Page 13 - 201210 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - October 2012

Top 10 Scary Halloween Stories # 4 -The Brothers' To this day, the black dog and the Time passed, and eventually the scandal Revenge flaming figure still appeared in that vicinity to was forgotten. Until the day George’s father passed away. It was rumored that he was to be harass travelers and speed them on their way. A Wisconsin Ghost Story buried in the local churchyard just a few plots # 3 - The Handshake away from the girl who had almost become his The blizzard was raging fiercely around them as A 38;< %<8:@ 1:86 8:<3 ,:8547, daughter. Suddenly, the story of Polly's jilting was revived and folks wondered aloud if the brothers stumbled down the long road. they George would dare attend his father's funeral. were miles from any farm, and knew they had to Polly was the sweetest, prettiest girl in But George was too clever for them. He waited seek shelter or freeze to death. So it was with Goldsboro, yes sir. All the local boys were at an inn outside of town until it was dark, and gratitude that the two brothers spotted a saloon chasing her, and quite a number of the fellows then he went to the churchyard to pay his last and pushed their way through the door. from the surrounding countryside were too. All respects to his father. Every eye in the room turned upon the girls were jealous of Polly ‘cause they didn’t As he unburdened himself at his father’s them, as the boys ordered coffee with the last of have no sweethearts to take them to the local graveside, George heard a sweet female voice their money. As the bartender went to fetch the dances. They all wanted Polly to choose her calling his name. “George. Sweetheart.” hot drink, most of the regulars returned to their man so things could go back to normal. But George looked up in sudden hope. Was that his conversations. But one man continued to stare; Polly was picky. None of the local boys suited mother, come to forgive him? Then he saw, a massive butcher with a mop of red hair and a her, and neither did the fellows from the back rising up from a grassy mound under a long red beard who was the worse for drink. country. spreading oak tree, a figure in a long white “You’re looking at me funny,” the Then one day, George Dean came home gown and a soft veil. Her eyes and her lips were butcher slurred, looming over the two boys. from university, and Polly was smitten. Polly yellow flames beneath the veil, and the rotted “We weren’t looking at you,” said the completely dropped all her other beaus when wedding dress glowed with a white-yellow older boy. “We were just warming ourselves by George came courting, and it wasn't long before light. It was Polly. the fire.” George proposed and Polly accepted. George’s body stiffened, shudders of “Are you calling me a liar?” he shouted. Polly started making preparations for fear coursing up and down his arms and legs. Around the room crowd grinned; they loved a the wedding and shopping for items to fill her He put a shaking hand to his mouth and good fight. new home. George wasn’t too interested in all staggered backward, the other hand outstretched “We didn’t say that,” said the older boy the fripperies and wedding details. He left the out ward off the specter floating toward him. quickly, waving his hands and accidentally womenfolk to get on with it and started The spectral bride cackled with angry laughter striking the butcher on the arm. That did it. The spending time down at the pool hall with some and swooped forward until its hand closed over butcher grabbed the boy by the collar. “No one of his buddies. And that’s where he met Helene, George’s outstretched one in a terrible parody of hits me and gets away with it,” he roared and the owner’s saucy daughter. She had bold black a handshake. The grip of the spectral bride was threw the boy headfirst into the huge fire raging eyes and ruby red lips, and a bad-girl air that so cold it burned the skin, and so hard that the in the hearth. fascinated George. He spent more and more bones crunched as it squeezed. “Come along There was a moment of stunned silence time at the pool hall, and less and less time with into the church, George,” the glowing bride in the saloon, and then the elder boy screamed Polly, who finally noticed in spite of all the whispered. Through the veil, George could see in agony as the flames engulfed him from head hustle and bustle. maggots crawling in and out of Polly’s flaming to toe. The younger lad shouted in terror. The Of course, Polly was furious. She eye sockets. older boy stumbled out of the fireplace, as the immediately confronted George with the story, “Nooo! Polly, no!” George screamed in little brother tried to beat out the fire with his and he couldn’t deny it. Suddenly, George had terror, but he could not wrench his hand free. small hands. to toe the mark. His pool-hall visits were over, The ghost dragged him step by halting step The butcher loomed above them, and he spent every free hour he wasn’t at work toward the front door of the church. His hand grinning sadistically as the flaming boy lost by her side. That didn’t sit well with George, was a red-hot agony of pain, though the rest of consciousness, his screams dying away. but his family backed Polly up, so he went his body was shaking with cold. “Your turn,” the butcher said to his along with it. “No!” George gave a final cry of brother. The younger boy gasped in fear and The day of the wedding dawned clear despair and wrenched again at his hand. And fled for his life out into the raging snow. The and bright. The guests filled the sanctuary, and suddenly, he was free. The spectral bride gave boy’s little frozen body was not found until the the pastor and the best man waited patiently in a roar of rage as George ran pell-mell down the spring. the ante-chamber for the arrival of the groom. church lane and out into the street. One evening, a decade after the death of But George didn’t come. Eventually, they went “You’re mine, George Dean! If not in the two young boys, a burly man with a long red searching for the missing bridegroom, and this world, than in the next,” the spectral bride beard came strolling down the road one taken found out he'd left town with Helene an hour howled after him. by the brothers. The butcher had heard rumors before the wedding. With dread, Polly’s mother By the time George reached his room, of a ghost but had discarded them as so much went to tell her daughter what had happened. the fiery pain in his hand and arm was seeping poppycock and tavern talk. Polly, all bright and shining and lovely in her through his entire body. He rang desperately for As he meandered down the road, he long white dress and soft wedding veil, turned the house maid and begged her to send for a became aware that a silence had fallen. In the pale when her mother broke the news. Then she doctor. Then he fell into bed and stared at his odd silence, he heard the footsteps of a large stiffened, grabbing her left arm as a sudden pain hand, which was black and withered, as if it had animal. They walked when he walked and ripped through it. She was dead from a massive been scorched long ago by a fire. Black and red stopped when he stopped. Pulse pounding heart attack long before she hit the floor. streaks were climbing up his arm so fast he madly, the butcher turned. Behind him, large as A few days later, Polly was buried in the could almost see them move. an ox, stood a black dog with blazing blue eyes churchyard, still wearing her white wedding George was unconscious when the and sharp teeth. The butcher had seen those blue dress and veil. The whole town came to the doctor arrived, and the swelling was already eyes once before, gazing at him from the face of funeral and wept at the passing of such a extending into his chest and neck. There was a young boy trying to save his burning brother. beautiful young girl. George and Helene, who nothing the physician could do. The injury was The black dog growled softly and took a had spent the week happily honeymooning in too severe and had spread too far. Within two step forward. The butcher whirled around to flee the Outer Banks, arrived home at the very days, George was dead. Polly had gotten her and found himself face to face with tall figure moment that the black-clad crowd exited the man at last. covered from head to toe in flames. The burning churchyard. Their arrival caused a commotion. boy reached out toward the butcher with hands The minister had to pull Polly’s father off (Continued on Page 14) withered and blackened by fire. The butcher George before he killed him. And both George gave a terrified scream and fell, blood gushing and Helene’s family disowned the couple right from eyes and nose. He was dead before he hit there in the street in front of everyone. The The ‘X’ Zone on TalkStar Radio the ground. couple fled town in disgrace. www.talkstarradio.com