Philadelphia Phantom

"How about in August, we go to Philadelphia?" Michelle asked me.

I looked up from dinner. "What's in Philadelphia? I mean, there's a lot of stuff, but what specifically this summer?"

"There's a Chinese lantern festival. I'd really like to see it. I know you've been to Philadelphia plenty of times before, but...."

"I was born near there. But that actually sounds pretty cool. Sure, if you want to, see if you can find us a place to stay." I turned to my laptop and did a search.

"Oh....Wow," I said.

"What?"

"It's very near Fairmount Park," I said. "I've been dying to get to Fairmount Park for years now. You know what's in Fairmount Park?"

"The Philosopher's Stone, kid," I said. "You know the Philosopher's Stone?"

Chloe nodded. "Sure I know the Philosopher's Stone!"
I'd invited Chloe out to Dunkin' Donuts for coffee and a fruity drink she was having. Chloe is a teenager about to start college, and the words "awesome kid" come readily to mind with her. She'd been coming on my tours for a few years, and had shown a strong interest in local history. We'd recently reconnected, and were hanging out and chatting.

"So there's this old legend down there, connected with some history," I explained. "The history part is that there were a group of monks living in Fairmount Park back in the seventeen hundreds. They lived in some caves down there. You can still apparently see the cave of their leader, Kelpius. He died there, but before he died....Here's the legend part...He gave his assistant, Geissler, a box of ancient magical artifacts."
I took a sip of my coffee. Chloe was listening intently.

"Kelpius wanted the artifacts thrown into Wissahickon Creek so that they never fell into the wrong hands. But according to the story, Geissler decided to preserve them for future generations. So he buried them somewhere beside the creek. Now, the magic part is also kind of plausible---The local farmers believed that these guys could do magic; when their crops failed or a cow got sick or something, they'd go to the monks. One of the artifacts that was said to be in their possession....And therefore buried....Is the Philosopher's Stone."

Chloe smiled. "So....."

"So someplace down in Philadelphia, buried, may be the Philosopher's Stone, or at least an item that the monks believed to be the Philosopher's Stone. I've been dying to go after this one for years. So when we go on vacation down there....Now's my chance."

"That's so cool," said Chloe. "I hope you find it."
"That brings me to a favor I wanted to ask you, kid," I said. "When I'm away, it kind of makes me feel better to have someone back home to talk to....A message or maybe a couple of phone calls. Would you mind being my lifeline while I'm away?"

"Oh, sure," said Chloe. "Feel free to message me. I'd love that."

"Great. I appreciate that. It always makes me feel a bit better to have someone to keep in touch with, you know?"
"I can understand it."

"I may be trying out a new paranormal uniform," I said. "I always wear a tactical vest when I'm investigating, because it has enough pockets for all my stuff. But lately....Well, honestly, I just look too much like an ICE agent."

Chloe made a face. "Yeah, you don't want that."

"No. I don't like the image, I don't want to scare anyone by accident. I've been wearing this thing for years now, but I look at photos of these guys and I cringe. So I'm thinking about a temporary change to the outfit."

"Have anything in mind?"
I grinned.

"I've been thinking of something a little more ninja."

"When I was a kid, Pipper, we used to come to Philadelphia," I said. "My dad would bring us; we lived not too far from here. I had some fun times here. Look! There's Boathouse Row!"

"That's cool, Dad," said Paul, sitting in the back of the Jeep. I looked at Boathouse Row, lined in white lights, as we passed along the Delaware River.

"There's a few haunted spots near where we're going to be," I said. "You want to check them out with me later?"

"Sure," said Paul. 

"We have the Chinese Lantern festival tomorrow night," said Michelle. "Should be at the apartment any minute."

"On our way out on Thursday, I'm going to look for the Philosopher's Stone," I said.

"Harry Potter already found that," said Paul. "I saw the movie like five times."

"This one was owned by a group of monks," I said. "They lived in Philadelphia."

We found our parking garage around the corner from the place Michelle had rented. There was a psychic shop on the corner as we passed by, offering tarot readings. Typically for Philadelphia, everything was tagged---The whole city is pretty much held together by spray paint.

"Look over there, Paul," I said. "That's the Delaware River. And across from there is New Jersey. We're on the very edge of the state here."

The apartment was a nice one, with a bedroom and kitchen area, and a living room with a pull-out couch. I dropped our stuff and dug out some of my maps and charts, sitting down at the desk for a while. Then I looked up at Paul.

"Want to go for a walk?" I asked him.

"Sure."

We came out of the building, and I was wearing my new uniform. 

I'd dropped the tactical vest. I'd always loved it, but I don't want to be dressing like the bad guys. So I'd spent some time redesigning my outfit.

I needed something functional that could be carried places, and would hold all my equipment. Something that stood out a little, but didn't mark me as too unusual. And after some work, I'd come up with it.

The fingerless gloves remained. I had a shoulder bag slung over my left shoulder, with a strap across my chest, bandolier-style. It had a couple of small pouches on the strap to hold my most important equipment. And I had a black hood, pulled down.

"What do you think, kid?" I asked. "This is the new outfit. I'm thinking I look like a ninja, or maybe Robin Hood or something."

Paul looked me over.

"Not bad," he decided. "But with the hood up, you look like a kidnapper."

'Not a ninja?"

"Kind of a ninja. But I'm definitely getting kidnapper vibes here. You're not going to wear the forest ranger jacket again, are you?"

"No, that was for Covid. I'm done with the forest ranger jacket."

"Okay. What happened to the skull gloves?"
"I traded them for these plain black ones. You like the skull gloves?"

"Yeah, I liked those."
"Maybe I'll re-add the skull gloves."

"There's a Seven-Eleven over there. Can I get a hot dog?"

"Yeah. I'll buy you a hot dog."

We walked peaceably down the street while Paul ate his hot dog. I was pointing out stores and things I remembered from Philadelphia when I was a kid. I saw a sign and said,"The Betsy Ross House! Do you want to see the Betsy Ross House?"

"Sure."

"Have you learned about Betsy Ross in school?"

"A little. Didn't she put nineteen stars on the flag because there were nineteen states?"

"Yeah, that's right. The house is said to be haunted, maybe Betsy Ross herself." I got my EMF detector out of the pocket, and turned it on. It didn't react for a minute, and then flared up to .14, and then back down. 

"Now, that's interesting. And now it's back to nothing. Yeah, kid, we may have a ghost here."

I sat at the small desk, maps spread out in front of me. I'd sent Chloe a message asking where Benjamin Franklin was supposed to be haunting. I was drinking coffee from the only mug that had been provided---The Airbnb people had left us ten coffee pods but one mug. Michelle came out of the bedroom.

"How's the kid?" I asked.

"Still asleep. Where are you off to?"
"Thought I'd take a walk, do a little exploring and investigating. There's plenty of haunted spots around."

"No Bigfoot this time?"

"You don't get a lot of Bigfoot sightings in downtown Philadelphia. I checked."

"How long are you going to be out?"

"Probably not too long. I promised Paul we'd take him shopping a bit later. I think he might like the Fashion District."

My cell phone blipped. I checked my messages---Chloe had answered my question: Independence Hal.

I smiled.

The kid had come through.

I walked through Philadelphia wearing the new uniform. Turning south, I went toward the City Tavern. It had been a meeting place of the Founding Fathers, when they'd wanted a beer, and if that was the catalyst I figured we should send a few cases over to the White House right now. It had burned down, but a reproduction had been rebuilt, and it was thought to be haunted by a bride who'd died in the fire.

The new outfit was working. It did what I needed it to do, and in the city, it didn't stand out excessively. In Lock Haven, where I was known, I could get away with a lot. I'd wondered about Philadelphia, but it wasn't attracting a whole lot of attention. I'd already passed like six guys with similar chest rigs.

I got to the City Tavern, which was right across from our parking garage. I pulled out the EMF detector and walked around the outside of the building. No readings initially, just like last night at the Betsy Ross House.

I found a small garden on the southwest side, and it didn't look exactly closed to the public, so I walked up into it. Pretty little place. As I walked across, I got a reading on the EMF detector---Just for a moment, and then it was gone.

I walked back and retraced my path twice, and I couldn't get it to come back again. No power lines. No lights. No reason that I could see for the flicker I'd gotten.

So, maybe a ghost. It made at least as much sense as the Philly Phanatic.

Philadelphia knows what it is. The city promotes its historic sites with the same intensity it pushes food trucks on the corner. I walked through the historic district with my EMF detector, reaching Independence Hall.

It's amazing to me, the way you can just....Be somewhere. Two hundred and forty-nine years ago, our entire country was created right here, just a few blocks from where we were staying. And here I was, in the same place that great men had walked. All you have to do is sit in a car forever, and you can just be there, in the same place they'd been. There's really something magical about it.

My EMF detector did it again---A spike, for a few seconds, and then a drop to zero. No reason for it. No lights or cables. I lowered it to the ground to test---Other places I did this routine, I'd attracted stares. In Philadelphia, I wasn't even close to the most unusual thing going on today. No readings, meaning that underground wires weren't causing the signal.

I smiled. I'd have to tell Chloe.

We walked through Franklin Park, looking at the Chinese Lantern festival. I had to admit, it was worth the trip. Elaborate, colorful Chinese lanterns were on display throughout the park, in a variety of shapes. My personal favorite was the bear.

We walked through a tunnel of lanterns, made to look like flowers with bees flying among them,

"Bees," I said. "Why did it have to be bees?"

"Can I get a hot dog?" asked Paul.

We sat at a table with hi shot dog, and he ate half in a single bite. Michelle smiled. "This is wonderful. I've always wanted to come to one of these things."

"I got to go shopping this morning," said Paul. "This is the best day ever!"

"My favorite part, buddy, was walking around the city with you," I told him.

I'd been on plenty of trips with the family. Me being me, I'd always had to have some sort of a side quest---I always tried to find out where the ghosts and cryptids were, have something to sneak off and go investigate. And more than once, I'd been so excited about the upcoming adventure that I'd almost missed the smaller moments.

It hadn't been like that, this time. I'd been enjoying all of it, every little stop along the way. I'd been having a good time with my kid, and not trying to leap forward to the next thing.

