Night Falls Short Stories

As the cold wind whipped around the side of the old homestead, Maggie Burnsford shivered and thought about her husband Barry, who she had buried eight months earlier. That afternoon, she had had her Tarot cards read by a woman in town. Even though when she walked into the darkened room, she was sceptical, when she walked out, she was a true believer in the afterlife. Maggie had tagged along with a friend to get the reading done just for a giggle. What the woman had to say, about things totally unknown to her, somewhat spooked Maggie into believing that there must be something to this afterlife thing after all. What other explanation could there be for her knowing the things she knew.

When Barry had a heart attack and went toes up on her, the only thing he had left Maggie was a shit load of bills and heartache. She had agonized over how to pay off the bills for months before coming to the upsetting conclusion that she would lose the car, the house, everything. The house was now on the market, and unless she could come up with $16,000 before it was sold, she would lose it forever.

The trip to the card reader had been her friend’s way of trying to take her mind off her problems and cheer her up.

“Come on, Maggie, it will be good for a laugh. The reader is from a small town called Night Falls, and I’ve been told she is excellent.” Jess told her.

Flicking her long black hair out of her eyes, Maggie had walked into the room to get her reading done and paused a moment to let her eyes adjust to the lighting. The woman who was doing the reading became very uneasy. Fidgeting and jumping at the slightest sounds, like the chair legs scraping the lino floor as Maggie pulled it out to sit down, making her bracelets jingle like a musical instrument. The room was dimly lit and smelt faintly of sandalwood, giving it a pleasant and relaxing feel. The reader introduced herself as Ruby. She then told Maggie that even though she was there for a card reading, somebody was coming through from the other side that badly needed to speak with her. Ruby had begun to mumble under her breath, and Maggie could just make out the words “calm down, she is here with me”. Explaining that the spirit had entered the room so quickly and rashly, Ruby began to settle herself again, rearranging her flaming red hair. Maggie knew that there was no way for Ruby to know anything about her or her life, so it threw Maggie when she announced that a man named Barry was there with them in spirit.

Speaking for Barry, Ruby told Maggie that he had had a life insurance policy, which she would need to find and claim so she would not have to sell the house. And just like Barry when he was alive, he could not remember where he had put the paperwork. She would just have to hunt for it. But the thing that really got Maggie believing was when she spoke of their trip away some four years earlier. They had managed to get lost in thick fog during the drive home and ended up in a strange little town. Ruby told of how Barry had given Maggie money to go shopping and said to her that he had a headache so needed a lie-down. When she had gone, he took out the insurance policy, not wanting her to know about it because she would say that it was a waste of money and that nothing would ever happen to him.

When Maggie stepped out of the backroom where the readings were done and into the store, Jess had begun to think that it was not a good idea. Maggie had looked so spooked. Hands shaking, hair standing on end and quiet as a church mouse, all showing that something was amiss. On top of that, Maggie was puffing away on cigarettes all the way home, and Jess knew that Maggie only ever smoked when something was on her mind.

After a restless sleep, Maggie stood under a hot shower with the wind whipping around the house she loved the following morning. She tried to think of every possible place Barry could have hidden the papers. He did not have a safety deposit box that Maggie knew of, but she didn’t know about the insurance either! Over and over in her mind, she tried to work it out but couldn’t come up with any place that she wouldn’t have discovered over the last four years since he had taken the policy out.

Over the next few days, there were many times when Maggie noticed something out of the corner of her eye, but when she turned back to see what it was, there was nothing there to be seen. One particular day when this happened, it looked like a white light coming from the restaurant that she and Barry used to eat at every week, which she happened to be passing at the time. Feeling as though something was pulling at her, she decided to stop in there for lunch. Ordering her usual, Maggie felt as if eyes were watching her. Still, instead of giving her a creepy feeling, it made her feel safe and protected like she used to when Barry was with her.

That night everything inside and outside the house was so very still and quiet that when the bathroom door slammed shut, Maggie just about jumped out of her skin. Going upstairs to see what had happened, she had to pass the kitchen. As she went past the kitchen doorway, she noticed at first that the drawing pins in the corkboard had been rearranged. Going in for a closer look, she found that they had been put into some pattern, but it did not look familiar to her. Leaving the drawing pins in place, Maggie made her way upstairs on shaking legs only to get to the bathroom, open the door and find the room steamed up as if someone had just got out of the bath or shower. The cabinet and mirror were directly opposite the bathroom door, and what she saw in that mirror would remain in her mind for the rest of her life.

