Jimmy Stone's Ghost Town

by Scott Neumyer

  Man, what I wouldn't give to see home right now.

  Chapter Twenty Seven

  "It's so quiet," I said as we walked out onto the dusty, grey roads of Ghost Town. "I expected it to be spookier. I thought there'd be creepy music playing or something. I guess I expected Halloweentown."

  "It's not just called Ghost Town because we're all ghosts here, Jimmy. It's also called Ghost Town because it's literally a ghost town. There's rarely anyone around. Unless, that is, you're a ghost yourself, or the ghosts decide to show themselves like they did for you in the Master Hallway earlier."

  "Oh, I get it," I said. "I mean, I don't know why I expected to see people flying around like witches on broomsticks or something. I guess I just thought there would be more somehow."

  "Is this not enough for you, sir?"

  "It's more than enough, Gasp." I shook my head and laughed just a little as I thought quickly about everything I'd seen since arriving here in Ghost Town. "I think I've seen and heard more than I ever wanted to know about Ghost Town."

  Gasp stepped out in front and led the way as we walked along the cracked pavement of the empty road. There were no lines painted on the cement and it looked like there hadn't been a car on it in a long time - maybe ever.

  "I'll tell you what," I said to David as I nudged him in the ribs with my elbow. "I'll never complain about Boredsylvania ever again once we get home!"

  David laughed, but not quite as genuinely as I'd hoped. It was more nervous laughter than true hilarity.

  "If we ever get home," he said without taking his eyes off the crumbling road in front of him. "If."

  All around us were broken down buildings with swinging wooden doors. Occasionally one would catch in the wind and slam shut just loud enough to make me and David jump. The buildings were probably brimming with ghosts, but none were showing their faces, and the sad places looked completely empty.

  You might expect to see a long dirt road in a ghost town. Something with rolling tumbleweeds and dust-filled wind kicking up patches of the road every few feet, but this one was nothing like that. It looked like a normal road in the middle of an older town - just one that hadn't been driven on or used in a very long time. Sure, there were plenty of sections that were crumbling, filled with potholes or crevices in the pavement, but you'd also find plenty of those things right in Boredsylvania.

  Gasp lead the way out in front while David, Trex, and I followed just a few feet behind. We wanted to make sure we followed him closely, but not too close to be annoying. Gasp seemed pretty accommodating so far - he'd proven to be trustworthy and helpful every step of the way - so we tried to just follow his lead without making too many demands or problems for him. Sure, I'd lost my cool for a few moments back in Room 7, but I've learned from that. I didn't need to be that person. I'm just fine being the Jimmy Stone I already know.

  "Can you see them, Gasp?"

  "The other ghosts, you mean, Jimmy?" Gasp kept walking ahead of us and never even stopped to turn around when he answered my question. He just spoke up a little louder to make sure we heard what he was saying.

  "Yeah," I said. "I mean, if they don't always show themselves. We obviously can't see them unless they come out of hiding, but can you guys all see each other all the time? It would seem weird if you couldn't. Like you'd all be running into each other all the time or something."

  "We can see each other," Gasp replied as he quickened his pace just a bit, clearly hoping to make it to the statue of Samuel Blairsden as quickly as possible. "Just like you said - if we couldn't see each other, we'd be floating right through each other all the time. What a mess, sir!"

  Just as Gasp finished his sentence he veered off toward the left, and led us down another street. The first street didn't end, but seemed to continue on in the same direction for miles. Just miles and miles of abandoned - well, they looked abandoned to us, at least, since we couldn't see any of the ghosts floating around inside - buildings and slightly crumbling roadway as far as any of us could see.

  It was a good thing we had Gasp around to guide us because everything looked the same here in Ghost Town. The roads all looked the same. The buildings all looked the same. And with no activity going on in town - that we could actually see, anyway - there was nothing for us to use as a landmark. There were no distinguishing marks to keep our route.

  But Gasp, of course, knew exactly where he was going here in Ghost Town. He led us down several streets as we turned left, left again, and a right through the streets of town until we were on a straightaway that appeared to end in a large circle with a tall black object in the middle.

  "See that?" Gasp asked pointing up ahead at the lone object in the middle of the large circle. He still didn't stop walking, just kept on pointing as he trudged on. "Over there. In the circle. Do you see?"

  David looked up ahead of us and pulled on Trex's leash to keep him moving at our fast pace. I pulled up next to them and looked toward the circle as well.

  "Yeah," I said loudly enough to make sure that Gasp could hear me. "Up there. I see it."

  I quickened my steps just a bit to pull ahead of David and Trex. I wanted to get a little closer to Gasp - maybe pull even with him - to show him that I was serious. I wanted to make sure he knew that I wanted to find this first item just as badly as he (and the other Elders) wanted me to. I wanted him to know that I was here to find these things that the Oracle Essex spoke of, get them to "her" (whoever she was), and find a way to get home. As much as I'd wanted to be out of my house before, I now wanted to be back in it just as badly.

  "Is that it?" I asked as I pulled even with Gasp and moved my feet fast enough to keep his swift pace. "Is that the Blairsden statue?"

