The Ghost of Silver Shoals
By: Stacey L. Bolin
Original Story
The autumn air of another Halloween night was electric with
the scent of a winter snow as the high tide of the ocean made any signs of the
beach sand disappear. Olivia’s love for the scent of the ocean air and the
sounds of the tides as they made their way in and out twice a day was the
reasoning behind her year round stay in her cottage on the small island of
Silver shoals. All the tourists had made their way home over the Labor Day
holiday, to begin planning their next trip to Vacationland Maine and the island.
For many years her friends and family had done their best to convince her to
return to the mainland and start a new life, but for Olivia, their requests
went on deaf ears as she remained upon the island with a handful of other
homeowners with their same love for the salty sea air year round.
For Olivia, living alone on the island, after the passing of
her husband, had become her way of life. She had no interest in pursuing a
relationship and she had not heard from her only daughter in sometime. She
enjoyed the company of her Friend Mini Dupree, which she had met while walking
on the shore looking for sea glass. The oddest thing about their friendship -
that is the only place the two of them would see or speak to each other. No
phone calls, no lunch dates, It was like magic, when Olivia was walking the
shores, Mini, would show up every time. Occasionally she would be graced with a visit
from friends and distant relatives from the mainland, as they didn’t mind the
idea of having to take a Fairy Boat across 4 miles of unpredictable ocean water
– but never did she have a visit from her only daughter.
It was about three in the morning when Olivia hear the sounds
of soft knocking at her front door. Never in all her years there had any one
come a calling at that late of an hour. She rose up from her bed, put on her
slippers and robe and headed towards the front door. The room was filled with
darkness that made the sound of her slippers scuffing the floor eerie. Once
again, another soft knock was heard upon her front door.
“Just a minute dear,” she responded as her fingers fumbled
and were uncooperative for a spell as she struggled to turn on the lamp that
was on a small table next to the door. “Sorry it’s taking me so long, I’ll be
right with you.”
Just as the lamp illuminated there was another soft knock at
the door. Without fear, she opened it expecting it to be the island sheriff
with news from the mainland. Much to her surprise, as the door opened and she
peered around it, she didn’t see anyone.
“Hello? Hello who’s out there?” she questioned into the
darkness as deep icy chill entombed her. “I know I heard something,” she
thought to herself as she stood shivering in the door way gazing towards the
island tiny village illuminated by a full moon, hoping to get a glimpse of
someone walking away, as having a car was rare for people other than the
elders, the restaurant owners, and the sheriff. The rest of the residents
enjoyed their two and three wheeled bicycles as their mode of transportation.
As she looked closer she noticed her friend Mini, standing in
the driveway waving her over. Without a second thought, she stepped out onto
her front porch and then walked down the stairs to leave the comforts of her
cottage behind her. She felt as if she was being drawn in by a feeling of
needed guidance. As she walked closer and closer to town with Mini, she noticed
others walking around on the cobblestone main street, but there were no bikes
to be seen. Their attire appeared strange to Olivia, some dressed up in their
finery, while others wore jeans, shorts and even their bedclothes.
“Glad that you got here safe.” an unknown patron passing by
her remarked.
“Thank you. Wait a minute…have we met?” there was no answer.
“Do I know you?” she continued to question, but still no reply.
By this time, she began to think that maybe she was just
dreaming and looked for a way to wake up from a possible pending nightmare. One
by one, faces of people she knew, smiled at her as they walked by. Maybe she
was missing her family and this was a sign that it was time to go back to the
mainland. As people slowly walked by her, she saw a green glowing mist in the
middle of town. Her breathing became
labored as her curiosity continually kept her moving towards it until she came
upon a windowless building that had never been on the island for as long as her
memory could recall.
“Come on Olivia – wake up?” were the words she could hear in
her mind, but the visions would not subside.
The sound of sorrow inducing organ music inside trembled in the night
air as she came upon the set of strange, yet hypnotic doors to enter the
building. They stood about twelve feet tall and looked to have had been made
out strong dark thick solid wood that were embellished with huge lion head door
knockers and huge wrought iron scrolling hinges. The movie Robin Hood, with
Kevin Costner, immediately filled her senses.
She felt a need to find out what was behind the doors, but
was afraid to touch them.
“What do you think we are doing here Olivia?” questioned
Mini, who had been the neighbor who lived two cottages down from her.
“I don’t know Mini. I got a knock on my door and the next
thing I knew I was down here with everyone else.
“I got the same knock on my door many years ago. What do you
think it means?”
“Well for me, it means that I’m not dreaming.”
Mini laughed, “Yes, I guess so.”
One by one, the people who had been wandering made their way
to the doors to stand quietly.
“Do we have everyone?” said a manly voice walking up through
the gathered crowd of people. Silence was the reply of yes. “Then let’s begin,”
and he slowly opened the dark heavy wooden doors a brilliant white light
pierced through the opening space between them. The light was almost blinding,
but soft and warm.