Maybe, finally in my fifties, I was learning to enjoy the moment.

"Well," I said,"All I need to do is find a Philosopher's Stone, and I'll be having a pretty good vacation, too."

I sat at the small desk, drinking coffee. Outside, the sun was rising over the Delaware River. I was wearing my black alien T-shirt. It was already looking to be a nice day.

Michelle came out of the bedroom. She said,"Is there still coffee?"

"Should be plenty. How's the kid?"

"Still asleep."

"Yeah, that sounds about right. I got all my stuff packed."

"We have to be out of here at ten. And he has dance tonight."

"We'll be headed home in plenty of time," I said. "I just want to hike out to the Cave of Kelpius, and then we'll be on our way."

"Hermit Lane," I said. "Pull in there. It's named after the hermits who lived here."

"Seriously?" asked Michelle.

"Oh yeah, really. Back around 1700, they were pretty big in the area. Look, there's a playground we can park in. Paul, you want to come with me, or stick around the playground?"

"I think I want to play," said Paul.

"Okay." I got out of the car. "I'll be back soon."

Wearing the new uniform, I walked through Wissahickon Park. I followed the trails listed on my map---I like working in a print shop; I can print off as many maps as I want. The park was a nice place, with a lot of forest area to explore. 

I came out of the forest in what appeared to be a backyard. An elaborate garden surrounded what appeared to be an old mansion. It could be the hermitage where the monks had lived, but it was equally possible that I'd gotten misdirected and stumbled into someone's private property.

No, it was the hermitage. I walked up the stone stairs alongside, and found another trail. After a moment to check the map again, I walked down into the woods.

After a while, the path split off to the right. I took the turn, and made my way along a winding footpath that led up and over a hill....And there it was.

The Cave of Kelpius.

I stopped to admire it for a moment. It reminded me of my father's root cellar, back on the farm. A small stone door built into the hillside sat next to a stone monument that explained who Kelpius had been. I took it all in, standing in the woods. I'd wanted to come explore this place for fifteen years....And now I was here.

I'd actually made it.

I stepped inside and looked around. The stone walls surrounded a dirt floor, a little bit smaller than Paul's bedroom. After a moment, I walked back out into the sunlight.

A path led down to the river. I followed it, and a few minutes later, came out beside Wissahickon Creek.

This was where Daniel Geissler had stood, and thrown artifacts into the water. Or buried them, depending on exactly which version of the legend you selected. 

I walked back and forth along the path for a moment. Then I stopped, and began to make a few concentric circles through the woods, walking with my EMF detector. At one point, I got a faint flicker, and I stopped there and looked around.

In one spot, there was a place where the grass was growing differently than the rest. For about a foot, the grass looked mangled, twisted.

Like there was something underneath it, affecting the way it grew.

I knelt down beside it. I pulled a trowel out of my pouch---I'd loaded the new outfit up with all sorts of useful stuff---And began digging.

About a foot and a half down, I found it.

Something was there. I wriggled it out of the ground. It was wrapped in a sort of waxy parchment paper that fell apart as I lifted it. And as the paper fell away, I saw it.

A stone.

It was roughly egg-shaped, golden and glittering. Like nothing I'd seen along the path. It sparkled in the sun as I held it up.

The Philosopher's Stone. The stone that Kelpius had believed to be the mystical one.

I slipped it into my pocket and stood up. I started walking back up the path. My family would be waiting.

"Well, I'm glad you had a good time in Philadelphia, Dad," said Tif.

She was finishing up dinner at the table. I was washing the dishes. I said,"Yeah, it was great. Did some exploring and some ghost hunting, Paul went shopping, Michelle got her Chinese lantern festival. We had a good time."

"Good."

"So, you want to see the new look?"

Tif's eyes lit up. "Yes!"
I walked out, and came back a minute later wearing the new uniform. She looked it over. "I like it."

"It does what I need it to do. It's functional, carries my stuff, and I've wanted a hood for years now. I think it's got kind of  a ninja look."

"I'm getting Robin Hood, for sure."

"Yeah, there's some Robin Hood in there, too."

"So how about the Philosopher's Stone? Did you find that?"

I grinned.

"Funny you should ask."

It ended the way it began---Having coffee with Chloe.

"So how was Philadelphia?" she asked me, sitting across from me in the little café on Main Street.

I smiled. "It was pretty amazing. We had a great time, saw a lot of cool stuff. We all got to do something we liked. Michelle got her Chinese lantern festival, Paul got to shop...."
Chloe grinned. "I can understand that."

"....And I got to hunt ghosts. By the way, thanks for helping out with that."

"Well, thanks for letting me. A lot of the time, people will say they might ask for help, but they don't. So it was nice that you followed through."

"Well, I really did need the help. And maybe you helped me find Benjamin Franklin's ghost." And I was pretty sure I'd also found a new partner.

She leaned across the table. "So, did you bring it?"

I brought out the Philosopher's Stone and showed her. "See? It sparkles. It was pretty much right where I expected it to be."
"That's really cool. I mean, what are the odds?"

"There's always an adventure out there, kid," I said.

Hot Pink

I erased the number on the board, and scribbled in a new one. The sign in my office now read 118 DAYS WITHOUT AN ALIEN INVASION.

My office was an alcove in the basement of the print shop. I'd been setting it up for months. I actually liked it down there, and I got a lot of work done. Just about everyone else was scared to go down in the basement of the Hecht Building, so I had the whole place to myself mostly.

When I got upstairs, Emily was waiting by the big printers.

"I thought I should tell you, Lou," she said. "I turned in my two weeks notice yesterday. I accepted a remote position with pay I just couldn't turn down."

"I'm happy for you," I said. "Gonna miss you a lot, but I'm excited for you. You're gonna kick ass at your new job. Don't ever doubt yourself."

"Thanks, Lou," she said. "I'm gonna miss everyone here, too. My last day should be July second."

"Day after Paul's birthday," I said. "It's a Wednesday. I'll be here."

She nodded. "Okay. Good."

"Hey," I said. "I gotta say something. When I came to work here ten months ago, it was a really hard time in my life. I came here figuring I'd just stick it out until I found something better....I've since stopped looking. At the time I came here, I really needed a friend. You've been a good one. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't been here."

Emily smiled. "Thanks, Lou. Thank you for saying that."

The annual Best of Clinton County festival had been going on for something like twenty years now. This one happened to be smack in the middle of a horrifying heat wave---We'd had a record cold winter, and now we had several days that would work for the Appalachian Great Fire Ape. I was downtown with Michelle, Paul, and Rylan, and the kids had already found the booth to get their faces painted.

I saw someone I knew manning the booth for Boxes of Hope, a breast cancer charity. "Hi, Traci," I said.

She smiled. "Hi, Lou. Thanks for that article you wrote about our new headquarters---That gave us a lot of positive attention. Want a tour?"

"Sure," I said. "Michelle, this is Traci---She created this whole organization. I'm gonna take a look at her offices; I'll catch up with you."

"Actually, Dad, I want to come too," said Paul.

"Okay, then," I said. "Come along. We'll all go."

Traci led us up the steep stairs to the offices, where everything was pink. The walls were pink, the floors were pink. All of the desks were pink.

"Nice color scheme," I commented.

"At first I hated pink," Traci laughed. "Now I've gotten to like it."
"You still having some paranormal activity?"

"Of course," Michelle said,"There would be something paranormal involved here."

"I still have things happening," said Traci. "This painting fell off the wall not long ago. We hear noises. The doors open and close sometimes."

"Still want me to come over sometime and do a little investigating?" I asked. "I work right across the street; I could easily stop by after work."

"That would be great," she said. "Let me know when you can come. I can be here pretty much anytime."

"Sounds good," I said. "I'll send you a message."

I brought out the stack of wedding invitations and put them on the shelf. Emily, at her desk, said,"I guess I won't be seeing you do that too much longer."

"You'll be missed," I said. "You've really done a lot for this place." I picked up the EMF detector I'd brought in for work purposes months ago---She'd had it on her desk ever since. "I guess I'll hang onto this until I can train your replacement. Can't have her wondering what the hell we're measuring with this."

Emily smiled. "I'm going to miss this place, too."

"You probably will get messages from me on my days off still," I said. "Texts when I'm out of town."

She laughed. "That's fine."

"Heat's supposed to break soon," I said. "Should go back to just regular hot instead of Melt Shop Ghost levels of hot. You notice I wore my Hawaiian ghost shirt today?"

"Yeah, I like that. Perfect for the heat. A ghost shirt for every occasion."

"Oh god, I got paranormal clothes for every five-degree variance." I was wearing my Hawaiian shirt with ghosts on it and my rainbow ghost shirt for Pride Month. "Next week I get to go across the street and investigate Boxes of Hope."
"They having stuff happen over there?"
"They tell me they are. It's plausible. Back in the pre-World War I days, that used to be an armory. The military was in there, so it's possible there's a war casualty haunting the place."

"Makes sense."

"After the war, Colonel Edward Troutman Miller decided it was ridiculous to have the military running all over town for their stuff, so he donated his farm to make it easier. It's how we got the National Guard Armory over in Dunnstown."

"I didn't know that," she said.

"Most people don't. It's another one of those Lou things. I got my first article published about 2008, and at the time, nobody knew shit about local history. Since then, though, I've seen an increase in interest. More people are interested in local history, and I think a lot of that was my influence."

Emily nodded. "I'd say it was."

I finished my article and sat back. This one was a hard news piece about the Pride cruise, and I'd resisted a headline of "Out Of The Closet, Onto A Boat.". I looked at my watch; I had a few hours. Actually, with Paul in day camp and Michelle at work, I had most of the day.

I walked up to my office. Butters followed along with no clue what was going on. 

I checked the city directories, one at a time, working my way through the twentieth century. Boxes of Hope had been a department store for most of it. I'd been told once, years ago, that employees downstairs believed it was one of the old managers, but it was one of those things I was a little dubious about. I checked the old Sanborn map, and found the armory.

That seemed to me to be the most likely possibility---A war ghost. From the old armory days.

