The Haunting Past

The Haunting Past (Original) It all started when I noticed something odd about a letter that my friend, Tami, received. When I stopped by, to say "hello", Tami was already prepared to throw the letter away. I think that the reason why I noticed the envelope was because of what seemed like drawings, of ghosts, along the envelopes borders. When I asked Tami about the letter, Tami told me that it was nothing. Just a piece of junk mail, the kind where the sender agree's to provide large prizes, if recipients accept, and complete, a dare. Tami was going to just throw the letter away, until I asked her to show it to me. When I saw the letter, I realized that she was right, atleast about one thing. The letter concerned a "dare" contest. According to the letter, the rules, of the dare, were simple. If Tami agreed to spend a weekend at a place, reputed to be "haunted", she would be eligible to receive ten million dollars. The condition, of the challenge, was that Tami would remain at the location, for the entire weekend. If she departed, before the weekend was completed, she would receive no more than a return trip ticket, to go home on. What caught my eye was the lack of details, in the letter. About the only information even resembling a "detail", was the inclusion of a trip date (To be confirmed based upon responses, to the initial letter). I could tell, by the look on Tami's face, that she was about to throw away the letter. This is why I asked her permission to send an inquiry/response, asking for more details, of the offer. Tami said she had no problem with my proposed action. While we waited upon word of the weekend, I informed my boss, on the CASH-pay crew, of my intention to take some time off. He said "No problem", and just remined me of the rule regarding "return to work". Anytime a worker left the job, they would go on a "back-up" list, upon return, and wait for an opening. I didn't mind, since I would have my benefits, to live on, when I returned. I could afford to wait for an opening. Tami had no problem with the trip, either. She also lived on benefits, since she had Paranoid Schizophrenia so bad that, compared to her, I had no mental problems, at all. In fact, the main reason why she had a "payee", to control her money, and medications, was because, at one, single, time, during severe depression, she had taken one whole overdose. Since then, she had nurses dispense her medications, and verify that she had food to eat. Tami had told me, once, how much she HATED her life, on S.S.D.I.. She had thought that life, on government benefits, would be much easier than life in the "work-force", since she would not have to deal with bosses constantly growling "You're NOT doing enough work! If you expect to keep your job, I better start seeing improvement, right NOW!" Tami was placed on benefits after running away from three jobs. Each time that her case- worker called the boss, each boss said that Tami was just not WILLING to work. (No one bothered to ask Tami about her side.) It was after her case-worker had spoken to four other employers, each of whom said that they could not be limited, in dispatching workers duties, that Tami's "controlling" agency had listed her as "un-employable". When Tami told me how, at her hearing, that the A.L.J. (administrative law judge), had accused her of being a "dope-head", since she was on multiple medications, for various reasons, I brought a smile to her face, by telling how I had backed down my OWN hearing judge, when they changed my testimony from "I WOULD fail a drug test, IF I took one, due to the medications, which I take", to "I have already failed drug tests, and will fail more, due to medication usage". (Boy, had MY judge given ME a deadly look, when I challenged their interpretation. The judge had grown even MORE angry, when the court reporter agreed with ME. As the saying goes: If looks could KILL, I would be dead). When Tami mentioned the suicide attempt, she said that she didn't remember it. She only rememebered that, one moment, she was at her place, eating a meal, and preparing her next dose of medications, and, the next, she woke up, in the hospital, strapped down, and with no memory of what had happened. All she knew was that staff told her that they had pumped a belly-full of pills out of her. She was accused of trying to kill herself, with an overdose. She said that she would give anything to know what REALLY happened, that day. All she knew, now, was that her medications were dispensed, to her, on a daily basis, by a nurse. She had no control over her money, and she was told that this was to prevent her from buying drugs with which to try another suicide attempt with. As a result, her daily routine was simple. Out of bed just before the nurse arrived, then a lousy, tiny, "dinner" tray, and take her pills, in front of the nurse. After that, her vitals were taken, and the nurse would say "Goodbye". Later, her lunch, and medications, would be delivered, by a service. At dinner, a nurse would bring her a dinner plate, and her medications. The rest of her day was just watching t.v., reading books, or just being bored. I could agree with her that life, on benefits, was NOT the "picnic", which so many people think that it is. No, if it is anything, it is the opposite of "picnic". Days flow into weeks, and into months, with each the same as the one, before. Without some type, of community activity, it is oh so very easy to lose track of time. This is one of the primary reasons why I worked to remain on the cleaning crew. This way, I knew mondays from fridays. Ofcourse, the cash-pay was a great way to suppliment my benefits. Like many disabled people, I worked for cash since, un-like payrol checks, cash is un-trace-able, by federal investigators. Although I never "soap-boxed", about the issue, I did mention, to many people, that I agreed with them, that living on just $700.00 per month, (including rent, utilities, medications, personal hygiene, and so on), leaves very litte money to actually "live on", once the bills are paid. I had been warned, years before, about working payroll, even part-time, by other disabled people. No matter what Washington D.C. "said", about people being allowed earnings, to suppliment benefits, the federal government is very rapid, in reviewing the cases, of anyone, seeking some extra spending money. The "rationale" is: "If you can work, for spending change, then you can work, period". Questions such as how wheelchairs are to travel, through winter snows, are never considered. I had suggested that Tami try working for cash as well, but she was just so terrified of failing that she wouldn't risk it. With the contest, though, I showed her just how little risk there was. I guess that this is why she agreed to TRY it. Ten days after my inquiry letter was sent, Tami received another letter. This one, confirming transportation arrival time, at the local bus terminal. The only other "information" the letter contained was an instruction for Tami to bring atleast two changes of clothes, and any other items, such as hygiene products, that she might need. Although there were additional pages, to the letter, even re-reading these pages, multiple times, left no understanding, or gave additional information. It was just ad copy, about how "dangerous" the weekend might become. After Tami and I discussed the matter, and agreed that she could USE the money, we decided to accept the offer, with an understanding, between the two of us, that, if we did not feel comfortable, at any point, in the process, we would not question one another. We would just respect one another enough that we would back out of the deal. No questions. No (snide) comments. Just quiet respect. Our mistake, fostered by myself, was in thinking that the weekend would be a dignified affair, from start to finish. By the time we realized what it really was, it was way too late to avoid embarrassment. On the date in the letter, Tami and I took a taxi to the bus terminal. We did this since the terminal had been moved out of downtown, and to the edge of town. There were no city bus routes anywhere near the bus station, not like there had been, when the bus station was right at the edge of downtown. When we arrived at the bus terminal, Tami and I saw a crowd, to the side, gathered around one of the rear bus stalls. I agreed with her that I hoped that this was NOT our bus. At the ticket counter, however, this hope was dashed, as Tami and I were informed that the bus in question WAS our bus. Although