Calendar Girls - Part 13 Finale

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Big finish! All right girls, everyone take a bow!

Calendar Girls
Part 13 -Finale-

OCTOBER - Ghouls Just Want To Have Fun

by Tammy Fairbanks
Copyright  © 2003 Tammy Fairbanks
All Rights Reserved.

 


 
 
Part Thirteen -Finale-
 
OCTOBER
Ghouls Just Want To Have Fun

 
It was a dark and stormy night. A shot rang out!

"What was that!" cried August nervously.

"I stepped on a stick," Tyme responded, a little perturbed. "August, you need to calm down. You're making everyone more nervous than we already are."

"Well, I've never met a real live ghost before," August retorted huffily. "I can't help it if I'm a bit scared."

"'A real live ghost;' isn't that an oxymoron?" Autumn gibed.

Winter giggled.

"I just wish all of you would keep quiet," June muttered angrily.

That silenced the teens. They resented June being included in their expedition, but felt that it was probably best not to retaliate against her now. If Madam Torvah hadn't insisted on everyone under the curse coming along, June would not have been invited by any of the teenagers.

They were an intrepid group. April and Summer along with their baby, Snow; May and Emma; Sonny; June; Chris and Tyme; August; Autumn; Winter; and of course, the mysterious Madam Torvah, trudged up the wooded hill on Halloween night.

"It was near here somewhere," announced May, scanning the woods for any sign of the haunted house that had appeared one year ago this night.

April nodded and concurred. "I think it was up a little higher and over to the right a bit."

"This is ridiculous!" grumbled June irately. "There's obviously nothing in these woods except a bunch of idiots!"

Sunny moved to distance herself even further from June. They hadn't talked since a few weeks ago when Sunny's attempted apology only turned into a bitter argument.

Madam Torvah bowed her head, closed her eyes, and stretched out her arms in front of her. She began to murmur, low at first, slowly increasing in volume until it was recognizable as some sort of mantra in a language foreign to everyone else. Several of the teens shuddered involuntarily as the old mystic's creepy incantation grew louder.

All eyes were transfixed on the lady mystic as she chanted on. Then abruptly she stopped. She dropped her arms to her sides and looked up at them.

April gasped. She had been the first to look back up the hill. Where before there had been nothing, now the house again stood with a dark and looming presence amongst the trees. The sinister place was just as she remembered from the year before. May too, gave a startled cry of recognition.

"That's it. That's the place." May told them ominously.

"Exactly as it was, too," added April, holding Snow against herself a bit more snugly. Summer put her arm around April's shoulders protectively.

Madam Torvah said nothing more and began to walk up the hillside to the haunted mansion. Slowly the other women followed her.

It was not stormy this night as it had been one year ago. There was a slight breeze and a chill in the night air as the hot evenings of summer were gradually giving way to the dark cold winter. Leaves crunched crisp under their feet. They gathered on the rickety front porch and Madam Torvah waited until she had everyone's attention. "You veel not speak once vee are inside. I veel do all the talking," she commanded in her thick foreign accent. "It's important that vee do nothink to upset the spirit inside."

Then she turned back to the door and opened it. Boldly she entered. If she was at all nervous, she didn't show it. Sonny thought that she probably was not. That gave her enough courage to follow the mystic, May and Emma close behind. Soon they were all crowded together in the parlor.

The teenagers seemed to be the most nervous. August kept shivering; she could feel Goosebumps on her arms even though she wore a warm woolen sweater. Autumn twisted her hair nervously. Chris chewed at her nails.

Madam Torvah lit a candle. The wooden floors were covered with dust. Cobwebs hung everywhere. The old grandfather clock loudly ticked off the seconds as the time neared the midnight witching hour.

Madam Torvah began another chant, this one differing in cadence and rhythm from the first. It too was in a tongue unfamiliar to the group, but they could tell it held a different message than the first. The tone was gracious. Then the chanting died down and Madam Torvah spoke loudly, her voice resonating throughout the house.

"Mary Vitherspoon!" she called in a sympathetic voice. "Mary Vitherspoon! Come to us and be set free!"

They heard footsteps upstairs followed by a clunking sound. They waited quietly. Some more clunking, a rattle, and then some banging was heard.

The mystic resumed her neighborly tone. "Mary Vitherspoon! The time has passed for haunting. The time has come to be set free! Come to us now!" She followed this with a commanding and powerful word which none of the others could understand.

