The Mystery of the Screaming Elms (Eden Patterson: Ghost Whisperer Book 2) Read online

  A shiver ran down my back.

  “They were piercing and I thought my ears would bleed. I looked over at my brother and he was holding his hands to his ears. I looked back at the whirlwind and then I knew. I knew we had to go and run as fast as we could. I grabbed Jeb’s arm and pulled him to follow me back up the hillside. We ran fast, getting scraped in the face and arms by the underbrush, but I didn’t care. I just knew we had to get away from it. When we crested the hill we stopped to catch our breath. That’s when we looked back.”

  “What did you see Kenneth?” Pearl asked.

  “The whirlwind had grown so wide we could no longer see the small town of stone houses. It was like it had engulfed them all. Then I saw two red eyes emerging from that whirlwind. My brother saw it too and screamed. That’s when we ran down the other side of the hill and didn’t stop until we arrived home. We tried to tell people what we’d seen but no one believed us. They thought we were making it up to get attention or had drank the moonshine we were paid to deliver. Even Momma didn’t know whether to believe us or not. We even tried to find the stone house community again, but never could. It’s like that whirlwind swallowed it whole. But then one day, Jeb and I heard that singing again. It was one night and there was a huge harvest moon. I was sitting outside enjoying the cool air, and the singing started. You would think I’d be afraid, especially after what happened to Jeb and me. But I wasn’t. I would hear that singing on many nights.”

  “Could anyone else hear it?” Syd asked.

  “Oh yes,” Kenneth answered. “Some were astonished while others said it was just the wind whistling through the trees, but I knew. The elms were singing again.”

  “I heard them too,” Syd said. “When I was young, but then I heard them again with my friends here the other night.”

  “You’re fortunate girl,” Kenneth said as he dabbed more tobacco into his pipe from the pouch in his pocket. “Not everyone can hear the singing.”

  Syd nodded towards Goog and Luke. “They couldn’t hear it. But then we heard the screaming too and saw the whirlwind. Matt here stuck his hand in it, that’s when he heard the screaming.”

  Kenneth looked straight at Matt. “You stuck your hand into the whirlwind?”

  “Yes sir.”

  Kenneth was intrigued. “What did it feel like?”

  Matt appeared thoughtful. “Well, it felt a little like an electrical jolt or shock. Like when you touch a hot wire or something. It startled me and then I heard what sounded like screams, but I think it was the wind whistling through the trees.”

  Kenneth lit his pipe and took several puffs, then leaned back in his chair. “Like a jolt or a shock huh?”

  Matt nodded.

  “Did you see any eyes?” Kenneth asked.

  Goog spoke up. “Nope, no eyes, thank God. If we had, I’d be in Nashville right about now sucking down my fourth whiskey sour.”

  Kenneth chuckled. “I know what you mean padre. This isn’t for the faint of heart.”

  Poor Goog looked queasy. He’d been very quiet since last night and I knew he was churning it around in his mind trying to make sense of things. It’s difficult to do, but at least I had had Winky to prepare me for these unexplainable events. And Luke and Syd had their own circumstances with earthbound spirits. Poor Goog was thrust into the unknown without so much as a life preserver.

  Luke stood up and shook Kenneth’s hand. “Thank you Mr. O’Reilly for telling us your story. It should help us figure out what’s going on and how we can calm these spirits.”

  Kenneth rocked back in his chair. “I’m just happy to have some company and to tell my tales. Come back anytime.”

  We promised to do just that. You wouldn’t have to ask me twice…I loved hearing the old boy talk. We said our goodbyes and headed back to Pearl’s. Now we had a little more to go on…not much, but something.

  Chapter Five

  When we arrived back at Pearl’s house, Patsy already had supper in the oven. Pot roast with new potatoes and carrots roasted in the oven. She was taking the roast out and popping in a pan of yeast rolls as we walked through the door. The heavenly aroma swirled around our noses. I wondered if spirits could smell, and then I remembered one day when Winky came to visit me. I was 12 and had gotten use to his visits at Grams. She had baked an apple pie and had it cooling on the window sill. Grampa Winky and I walked past the window and he stopped. I turned to look at him and he was looking at the pie. Then he turned to me with a smile.

  “I could smell that pie from the other side. Nothing smells any better than your Grams’ apple pie.”

  I wished he could have a piece, but I knew he couldn’t and it made me sad.

  “Don’t be sad darlin. I will always know how your Grams’ apple pie tastes. The good things never leave you.”

  That made me feel better then and now.

  Syd, Pearl and I helped Patsy get the rest of supper finished and then we all ate as if we were famished. Afterwards we made Patsy sit down while we helped with the cleanup. Once we were done it was time to get down to business. Laptops and tablets came out along with maps of the Appalachia region. Kenneth gave us approximate directions of the way he and his brother took to the lost rock village and it appeared on the map as an undeveloped area, but very close to where the new highway was projected to go.

  “So could it be an Indian burial ground?” Goog asked as he looked at the screen on his laptop. “Several tribes lived in this area hundreds of years ago and there could be some sacred grounds around.”

