He was already in character, deciding to simply jump into his tale without the typical buildup or reflection. It was not unheard of to begin in such a fashion, but it drew the ire of some in the background, feeling disrespected, or worse, ignored. There were many who had been harboring such feelings from his very introduction to the group; however, if he knew of it, he behaved as if it were insignificant, which succeeded in making their furor worse.

Reluctantly, they took their positions and did their level best not to make their disdain for him so painfully obvious. In the end, as usual, whether they liked it or not, they found themselves so drawn into the telling that they could not pull themselves out again before the payoff.

“I pulled into my parking stall late that first night and shut off the car. We don’t have a parking lot, just a few spaces in the alley: there’s only eight units in the complex anyway, so we don’t need much. I drive a 98 Mustang convertible; yellow with black lines and when I opened the door, something caught my ear.”

“Hannah.”

“It sounded very otherworldly, as if I heard it, but not really. More like I felt it. I thought someone was crying, and then realized that that wasn’t it, it was somebody calling. However, when I stopped to listen, it was gone. I stood there in the dark for a while to see if it’d come back, but it didn’t. I was tired and hungry, so I probably only gave it a few seconds before I finally turned and headed for my apartment.”

“I didn’t hear it again until the next night. I had just pulled into my spot and cut the motor.”

“Here, Hannah.”

“It scared the shit outta’ me! I must’ve been daydreaming or something. I even checked the back seat. That’s how close it was.”

“C’mon, Hannah. Come to big sister. Hannah?”

“So I jumped out of the car to see whether I might be able to catch them this time. I wasn’t thinking about ghosts or anything…”

The spinner of the tale paused a moment, slipping out of character. “I know. I love that, too,” he said, directing the comment to some of those who laughed.

He quickly climbed back into character and continued.

“I was just curious. Anyway, I could hear the voice as clearly as my own thoughts, but I couldn’t see anyone.”

“Hannah? C’mon, girl. Hannah?”

“It just kept taking me deeper and deeper into the alley and away from my building. There’s not much lighting back there either, so I was starting to get more than just a little spooked.”

Another pause and more laughter ensued.

“Here, Hannah. Here, Hannah.”

“Finally, I stopped. I glanced back toward the building in order to judge the distance. I never heard another thing that night, but it stayed with me. I didn’t get a wink of sleep. The last time I looked at the time it was 3:07 am. I forced myself to roll over and quit staring at the clock after that, so I don’t know what time it was before I finally fell asleep; it was a while, though. I know that. I sure paid for it the next day at work, let me tell you.”

“The next day was a blur. All that I could think about was whether I might once again hear that mysterious voice in the alley. I didn’t even have the stereo on when I drove home that next night, and I usually have it cranked; that’s how committed I was to getting to the bottom of all of this. I didn’t even wait to completely pull into my spot before cutting off the motor. Hell, I may have even jumped out of the car before it had finished rolling forward. Who knew?”

“Unfortunately, all of my best efforts proved fruitless because there was no one in the alley and no nearby activity. I was alone and felt like a damned fool. I remember shaking my head in disgust as I made the slow walk up to my apartment.”

“A voice suddenly came out of nowhere.”

“Excuse me, Sir,”

“Where she came from, I’ll never know! I just spun around. But as I did, my short-term memory kicked in and I knew who it was. It was the same damn voice I had been chasing in and out of the shadows for the past two nights. I couldn’t believe I was hearing it now. But there it was; there she was.”

“Excuse me, Sir,”

“She called me ‘sir’. Can you believe that? I could see she was a little young, seventeen or eighteen, but ‘sir’, I don’t think so! I’m not that much older. Okay, maybe twelve years, but that’s it. She said hello to me with a sweet smile. Man, was she pretty! Nice skin; not too dark, not too fair. And there was a lot to look at with the bare midriff and the tiny shorts that nearly revealed the entire leg.”

“I’m, Audrey. I’m looking for my cat.”

“I asked her whether her cat’s name was Hannah and she appeared surprised. She didn’t know the strength of her own voice, I guess.”

“Yeah, how’d you know?”

“Well, of course it was because she had been driving me half out of my mind for three days, but I didn’t tell her that. I just told her that I had heard her calling for her”

“Him, she corrected me.”

“Him? I asked and she started blushing.”

