Cemetery Tours

by Smith, Jacqueline

  “Oh, I’m having fun already,” Michael remarked. They hadn’t even pulled out of the apartment complex, and Michael was already thinking he should have backed out when he’d had the chance.

  “Where’s the Ferrari?” Kate asked from the front seat.

  “Couldn’t fit all the equipment in the trunk,” Luke explained, turning the stereo up. The theme from Ghostbusters blared through the speakers. Luke began bobbing his head to the beat.

  “Are you serious?” Michael asked.

  “What? It’s a classic,” Luke said. Michael rolled his eyes. Kate just laughed. “So Kate, did you tell Mikey about our friend, Trevor?”

  “Who’s Trevor?”

  “Trevor’s our ghost!” Kate explained, twisting around in her seat so that she was facing Michael.

  “How do you know his name?” Michael asked stupidly before realizing that the more normal response would have been, “You have a ghost?”

  “We conducted an EVP session in my living room.”

  “You should have been there, Mikey. Maybe you could have told us what he looked like,” Luke remarked. Michael felt his blood freeze in his veins. He stared at Luke like a deer in the headlights.

  “What do you mean?” Kate asked.

  “I’m just joshin’ with him. Right, Mikey?” Luke glanced back at Michael through the rear-view mirror and grinned. Michael made a feeble attempt to laugh it off, but inside, he was fuming. Why did Luke have to say stuff like that? Why couldn’t he get it through his thick head that if Michael wanted the world to know about the ghost thing, he would have opened up about it a long time ago?

  Right before they reached downtown, Luke pulled into a QuikTrip convenience store to stock up on snacks and batteries.

  “You never know when a ghost is going to drain your energy or your camera’s energy, so you have to be prepared for everything,” he explained, leading Kate and Michael through the aisles loaded with candy, chips, and an abundance of other snacks.

  “I’ve always loved these roadside stores,” Kate said, checking out the price on a bag of Trail Mix.

  “How come?” Michael asked.

  “Well for one thing, they’re full of cheap junk food,” she grinned, grabbing a bag of beef jerky and tossing it into their ever-growing pile of snacks. “For another thing, whenever you stop at them, you’re on a road trip or about to go spend the day somewhere fun and exciting. I remember in high school, we took a day trip to Waco to visit the Dr. Pepper Museum - ”

  “Seriously?” Michael asked. He wished his high school had been that cool.

  “Yeah, it was awesome. But my favorite part of that trip was stopping at the gas station right before we left and splurging on chips and candy.” She added a bag of M&M’s to their smorgasbord. “The free Dr. Pepper was good too.”

  They paid for their food and 32-ounce cups of soda (or in Luke’s case, tea), and were about to head out the door when Kate told them that she was going to run to the restroom before they hit the road again. Michael offered to take her drink and her snacks to the car.

  “So are you going to tell her?” Luke asked once they were outside. “That you like her, I mean. Not that you talk to dead people. Though if you want to ask her out, you’re going to have to tell her eventually. That’s not the kind of thing you can just keep to yourself - ”

  “Do you ever stop talking?” Michael growled under his breath.

  “Well, I do host a television show for a living, so you tell me,” Luke said. “Pretty clever, getting her to ask you to come tonight, right? I knew you wouldn’t say no to her. I guess you’re just kind of pathetic that way. Of course, I wouldn’t want my girl alone with a guy like me either.”

  “She’s not my girl.”

  “Right. Hate to break it to you Mikey, but you’re a lot easier to read than you think you are. Speaking of, way to be subtle in the car. You know, when I mentioned you being able to tell us what Trevor looked like? If I didn’t already know you could see ghosts, that reaction would have given you away in a heartbeat. Word to the wise, next time, act like you don’t know what I’m talking about. Or at least remain neutral. Anything’s better than acting like I just spilled your deepest, darkest secret to the girl of your dreams. Which I guess technically, I did, but - ”

  “Alright boys, let’s hit the road!” Kate interrupted, striding over to them. “Where’re the Cheeto Puffs?”