  "That it is, Jimmy." Gasp smiled just slightly and sped up a little more. The excitement of reaching our destination was clearly making him giddy and anxious. He just wanted to get there. "That's Samuel Blairsden."

  As we approached the large, black statue I could see the excitement as well in David and Trex. They were now up right on our heels as they'd also begun to increase their speed as we decreased the distance from our destination.

  We were just about to reach the everlasting image of Samuel Blairsden and what we hoped would be the clue we needed to find the first item in the Oracle's little riddle. We had to be less than twenty feet or so now. We were so close that we could practically smell the weather residue dripping off the statue.

  It was all coming together and David, Trex, Gasp, and I were getting happier as we got closer and closer.

  That is, until we saw the four of them step out from behind the statue's square base and stand in a line in front of us, straight across the roadway. Four young boys just standing there, staring us down, and looking like they wanted nothing more than for us to leave.

  "What's going on--"

  "Shh," said Gasp quickly and put up his arm to stop us dead in our tracks. "I suggest you stop here and keep quiet."

  "But--"

  "This," Gasp said, "is going to be a problem."

  Chapter Twenty Eight

  "Did you ever have that one group of kids in your world that just didn't really care about anyone but themselves, Jimmy? You know, the kind that just seem to have the most fun when they're putting someone else through the most agony? The kind that just love to pick on everyone and cause trouble everywhere?"

  "Do I?!" I said. "I probably would never have met David here if it weren't for that exact group of kids. The Coogan Boys were intent on making everyone's life a living hell where I come from."

  "Good," Gasp said. "So, then you know exactly what you're staring at in the four boys in front of us."

  "Who are they?" I asked. "And what do they want with us?"

  "That's Syob Nagooc," Gasp said as if the tongue-twister he just spat out was everyday language for him. "That's what they call themselves. If you look hard enough around Ghost Town, you'll probably see their graffiti tags all over the sides of some of our buildings."

  Gasp stopped jus
t about a foot in front of us and stared straight back at the boys. David, Trex, and I stood behind him, frightened, but ready to do whatever Gasp needed of us. All I wanted to do is get to that damn statue, find our first item, and move on. We didn't have time for this!

  "But what--"

  "They want nothing more from us, Jimmy, than to ruin our day. They're just bullies and they like to cause trouble. They're probably the only ghosts in all of Ghost Town that seem intent on ruining our peaceful, happy existence for everyone."

  I stepped up right behind Gasp and whispered into his ear.

  "What are we going to do?"

  Gasp didn't turn around. He didn't push me back in line. He didn't lose his cool. And he didn't whisper back to me, but instead answered loud enough for everyone to hear.

  "We're going to do what we need to do."

  I didn't like the sound of that, but before I had the chance to really take it in and let the fear wash over me, one of the boys stepped in front of the other three and started floating in the air, just like Gasp. It was almost as if he was trying to prove to us that they were ghosts too. As if we needed proof at this point.

  "What do you guys want with our buddy Sam here?" the boy said and started chuckling to himself. The other three boys fell right in line with him and began chuckling too. "As you can see, we're a little busy with him ourselves."

  "We're not here for trouble, Billy." Gasp said.

  Oh my God! This boy's name was Billy too. It was just too eerie. If I wasn't freaked out before, I certainly was now.

  "We've got nothing for you boys. We just want to spend some time with Mr. Blairsden and we'll be on our way."

  "Well," the Syob Nagooc leader said, "we don't think Sam wants to spend any time with you. He's a bit occupied with us at the moment."

  I couldn't see what, exactly, Syob Nagooc was doing around the statue, but I assumed it was just lounging around, smoking cigarettes or drinking beer or setting off fireworks or something else stupid. Nothing I haven't seen from my father already. They just wanted trouble. They just wanted to give us a hard time because they were bored.

  "I know who you are, Gasp," he continued. "I see you around here all the time. You think you're a big-shot, tough-guy because you're a guide and a Town Elder and Super Ghost of the Year and whatever else you think you are."

  The boy floated closer to Gasp and the two were barely three feet apart at this point. I was worried what might happen. I was worried about what, exactly, might go down here in the town circle. Right in front of Samuel Blairsden.

  "You know nothing about me," said Gasp. "You're just a kid. A little bored kid with three friends that will do anything you tell them because they're too scared to find other friends of their own. That's all."

  "Excuse me," said the boy and took another step closer toward Gasp. They were practically face to face now. I wouldn't be surprised if their see-through ghost noses were touching. "Excuse me?"

  I had no idea what to do. I stood frozen behind Gasp with David and Trex just behind me. I wasn't prepared for a physical confrontation - especially one with a ghost! I didn't even know if I could fight a ghost, let alone want to.

  I turned quickly and looked back at David and Trex.

  "David," I said whispering to him loud enough for him to hear, but not the others. "What should we do?"

  Before David could speak, Gasp stepped even closer to the Syob Nagooc leader and now their noses and chests were touching. It was about to go down!

  "EARS!" I suddenly said to David. "Your EARS!"

  "What about them?" David asked raising his hands quickly to feel his ears, see if they were still there after what I'd said.

