to them as they made their way back outside the livestock building.
“I think that went well,” Maryann said. “Don't you? I really hope so. I think we did well.”
“Maryann, calm down,” Nora replied. “We've done our best. Now we wait and see. I think we're the best so far no contest, but there are still nine more bands after us.”
“Ok, I'll try to relax. So, um, are we going to check out the thing outside?”
“I guess we'd better. Here, if the Veil is thin, this may be useful,” Isabella said, and cast a spell for spirit sight on herself and the others.
“That is just weird,” Leah said.
“It's really not usually this, um, sharp,” Isabella replied. “Do we know which way to go?”
“She didn't really say. Maybe we just walk in a circle until we see something?”
“I guess that's all we can do. Come on.”
The group milled through the crowd and eventually left the ring of lights. The fairgrounds was flat without a lot of trees or even tall grass except for the corn maze and the minimal lighting outside the main attractions created plenty of hiding places. Leah pulled a small flashlight out of her purse, but the small light seemed to only create more shadows.
“It gets creepy fast,” Maryann commented after they completed a second circuit around the grounds. They hadn't seen anything lurking, but they had seen more ghosts entering the circle of lights.
“I thought bonfires were supposed to keep spirits out,” Isabella said. “That's traditionally why celebrations like this have a great big bonfire.”
“Maybe that's only malevolent spirits,” Maryann replied. “Or maybe those rules don't always apply.”
On their third widening circle they heard a low, threatening growl. They slowly turned to look at a pair of low bushes.
“I really hope that's just a dog,” Maryann whispered.
A very large, black, shaggy dog with slightly glowing red eyes stepped out of the bushes, growling.
“I, um, think that might be a black dog,” she said.
It took a threatening step toward them.
“Of course it's a black dog,” Nora hissed. “I can see that!”
“No, 'black dog' is a description for a ghost dog.”
“Which is why it's glowing all weird with this spirit sight?”
“Now what?” Leah asked.
“I think we run back to the lights,” Isabella answered.
It howled and charged them.
They screamed and ran towards the food court. They couldn't tell if the black dog was pursuing them but they didn't stop until they ran past the bonfire and nearly into the crowd. A couple of people gave them odd looks but no one really paid them much attention. The band paused to catch their breath.
“Ok, running from a terrifying monster is exactly as much fun as it looks like in the horror movies,” Leah puffed. “What was that again?”
“Well, there are a lot of legends of the black dog,” Maryann said. “Most are malevolent. I don't know why it's here or how we get rid of it.”
A skeleton man dressed as a farmer walked up to them. “You'll need to go back out there.”
Nora almost made a rude retort but held her tongue when she realized the skeleton man was dead. “Why?” she asked instead.
“The drummer for the next band has fallen through the Veil,” he said.
“Life is hard for drummers,” Leah sighed.
“The living have no place beyond until they cross properly. And I want to listen to the rest of the show.” Somehow, without eyes, he managed to wink.
“Oh, okay,” Maryann said, sounding surprised.
“You may find him in that direction, but you should hurry. He is moving farther in,” he said, pointing.
“Oh, great, that's where the black dog is,” she said. “Can't you help us?”
The skeleton man shrugged. “I have no more power now that I did in life.”
“Oh. Sorry. I didn't know.”
He shrugged again. “That's alright, little lady.”
“Would you like one?” Leah asked, holding out another skull.
“Oh, I heard about this.” He took the skull in the same manner as the skeleton woman. “Thank you kindly and good luck,” he said and wandered back into the crowd.
“It's so weird they don't even notice,” Leah commented as she ate the sugar skull, looking at the crowd who had no reaction to the skeleton people they could see walking around.
“We should be grateful they don't notice,” Nora replied. “It would cause a panic. I'm pretty freaked out and this isn't even the weirdest thing I've ever seen. Also, eww again.”
“It's good,” she said defensively.
“What about the drummer? And the black dog?” Maryann asked. “Isabella, can we even get someone from the other side?”
“Well, I think it's possible right now. I don't know how hard it would be, though.”