  Thirty minutes and a dozen bad 1980’s power ballads later, they’d made it through downtown (and about half the snacks) and were headed south to Waxahachie. Michael had only been once, when a group of friends from college had decided to spend a weekend at the Renaissance Faire there.

  “So what’s the plan for tonight?” Kate asked Luke once the latest 80’s classic had faded out.

  “I was thinking of putting you in charge of the digital recorder since you mastered the art the other night. I brought the SB7 also, but I usually don’t use it unless we’re getting absolutely nothing on the digital recorder.”

  “What’s the difference?” Michael asked.

  “Kate? Would you like to explain it to him?” Luke asked.

  “The SB7 is a frequency scanner. It scans radio waves and emits static that ghosts can speak through. It’s also called The Spirit Box. With the digital recorder, you have stop and rewind to hear responses, but with the SB7, you can hear them directly.” Luke grinned.

  “Is she not delightful?” he asked Michael. To Kate, he said, “I should take you on as my protégé.” Kate beamed.

  “So why don’t you just use that all the time?” Michael asked, trying to pretend he wasn’t jealous of how easily Luke could make Kate smile. He reminded himself that she’d smiled for him on several occasions, but it was hard to stay optimistic when you were up against a guy who’d been featured in People Magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive” edition.

  “Because it’s loud and annoying,” Luke replied. “I also brought two night vision cameras and a digital point-and-shoot. One of the night visions is a little less advanced, so I thought I’d leave that one with Mikey and let you handle the point-and-shoot.”

  “Awesome,” Kate grinned.

  “Wait a minute. You want me to carry around one of your cameras?” Michael had thought they were just going to be poking around a cemetery. No one had said anything about fancy video cameras that probably cost more than he made in a year.

  “Well yeah, unless you don’t think you can handle it. In which case, I’ll pass the heavy stuff over to Kate - she’s probably stronger than you anyway - and put you in charge of the recorder and the point-and-shoot,” Luke replied with a smarmy smirk.

  “Gee, thanks.”

  ~*~

  They reached the cemetery at about a quarter past nine. The sun had already set, but enough dim daylight remained for Kate to be able to distinguish the layout of the cemetery.

  It really was a beautiful area. After exiting the main highway, they’d driven through a few smaller towns, then turned onto a long dirt road that led seemingly out into the middle of nowhere. With only Luke’s GPS to guide them, they passed a stretch of farmland and a wide meadow bright with sunflowers before turning left onto an off road that ran through a forest. The trees were so close together that Kate couldn’t see the sky, or anything really, through their thick leaves and heavy branches. She wondered how many people had gotten lost hiking through those woods. Unwillingly, she imagined herself trapped beneath the lush, wooded canopy, unable to escape, not knowing what could be lurking just beyond the brush. The thought made her shiver.

  Finally, they’d emerged from the woods and found themselves in a wide, open clearing. Thin, wispy clouds streaked across the sky and fireflies began to dance around the edges of the forest. Crickets chirped and a cool breeze toyed with the strands of hair that had fallen loose from Kate’s ponytail. It reminded her of a scene out of a Western or a romance novel, not at all the setting for a good ghost story.

  Or it wouldn’t have been, were it not for the cemetery.
Sealed off by a rusted gate, it seemed the picture perfect old Texas graveyard, with large concrete headstones and metallic words above the gate that read Blue on et Cemet ry.

  “It’s so beautiful,” Kate said to Michael, who was staring intently into the graveyard.

  “Yeah,” he agreed halfheartedly. Kate wondered what he was thinking about. Luke, on the other hand, automatically switched into professional mode.

  “Alright. Kate, I want you to grab that backpack out of the trunk. It has the point-and-shoot and the recorder, so if you would, take those out and add the batteries and whatever snacks you want. Mikey, come here. I’m gonna teach you how to work the night vision.”

  Kate did as she was asked and ten minutes later, she found herself armed with cameras, recorders, and an EMF detector, a device that Luke used to measure electromagnetic energy and monitor changes in temperature, both of which, he explained, could indicate the presence of a spirit.