Maggie did not see words in the steam on the mirror; instead, she saw a drawing and such a lifelike drawing. The building drawn on the mirror was one she recognized, but didn’t know where from. Although she felt that she had been there at some time or another. Maybe even in another life. She ran to the bedroom on legs that felt like rubber to grab a piece of paper and a pencil. She thought that perhaps if she drew the picture and looked at it long enough, it would click into place.

After drawing the building, she returned downstairs, and underneath it, she drew the pattern on the corkboard. Knowing these two things were somehow connected, she wondered if they were a message from Barry. He had loved his puzzles. They had to be. Why else would this sort of thing start happening to her now? She was sure they were messages from the other side.

The following day, Maggie went to the town library to take out a book on spirit communications. She needed to find a way to send a return message or interpret the messages she had received.

Sitting up in bed later that night reading her book, she found that these were typical ways to receive messages from the other side. All she had to do was voice her questions out loud, and the spirit trying to communicate would hear her. In a shaking voice, Maggie spoke to the bedroom walls she and Barry had shared, “Barry? Is that you sending me messages?” Flopping back on the pillows and feeling like the biggest fool, Maggie wondered if she was having a mental breakdown to think that this could be really happening. She lay her book on her night table, turned off her bedside lamp, and settled into sleep.

Startled awake, Maggie rolled onto her side to look at the time on the clock beside the bed. 12.23 am, “Great, the Witching hour!” she said aloud into the dark room. She heard a tapping noise that seemed to be coming from inside the wall. She guessed that must have been what had woken her to start with. “Is that you, Barry?” she asked in a frightened voice. Not expecting a reply, her heart leapt into her mouth when there was an answering tap. “Whoever you are, tap once for yes and twice for no, do you understand?” Again, came the single tap. “I ask again, is that you, Barry?” One tap. “Was it you that left the pattern on the corkboard today?” One tap. “Was it you that drew the picture on the mirror?” One tap. “Does this have to do with the insurance policy?” One tap. “Do you remember where it is, Barry?” No answer. Maggie repeated this last question and got no sign that he was still there.

Waking late the following morning, Maggie felt the urge to return to the library to see what else she could find. Imagine what she could find in the others there because the information in one book could be so accurate. Walking into the darkened interior of the building, she looked up behind the desk. She noticed an old photograph only to find that it was a photo of the very same building that had been in her mirror. Asking the Liberian about it, she discovered that it was, in fact, the very building that she was standing in only 60 years earlier.

In 1941, an earthquake that had demolished the town library hit the area where Maggie now lived. The new library was built on the same site 3 years later. But what this had to do with her and Barry, she didn’t know.

After telling all this to Maggie, the friendly librarian mentioned Barry’s death and the strange week before it. Not having any idea what she was talking about, Maggie prodded her for information on what she meant. It turned out that Barry had been spending a lot of time in the library the week before he died. When the librarian had inquired why Barry wasn’t at work, he simply said he had given it up for better things. Unlike his usual readings of Westerns, Barry had spent this week not just reading but studying the paranormal arts, life after death, and spirit guides. Obtaining a list of the books he had been studying, which were numerous, Maggie went to gather what she could find.

An hour later, she was sitting at a desk with a mountain of books. She wondered if she was losing her mind. Well, she had nothing better to do. She may as well just get started to see if she could discover what had Barry so interested in the subject. Who knows, maybe she might even find an answer to her present problem. By closing time at 5.00 o’clock, Maggie had been through about 6 of the 19 books on her list. She marked those off the list and kept aside two of the books. She put the rest back in their correct places on the shelves, checked out the two she kept and headed home for dinner.

Maggie continued her work, folding her legs underneath her and making herself comfortable on the floor with a pizza. Some time later, as she turned a page, she noticed a slip of paper fall out from between the pages of the book she was studying. With her fingers feeling like ice and her heart drumming an irregular rhythm in her ears, she turned to the page marked to find it headed “Ways to Communicate from Beyond the Grave.” A list of ways to send messages from the other side was underneath the heading. It included the trick with the pins on the corkboard, the bathroom mirror, and tapping on walls. Maggie felt her body turn cold from head to toe and could feel her hands shaking as she turned the page. She flicked back to the front cover to see what the book’s title was but instead found the same pattern on the front as she had found on the corkboard. How she had not noticed this earlier, she didn’t know.

