Haunted Blog Hop, Part 2

Welcome to part 2 of the Haunted Blog Hop.  I’m thrilled to be collaborating with my creative friends again this year.  To start our story from the beginning, visit Heather at Minivan Mama.

The long dusty road to County-Line creek was lined with thick brush on one side, and on the other, low dusty heaps of mullock. A full moon lit her path as Ruby quickly made her way to Eli.  She was afraid neither of the dark nor her destination.  The County-Line creek had been one of her’s and papa’s favorite places to whittle away the day when she was small and Ruby was familiar with every twist and turn of the creek and every bump and hill from here to there.

As she neared the rickety wooden one-lane bridge that crossed the creek, Ruby’s eyes bulged in wonder.  Just on the other side of the creek was what appeared to be a small carnival or circus, maybe.  A dirty red and white striped round tent was pitched nearby and a carousel with faded  horses quietly whirred round and round. Strings of round bulbs strung between tents lit the eerie scene as dust rose beneath the feet of carnival workers as they shuffled from tent to tent.  Scurrilous voices shouted to break the silence and Ruby’s eyes bulged even further when a troupe  of dancing girls scantily clad and faces caked with makeup emerged from a trailer at the far end of the carnival. 

She’d seen images of girls like these before at the picture shows she’d gone to.  Their images flickered in black and white on the old theater screen and Ruby had been in awe of their beauty and their boisterousness.  But, what was most odd in this scene was who was in the middle of the troupe of dancing girls, shuffling along, hair being tousled by some of them, a big goofy grin on his face, and a handful of cookies that he guttled.  It was Eli.

Ruby called out, “Eli!” 

Eli looked up with a crooked, cookie-crumbed smile and raised his arm in greeting.  Ruby limped across the bridge and approached the happy group.

“Ruby! You came.” Eli emerged from the tangle of dancing girls and approached Ruby. His nature was friendly and welcoming almost as if they’d been good, good friends for years and years.

“You have to try one of these,” he handed her a cookie. “We’ve been waiting for you, didn’t think you’d come.” 

Ruby took the cookie but didn’t look at it.  She was still enthralled with Eli and this dancing troupe of raucous girls.   Why had he asked her here, she wondered, looking from the girls, to Eli, and down at the cookie clutched in her tiny hand.

“Go on, have a bite.  Liddy here made them ‘specially for us.”

Ruby raised the cookie to her lips and nibbled a tiny crumb.  Her eyes closed as the buttery morsel melted over her tastebuds. It was…it was almost…magical.