the bus we were to ride had been relegated to the rear-most stall, this was because of time-slot scheduling, NOT because of what the bus looked like. Had our host made reservations, a couple of months in advance, the bus could have reserved stall Number 1, for just a small, additional, fee. Even in the rear stall, however, the garishly decorated bus could be spotted from a "mile away". When Tami and I stepped through the crowd, and saw that huge banner, on the side of the bus, stating "Bus for Haunted Castle TEN Million Dollar Mystery Weekend", I noticed that Tami and I reached for one anothers hands, at the same time. The real humiliation, though, began as I showed our passes to a man, standing by the bus door, and dressed like a game-show host. What I had to remind myself of, next, was that the man was, no-doubt, being paid for this performance. When the man had our passes in hand, his voice was loud, and VERY acoustic, as he informed everyone, within ear-shot, of who we were, and what we were doing. Tami just froze, in near-panic, and let me handle this guy. Him and his "Do you expect to see any ghostly or ghoulish things, this weekend?" and other equally stupid questions. Oddly enough, the guy was amazed when I countered his "fan-fare", with quiet, dignified, answers. I did not play into his farce, not with my friend present. Had Tami not been present, I would have been tempted to do my own thing, and make a monkey out of this guy. Instead, though, I let him finish his routine, then he allowed us to board the bus, with "Mr. Game Show" entering the bus behind us. Once all were aboard the bus, the driver closed the door, pulled the bus out of the terminal, and we were on our way. Once inside the bus, I noticed that Tami and I were NOT the only riders. The other four couples had been hiding, out of sight, while the bus was in the terminal. It was not until we were away from the terminal that the other "guests" introduced themselves. The bus would travel, for thirty minutes, before entering another terminal, just the Illinois-side of the Missouri border. Here, we would watch as "Mr. Game Show" went through his routine. This time, however, the "victims" bowed their heads, in shame, and departed, in total embarrassment. (For some reason, when Mr. Game Show returned to the bus, he seemed more sullen, and less animated, than he had been, previously.) When Steve (One of the other "guests") told me that this procedure had been repeated, at each bus terminal, atleast since Steve, and his wife, Monica, had boarded the bus. Another "guest", Bruce, stated that he, and his wife, Nancy, had been aboard, longest, and Bruce could confirm Steve's story. Although Tami and I had boarded the bus, at about 10 a.m., by the time the bus would pass through several more terminals, and Mr. Game Show would scare off other guests, we would be on our way, to our destination, by mid-afternoon. It was not, however, until after we departed the final terminal, and were on our way, that Mr. Game Show would begin telling us the story of our destination. To hear him talk, going into many disgusting, morbid, and sexual, details, as possible, it would seem that our destination was to be a castle. A REALLY old style place, built long before Christ was born. (According to Mr. Game Show, atleast) According to what we were being told, legend held that the first owner had, deliberately, searched for a piece of land, rich in spiritual energy. On this site, he built the castle, in hopes of increasing his control of the spirit world, and, hopefully, control the material world, as well. Although it was rumored that, after the completion of the castle, the man had gone insane, the only historical reference, to the place, was that the man was taken, and hanged, by a mob, where he was left to dangle from one of his own turrets. For an un-defined period, after the mans death, the castle was devoid of life, for an extended period, before some Duke, or Earl, or somebody, took an interest in the place. The castle was, then, renovated, and the new owner moved in. No one knows for certain about this account since official records were not kept, in any reliable way. According to legend, after acquiring, and renovating, the property, the man had ascended to rule a kingdom. After that, something bizzarre happened. Allegedly, the king had married some women, then had them put to death. Reason unknown. Some would say that the king had heard voices. All that was known was that the king had three women put to death, for un-specified crimes. Legend has it that, even though the final queen tried to explain what had caused the kings previous actions, no one WANTED to listen. Because she wanted to be a romantic, and maternal, queen, NOT an imperial queen, she turned the power, of government, over to a trusted group, of knights, then brought all five of the kings children together, and the group left the castle. History says that the family, eventually, renounced their regal titles. After the queen vacated, the new rulers felt so un-safe, that even they fled the castle. After all human life had vacated, the castle, again, sat empty, for centuries. During the "Holy Wars", the castle played host to a series, of short-term occupants, none of whom stayed in residence long enough to lay claim, and many of whom met with violent death, while occupying the property. By the time Mr. Game Show finished with his "naration", not only were we passengers hungry, but so was the bus driver. Besides, with the winds blowing against the bus, the fuel level was growing dangerously low. A "pit-stop" was definitely, called for. When Mr. Game Show tried to argue the point, that the bus was due, the driver asked if the man wanted to walk. When Mr. Game Show declined this, the bus driver called for a rest stop. Wouldn't you know it, the driver would choose one of those convenience store places. Sure, it was designed for fuelling buses, but it was designed for some thing else as well. While the driver fuelled the tanks, we went into the convenience store/cafe, where the other passengers paid as much as $20.00, and for what? Two tiny pieces of chicken, a biscuit, and a coffee? Although Tami and I decided just to have an energy bar, and a soda, the cost was, still, $10.00. Once the bus was fuelled, and our wallets were emptier, the bus got back on the road. What I found un-settling, about the trip, was how we might have started out, on modern highways, but, as the day drew out, we turned from 4-lane highways, to 2-lane interstates. After this, we went to two lane black-tops. As for scenery, we went from counting ranches, to observing mid-size towns, then small, road-side, towns, then to farms, then to nothing but open country. I was not the only one who was concerned, when the bus pulled off the road, and onto a trail. One of the other guests mentioned that people could walk around this location, all day long, in the nude, and no one would notice. We passed through a grove, of tree's, before seeing the castle, for the first time. As the castle came into view, silhouetted against the night, and the moon. The growing darkness made the castle seem both huge, and ominous, as it stood before us. Unknown to the guests, at that moment, was the fact that we were seeing the castle from quite a distance. By the time the bus drew close enough to the castle, for us to make out details, the castle looked so huge that it dwarfed everything in sight, and made our bus look like a toy, alongside. For myself, I can say that this was, definitely NOT the kind of castle that I had expected to find, or visit. As we approached the outer wall, one of the male guests remarked "I have seen penetent- -iaries which look more inviting than this place". To add to the weird atmosphere, the bus had to cross a creaky, old style, drawbridge, before entering the castle property. As for the entry gate, itself, it was massive, deep, high, and was built in the finest traditions of medieval Europe. A garrison could have protected a population, in-definitely, from invaders. Inside of the protected, outer, wall, a large fountain sat in the middle of a circular drive, which was big enough to hold twenty cross- country busses. There were four, HUGE, main, buildings, encircling the courtyard, and each of these seemed to make up a different corner of the exterior wall. Man, this place was massive. The tops, of the buildings, seemed to reach for the sky. Although the courtyard was not brightly lit, there was enough light to see by, and just enough to distinguish