  “There is a Serpent Mound in Ohio,” Syd said. “The state owns the land and I’ve been there before. It’s pretty neat with the ground humped up and shaped like a serpent.”

  “Why would they do that?” Matt asked. “Shape the burial ground into a serpent.”

  “If I remember correctly, it was to keep evil spirits away.”

  Goog continued to look at his computer screen. “So, could this be an Indian burial ground that’s not been discovered and the spirits aren’t wanting to share their final resting place with a new highway and a Speedway and thirsty gulp?”

  Luke was also staring at his tablet and punching it with his finger. “I don’t think so. I am thinking however that the village Kenneth was talking about factors into this somehow.”

  “How so?” I asked.

  “I’m not sure hon. Just call it a hunch. But the fact that Kenneth heard the singing, the screams, and then saw the whirlwind. Well, it has to connect to what we saw as well.”

  I believed his hunch was spot on. “What is the significance of the whirlwind and how does it connect with the singing and then the screams? We need to find out who lived in that village.”

  “Which may be difficult to do,” Goog answered. Pearl placed an iced tea within his reach and he picked it up to take a drink without looking away from his screen. “Thank you Pear. This may take some time. If there’s no records of these people, then we may have a hard time figuring it out, but I’ll stay on it.”

  “What do you think of trying to find this place that Kenneth spoke about?” Syd asked, looking up from her own laptop. That got Goog’s attention. He peered over the top of his laptop screen as she sat across the table from him.

  Syd looked at him and grinned. “What’s wrong Goog? Surely you could handle a little investigation of the hillbilly territory.”

  Goog looked at his laptop screen again. “No thanks. I’ll do more good sitting on my ass and partnering up with Google.”

  Pearl raised up from her comfy seat on the lounger. “There’s a big RV park not far from here where you can rent ATVs.”

  Luke hit his hand on the table. “That’s perfect! Who’s up for a ride tomorrow?”

  Syd and I raised our hands while Matt and Goog pretended they didn’t hear. I wasn’t surprised about Goog. “Matt, you don’t want to come?” I asked.

  “Nah. I’d rather keep my hearing intact, thanks.”

  I forgot he could hear the screams after pushing his hand
into the whirlwind.

  Syd made a face at Matt and Goog. “Wusses.”

  Chapter Six

  That evening I sat out on Pearl’s back porch with Syd. I could tell she wasn’t herself ever since we had arrived and looked through her old home place. Syd was a little domineering, the kind that liked to take control. But the last couple of days she seemed subdued. I mean, the real Syd was still there, but something was on her mind and I wanted some alone time to find out what was bothering her. I told Luke I’d be in later and asked him to keep the boys at bay.

  As we sat under the stars in our lawn chairs I asked Syd how it felt to be back.

  “It’s okay,” Syd answered as she looked out into the darkness past Pearl’s yard. “It’s not the same as it was when I was young. That little cabin didn’t seem so small 20 years ago. I hated to see it so beat down.”

  I knew it had to be hard on her to see it in that kind of shape. It’s never easy to see something that held special memories fall into ruin.

  “I’m sure it was hard Syd. And how are you feeling about what happened, the whirlwind and screams?”

  “I was sitting out here thinking about when I was little and could hear the singing. We were poor as you know, and many times I was hungry at night. So I’d come outside and sit on one of the stumps by the elms and wait for them to sing. The first time was odd. I looked and looked for who was singing and couldn’t find them. Then, it was just like I knew it was the trees singing to me. Each night I’d come out and they’d sing to me and I’d forget about being hungry. Maybe it was the soothing nature of their song…who knows.”

  “That’s a nice memory Syd.”

  She looked at the ground and rubbed her fingertips on her chin. “Yeah, but those screams the other day…”

  “Had you ever heard anything like that before?”

  Syd shook her head. “No, never.”

  “How did it make you feel?” I was curious. I knew how I felt at that time, and also how I feel when spirits contact me. Maybe it’s their auras, but I can usually sense how they feel. With the screams and the whirlwind I sensed terror. I wanted to see if Syd had felt the same or something different.

  “Could you sense anything Syd? Not your own feelings per say, but an outside force and how it may have felt?”

  Syd looked at me. “Is that how it is for you? You can feel what the spirit is feeling emotionally?”

  “Yes, I can.”

  “What did you feel?” She asked.

  “You first.” I didn’t want to influence her with my answer.

  Syd sighed. “Pure terror. And you?”

  “The same.”

  “What do you think it means?”

  “I’m not sure,” I answered. “But the screams and the whirlwind are connected…that I’m sure of. And Kenneth’s story of the rock village. I think that’s connected too.”

  “Let’s hope we can find it.”

  That would be the next obstacle. And if we did, would we experience the same as Kenneth had all those years ago?

  Chapter Seven

  Since we were renting three ATVs, the RV park offered to bring them to us. We asked if they would meet us at the edge of the Appalachian trail we were going to take. That morning we went over the map again and decided on a route to best find the lost rock village. We’d eventually have to go off the trail so we took enough water and snacks to get us through the day.

