caught her breath. A tiny person stood inside, rubbing his ears.
Oh no, what have I done? I’ve hurt him. The male figure had young features. He was so small that they were difficult to make out, but she guessed he was a teen version of whatever he was, with dark hair and matching dark eyes. His clothes looked like they were from ages past.
“How’d you get in there?” she whispered.
He removed his hands from his ears and reached out to the glass, rubbing away more of the condensation. His mouth moved but made no sound.
“I can’t hear you.”
Jared wound up his arm and let it spring forward. His fist came in contact with the glass, resulting in a faint clink. He dipped his head.
Tori frowned, her heart melting. “It’s okay,” she whispered. “I have an idea. I’ll visit you again tomorrow night.”
The light brightened as Jared looked up.
“How do you do that—make the light brighter and dimmer?”
He shrugged and shook his head.
“Okay, don’t worry,” said Tori. “We’ll figure this out. I’m going to go back to my grandmother’s house.” She pointed a finger, not completely sure it pointed in the direction of the house, but to show him that it was far away. “Next time, I’ll bring tools—something to help me hear you and try to get you out. My name is Tori.”
A grin stretched across Jared’s face; the light glowed brighter.
Tori blinked. Lantern’s brightness seems to change depending on his mood or whether he’s trying to get my attention, she figured, thinking back to the night she first found the lantern. He dims when he’s calm or sad, and brightens when he’s upset or happy. Lantern flashed on and off when I ran. I wonder what that means. Either way, I suppose I can stop calling him Lantern now.
“Goodnight, Jared,” she whispered.
The lantern held its light until Tori was no longer in sight, tapering softly as she walked away.
***
Three Days before Halloween
The next morning, Tori double-checked the lock on her grandmother’s front door. She’d been so absorbed in everything she’d learned about the lantern and Jared that she wasn’t sure she’d locked up for the night. She ran her thumb along the twists and bends of cool metal. Sure enough, she’d flipped the lock as well as the deadbolt.
Whew, at least I’m not totally losing my mind. Part of Tori questioned whether what she’d found the night before was true. Had she really met a tiny guy inside the lantern? Or was it a weird dream?
She shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. Startled by footsteps behind her, she jumped.
“Oh, there you are,” whispered her grandmother as she twisted a shawl around her shoulders. “You must have returned late last night. Did you find out anything interesting about the lantern?”
Tori pressed her lips together, debating whether she should confide in her grandmother. Her explanation was pretty out there, even for a Halloween prank. “I’m not sure anyone would believe me,” she answered, trust winning out.
“Believe what, hon?”
Tension spread through Tori’s shoulders as she glanced back to find her mother all but bounding down the stairs. Well, at least someone got a good night’s sleep. Despite herself, she smiled. “Morning, Mom.”
Two seconds later, Kimmy came toddling after. Tori fussed with her brother, straightening his shirt and smoothing out his curls. “How can you be messed up already? Didn’t you just wake up?”
Kimmy opened his mouth in a wide, silly grin. “Ha!” He opened his arms, which Tori understood as Kimmy-code for pick me up.
She took the bait and whispered, “Good timing, little bud.” Louder, she added, “Let’s get you set up in your booster seat.”
With light, swift steps she carried him to the kitchen, leaving her grandmother and mother to stare at each other. “Do you know what she’s talking about—something about believing?” asked Tori’s mother.
The elder Mrs. Hale pursed her lips and smiled, sheepishly. She waved her daughter-in-law toward the kitchen. “Young ladies need to have their dreams and secrets, I suppose,” she said. “I can hardly keep up with the barrage of technology, let alone make sense of young people’s thoughts these days. You know how different things were in my day.”
Chapter Six
Tori tried to lay low for the rest of the day. Seeing as there was no use inspecting the lantern during the daytime, she read to her brother and kept up with the barrage of text messages sent by Shawna. There was more news about Adam, as well as drama over some new mandatory program the students were forced into back home so they’d have a safe Halloween. Tori had all but forgotten about her costume and trick-or-treating with Kimmy. Her thoughts were full of Jared and the lantern. She had so many questions to ask him, but there was no point in it if she couldn’t hear his answers.
So far, her grandmother had been willing to help, even to the extent of helping her sneak out at night. She hoped her grandmother would also support her plan to go back again to hear what Jared had to say. A retired nurse, Tori’s grandmother had just the tool she needed: a stethoscope. When Tori was a young girl, her grandmother had taught her how to put the ear tips in her ears like headphones, and then press the chest piece to her heart. She’d been fascinated by the thumping sounds inside her chest that she couldn’t hear with her naked ears. Bu-dum. Bu-dum. Bu-dum.
If the stethoscope could magnify her heartbeat, then there was a chance it could also amplify Jared’s voice. Tori smiled. “It’s worth a try,” she muttered to herself.
She held in her excitement throughout the day, avoiding—by some miracle—her mother’s stern brow and questioning glances.
But she couldn’t avoid her father’s point-blank question asked during dinner. “You didn’t happen to go outside last night, did you?”
Tori’s heart stopped. “Wh—what do you mean?”
“I saw your hiking boots on the front porch right outside the door, when I went to get the morning paper. I was sure I’d brought them inside last night and placed them on the shoe rack.”
Tori paled, at the same time mentally smacking herself in the back of the head. I knew I’d forgotten something. I remembered to lock the door, but left my boots outside like I do at home. Think. Think. Think. Tori wasn’t a good liar and now wasn’t the time to start practicing. Her shou
lders rolled forward. “Sorry, Dad.”
“Tori?” Her mother’s voice was pinched. She stood from the table, her eyes flittering between Tori and her grandmother. “Did you know about this, Alice? Did you allow this over our objection?”
Now it was time for Tori’s grandmother to pale. But she didn’t. She lifted her chin. “It’s my home, my property. And I’d said it was safe.”
Tori’s mother stood silently for a few seconds. She rubbed her temples with her fingertips. When she spoke again, her voice was calm and serious. “If we can’t trust you to support us in how we raise our children, then perhaps all visits with Tori and Kimmy should take place at our own home, not here.”
Tori sucked in a breath, startled by the pained look on her grandmother’s face. There’d been a thirteen-year gap between now and the last time Tori had visited the plantation. She’d been aware of a tension between the families, glossed over with smiles and good manners, which was becoming more noticeable as she got older. Whether that had anything to do with why they lived so far apart, Tori didn’t know. But she didn’t want her grandmother punished for any of it. “It’s not Grandma’s fault. Mom, I was just following another of your rules—the one about doing what you believe in and how when given an opportunity to do good—”
“Victoria! This was a matter of your safety and a violation of our trust. You will not go out again at night without us. Your father and I will have to discuss whether you’ll be grounded from taking Kimmy trick-or-treating. He can go to dinner with us and the Thompsons instead.”
No. Tori bit her lip. The Thompsons were a childless couple her parents had known since high school; they were stuffy and boring, and Mr. Thompson had a habit of patting her on the head and teasing that it would stunt her growth. Why do the Thompsons have to spend Halloween visiting their parents’ hometown too? Why couldn’t they stay back home?
Darkness Echoes: A Spooky YA Short Story Collection Page 25