Lightning crashed, illuminating the night sky. The warm summer night was humid and dark clouds shrouded the area like a murky blanket. Up ahead the old mansion flashed into view high atop the hill and then faded back into the obscuring shadows. Concealed by the old, gnarled trees that dotted the hillside, the Croft Manor hid itself from casual view. The residents of Pineboro usually gave the place a wide berth anyway. Most sensible folk knew that the old Croft Manor was haunted.
Willie Boyd was beginning to wish he had taken the old ghost tales a little more seriously. He and his best friend, Jerome Wilczinski, made the mistake of bragging that they could spend the night in the old Croft place. Ghosts weren't real and it was all nothing but old wives' tales anyway. Billy Taylor had to go and 'double-dog dare' them. Stupid Billy.
"Maybe we should just forget about it, Willie", Jerome said, fear causing his voice to crack.
Of course, Willie and Jerome would be harassed unmercifully if they didn't go through with it now. Word had been passed among the kids all week now, although they managed to keep the secret from their parents. Even worse, once school started again at Bayard Middle School, everyone would hear about them chickening out. "Who's afraid of a little bad weather? I ain't no chicken", Willie answered, trying to sound more confident than he really felt.
The warm wind seemed to talk to them as it whistled through the twisted branches, a forlorn wailing that raised the hairs on the back of their necks. The trees swayed about like living things, reaching for them. A branch brushed the back of Jerome and he screamed. Both boys started to run back down the hill.
Willie regained his composure and stopped after a few dozen steps, but Jerome just kept right on going. "Jerome!! Come back here, you little baby!"
"Nuh-uh!", was all Jerome would say as he kept running back into town. He wouldn't stop until he reached the safety of his grandfather's porch.
Now Willie was alone. But he could still make it. Ghosts weren't real. And besides without that scaredy cat, he might actually get through a night inside the Croft Manor. Maybe Billy would be satisfied if he just went in for a few minutes.
Turning around, Willie headed back up the winding path. Lightning flashed again. Or did it. Willie slowed to a stop as a light rain began to fall. "Whoa! That sure looked weird!" Maybe it was just his eyes playing tricks on him, but it looked like the flashes of light came from the inside of the house. Naw, it was just Jerome being a worrywart that had him flustered so much.
Willie tiptoed up to the side of the porch and stood there a few minutes. He was only a few steps away from the old wooden planks, but his feet didn't seem to want to carry him the remaining distance. The rain started to fall even harder. Willie tried to peer into the grimy windows to see whether the flash of light really came from inside. Maybe it was just lightning reflecting off the nearly opaque windows.
Willie's stomach was turning cartwheels as he pondered his next step. Unfortunately for him, it would be involuntary. Another crash of lightning struck very close to the house and the loud peal of thunder sent Willie running for cover onto the porch, near a side entrance. As he stumbled, backing into it, the door swung open and Willie staggered back, tripping over the threshold. He landed solidly on his back, the impact forcing the air from his lungs. Well, at least he made it inside.
As he slowly sat up, Willie looked around the dilapidated house. Everything was covered in spider webs and a thick layer of dust, which he had kicked up in a small cloud. Willie coughed a few times and then clamped his hands over his mouth, worried that someone might hear him. That was silly.
He stood and walked deeper into the room, further disturbing the dust as he went. Maybe if he took something that belonged here, everyone would know he actually made it inside the haunted house. As he passed into the next room, a large gust of wind rushed through the structure and slammed the door shut with a powerful force. Willie jumped at the sound. He was about to head back to the door, when another sound made him pause. It was very close.
Willie froze in place looking back at the door he had used to enter the Croft Manor. Behind him, he heard a cross between a thumping and a squishing sound. If his brain had been able to form a coherent thought now, it would have sounded like a large, wet, mushy object coming closer. Another sound, this one like the first. Willie turned and screamed.
The next few moments were like a blur to him. Willie saw some sort of creature slogging towards him. It looked vaguely humanoid, but with huge tentacles in place of its arms and legs. Its head had one large red eye and a huge fanged maw opened wide before him. It came closer still.
Unconsciously, Willie began to slowly back away from the horror. But then there was nowhere further to go. Willie wanted to run, but his legs refused to comply. He tried to scream again and the sound died in his throat. The house really was haunted by an evil monster!
