A Ghostly Dream

The team of horses snorted steamy trails into the morning mist. The old man at the lines spoke quietly to the team. "Hello...you must be the new neighbors. I'm John, live up the road a piece. This is Jenny and Joe" he said nodding towards the grey team.

He held out his hand towards the man and stepped forward. "Tom....Tom Crenshaw. We just bought the place and moved in." They moved south for a new start. Cheaper land, better community they'd heard people say.

The old man looked unimpressed and distracted. "Crenshaw? You kin to ol' Jess?"

It was clear that was all the greeting he'd get so he put his hand in his pocket and stepped back. "No." The old man mumbled to himself and shook the lines as the team walked off.

Tom shook his head and turned to finish painting the mail box. What an odd area. He busied himself working on the fence. The mist long burned off when he went to the house for lunch. A tray of sandwiches sat on the table as Lisa visited with a stranger.

It startled him as he hadn't seen anyone come in. He stepped into the kitchen to find a 30something disheveled black man. He nodded in greeting and reached for a sandwich. She never knew a stranger and ignored the odd behaviors. "Won't you come by for supper? We'd like to meet more of the neighbors...maybe you could bring some others?"

The stranger stood to leave and seemingly in one motion was at the door. "We'd like that. Would appreciate it a great deal. About six fine?" Lisa nodded. John turned to face their guest "I'll show you out" only to find him gone.

"This is the strangest neighborhood!"

"Where'd he go?" Lisa asked.

"I don't know - just gone!"

"Well never mind - lots to do if we'll have company for dinner!" she said excitedly.

The afternoon passed quickly. He saw a family come out of the path from the woods, another oddity but he brushed it off as a shortcut to their home. A defiant looking young man, holding the hand of his lady as a couple of youngsters danced around them. "Hello!" he called out and was surprised to see the children instantly stop and snap to attention.

"Sorry sir, we didn't mean to be playing!" the children said.

Tom shook his head and said "no it's alright - go on up to the house I bet Lisa has some cookies and some sweet tea for your parents." The couple looked at each other as if confused. Tom pointed towards the house "she'll get you taken care of!"

They headed towards the house as he started the tractor to take it to the barn. The grey wagon team came up the driveway and stopped near the house. A black man approached the team "I'll take them for you sir."

Tom approached and felt almost apologetic at intruding. He hadn't gotten the names of the family earlier. He wasn't at ease with strangers as his wife was, leading some to think he was rude or abrupt. "Welcome! I'm going to clean up for supper...y'all come in when you're ready."

"Isn't this great?" Lisa beamed. "A bunch of people came...why it's almost a proper housewarming!" She introduced everyone as if they'd known each other for years.

His head was swarming and he felt like he was in a time warp. He was warned things were different in the south but the clothes were worn and from another era. It seemed like being a visitor in someone else's home.

He was tired from a day's work. Nathan stood up and moved to the back doorway of the room and he thought it was a chance to excuse himself. Davis, still with a defiant look in his eyes, stepped towards the front door. "I don't rightly think you're going anywhere just now!"

Tom thought they were joking. He scanned the faces and saw serious looks all around. "Now look here guys I'm not going to be bullied in my own home. We invited y'all here as guests tonight. We don't want any trouble with anyone." He looked over to Tom for backup, and the man next to him stood up.

The hair stood up on the back of Tom's neck. Never one to back down from a threat he challenged "And who might you be?!"

"Jess Crenshaw. This is my home. You don't belong here. You shouldn't have come back! "

"Now wait a minute. Y'all get out NOW. This IS our home now. We don't take to bullies."

Jethro stepped forward and pushed him. "The only bully here is you!" Tom sized up the moment. He took an opening and swung at Jethro. The big man dodged but connected on his own swing as Tom collapsed on the floor gasping for air. Could it get worse? What did they want?

Jess stood over him now with a foot on his chest. "You shouldn't have come back. You ran these slaves for years and they don't want money. They want revenge."

"NO! I don't have slaves! We don't have slaves today!" He turned his head when Lisa screamed. Jethro held her in front of him.

"Run! Don't look back and you'll live."

He felt the heat as flames burned up the room. Jethro said "I told you I'd come back." As if melting away they all disappeared and in the moments before the flames reached him he thrashed to get out of the ropes that held him. Were they ghosts? Was this real?

Someone was shaking him.

He suddenly sat up, screaming. The house was gone, the sunshine beat down on the hillside of the park. A young woman leaned over. "Are you ok?"

"No! just leave...leave me alone!" His eyes were wide with fear.

"Odd people here" she muttered as she walked away.