  Goog and Matt stayed behind, still not convinced they wanted to join us in the mighty hills and hollers. Matt was investigating some moonshine murders that took place about fifty years ago to see if they were connected somehow. And Goog was on his own hunt to find the lost village, only through technical means. That was fine with us. Matt would only complain about the bugs and Goog was an excellent researcher. Maybe when we returned they’d have something of interest and we might as well.

  I hadn’t ridden an ATV for years so Luke had to give me a few instructions. Mine must have had bad gas because it kept stopping and puttering along.

  “What are you doing to it hon?” Luke laughed as my ATV jerked.

  “Heck if I know…darn thing!” Every time I’d give it the gas it’d sputter.

  “You got to be smarter than the machine Eden,” Syd said with a grin.

  “Easy for you all,” I said. “You guys got the Cadillac version and I got the dud.”

  Luke mounted his ATV. “Get it going down the trail and maybe that will run the bad gas out. I’ve got an extra can of gas should we need it.”

  We started down the trail with Luke in the lead and me in the rear. Nobody wanted to ride behind me for fear I’d come to a dead stop and they’d hit me from behind. After a mile or so the ATV settled down to a nice, even roar and we followed along the rugged path. The sun’s rays peeked through the large oak, elm and walnut trees. As the rays touched the dew on the ground, it left clusters of sparkles that appeared like diamonds. The fresh smell of the forest filled my nose and senses. It was funny how the aroma invigorated me. I told myself Luke and I might have to look into camping ourselves…maybe just not in a haunted forest. Suddenly Luke slowed down and then came to a stop.

  He pulled the map from his jacket pocket and opened it. “I think we can start going west here for a mile or so.”

  Syd and I nodded and we followed him slowly into the dense brush. Now it was going to get rough. Although the trail that brought us here was rugged, at least it was free of debris. We purposely wore long pants and jackets knowing we’d get hit by the underbrush and low lying limbs. At first it wasn’t too bad, but then we came upon a rather steep hill.

  “What do you think?” Luke asked as his gaze followed the hillside. “I’m not here for anyone to get hurt.”

  Syd shrugged. “Doesn’t look that bad to me.”

  “I knew you’d say that,” Luke replied. “Eden, you can ride with me if you don’t think your ATV will make the hill.”

  “It’s actually been doing better.” Then I had second thoughts. “But I’d hate to get halfway up and it konk out on me.” I also didn’t mind the thought of snuggling against my hubby on the ATV.

  “Hop on dear.”

  I held on tight as we slowly made our way up the hillside. When we crested the hill Luke and Syd stopped. We gazed around the valley below us. I couldn’t see anything but trees. However, something caught Syd’s eye.

  “Look, over there,” she pointed.

  We looked in the direction she was pointing to. I could see a small twinkle, much like the sparkles the sun made on the dew when riding on the trail. But this tiny glittering beacon was filled with brilliant colors of green, red, yellow and blue.

  “Do you see it?” Syd asked.

  Luke and I both answered in the affirmative at the same time.

  “Let’s head towards it…but go slow,” Luke said as he turned the wheels of the ATV to the right and we started a path towards the brilliant light.

  We had traveled about half a mile, over rocky ground and dense brush. The twinkling light became larger and brighter. It was getting to the point I felt I needed to shield my eyes.

  “Does that light seem awfully bright to you?” I yelled in Luke’s ear over the sound of the ATV.

  He glanced back at me. “No. Why, does it to you?”

  “It’s almost blinding me it’s so bright.” It was like looking into the sun. I looked over at Syd and she didn’t seem to be having any trouble either. I reached into my jacket pocket and pulled out my sunglasses and put them on. That helped somewhat.

  As we got closer I could see what Kenneth saw that day many years ago. The rock buildings, or what was left of them, stood like tombstones to a small village that once housed families. Moss had covered the stones. And if not for that mysterious light I doubt we ever would have found it.

  However, I felt like I was looking at the rock village through a kaleidoscope. Although the bright colors were muted somewhat through my sunglasses, I could see red, green and yellow shades.

  Luke and S
yd stopped their ATVs at the edge of village and we got off.

  “So what do you know,” Syd said as she looked over the town that lay before us. “We found it.”

  “We wouldn’t have if it hadn’t been for that light,” Luke answered.

  “Does everything look weird…like looking through a kaleidoscope, or is it just me?” I asked.

  Luke and Syd looked at me like I was crazy. “Never mind.” I didn’t want Luke to get distracted by my weird goings on. I had come to expect strange occurrences when connecting with spirits. One time our group was called into a restaurant that had been around for over 100 years. Seems the dead chef didn’t want to leave his kitchen. The new chef and staff were having a field day as they attempted to prepare the evening meals each night with missing ingredients and garlic cloves appearing out of nowhere. The dearly departed chef had his own ideas about cooking and seasoned most of his dishes with garlic. I finally convinced him he had had his time in the kitchen, now it was the new chef’s turn. He at last relented and moved on, but I had the taste of garlic in my mouth for a month.