the features of the front stairs, and the main door. There weren't a lot of steps, leading up to the door, but the rise angle, from the ground, to the threshhold, was just enough to trip a person, if they did not know to step UP. At some time, in the distant past, I have no doubt that the front steps were smooth, even, level and maybe even polished. After centuries of having an un-countable number of feet, treading their surfaces, the steps were rough, dull, and irregular. The hand-rails, were also made of the same stone, as the steps were, however, the rails had two details that the steps did not. The first was that the stone walls, of the hand-rails, had openings, at three intervals, shaped like crosses, and each one matched another opening, on the opposite side. In addition, the hand-rails were capped with stone chiselled into a rectangular shape. On each side, of the steps, one side of the triangles sloped towards the stairs, while the opposing slope was exactly opposite this. The door frame, and the door, itself, were of cathedral style design, and ornate, but what I noticed, most, was how much the thick stones protruded out, in front of the door opening. It is just a guess, but I would say that the door was inset atleast a foot into the wall. When the massive door opened, with just a slight squeek, I made a point of noticing the thickness of the door. It had to be close to a foot thick, if it was an inch. This, and the fact that, like the exterior portion of the wall, the stone, maikng up the interior wall, protruded twelve inches farther into the room, than the door did. I just wondered if what I was seeing was stones, three feet thick, or more conventional foot-thick stones, formed up to LOOK like a triple-thickness wall. Although the entry hall was not very wide, just some twenty, or so, feet across, the two-story ceiling gave the area a cavernous feeling, and an echo effect. Even to my un-trained eye, not one piece of the stone-work seemed of modern design. Either our host had spent some good money (A lot of money) making the place LOOK old, or it really WAS old. Much of the stone was engraved with a variety of religious symbols, charms, and protective "creatures". As for the furnishings, the furniture that we saw: benches, tables, and coat tree's, were all made of solid wood. What surprised even myself, was the fact that not one piece, of furniture, seemed to be made in the standard, factory, style. This could mean only one, of two, things. Either our host had paid a small fortune, to have this furniture specially made, OR they had paid a fortune, to buy the furniture, at auction. When our group investigated the furniture, all of it was solid, and of ample size, and weight. I was just amazed at the detail, of the carvings, in the wood, and that the wood was so well preserved. Our attention was drawn from the furniture when we heard foot steps, originating on the floor above us. We did not know what we would see as we watched the staircase. The design, of the stair-case, was different than any even I had seen, before. Starting at the ceiling, of the first floor, a set of stone steps flowed halfway down the height, of the first floor. What I found so different, about these stairs, was that they faced AWAY from the front door. From the public area, one could hear foot-steps, of a person approaching, but the actual person, who was approaching, could not be seen. At the mid-point, of the stair-case, there was a stone landing, maybe even a single slab, which extended from the left-side wall, to the right. The hand-rails were made of decorative stone, and carved with religious engravings. At the top of the landing, three, tall, enormous, stained-glass, windows were set, deeply, into cathedral-style openings, side-by- side and, if I am not mistaken, the stained glass figures represented therein were the figures of "patron saints", of centuries past. The window ledges sat about three feet off of the ground, and the tops, set into the arches, was atleast twelve, or more, feet high. The stairs, leading from the landing, to the first floor, were twice as wide as the upper stairs, and extended from the left, exposed, side of the right exposed. As our group watched the stairs, we could hear footsteps coming in our direction, from overhead. Soon after the footsteps, a face was silhouetted, in one of the landing windows, with the face being lit by a candle. When a proper-looking, white-haired, man appearred, at the landing, he bid us welcome, and encouraged us to place our hats and coats, on the coat tree's. After we had done so, he walked down the stairs, turned to our right, then opened a pair of massive, wooden, doors, and said "Follow me", as he lead us into a room which he called the "Great Hall". The place was huge. If it was less than fifty wide, and two hundred feet long, and close to fifty feet high, it was a miracle. Along the two, massive, outer walls, more stained glass windows were mounted deeply into openings set just above the height of a tall man. From what I could make out, the scenes, in these stained glass were religious, just as the other ones were. There were eight windows, per wall, and each window, there was mounted what appearred to be the banners, of many warrior clans. At the far end, of the room, stood a massive fire-place, complete with more religious engravings. To the right and left, of the hall, between the door, and the fire-place, were long, wooden, tables which extended almost the entire length of the room. In the fire-place, a warm fire crackled, while candle holders were set, at intervals, along each table, to provide most of the illumination, in the room. The tables were massive, both in size, and in thickness. The only things present, of twentieth century design, were the comfortable chairs, which we would sit upon. Once we were seated, our host made a dramatic entrance, from somewhere behind the fire-place. His large, form was carrying atleast 250 pounds, if not, probably, much more than this. The man was not "plump", or "full- bodied". He was just FAT. He had a well- manicured beard, and fingernails, and his head was covered in dark hair. For as large as he was, he made himself presentable, in his business suit. He even wore a wide smile, as he welcomed us, for the weekend, then introduced himself. When one of the other guys was about to ask the host about the castle, the man, known to be a reclusive billionairre, held up a hand, in a gentle manner. The host asked us to be patient. He assurred us that, after we ate our dinner, that ALL would be explained. With that, he made a hand-gesture, and several, large, wheeled, steam-tables, were wheeled out, from behind the fire-place, and placed before us. The food was hot, and in good supply, so we started eating, buffet style. Naturally, the women ate less, to keep their figures, while we men ate, for energy. It was only after a filling dinner that our host started reciting the castles history, in a dramatic fashion. Although he was a bit graphic, concerning the construction, this was nothing when compared to his recitation of the stories of each of the previous owners, of this castle. When he filled in too many details, it was not long before the ladies became ill, at what they were hearing, however, when the guys started "losing it", I was the one to suggest that our host just stick to the facts. What I did not realize, at the time, was that our host was playing the same "game" as Mr. Game Show had been playing, outside of the bus. A "game" designed to run guests off, and save our host some money. Now, it was our host, himself, who was trying to run us off, with his stories. He would have succeeded had we, not, all agreed to tell him to "knock off the dramatics". After the host finished his story, he cautioned us about certain area's f the castle. It seems that "renovation was underway, and he didn't want anyone getting hurt. Once staff members brught us personal copies, of maps, showing the caution area's, our host let us finish our dinner, then had his staff show us to our rooms. Yes, it HAD been a long day, and with full bellies, we would leave the great hall, travel up the stairs, and follow the butler as he assigned our rooms. Oddly enough, even as we received our assignments, the sky would become over-cast, and the moon would take on a glowing aura, as it shown through the clouds. A soft rain had, also, begun to fall. When the butler showed us to the rooms, Tami and I were given seperate rooms specifically because we were not married. If