Emily was walking past me at the cutter, and I smiled at her like I always did. Except it wasn't like always. It was her last day. I was wearing the cryptid shirt she'd given me for Christmas---She hadn't commented, but I was sure she recognized it.

"Hey." I reached out and turned off the cutter. "Brought you a little going away gift." I handed her a compass. She turned it over in her hands.

"Thanks! What is it?"
"It's a compass," I said. "Every adventurer should have one."
She figured out how to open the lid and smiled. "I'll add it to my stuff."
"You got it. You know I'm going to miss you."
"I'll miss you guys, too."

"You've been a good friend."

"You have, too," she said. "You really made me feel a lot better about things. You came here and gave me someone I could relate to. I usually try not to get too attached, because everything ends, but...."

"Yeah. I know. Hey, you're always welcome to visit. Send messages, call. Someone's going to do your job....but nobody can ever replace you."

"Thanks for saying that. You know, I will miss the Paul stories."

"Chances are you'll still get to hear them. I can always send a message, and I know you keep up with the dance videos."

"That's true."

"Hey," I said. "If there's ever anything I can do for you....I'm here."

The offices at Boxes Of Hope were entirely pink, making me stand out in my black outfit. I'd shown up wearing my standard ghost shirt and a black bandanna---No vests, no equipment belts at the moment.

"Hi, Traci," I said. She was waiting at the top of the stairs.

"Hi, Lou," she said. "This is my son."

I nodded at the adult man standing in the office. "Nice to meet you. So where have things been happening mostly?"

"Well, for starters, this painting fell off its hook." She pointed to a nice piece of art hanging on the wall by two screws. "I came into the room, and it was just hanging by one of those screws, swinging back and forth."

"Which means it had just happened. Was anyone else here?"

"No, I was alone in the building."

I had my EMF detector out and took a few readings. She led me into another room. "This movie screen fell over one night....."

There was a retractable movie screen propped in a corner. Traci showed me a photo with the screen standing up, and a stack of pink towels and shirts in front of it. "I was in another room, and I thought I heard it fall. I came in here, and it was lying down. But it couldn't have just slid....It wasn't touching the pile here."

"So it was over here?"

"Yes. At first I wondered if it just fell over, but there was no reason for it to do that."
"And it wasn't touching the pile?"
"No."
"Which is weird. So it didn't just fall over; it was almost thrown. What's on the other side of this wall?"

"Just the roof."

"Back of the building?"

"Yes."

"So it's not too likely that there would have been anything outside to knock it over. No trucks going by, nothing like that."

"I tried to think of some way to explain it...."

"No, you're right, I don't see any easy explanation either." I took some photos and did some more EMF readings. "This measures electricity. Now, something I notice that's interesting---Everything you're telling me is happening near an outlet. I'm getting EMF readings, but there's outlets here. This place is pretty well wired for an old building, but I do get a bit of a spike near the outlets, which is to be expected. The part that interests me is that there could be ghosts standing right there for all I know, hiding themselves by the outlets."

"That's really interesting."
"I'm not getting any unexplained temperature readings. I know this place used to be an armory, so I'm wondering now if there might be a soldier ghost using the outlets as camouflage."

Traci smiled. "I like that."

"What I want you to do is keep an eye open. Make a note of anything else that happens, and let me know. See if there's a consistent time or day of the week or anything---Sometimes you get patterns like that. I can come back and do some more checking, and even bring the whole team if you'd like."

"That would be nice. Do you guys do that thing where you ask questions?"
"We do, yes. Sometimes when it's just me, I skip that part---There's not much point in me trying it alone. But with the team, sure, we do that. I'll do a little digging, and see if I can come up with anything else myself."

"Thanks for coming."

"Of course. We'll keep at it. Keep me posted, okay?"

I biked home. It hadn't cooled down any; the heat was still pounding.

 When I opened up the back door, Rosie and Butters came running to greet me, as they always do. I took off my shoulder bag and carried it up to my office---I was still going to have to decide what to do about my outfit. I set it down and went back downstairs to the kitchen.

I turned on my laptop and sat down. I brought up my messages, and started typing. I wrote about the investigation....And told my good friend all about it.

Gaywatch

Nobody becomes a paranormal investigator for the food. But sometimes it works out that way anyway. 

We usually meet at Millie's. She has the biggest house. So we were sitting around the table snacking---We had some coconut cake, chips, and sodas. I sat around the table with both teams---Millie, Tim, Ashlin, Devaughn, Pete, and Vince. It was the best meeting we'd had in a while.

"Here's your ticket for the Hiawatha cruise, Ashlin," I said, handing her an envelope. "Been hanging onto it since the last meeting."

"Thanks," she said. "I'll be seeing you guys there."

"Does it take all night?" Millie asked.

"Nah," I said. "Been on the cruises before. It's only a couple of hours."

"I think it's from seven until nine," said Vince.

"That sounds right," I said. "I'm gonna get an article out of it."

"West Branch Pride sold out of tickets again," said Tim. "This makes the fourth year in a row."

"There's an old legend of a ghost along the river," I said. "A Henry Shoemaker story...The Siren of the Susquehanna. A Native American girl who was killed by a jealous lumberman, so her ghost waits by the side of the river singing to lure people in. I'm gonna smuggle in some of my equipment to take some readings while we're onboard."

"I'll let security know," said Tim,"To avoid any problems."

I nodded. "Should be mostly just my all-in-one EMF detector. I don't see the need to wear my whole tac vest on a gay pride cruise."

Tim grinned. "Want some more coconut cake?"

"Do you guys know what ICE is?"

This from Paul, just before bed. Michelle glanced at me; we had that telepathy that comes when you've been married for twenty-two years. Her look said This one's all yours.

I nodded. I got this.

She left the room. I sat down on Paul's bed.

"Yeah, I know ICE. We're talking about the government agency, right?"
"Yeah. Some of my friends are scared."

"I don't blame them, really. It's pretty scary lately. They're rounding up people who came from other countries, and sending them back. Or, in some cases, people who were even born here."

"I have a friend who doesn't speak much English," said Paul. "And he says he just wants to hide in the bathroom."

"I can see where he'd be worried. It's a very scary time. Now, so you know, you're an American citizen, so you don't have to worry. Okay?"

"I'm African-American. Does that mean I'm half African and half American?"

"No, your ancestors were from Africa, but you're also full American."

"Will my friends get taken away by ICE?"

"I hope not. And if I can help, I will." I tugged his blanket up over him. "Things are gonna be okay, little man. Get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

"Check it out, kiddo," I said, pointing as we pulled into the parking lot. "That's the boat."

"Cool!" said Paul

The Hiawatha, a huge paddleboat, sat at the bank of the Susquehanna River, festooned with Pride flags and rainbow decorations. Tim was waiting when we walked up the ramp and into the lower level, and he gave me a hug.

"Millie's already on board," he said. "Tif, I have a spot for you on the front. You guys can sit anywhere you want."

"Let's go up top!" said Paul.

We walked up and got a table. Paul asked me,"Can we go get a cupcake and a soda?"

"Sure, kiddo," I said. "Come on."

We walked down to the lower level, and I bought the kid a soda. The cupcake was free, and probably was not going to be Paul's only one of the night. When we walked back up, I bumped into an old friend.

"Lou! Hi!"
"Hi, Claire!" I said with some surprise. It had been a few years since I'd seen her. "How have you been?"

"Great! These are my friends, Kendall and Jonah."

I shook a couple of hands. She said,"I love the ghost shirt. Doing any investigating?"

"Oh sure." I had my rainbow ghost shirt on. I got out my all-in-one. "Brought my EMF detector today."

"I wondered what that was," commented Jonah. "I thought it was some sort of walkie talkie."

"Looks like that, actually. But it measures electricity and magnetism."

"And that's a sign of a ghost?"

"It can be. I like this model because if you press this button, it measures temperature, too. So that means I don't have to carry around several pieces of equipment. It's easier."

"That's cool."

"I'm looking into a legend of a ghost along the river tonight. She was a murdered girl from an old legend, and is said to sing to lure in people....The Susquehanna Siren."

Jonah smiled. "I think we just found our trivia team name! Unless you were going to use it."
"Nah, my wife would just give me that look. You go right ahead." I got out my EMF detector and turned it on, and almost instantly got a little flicker. "Oh, now, that's interesting."

"Are you getting something already?" Claire asked.

"I am, a little bit. I need to look into this some more."

The boat gave a very gentle lurch, and we were off.

Ashlin sat at our table, across from my wife. I looked over at her and grinned. "Who would have thought, a million years ago when you were waiting on me at the grocery store, one day we'd be on a Pride cruise together?"

She grinned back at me. "I did not see this coming."

I got up and gave her a hug. "You know you've become one of my best friends."

"You, too."

Tim came over, and I joined him at the railing overlooking the back of the boat. We watched the paddlewheel go around.

"Neat, isn't it?" he said. "Too bad it's fake."

"I didn't actually know that until you said it," I said.

"Yeah, it's actually powered by an engine."

"I'm thinking of ditching the tactical vest for a while," I said.

Tim understood immediately. I knew he would.

"ICE," he said.

I nodded.

"Yeah. I got a rinabow ally patch on there, but still....I don't want to be scaring anyone, or having problems."
"Yeah, you notice I quit wearing mine."

"I'm thinking of a temporary redesign. I've done it before, for similar reasons. I'll be working on that for a while. Maybe something a little more Robin Hood."
Tim smiled.

"Robin Hood is good."

Paul came over. I said,"Having a good time, buddy?"
'Yeah!"

"You see those little islands in the river? Those are log booms. Back in the 1800s, guys used to stand on them with long poles and sort out the logs for the lumber companies."

"Cool."

"You want to help me look for the Susquehanna Seal? It's supposed to be in this river someplace."

"Sure."

"I got a binoculars."

"Oooh! Gimmie."

I handed him the little cheap folding binoculars. "Here, you unfold them like this. No, you're looking through the wrong end. Like that." I was actually glad that I had the string to wear them around your neck, or I might end up with binoculars on the bottom of the Susquehanna.

"It makes everything look close up!"

"Have fun, little man."

Paul leaned over the railing, raised his hands, and called out,"I'm flying, Jack! I mean, Dad!"
"Actually, it's okay with me if you don't use my real name when you do that."