“My baby sister named the cat a long time ago. She was too young to understand gender and I was too young and childish and spending too much time watching Hannah Montana. I suppose it’s my fault, ultimately. I don’t suppose you’ve seen him?”

“I’m sorry, but I haven’t. What does he look like?”

“They’re called Ginger cats: orange and white.”

“I was promising to keep an eye out for the cat when a set of headlights belonging to a police car that was pulling into the alley distracted me. When I looked back at the girl, she was gone again. Disappeared, just like that into thin air, like the saying goes. I about freaked! I must have glanced around for her madly because the police car pulled right beside me and the officer studied me for a while.”

“Hello, I remember sighing.”

“Live around here?”

“Yes, Sir. I just moved in.”

“Seen any suspicious activities?”

“Like what?”

“Oh, I don’t know. I’ve been watching you for a while now and you were acting a mite suspicious.”

“I remember just staring at him. I was standing in an alley, talking to a young woman. We were only talking!”

“You looked like you were waiting to hook up. Got something cookin’?”

“I was flabbergasted! I come home every night, haunted by some girl calling for her cat. I finally meet her, only to have her disappear almost as mysteriously as she appeared. Then a cop shows up out of the blue and accuses me of suspicious activities. I’m just looking to get some dinner in me so I can go to bed. He must have noticed me growing upset because his expression changed.”

“Relax, buddy. I’m just asking. It is rather late.”

“Yes, it is.”

“But there was someone. Right?”

“He looked me straight in the eye and asked. I felt like his eyes were boring a smoking hole into my forehead and beginning to probe my brain. The only things missing were the box interrogation room, a two-way mirror and Andre Braugher from Homicide: Life on the Streets, staring me in the face. Anyway, I was tired, so I just let it all out. Alright, officer, here’s the thing. For the past few nights, I’ve been hearing some girl calling out for her lost cat. I tried to find her, but I never could. Tonight, I finally found her. Actually, she found me, but that’s not the point. I spoke to her for a little while, but she disappeared on me again just as you pulled up!”

“His expression changed yet again. This time I thought that I had made him angry, as if I had gone too far.”

“You spoke to a girl who was looking for her cat?”

“Yes.”

“Hannah, right?”

“I tell you I just bet my jaw dropped when he said that. I was starting to feel like a character in the Martian Chronicles or something. Like the whole town was against me, watching and planning elaborate schemes to play on me. Either that or Alan Funt was hiding behind a row of cars with hidden cameras a dime a dozen. Then the cop jumped out of his patrol car and whipped out his flashlight.”

“Short blonde hair; always running her hands through it.”

“I stepped out of his way and let him pass. I vaguely remember doing it as his knowledge of the turn of events continued to stagger me. He walked a little way down the alley, and then turned back. I didn’t have clue-one as to what the man was doing, so I didn’t say a word. I just watched him. He turned off the light and put it back through the ring holder for it on his belt.”

“I attempted to answer him, but he wouldn’t give me a chance. He just kept talking. The words were coming out of his mouth as if he were unable to stop them.”

“Cold out, but she’s wearing, let me see…a bare midriff tee-shirt, shorts, white shoes, no socks.”

“Yes, that’s her.”

“He just watched me for a while and waited. It was as if he was surveying me, studying my expression to see if he could find a crack to start pounding away to see if I’d rat out my friends and tell him who killed Kennedy and where Hoffa was buried.”

“This isn’t bullshit, is it?”

“No! Who the hell makes up a story like that?”

“You’ve just spoken to Audrey! He said and sighed.”

“Audrey. Yeah, that was her name.”

“Not, Audrey. The Audrey!”

“The Audrey? What the hell does that mean?”

“She’s our ghost!”

“What? I’m tired as hell, but I know a real life, living and breathing person when I see one!”

“Trust me. We have a ghost. She’s not spotted very often. In fact, I’m surprised you saw her at all. And to actually talk to her, that’s something else entirely. I wish it would have been me! I’ve been hoping to catch a glimpse of her for years. There’s not much else to keep you awake in a quiet city like this on the graveyard shift.”

“C’mon, officer! You’ve got to be kidding me! There’s no way that the girl I just talked to was a ghost. There’s just no way!”
“I know it sounds like horseshit…”

“Sounds like it?”