Lying in her warm bed later that night, Maggie finally decided to take a trip back to the town they had ended up in when they got lost returning from their holiday. She would search the area for Insurance Companies. Having made the decision, she drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

Being back in the town they had been stranded in together for the night had an unsettling effect upon Maggie. She found that she could not sit still for any longer than about 10 minutes at a time unless she was sleeping, which she did very little of. She just wanted to get the task done and get home again. Night Falls was a strange town, surrounded on three sides by thick forest. She was surprised she had found the place again, considering the thick fog that hid the only road leading into the town. The day she arrived was a sweltering hot day. With the sweat dripping from her body, Maggie made the Insurance companies’ rounds within the town limits. There were only two, so she felt it wasn’t going to be too difficult. Maggie was confident that she would find answers in this strange town where everybody looked at her strangely. Entering the dim interior of the old building, Maggie felt a shiver run down her spine and the sensation of being watched. Glancing around at her surroundings, she didn’t notice anybody interested in her.

Explaining the situation for the second time that day, she wondered why Barry would have taken out an insurance policy, let alone in a place like Night Falls. It all seemed strange to Maggie, and there was no way to get most of the answers she wanted. As long as she could claim the insurance money, she would be fine. She could work on discovering the rest of the answers later. She was running out of time to find the money for the house, and if she didn’t find something soon, she would lose it. Maggie tried to convince the Manager to look through their records to see if anybody by Barry’s name held a policy with them. Being kind-hearted and sympathizing with her situation, the Manager told her he would do what he could. She would return the next day to hear the results if there were indeed any.

The following day Maggie found what she had been searching for, evidence of the policy. The Night Falls Insurance Company Manager had found in his search that they did indeed have a policy for Barry Burnsfield. The total amount came to just over $1 million. However, the catch was that Maggie still had to find the paperwork to produce before acting on the policy. There was no getting around this, so she returned home to have another thorough search of the house.

Still turning up nothing after the second search, she plonked down in a chair, tired and discouraged but not giving up. She would save her home; she just had to work out how! Glancing down at the coffee table where she had the drawing of the building and the design, she began to study the design again. She knew what the building was now, but what about the pattern? It had been on the front of one of the books, but surely there was more to it.

Without a moment’s notice, everything clicked into place. The building was the library where she found the book. The book was the way Barry would communicate. The design on the corkboard and the cover of the book must have been his way to try and make sure they could communicate. But that still didn’t help her find where the papers were hidden. Thanks to Ruby reminding her of their holiday, she had worked out where the insurance policy was held. She now had a way to talk to Barry, so she solved two out of three problems. For her life, she still couldn’t figure out where he may have hidden the papers, though. The idea of a safety deposit box would not leave Maggie, so she felt that she should go with her gut feeling.

She felt that the pattern had more to do with it, though. She had read the book cover to cover. Although she found the methods to communicate, she didn’t find anything else that may lead to where he could have hidden the papers. With an idea slowly forming in her mind, Maggie stood up and went to the computer. Using the printer/scanner next to the computer, she scanned the corkboard design she had drawn and then entered it into a search engine on the computer. If there was anything on the Internet about it, she would find it. And let’s face it, the Internet had everything.

Deciding to have a quick shower, Maggie let the computer do its thing. By the time she had showered, dressed and made herself a hot cup of coffee, the computer had finished the task she had set it. And it had found a match.

The design was the logo for a safety deposit box company in Night Falls. She should have guessed that the creepy little town would have more to do with it.

The next day, Maggie had no problem finding the place, making the short trip back to Night Falls. Being concerned about how she would get the information she needed, she stepped up to the main desk and explained the situation. She was told that it would not be a problem as long as she had her I.D. and a copy of Barry’s death certificate, which she had in her purse. Upon producing the required documents, she was led to a back room and given a small key and a folded slip of paper with the box number written on it. Once the attendant had left the room, she quickly went to the correct box and opened it. Along with the much sought-after insurance papers, there was an envelope with her name written on the front in Barry’s handwriting. She quickly slipped all the paperwork and the still sealed letter into her purse.

Returning to the car, Maggie headed straight to the insurance company to present them with the papers so things could get underway. Encountering no more problems, she was assured that $1.3 million would be in her bank account within the next two weeks.