"Oh, come on."

I stepped forward, and Paul stood behind me, and I shouted out,"King of the world!"

You have to do that.

With Tim circulating the boat and Paul on guard against water cryptids, I walked around a bit with the EMF detector. I got a few flickers where I shouldn't have, always a good sign.

Tif was still downstairs where I'd left her, wearing her bright rainbow dress. "You doing okay, honey?" I asked.

"Oh yeah," she said. "Paul came by and gave me a rainbow party hat."

I went inside to the bar and got a beer for about $3.50---Normally I never drink while investigating, but I figure you can probably get away with in on a Pride cruise. I returned to the front of the boat.

I leaned over the front rail and looked out at the river. A guy with a beard came over to me. "Enjoying the view?"

"Checking for water monsters."

He went someplace else.

I got out the EMF detector, sipped my beer, and took some readings. It shot up to .12 at one point, which was good. Could be the Susquehanna Siren.

It was not bad, being here with some of my best friends and my family. It was another one of those wonderful times, one of those times you'll never forget.

Paul came to join me as we pulled back into the dock. He had an armload of the table decorations he'd begged off of people---Noisemakers, party hats, and tapestries.

"You have a good time, little man?" I asked.

"Yeah," said Paul.

We stood together as the boat docked back alongside the Susquehanna River.

As we disembarked, I passed Claire and her friends again. She grinned over at me.

"Find anything?" she asked.

"A few flickers I need to look into," I said, smiling. "It's been a good night."

Decades Ago

"Emily, would you mind printing me off one of the signs for my books? I'm going to need it down in Lancaster this weekend."

Emily smiled. "Sure, Lou. No problem. That's right, this weekend is another Lancaster trip."

"Yeah, some of the team and I are in for a Cryptid Weekend event at a club down there. It's called Decades, and it's made from an old armory. So we're investigating the first night, staying over in a hotel, and then I'm trying to sell some of my books at the event the next day."

"Sounds like fun."

"I hope. I been all excited; I'm looking forward to it mostly."

She glanced at me. "Mostly?"

"This coming weekend kind of bothers me a little. Sunday is one year since I died in the emergency room. I mean, it's also the anniversary of the Roswell crash, but I'm a little less concerned with that."

"Oh, wow. Yeah. I can see how that would bother you."

"I don't really expect anything is going to happen. But it's still on my mind, you know? Just a little apprehensive about the day."

"I'm glad you made it," said Emily. "Glad you're still with us."

"Yeah," I said. "Me too."

I was a little surprised to see Devaughn already waiting in the parking lot when we pulled in. I got out of the car and said,"Hey! Were you on guard duty or something?"

He grinned. "I saw you guys getting here through the window. Here's your key."

"Thanks. Everyone else here?"

"Yep. We just got in a little while ago. We have four rooms booked."

"Excellent."

Tim came through the front doors of the hotel. "Millie's looking good," he said. "She's walking without her cane today."

"Good news," I said. "I'm sure she's all excited."

"She's loving this. She said she's starved."

"Me, too, to be honest. Let me get our stuff up to the room, and then we'll head out for food."

"I got us some Golden Corral gift cards. That should work."

"Love Golden Corral. Be right with you."

The room was much nicer than I'd expected. I had two large bags---My camouflage travel bag and my gym bag with the paranormal stuff in it. I set them beside the bed I expected to be using. I tend to travel pretty efficiently, with all of my stuff staying packed unless I'm using it so I can just grab it and go. Michelle and Paul, by contrast, would have their crap all over the room within five minutes.

Michelle came in behind me and looked around. "Hey. This is nice."

"It really is. I'm pleased with it. They say there's a free breakfast."

"Probably just toast and stuff."

"Still. If there's coffee, I'm good. You ready to go to dinner?"

The Golden Corral is what would happen if someone piled all of the food in the world together and let everyone go nuts on it. I'm always interested to see what Paul's going to go for---He's a picky eater, but he loves buffets and things. He likes to make his own selections; in this case, four slices of pizza and then dessert.

I walked through the salad bar, then got some pork steaks and seafood salad, and joined Millie and my family at the table. I said to Millie,"You remember the bat incident? That time I got chased out of a stairwell by a bat during an investigation?"

She grinned. "The old VFW, around, what, 2010, wasn't it?"

"That sounds about right."

Michelle asked,"Are you guys going to investigate after dinner?"

"Yeah, we'll come back to grab our stuff and then head out," I said. "Paul, you can come along, or you can stay with your mom. Either way. I should be back around ten."

"I want to stay with Mom," said Paul.

"Okay."

"We can go see a movie," Michelle offered.

"Find out if we can see Lilo and Stitch."

I changed from my Bigfoot Research Team shirt to my LHPS uniform. I got my tactical vest out of my bag and pulled it on. The fingerless gloves with skulls on the back. I strapped on my LHPS belt and clicked it shut. Checked and made sure everything was secured in my pockets.

The others met me down in the lobby, and we walked out the door. We walked across the parking lot to the vehicle.

There was an outdoor elevator at Decades, and we all stepped on it. Me, Tim, Millie, Vince, Devaughn, and Petey. We rose up to the garage door as it opened, almost in slow motion, and we stepped through it into the building.

The ghost hunters had arrived.

Go time.

"We have an art show down here in the basement," said Tony, the owner of Decades. "But nobody should be in this section. You're welcome to do anything you need to down here. I'm excited."

At the end of the hall was a set of big rooms that appeared to be storage. Vince set down the case and started digging for equipment. I got out an EMF detector. Tony asked,"Does anyone need anything? Drinks? Water?"

"I could go for some water," I said. "I'm on a blood pressure patch that leaves me dehydrated."
Tony nodded. "Be right back."

"Okay, guys," I said,"I think we're best sticking to video and measurement readings on this one, and not bothering with any audio. With everything going on upstairs, there's no point. So let's do cameras, EMFs, laser thermometers, and see what we can come up with."

Vince began setting things up, and Tim started going around taking readings. Millie sat down and began looking through the FLIR. I took my EMF detector and wandered into the next room, and immediately saw that there was going to be some trouble.

The entire wall was covered with electrical junction boxes---All the power in the place ran right through here. My EMF detector spiked right away, and stayed high. I walked all the way across the room, and the readings continued.

Tim walked in. He asked,"What do you think?"
"I can see some of this already," I said. "This whole wall is electric. The EMFs are off the charts. Been a while since I've seen this. We have a fear cage going here."

"Oh?"

I nodded. "Some people are sensitive to EMFs. High ones can make a non-haunted place feel haunted, and a haunted place feel worse. Sloan Hall back in Lock Haven is like that. I did an apartment building a few years back that also had the same effect."

"I'm getting some odd temperature readings in the hall," Tim commented. "Millie has some stuff on video---There's a blob of light moving around in there, and she's getting it on tape. She says she has a new friend."

I grinned. "Well, that's cool. I'm going to go and see how far this field goes."

I walked back around to the other room. Tony had left some water bottles for us, and I took one and got a drink. It helped. I was now to the point I could tell when my blood pressure medication was working because I was dehydrated or tired.

 I walked through the far room, and found Devaughn taking some readings. I said,"We're getting high EMFs, even over here. Right through the wall. This would explain a lot."

He nodded. "Yeah, they're pretty high."

We walked out into the hall. A woman was there looking at the art exhibit, and she said,"Oh my god, you guys are ghost hunters! Is this place haunted?"

"Looking that way," commented Tim.

"This is awesome! I'm really into this! Can I take your picture?"

So we posed a moment for a photo at the end of the hall. 

I walked through the hallway quietly, checking with my EMF detector and the laser thermometer. I stopped to look at some of the art, too, which was pretty good. 

A year ago, I'd gotten up in the morning and been quickly rushed to the hospital. I'd actually died for thirty seconds when my heart stopped and I'd needed CPR. I didn't remember a whole lot; I'd basically returned to life in a Williamsport hospital room with a nurse standing over me. 

The anniversary was on my mind. Nobody else seemed to remember exactly what day it had been. Emily got a pass; she hadn't known me then. I didn't particularly expect everyone else to be dwelling on it or anything, but I myself was thinking about it a lot as the one-year anniversary came.

Vince had put a homemade Theremin on a bench down the hall, because apparently he'd had a few minutes available to make them. I could hear it go off thirty feet away. Tim and Tony came out into the hallway, and Tim said,"It's not supposed to be doing that."

"Not while I'm about thirty feet off, it's not," I said. I waved my fingers near the antenna, and it went off when they got too close. "See, I gotta be like an inch away."

"Something is making it go off," said Tim.

"Getting photos." I took my camera out of a pocket and rotated through the hall, snapping photos. "Tony, would it be okay if I did a walk-through upstairs, and just get a few readings? I can take off the vest if you think it would make people nervous."

He grinned. "Yeah, I think it might. But you're welcome to check around upstairs."

I dropped the vest on the table by my pack, and walked upstairs with the EMF detector. The upper floor was packed with people, eating and playing the arcade games. It was also packed with EMFs; I got readings just about everywhere I stood.

The bouncer approached me. "You're one of the ghost hunters, right? How's it going?"

"Place is probably haunted," I said. "But there are also electromagnetic fields making it seem a bit crazier than it really is."

"That's really cool," he said. "You do a lot of this?"

"All the time, but mostly back in Lock Haven. Sometimes I get out of the county, though, and do some traveling. Been spending a lot of time in Lancaster lately."

"I like those gloves," he said. "I need to get a pair like that."

I was wearing the vinyl gloves with skulls on the back. "Amazon," I said. "About eleven bucks. I wear these on most investigations."

"Cool!"

I walked around a bit more, and then headed back downstairs. Tim caught me in the hallway and said,"What do you think about packing up and getting ready for tomorrow?"

"Been here a couple of hours. It's probably about time."

"Find anything up there?"

"Place is still bleeding EMFs. The bouncer likes my fashion sense. How's it going down here?"

"Plenty on the spirit box. Millie got her video. It's been pretty busy. Tony is happy."

"Good. Good."

