Pine Hills Graveyard

"This has got to be the most boring stake-out that I have been on." Constable Peter Davies of the Odyssey police force, sighed. He took a sip of his coffee.

"I realize that, Peter..." Constable Michael Donnelly nodded in agreement and had a sip of his own coffee. He added: " But there has been a report..."He paused in his thoughts: "Actually several reports of graveyard thefts. Someone has been digging up graves and stealing precious artifacts."

"Someone?" Peter wondered, "or something?"

"Good question." Michael nodded.

Constable Michael Donnelly, sitting behind the wheel of the police cruiser, leaned over the control panel and flicked a switch. The police cruiser's headlights beamed rightly into the graveyard. The many tombstones were bathed brightly by the halogen headlights like chocolate bars stuck in some ice cream.

"Do we have to go in?" Constable Peter Davies whined his inquiry to his partner.

Constable Michael Donnelly glanced at his partner on this shift and fired a question back: " How do you propose that we investigate these thefts then?"

Constable Peter Davies didn't bother to reply but turned away from Michael. But he quickly turned back to Michael, saying: " Pine Hills Graveyard does not have a good reputation. It's haunted!"

"Okay...so it is haunted. Let's get out and investigate!" sighed Michael, giving his head a shake at Peter's whining.

Retrieving two flashlights from the trunk of the cruiser, Michael handed one of them to Peter.

"All right...let's go. Put on a brave face, Peter!"

"Was that meant to be a joke?" Peter snapped at Michael.

They entered the graveyard through the squeaky iron gate. They swept the bright flashlight beams over the many graves. Peter followed Michael, muttering to himself:" One Adam-12...see the ghost...see the caretaker at Pine Hills Graveyard. Possible reports of break and enter and theft of graves..." He was mostly muttering this to himself to waive off his nervousness and any spirits or ghosts that were about.

Michael elbowed Peter in the side. It drew that constable's attention to an open grave, freshly dug.

"Watch your step..." Michael grinned at his partner.

"Was that meant to be a joke...too?" Peter grimaced at the sight of an open freshly dug up grave. He gave Michael a scowling look.

The two police officers finally came to a rustic cabin at the far end of the graveyard. Michael knocked on the door: " Odyssey police."

From within the cabin, a raspy voice called out: " Come in!"

The door creaked loudly as Michael pushed on it. The loud "EEEEEE" grated on the two police officers' nerves.

It was dark inside the cabin. Both police officers continued to use their flashlights to light up the cabin. They both noticed an elderly man sitting absolutely still at a table. His dinner that was before him had maggots crawling through it.

Their stomachs had to harden up at that sight as Michael neared the elderly man, calling out his name: "Mr. Smith." He set his flashlight down on the table. " We're the Odyssey police. I am Constable Michael Donnelly and this is Constable Peter Davies.

"I know who you are." but the response did not come from the man who was sitting absolutely still at the table. The voice penetrated the air from his spirit, ghost...his soul that was standing just off to the side. It continued to speak: I want to file a report of people coming into the graveyard to topple the gravestones, steal the flowers...Hey wait a minute...where are you two going?"

If spending the night in a cemetery is a terrific way of staking out a graveyard just because somebody or something is vandalizing the place and stealing flowers...the constables were breathless as they reached the iron gate. They found their police cruiser with dead headlights, four missing tires and a ghostly police officer sitting in behind the steering wheel. It smiled at them and warmly greeted them: " Welcome Gentlemen...to Pine Hills Graveyard. I hope you are here to catch whoever is vandalizing the cemetery. By the way, my grave is the fourth one over."

But Constable Michael Donnelly and Constable Peter Davies stood there, frozen in shock. Their cruiser had been vandalized and there was a ghost sitting in behind the steering wheel.

"Who the hell are you?" Michael finally coughed something to say.

"Oh...I'm sorry. I am Sheriff Deputy Greene. I was shot killed many years ago by some bastard who had a fancy for robbing banks."

Constable Peter Davies just stared at the ghost, wondering if he knew the dead constable. "Sheriff Deputy Greene...Greene..." He mouthed the name.

The ghost opened the door of the cruiser and got out. The apparition approached Constable Peter Davies and said: "That was back in 1939."

"OOHHHH!" Peter cried out, " That Sheriff Deputy Greene. How are you doing?"

"I'm dead...you silly whiner...but resting peacefully!" Sheriff Deputy Greene groaned. The ghost turned to Michael. " I can tell that you have some spunk."

But Michael only replied quietly though: "Yes, sir."

"Now I have noticed that there has been some wild teens come out here and vandalized the graveyard. I have scared off some but I can guarantee you that they will be back."

"I think that they have been back." Michael groaned, glancing back at the cruiser, " There are four tires missing...the headlights are dead."

"Smashed!" the dead sheriff corrected Michael.

"Do we have a radio to call for help?" inquired Michael.

"Stolen!" the dead sheriff answered, " but I scared them off before they could get to the trunk and steal whatever weapons you have stored back there."

"I have a cell phone," Peter perked up.

"You will not get reception out here," Sheriff Deputy Greene remarked.

"How would you know?" Peter asked, "They didn't have cell phones back in your day."

" I have seen people come in here with those damn things and we use the energy from them to materialize into what you see." Sheriff Deputy Greene remarked.

"All right the two of you knock it off," Michael ordered, " We have to stay here all night...since we are kilometers from any where. I'll take the first shift...watch..."

"This is going to be boring..." Sheriff Deputy Greene groaned.

The End