  “That’s why the EMF is so important to our investigations. It’s easy for us to believe we’re in the presence of a spirit, but for those who aren’t there to actually experience it, it’s nice to have some scientific evidence that yes, something is happening around us. This is the proof,” he said.

  “Sounds like a little kid at Christmas, doesn’t he?” Kate asked Michael.

  “Something like that,” Michael remarked. Luke didn’t even hear them.

  “Okay. This is what we’re going to do. Kate, as soon as we start rolling, I want you to turn on the digital recorder. You can carry it around if you want, but I recommend sticking it in that little strap on your backpack since I also want you snapping pictures. Take as many as you want, totally at random. Just like the name, point and then shoot. Don’t even look.”

  “Right,” Kate said.

  “Mikey, your job is easy. You just film. You see anything strange, any movement, or if you hear something, you try to capture it on camera. Got it?”

  “I think I can handle it,” Michael told him.

  “Guess we’re ready then,” Luke announced, heaving his own camera onto his shoulder. “Before we start, I usually like to say a few words, let the spirits know who we are, why we’re here, so I’ll do that now. Kate, would you mind switching on the recorder?” Kate pressed the button as Luke cleared his throat. “We’re here at the old Bluebonnet Cemetery in Waxahachie, Texas. Just a little background information. This historic cemetery dates back to the mid-1800s, and a lot of pioneers and cotton barons are said to be buried here.” Then, he addressed the ghosts. “To anyone who might be listening, hello, my name is Luke. These are my friends, Kate and Mikey. We’re just here to talk to you.”

  Kate felt a heavy silence descend on the graveyard. She glanced over at Michael. His brow was furrowed and his eyes scanned the entire cemetery. It almost seemed like he was looking for something.

  “Do you guys want to add anything?” Luke asked. Michael remained silent, so Kate spoke up.

  “Hi, everyone. If you’re here, please let us know. I’d love to see you.” She hoped she didn’t sound too foolish speaking to the wind.

  The investigation began as soon as what remained of the soft glow of daylight began to fade from the sky. In the darkness, the ethereal beauty of the scenery surrounding the graveyard gave way to an eerie stillness; one that caused the hairs on the back of Kate’s neck to stand on end. Illuminated only by the light of the waning moon, the headstones of the graveyard seemed far more sinister and ominous. If she didn’t know better, she’d have sworn that the eyes of the angels perched atop several graves were following them as they made their way to the center of the cemetery.

  “Okay, I’m not really picking anything up on the EMF Detector. Kate, I think I’m going to ask a few questions to see if we get any responses on the digital recorder. Mikey, you just keep an eye out for anything... unusual.” Luke cleared his throat. “Hello? Is anyone there?” He paused for a few seconds. “Who are you? How did you die?”

  Somewhere, just beyond the perimeter of the cemetery, something rustled through the tall grass. Kate gasped and, thinking it might be something paranormal, whirled around and snapped a picture.

  Eager to see if she’d captured anything, she pressed the “play” button on the camera and reviewed the photograph; lots of dry grass, the iron gate, a headstone or two, and the startled eyes and long ears of a wild Texas jackrabbit. No ghost.

  ~*~

  “Anything?” Luke asked Kate after she’d taken the picture.

  “No.” She sounded disappointed.

  “Mikey? You see anything?”

  “Nope,” Michael replied without tearing his eyes away from the camera’s screen. As long as he kept his eyes glued to the screen, he knew he wouldn’t see anything. It wasn’t impossible to catch a spirit on camera. Luke and his crew had proven that enough to land them their own television show. But more often than not, they barely had the energy to manifest themselves to the general public. It took a lot more than that to be able to allow themselves to appear on video or in a photograph. For example, he could take one hundred pictures of Brink and chances were he wouldn’t appear in any of them.

  “Do you hear anything?”

  “Just crickets.”