I don't care if I wake up on fire, my first priority is going to be coffee. I got up in the hotel before Michelle and Paul, and went looking for coffee in the lobby. I got a cup and brought it back upstairs, where I found Tim in the hallway doing essentially the same thing.

"How's it going?" I asked.

"We're getting everyone up and ready," he said. "We'll get checked out and head for Decades for the event. Great night last night."

I nodded. I leaned against the wall and drank some of my coffee. "We got some good results. I'm pleased."

"Millie loved it. She's having a great time. I'm glad we could get her out for this."

"Me, too. Millie and I go way back. She was essentially the first person I recruited for the team back in 2007."

"You ready for today?"
I took a drink of my coffee and grinned at him.

"Getting there."

A giant cardboard sign of Bigfoot stood across from me in the lobby. I sat at the table with my vest spread out in front of me, much of my equipment on display, and stacks of my books for sale. I'd been fielding questions and explaining things for a couple of hours. It was a good event.

Tim and the SPI team were across the lobby, with Millie beside them. I caught her eye and gave her a thumbs-up, and she smiled and returned it.

Paul sat down beside me. "Are there any more tokens?" he asked.

I pulled a small black sack out of my pack and handed it to him. "Plenty more, buddy. You enjoying the games?"

He nodded. "I played the basketball one for a while, and a Jurassic Park one. I also played one where I shoot aliens."
"Cool. Just in case we get invaded again."

He looked at me. "It was this time last year when you went to the hospital."

I glances dat him with some surprise. "Yeah. Tomorrow, in fact. How did you know that?"

"You weren't there the first week of my summer camp. I wasn't happy when I woke up and you weren't home. You know that big dent in my top bunk? That's where I kicked it when you didn't come home.""

"It was pretty traumatic for all of us, buddy. But everything seems to be allright now." I gave him a hug. "In fact, everything is just fine."

Music To My Fears

I woke up fifteen minutes before the alarm went off. Then I laid there in bed about another five minutes.

Finally I got up and washed up, put on my uniform, and gathered my stuff. Travel vest. EMF detector. Camera. I grabbed the CCGS cemetery book that covered the north end of the county. 

Then I walked downstairs to have some coffee and check my e-mails.

An hour after getting up, I was climbing into the van with the SPI team and Millie to do a paranormal investigation.

Worth it.

"Ole Bull State Park," I said,"Was named for a famous musician. He came to this area in the mid-1800s, and wanted to set up a series of communities that looked like his native Norway. But the guy who was selling him the land didn't actually own it, in the sense that he'd paid for it or let the actual owners know, and Ole Bull lost money on it. He was building a castle on top of the hill, and he played his violin there for a while, then, according to the legend, threw it off and wandered into the woods."

"Is the castle still there?" asked Tim from the back of the van.

"The ruins. Basically a foundation. It's a short but very steep hike. People say you can still hear Ole Bull's violin playing sometimes, on a dark night."

 "Where's this other place you wanted to stop by?" Vince asked, driving.

"It's in Leidy Township. Back in 1950---Seventy-five years ago, this summer---Two local reporters went up and interviewed Hiram Cranmer, the postmaster. He told them about a headless ghost roaming in the area. They went up and staked it out---It's a cemetery very near a bridge across Kettle Creek---And came back with a photo of a white, smoky shape. Humanoid with no head. It ran on the front page the next day. I've written about this a bunch of times."
"I've seen those articles," said Tim. "Our historian finds some pretty good places to stop."

"Your historian has a tendency to overplan," I said.

"Looks like Ole Bull is right up ahead," said Vince.

"Pull up to the main office," I said. "I want to score a few maps."

We pulled up at the parking area. I walked over to the main office and grabbed a couple of Ole Bull maps, and checked around to see what else they had. I found some maps of Kettle Creek, and I picked those up, too. 

I walked back to the van.

"They have Bigfoot stickers for sale in there, if anyone's interested," I said.

We started unloading. I pulled on my vest---Not the bulletproof tactical, but a lighter one that was easier to pack---And I loaded it up with my equipment. Devaughn and Tim unloaded a power wheelchair for Millie. Millie, my partner investigator for almost twenty years, was getting older, and I wasn't entirely on board with the idea.

"Oh, you brought some walkies," commented Tim. I was taking them out of my bag and putting one in my pocket.

"Yeah, I got three in case we get separated."

"We brought ours, too." He opened a long case containing several comlinks. I looked them over; they were nice models.

"Those will communicate through a mile of concrete," Vince told me. "I put them together out of some spare parts I found for a couple of bucks."

I like hanging with Vince. He's my best chance of getting a functioning teleporter eventually.

"Hell, then, let's use yours." I dropped mine back into my bag.

"Excuse me." There was a man riding by on a bike with his son. "Do you mind if I ask what you're doing? I noticed the outfits."

We do often look a little unusual. My outfit consists of a black vest with extra pockets and a bandanna around my right ankle. Tim's is similar but a little more formal, with a polo shirt with the logos on it and suspenders. And Devaughn's is a marvel---Camouflage, almost a military look, but covered in all sorts of paranormal patches showing cryptids, ghosts, and aliens.

"Oh, we're Swartz Paranormal," Tim explained. "We're here to look into stories of Ole Bull haunting the place. Our historian turned that up."

"Oh, now, that's interesting," the man said. "Do you guys have some sort of website or page that you'll be putting up any findings?"

"You can check us on Facebook," Tim said. I handed him one of the LHPS business cards.

'Which way do we want to go?" Tim asked me.

"The bridge is right over there," I said. "Right across is the monument to Ole Bull. From there, it's a short but very steep hike up to the castle ruins."

"Would the monument be a good place to get a group picture for the Facebook page?" he asked.

"It would," I said.

We walked across the park and over the bridge. I could see the Ole Bull monument from the distance as we approached. It had been a couple of years since I'd been up with my family, but everything was where  remembered it.

We stopped and had a camper take our photo gathered by the monument. Then I said,"The castle is up this way," and we started up.

"Which way?" Millie stopped the power chair at the fork in the trail.

"Either," I said. "It loops, and leads to the castle."

She chose the right path, which looked slightly less steep. The others followed along, helping her in the chair. I  turned left, and walked up the hill, and ended up at Ole Bull's castle ruins.

It was mostly a foundation now, with a sign up describing what it had once been. Standing high on top of the mountain, I looked over everything. I love those moments---Getting to stand where the historic people stood, seeing where things happened over a century ago. Feeling those ripples from history, knowing you're part of it now.

The others came up the path. Devaughn began walking around the trail, looking at the perimeter, while Tim and I started checking for EMFs. Vince got out the spirit box and set it up on a bench, and turned it on.

"Anything?" Tim asked me.

I shook my head. "Not yet. Clearly no power lines or anything up here, but I'm not reading any ghosts, either. Temperature is consistent at about sixty."

The spirit box suddenly blared to life, sounding out several musical notes. They were loud chords, deep and haunting, and they sounded out through the valley below.

Tim turned to look at me.

"Did you hear that?" he asked.

"It was rather hard to miss."

"There shouldn't be any radio signals up here."

"And Ole Bull's ghost is said to play music," I said. "I think we have something."

I felt a raindrop. I looked up. The wind was blowing the clouds in over the mountain, and it was beginning to rain.

"Damn it," I said,"It wasn't supposed to rain today."

"You never do know," commented Millie. "It's been pretty wet lately."

"We should get the equipment out of the rain," said Vince.

I nodded.

"Let's get everything packed up."

"Sorry this one as a bust," said Vince as he packed up the equipment in the van.

Tim glanced at him. "Seriously?"

"What the hell gives you that idea?" I asked. "We got some music notes over the spirit box. This was a great investigation!"

"So, if we have time and everyone agrees," I said,"We can stop in Leidy Township on the way home."

We'd found a restaurant along Route 6 and stopped to eat. I was having a shrimp basket, sitting next to Millie, much like we usually did.

"Back in August of 1950," I said,"Two staffers from the local newspaper staked out the area and spotted a headless ghost. It was said to be the ghost of a man beheaded by the Native Americans after trying to steal some of their treasure. They got a photo of it, in fact, which was a pretty good piece of evidence. I'd like to stop by and check it out."

"And you know the place?" Tim asked.

I nodded. "The article said it was in Leidy Township. It mentioned a cemetery and a bridge, right over Kettle Creek. I've checked the locations of all the cemeteries in the township, and there's only one that matches the description. Truth is, I've always wanted to visit all the cemeteries in Clinton County, and this is a chance to check this one off my list."

"Well," said Vince,"If it's along 144, we can take that down to the Renovo Road, which takes us right past Millie's on the way home. It's basically on our way."

"You gonna eat those chips?" I asked Millie.

"Right here. Right here," I said excitedly. "The bridge."

Vince made the turn onto the bridge, and I said,"Right there is the cemetery."

"Where can I park?"

"I guess here on the grass, by the road."

He pulled up. I climbed out of the van and looked at the cemetery, and the others followed. I walked through, looking at the graves. 

"Which one is the oldest in the cemetery?" Tim asked me.

I checked the cemetery book I'd brought along. "I have one from 1907....That one seems to have been moved from Maple Grove, when they built the Kettle Creek Dam. A lot of cemeteries ended up underwater during that project. If we don't count that one, I have one from 1922. I'm seeing some Summersons in here....David Summerson died and is said to be riding a phantom horse in the area."

"Cool."

"The reporters sat up here in their car for a while, probably about where we parked, and then walked down to the bridge. It was there that they saw the ghost. it was described as a headless, smoky sort of white shape. It moved toward them, and they ran back to the car and went for a whiskey."

"Up in Cross Fork?"

"I think down to Renovo, but I'm not sure. Over the drinks, they decided that they needed a photo, so they went back. This time, they saw it again and got a photo, and ran back to the newspaper to develop it and write up the story."

Tim grinned.

"Shall we?"

We walked down the road to the bridge, Tim, Devaughn and me. We looked at the bridge going over Kettle Creek, and I stopped for a moment, looking out over the creek, the same place two other reporters had seen a ghost so many years ago.

The ghost was spotted right down there. And, seventy-five years later, here I am. Tracing the footsteps, looking at the same place. Learning about it, and becoming. A part of history.

