VISITING A GHOST TOWN SOMEWHERE IN THE WEST, A SHORT STORY

I traveled along a dusty two-lane road trying to find a ghost town on the map, my directions read to take a ninety-degree turn up a steep hill and beyond a blind bend. My 'Beatle Bug' putted away and drove up to the end. A sign greeted me, "Welcome to to Hilltop, A Ghostly Old Mining Town. Population: Two Friendly Ghosts." I read the sign and was amused. It put a smile on my tired and well-traveled face. Looking about, I saw some tourists strolling along.

With weary eyes, I saw that the structures were old and dilapidated. A white church, which needed a fresh paint job, stood faded on Main Street. Next door the three-story Hilltop Hotel stared back at me, looking bleak and unfriendly. Parking my car near the hotel, I looked up and saw what was once a colorful facade had an aged and weathered look about it. The entire building gave me the shudders as I walked through its double and warped doors. After my registration, I walked up the creeky stairs to discover that my room wasn't roomy which added to the gloom of the entire place.

After an hour's nap, I was refreshed and ready to check out this ghost town. Picking up a brochure from the lobby, I read there was a daily tour led by guide dressed as an old miner. The next tour would begin shortly and I saw people waiting outside the hotel for to start. The guide was true to form. He was dressed as a miner with clothes as old the hills surrounding Hilltop. His beard was gray, long and curly. His face had deep lines on it. Giving the impression of underground mining veins. As he led the avid visitors down the dusty road, he said that silver was mined within the surrounding hills years ago. The town thrived from the discovery.

The next stop for for us was a saloon called Hatties. It house the longest mahogany bar I ever saw. In its day, it served the miners and visitors plenty of drinks. Along with entertainment by the ladies, there were serious poker games for silver and gold. With a serious look on his well-lined face, the guide explained that many miners lost their weekly wages at the tables. Others lost their lives when accused of cheating.

Next, on the agenda was a school house placed by itself on a knoll. It was the typical one-room school house for its time. It provided an education for children of the town from grades one through eight and no more beyond. Looking up, I noticed that something was written on the blackboard, 'LeRoy is here and is ready.'

What a strange message to find on a board. I asked others if they read the same message. They shook their heads no. We looked around the classroom once more and noticed the old and over-used textbooks. I made a point of looking at the blackboard again and noticed it was completely blank. Where my eyes playing tricks on me?

At the end of the road was the town cemetary which held its residents of the past, buried among crosses, faded monuments and plenty of weeds. As we stood there, our the guide took his dusty hat off in respect for the dead. In a solomn and shaky voice he told us who was buried there. No one we recognized but one name which stood out out and gave me the goosebumps was LeRoy Dunn, the mute son of Fredrick and Louise Dunn. I shook my head as we walked away from the cemetary. An eerie feeling overcame suddenly.

The sun set and after a hearty steak and fries meal at the restaurant of the hotel, I was ready to retire in my small and engulfing room. Feeling tired and ready to sleep, I saw a single drawer slightly ajar before my head hit the pillow. Opening the drawer, I discovered a book. Grabbing it, I saw that it was a pictorial history of Hilltop, showing its early miners working hard among its surrounding silver-rich hills. Opening up with curiosity I saw an inscription which gave me chills. It read, 'This book belongs to LeRoy Dunn, Grade 8, Hilltop School.' Was he sending me a message? During the guided tour, his name came before me. The entire situation was overwhelming. I made the decision that Hilltop was too scary to visit. That night, I pulled my bed covers over my head as my body shivered with fear.

Early next morning, I packed my bag and hurried down the stairs to leave Hilltop and its ghosts behind me. I was in a nervous hurry and didn't want to look back at all. The whole weird situation made me feel somewhat crazy. Down the steep hill I traveled along, relieved this strange visit was over. My home was many miles away and I was glad to be on my way. Other cars were on the highway which I was glad to see. Trying to keep awake, I turned on my radio and found an oldie-but-goodie station which played my favorites. All of a sudden, I heard them play, 'Big Bad LeRoy Brown.' My fingers went numb as I quickly turned the radio off.

Looking in my rear-view mirror, I saw a young boy sitting in the back. He waived hello as he smiled at me. Was I having a case of white-line fever after driving all those miles away from the ghost-ridden town of Hilltop? As I looked back at him again, I swerved my car, screaming. A State Trooper discovered me in my wrecked car. I woke up in a hospital with a nurse staring at me with a needle in her hand. My eyes fluttered as I felt pain in my left leg which was in traction. My mind was in a fog, trying to find out what happened to me. The last thing I remembered looking in the back and seeing a boy who scared me to death and loosing control of my car.

The Trooper that discovered the accident, came into my hospital room. He asked how I was doing. With a jovial smile, he told me that my son was alright. I looked at him with total surprise as I pinched myself on the arm. He said that LeRoy was with him and doing okay. When he first met LeRoy, he realized he was deaf. The Trooper asked him to spell his name on a piece of paper. LeRoy obliged. He was eager to be with me again. The entire situation was surreal.

This ghost story finally ended years later when I returned to Hilltop for another visit. LeRoy was with me. I wanted him to return to his home. I convinced him this is where he belonged, greeting visitors with his ghostly presence. He promised me as he wrote down on paper that he would not runaway and stay in Hilltop as one of the two friendly ghosts. I asked him who the other friendly ghost was. LeRoy wrote down, the guide who was the miner.

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