  "No," I said. "Evade. Anticipate. React. Strike. Your Principles! Shouldn't we be using them right now?"

  David thought about it briefly and shook his head quickly as he began to answer.

  "No, Jimmy. We're not ready to use them. This situation is too volatile for the Principles to even be effective. There will be a time for them, but now isn't it."

  I sighed heavily and turned back around from David toward Gasp and Syob Nagooc. I was ready for EARS. I knew I could do it, but I trusted David. If he said it wasn't time for EARS, then it wasn't time for EARS.

  "You're messing with the wrong guys, Gasp. This isn't a fight you want. Just take your little non-ghost-people and their little puppy and walk away."

  And before Gasp could even answer, make a move, or think about what he might do, Trex let out a loud bark and tugged hard against David's grip on his leash. It was almost as if he'd heard and understood the boys insult. He didn't like being called a "little puppy" and he, apparently, wasn't going to take it.

  The leader of Syob Nagooc laughed at Trex's bark and his group of boys joined in right after.

  I turned around quickly toward David and Trex just fast enough to see Trex pull himself free of David's hold on his leash. He bolted forward as he let out another deafening bark.

  "Hahaha," laughed the boys, "That dog is mad!"

  The leader shook his head and laughed right in Gasp's face.

  "What's he gonna do? Is the little puppy gonna fight your battles for you, Gasp?"

  Gasp looked as if he were gearing up for a punch. He was ready by now to take care of the situation himself - at least try to - by showing Syob Nagooc that he wasn't afraid of them.

  But he didn't have to.

  Before Gasp even had the chance to pull his arm back, wind up that punch and throw it, Trex was right beside him.

  And when I say right beside him, I mean right beside him. Trex was standing tall on his hind legs, staring down the leader of Syob Nagooc like some mythical creature. He was barking and barking and barking until a funny thing happened.

  As the barks began to get louder and louder, the leader of Syob Nagooc began to shrink away just a bit, but it wasn't until the barks began to morph slowly into actual words that the leader's cronies nearly made a mess in their little ghostly jeans.

  What started as loud barks turned into louder barks and those barks, emanating from the slobbering mouth of Trex, standing tall on his hind legs, turned into words and those words became clear to everyone standing in the town circle that day.

  "MOVE!" Trex barked. "MOVE!"

  If you could have seen the look on all four of Syob Nagooc's face, you would have laughed until you were rolling around on the pavement. We were all shocked, but I don't think anything could have prepared those boys for what they saw and heard out of Trex that day.

  Trex didn't have to say the word "move" more than twice before Syob Nagooc scattered faster than slugs near a salt shaker! They didn't float away from the circle and the statue of Samuel Blairsden. They flew away!

  And, as shocked and fearful as we were of what we'd just seen out of my dog, David and I couldn't help but bust out into a round of huge belly laughs. Even Trex, now back on all fours and barking normally again, seemed to partake in our moment of pure free happiness and hilarity.

  "Good boy!" I said as Trex bounded over to me and shoved his snout right into my legs. I got down on one knee and started petting him furiously all over. "Good boy!"

  Gasp turned towards us and contributed a few laughs of his own, but it wasn't long before he was serious again and ready to continue onto the statue.

  "I have one question before we go see Mr. Blairsden over there."

  "Yes," said Gasp. "I thought you might."

  "How?" I asked. "Just how does that happen?"

  "Not everything in Ghost Town, Jimmy Stone, is how it appears. Remember?"

  "I remember," I said and bobbed my head up and down in agreement. "I remember. And, after that, I'll never forget it again."

  Chapter Twenty Nine

  After the excitement of Syob Nagooc's appearance on our mission, I'd had just about enough of Ghost Town. I was ready to go home. I knew, unfortunately, that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. The only way I'd be able to get home was to finish the challenge we'd been handed by the Oracle Ess
ex. We needed to find that first item, and we needed to find it now.

  "This is Samuel Blairsden," Gasp said as we approached the huge statue. "And this is his nose."

  Wow. Gasp wasn't kidding when he said this statue was the first (and only) thing he'd thought of when the Oracle Essex mentioned "a nose leads the way" in her letter. It'd be hard for me to describe Samuel Blairsden's nose properly to actually do it justice. It was big and bulbous and pointed in a way that I'd never seen a nose before. This was a special nose, indeed, and one that you'd probably never see again for the rest of your life.

  "You ain't kiddin!" I said loudly and slapped David in the chest quickly to make him look. He was already looking and in stunned amazement when I continued tapping his chest to get his attention. "That is one serious nose!"

  "You can see," said Gasp, "why he's so revered in the Seven Realms. A nose is a very special thing, Jimmy, and Samuel Blairsden had the most special of them all."

  Was this some kind of joke? Did they really revere noses here in the realms? I mean, what a strange thing to look up to.

  "It's got to be here, somewhere." Gasp started to look around the statue. He floated around it and searched high and low for anything that might stand out.

  You have to remember that not only did we not know where to look for this first thing, but we also had no idea what we were looking for.

  "It's got to be here!" said Gasp again as his frustration began to grow.

  "Did you look up his nose?" I asked. "The letter did say 'a nose leads the way' so there could be something up there."