When they dropped me off back at my place, Paul and the girls next door were playing in the backyard. I carried my bags around to go inside.

"Hi, Dad!" Paul called, not pausing in his bouncing on the trampoline.

"Hey, kiddo."

"Hi, Lou!" said Love, also bouncing. "Where have you been?"

"Been up north, hunting ghosts."

"Cool! Tell us some stories?"

I smiled.

"Sure. Let me get unpacked, and then I'll tell you all about it."

Cloudy With A Chance Of Hauntings

Every once in a while, Tif and I tried to have breakfast together, almost like we were normal people. It was a pleasant Friday morning. We sat at McDonald's, eating our breakfast and chatting before work.

"Been at kind of loose ends lately, adventure-wise," I said, drinking my coffee. "I had all sorts of fun running around Lancaster and New Castle, but now that that's over with, I don't know what else to do. It's been slow."

"Oh, god," said Tif.

"What?"

"You get into some of the craziest ones when you get bored. When you have nothing to do for a while, out come the maps and Shoemaker books, and you get into something insane."

"I mean, I hope. I could use something like that right now. I thought I was going to get to investigate a haunted tobacco store, but that turned out to be nothing."

"Nothing on the horizon?"

"Couple of potential adventures scheduled in June. Nothing too exciting planned right now. I don't always do wild stuff when I get bored."

"Remember that time you had Biz and me put a rain spell on the whole city? What was that, about fifteen years ago?"

"Something like that. 2007 sounds about right."

"That was interesting. Something like that, maybe?"
"Right now, just about anything would do."

Tuesday night. Michelle and Paul were out taking Biz grocery shopping, and I had the house to myself. Sort of. Rosie and Butters were around, and Cookie the hamster, and Ida was around someplace. You're never really alone in my house.

I heard the wind outside, kicking up. A storm was coming. I stepped out onto the back porch to watch.

I love storms. They're like a free firework show with a somewhat slow-paced but exciting movie. I stood on the porch for a while, watching as it built.

Thunder and lightning. I love that. The wind was pounding everything; I watched our tree blow back and forth violently. I could hear the garbage cans get knocked over on the northwest side of the house. I stopped just out of range of the rain and watched for a while.

"What's for dinner?" Michelle asked as she came into the house.

"Sausage, corn, and baked potatoes," I said. "After dinner, I need to run up to Highland Cemetery to get some photos."

"Okay."

"There was some tree damage from the storm. I've sold the idea of an article to my editors, so I need some photos to send with it." I put the sausage in the oven. "I wonder if that stirs up the ghosts."

I turned the oven on. Then I stopped to think about that.

Then I sat down at my computer and sent a message to the team.

"So....Highland?" said Tif.

This time, we were sitting on the sidewalk on Main Street, in front of the Texas Restaurant. We were having Growlers, a specialized chili dog. It's the closest thing you can get to a Lock Haven cuisine. 

I nodded. "We have some trees down up there. A lot of the time, damage can cause more activity, similar to the way home repairs do. It seems to rile them up. So I'm taking the team up to check it out."

"When you going?"

"Saturday evening seems to be the best time. I checked with Dave, the cemetery manager. He wants to join us."

"Think you'll find anything?"

"We'll see. The potential is definitely there."

"At least it'll keep you busy."

"Which is probably best for society anyway."

"Lou?" Tom called back. "Two guys are here asking for you."

"Thanks, Tom." I walked up to the front office, expecting some sort of history question, and instead found Tim an Devaughn standing by the counter. I grinned.

"Hi, guys! What's up?"

"Well, we stopped by to check and see what equipment we need for Saturday," said Tim.

"I'd say the basic stuff. We don't need anything too complicated; just what you can carry. We'll meet up at the top of the cemetery---Drive up the hill and look for Soldiers' Circle."
"We also wanted to order some stickers and business cards," said Tim. "And we need a logo designed for the team."

"My friend Emily can help you with that," I said. "Emily?"

Emily stood up from her desk and brought over an invoice. "Sure, I can help with that. When do you need it by?"

"June seventh would be good if you can," said Tim. "If not, that's okay too."

"I think that's plenty of time," said Emily. 

"LHPS has a logo, I think SPI needs one, too," said Tim. "LHPS is a ghost. For ours, maybe a haunted house or something?"

"I can come up with something," agreed Emily.

"Just run it past Lou when you get it," said Tim. "I trust him."

"I trust Emily," I said. "She's really good."

"Dad, can you walk me down to Juliet's?" Paul asked.

I looked at my watch. I had plenty of time, and it was a nice day out. "Sure," I said. "Come on, let's go."

We walked down to his friend's house, a block and a half away. When Paul tapped at her door, Juliet appeared, and Paul handed her a popsicle.

"Hey, kiddo," I said,"Is your mom home?"

"Sure," said Juliet. She ran upstairs. A moment later, her mother appeared.

"Hi, Amanda," I said. "Sorry to bug you."

"Oh, it's no problem," she said. "What's up?"

"We're going to investigate Highland Cemetery tonight," I said. "About seven to nine-ish. Would it be okay with you if I invited Juliet along?"

"Sure, she'd love that."

Paul ran to grab Juliet, and said,"Juliet! Do you want to come and investigate a cemetery with---"

"Yes," said Juliet.

I smiled. "We'll pick her up and drop her off."

It was seven when we stopped at Highland and got out. Me, Tim, Devaughn, Vince, and Petey, plus Paul and Juliet. I was wearing my usual outfit---The LHPS uniform, black jeans, black bandanna, boots with skulls on them, fingerless gloves, and the tactical vest. 

"Storm damage is over here," I said. "Looks like they've started cleaning some of it up. We had a few trees down up here along the top, mostly right around this area."

Tim's outfit was a lot like mine, but more official-looking somehow. He had a polo shirt with symbols on the sleeves, a vest and equipment belt, and heavy fingerless gloves. Devaughn had a more military-style outfit with cargo pants, an equipment belt, and a camouflage jacket with paranormal patches all over it.

"You want your vest right now?" I asked Paul.

He  shook his head. He was still in his soccer uniform from that morning, which he took some pride in. "Not right now, Dad."

"I'll wear it," volunteered Juliet.

I put it on her. It fit better than I thought it would; she's pretty tiny, but it worked well enough.

"This is Soldiers' Circle," I said. "The first black soldier to fight with a white unit in World War I is here. Over there is a guy who was an honor guard at Lincoln's funeral. John Sloan, the famous artist, is over there. That statue down there---That's Peter Meitzler. He was built with a beer glass in his hand, but during Prohibition, some temperance ladies came along and smashed it off."

"Really?" Paul asked. "Where?"
"I'll show you. My suggestion tonight is we set up shop near the Kistler Mausoleum; we've had activity there before."

"We have some new 3D printed stands for the EMF detectors," said Tim. "Wait until you see."

"Do you have any more equipment, Dad?" Paul asked.

"Yeah, kid, it's all in the black bag."

We began unpacking. Vince and Tim got out their EMF detectors, and set them up on stands around the mausoleum. I took some photos and checked things out with my all-in-one. Juliet followed along, fascinated by it all.

Paul and I walked down the path to the Meitzler statue, overlooking the city. I said,"See? You can see where his fingers are all broken off, where he was holding the glass."

"I see it," agreed Paul. "They should put it back."

"That idea has been proposed," I admitted.

We walked back toward Soldiers' Circle, where Tim and Devaughn were exploring. I said,"Henry Shoemaker's grave is right over there."

"Well, I gotta see this," said Tim.

We walked over to Shoemaker's grave. I'd been there a million times before; Shoemaker was one of my big heroes. Tim said,"I love this. Get my picture, Devaughn."

I took a walk around the top of the cemetery. All of the historic people up here....Former mayors, business owners, writers. It had been slow since returning from Lancaster, but this was exciting. I'd always loved Highland Cemetery; to me it represented the best of Lock Haven's past. I always came out of it knowing I was going to end up here myself one day....And thinking, Well, that's okay.

I rejoined the others. We walked around the loop at the top of the hill, taking reading and looking at the historic graves. Then we returned to the Kistler Mausoleum.

"The EMF detectors are lighting up," Devaughn pointed out.

The detectors we'd set up around the mausoleum were spiking from green to yellow. I walked around to the north side. "Over here, too. And there's no reason for it---There's no lights, no power lines up here at all."

"No," agreed Tim. "Didn't you say you'd gotten some activity like this before?"

I nodded. "Several years ago, I was up here with Millie and Charlie. We got a lot of similar activity, without any explanations, right here in this same mausoleum. It's probably Gertrude Kistler, who drowned on a family vacation when she was twelve, in 1920---Her grandparents are here."

"Still going," said Vince.

I looked over the flashing lights.

"We got activity, guys. We got this."

 It was a nice night. After, Paul and Juliet were hanging out on the trampoline in the backyard. I brought out some reheated hot dogs for them.

"Here you go, guys. Eat up." Paul had claimed to be hungry after the investigation, which wasn't surprising. For some reason, I often come home from investigations hungry myself, and he's always hungry these days.

The two of them ate their hot dogs. I said,"You guys learn anything tonight?"
Juliet nodded with some enthusiasm. "Yeah!"

I asked,"You have a good time?"

"Bet," said Paul.

"Yeah!" said Juliet. "And it kept me busy all night!"

I smiled.

"Me too."

Dance Dance Apparition: Part Three

"There it is," I said. "Up ahead, on the left. There's the bus."

Back in Lancaster. Paul had one more dance competition, and this was the big one. Michelle was driving, with Paul and his best friend Rylan in the back. She pulled into the driveway of the farmhouse, and past the barn, and three dogs came running out to greet us.

There was a big Irish setter, a mutt, and a tiny spaniel. Michelle said,"I hope they don't get in the way of the jeep."

"They're my new best friends," I said,"And I would die for them." And I got out of the jeep.

They ran over, and sniffed me, and I petted them all. Paul and Rylan followed a moment later, and petted them. The little one was the friendliest, and kept snuggling up to me for more attention. After a while, I was able to tear myself away from the dogs, and unload the luggage. I put it in the bus.

Michelle had booked us a refurbished bus to stay in. The old school bus had been made over into almost a cottage, with beds, sofas, and a little kitchen. I walked around the place a little bit, checking things out.