Just then, a purplish flame erupted all around the tentacled monstrosity and it howled an unholy screech. Its tendrils writhed and curled around, trying to extricate itself from the unearthly looking fire. Willie found his strength and ran. He didn't bother ever looking back.
The image of Willie Boyd, now an old man in his seventies, froze on the monitor. As he told his tale of that fateful night at the Croft Manor in the summer of 1919, it wasn't hard for the imagination to fill in the missing details. The shadows became all the more deep, the trees all the more like twisted limbs. To further amplify the terror he had felt as a young boy during that strange encounter.
"So, what do you think, Kari? Another masterpiece or what?" The query came from Peter Ramsey, cameraman, film editor, and amateur investigator of all things supernatural. "The boss will love it. Fits in perfectly for the upcoming Haunted House special."
Peter was in his early thirties and had a youthful energy to him. His hairline was thinning on top, but long brown hair tumbled halfway down his back. Peter was of average looks and build. Brown eyes stared intently at his work through small-framed glasses.
"I'm beginning to wonder just what I've gotten myself into," Kari Donovan lamented to herself. "I mean, the money is good, I'm getting national exposure, but this ghost and goblins stuff is pretty lame. I still find it hard to believe that people actually believe this nonsense."
"That's why we're a perfect team," Peter laughed in response. "I'm the believer, you're the skeptic. Our job is to bring the supernatural out of the shadows and into the public light. To expose frauds and seek out things that cannot be rationally explained. You knew that when you signed on for 'Supernatural America'."
"As a reporter, it is my job to present the facts to the public and let them reach their own conclusions," Kari countered. "Not lend credibility to fairy tales. Play it back again, I think we can tighten up the interview just a little bit more."
Peter complied and rewound the tape. So far they had compressed nearly two hours of film into a seven minutes. The producers at Supernatural America generally preferred five to six minutes for single break stories such as this.
Kari sat back and absentmindedly stroked the fur of the jet-black cat curled up in her lap. The cat, jokingly named Snowball, purred contentedly and sounded like a small motor.
As Kari watched her interview with Willie Boyd unfold before her eyes, in the back of her mind she still had to wonder just what in the world she was doing here. Kari was a very attractive young woman with shoulder length sandy blonde hair and lovely blue eyes. She had good looks, enough to work as a fashion model should she choose to do so. Somehow stalking down runways, wearing the latest in revealing fashions was not her idea of a fun career.
No, Kari had always wanted to be a television journalist. Her idols and inspirations were the Barbara Walters and Jessica Savages of the world, not any of those one name super models. She wanted to be in on the action, bringing hard-hitting exposes to the public. Exposing cover-ups and breaking stories to the masses.
To that end, she managed to secure employment at a small town TV station in North Dakota. Kari went into the job a ball of fire only to be rapidly disappointed. They wanted her to read the nightly weather, banking on her good looks to bring in solid ratings. The station manager shot down all her requests to do anything more important, to do real stories.
Hurt and disillusioned, Kari fulfilled her contract all the while desperately seeking other employment. There had to be someone out there who would allow her to live out her dream. Someone who would at least give her the chance to fail or succeed.
Kari soon lost count of the number of resumes that she had sent out. Despair started to set in as no one was beating down her door offering a job. That was until Donald Pierce, Executive Producer of a syndicated television show named 'Supernatural America', contacted her.
As one might expect, Supernatural America covered stories ranging from ghosts, unexplained happenings, psychic powers, witchcraft and other things that go bump in the night. This was a somewhat popular field given the number of superbeings that seemed to have ties to the supernatural, whether real or imagined. There were people who claimed to be mages out there. Folks who actually appeared to have telepathic abilities.
Kari was unsure at first. While she couldn't deny the existence of those heroes and villains who used a supernatural twist on their powers, she doubted that they were really supernatural in origin. Ghost stories were just tales to frighten the listener. They really didn't exist.
But it was that very skepticism which eventually convinced Donald. Kari was perfect for the job as a reporter investigating the supernatural. She would bring a much-needed objectivity to the subject matter. Kari would work feverishly to uncover frauds and likely would be just as perplexed as the viewer when truly confronted with the unknown.