“And the dog thing that wants to eat us?” Nora said.
“Well, I could make a charm, but I'd have to get close to it to stick the charm on it, and I don't want to do that.”
“I have an idea. Be right back,” Leah said.
“I think I've got some charms in here for evil spirits but I'm going to need to make some for the door,” she said, fishing around in her purse for paper and a pen.
Leah returned a few minutes with a greasy sack. “Ok, let's hurry up and do this thing,” she said.
“What's in the sack?” Nora asked.
“Hot dogs. The good ones; all beef franks.”
“Is this really the time for a snack?” she asked dryly.
“Yes. Now, let's do this before I realize what a bad idea this is and change my mind.”
They headed back outside the safety of the lights and bonfire.
“Ok, the next band up was Bad Apple, so that means the drummer would be dressed in overalls,” Isabella said. “So we're looking for someone who's lost dressed like a farmer.”
“And watching out for a black dog,” Maryann said.
“Um, how are we going to see this guy, and if we can, how do we get to him?” Leah asked.
“I have no idea right now. His name is Jacob, by the way.”
Maryann grabbed the flyer Isabella was holding. “Oh, Jake Digory. I know him. Well, Skipper knows him. He plays drums in the marching band.”
“Life is hard for drummers,” Leah said again.
They made two circuits of the area with no sign of the black dog, a door, or the lost drummer. On their third, wider circuit, Maryann thought she heard a voice, so they followed her until they all could hear the voice of a young man, although it sounded like it was coming from a long way off.
“I can't see anything,” Maryann said. “I thought there would be a door we could see with this spirit sight.”
“It's not usually that easy, even on a night like this,” Isabella said. “And distances don't exactly line up between this world and the spirit world. But there must be a weak spot around here somewhere or he wouldn't have fallen through.” She took a minute to look around. “There, I think. I think I'll still need to open a door or we won't be able to get out.”
They all heard a low, threatening growl.
“Tell me that won't take long,” Nora said in a low voice.
“Um, not long but I don't know how much time we have,” she answered.
“Then I suggest we move quickly towards the weak spot without running,” Nora said.
They did as she suggested but the low growling seemed to follow them.
Isabella pulled out a charm and started to recite a spell.
“There it is!” Maryann squealed as a pair of red eyes came into view. “What do we do? What do we do?”
Leah opened up the greasy sack, pulled out a hot dog, and threw it right over the black dog's head as far as she could.
The ghost dog focused on the blur of movement and ran towards the hot dog. Back-lit
by the bonfire, they could see it sniff at the thing on the ground and then bite at it.
A round portal of ethereal light the size of a door appeared in front of Isabella. “Ok, let's go,” she said.
With some hesitation, but not too much since they weren't sure if the black dog would return quickly, the rest of the band followed her through the Veil.
Once they were all through, she put a charm on the portal. It hung on the portal of light like it was glued there. “That should keep it open for us.”
“It really looks pretty normal,” Leah said. “I mean, I know I'm not where I was, but there's the livestock building and there's the haunted house and there's the corn maze. It's still dark and my flashlight is still working. Why are we glowing all funny with all these colors?”
“You've got an aura of life here,” Isabella explained.
“But you've still got that ghostly white in your aura,” Maryann said.
“As the saying goes, I have one foot in the grave. Come on, let's find this drummer and get out of here.”
“The voice was coming from that direction,” Maryann said, pointing.
They paused to listen, and started to walk.
“Should we start calling his name?” Nora asked.
“Not until we're sure he can hear us. It's not really safe to be here,” Isabella answered. “We don't want to attract attention.”
“Like black dogs?”
“Or worse,” Maryann answered with a shudder.
The lights from the main fairgrounds seemed to fade behind them more rapidly than just distance would dictate. In contrast, the waxing moon seemed to get brighter in a starless sky.
They could clearly here the lost drummer calling to his band mates. His voice sounded thin and hollow.
“How did he get so far in?” Leah asked.
“He doesn't know he crossed the Veil,” Maryann answered. “He doesn't