Late Night Treasure Hunt

Graveyards terrified Bernadette, so I graciously took this leg of the treasure hunt solo. Looking at the gothic welcome gate, with a flashlight in one hand and map in the other, an excited electricity zapped through my body. I rarely feared anything since my dad passed away. It truly felt like his spirit stayed with me and protected me. Since he was a treasure hunter himself, he passed down the best tools. He also left me an unusual necklace. The necklace had a small glass ball that sometimes glowed and sometimes didn’t. Sometimes it looked foggy and sometimes clear. Wearing it gave me a strong sense of confidence and helped me feel connected to him, so I always wore it. As I walked past rows of tombstones, I felt safe and comforted. Almost all these people, hopefully all these people, were loved and important to someone.

An icy wind pierced through the fabric of my purple sweatshirt, leaving me as cold as I’d be without wearing one. I shivered and pulled the hood up over my head. It was only October, but winter had been creeping in early. A cloud covered the moon, leaving me with only the flashlight glow in front of me. The sounds of rustling leaves and cracking branches surrounded me. The earthy smell of wet soil delighted my nose.

I spotted the dirt mound of a fresh grave and walked over to glance inside. Perhaps there was a funeral planned for tomorrow. I remembered how it felt to stand over my dad’s. I could barely see anything through the tears. For weeks after, I had experienced everything on a type of autopilot. There were so many aspects to planning a funeral, and somehow I had gotten through them, but I didn’t remember any. If someone I knew died tomorrow, I wouldn’t be able to offer any advice. It was all a blur.

I looked at my clue again:

Here lies your hint

Between 7131998 and 2202003

It’s deep but don’t dig

Reach, reach, reach

The way it started with “Here lies” gave Bernadette and I the idea to try a graveyard. We thought the numbers might be dates, but scanning every stone would take forever. I hoped this open hole might be a clue since it’d be deep, but wouldn’t require digging. I looked at the two tombstones to the sides of the hole.

Thomas Nichols

July 13, 1944- July 13, 1998

He died on his birthday. Interesting. The date of his death matched the clue, but what was the other number? Then I saw it. The tombstone on the other side of the hole.

Angela Nichols

August 3, 2001 to February 20, 2003

Tears filled my eyes. She lived too short a life. I remained silent for a moment showing respect for their lives. Then flashed my light back into the hole. My guess made sense so far, but I didn’t see anything. A leaf gently danced down and landed in the center of the grave. A tree towered over this spot. Reach, reach, reach. I walked over to the tree. Directly facing the grave, the tree had a wide, tall hole through the center of the trunk. I shined my light inside and just out of reach saw a small black box hanging. Gotcha! Surely, I could find a branch or something to help me knock it down. Or maybe I could climb the tree. A red glow caught my eye. The ball on my necklace was glowing a foggy red. What did that mean? The cloud must have moved because the graveyard was flooded with bright moonlight.

A cough startled me. I leaned close to the tree and peered around the side. A man sat next to a grave. There was something peculiar about him. He looked like a faded person. Almost like a mist in human shape, but more detailed. His black hair faded into the night like green will with a green screen. His pale skin matched the glow of moonlight.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” I said, stepping out from behind the tree. “I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

His head snapped in my direction and his eyes widened. Perhaps he didn’t realize I was there. It might be because of the night sky, but his eyes didn’t quite look like eyes. Or well they looked like eye sockets without eyeballs. Deep pools of pure darkness. I shined my flashlight in his direction, though careful not to aim it near his eyes. He didn’t look solid. His image wavered into particles like getting close to an impressionist painting. With the light, I could see he really didn’t have eyes.

“Hello?” There was a hollowness to his voice, like it was an echo rather than the original voice.

I stepped back, feeling my heart beat increasing and my thoughts swirling. “Are you…okay?”

He shook his head, and this motion made it clearer he was not solid. I saw a pale blur and the features he had distorted. “I need help. Can you help me?”

I shivered at the haunting quality of vocals. “What can I do?”

“I believe I need to find my body. A voice told me that. If I figure out what happened, I’ll be free. I don’t remember. I’m confused.” He put his hands to his head and his expression looked pained. “I don’t remember.”

“Do you know your name?”

“Arthur. Bradbury, I think. Does that help?”

“Maybe.”

“Will you help me?”