Not having any better offers, Kari accepted the job. She was teamed with Peter Ramsey who would serve as her cameraman and film editor. They were given a modified RV to carry out their assignments. It would serve as their home and studio as they drove the country investigating the supernatural. Kari brought her pet cat Snowball along for the ride. At the very least she'd be getting paid to see America.
Peter was an alright guy, Kari thought, but she had no romantic inclinations towards the man. He could handle assignments professionally enough and he was something of an amateur expert on the supernatural. While Kari was extremely skeptical, he was a true believer. She thought half the stuff he told her was sheer nonsense. But it did provide for a good working chemistry.
A few days ago, they had rolled into Pineboro, located in upstate New York. They decided that a story on the Croft Manor, supposedly a haunted house would be perfect for Supernatural America. A short investigation led them to Willie Boyd and the fantastic tale he had told from his youth. But that was only the first tale they had heard about the infamous Croft Manor...
"It was the spring of '53," Edna Partridge explained. "Our senior year." Edna was now nearly fifty years old. Streaks of white and gray mixed in with her short brown hair. The plump woman was seated on a rocking chair on the front porch of her house.
"What happened to you that night at the Croft Manor?", Kari asked from off camera. Peter was tightly focused in on Edna while Kari sat just outside the camera's view.
"I don't like talkin' about it much. People used to think I was some kind of nut. I quickly learned that if I kept quiet, people stopped talking about me. I liked it better that way."
"That was a long time ago," Kari offered. "You think people are still going to tease you about this nowadays?"
"Maybe, maybe not. It's not worth going through all that grief again."
"I understand. If you would feel more comfortable, we could block out your face and distort your voice. Your privacy is very important to us."
Edna sat back and rocked for several moments lost in thought. "All right. I'll tell you my story."
"It was the spring of '53. Our senior year. I was dating Billy Anderson and we were walking home from a school dance. We were supposed to come directly home after the dance, but instead we went to 'make out point'. It started getting late and our folks were expecting us, so Billy gets the idea to take a short cut past the Croft Manor. Now normally, we gave that place a wide berth, goin' out of our way to avoid it."
"I'll tell ya, I was plum scarred. But not, Billy. Nope, he was young, tough and trying to impress me."
"Anyways," Edna continued, "we were passing the Croft place and Billy is talking about how haunted the place was and what the ghost that lived there did to trespassers. He was trying to scare me and I don't mind telling you he succeeded."
"It had been overcast that night and a thunderstorm rolled in. The next thing we knew, it was pouring and we were running towards the Croft Manor for shelter. We hadn't been on the front porch for a minute when we noticed this bright light coming from inside. I thought it was a ghost and Billy didn't know what to think."
"So, what happened next?", Kari prodded, as Edna paused to think about that long past memory.
"I don't know what made me do it, but I peeked in through the front window. There were two men inside. I couldn't make out the far one, but the one closest to me was all dressed in purple. Had this dark purple hooded cloak and wore some kind of multi-purple costume. Sort of like those superheroes wear today."
"But that wasn't the worst part." Edna stopped rocking and leaned closer to Kari as if she was going to whisper some great secret. "This feller in purple turned to look at us. He didn't have a face underneath that cloak! It was all purple flames with malevolent fiery red eyes!! Most hideous thing I'd ever seen in my entire life!"
"I screamed and then Billy and I ran after that. After what we saw, a little thunderstorm wasn't going to stop us!"
"I'm more convinced than ever," Peter Ramsey suddenly announced. He had done some initial work on the second interview, but had yet to complete it. Currently, he was in the driver's seat of the RV as they drove towards the mysterious Croft Manor. It was a sun drenched summer afternoon with the touch of a light breeze.
Kari Donovan just rolled her eyes, knowing that what she was about to hear was going to be really, really 'out there'. No matter where they had traveled so far, no matter what they'd investigated, Peter always had some wild, half-baked theory about what was 'really' going on. She wasn't sure just what was crazier. The stories or the man telling the stories.
"I can hardly wait to hear this one," Kari stated somewhat sarcastically. She was in the passenger seat with the omni-present Snowball curled up on her lap.