  The only ghost he’d seen all night had been hanging around the entrance to the forest. He’d been sitting at the base of a tree, looking lost and forlorn. The cemetery, however, was as still and silent as a church on a Monday. It was possible that it was haunted and they’d just hit it on an off night. It was more likely, however, that those who’d made the claims of ghostly noises and apparitions had just let their imaginations and fear get the better of them. Michael had found that was often the case with cemeteries. People expected them to be haunted, so they took every little noise or movement caught out of the corner of their eye as a sign from the other side. In his experience, however, he’d found most cemeteries to be far less spiritually active than other, more public, places.

  Brink’s theory as to why that was was that no one wanted to hang around a cemetery all day. Ghosts were still the people they’d been in life. Unless they just really liked hanging around at graveyards or thought it was the “ghostly” thing to do, they would more than likely spend their time around loved ones or places that brought them joy and comfort. The ones who did haunt cemeteries, he guessed, were the ones that were either bitter about their passings or still so attached to their lost lives that they wanted to remain as close to their earthly bodies as possible.

  “Well, the night is still young,” Luke observed. “Kate, why don’t you try snapping a few more pictures?”

  She did. When she went to review the pictures, Luke and Michael leaned in over her shoulders. Most pictures showed nothing out of the ordinary. However, they did come across one with a tiny ball of light floating in front of one of the headstones.

  “Look! An orb!” she exclaimed. “Do you think it’s a spirit?”

  Michael could have told her that it wasn’t, but seeing the delighted look on her face was enough for him to keep his mouth shut. Luke, however, didn’t seem to have the same reservations.

  “It could be, but more often than not, these orbs are debunked as light anomalies or bugs.”

  “Oh,” was all Kate said before they were all caught off guard by the blinding beam of an LED flashlight.

  “Who’s there?” the rough and deeply Southern voice of an older man called through the darkness. Trying to avoid staring directly into the light, Michael was able to make out a man’s broad silhouette marching toward them. “You kids aren’t supposed to be out here. No one’s permitted after dark.”

  “I’m sorry, sir, we didn’t know,” Luke stood and held out his hand. “I’m Luke Rainer. You might recognize me from the Discovery Channel?”

  “I don’t get cable. What are you doing out here?” Michael’s eyes had adjusted enough to make out the man’s features. He looked to be mid-fifties, but he was so weathered that he may have actually been younger. His light brown hair was g
raying and frazzled, and he wore an old red plaid shirt and tattered jeans.

  “Well you see, I’m a paranormal investigator. Actually, a famous paranormal investigator. Have my own show and everything,” Luke explained, brimming with pride.

  The man wasn’t impressed. “If you’re so famous, what are you doing filmin’ out here?” Luke’s face fell. Michael tried not to smirk.

  “We heard your cemetery was haunted and we thought it might be fun to check it out,” Kate explained. “We’re sorry we disturbed you. We didn’t know there was a curfew.” The man finally seemed to understand.

  “Oh, so you’re one of them ghost hunters. I get it,” he said to Luke. “Well, I’m afraid you’re not gonna find much out here. Worked here for almost twenty years now and I’ve never seen hide nor hair of any sorta spook.”

  “Dammit,” Luke sighed, looking defeated.

  “However,” the man continued. “I hear lots of reports of a girl haunting the old bridal barn a few miles that way.” He pointed west.

  “Bridal barn?” Luke asked.

  “Oh yeah. Few years back, the Chapel at Bluebonnet Trail was one of the most popular spots for weddings in the county, and all the brides were allowed to stay and primp in the bridal barn. Then one evening, a girl was found stabbed to death in her weddin’ dress, just moments before the ceremony.”

  “Oh my God,” Kate whispered.

  “Yeah, it was a real shame. The fella that did it wound up killin’ himself, too. Jealous groomsman. Always had a thing for her. Anyway, they tried to open it up a few months later, but almost every bride after her ended up reporting really strange things happening in the barn. A few even saw her. It got so bad that they decided to shut it down, but the barn is still there. And if talk is to be believed, so is she.” Luke looked at Kate and Michael.

  “What do you think, guys? Want to check it out?” he asked.

  “Do whatever you want. Just get out off this property,” the older man ordered before he turned and left them, disappearing into the darkness.

  “Well?” Luke prodded.