Listening For Spirits

Autumn tended to be cold, gray, and rainy in Wagner County, which didn’t help students with their midterm stress at Paxton College. For the fourth day in a row, rain pelted the sidewalks, thunder crashed in the sky like an angry deity, and cold winds blew back hoods and pulled on open umbrellas. Students and teachers ran from building to building and did their best to stay dry when venturing out into the storm. 

Kit stood inside the doors of Old Main, preparing herself for a long walk back to her dorm. Paxton had a small campus compared to the big universities across the state, but it would still take her a good fifteen minutes before she made it home. Tugging her hood down over her eyes and making sure her short brown hair was secure, she opened the doors and hurried out into the rain. Puddles stretched out across the sidewalk like inconvenient traps. Thankfully, the quad Kit trekked through was deserted as late Friday afternoons meant people were home starting their weekend, working on homework, or heading to the bars or a job. 

As she walked, she could hear the sound of footsteps slapping on the wet concrete behind her. Keeping her stride, she peered over her shoulder, but no one was there. Kit reached into her hood and felt that the battery door on her hearing aid was closed, ensuring that it was turned on. The small instrument hooked over her right ear and a clear tube ended in a rubber dome that sat inside her ear canal. She paused under a tree and the sound of footsteps continued for a few steps before stopping beside her. 

‘Maybe it’s a weird echo I’m hearing?’ she thought, trying to shake off the cold that seeped through her damp coat. After glancing around the empty quad one more time, Kit hurried on down the sidewalk at a brisker pace, thankful for the silence that followed. 

Kit’s dorm was an old three story house on the far side of campus known as House on the Hill. It was a red brick building with a gray shingled roof, white windows, and had a covered walkway at each of the three entrances. A tall rectangular tower with a pointed roof loomed over the rest of the house above the main entrance, which used to be an old cistern for water. Despite its age and the moss growing on some of the walkway roofs, the house looked very grand and welcoming. Kit raced down the sidewalk and among the trees until the walkway sheltered her from the rain. The front door unlatched with a click and Kit hurried inside, lowering her rain soaked hood and pocketing her keys. The small foyer branched off to a parlor and dining room and gave way to the staircase that led up to the second floor. The first floor consisted of a front parlor, a music room, a small library, and a dining room while the second floor made up the four apartments for the female students who lived there. Dark wooden furniture decorated the 19th century home and, save from a few fold out tables and chairs, maintained the look of the original house. While not as popular as some of the other buildings on campus, the first floor was mainly used as a reception center for small banquets and gatherings throughout the school year.

After wiping her boots off on the mat, Kit hurried upstairs to her apartment at the end of the hallway. The four room apartment consisted of a common room, bathroom, double bedroom, and a kitchen in the front corner of the house. White walls were decorated with Christmas lights and photographs. A futon, coffee table, small bookshelf, and TV made up the common room Kit passed through after hanging up her coat and stowing away her boots.

The bedroom Kit and her roommate, Zoey, shared had a bed on each side of the room next to their desks. Movie posters covered the walls and candles were spread out through the room on nightstands and shelves. Zoey’s bed was made neatly and her backpack and keys were gone since she had already left to go home for the weekend. Kit sat her backpack down next to her desk and was about to open her laptop when something caught her eye.

Four small coins, each the size of a dime, sat in a circle on her desk. They were gold and had a distinct design on each coin: a pair of angel wings, a music note, the dome of Old Main, and two theater masks. 

‘Did Zoey leave these? They weren’t on my desk this morning.’ 

Kit picked up the angel wings coin and ran her thumb over the design. A cool breeze surrounded her, blowing gently against her skin. She looked towards the window, but realized that it was closed and latched. Kit furrowed her brow and peered into the common room. That window was also shut, as was the front door. She held up a hand to the AC vent, but felt nothing coming from the grate. 

‘Is there a leak in the window somewhere? Did I imagine it?’ She turned around to face the window and gasped, almost dropping the coin. Standing in front of her was an elderly woman with short hair and wearing a knee length dress. She was transparent and seemed to be floating just off the ground.

“Hello, Kit,” she said with a gentle smile. “I see you’ve found my coin.”

Kit struggled to speak as she took a step back from the window. She looked down at the coin in her hand, this time with the other side up and displaying a large A with the word Weyerhaeuser curving below it. After reading the coin and flipping it over and over in her hand for any more engravings, she looked back up at the woman. 

“You’re Apollonia Weyerhaeuser, aren’t you?” she asked, quietly.

The transparent woman nodded. “I’m terribly sorry to frighten you. I had hoped the breeze would calm you before I appeared.”