Slowly the dust began to swirl in one corner of the parlor. A slight breeze picked up. It blew out the flickering candle. There wasn't darkness, though. A bluish white light came from that far corner casting a glow throughout the room. Inside the glow appeared the image of a woman.

Her clothing was of an age long gone with stays, corsets, and buttonhooks. Her face was aged. It had been kindly once, but the horror of her death had left it contorted in fear and pain. The old spinster floated above the floor, watching them cautiously. The violence of her final minutes had scarred her more than physically; she was scarred emotionally and spiritually, too.

The group stared in shock. A few gasped. Soon the initial horror had passed and a feeling of deep sympathy predominated in the small band of intrepid ghost hunters.

Madam Torvah seemed unmoved by all of this. "Mary!" she said sternly. "Look vhat you have done!" She gestured to the group. "These good people, who meant you no harm, and are appalled at vhat happened to you and the suffering you have experienced, these good people are the ones whose lives have been changed through your curse.

"These ones have been changed, or their loved ones have been changed. They have adapted, adjusted, and survived. But now it is time for the curse to be lifted so it harms no other. It is time for you to undo as much of the damage as you can, and in doing so, know that vee vish you to be free."

The ghost's mouth opened slightly and her eyes wandered over the group. She floated gently across the floor towards them. The group stood transfixed by their fear. She hovered above each one, studying them intently. She started with May and then April. Next was Summer, holding Snow protectively. She moved on to June, who was visibly shaking. Seeing this, Tyme, Winter, August, and Autumn were determined not to show their nervousness as Mary Whitherspoon's essence approached each of them in turn. Sunny was nervous, however, and feeling guilty still for using the curse with selfish disregard for June's feelings. Chris and Emma were examined last.

Madam Torvah escaped the apparition's intense scrutiny, but the phantom did turn to face her and gave a long nod. Mary Whitherspoon then floated backwards to her corner and finally spoke.

"I regret what I have done. There is one among you that committed a crime to get what she wanted and for that she must be punished. She can earn further redemption by atoning for her crime. I will visit her when she has earned atonement. May the curse be lifted and not spread any further."

The group was startled by a loud chime immediately after the ghost spoke. The grandfather clock struck midnight!

Madam Torvah spoke loudly over the bongs. "Mary Whitherspoon, vee forgive you and set you free. Vee feel your pain and let you go. Vee release thee from this place. Go in peace, be at rest, and be free at last!"

And they watched in awe as the ghost lifted up higher. It moved over to the outer wall and then glided through it and out into the night as Halloween ended and All Saint's Day began.

Madam Torvah slowly led the group out of the house and back down the hill. Chris looked behind them and found that the mansion had vanished. Only the woods typical of the Marquam Hills was visible.

"So that's it?" June asked in a huff. "I'm still a woman! I thought we went through all of this to lift the curse."

"And to free a tortured spirit," Madam Torvah added. "The curse has been lifted. It cannot be passed on to anyone else. But vhat has happened already due to the curse cannot be undone with the exception of the one case as Mary said."

"Shit!" exclaimed June.

The teens burst out giggling. They all had what they wanted except for June and Sunny. August, Winter, and Autumn had all found boyfriends they liked. Tyme and Chris were together and happy as two lesbians. Emma and May were also finding renewed happiness together. April, Summer, and baby Snow were another happy family.

Sunny, feeling ever more guilty for her actions, found herself back to being a man again. According to Mary, she earned the atonement as punishment for her crime of raping June. However long it might be, she would atone.

June, however, thought it couldn't get much worse. Then she felt a trickle between her legs. Her period had started.
 
 
 

The End

 
 
Calendar Girls  © 2003 by Tammy Fairbanks

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Comments

Nice story!

Happy Happy Joy Joy! And all girls get to stay girls with one exeption, poor sunny. Well maybe her atonement period will be a short one. I love that June gets to stay a girl and dance for the very same guys she use to be one of..... Giggles! (Hugs) Taarpa

I feel bad for June, this is

licorice's picture

I feel bad for June, this is the kind of thing that pushes someone over the brink.

An intresting story

Renee_Heart2's picture

But what does Sunny have to do to atone for her crime besides be a man again? Other then that almost everone except June & Sunny are happy with the out come.

Love Samantha Renee Heart