“Look, Audrey McNeal was a runaway. She disappeared sometime in the summer about thirty years ago.”

“Thirty? This girl wasn’t thirty!”

“Of course she wasn’t thirty! She was only seventeen when she disappeared! She hasn’t aged! Some say she was kidnapped by perverts, but I don’t think so.”

“What about the cat?”

“Well, see, that’s my point. The kidnapping theory-people can’t explain it. All of their answers differ. But that’s what makes her a runaway in my book. You see, I think it’s some kind of psychological thing. She ran off, and God knows how she ended up, but now, in death, it’s the cat who was the one who ran off, not her. Hannah abandoned Audrey, not the other way around.”

“At this point, I think I was the one who was staring at him now.”

“Doesn’t it make perfect sense? The girl can’t cope with the blame for her fate. She’s somehow either forgotten what happened or repressed the entire thing. Anyway, she’s evidently in limbo looking for a cat that’s long gone. That’s some punishment just for running away, don’t you think?”

“But aren’t you just giving her a little too much credit? I mean, if she’s a ghost, does she still have the ability to think and to repress events if she feels so inclined?”

“The officer became lost in introspection for an instant, but that was all.”

“You bring up a good point.”

“I thought I had his bullshit by the maggots. I even felt victory for a second, but it was fleeting.”

“Unfortunately, I cannot explain the condition of her state. However, I can the result. What I’ve described to you are the facts as I’ve come to piece them together over the years, from every source willing to discuss it with me; there’s not many, you know.”

“People don’t like to talk about it?”

“Sure don’t.”

“I thought this was rather odd, but I didn’t dwell on it long. Instead, I tried another approach. Well, if I see her tomorrow, I’ll ask her what she thinks. Goodnight. Then I tried to make good my escape.”

“Wait! You can’t talk to her!”

“Why not?”

“Because you can’t risk it!”

“What risk?”

“You don’t understand! Audrey isn’t safe!”

“So! I’ll use a condom!”

“My poor attempt at humor caused a very ugly look to crawl upon his face. He frowned suddenly and made a move to put a hand on me. I remember I didn’t expect that, and I’m not really sure what I would’ve done had he gone through with it and got rough. Luckily, I didn’t have to do anything. Something stopped him. I don’t know what it was, but I was grateful. Man, I actually saw anger flash across his eyes there for a second like lightening across an Oklahoma horizon. As long as I live, I’ll never forget that look.”

More laughter ensued. Even some of those who hated the speaker with a passion that they had not known in this life found it difficult to not join in with the rest.

“Anyway, I wasn’t ready for it, you know. I’m still a stranger in this town. How do I know what they do to people they don’t like? It’s a small place: maybe they take ‘em out by the river and make ‘em disappear like Audrey did. Who knows, right?”

“If you thought the first story I told you was something, then you’re definitely going to love this next one.”

“To tell you the truth, I could have cared less! I’m just glad he was talking again and making peaceful. I was too tired for anything else.”

“Anyway, he was right; I didn’t believe him, and I obviously wasn’t gonna’ to be buying this next one either. But I let him take his shot at it anyway.”

“As the story goes somebody named Olsen happened upon Audrey about twenty years ago. It got to be kind of an obsession with him. He started missing work, staying up ’til dawn, sleeping during the day; the whole nine yards. They say he began to look like a ghost himself, after awhile. Sometime after his wife had had enough and had taken the children and left him, Mister Olsen finally found his ghost again. Well, the reason I’m warning you, though it sounds ridiculous as hell is because she attacked him.”

“So I said that he’d ended up getting what he wanted after all, but that apparently was not what the officer wanted to hear, either. I thought he was going to try and grab me this time for sure. He stepped close, looked around nervously and whispered something you wouldn’t believe.”

“She sucked his soul!”

“And that’s when he finally grabbed me. He had these thick black gloves on. I bet they were warm inside, but they were sure as Hell freezing on the outside. And they had a hold of me good, too! I was about fifteen seconds away from kneein’ him in the family jewels and yellin’ for help. Luckily for both of us, some resemblance of sanity suddenly seemed to return to his face.”

“The way the story goes. She sucked the life out of him.”