I hesitated. Bernadette and I were winning, and we needed the money. I had the next clue right in my grasp. It didn’t seem fair to leave her hanging without a say. Yet, what’s a silly game compared to what Arthur is going through? It’s more important that he can find rest. If my dad were a ghost and someone found him, I’d want them to help. He should have peace. “Sure, I’ll do what I can. Tell me anything you remember. You never know what might help.”

He smiled and his mouth was also empty. No teeth. No gums. I suppose the dead don’t really need to eat anymore. “I was on my way to ask Mateo to marry me. I remember that. I stopped at that candy shop on Main Street to get chocolate covered strawberries. He loved those.”

“Maybe we should go to the candy shop. Try to retrace your steps then.”

He appeared dazed. Possibly lost in this memory or thoughts of Mateo. The start of his story was so sweet. How did it get here? How did he lose his life?

I knew of the candy store, but had never gone in. I didn’t have much of a sweet tooth, nor did I have the money for it.

“What is your name?” Arthur asked.

“Lucy.”

“Thank you for helping me, Lucy. You’re a much better soul than I.”

The way he talked sounded strange, but I wasn’t sure what to make of it. Maybe he picked the word soul since he was only a soul. As we started walking towards Main Street, I asked him what he remembered after purchasing the chocolate strawberries.

“Mateo was very romantic and honestly, way too good for me. I knew I had to give everything to this plan. A big gesture. I wanted flowers, but the strawberries cost so much more than I expected. I went to the park down the street and cut a bunch of roses.”

“You cut roses from the park?”

He laughed. “I know it’s bad. Stealing sort of.”

“No, well yeah it is. But what I meant was, this couldn’t be recent. It’s October. It’s cold. The roses are usually their best in the early summer, I think.”

“Huh? I remember the roses being very nice. Lots of them.” His face squished together like he might cry, but tears didn’t fall. “What year is it?”

“2025.”

“So I may have died a few months ago, but this year. Will my body still be okay?”

I didn’t really know that much about bodies and decomposition. I also didn’t really understand why it mattered. Surely, he wasn’t planning to get back in his body and live again? He just needed to know what happened and he looked so distraught. Was he worried about having a funeral? I had to imagine he already had one. If nothing else, wouldn’t Mateo see to that. “I honestly don’t know. Sorry.”

“It’s okay, Lucy. You’re very helpful. More so than I deserve.”

“So it's probably late spring or early summer. You stole roses. Did you get caught?”

“No. Never. I’m good at things like that.”

We reached the candy shop and he peered through the window with his empty eye sockets. The store was very brightly colored and lit up with hot pink lights despite being closed. Music played from speakers inside. It reminded me of ice cream truck music, but it felt eerie to hear it with no one but us around.

“Was the proposal going to be some place special?”

“Yes.” He whispered this. “We went where we first met.”

We walked towards the park with the roses. Leaves covered the ground now and the bushes and flowers were mostly dead, except for the year round shrubs. “Where did you first meet?”

“By the river. There’s a war memorial there and Mateo’s grandfather’s name is on it. So is mine. We met there and talked by the water. Near the bridge. It was beautiful. I loved it then, but I don’t know that I would like it now.” His voice faded in and out like a radio station on the boundaries of its service area.

“Did something happen?”

“It’s so cold and I can’t swim.”

A chill ran up my spine. “I don’t think anyone swims in that river. It’s really fast and dangerous.”

“I think I know where to go, but we must do this quickly.” He jogged towards the river, but it looked more like floating. I struggled to keep up.

I could hear the river before we saw it. The rapids smashed against large boulders. The water sparkled like thousands of diamonds in the moonlight. I could see a bench right next to a bridge. In the summer, the bridge was full of flowers. It would be a gorgeous spot for a proposal. With it being so close to the memorial, it might feel like their families were witnessing in a way.

My pace slowed as a strange feeling took over my body. It felt like my insides were being pulled from my flesh. “Something is happening. I don’t feel right.”

“It is.” Arthur nodded. His head now a distorted blur of motion. “I’m so sorry, Lucy.”

“I don’t understand.”

“It might be better if you don’t. I wish I didn’t have to do this, but I need my body. Mateo needs me.”

A door shaped portal appeared and a man dressed in all black and wearing a cloak stepped out. A crow sat on his shoulder.

“I’ve satisfied my end of the deal,” Arthur said. “I brought you a soul much better than my own. Lucy is a good person. Now where is my body?”

