The Ghost of RoseBurn Mansion

Chapter 1: The Weekend Plans

There was a small store, on the corner of a busy street of 3rd & 7th place. It sold many nice things. Jewelry, keychains, shirts, hats. Most of it was mainly about the beautiful RoseBurn mansion. Built in the late 1800's for Mrs. RoseBurn. A wedding gift from her husband. The house has a tragic history. Mrs. Roseburn had three miscarriages since moving in. Their niece drowned in a pond behind the house, deep in the woods. Everyone thought it was an accident. No one had kept an eye on the poor girl. A man was murdered in one of the guest bedrooms. Another caught a deadly disease and died on property. After 1950, the mansion was closed. No one wanted the bad luck that followed this place. 40 years later, a rich man bought the property and restored it to its former glory. They do regular tours during the week and weddings on the weekends. A lot of people find the place romantic. With its creepy history, I wouldn't go anywhere near haunted places. My grandmother had warned me about the dangers. Evil spirts possessing you or forcing to harm. I'm not into that. And I didn't believe in ghosts. I was either working at the store or studying for college exams. I didn't have time to believe in silly ghost stories. An old woman walked up to the counter. She gave me a simple smile.

She looked into the glass case. There was some old jewelry from the 1900s. She pointed at a ring. "My grandmother had one just like this. Years ago." She licked her lips. It seemed like she struggled a little bit to recall on her memories. She quietly placed a small keychain on the counter. It was of the mansion. Her eyes stared into mine. I didn't know if she was thinking what to say next or was just waiting to find out the price. I quickly rang it up. "It's going to be $2.05."

She placed the exact amount on the counter. "Somethings coming." She mumbled.

I raised her eyebrow. "Excuse me?" I asked confused.

She dug into her purse and grabbed her keys. She walked away from the counter. I found her a bit strange. Maybe she was senile? The door flew open. Screeches of happiness killed the silence in the store. I sighed deeply. Molly was here. I knew she would be the only one who couldn't stay quiet for too long. Molly raced over to the counter. "Guess what? I was just asked out by the hottest baseball player in the city!" She screeched.

I looked around the store. Some people were startled by her being so happy. "I thought you liked the basketball players. Since everyone is basically here for the championship game this weekend?" Her mind changed like the seasons did. Sometimes her game was off. She followed what she thought would be good for her. Most of the time, she'd drop it like an old rag doll left in the mud. Molly shook her head. "Ew Lizzy. They were so last season." She waved her hand in a whatever motion.

"They were last season." I rolled her eyes. Molly leaned against the counter. She was in her killer black knee-high boots. Short pink skirt and her jean jacket was hanging off her left shoulder, exposing that her shirt was mostly a tank top. Molly wanted to dress sexy. That was her style. She tried to get me to dress a little different, but I liked baggy clothes. She didn't know what dark secrets had to stay hidden.

I walked away from the counter and started dusting off a magazine shelf. "So, what's his name?"

Molly smiled. "Andy. He's so hot!" Molly couldn't stop thinking about how she was watching him practice in a tank top. There are no cameras, so the players dressed to how they felt comfortable. Molly snuck in there, passing security guards telling them she's looking for the bathroom. How else was she going to see the nice-looking baseball players?

I helped a couple more customers. After twenty minutes, the store was empty once again. It was just them. I was dreading the weekend. My boyfriend, Theodore was coming back in town to visit. It wasn't that I wasn't interested in him. I was afraid he'd lose his temper over something else again. The last time he was here, he got so angry over me losing his wallet for ten minutes. He accused me of stealing and smacked me around a couple of times. I was glad it was on my body and not my face. I could easily cover up the bruises until they healed. Molly glanced over and saw the face I was making. "What's on your mind?" I shook her head and quietly walked behind the counter. I couldn't tell her. She would kill him.

Molly grew concerned. She knew something was up between us. Every time she mentioned Theodore, I would change the subject. "Why don't you leave him?" She spoke up.

I shook my head. My started thinking about the first time we started going out. Theodore was sweet, kind and funny. Things changed after six months. He started slapping, hitting, punching, kicking. Whatever it took to become his punching bag. Any anger or frustration was taken out on me. Even if I did nothing wrong. I tried to tell Molly multiple times. But was scared to death about what Theodore would do if he ever found out I told someone. "You know I love him. He's just... Difficult to get along with at times."

Molly shook her head in disbelieve that she actually loved this guy. "There are better guys out there. You just have to try. Why not tell him this weekend? Maybe ask for a break?"

"NO." I spoke sternly. My phone began to go off. I walked over to a drawer and pulled it out. Speaking of the devil, I thought to herself. I glanced at Molly. "I'll watch the store, go ahead." I raced to the back room and quickly answered before the last ring. "Hey." I said cheerfully.

Theodore sounded like he was in an elevator. "My plane is landing Friday night. I'll be at the hotel by 7pm. You better be there, waiting for me. Wearing my favorite dress." The part where he said favorite dress made my stomach curl.

"Oh okay. I..." He hung up. I took a deep breath and sighed. He was extremely high demanding. He worked for a big-time company that paid for everything. He wasn't worried about money. He took me to expensive restaurant dates, fancy hotels. Bought me beautiful but skimpy dresses. Only he was allowed to see me in them. If I went to see him in normal clothes, he would accuse me of cheating and started beating the hell out of my body. I was starting to regret dating him. I went back into the store. Molly was reading one of the haunted magazines they got every month. She was sitting on a chair, feet on the counter. Popping her gum. Her eyes glanced over to me. "So, you work here. But have you ever thought about going to this place? It has quite a history."

I leaned against the counter, shaking my head. "I don't believe in ghosts."

"Does Theodore?" She asked. I shrugged. Molly never saw him. He only came to town when he wanted sex. I was his booty call. Molly hated seeing her best friend get mistreated. They have been friends since freshmen year of high school. She could tell when Lizzy was trying to hide something. She suspected Theodore was abusive but couldn't prove it. Molly did something she knew Lizzy would be upset at her for. She swiped my phone and dialed Theodore. My eyes widened. "No! He could be in a meeting!" My heart was sinking into my stomach. I tried to take it but she moved away from me.

Molly rolled her eyes and ignored my pleas as it kept ringing. He answered on the third ring. "Now's not a good time." He spoke, while grinding his teeth.

"It's her best friend Molly. And I need two minutes of your time." She didn't care what he was up to. He was going to take two minutes to listen.

He quietly cleared his throat. "Okay two minutes starts now."

"How would you like to double date with Lizzy and me? My new man happens to be Andy Fox." She could hear his breath shorten. She knew she had his attention. I felt like my heart stopped. Theodore liked us alone, not going out in public. My best friend was going to get me killed.

Theodore cleared his throat. "The famous baseball player?"

"He's the one. So, what do you say?" Molly waited for him to answer. She looked over at me and winked.

Theodore quickly replied. "Of course. Lizzy and I would love to meet your new man. When are we going?"

"Saturday night. There's a beautiful building they do tours at. It's a romantic place." Molly started biting one of her nails.

"Done. We will be there Saturday night. Tell Lizzy to text me. I have to get back to work." He hung up. Molly smiled. Her plan was in motion.

I was afraid to ask. "Where are we having this double date at?" But I needed to know.

Molly smiled proudly. "RoseBurn Mansion."