“Sucked the life out of him? Give me a break! What was incredible though, was, here was a man who although a Police Officer, a servant of the community, had only known me for fifteen minutes, but was absolutely frightened for me. So, that’s when I realized that my sarcasm was better suited for the re-telling of the story, not the listening. Brilliant, huh? She did what? I asked him, sounding genuinely interested. I knew I had to be convincing. I just couldn’t suddenly act like a smitten schoolgirl, feigning interest with her boyfriend while he explained the difference between defensive linemen, linebackers and defensive backs, you know. And I was good because he bought it. He let go of me and then finished his story.”

“She drained him of his essence. I don’t know how she did it, but she did. When they found him the next morning, he was nothing more than a husk. He spent the rest of his days over in Kingsview.”

“Of course, I didn’t need an explanation as to what ‘Kingsview’ might be. As long as this cop knew, that was all that mattered. Somebody should call and make reservations for you right now buddy, I remember thinking.”

“He died just a few years later. Broken spirit, I guess.”

“It must’ve been, I agreed with him. I guess it was a successful snow job because a sudden calm washed over him. He stepped away and seemed to catch his breath, so I waited for a few seconds and then tried to make my escape. Look, officer…”

“Officer Clark. Officer David Clark.”

“Okay, Officer Clark. I know that I haven’t been too appreciative with what you have tried to do. I mean, you don’t even know me, and yet you have put yourself out on a limb by telling me all about Audrey and the danger. I won’t lie to you: the story’s fantastical, and I am having trouble with it, but I do thank you. I stepped toward him and extended my hand. I’m very sorry.”

“That’s alright, he said, reaching for my hand. But as his gloved right hand touched mine, the cold rayon or polyester or whatever it was sent my hand retreating. Man, it was freezing! Anyway, we looked up at each other and started bustin’ up. It was the perfect ending for a perfect night, if you know what I mean. Of course, I didn’t tell good Officer Clark that. Anyway, he finally headed back to his car.”

“I’m sorry, but your gloves are freezing!”

“So I understand, he smiled and said, climbing back into his patrol unit. Next time I see you, I’ll take them off.”

“Finally, he was gone. I waved him off and then quickly went home. I slammed a sandwich down my throat and went to bed.”

“The next night was Saturday and I was off. I just took it easy. I watched some TV, munched on some cheese and crackers washed them down with a beer, then took a nap, waiting for after dark. I wasn’t frightened by Officer Clark’s bullshit about sucking souls, and I certainly didn’t believe that Audrey was a ghost, yet, I just couldn’t help being curious about seeing Audrey again.

“I ended up falling asleep. The best laid plans of mice and men, right! Well, actually it probably turned out to be the best because even at two in the morning, I could still hear people hanging around outside by the pool, having some drinks. I didn’t have to wait long, though. Soon I was outside, back in the alley.”

“Here, Hannah.”

“The voice was suddenly right behind me. I spun around and there she was.”

“Here, Hannah… Oh, hello.”

“She apparently had not seen me either. Hi, Audrey, I said. I’m surprised I got that much out. Audrey was standing there all right, but not like she was the night before. She was wearing the smallest fitting sweater and a pair of low rise jeans that fit like a second skin…”

Now the entire room seemed to explode with laughter.

“Anyway, I was stunned. What happened to Officer Clark’s story about her being in the same shirt and shorts she’d been wearing every day for the past thirty years? It looked like I was proved right, but the funny thing was, I guess I was just a little surprised. Maybe a part of me really wanted to believe the story about her after all! No luck finding Hannah, huh?”
“Nope, I can’t seem to find him. I hate to give up on him, but he’s been gone a long time. The town’s small, and still pretty quiet, but it’s still not safe in the world these days for a girl to be out this late.”

“You know, that’s very smart thinking. It isn’t safe these days. But it could be worse: I’m from Phoenix, I should know!”

“You’re right. I think I’ll probably just forget it and go back inside.”

“When she did finally turn to go, she allowed me to accompany her home.”

“I don’t even know your name.”

“Yes, I know. You called me ‘sir’ the other night!”

“Audrey giggled and apologized. You looked older in the dark, she said. I can see that I made a mistake.”

“That’s okay, I’m Max.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Max.”

“It’s nice to meet you again, Audrey. I’m new here and it gets lonely when you don’t know anybody. I stopped her as we reached the grass that led to her place and re-phrased what I had said to her. I don’t mean for that to sound so serial killer-ish. What I meant was that it gets boring if there isn’t anyone to talk to, you know, that’s all. You can only watch so many reality shows.”