"One of the men described in both interviews is known as the Purple Phlox." Peter made it sound like some great and wondrous proclamation that would painstakingly and instantly explain every detail of every mystery known to mankind.
Kari's response was a soft laugh. "What in the world is a Purple Phlox?", she asked between peals of laughter.
"A mysterious figure heavily referenced in Levi's History of Magic," Peter answered, maintaining his seriousness despite Kari's jovial response.
"Another one of your real people from history who were actually magists, occultists, or otherwise dabbled in the supernatural?"
"Joke if you must, Kari, but Eliphas Levi was the foremost occultist of the 19th century writing several books on the subject. His crowning achievement was the History of Magic which drew upon a multitude of separate texts, combining them into the definitive study of mages and magic."
Kari just sighed and shook her head. "I don't know which one of us is crazier," she whispered to Snowball. The jet-black tabby just glanced up and mewed in response. "Him or me for talking to cats."
"In ancient times, you might have very well been labeled a witch for talking to cats. After all, the black cat is widely considered a sign of evil and misfortune. The sorceress and her evil, fur-bearin' critter." It was now Peter's turn to laugh. That brought a particularly nasty look from Snowball. Deciding to excuse himself from this conversation, the cat curled up and fell asleep.
"Getting back to my original question, 'What in the world is a Purple Phlox'?"
"Well, a phlox is a North American plant with clusters of flowers, typically in white, yellow, or blue. I assume you know the definition of purple."
That brought an annoyed glare from Kari. "Smart ass," she muttered under her breath. "So this guy is some kind of purple flower? Sounds like a flower-child from the sixties whose brain was fried from too many drugs."
"The history texts are unclear as to why he took the name 'Purple Phlox'. However, some reports suggest that he wielded a staff adorned with a small purple phlox in crystal. This staff was reported to be highly magical in nature."
"Uh-huh." This was turning out to be as ridiculous a conversation as Kari had first thought it was going to be. "'Believe in flower-power or I will bop you on the head!' This sounds like a bad sitcom from Fox."
"Hardly," countered Peter, not letting his companion dampen his enthusiasm. "It is believed that the Purple Phlox was a champion for the good and ethical use of magic. He opposed those who would use such talents for evil and selfish ends. He was a noble and enlightened man, well ahead of his time. It is also said that he punished those who did evil with some sort of magical purple flame."
"If this book was written in the 1800's by this Levi nut, then shouldn't the Purple Phlox be dead and buried?" Kari's reporter instincts were starting to kick in and she could see numerous holes in this story.
"According to the book, there is a long secret history to the Purple Phlox that covers centuries of activity. Meaning that there has either been a succession of Purple Phloxes or just one with an extraordinarily long life span."
Kari took a few minutes to digest this information as the RV continued on its way. "Okay, even assuming that our eyewitnesses saw what they claim to have seen, how do you explain this Purple Phlox suddenly appearing out of nowhere back in 1919 and then again in 1953? Where's he been all this time? Why aren't there any modern reports of him?"
Peter just grinned at Kari. "I can't explain it. But then again, that's half the fun."
"I present the creepy Croft Manor in all its faded glory." Peter gestured dramatically towards the infamous structure. The building was in a sad state of repairs. There were gaping holes in the roof and several of the siding boards were missing. Most of the windows were broken and the entire manor was covered in creeping vines. From the looks of it no one had lived here or had been here for decades.
"The haunted house of the month," Kari muttered as she and Snowball emerged from the RV. The place was very close to the way it had been described to them. "Typical 'Early American Creepy'."
"I'll get the gear and we'll check'r out," Peter stated as he went back inside the RV. Some footage of the manor would only enhance the story they were working on. It would later be interspliced with the interviews completed earlier.
Snowball bounded out of the RV and quickly took perch on a tree stump. The black feline sniffed the air and seemed to be eyeing the manor curiously as his tail swished behind him. Jumping from its perch, Snowball moved towards the Croft Manor.
"You've probably got the scent of a nice, juicy mouse, huh, Snowball?" Kari tentatively followed the cat towards the front of the house. "Got to be lots of mice inside of there. Not to mention rats, bugs, and other creepy things. Yeah, this is looking like a real good career move on my part." With a sigh, Kari followed Snowball up onto the wrap-around porch, surrounding the front of the house.
