The Widenburgs

Harriet sipped her drink with her eyes glued to her phone. The internet was the only reason the town hadn't suffocated her yet.

'Harriet!' Rex called from the door, waving at her before pointing to a table a few feet away.

The internet and these friendly little gatherings, she mentally corrected.

The table erupted into a chorus of happy sounds that blended almost unidentifiable in the rowdy bar. Barry's Place was always busy on Friday nights.

'Oh! I like the curls!' Freda picked a lock of expensively coiled hair off Harriet's shoulder, smiling as she twirled it round her plump fingers.

'Yeah...' Dave smiled from across the table, his eyes twinkling in the dim light as he drank his beer. 'It looks really good.'

'I know, right?! Where on earth did you get them?'

'You know Willow's shop on Third street?' Harriet had everyone's attention, and she loved it.

'Uhuh...'

'Yeah, not that one.' she chuckled, and everyone laughed. It was their favourite thing to do; make fun of things. 'I got it at that fancy place on Mile's Street.'

'The one with the french name?' Tessa nudged her glasses the way she always did when she spoke up. she was the shyest and Harriet's personal favourite.

After Freda, of course.

'Hey... I know that place,' Rex had the painful look he always had when he was trying to remember something he'd already dismissed in his head. 'The le something...' he was snapping his fingers to help him remember.

'La Belle.' Tessa corrected.

'Yes!' Rex snapped really loud, his laughter booming as if he'd gotten it right. 'The La Belle!'

'You should take Stella there, sometime, Rex.' Dave joked with his crooked smile.

'Yeah, and I might as well set all my money on fire while I'm at it. there's already enough things burning my salary without a... what? five hundred dollars hairdo joining in.'

'Hairdo?' Freda enjoyed making fun of things the most. 'Who says hairdo?'

'I do'

'You do?'

'Me too.' Tessa completed with a smile, and the rest of them laughed.

Dave set his beer down, not an easy accomplishment for him, to smile at Tessa. 'You are such a child, you know.' Harriet rolled her eyes, Freda raised a brow, but Rex smiled because of course he was the only one that couldn't see what was happening.

Tessa would never know, not unless either Dave spelt it out on a brick and hit her with it or Tessa and Freda did something.

As if on cue, both of them caught their eyes, understanding that they should probably help Dave before he turned even more to alcohol. They held the other's gaze before breaking out in a laugh.

it was more fun to watch than to help.

'Since I've been labelled as childish,' Tessa nudged her glasses, 'I might as well tell you guys the story I heard at work today.'

'Yes!' Freda threw a fist in the air. 'Gossip time at last!'

'No, no. Not gossip, just a really weird thing.'

'It doesn't matter, I'm not picky. Story away, young one.'

Tessa snorted and shook her head, her hair playing with the light. Harriet sighed inwardly, she knew Tessa couldn't tell hair cream from hair moisturizer and was quietly jealous of her naturally beautiful the black mane was.

'So, you remember Jorah?'

'Yeah. The one you curved like dodge-ball.'

'Yes, him. He died Thursday night.'

'Shit.' Freda said, but everyone thought it. 'Wow...' it was not easy to see Freda out of speech, but awkward moment did just the trick every time. '...how?'

'That is actually the weird story I wanted to tell.' Tessa scooted closer to the table, and all of them leaned in because speculations about death was more interesting than making fun of people. Also, the bar was rowdy, and Tessa never strained her voice. 'Remember the ghost story about the Widenburgs from high school?'

Harriet and Rex nodded because they were the ones bred in the lousy town.

'What is that?' Dave's third beer was gone, but he didn't signal any waiter for more lest he misses part of the gist.

'So,' Harriet spoke up, twirling her manicured finger on the aged table's surface. 'in high school there was a story about this family. A family that had actually lived here in the 19th century. They were one of those hardcore racist families and usually had one or two slaves die each month. The myth went that one night, after they'd just had a telephone installed in their house, they vanished.' she paused for dramatic effect. Even Tessa and Rex listened intently because the story was always fun to hear. 'The slaves all ran away, except one. Nobody even knew she was still there until someone saw her swinging from the tree in the yard. They say she cursed them and that their spirits came back to hunt her.'

Harriet smiled and saw her friends mirror it.

'You had a fun childhood.' Freda snorted.

Rex signaled a waiter for all their empty glasses. 'You have no idea.'

'Anyways,' Tessa continued after their glasses had been refilled, and everyone had taken a satisfying drink. 'Last week I heard he came to work talking about a prank call.'

'Oh...the Widenburgs.'

'Yes. He said that the caller introduced herself as his neighbour Mrs Widenburg and said it was his turn.'

'His turn to...die?'

'Not exactly, just...his turn.'

'Oh! I get it now.' Freda talked like she'd just understood the workings of inter-dimensional travel. 'So the Widenburgs call you to haunt you and kill you.'

'No.' For how much Cranberry juice was, it never lasted in Harriet's hands. 'They don't kill you. First, you go crazy from the haunting, and then you kill yourself.'

'Did he?' Dave to Tessa.

She nodded slowly. 'Electrocuted himself in his bath.'

'A befitting way for a tech guy to go.' Freda raised her glass for a toast.

'Agreed.' Dave joined in.

'It's not funny.' Tessa scolded with a smile, lifting her glass to meet everyone else.

'Of course it isn't.'

The ringing phone drew Harriet from sleep. Glance at the clock by her bed and saw it was only five minutes past three.

'Tessa?' the line was silent save for soft sobbing.

'Ha-ha-Harriet, I'm so scared.' it was a whisper, but nothing could have fully awaken Harriet more than the voice.

'Tessa, are you okay? Did something happen?'

'She called me.' Tessa sobbed. 'Just now, Harry, she called me...'

'Who?'

'...Mrs Widenburg...'