"Good. There's coffee." I held up the salt shaker. "Hey, Paul. Check this out."

Paul looked up. "Pink salt?" he said. "What is wrong with people?"

The kids were bouncing on the sofas when I got all the luggage unpacked, and I sat down at the desk.

"We have to get up at seven to get you to the hotel on time," I told Paul. "The hotel where you're dancing tomorrow was built basically with two historic buildings inside it. One of them was owned by Thaddeus Stevens, who helped amend the Constitution. It may have been on the Underground Railroad."

"Slay," said Paul.

"They're old buildings. I hear they might be haunted. You want to do some investigating, if we get a chance?"

"Sure," said Paul.

"Yes," said Rylan.

"I have some of the equipment with me," I said. "I'll bring it along in case you get a moment in between acts."

It was early morning when we got to the hotel, and raining. The hotel was gigantic. We walked in from the parking garage. I was wearing my Rachael's Dance Unlimited shirt, and my LHPS hoodie. I'd investigated in worse. The bus was close quarters and there wasn't much of a shower, so I'd skipped shaving, but it wasn't too noticeable yet. I have the facial hair of an eight-year-old girl. I'd brought my small sling pack, with a few pieces of equipment and my phone in it.

"There's my team," Paul said. "See you guys later!"

He took off to be with the other kids. Michelle said,"I'm going to find the stage and get some seats. You gonna look around?"

"Yeah,  figure so," I said. "Paul's already disappeared, so I guess I just have to trust him to get onstage when he needs to."
"He's done okay so far."

"I'm not exactly used to assuming the ten-year-old is on top of the situation."

I walked down into the lobby. Immediately, I stopped and gasped.

"My god...."

The lobby was big. It had a house in it.

The William Montgomery House had been there since 1804. The hotel had been built right there, basically incorporating the house. It rose up through three floors, across from the balconies, with a curved back wall and wonderful windows. My jaw dropped. A historic building, right inside the lobby of a modern hotel.

I sat down on the steps and took a moment to message Emily, back home.

Two historic buildings are part of this hotel, and it's so beautiful I could cry!

She responded a moment later.

Holy crap I really slept in today, maybe that's a good thing I needed it! That is literally the perfect spot for you Lou I'm excited to see the pictures!

I stood up and got out my EMF detector.

I walked around the Montgomery House for a little while, taking readings. There wasn't much, but it was early yet. I walked all the way down to the other end of the lobby, and down the stairs, and I found the Thaddeus Stevens House there.

That was under repair and locked off, but I walked around the area and took some EMF readings there, too. This house had been part of the Underground Railroad. It was a part of American history....And I was here.

I took some photos, checked the EMF detector, and switched it to temperature. There wasn't much point in trying an audio recording; interference from the dance competition and the kids running around would invalidate anything I found. I decided to go out and score some coffee. 

I walked out into the street. Lancaster. America's oldest inland city. It's always amazed me, how many places there are to be, how many opportunities there are to get to them.

I was leaving the coffee shop when I spotted Kira, from the Economic Partnership.

"Hey! Kira! What are you doing here?"

"Oh, you know. I have boys, so I have to come along with a friend and enjoy her daughter vicariously. How's everything going?"

"Pretty good. You see how they built the hotel to preserve two historic homes? I'm so jealous I could spit. I would love to see that sort of emphasis on preservation in Lock Haven."

"Yeah, me, too. Think they're haunted?"
"Don't think I didn't bring along some of my equipment."

Back in the lobby, I found Amanda and Carri sitting and talking. Their daughters were in Paul's class. Another woman was with them. I sat down and joined them.

"How's it going, you guys?"

"Exhausted," said Amanda. "We had to get up early and drive in this morning."

"That's right; I forgot you'd told me that. We slept in a bus last night."

Paul and Juliet, Amanda's daughter, came running over. They had handfuls of candy.

"We got some candy!" said Paul.

"Where'd you get that?"
"An old man gave it to us!"

"Jesus christ, child."

"He was handing it out at a booth," Paul said. "He works for the hotel."

"Well, you could have led with that."
Little Juliet was studying my hoodie. "Are you looking for ghosts?"

"Well, I'm trying."

"Could I do that? Could you come to the hotel tonight and show me?"
"I don't see why not," I agreed.

"Can Addie come, too?"

"If it's okay with her mom."

"Fine with me," said Carri.

"Can I get in on this?" asked the other woman.

"Why not? Will your kid be coming?"
"I'm Juliet's grandmother. Amanda's my kid."

"Oh, well, then, I guess she'll be there. How about seven-ish? We can check out the old parts of the place."

"Sounds good," said Amanda.

"Juliet," I said,"Welcome to the Ghost Gang."

"Yay!" said Juliet.

With a few hours in between Paul's performance and our return for an investigation, we went back to the bus. I walked outside---It was still chilly and rainy, but I wanted to see if the dogs were around, and maybe a ghost or two. 

Out by the road, I found the Irish setter running around with something in his mouth. He sat down on the grass and began happily chewing on it. He was followed, a moment later, by an old woman walking two ponies down the road and back to the property.

"That's something I don't see much back where I'm from," I said.

She smiled. "Ponies in the street where they shouldn't be?"
"Yeah, we don't get that much back in Lock Haven."

"The young one escapes sometimes. I'm putting them back in the barn."

I saw Paul come racing excitedly out of the bus, followed a moment later by Rylan. I said,"Oh, my son and his friend are coming. Would you mind....?"
"Of course not," she said. She handed me the reins to the little one. "Here, you can hold him."

Paul and Rylan ran up to the ponies. Paul said,"Ponies! They are so cool! I didn't think they were real!"

"Wait....Did you not know ponies exist?" My kid deals routinely with Sasquatches, water cryptids, and Squonks, but wasn't aware of ponies.

They petted the ponies. The woman said,"Would you like to give them some treats?"

"Yeah!"
She handed them some small pony treats. "Set them in your hand, and hold it our flat like this."

The kids followed her instructions, and fed the ponies several treats, to the delight of both the kids and the ponies. The woman said,"Would you like to brush them?"

Paul's eyes lit up. "Yeah!"

She handed them two brushes. "Here, you can brush them while I clean their hooves."

The kids happily brushed the ponies, who were very patient about the whole thing. I said,"You having a good time, little man?"

"This is so cool," he said.

"We're here," I announced as we walked into the hotel's waiting area. "Finally found parking."

Amanda and Carri were waiting with a couple of drinks. I was tempted to join them, but I never drink on investigations. Juliet and Addie hugged Paul, who was right behind me with Rylan.

"Are we going to hunt ghosts now?" Juliet asked.

"We are," I said. "I brought some of my equipment. Let's go down to the other end; we'll have less interference down there and the whole place pretty much to ourselves."

As we walked down, Carri asked me,"So how long have you been doing this?"

"Long time. Almost twenty years, officially."

"What was the first haunting you ever really found?"

"First one I debunked was on our honeymoon. A sighting at a covered bridge turned out to be just the grain of the wood, which looked like a face. The first one I recall really finding was my own house; a young girl killed herself there back in 1905."

"And how do you figure out who the ghost might be?" She sipped at her drink.

"I look at the deeds and other documents, and then check the newspaper archives," I explained. "You can get a good sense of who lived in the house, and died there."

"What if it was someone who didn't live there? Say, a favorite niece, who had good memories of the place?"

"That happens. Usually you can figure that out through newspaper archives, too---The obits can give you an idea of family and friends, at least get you started."

We got down to the lower lobby, where the Thaddeus Stevens House was connected. I said,"Okay, we can't go in the old house because it's under repair. But that's a good thing; repairs tend to stir up ghosts. Now, this here is an EMF detector. It detects electricity and magnetism, but when there's no reason for those, it can also detect ghosts."

I passed the all-in-one to Juliet, and the little one to Addie. Paul and Rylan were very casual about the whole thing; they're used to this. I continued,"This here is a digital recorder. We use this to ask questions, and maybe get some sort of voice on tape. I've had that happen before. Everyone get comfortable---We're going to do an EVP session; electronic voice phenomena. We'll go around and say our names, then record ourselves asking questions to see if we can get any voices. We have some interference in the background, but sometimes you'll have that."

I turned on the recorder, and we did a few minutes of talking to potential ghosts. I was rather impressed with the kids; they paid attention for several minutes, which is longer than kids usually last during those things. Finally I clicked off the recorder and said,"Okay. I'll review that later. You guys check out the place with the EMF detectors and let's see if we can find anything."

They headed out, with Paul and Rylan supervising Juliet and Addie. I watched as they walked around the lobby area, using the EMF detectors correctly. Addie's went off, beeping and spiking to red for a moment.

I said,"There you go. Look, no outlets, no cords. Looks like you may have detected a ghost."

She smiled. "The ghost likes me."

I smiled back. "I bet he does."

"Small coffee, please."

I was in the hotel's Starbucks. There's always a Starbucks; they're easier to find than fake UFO sightings. I took my black coffee and stepped outside, looking out at the rising sun over Lancaster.

I never really saw moments like this coming when we'd adopted a baby. "Hunting ghosts with my son's dance team" was never on my radar. But of all the unpredictable weirdness that my life had somehow become, it was worth it.

It had been a hectic few weeks. We'd been busy, we'd been exhausted. We'd had some adventures, Paul and I. I was a bit relieved that it was almost over.....But I was also going to miss it.

I finished my coffee and went inside. 

I found Paul in the lobby, polishing off a plate of chicken tenders and fries. He was sitting up against the wall. I sat down next to him.

"How you doing, little man?"

"Fine."

"You need anything?"

"I needed chicken tenders. But Mom got them for me."

I nodded. "You guys did really good this weekend. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, Dad."

We sat in companionable silence for a moment, my son and I. Then he said,"You know why I hate going to school every morning? Because I have to leave you. I miss you when I'm at school."

"You have to get an education, kiddo," I told him. "But I miss you, too. When I see you get on the bus to leave....That's the worst part of my day. And the best part is when you get back."

"Okay," he said.

"We have next weekend off," I said. "Let's do something together, you and me."

"Sounds good," said Paul.