the other rooms were like mine, then each guest room was as large as a small cave, with dimensions of no less than forty feet, wall-to- wall, and ceilings of no less than twelve feet. Each room would have three of those stained glass windows, embedded in massively thick walls, and atleast the light rain, on the glass, muffled the sounds of a persons own foot steps. The beds were just as massive, and antique, however, as the staff assurred us, even though the beds were very old, the mattresses, sheets, pillows, and so on, were not. The bed-boards, however, were ornately carved as well. When I went next door, to check on Tami, I found that her room WAS, basically, the same as mine. Each of our rooms had a large bed, three cathedral stained-glass windows, a medieval fire-place, with fire crackling within, and a massive table, containing two candle holders. Although the rain pattering against the stained glass was soothing to the nerves, what was bone-rattling was when the thunder started crashing, at irregular intervals. Talk about being jumpy, when the thunder crashed, outside the windows, it sounded like a ton of T.N.T. going off, inside the room. It was almost deafening. Thank god it was not continuous. Still, Tami was as outwardly shaken as I was. This is why I invited her to my room, so she could relax. Despite the growing level of the sound of the rain, Tami and I would relax, and have a gentle, quiet, conversation, as we enjoyed one anothers company. To me, though, it seemed that some minutes passed before Tami allowed me to embrace her, and touch her. In fact, I had just started touching her, in a romantic way, while embracing her, and our lips were on the verge of meeting, when the mood was shattered, by a blood-curdling scream. Not a moment later, Tami and I heard a loud groan, as though someone were moving heavy furniture around, over our heads. Then came the sound, of breaking glass, and, a few seconds later, came a loud thump, as something crashed against the stones, of the building. Fortunately, Tami was turned away from the window, so I was the first to see the object, swaying in, and out, by the side of the building. After I told Tami to stay put, I went to the window, and opened it, only to find the body, of one of the other guests, a charming, and gentle, young, woman, swinging in the breeze. There was a good, strong, rope, tied about her neck, and the look upon her face was beyond words. It looked as if she had been terrified, or horrified, at the moment of her death. When the other guests entered my room, I recruited two of the guys to help me lift the girls body into my room, and place it on the floor. Thanks to an ornamental sword, the room had, as a decoration, the hanging rope was easy to sever. The question, of what had happened, came up, and, naturally, the first thought was "suicide". The "poor" girl had "chickened out", and, to prevent embarrassment, over her early departure, she had chosen a "dramatic" exit. Sure, that was the easy answer, but, what about the sounds which Tami and I had heard, just BEFORE the girl had "jumped"? Was it just her way of "setting the stage?" Personally, I wanted to know, for sure. This is why, with one of the other guys along, I went up to the nurses room, and here is where nothing made sense. First of all, when we reached the upper floor, I noticed something, odd, which I pointed out, to Steve. I had to show him my "evidence", before he would believe it, though. I actually pointed toward the stone floor, and the dust settled upon its surface, Dust which was un-marked, by any foot prints. When Steve asked "Big deal, so she was wearing high heels, or something. What difference does it make?" I couldn't get him to understand that ANY shoe would make an impression, in the dust. HOW could anyone have gotten onto this floor, and gained access to the room, without leaving a single print? When we reached the girls room, Steve made a cursory glance, while I went looking into details. Details such as the cord, used as a noose, and the table Sure, given enough time, the girl could have cut the drapery cord, to use as a noose. The trouble, with this idea, was that, like everything else, in the castle, the drapery cord was in good enough condition that, even with a sharp knife, it would have taken a petite woman DAYS to cut through the cord. Since we had been here, only HOURS, and the girl had been with us most of the time, this idea went out the window even faster than the body had. A better piece of evidence, which really, changed our thinking, was when I showed my companion the deep gouges, made by the table, as it was "dragged" across the stone floor. When my companion argued that the table could have been moved, by the nurse, herself, I had them try to move it. then we tried to move it, three, seperate, times. Each time, we met with failure. We were just not strong enough. This left the question: If two, strong men could not move the table, how could a petite woman do it, and by herself, yet? Before returning to the group, I would pull the rope back inside the room. While I did so, I would think about what I had seen, when the body first caught my attention. I mean, if a person is jumping to their death, in an act of suicide, I would have thought that the jumper would just almost straight down. This would leave the body bouncing like a yo-yo. In other words, the body would have dropped nearly straight down, into sight. By contrast, the girls body had swung against the stone, slapping the stone, hard, as if she had jumped out as far as possible. The question was: WHY? Why would a person, committing suicide, do such in a blatent method of attention-gathering? Another oddity was the fact that, at suicides, it is a well-known fact that messages are left by the victim. This is why, after checking the room, and finding no signs, of any messages, I was not so certain that this was a "suicide" after all. When we returned to the group, the women were consoling one another while the guys were discussing what to do about the body. By this time, though, atleast the host was present, and he was just as concerned about the bad publicity, which a suicide would generate, as he was, about the possibility that the police would close the castle down. I had to wonder which DID concern him, most: his "pet" project, or the death of a guest. When the host asked us what we wanted to do, I told him that the first, required, step, was to call the local police, and let the police take charge of the body. When the host agreed, I asked him where the phone was, and thats when we learned that the castle had no standard phone lines. The host did, however, have a cell-phone, and agreed to call. While the host went out, to call the police, we guys started discussing the suicide, and this is when I questioned the assumption that the girl had committed suicide. When the guys asked why I would question this, I told them what I had learned, and seen. Fortunately, I was able to raise some doubts, in their minds. The problem was that, no-sooner did I have the guests questioning the girls cause of death, when the host returned, telling us, guys, in private, that he was having trouble making his mobile phone work. Even on his satellite phone, he seemed unable to contact the authorities. After a couple of the guys tried the hosts phones, themselves, we took out our own phones. No matter which phone we tried, all the display read was "No Service". This is when I asked the host if he had any back-up communications gear. The host agreed that he did, in fact, have a citizens band unit, for emergencies. I suggested that this situation qualified as an emergency, and that he should make the call. We decided NOT to tell the women about the communications trouble, especially since the storm was growing steadily worse. No sense in causing undue panic, especially over something which none of us could control. After I confirmed that the women were okay, and staying with my friend, to provide mutual comfort, we guys decided to check out the buffet, and find out if there was anything left, from dinner. This excluded myself, since I, alone, suspected that foul-play, or skull-duggery, might be affoot. As a result, while the other guys went down, to the buffet, I returned to the third floor, and conducted an impromptu search for either electronics, or special-effects, equipment. I wanted to know what was going on, and I wanted my friend to be safe. I knew that the only way to secure her safety was to know what was going on, around this