Kacey & Friends: The Ghost of Castle Isle
written and illustrated by
C. Metzinger
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Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter One
"You look worried, Dad," said Kacey. She was concerned because it wasn't often that her father, a minister and a man of strong faith in God, would worry about anything. She studied his handsome profile as she waited for his reply.
"I just spoke to Aunt Mary on the phone. She had hip surgery recently and she sounded rather upset."
"What does her doctor say?"
"She said that her doctor told her that she's making good progress. She still needs to use a walker to get around, though, and she has to rely on others to help her. She's upset because and the people she hired to do the housework aren't doing a good job."
"That can be frustrating," Kacey agreed.
"Not only that, but she's still fussing over some documents that she lost two years ago. I've tried to tell her that it's not important, but she is still upset over it. But in her present condition, I'm afraid her anxiety will be too much for her."
Kacey thought a moment, and then said, "I have a few days off from school coming up. The third week of October is Alumni Week. My classes will be cancelled due to the special events. I could spend five days with Aunt Mary and help her around the house."
Her father's frown transformed into a smile.
"I'm sure Aunt Mary would love that."
"So would I," Kacey added sincerely, "She's one of my favorite people."
"Why not call and offer your services? Maybe you can bring along a couple of helpers," her father suggested.
Kacey beamed, "You mean Emma and Ava? Of course! I'll call Aunt Mary right now."
As Kacey looked up the phone number, she recalled all the fun summer vacations that she had spent with her family at Aunt Mary's big old Victorian house in Marbleton, Massachusetts. The house had six bedrooms and lots of other interesting rooms where Kacey used to play with her older brother, Brian, and her cousins. On warm, sunny days they played on the beach. On rainy days, they explored the old house and attic. It had secret nooks and crannies where they used to play Hide and Seek.
The house had been in her father's family for over a century. It had been handed down to Aunt Mary's husband, Charles Carlson, who died two years ago. Ever since, Aunt Mary has kept the mansion going all on her own. But now that she was eighty years old and handicapped, she had to rely on others for help. Aunt Mary was really Kacey's great aunt, but everyone called her Aunt Mary.
Kacey lived in Westfield, New Hampshire, with her father, a church minister. Her older brother lived in Boston and was engaged to be married. Because Kacey's mom died of cancer when she was in high school, she and her father were very close. She chose to live at home while going to college so she could have her own room, and to help pay for her education by saving her father money. Although they were well-off financially due to her father's wealthy family, they tried to live on his modest salary and give generously to charity. She also liked living at home to be close to her two best friends, Ava and Emma, and her boyfriend, Josha.
Kacey called Aunt Mary's number and offered to help her.
"I would love to have you and your friends come for a visit!" Aunt Mary crowed, "When can you come?"
"I haven't asked my friends yet, but they'll probably be able to come with me on the third week of October, from Wednesday through Sunday."
"Perfect! You can help me decorate the house for Halloween!"
"We'd love to!" Kacey replied, and thanked Aunt Mary for inviting her.
Next, she called her two best friends, Ava Cruz, and Emma Santos, to see if they could go with her. Ava was also a student at Westfield University with Kacey, so she was also available on those dates to join her. Emma had just finished cooking school and was looking for a job as a chef. Because she hadn't found one yet, she was able to join her friends, too. Both of them agreed to help out Aunt Mary in any way they could.
The third week of October arrived. The leaves on the trees blazed orange and gold, and the scent of dry leaves wafted in the cool air. The early morning sun cast a golden-yellow light upon the houses along Emma's street. Kacey pulled her BMW convertible into Emma's driveway.
Her two friends waved from the front door as they said goodbye to Emma's parents, and carried their luggage to the car. Kacey helped them to pack their things into the trunk.
"And don't forget these," Emma said, holding up two more bags.
"Why do you always need to bring so much stuff when we travel?" Ava asked.
"I like to be prepared," Emma replied, "I never know what will happen when I'm with you two. We've tramped through the woods, hiked up rocks, skied down mountains, and even gone to clubs together, so I have to pack for any and every situation."
"We're only driving a few hours to Aunt Mary's house near Salem. It's not like she's on another planet," Ava argued, "I mean, they do have stores in Salem."
Emma replied, "Better too much than not enough, I always say!"
Kacey chuckled at their friendly banter and got into the driver's seat. Soon, they were headed down the road with music blaring from the speakers while they sang along.
As they arrived into the outskirts of Salem, the girls noticed many signs for Tarot card readers, fortune tellers, witchcraft stores and spirit mediums.
"I've never seen so many fortune tellers and witchcraft shops!" Emma exclaimed.
"Yeah, this place is known for its weirdness. This is one of the biggest witch capitals in the country," Kacey replied.
"And all because a bunch of silly girls started accusing other people of witchcraft over three hundred years ago," Ava said.
Emma remarked, "Oh yeah, I remember learning about that in middle school. Weren't some people hung as witches?"
"They were hanged," Ava corrected, "That's the correct past tense of the word 'hang' when it means getting hanged by a rope until dead. And I think there were about twenty people hanged, right Kacey?"
"Yeah. My Aunt Mary knows all about it. She can tell you the details."
At that moment, the girls passed a billboard with a giant figure of Frankenstein.
"Look at that! Frankenstein's Dungeon! Maybe we can go see it!" Emma cried.
Kacey smiled, "Don't get your hopes up. You'd probably be disappointed. Most of those places are just tourist traps and not very scary."
A while later they passed the Salem Witch Museum.
"That place looks creepy!" Emma declared, "It looks like an old haunted castle."
"It does," Kacey agreed, "But the witches from the Witch Trials of 1692 who were accused of witchcraft and hanged were just ordinary people like you and I. They were falsely accused. There are no witches, nor ghosts."
Emma frowned, "I don't know. My brother swears he saw a ghost once, and it scared him to death. I hope we don't see any ghosts here in creepy
, old Salem."
Kacey and Ava laughed, "Don't worry, we won't."
But Emma wasn't so sure.
Kacey drove through Salem and continued along the coastal highway ten more minutes until they reached the small town of Marbleton.