“Um . . . it’s alright, I-I guess.” Kit had heard the stories of Apollonia’s ghost haunting the House on the Hill. She had been the last living resident of the original homeowners before she died in the 1900's. Her spirit was rumored to travel the house rearranging decorations, filling bathtubs in the middle of the night, and offering a comforting breeze to those who were in distress or as a sign of thanks for taking care of the house. “How do you know my name?”

“I know the names and on goings of all the residents and visitors of this house, but that is a conversation for later. I need your help.”

“My help?” Kit asked, hesitantly.

“Yes, dear. It is of the utmost importance. You know the story of Charon, the Greek ferryman, yes?”

“I’ve heard the story. He’s the person spirits paid to cross over to the Underworld, yes?”

Apollonia nodded. “It would seem in reality, that story is a little different. The ghosts of the college are a special case. We protect the students and offer support where it is needed. These small coins represent an offering of sorts. If students and faculty believe we exist and acknowledge us, we still have a purpose here and ‘unfinished business.’ If we receive no coin, then our time on earth is over and we must cross over to the Afterlife. Each coin must be delivered to their rightful owner.”

“How did I get the coins then?”

“Every year they are given to me since I serve as a caretaker of sorts. Seeing as I cannot leave House on the Hill, I choose a resident to assist me in delivering the coins. I placed them on your desk because I think you’re the right person for the task. You’ve always been very respectful of my old home and I think the other ghosts would take well to you given your quiet and calm demeanor. Will you help me?”

Kit ran her thumb over Apollonia’s coin and stared at it in thought. House on the Hill had always felt like home to her, almost as though the house was happy to see her when she came back. She hadn’t felt that living in the other dorms, and she suspected part of that was due to Apollonia’s spirit.

‘It’s not her fault she can’t leave the house, and if she’s been taking care of the students here for decades, it’s the least I could do.’

“Are any of the other ghosts dangerous or threatening?”

Apollonia thought for a moment before saying, “I wouldn’t say any of them are dangerous. I know the ghost outside Bergendoff has been known to frighten students, but he’s still relatively harmless.”

“I’ve heard a bit about a lady ghost in Bergendoff, but who are the other ghosts?”

“There are two ghosts in Bergendoff. One is the singing lady who occupies the practice rooms late at night and the other is a man who frequents the entrance to the building. The third ghost you need to know about is the one who haunts Old Main. He likes to follow students and play tricks on them sometimes.”

Kit shivered as she remembered the footsteps from earlier. “Does the Old Main ghost follow students outside the building?”

“I believe he can leave the building, though not very far.”

Kit nodded. ‘That might explain why the footsteps stopped when they did.’ “How do I find the other ghosts? Do I need to summon them or something?”

Apollonia tapped on her right ear. “You must listen to find them. Also, make sure you don’t lose any of the coins or give somebody the wrong one.”

“But how will I know which one belongs to which ghost?”

“You’ll know. Now, you should hurry. It’s already after 4:00 and the academic buildings won’t stay unlocked all night.” Apollonia’s image then started to fade until it disappeared completely. 

The rain was pouring outside now and the sky was very dark, making the outside lights shine brighter than before. Rummaging through her backpack, Kit found a small bag she kept her paper clips in. Dumping out the paper clips onto her desk, she replaced them with the other three tokens. Apollina’s token was placed in the drawer of her jewelry box for the time being. Once she was certain she had everything, Kit tugged on her rain boots and coat, made sure her hearing aid was covered by her hat and hood, and headed out into the rain. 

Taking the main sidewalk to cut through campus, Kit decided Bergendoff should be her first visit since it was the furthest away from the house and had two ghosts to tend to instead of one. Bergendoff was an older performing arts building that was across the street from Old Main. It was made of gray stone whose sheltered entrance reminded her of the opening of a cave. Kit looked around the front of the building for the first ghost, but she couldn’t see anyone and there were no unusual sounds besides the storm. Once inside, Kit removed her hood and began heading down the long hallway towards the basement stairs where the practice rooms were. Lights dimly flickered and old beige lockers separated the aged classroom doors. A few of the practice rooms glowed beneath their doors and music flowed from inside. Kit paused at each of the doors, but she didn’t hear any singing coming from behind them. 

As she made her way further down the hallway, her right ear began to ring at a high frequency. Kit put a hand to her ear and slowed her pace as the ringing grew louder. It wasn’t uncommon for her ear to ring at night, but it normally happened when she was going to sleep. As she passed a few more of the practice rooms, she could hear someone singing over the ringing in her ear. Following the sound, Kit opened a practice room door at the end of the hallway. The lights were on and a tall woman with blonde hair and a white dress stood in front of the piano. Her voice was beautiful and haunting, and just like Apollonia, she was transparent and seemed to be floating. 