place. Earlier, I had been surprised to find that, aside from the girls room, and one other guest room, the rest of the third floor was un-used and basically abandoned. The dust, and dirt, on the floor, confirmed that no one was even cleaning, on this level. So, why assign the nurse to this floor, all by herself? By herself, on a floor with no furnishings. Just stone walls, floors, and ceilings. The only discovery that I made, up here, was when I found an open window. My curiousity got the best of me, and I decided to see what the view looked like, from up here. On my last visit, I did not have the time to check out the view. I was too wrapped up in investigating the girls death. When I glanced out the wondow, at the ground, below, I could not believe my own eyes. Was I seeing what I thought I was seeing? As I looked down, through the rain, I could swear that I saw a "Headless Horseman" on the grounds. My first thought, as I viewed the spectral rider, was that someone had watched "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" too many times. Observing the scene, I noticed that both horse, and rider, had a sort of "ghostly irridescence" (for lack of a better description), and I thought "Man, either someone is trying to make the most out of this "haunted weekend", or our plump host was pulling out all of the stops, and using every trick in the book, to scare his guests away". Just to be certain that I was, actually, seeing SOME-thing, and not just imagining things, I put on my coat, and made a discrete reconnaissance of the grounds. I was just fortunate that, by the time I had my jacket on,, and went outside, the rain had slackened, to a light drizzle, and the most noticeable weather feature was the intermittent rolls of thunder. Aside from the now-light rain, and periodic thunder, the weather was pretty much tollerable. I made a point of checking in, with Tami, about what I thought I had seen, and my plan, to check it out. When I left the castle, I was, fully, prepared to walk the grounds, finding all kinds of electronic gear, and holographic equipment, which would be used to generate the image I had seen, from upstairs. When I found no remote equipment on the grounds, I began to suspect the use, of remote controlled equipment, that might be anchored to the castle walls, themselves. IF it were true, that our host was using holograms, to scare us away, and save his money, I would think that he would have used remote optics, to receive the signals, and create the images. This would, atleast, have saved him money, on hiring actors, and projectors. Using remote emmitters, without point of contact lenses, would require much more power, and the cost would more than soak up any savings, from scaring the guests away. The question would, then, be "Why spend one hundred million dollars, just to save a few million?" What I found puzzling was that not only did I fail to find any remote equipment, on the grounds, but I found no emmitters anchored to the walls of the castle, either. This could mean only one, of two, things. Either money was no object, to our host, and he was willing to spend as much as was necessary, to scare away his guests, OR, perhaps, just PERHAPS, these were not holograms, after all. When it struck me that the "Headless Horseman" may not have been a theatrical effect, after all, this was when I would take a moment to stop, and consider what this could mean. While I was considering the possible ramifications, should the headless rider turn out not to be an illusion, my attention would be caught by a noise coming from somewhere, nearby. It was just odd that I did not sense the sound coming toward me, at ground level. When I realized that the wailing, or moaning, or whatever that weird sound was, it was coming from someplace overhead. My first thought was to look toward the castle, to see if I could see some speakers. (Makes sense, doesn't it? A loud-speaker, mounted high, on the wall, producing sounds that SEEM to come from overhead) The problem was that, as I looked toward the castle, I continued to hear the sound, coming from above the tree tops, and NOT from the direction of the castle. Once I realized that the sound originated in the sky, I looked away from the castle and, there, high in the sky, a group, of shimmering, yellow, lights would appear, in a section of the cloud cover. Emerging from these clouds would be something I, never, would have believed had I not seen it, for myself. At first, it was just an indistinct greenish ball of light, with no recognizable form. As it descended from the clouds, however, the image took on a more "humanoid" form, and I was, both scared, and impressed, by what I was seeing. The floating apparition was "wrapped" in a shmmering, green, robe, complete with hood, and with sparkling, silver, "stars" shimmering on the green fabric. The "holes", where the face, and hands, should have been, were dark black, and the only evidence, of a "face" were those two piercing, yellow, wedges, where the eyes should have been. Although there was not much wind around me, at the moment, I noticed that this green "apparition" (called a banshee, in Europe) robe seemed to flutter a bit, as though moving along a breeze. I continued to watch this "vision" as it floated towards the castle, and disappearred directly into the stone surface of the wall. I guess that the reason I had thought to call the vision a banshee was because I had seen things, like this, in movies such as "Darby O'Gill and the little people". What I could not figure out was that eerie, yellow, glow, that seemed to surround the "vision". When I started to, seriously, consider what I had seen, that night, I began to wonder. If our host wanted us out of the castle, so badly, who knew where, or IF, he would draw the line. Just in case the man was determined enough to do ANYTHING, to get us out of the castle, BEFORE monday, while keeping his prize money, I decided that I should report my suspicions to Tami, and the other guests, and prepare to leave the castle before anymore of us wound up dead as the nurse was. As I entered the main door, of the castle, I noticed that the rain started picking up, again. I heard something else, as well. The sound of voices, arguing, and not from the bed chambers, or the dining room, either. These voices seemed to originate from downstairs, where I was at, and from an area where our host had claimed was off-limits, for safety reasons. The voices seemed urgent enough that I decided to investigate, before checking in on Tami. This is why I followed the voices beyond the taped off "safety point". I wondered if our host was telling the truth, about these areas being un-safe. OR, was it that he was hiding something down here. Something he did not want us to find, or know about. Once I had, stealthily, approached within ear-shot, I could hear the host speaking, none too kindly, to his worker, about some device. The first sentence I heard, clearly, was that the host was, definitely, upset over the girls death. Although the furniture, in ALL of the rooms had been "modified", to move about, for the purpose of scaring the guests out of the castle, the idea was supposed to be to have us be provided with plenty of room, to escape, SAFELY. The special effects were NOT designed to scare the guests into jumping to our deaths. When the worker informed his boss that the worker could not understand what was going on, and reminded his employer that the worker had not even been able to bring the electronics on-line, the host reminded the worker that there were, at present, a specified number of guests, still in the castle, and that the host had just until monday morning either to scare us away from the castle, or pay our winnings. Several times, though, the host had repeated that he wanted his guests to leave the castle both early, and ALIVE! When the host saw the very real trouble that his worker was having, with the electronics system, the host told the worker to concentrate, first, on the phone lines. The police had to be notified about the girls death, and the host was adamant about NOT being accused of impeding justice. The last thing the host needed would be to have the police searching the grounds, and finding all of his "toys". This would lead to a full, public, disclosure about how the host had managed to scare his guests away so often. (What neither the host, nor the worker, could figure out was the reason why the electronics set-up was failing to operate. It was not failing to operate, properly. It was failing to