Deal? What is happening? I could feel my heart cracking.

The man laughed in such a maniacal way it raised the hairs on my arms and tossed my stomach. “Oh, dear boy. How naive!”

“I don’t have time! I need to get to Mateo. It might already be too late. I’ve given you what you wanted.”

“Your body has been fish food for months,” the man laughed. “You really pissed someone off good. I wouldn’t have a limb to give you”

“But we agreed!” Arthur screamed.

“He was murdered?” I gasped. I tried to follow the conversation. I felt I needed to in order to survive, but it didn’t make sense.

“You don’t remember?”

“We agreed,” Arthur whispered.

“Killed by Mateo’s other lover. He was a dangerous man.”

“I could have saved him.” Arthur shook his head, and this time his face broke into mist. He faded into a vague outline of a man.

“Well, now I have two souls.”

“You can’t have my soul,” I said. I wanted to help Arthur, but not this much. This wasn’t right. I couldn’t believe he put me in this situation. All I did was help him.

“Oh, and how will you stop me, dear?”

He lifted a hand, and pointed a finger in my direction. A small burst of mist pulled from my body and I yelped. I grabbed at the mist trying to push it back in, but my hands went through it. I felt so sick. Then it was sucked back in. My necklace exploded with brilliant white light.

“You can’t have her soul! I banish you from here!” A voice roared. It sounded familiar. I fell back into the damp grass and everything went black.

I opened my eyes to a star filled sky above me. My back hurt and it took me a few moments to move. When I finally sat up, the door was gone. Everything seemed quiet. The vague outline of a man standing by the water flickered.

“Arthur?”

“I’m sorry I betrayed you, Lucy. For what it’s worth, I’m glad my plan failed and you’re okay.” He sounded weak. Wounded.

“I don’t understand why you’re still here. What happened?”

“It seems you have someone protecting you. Whoever it was, was generous enough to protect me as well. Though I don’t deserve it.”

“You know what happened. Is that not enough to find peace?”

He shrugged. “I don’t think I’ll ever know peace.”

“I’ll call the police. Tell them I have information on the murder. Maybe solving the case will help. They might even find your body” The thought hit me with force that there was a chance Mateo didn’t even know Arthur was dead. Maybe no one did.

“Why would you still help me? After all I’ve done to you?”

I thought about that for a moment. “It wasn’t the right thing to do, but it’s not personal.”

He crouched by the rushing water, shrinking into himself.

“Can you fly?”

“Huh?”

“I don’t know if that’s a ghost myth or not.”

He was quiet for a moment and then slowly lifted into the air. “Well, it seems I can.”

“Can you hold objects?”

He reached for a rock. He groaned in frustration after several failed attempts, but then the rock lifted. He laughed a joy filled laugh. “I guess I can.”

“Help me then. I have a treasure hunt to finish and the next clue is one I can’t reach. Even if all you can do is knock it out of the tree, that’ll help.”

“Of course, anything.”

“You can tell me more about Mateo and this murderous lover, so I can decide if they need to be haunted or not.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll help you find peace in a way that doesn’t sacrifice anyone else. Deal?”

“I think I’m done making deals, but I’ll help you and we’ll see where it goes.”

“Who was that guy anyway?”

“I don’t know. Some dark lord or demon. I feel foolish now, but I was so desperate. I’d have followed anyone. I was stupid.”

“You are in a tough situation.”

“Do you know who saved us?”

I put my hand around the necklace. The ball was filled with glowing golden glitter. “I think it was my dad.”

A warmth swelled inside me and tears ran down my cheeks. It felt like proof he was still with me in some way. Which I loved, of course, but I also hoped he was at peace. I didn’t want him trapped here. I couldn’t handle him wandering around lost like Arthur. I shook my head. I couldn’t believe Arthur betrayed me. A part of me wanted to walk away and leave him by the water waiting for his body to wash up. I also kind of understood. I wondered if I would have done the same in his shoes. I’ve never loved like that. Besides, if there was a reason my dad protected him too, I’d respect that. After witnessing what the necklace could do, it felt safe to say he wouldn’t try to double cross me again, anyway.

My mind was made up. I'd give him a second chance. Everyone deserves one. Bernadette probably wouldn't be thrilled about this new addition, but we'd figure it out. Likely with some screaming and panic over ghosts being real, but we'd get there. We might even still have time to win.