Outside the windows, the sun was coming up over the skyline.

Dance Dance Apparition: Part Two

"There's Bigfoot!" commented Michelle.

I looked out the car window. "He's enormous."

Along Interstate 80, there was a giant Bigfoot cutout. It had to be thirty feet tall. I was in the back with Paul, and Michelle and Tif were up front, on the way to the second round of dance competitions.

"We'll be staying where there's Bigfoot sightings," I said. "Near the hotel in Mercer, there have been sightings of a tan Bigfoot every ten years. It was 2005, then 2015, so we're right on time. The hotel is near an overpass, and cryptids love overpasses, so I figure I'll go and look."

"What is it with you and cryptids and overpasses?" asked Tif.

"Well, the Virginia Bunnyman---"

"Nope. Never mind."

"Then when we get to New Castle, there's a haunted mansion very near the competition. Also New Castle is the birthplace of Jack Cole, who created Plastic Man, so that's cool."

"How long until we get there?" Paul asked.

I looked at my watch. "About another hour."

"Aargh."

"But we're coming up on the highest point on Eighty east of the Mississippi. Look, you don't want to miss that."

The hotel room was about typical. Two beds, a TV, a bathroom. I texted Emily while I sat at the desk, to let her know we'd arrived safe, and told her I was going to look for the light-colored Bigfoot.

Good luck, she sent back.

If I find him, I told her, I'll call him Blondie.

I'd  brought my cryptid vest, a packable fishing vest with all my equipment in it. I pulled it on and said,"Think I'll go out for a walk while it's still light out."

"Have fun," said Michelle.

I walked down the hall and through the lobby. I checked the rack; there were a couple of brochures available, but nothing too fascinating. There was a redheaded girl working the desk.

"Weird question," I said. "Do you know of any interesting haunted places around here, or Bigfoot sightings? Anything like that?"

I like to talk to locals when I can. Sometimes they give me a prize. Sometimes I know more about the area than they do. This turned out to be that second time.

She frowned. "No, nothing like that. This is a small place; there's just nothing like that around here."

"Okay. Thanks for trying."

I walked outside. It was a nice evening. I walked down to the overpass; Interstate 80 ran right over the highway, very near the hotel. No sign of Blondie Bigfoot, though. I walked back the other way, past the hotel and to a nearby swamp to the north.

I looked around. No prints or hair samples, but I noticed that everything was dry and light brown. This could explain about the tan Bigfoot, or whatever people were reporting: A light-colored creature would camouflage in this terrain better than a dark one.

When I got back to the hotel room, Paul was sitting on the bed with his cell phone. He said,"I'm sending a message to Rosie and Butters."

"They'll like that," I said.

He dialed the house number and waited until the machine picked up. Then he said,"Hi, Rosie. Hi, Butters. How you guys doing? It's me, your best owner, AKA Paul. And I just want to send you a preppy message saying that I would rather be with you guys, but I have a dance competition, so I have to be here, and I miss you very much, and I can't wait to come home, because I would rather be in my bed at home, but I kinda have to stay here. So, bye!"

Dinner was the Mexican restaurant connected with the hotel. I looked over the menu and settled on the fiesta salad, which sounded healthy enough. Paul said,"There aren't any drinks on this menu."

"They're right here, on the front," I pointed out.

"Oh. Yeah."

"Okay if I order the kid a nonalcoholic margarita?" Tif asked.

"It's okay with me," I said.

"Any luck on your tan Bigfoot?" she asked me.

"Not really. We may still be too close to 80, though you can never tell. I did see why the local Bigfoot is light-colored; everything around here is dry and dead, which probably comes in waves as the area experiences droughts. So a light-colored Bigfoot, or whatever animal people are reporting, would camouflage better than a dark-colored one in this area, as opposed to, say, the middle of Cook Forest."

She looked at me. "Did you really just use weather studies to explain a Bigfoot?"

"I mean....You gotta have a general science background to really do it right."

Paul's strawberry margarita came. He sipped it, and smiled. "I like it!"

I was the first one up in the morning, which was usual when we traveled. Tif was asleep in a chair, and Paul was lying crossways on the bed. Paul rolls around in his sleep; the kid sleeps like he's running a marathon.

I walked down to the lobby to get a coffee. Drank a little while I sent Emily a message updating her. It always made me feel better to have someone back home to contact while I'm traveling. And Emily and I had gotten to be close friends; I was lucky to have her in my life.

I went out to the jeep to check on things; the trailer was down and ready, and the small stool we use for Tif to get in was in the back. Back inside, there was a dark-haired girl working the desk, and I asked her,"Do you know of any haunted spots around here, anything like that?"

She shook her head. "No, nothing I know of. I've never heard anything."
I sipped some coffee.

Sometimes it pays to check with the locals. Sometimes it doesn't.

"I got this, Dad. You can go," Paul said as we walked into the Scottish Rite building in New Castle. He immediately peeled off to join his friends.

"If you need me---" I called after him, and then dropped it because he was already out of range. He and his team, all dressed in their sparkly outfits, went running off wherever they go together.

Tif put her hand on my arm. "Let him go, Dad. He belongs to Team Edge now."

I saw Rachael, the owner of the dance studio, walking across the lobby, and I joined her. "Paul's here, so you know. He's been stressing out all week over his eye makeup."

She smiled. "Oh, he'll be fine."

"He's really thriving in dance class. He does soccer and basketball, too, but he seems to love dance the most."

"That's great," she said. "When the weather warms up, I'll be sure to bring the kids for a haunted tour."

"Think I might go and explore a haunted place right now, actually."

I walked outside and headed west. Two doors down from the Scottish Rite was the Foxfire Mansion, an 1890 building that as said to be haunted and built on a burial ground. I walked down to it, wearing my Rachael's Team Edge shirt and a green hoodie. Usually I'd be wearing my paranormal outfit, but I'd put on the shirt this time because of the competition. I'd done ghost-hunting in worse; last June it had been a light blue hospital gown once.

The mansion was even better than I'd expected. It was under repair, so some of the windows were boarded up, the front steps were cracked, and it was high up on a hill overlooking the city. 

I got out my EMF detector and walked around. It spiked in a couple of places. That was a good sign. I found a cold spot on the north side, and I checked that out for a while. I was a little dubious about the burial ground story; this far up on a hill wouldn't have been as likely. But the place seemed to be haunted. 

I found a spot that wasn't easily seen from the street, and got out a Plastic Man action figure. I could use that as a trigger object; this was about as close as I was going to come to a team-up with Plastic Man. I set an index card down, set the action figure on it, and traced around it with my pen. I could come back the next day and see if anything had disturbed it. Emily was going to love it.

"Dad, how do you get to the livestream for the competitions?" Paul asked, sitting on the hotel bed.

"What in our history together would make you think I'd know that?"

"I'll ask Mom. Can we go get a cup of tea in the lobby?" Paul asked. The kid loves hotels, but he's also easily bored. 

"Yeah, why not," I said. "Come on, let's walk on down and see if there's still any left."

We walked down the hall to the lobby. Paul made himself a cup of tea from the hot water there. There was a third employee working the desk this time, and I decided I had nothing to lose by rolling the dice again.

"Excuse me," I said. Paul watched calmly; he's seen all this before. "Do you know of any haunted places around here?"

"Well, this hotel is haunted," she said. "We get stuff happening here all the time."

Paul turned to me. "Can we take a walk and check?"

"We can. I usually have some equipment on me. The hotel does have kind of a Shining vibe."

We gathered up a couple of my EMF detectors and walked the halls. Paul was a little ahead of me---Probably looking for possible vending machines---And he heard my detector go off. He turned around.

"Was that?"
"A reading? Yeah. We got some EMFs in this area. Looks like the hotel might be haunted, after all."

It was pouring out the next day when I walked out of the Scottish Rite. I had an hour before Paul was on, so I walked down to the Foxfire Mansion again. On the corner, high up on the hill, I looked around.

An 1890 mansion. I checked with the EMF detector as I walked around to the back.

Plastic Man was still there, but he'd moved about an inch from where he'd been the day before. I took some more readings; this was good. The place was very likely haunted.

I walked back to the Scottish Rite, and met the other dads backstage. I'd volunteered to help move props around for the act, so I wound up shoving some stuff around the stage before the kids came on. And then the dance began, with the kids in their shiny costumes coming out....My son among them.

"Who's that girl....Watch that scene....Digging the dancing queen."

Paul lit up the stage. He was out there, dancing with his team, having a great time. And this....This was his part of the story. His much more than mine.

It was still raining afterward, when we went out to the car. Paul had changed from his costume into a new T-shirt advertising the dance competition. I said,"You did great, little man."

"Thanks," said Paul. 

Tif parked her chair and began walking toward the car door. She said,"Paul, you did great. I was really happy to see it. That was wonderful."
"Thanks," said Paul. "Where can we go eat?"

I rolled Tif's wheelchair up onto the trailer, and strapped it down. Tif was standing by the passenger side door.

"Where's the stool?" she asked.

I looked in the back, where the stool usually was. I began digging through the luggage. "I don't see it."

"Did we leave it in the parking lot of the hotel when I got in? Drive off and forget it?"
"Shit," I said with feeling.

"Did we really drive away and leave the stool sitting in a parking lot?" Michelle asked.

"I mean, I want to say no, but....It's not entirely implausible. We have to go back that way to get on 80; let's drive over and see if anyone found it. Either it'll be there or it won't. It's been six hours, but maybe we'll get lucky."

"If we can't find it," said Michelle,"We'll just have to buy a new one."

"I can get into the car if you help," said Tif.

We drove back up toward the hotel. As we pulled across the highway and into the lot, I said,"I see it!"

"You do not," said Michelle.

"No, I really---"

"Oh my god, there it is!" said Tif.

We all began laughing. The stool was sitting there, right where we'd left it six hours ago. Nobody had even noticed it there, the whole day.

I got out of the jeep, held up the stool triumphantly, and then put it in the back. I got back in the jeep, beside Paul, and we headed home. Michelle drove us up onto Interstate 80 going east.

I looked over at my son.

"Proud of you, little man," I said.

Paul smiled.

"Thanks, Dad."