“This is what heaven feels like?” said Mini.
***
“Olivia, please wake up?” she said out loud to herself.
“Please…wake up!”
Whispering and commotion filled the salty air. She felt
disoriented and confused. “Mini what’s happening?”
“Don’t fight it.” She replied with a smile.
“Mom!”
“Mom!?” Olivia struggled
to place the voice, “Mom? It’s Mom!”
“I love you mom, I’m so sorry I was gone so long, please
don’t leave me, I’m so sorry.”
Olivia tried to yell out, but only silenced words would expel
from her mouth.
It took all of her might to muster the tone and volume to
finally scream. It wasn’t until a heavenly feeling of someone’s hands jolted
her body to respond to the present world. It was at this very moment that
Olivia opened her eyes. .
Olivia looked around to many faces they were with her in the
group, some of the people were dressed fancy, while others in jeans and shorts
and some even in their bed clothes as they stood around her hospital bed. Family
had come from near and far, stopping whatever they were doing and rushed to
Olivia’s side when they had gotten the word from the sheriff that she was in
the hospital. The sheriff was accustomed to seeing Ms. Olivia during her daily
bike ride to the market for fresh seafood, and was rather worried when he
realized she had not be in town that day, and on her favorite day – Halloween –
clearly something was wrong, He decided to look in upon her and found her on
the floor of her home suffering from a head wound from a fall in her kitchen.
“She’s awake! Get the doctor my mom’s awake!”
“Where am I?” Olivia questioned dazed and confused
“You’re in a hospital on the mainland. You suffered from a
terrible blow to your skull after a fall in your kitchen.” Said Dr. Hammond, as
he took out a green pen light and repeatedly checked Olivia’s eyes for a strong
response that caused her to see a temporary green glow that looked misty.
“What about my friend Mini?” You didn’t leave her in the
village alone did you?”
“Ma’am?” the Doctor question. “You were brought in to
hospital unaccompanied.”
“Mini, my neighbor just two doors down from my cottage, she
was entering the building with me before someone pulled me aside. She went in.
“In where? What building?”
“She was going into the windowless building, the one on the
island with the tall dark wooden doors that looked like something from the
movie Robin Hood. They had huge lion head door Knockers and wrought iron
scrolled hinge work on them.”
“I think she means the community building that was connected
to the Church before it burned down in the in the early 80’s. Problem with that
is that even the community building was demolished and the city clerk’s office
is there now. Oddly enough people claim to have seen ghosts of those who lost
their lives that day and that had been buried in the cemetery that is still
there to this very day.
A nurse interjected and asked the sheriff if he would kindly
step out of the room so that she could provide him with some vital information.
“Excuse me for a minute folks.” Remarked the sheriff and he slipped
out of the room.
“Ok ma’am, what can I help you with?”
“My name is Gayle, I was a former resident on Silver Shoals, and
I lived with my mother on that island.”
“Ok, do you have information about what happened to Ms.
Olivia?”
“The nurse let her gaze fall to the floor as she spoke, “My
mother’s name is Mini.”
“Ok, let me get an officer out there to check on Ms. Mini and
make sure she is ok, maybe there someone on the island that is causing trouble
for our ladies out there this Halloween night.”
“No, you can’t do that!” said Gayle as she grabbed the
sheriff by his arm before he turned away to expedite his men.
“Why not?” by this time he didn’t know what to think.
“You see sir; the person Ms. Olivia is describing is my
mother. We lived in the house two door down from Ms. Olivia.”
“Yes, I am aware of this - that is why I would like to get my
men over to the island and make sure she is ok.”
“You can’t do that sir!”
Frustrated he ordered her to tell him the truth as to why she
continued to deter his decision. Gayle looked up at the sheriff whipping the
tears from her eyes and said my mother died thirty-five years ago to the day. I
was just a little girl. She was an organist and was practicing for a funeral
that was to be held at the church that night. She thought it was creepy to have
a funeral on Halloween, as she worried about what spirits it could wake, but
non-the-less, she was always went out of her way on any day and made sure she
helped people with their loss. I can still remember a line she said to anyone
who would listen to her, that one day, she’d be an angel to help guide people
towards the heavenly light.
The sheriff could not believe what he was hearing. “Let me
get this straight, Ms. Olivia’s friend is a ghost?
“Yes. Ms. Olivia came in here unresponsive, and my mother was
helping her, but Ms. Olivia’s daughter was the only one who could bring her
back to the here and now. Halloween on Silver Shoals is known for strange
things happening, that why as hospital staff always dread the night of the 31st
if it means someone is being brought in from the island.
Just as Gayle had made her comment about dreading October 31st,
from a hospital standpoint, a beeping sound came from the sheriff’s watch as
the digital display read 12:00AM. He took in an awkward sigh and said, “Well
Gayle, no need to worry for another year, it’s now November 1st.