operate, AT ALL. While the host, and his worker, were trying to figure out what was keeping their "bag of tricks" from working, I had a question, of my own, to ponder. The question that, IF what I had seen was not just a high-tech illusion, then WHAT was it? By the time I returned to my room, the other ladies had departed, and my friend was sleeping, comfortably. Because I did not know what was going on, yet, I made myself comfortable, and we spent the night, together. The following morning, the caterers were nowhere to be found, and the kitchen was in no condition to cook in. As a result, the "breakfast buffet", that morning, would consist of cold donuts, and water. When a few of the guests complained about the "breakfast", our host put on a wide smile as he said that the bus could be ready as soon as the guests were ready to depart. Naturally, leaving early would void the peoples chances of claiming prize money, from the weekend, but, if we felt we wanted to leave, the host would arrange our departure. ( I noticed how VAGUE he was, about the details of how to get the bus back, if he could) With most of the group in agreement, to leave, a vote was taken, and the guests were astonished when I voted to stay. When I told the guests that I wanted to find out what was going on, around this place, the other guests disappointed the host, when they announced that, if I could stay, they would stay. (None of the guys wanted to be seen as "wimping out") This is why we ate the food, then each couple made their plans for the day. As for me, I KNEW what I was going to do. Although the morning was dark, and dreary, and a light rain was, still, present, I would make my way to the rear of the castle where, in the imposing gloom, of morning, I would find a wonderful view, of a shore line, below the castle. While I stood there, for awhile, just listening to the sound, of the water, below. I heard a voice, over my shoulder, which I failed to recognize. As I started to turn my head, to see who was speaking, the voice told me NOT to look, just to listen. I was to enjoy the sounds which were around me. When I agreed not to look, the voice warned me that the castle was a place, of tortured spirits, doomed to suffer, forever, and to be denied release to the next world. I was just about ready to believe the voice until it told me that the woman I was travelling with loved me. If I loved her, as well, I would make every effort to be certain that the two of us left the castle, IMMEDIATELY. When the voice mentioned both love, AND abandoning the prize money, I realized that this was, no-doubt, just the latest, in a series of pranks, designed to encourage the guests to vacate the castle. I mean, Tami and I were just friends. Then came my first encounter with the "Headless Horse-man". I heard a horse breathing, just to my side,and making horse- sounds. What I expected to see was one of the local horses, not the one that I saw. My "companion", in the clearing, was a grown horse, with a glistening, black, mane, and eyes a red so deep that I was paralyzed with fear, for a moment. It was not until the rider let out a laugh which I hope never to hear, again, that my body agreed with my mind, in saying "Lets get out of here!". I dont recall my legs ever moving so fast as they did, that day. Still, I had no illusion that I could beat an adult horse. As I ran, for the castle, the horse-man made several slashes, with his sword, and I have no idea how he missed my head, so many times. His sword was like fire, and all that I recalled, about his body, was that it wasn't topped with a head. I know that I jumped over, and snuck under, various objects, on my way back to the castle, but the horse-man was relentless. He followed me all the way to the castle wall. What amazed me was that the rider didn't follow me inside of the castle grounds. When I got up the courage, to look out, through one of the archers ports, I was amazed to see a flaming red eye looking back at me. The horse-man knew where I was, so why didn't he attack, inside, as well as outside? This question I took with me, when I reported back to Tami. I just wondered if she would believe me since I wasn't sure that I believed it, myself. A real headless horse-man, who would believe such a story? I know that, if anyone had been watching Tami and I, in the moments just before the "suicide", they may have gotten the IDEA that we were lovers. The "Peeping Toms" would not need hidden camera's, either. Medieval castles were notorious for having secret passages, and peek-holes. Anyone familiar with the layout of the castles passages could have observed my friend and I. Still, I took the mention, of my friend, VERY SERIOUSLY. Either we abandon the money, and leave the castle, or my friend would be hurt, or killed. All because of my curiousity. Although the voice had seemed directly over my shoulder, I was just in the process of warning the voice NOT to hurt my friend, when I spun around to find no one near me, or in the entire meadow, for that matter. (It would have been impossible for any human to traverse the distance, to the nearest tree's, in the moment that I spun around.) This left the question: WHO, or WHAT, had I just spoken to? After pondering this, and other, thoughts, for awhile, in the drizzle, I decided to return to Tami, and discuss our options. When I found Tami, I asked her to come to my room. When she agreed, I closed the door, behind us. After this, I explained my "encounter", in the meadow, including how the voice had mentioned that Tami and I loved one another. I would try not to frighten her, as I told her that the voice had threatened to hurt her, if I did not "butt-out". I noticed that she responded to my report with a smile and, although she questioned various parts, of my account, the one part she did not question was the part about us loving one another. In fact, she neither confirmed, nor denied, this. What she DID do, in response, to my concern, for her safety, was to give me a big kiss, and a whispered "Thank you for caring". Even as we stood there, by the foot of the bed, sharing an embrace, and a kiss, one of the stained glass windows exploded in, on us. I had to act fast in order to shield Tami from the fragments. After the glass exploded, the room started shaking, violently, and we ran out, to the hallway, to escape potential injury. When other windows began to explode, and rooms started to quake, everyone ran down, to the meeting room, and there was a buzz, of conversation, about what to do, next. Not to mention that we were all clueless as to what was going on. When the others quieted down, I informed them of what the voice had told me. When I reached the part about my friends life being threatened, this is when I announced that I was taking Tami out of here. I was not about to lose a dear friend just to satisfy my curiousity. After this, I left open the offer. If anyone wanted to join us, in abandoning the castle, Tami and I would accept the company. The only embarrassing time, for my friend, and the only time I saw her blush, was when one of the ladies asked her if she DID love me. When Tami answered "Yes", the inquiring lady sounded victorious as she said "I was right!" When I reminded the group that issues of safety, and survival, not love, should be our priorities, half of the group decided to join us, in vacating the castle. The others decided to bide their time. By the time we had agreed to bail-out, the host would come to us, claiming not to be able to reach anyone who could aid, or evacuate us. I would tell the host that this would be no problem, especially if he had a car on the property. When our host agreed that there was a car, in the garage, at the end of the courtyard, I picked up Tami's bags, and headed out the door. Under those drizzly, cloudy, skies, I was just walking down those front steps when I received the shock of my life. The shimmering, headless rider, came racing around the corner of the building, wielding its shimmering sword as though in preparation for cutting some poor victim to pieces. I can only guess that our host was scared by this mostly because this shimmering "thing" had not been part of his original plan anymore than the girls death. The time when we knew that this was, definitely NOT an illusion was when the husband, of the other couple, who had agreed to leave the castle, with us, decided to put on a show of bravado, and find out just how "real" this specter was. Even when our host tried to warn the man that the host had never even thought of