Darkness in the Northpark Cinema

Behind the mall there is a cinema called 'Northpark Cinema' . It's haunted, but it's not haunted by a ghost or a demon. No, what is haunting it is something more sinister than that. The first story I'm going to include in this collection of stories is one that has changed my life. Nobody believes me when I tell them this story, and I doubt you would. The story opens on a cool, crisp October day.

-24-
Blood on the Plaza

According to the sun it was around the middle of the day when Oliver, as tired as he was, followed me into the center of town. I had set a blistering pace after the bandits had ambushed us, and Oliver, though he struggled, had managed to keep up with me. Oliver was covered in blood, not his blood, but blood from the bandits that had tried to ambush us. The boy's long brown hair was matted with sweat and his feet were blistered and bleeding.

Sunday morning was an insane marathon. My Aunt Cat was still a little hung over from the half bottle of wine she had tucked away last night at dinner. And Uncle Sidney looked like he had already Taken Holy Communion. Coffee was the first order of business. Strong, black coffee, thicker than oil and strong enough to take the paint off the side of the house. Then showers, I went first. I had to dash through the shower, dash through shaving my legs, dry off and blow dry my hair and remove the polish from my fingernails. I managed to do all of this in fifteen minutes flat.

I took a deep breath as I walked into the crowded sitting room. The room was filled with ladies drawn from all four corners of the Mississippi Delta. Ladies who like me wore fine summer dresses. The room was filled with chatter but the moment I walked into the room, the chatter stopped. All eyes it seemed zoomed in on me. I could feel their eyes peering at me. It was as if they were judging me.

The buzzing of my alarm clock awoke me from a frightful sleep. Slowly opening my eyes, I peered out the window of my bedroom. Darkness, total darkness. Taking a deep breath I reached up, pulled my pillow closer to me, and turned over, hoping to snatch a few extra minutes of sleep. It was not meant to be, for a few moments later, a harsh knocking came on the other side of my bedroom door. A few seconds later and the door was pushed open and there in the doorway stood my aunt.

I returned a few moments later holding the old, leather Bible. It was the family Bible, the one that recorded all the births and deaths in the family. According to family lore, the Bible had been in the family for well over a hundred years. My Aunt Cat who was in the kitchen, pointed with fingers toward my uncle's office. I nodded my head and started to make my way to the office. The door was locked so I gently knocked. A few seconds later, I heard a crossed voice from behind the door call out.

Strange and powerful memories started to flood over me. I remembered a time when I was just starting kindergarten. I attended a private kindergarten, one that had a playroom that was attached to the main classroom. I froze and peered up into the sky as I found myself falling through time and space. In the corner of the play room, there was a corner, a kind of private corner. I also remembered there were toy chests that held clothing that the girls in my class use to play pretend and dress up.

I discovered my true self in the Mississippi Delta, a region known for its coffee colored soil, known to grow any crop known to man, known mostly for the growing of cotton and a style of music called 'The Blues'. Yes here in this flat region, I found my true self and I've never been the same. Now the chief source of income for many in the delta is farming, the crop of choice is cotton.

The Saturday morning of the convention dawned bright and clear, the forecast for that morning though was cloudy with a chance of rain in the afternoon. The digital clock on my car read six o' clock in the morning. And the traffic report said that the road was clear and everything was moving smoothly. In short everything seemed to be going my way. And so, with my spirits soaring like a bird, I pulled out of the driveway and aimed my car south toward Jackson. After a brief stop at Church's Chicken for two sausages and biscuits and Double Quick to top off the gas I was on my way. 

After I'd left Lily and her collection of friends at the dunking booth, Clay and I found ourselves standing along. We've decided to watch the town's fireworks from the top layer of the town's observatory. The town's observatory was located on a high hill that was about two and a half miles from the end of main street. From the upper level of the town's observatory you could see the whole skyline of the town.

The Courtship of Cerridwen Circe Whitethorn
Chapter 9: Mother's Advice

I don't think there is anything more precious to a daughter than spending time with her mother. Since becoming Cerridwen my mom has made a point to spend more time with me, guiding me if you will down the fable path of womanhood. At first I tried to hide the fact that I was seeing a boy from my mom. But people talk in this small town and my mother has an ear for gossip. Plus, she was a hairdresser by trade, and people love to gossip while getting their haircut, colored, styled, and washed.

The Courtship of Cerridwen Circe Whitethorn
Chapter 6: Sick in Bed

The Courtship of Cerridwen Circe Whitethorn
Chapter 4: Daisy Cooking

The Courtship of Cerridwen Circe Whitethorn
Chapter 3: Movie Date

Plaza Twin Cinema located at the end of Main Street is the last of a dying breed, it's one of the few remaining mom and pop owned cinema's. Locally owned and locally operated. It has served Benton faithfully since it opened in the late sixties some sixty something years ago. Anyway if you wanted to see a movie in town this was the place to go.

The Courtship of Cerridwen Circe Whitethorn
Chapter 1: The Red String of Fate

-16-
The Missing Child

-15- 
Greensleeves & The Maid that Sold her Barley

A deep blush colored my face as I peered into the floor length mirror. The reflection showed a girl with blonde hair, baby blue eyes, and a petite frame. The girl was also dressed in one of the most embarrassing costumes I've ever laid eyes on. The costume was a short white dress with black spots. The accessories included a purple dog collar with a golden nameplate that read 'Jamie' engraved on it. And last but not least a pair of black dog ears. A small sigh escaped my lips as I spun around. This has to be the dumbest thing I've ever volunteered to do.

In the foyer of Albert Sidney Johnston's Memorial Library there hangs an old oil portrait of a woman who is dressed in a black dress with a high lacy white collar. Her raven hair is gathered at the back of her head and is tied back in a nice, neat bun. Her face is set in what seems permanent scowl and her high cheekbones seemed sunk in. At the bottom of the painting one would find the name of the woman. “Mercy Anna Howard '' Followed by “Head Librarian” and beside that “1870 till 1920”.

The Pemberton Mall was the premier shopping destination of Vicksburg, Mississippi. The mall had been named in honor of the confederate general who had commanded all southern forces stationed within the city during the heroic forty seven or so day siege the city had endured. His name was John C.