Snowball bounded off to parts unknown, while Kari peeked in the front windows. The glass was far too dirty to make out much in the way of details. "Helloooo! Mr. Ghost! Would you like to come out for an interview?"
"Watch your step!", Peter shouted as he ran up with his camera gear. "Judging by the looks of this place, it can't be too safe."
"How could I forget the first lesson of haunted house exploring: watch your step, because the floor is probably rotted out."
"Ghosts float, so they don't need solid footing," Peter teased as he started filming.
"Silly me."
Tentatively, Peter opened the front door and cautiously walked inside as he filmed. The entryway led into several large rooms, probably at one time being elegant sitting rooms and lounges. The paint had long since peeled, the wallpaper fallen decades earlier. Piles of debris, perhaps once having been furniture, dotted the dirty floor.
"No one's been here in ages," Kari observed. "There's not even animal tracks in the dust. Other than the ones Snowball is making."
Undaunted, Peter continued to film as they explored the house. The flooring creaked and groaned under their feet, but never did break. Each room they encountered was in much the same shape as the rooms they had previously explored. A kitchen, pantry, and dining area rounded out the first floor. Several bedrooms occupied the second floor. Upon completing their circuit, the reporters made their way back to the front of the house.
"As haunted houses go, this one is rather disappointing," Kari noted as she exited the Croft Manor, Snowball running along before her. "Other than being run down, this place is hardly mysterious looking."
"For once, I have to agree," Peter nodded as he stopped filming. "The Croft Manor is not living up to its billing. Still, why don't we camp here tonight. Maybe something exciting will happen?"
"I was afraid you were going to say that."
"Why don't you make dinner and I'll get the equipment set up," Peter suggested.
"Me?", Kari objected. "I cooked last night. Its your turn."
"Well, okay, but then you'll have to set up the equipment. I can't do both."
Dejected, Kari threw her hands into the air. Peter knew that she didn't have the know-how to prepare the equipment for tonight's surveillance. Kari knew it as well. "Okay, okay. Blackmailer."
The shadows grew longer as the sun began to set in the western sky. The afternoon passed quickly for Peter as he set up cameras, motion sensors, and other devices to monitor the Croft Manor. Snowball kept him company. The curious feline watched his work as if making sure Peter was doing it all correctly.
On the other hand, the day dragged for Kari. Without much enthusiasm, she prepared taco salad for dinner, checked her e-mail, and performed other mundane tasks. She decided to turn in early for a nap, mostly out of boredom. And on the slim chance that something actually did happen, she would be ready to be up most of the night.
Peter was still working when Kari shut the door to her bedroom. The rear of the RV was her personal chamber that served as a combination office, dressing room, and sleeping quarters. It was cramped, as was everything on the RV. Peter used the fold out bed in the dining area for sleep.
Sleep did not come easy for Kari. She could hear muffled noises as Peter worked. His equipment was in position, but now he was running through system checks at the control console. She had heard it many times before. Predominately, nothing ever came from those past experiences. But that never seemed to deter Peter's unending enthusiasm.
"It's not like we're trying to hit for average," Peter would patiently explain. "This is like hitting the lottery. Lightning only has to strike once."
"Well, if lightning does strike, I hope I get a good interview out of it," was Kari's thought on the matter before she finally drifted off to sleep.
"Kari!!", Peter yelled at the top of his lungs. The noise shook Kari out of her sleep. Groggily she sat up, wondering what was going on. Glancing at the clock she noted that it was just a little past midnight.
"What? What's going on?" Kari threw off her cover and hastily slipped into her housecoat and slippers. Opening her bedroom door, Kari could see Peter was still seated at the control console.
"We just hit the mother lode!", Peter explained excitedly as he pointed at the monitor. "Lady luck is smiling on us today!"
The main monitor showed the Croft Manor, but inexplicably a bright white glow was coming from inside the house! The white light was mixed in with flashes of blues and purples. Kari stood there in awe for several seconds. Finally, she moved to the window to witness this strange event for herself. It was just as the monitor had shown. Something was definitely happening inside the house!
"Come on!", Kari shouted as she bounded out of the trailer. "We've got a story to cover!"
Peter grabbed his camera and headed after Kari Donovan, towards the Croft Manor...