programming a "Headless Horse- man", the man just stood there, in the specters path, challenging the specter to prove its powers, and reality. Our host grabbed the mans wife, and dove for cover, right behind my friend, while we watched, in horror, as the phantom blade severed the mans head, as quickly, and cleanly, as a warm knife cutting butter. The cut was so quick, and clean, that almost thirty seconds would pass before the body would realize that it no-longer had a head. Only then did the body drop to the ground. As the "ghost", or whatever the thing was, came around, again, swinging the blade, as though preparing to slice another victim, it gave a loud, hideous, laugh which we all heard, very clearly. We didn't need any additional encouragement to run for the safety of the interior of the castle walls. Only after we were, safe, within those stone walls, did the host decide to come clean, and tell the truth. He DID admit that he HAD, in fact, planned to orchestrate a series of special effects, designed to scare the guests into giving up the money, and leaving the castle. The host even admitted that he had done this, several times before. When challenged about WHY he enjoyed killing people, our host was quick to admit that, although his tricks were designed to SCARE, he insisted that none were lethal. When one of the female guests mentioned the recent deaths, asking our host if he considered this situation "non-lethal", our host was quick to put in that, for some un-known reason, none of HIS electronic tricks were working, this weekend. When asked "Then, what IS that thing out there?", our host said that he had no idea what was going on. The host claimed that even the weather was not going as predicted. When we asked about the caterers, and any other staff, including the one who had been working on the effects system, all that the host could say was that some of his own staff had not been seen, for almost twelve hours. Our host claimed to have no idea of where any of his ownstaff members were. This would lead me to another speculation: What if the "master" of the "game" had become a pawn, to whoever was really controlling the game? In other words, what if the staff had decided to give their employer a taste of his own medicine? I knew, even as I suggested that we FIND the missing workers, that I might live to regret suggesting this idea. To protect the women, as well as possible, the men would TRY to place the women in the safest room that we could think of, while we searched for the workers. Un-fortunately, the women were not in favor of such treatment so the women joined in the search, even as we searched the upper floors, most of which were deserted, while the host and I would search the down-stairs, including the "hazardous area's". After two hours of searching dungeons, utility rooms, and so on, the host would come to me, in a deadly-serious, flat, voice, and say "I found him". When the host showed me where the technician lay, we found the technician slumped against a wall, his eyes wide, frozen in fear. His face a mask of some terror so extreme that it had killed the man. Because there were no, obvious, signs of foul- play, I would doubt that this was an overt act of violence. The most likely cause of death, at this time, would seem to be that the man had been scared to death. Well, the fact that Rigor Mortis had set in said alot. No doubt about it, the technician had been dead, for hours, and this removed him from the suspect list. As the afternoon wore on, the host would return to the task of trying to contact local authorities, while we "guests" continued the search, for the missing persons. It would seem that we felt more comfortable having something to do, especially as the storm, outside, grew worse, and worse. By late afternoon, the storm would have reached such an intense ferocity that the sounds could be heard reverberating throughout the upper levels of the castle. We were trapped inside a classic chamber of horrors, with no obvious way out. By early evening, we had located the bodies of the caterers, in the same state, of terrified death, that the electronics worker had been found in. Something had scared these people to death, as well. When Tami and I made our report to the group, I noticed that my friend was much more willing to stay very close to me, for the rest of the evening. As for the remainder of the guests, no one wanted to be alone, so guests paired off, and tried to relax as the minutes drew into hours, and the clocks slowly ticked away. As the stormy night continued, a variety of "visions" would be seen, throughtout the castle. Although most were no more than sight, without substance, others would seem far more substantive. Some were solid enough not just to touch, but solid enough to attack guests, as well. I mean, attack as in to leave cuts, and bruises. The only thing we learned, for certain, that night, was that the apparations did not care if the viewer was solo, or if many viewers were present. I think this may have been the main reason Tami expressed her deep desire, to have me spend the night with her. When we tried to retire, though, the storm was no less intense than it had been earlier in the evening. About the only good thing to say about the evening was that no more bodies fell into the windows. Because the windows, of our original rooms, were blown out, we would take other rooms. The trouble was that, no matter where we tried to rest, the storm just kept echoing through the castle, as loud as a heavy metal band. Even talk, of seduction could not take our minds off of what had occurred that day. Although we would make an effort, the inclement weather was a real "mood killer". Finally, just as we were giving up, on seduction, I looked at Tami, and found her staring at the foot of the bed. When I turned to see what she was looking at, I saw what appearred to be a woman, dressed in a flowing gown, with long, dark, hair, staring right back at us. Once the apparition had OUR attention, and without movement of the mouth, I "heard" the apparition "say" that my friend and I were in danger, and that we needed to leave the castle, immediately. When I informed the apparition about the head-chopping headless rider, and asked HOW we were expected to get past this "thing", the apparition just smiled as she "said" "If you, truly, care for one another, you will leave the castle, NOW!" After that, the vision vanished as gently as a puff of wind. Well, I had seen more than enough, and this was when I got Tami together, and told her that, until the storm broke, we would find someplace else to sleep. With that storm crashing down, like a war- zone, battle-front, no one else could sleep, either. This is when I asked our host if there were anyplace, in the castle, with very few windows, and lots of wall space between us, and that storm. Our host said that the only such place, in the castle, was near the old dungeons. I know it sounded odd, trying to find a resting place, in a place of torture, is no picnic, however, atleast here, away from the public area's, the storm seemed so distant that we could relax, talk softly, and be heard, in soft tones. Despite the solid stone surfaces, ur group were too tired to care. As a result, we were able to relax and, with our level of exhaustion, the group members each curled up, in our choice of locations, and slept until dawn. It was not until morning that a group of tired, sore and hungry, house-guests would count our numbers, and we would realize that we were short by atleast one member. When we realized that the recent widow was not among us, we would check her room, where we would find an empty bottle, of sleeping pills, at her bed-side. Although this circumstantial evidence might have lead the others to suspect the suicide, of a grieving widow, I found it suspicious. By the look, on the corpses face, it was clear that the woman had been scared to death, just like the others had been. I was so sure that I was right that I would have wagered a full months wages, on a bet, had anyone been willing to accept. I just wonder why someone was trying to set a stage where it would APPEAR that the women, attending the weekend, were committing suicide? Why such a contrast with the deaths, of the men, when the men loooked like they had been scared to death? Suicide, for the women, and "natural" death, for the men? Why the difference? It made no sense that the women were being staged, as voluntary deaths, when four of us had witnessed the murder, of one of the men. Why the