“That’s okay, she said. I didn’t take it any other way.”

“I shook her hand briefly and wished her a good night.”

“She wished me a goodnight as well and I headed for home. Unfortunately, I never made it. I found myself half-blinded by headlights again. I knew who it was. It could not have been anyone else; not the way my luck had been running. I walked up to the car and by the time I could see again, I saw the passenger door open. I stopped and waited to see if anyone was getting out. Eventually, I took it as my clue that I was supposed to get in. Hey, Officer Clark, I said. How’s it going?”
“He just stared at me without saying a word.”

“Something wrong?”

“I thought I told you to stay away from Audrey? I thought you understood?”

“C’mon, Officer…”

“Shut up!”

“I didn’t need any more of this, so I grabbed the door and started to get out. I got about half-way before a big cold hand grabbed me and pulled me back in.”

“Did I tell you to get out?”

“I tried to fight him off, I tried to speak, but I was so cold all of a sudden that I lost my train of thought. I thought of Audrey. What happened to your story about Aw-dree being a ghost? Suddenly, I was losing the ability to speak.”

“I was so cold! It felt for a moment like my arm was on fire. Let go my arm! I think you really done s-something to me now, it’s starting to h-hurt! Yes, my ahm! Don’t just ook at it, et me go! You got some k-kind of problem or what?”

“Not at all.”

“Can y-you let g-go?”

“Not quite yet.”

“Not q-quite yet, what the h-hell does..? Oh, G-God! It’s s-so c-cold. Y-your h-hand. I’ss r-really s-sar-ing to b-bur mme.”

“Just a while longer yet and it won’t hurt ever again. However, first let me explain that Audrey isn’t a ghost. I am.”

“Is that when you sucked him?” one of those up in front interrupted.

“Yes, but it wasn’t quite over yet.”

“Sorry,” he quickly apologized.

He waved it off, attempting with some difficulty to maintain his position in the story. “That’s okay. Anyway, he tried to pull my cold fingers off of his arm, but by then the process was already complete and he just fell lifeless.”

“I love the way, though, that the point of view has changed,” He continued to interrupt. “At first you were a character to Max, now Max is a character to you!”

“Ah, yes. Anyway, he said to me… Um, I said to him… Oh, Hell! I can’t remember where I was!”

“Take it easy,” another said. He stood against a wall at the back of the room. He was much older and wiser, and the most senior arch demon amongst the throng of ghosts and demons present. “It will come to you. This is often the case with human stories. When interrupted enough times, especially near the end, you often become confused between your role and your role as seen through the eyes and ears of the husk before the drinking of the soul.”

“Okay, I’ve got it. Max looked down at his arm as the last of the warmth left his body. Well, he didn’t have much choice in the matter: his neck, too weak to support his head simply fell limp. All he could do at that point was move his eyes. Anyway, I think he understood what had happened. Just in case, I leaned over his husk after I pulled him out of the car and whispered to him, setting my now warm red lips over his right ear: Max, what I said about sucking souls was true. I just sucked yours!”

“You didn’t tell him that!”

“Yes, I did, Poltergeist.”

“Cruel bastard!”

“I promised you I’d remove my gloves the next time we met, I reminded Max. Unfortunately for you, Max. Unfortunately for you, you didn’t know that the sucking of souls takes place through contact with bare skin.”

“That’s when his eyes started to lose their final luster and became that dull stare. I knew he couldn’t hear me after that. Well, he could, but there wasn’t much he could do with it. I know the institutions think they can get stuff out of the husks we send them, but they can’t. They’re just fooling themselves! Anyway, I just leaned him up against his car and drove off into the night.”

Among them, there arose a question.

“Yes, young demon?” the teller of the tale asked.

“Is that the end?”

“Well, not quite. I did do something that you might’ve been rather proud of, Poltergeist.”

“What’s that?”

“Hannah. I retrieved the dead cat out of the trunk and tossed its stiff little body in the husk’s lap before I left. You should’ve seen the look on Audrey’s face next morning when she heard the ruckus as a crowd formed to see the sight. She walked over, the crowd parted to let her through, she screamed at the top of her lungs. It was great!”

James Garcia Jr.

Also by James Garcia Jr. Dance on Fire