Kit cautiously approached the piano, trying not to disturb her. The woman had her eyes closed as she sang and it wasn’t until the end of the song that she opened her eyes and looked down at Kit. 

“I’m sorry to disturb you, but Apollonia sent me. She wanted me to give you this.” Reaching into her sweatshirt pocket, Kit took out the bag of coins. The ghost’s eyes followed her as she pulled out the music note coin and handed it to her. Long slender fingers took the coin from Kit’s outstretched palm and inspected it before smiling at her and nodding her thanks. At her dismissal, Kit backed out of the practice room and hurried back through the hallways and upstairs.

As she neared the front of the building, she heard a loud creak followed by a slam. One of the front doors was opening and closing. A shadowy figure sat on a bench outside, rocking back and forth in time with the door. Her ear began to ring again as she opened the door that wasn’t moving. The figure was a man with dark skin, dark clothes, and long dark hair. As he rocked, he sounded as though he was laughing, or maybe crying. Kit took a deep breath and took a step towards the man. 

“Excuse me,” she said softly.

The man leaned forward, continuing to laugh but no longer rocking. He kept his face down to the ground and his arms wrapped around his torso. The door had stopped moving and the ringing in Kit’s ear began to fade away.

“Can I help you, miss?” the man asked, quieting his laughter and raising his eyes to her. Now that she could see his face, she noticed that his eyes were brown and bright and his figure was transparent.

“I have something for you, actually.” Kit reached into the bag and held out the coin with the drama masks.

He looked at the coin before taking it gently. “I thought it was nearly time for me to have this. Thank you, kindly.”

“May I ask what you were laughing about?”

The man chuckled to himself lightly. “Sometimes it’s necessary to sit back and laugh or cry at the world. With the stress of midterms, I figured laughter was appropriate.”

Kit smiled. “We all need a good laugh. I should get going, but have a good rest of your night.”

The ghost tipped his hat to her with a nod. As Kit crossed the street and began climbing the stairs to Old Main, she could hear him laughing and the door of Bergendoff swinging open and shut.

Old Main was a large yellow brick building with a circular dome on its roof. It was where most of the humanities classes were held and was known for its steep stairways. On the first floor, the lights going down either hallway were dark and silent. 

“Hello?” Kit whispered. After a few moments of silence, she climbed the steep stairs to the second floor. Just as on the second floor, the hallways were dark and quiet. 

“Is anyone there?” Kit whispered again, waiting to hear footsteps or for her ear to start ringing. Once again, she was met with silence. 

‘One more floor to go,’ Kit thought as she began climbing the stairs. As she reached the landing, the sound of footsteps echoed behind her. Her rain boots came to a stop and three more steps sounded behind her. Kit turned and saw a key chain floating in the air. It was a small black ‘67 Chevy Impala and it had been hanging off Kit’s backpack when she’d left Old Main earlier that day. As Kit reached for the keychain, a hand appeared, followed by an arm and torso until a young man stood before her. He was tall and wore a school uniform. His eyes shone and he had a mischievous grin on his face. 

“Normally people don’t come looking for me,” he said, dangling the keychain in front of Kit’s face. “Or the things I’ve taken.”

“Lucky for me, I had an idea on how to find you. How about we trade?” She held out the coin with the Old Main dome on it.

His eyes flashed to the coin and he tossed the car in the air as he held the coin up to the light. “I was wondering if I was going to get one this year. Not many people know about the ghost of Old Main.”

Kit caught the keychain and put it in her pocket. “Maybe more people would if they knew your story and name.”

The ghost tossed the coin into the air, caught it, and held out his hand for a shake. “I’m Rory. And you?”

Kit hesitantly reached out and shook his surprisingly solid hand. “I’m Kit.”

“Pleased to meet you, Kit. And my thanks for bringing me my coin. Perhaps you could help me again sometime?”

“Depending on what it is, perhaps.”

“Come and visit me when you’re in Old Main or in the quad. It would be nice to have someone to talk to.”

Kit smiled. “I think if you agree not to steal my keychains, we could come to an arrangement.”

“Excellent,” Rory said, grinning. “Now, unless you want to get kicked out by Public Safety, I think you should head home and enjoy your weekend.”

Bidding Rory farewell, Kit hurried down the stairs and through the front doors. The rain was beginning to lighten and the lamps glowed golden against the dark night. In the distance, a door slammed and a voice sang into the night.