Haunting

[Nix]

It was cooler than usual, this brilliant October morning. A chill wind and the front from the night before, making most reluctant to leave their beds. Despite that, many were out, filling the streets. Parents sending children off to school, some rushing off to work, teens either skipping school, or in no hurry, lounging near bus stops. In all a typical London morning.

Not far from the general hustle was a small park, the remnants of a long forgotten cemetery. A bike path wound through the center, while a small pond lay at the center, benches scattered about for those that enjoyed reading there. Two small carts were at either end of the path, one with warm drinks the other with roasted nuts. Here and there, almost hidden among the trees and bushes, a tombstone rested, some tall and ornate, some barely visible even if someone was looking for it. Hollowwood Park, previously Hollowwood Cemetery over a century ago, was a well known and well loved shortcut for many.

One young woman went through the park twice a day. Bundled in a jacket and scarf, and with a book open in her hands, she walked the same way she always did, eyes fixed more on the words than on where she was going. This was a common sight for anyone that frequented the park. As she walked, two teens ran past, the second bumping into just hard enough to knock her off the path and down the slight incline that ran next to the path. She tumbled straight into the bushes.

For a moment, she laid there, before grumbling under her breath, and brushing her brown hair out of her eyes. Her book fell at the base of one of the older tombstones, this one so worn and weathered that no would could be seen. Taking a minute to work herself out of the bush, her green eyes widened when she look at the time on her watch. "Oh no, now I'm late!" She snatched her book from the ground and took off at a dead run.

 

[Rick]

Hollowwood Cemetery had for years been home to a number of spirits. Some were malicious, other mischievous but most were benign. Life as a spirit was certainly not glamorous; being bound to your resting place was no walk in the park especially when every day for the last decade that's exactly what the living did. Little did those who walked the land of the living know, having your resting ground trampled upon everyday from all hours of the morning to all hours of the night was not a pleasant experience. The disruption it caused was a nuisance which nothing could be done about. At night, when most model citizens were fast asleep, resting for the day that waited ahead of them most of the spirits here were kept awake by a select few individuals who abused the cover of the trees and bushes off the walkway to drink and loiter.

However, as one particular spirit was about to find out. Today was going to be no ordinary day. A sudden commotion aroused one spirit from his rest, a woman had fallen into the bush and her book had knocked off his tombstone, disturbing him from his rest. From the shadows of the afterlife he watched as the woman brought herself to her feet and rushed off in a hurry after having exclaimed how late she was. Now that he was awake, the spirit was about to go about his daily business until something very peculiar happened. Suddenly out of nowhere, he felt himself being dragged as if by an invisible leash. Confused and a little unnerved he looked around and saw that it seemed to be the woman who had stumbled upon his grave that was dragging him along with her. Keeping up the pace he began to shout, "Hey! Hey! Stop! What do you think you're doing?" He stopped, "... And how are you doing it?" He asked. Of course there was no response, it was not like the living could hear him, otherwise there would be all sorts of questions and panic and the paranormal would become just... Normal.

Approaching the boundaries of the park, the spirit began to relax, there was no way for him to leave the confinement of his resting grounds and so within the next few moments this would all end and he could get back to his normal... Boring day.

Naturally, the spirit who had never made it outside the cemetery since his unfortunate passing was very surprised when he found himself crossing the road and still being dragged along.

 

[Nix]

The woman, left the small park at a flat run, muttering apologies to anyone she bumped into, and with a longing glance at the coffee stand. She hated being late for anything, and while she had plenty of time to actually get to the interview, she only had a couple of minutes to make it before the bus arrived. She turned the corner, almost slipping in her hurry, and arrived at the bus stop just as it pulled up. With an exasperated sigh, she used her bus pass and dropped into a seat near the middle.

With a longing look at her book, she pointedly turned to stare out the window, having started reading on the bus before and completely missing her stop. It was the same thing as every day. She didn't talk to anyone on the bus, not that many did. She kept biting her lip slightly, and drumming her fingers on the seat.

She was obviously nervous about something, it was plain to anyone that looked, but she kept her expression calm. Occasionally she would mutter to herself. "Nothing to worry about. It's just an interview." It was like a mantra, to help her stay calm. It was also not working as well as she hoped.