difference? With this most recent death, I decided to take Tami, and make a mad dash for the local authorities. Even if we did not survive the attempt, atleast we would not have been just sitting around, waiting for death to come for us. Our host agreed with my decision, and even told me that, because Tami and I would be leaving the property, on OFFICIAL business, to return with the police, we would not forfeit our chance at the money. Not with considering all that had happened that weekend. As Tami and I left the safety of the stone walls, of the castle, the fact was that, even after we were well out, in the open, and totally vulnerable to attack, there was no sign of the "Headless Horse-man". The good news was that the weather had imporved, significantly, and only a drizzle was falling, with low, distant, thunder. Aside from this, all was peaceful. All-the-same, we wasted no time, and ran for the car, which we had been told was in a nearby car-port. It was not until we opened the garage door that we saw the "Headless Horse-man" again! Strangely enough, however, the "Headless Horse-man" was near the front door of the castle, not near the garage door. It was attacking the point where our host had stepped outside the door, to visually verify our escape. The headless rider, un-fortunately, was right there, ready to cut the man off. Still, even after ducking several swashes, of the shimmering blade, the host would glimpse our escape prior to returning to the castle interior. Oddly enough, although we would have to drive directly past the headless rider, to escape, on the draw-bridge, "IT" made no attempt to stop the car, or to ride after us. It was not until we were, safely, off of the castle property that Tami and I would look back, and Tami would ask me if I thought that anyone would believe the truth. When I assured her that no one could debate the presense, of the bodies, and promised her that I would not mention the "other" events, she agreed. The rest just sounded too "fantastic". Our story, in approaching the local police, would be "Just give the facts". When we reported the deaths, to the police, naturally, they questioned us, about our "part", in the preceedings. It was not, however, until the chief of police bcame interested that the chief, himself, decided to lead a small force to the castle, to investigate our claim. Ofcourse, the police followed procedure, and asked Tami and I to wait until the police had investigated our report, just as a matter of routine. When the group of police arrived, at the castle, searched the property,and found the bodies, of the remainder of our group, all dead, the police chief, naturally, had his suspicions. He would only decide to change his mind, a short time later, when HE saw an apparition appear before him, and it came on the attack. Although the chief would escape the "thing", the chief would take a moment, to compose himself, then he would wonder why he was "attacked". When the other police re-grouped, with him, the chief would learn that a few of his men had been attacked, while others had not. Because of the attacks, on the officers, the police made the decision, to retreat from the castle grounds. Back at police headquarters, the chief would request armed back up, at the castle. When asked his reason, the chief would say that he had some "psycho", on horseback, wielding a sharp blade, and slicing people to ribbons. (Not exactly the truth, but close enough too gain support from nearby, tacticle, forces. Within 24 hours, a group, of heavily armed soldiers would venture to the castle, to remove the bodies, for the coroner. The heavy armament was to ensure the officers safety, and security. Back at the police station, the chief ordered his officers NOT to discuss what had happened, or what they had seen, at the castle. When asked his reason, the chief explained that the public would not trust an police officer, who claims to have seen either ghosts, of flying saucers. While the police held their forensic examinations, to determine the cause, of each death, Tami and I received local motel, accomodations, just until the case was concluded. That night, it was about half past twelve when the ghostly woman appearred to Tami and I, again. To our amazement, she was off of the castle grounds. When she appearred, she, telepathically, told us the reason why we had been spared. According to the ghost, each of the other guests, including our host, had some dark secret. Some "skeleton", in their "closet", so terrible, in their past, that the spirit world had decided to exact its own punishment on criminals whom mortal law would not prosecute. When the spirit started listing the crimes, for us, the list was, almost, too fantastic to believe. Take the young lady, for instance. The one who had gone out the window, on the cord. She may have SEEMED pure, innocent, and nice, but she had provided false evidence, against three, seperate, men, having sex with each, then her victims of rape. When this plot back-fired, she made sure she was found having sex with her best friends fiance. Because the friend had thought that her guy had betrayed her, by seeking the affections of another, she would not listen to the truth. Not even from the man who loved her. No-sooner did the mans fiance hang herself, over her broken heart, when the seductress was trying to seduce the grieiving man. When he rejected her, flatly, she felt slighted. After all, she HAD pursued HIM, bothering him until he gave her what she wanted, just so she would leave him alone. Now, feeling guilty, over the engaged womans death, the seductress devoted herself to a career in nursing. As for the caterers, they had built up a business, by staging false situations, on the premises of competitors businesses, on inspection days, then causing competitors to lose their licenses. After the businesses lost their licenses, the caterers would come in, buy everything up, at "bargain basement" prices, and expand their own business. They had destroyed dozens of lives, and families, to build their own security. As for the executed couple, they had, over the course of several years, caused the deaths, of several persons they had been contracted to care for. Their patients had been the most vulnerable. The very young, the old, and the sickly. Our host was responsible for ruining tens of thousands of lives, by buying up companies, then reducing staff sizes, and reducing wages, and then turning an insane profit on his products. His societal crimes had caused tragedy, for hundreds of thousands of families, including many families, with children living at home. The man was proud of his actions. He would die under the weight of guilt, for destroying so many lives. When I asked why Tami and I had been spared, the ghost told us that we were, still, "pure", and innocent, of anything un-forgiveable. In time, we might be guilty, but, at this time, we were not. Just before the spirit departed, I would ask her identity. She would tell us that, in life, she had been the king's fifth wife and that, NO, she had not forsaken her title, or moved out of the castle. Although she had lovers, AFTER the kings death, she, never, found a man as loving as her late husband had been. This is why she just ruled the country, from behind a legion of knights, and finished raising her husbands five children. After this, the woman departed, and Tami and I rested up, for our trip, the next day. What I noticed, about our packing, was how dis-appointed Tami looked, as she packed her stuff. When I asked, she said she was, really, in no "rush" to return to town. After all, what was she heading back to? Endless days, of eating, and taking pills? Watching television, and reading books, to pass the time? How was this "living"? Strangely enough, the next day, before boarding the bus, Tami and I would watch lightning strikes, against the castle, caused not by explosions, and damage, but, with each strike, another part of the castle just dissoleved, into thin air. By the time the clouds would clear, later, and the sun shone, in the late afternoon sun, even the castles foundation would have vanished, as if it never existed. When the police would check the land, they would find it "un-touched", by man. What Tami and I did not know, as we rode a bus back to Illinois, was that our carefully worded story was being reviewed by people we did not yet know existed. We had no clue about how our lives were about to change, forever. All we cared about was getting home, and resting. Self-indulgence. A crime? Who knows.