Feeling calmer and more relaxed than she had in months, Maggie returned home. As she sat at the kitchen table, she wondered if she would ever have contact with Barry again. She had just removed the envelope from her purse when there was a knock at the front door. Glancing through the small window beside the door, she saw Ruby standing on the porch, looking nervous. Wondering what she was doing there, Maggie opened the door and invited her inside.

“I was just curious to see how you got on,” explained Ruby once she was seated at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee.

“Yeah, good! I found the policy after a lot of searching, and things are in motion. I should have the money soon. I feel as though I owe you something for everything you did for me, so…” Maggie let the sentence drift off unfinished.

“I just want to know one thing,” Ruby told her. “How did you end up finding it?”

Maggie explained the different things that had happened and how they had led her to find the policy.

“Do you believe that Barry contacted you?” Ruby asked.

After a moment or two of thought, Maggie replied that she didn’t see any other explanation. “Do you?” she asked.

“Yes.”

The one word said a lot to Maggie. Maggie, sitting in companionable silence for the next five minutes, contemplated this new development. Surprising Maggie, Ruby asked,

“Do you think you could contact others?”

“What? Others that have passed on? Other than Barry?”

“Yes,” answered Ruby, surprised that Maggie would think the idea so far-fetched.

“I don’t know. I never really thought about it.” Maggie’s mind was spinning with the possibility.

“Would you be willing to give it a go?”

“I don’t see why not, but I would have no idea how to go about it”. Maggie wondered silently what she was standing in the doorway of.

“We could work on it together,” Ruby suggested shyly.

The two women sat together for an hour or so discussing how they would work through teaching Maggie how to contact the dead.

Once Ruby had left, Maggie decided it was time to open Barry’s letter.

My darling Maggie,

If you are reading this, I have passed on, and you have found the insurance papers. You should be set for life now. I needed to make sure you would be looked after once I was gone.

I know you must have a lot of questions and that is why I am writing you this letter. I hope I have answered all of your questions in this letter, but if not, I’m sure you know how to contact me. If you don’t, you will soon.

Ending up in Night Falls that day was not an accident. Night Falls is an extraordinary town and is where I grew up. I decided to lead a different life than was expected of me, and I left. That was when I met you, the love of my life. I’m sorry I never told you any of this before, but I didn’t know how open you would be to the supernatural.

Please forgive Jess for her part in this. I asked her to take you to Ruby if anything happened to me. I had other things set in place for if she didn’t or if you didn’t follow the clues I left for you.

Anyway, I’m sure you are more aware of the supernatural by now, but Ruby will teach you more over time.

You must now know of your ability, the ability I sensed in you when we first met. I don’t want to dump too much on you and overwhelm you, so I will not reveal any more to you.

Over the next few months, you will discover a whole new world. A world that has always been there but that you never knew. I can only ask that you keep an open mind and let Ruby guide you.

I love you with all of my heart Maggie, and I hope you can find happiness again. If you want to contact me, please do so. If not, I also understand.

Forever yours,

Barry

xxx

When Maggie had finished reading the letter, tears streamed down her face. Feeling like she had just lost Barry again, she tried to stop her sobs as she carefully put the letter back into the envelope. Squaring her shoulders, she took a deep breath and made a vow to both herself and Barry that she would learn all about this new world he spoke of.

Over the next couple of months, Maggie and Ruby became close friends. They spent evenings contacting the dead and many days together at Ruby’s shop in Night Falls, where Maggie was helping out. Ruby had taken the time to explain all the supernaturals that lived in their world to Maggie. That Night Falls was a special place because most of its residents were supernatural.

Sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee, Ruby finally approached Maggie with a proposition she had been thinking about.

“How would you like to become a partner in the business?” Asked Ruby out of the blue. Then after a pause of thought, she added, “Don’t get me wrong, the business is not in trouble or anything like that. It’s just that I think you are talented, I trust you, and I like you. It makes perfect sense to me, of course, as long as you are keen.”

Without considering this new development, Maggie responded with a quick, “I would love to!” She had been hoping for the last few weeks that Ruby would come up with the idea, and she was just getting to the point where she would bring the subject up herself.

Maggie was comfortable financially. She was starting out in a new business venture where she was helping people, both living and un-living. She had developed a great new friendship with someone she had a great deal of respect for. Still, having contact with Barry filled the final hole in her heart. Life was good!

THE END