Ghost Train by Lorraine Carey

Ghost Train

by Lorraine Carey

Fall, 1870, Isaiah Chappell stands by the brake lever in the caboose of the Beaver Falls Express. He is not braking but the train is slowing down. He asks Jim Walker his co-worker, “ I wonder what is going on now?”

It is a little after midnight and they are out in the middle of nowhere, deep in the backwoods of Pennsylvania. The train comes to a stop. Isaiah, a massive man stands over seven feet tall with hands the size of dinner plates and not much patience since the recent terminal illness of his beloved wife.

Isaiah grabs his signal lantern and jumps off the train. Jim warns him, “Be careful there, Isaiah.” Jim knows Isaiah has not been himself lately. Isaiah looks toward the engine, but does not see any signal lantern. He notices a strange white light between the caboose and the last car. He walks over to take a closer look. He steps between the two cars, he thinks the light is saying something - it sounds like his wife. He peers down and at that moment the train jerks forward, hitting him. Isaiah loses his footing and falls between the cars hitting his head on the side of the caboose ,landing with his neck laying on the rail. The caboose continues to move forward. Isaiah feels strange, free, lighter, he looks and sees his body twitching - minus his head. His head was still stuck on the wheel of the caboose. He knows he must find his head , attach it to his body and go help his lovely wife. He grabs the lantern and starts to search.

2013 Halloween: Life without obstacles is not life. The ‘brew crew’, is out doing what all young adults do during this time in their life. Drifting towards their path of destiny, some have a plan, some were given a plan by their parents, some take it as it comes, either way we all arrive at that place we call destiny.

Gregg, John, Tom, and Eddie, are hanging out in the back of Duffy’s Donut Hole parking lot drinking beers, talking to Lori, Adrianne, and Sasha. Gregg and Lori have been together since the eleventh grade. Both draw comfort in one another’s company. This may end once they graduate this year. John is the leader in the group, leading comes natural for him, he didn’t ask for it - just worked out that way. Tom and Eddie are the followers. They buck up to John once in a while, but mostly are just content to follow. Adrianne is the pretty one. Sasha is the out going type , and Lori is quiet and shy.

It is a cool Autumn night, a chill in the air and jacket weather. John says to Tom and Eddie, “It’s Halloween. Are you two ready to go see the ghost of the’Lantern Man’ on the old railroad tracks back off old River Road?

“I’m ready,” echoes Eddie.

They always talked about going to visit the Ghost of the Lantern Man; now they are finally going.

Gregg drives Adrianne’s sporty Camaro with, Adrianne and Sasha giddy with excitement in the backseat. Tom and Eddie go in John’s car. They all head out north of town along River Road toward the old tracks.

The cool October weather has made a light fog around the river basin, not enough to affect ones driving, just misty. The moon is out, but with three days until the new moon there is dim light, however there are enough stars in the sky to yield sufficient light.

In Adrianne’s car the girls are giggling, laughing, and talking about the urban legends of the ghost of the Lantern Man. The legend talks of an old railroad worker who still walks the abandoned tracks with his lantern looking for his wife. You can see the lantern light swaying in the darkness, like someone is walking. Adrianne said she has been there before and has seen the ghost with her older sister and her friends a couple of years ago. They all left terrified running back to their cars and off to the safety of town.

In John’s car the boys are drinking beer, and John and Tom are talking about the ghost also. Both have been there before and neither has seen the ghost. They are skeptical, but willing to go to see just how scared the girls will be. They too have heard Adrianne’s story of seeing the ghost. Eddie is kind of quiet, not like him, maybe one too many beers.

Both cars arrive at the spot on the shoulder of the road where everyone pulls over to park to see if it is their lucky night to see the Lantern Man ghost. The old tracks run parallel between the road and the river. It is about a fifty yard walk down the well worn path to the tracks. Once at the old train track John notices that the railroad ties and the rails have long been dug up so walking down old train track is fairly easy.

They all head down the path, Lori has a flashlight as does Adrianne. The air is crisp and a little misty with fog, not much moonlight but the clear night sky helps.

John asks Adrianne, “So just where is this ghost?”

Adrianne replies, “We will turn right once at the tracks and head right towards a deep gully .

“And where did you exactly see this ghost?” queried John.

Adrianne responds sensing the skepticism in John’s voice, “To the right down a bit more. And you better have on your running shoes.”

“Won’t need them,” countered John. Tom, and Eddie snicker in agreement with John. Gregg remains silence in support of Adrianne .

They reach the tracks and turn right. The old tracks have a worn path down the middle where everyone has walked. There are tall thick woods on both sides of the tracks. They all walk along as John leads with Tom and Eddie behind him. Lori, Gregg, Sasha with Adrianne bring up the rear.

Adrianne uses her flashlight which is not very bright to search the woods on both sides. Lori keeps her flashlight on the path a couple of feet in front of her right on Eddie’s heels.

Lori asks Eddie,” So how is Linda? I heard she was in the hospital.”

Linda is Eddie’s girl friend. Last year she had a miscarriage four weeks into her pregnancy. No one ever knew except her and Eddie. She was now in the hospital with a bad bout of asthma and receiving breathing treatments.

“She’s fine, just a bad cold, she’s in there because of her asthma,” Eddie replies.

“I am glad it is nothing serious,” Lori says.

“Nope nothing serious,” chides Eddie. He could not hide the concern in his voice.

John, shouts,”Hey Adrianne - how much further?”

“Keep walking, brave one,” replied Adrianne

Sasha says, “Adrianne did you hear that?”

“ No, heard nothing.”

Sasha, yells, “Over there to your right!”

Adrianne shines the light to her right, nothing but woods.

“Sounded like someone walking,” commented Sasha.

“Probably just a raccoon or some small animal,” offered Gregg. “Nothing to worry about.”

Gregg’s words did nothing to calm Sasha. Now Adrianne feeding off Sasha’s fear starts shining the flashlight into the woods with more intensity.

All of a sudden a dim light comes into focus a two hundred yards in front of John directly down the path. He does not say anything. He is not sure he really sees it. No one else says they see it. Maybe it’s not there.

Tom, notices the light, he too does not say anything. He is not sure either.

Adrianne says very quietly almost in a whisper, “Everyone stop.”

Everyone stops. Lori turns her light off. “There it is! Right, in front of us!” she cries. Everyone now notices the dim light on the path moving towards them swaying like someone is walking with the light at their side. No one says a word. Everyone is frozen in fear.The light continues to get closer. They hear a noise. The noise sets off their natural instincts - they flee!

They all turn and run as fast as they can towards the cars. Adrianne drops her light, Gregg and Lori both pass Sasha and Adrianne one on the left one on the right. John and Tom are behind Sasha and Adrianne.

John calls out, “Run girls- come on!”

Eddie, is the last person in line now, He is amazed how fast these girls can run. He decides he will just stay behind them to make sure they are okay. He then notices a strange white light to his right. It is saying something to him. It sounds like Linda. He trips and falls.

The others reach the turn in the path. They all stop to look back down the tracks. John asks, “Where is Eddie?” No one answers. They look down the path for Eddie. No sign of Eddie and no sign of the lantern. Then out of no where the ground starts to shake. They hear the click-clack and the squeal of train wheels, then a huge bright light. A train is coming right for them- they Flee!

Eddie feels odd, free, lighter, he looks down and sees his body twitching-minus his head. He knows he must find his head so he can help his lovely Linda. He grabs Adrianne’s flashlight and starts to search.