The Ghost of River City

The Ghost of River City

Amateur Detectives Christy and Megan Parker, who were identical twins, were in their bedroom listening to their television while they read their mystery books.  When they heard the announcer come on with a special bulletin, they heard on someone seeing two bank robbers in River City.

When Christy and Megan heard the message, they stiffened up from their reading and stared at each other. They knew what the other one thought about the two men that they observed climbing the mountains in the country north of town, so they wondered if they happened to be the bank robbers.

Thoughts flooded Megan's mind when she heard the news bulletin. Who were those men, and what did they have in the black bag they carried? If they were the bank robbers, they could be dangerous, so if Christy and I decided to chase after these two suspects, we definitely need to be cautious. Maybe we should watch the television, so we could find out if the announcer had any more clues about the two men.

Christy continued to read her mystery book while Megan picked up her journal and wrote about the bank robbers: I have a weird feeling that something is going to happen, but I hope it doesn't. I wonder if Christy and I should attempt to locate them.  Since we’re amateur detectives, it is our job to help catch criminals.  Maybe I’ll talk to Christy in the morning and see what she thinks about going after the two men we saw climbing up the mountains.

When Megan’s eyes became drowsy, she knew she couldn’t write any longer, so she decided to put her journal in the drawer of her lamp table, which was beside by her bed. Then, she turned off the light and fell asleep.

Trapped under the bed with two strangers in the room, I wondered who they were, and wondered if Christy and I could escape. Who are they, and is there a way where we can possibly escape? Finally, they left the room, and Megan tried to escape, but a loud voice yelled, "Stop!" Strong arms grabbed her.

As Megan struggled to get free, she blurted out, "Help!" Tears rolled down her cheeks as she sat in the chair bound in the tight ropes.

“Megan! What's wrong?” Christy asked.

Looking around the room, Megan realized she was in her bedroom. "I’m sorry I woke you up, but I had another bad dream."  Megan told Christy about her dream and about how she couldn't escape from the two strangers in the shack because she hid under the bed.

"Your dreams are too scary for me because they come true sometimes, and I’m not sure I want to be trapped inside a dilapidated shack with two bank robbers."

Christy and Megan crawled out of bed and put on their blue jeans, white shirts, socks, and boots, and then they grabbed a few snacks. They walked outside and climbed on their horses to search for the bank robbers. As they rode their horses, Megan noticed dark clouds forming above. “Christy, it looks like it's going to storm.”

“I agree, but I hope we don't get caught in the rain like we used to when we were younger.”

They continued west and north in search of the bank robbers. Seeing two roads, Megan became worried and confused because she wasn’t sure which road they should take. They stopped their horses for a few minutes, so they could discuss their options of the two roads.

“These surroundings don’t look familiar to me, so I’m not sure I want to continued,” Christy said.

“I’m sorry for wanting to search for the robbers, but I thought we could handle it; however, I'm not sure now,” Megan said.

“That’s okay, Megan, and I wanted to apologize for getting upset, but sometimes your ideas do seem scary.  However, I’m positive we’ll be all right, so let’s kept going.”

They decided to take the road to the left, but as they continued their journey in search of the bank robbers, they heard more thunder and observed the fierce lightning strike across the darkened sky.

As they continued their search, they noticed large cedar trees on both sides of the road, so they decided to tie their horses to one of the trees in the wooded area and walk the rest of the way.

Megan spotted a shack among the oak trees, so they walked cautiously down to the shack. As they approached the dilapidated shack, Megan noticed a river flowing below a large bank. “The shack looks deserted, so maybe we can stay here if it rains.”

"There's a waterfall on the other side of the shack," Christy said.

"Let's go check out the shack," Megan suggested.

“What if the bank robbers found this shack and decided to hide out here,” Christy suggested.

“I doubt it because we observed them in the mountains, but it could be possible.”

“Maybe the people who lived in the house west of here used to live in the shack, and they built the house, so they could have more room and develop a farm.”

“There could be a hidden cave underneath that connects the two places, so that might be exciting to explore.”

“This place reminds me of your dream,” Christy commented.

“We'll be all right.”

They walked cautiously up to the cabin and knelt underneath a window. Lifting up their heads and peeking inside, they saw a room with some living room furniture and a small kitchen, so they opened the door and walked inside. As they surveyed their surroundings, they realized dust collected on the tables. Megan started sneezing because of her allergies, so she grabbed a tissue, and looked at the kitchen area. From the dishes, food, and other items, Christy and Megan realized someone lived there, but they didn't know who, or why anyone would want to live in such a dilapidated place.

They started to leave, but Megan looked out the window and saw two men getting off their horses. “Let's get out of here.”

They rushed into another room and shut the door. As Megan heard the front door open, she heard the two men began talking, so she glanced out the window and saw dark rain clouds, followed by thunder, lightning, and a cloudburst.

“Now we're trapped,” Christy declared softly. They dashed under a bed, and as they lay there, Megan felt the perspiration from Christy's face dripping on her arm, so she realized that Christy was scared because she felt fear overwhelm her body as well. She was about to sneeze because of the dust, so she held her finger up to her nose to stifle it. Megan wondered who the men were and if they would ever escape.

Megan watched apprehensively as Christy started to climb out the window. The door burst open and a short, stocky man named Frank hollered, “Hey, what ya doin'?” Christy stopped and turned around when she heard him holler at her. “Who are ya?” Christy didn't respond. “I ain't gonna hurt ya, so just answer my questions.” Christy still didn't respond.

“Frank! Who ya' talkin' to in there?” The door opened and another man, who was a bit taller and slender, entered the room. “Who's this kid?” Jim asked.

“She won't say,” Frank replied.

Christy attempted to escape out the window, but she let out a scream once she climbed out the window.

“Come back here!” Jim hollered.

"She ain't gonna get away. Remember the thorn bush below the window," Frank reminded him.

When Christy screamed, Megan realized she landed in the thorns. As she stood up, Frank and Jim grabbed her and pulled her back inside, and then they removed the thorns that clung to her body. “What'a we gonna do with her?”

“Let's tie her up, and then we’ll decide what we should do.”

Too scared to move for fear the men would catch her, Megan knew she had to come up with a plan to free Christy. Frank and Jim didn't know Megan was there. When she spotted a black bag, she became tense because she realized the two were the bank robbers.

“Whoooooooooooooooo,” Megan howled like a ghost.

“What was that?” Frank asked.

"I didn't hear anything," Jim replied.

"Whooooooooooooooooo," Megan howled again like a ghost.

"I heard it now, but it was probably the wind since it's getting windy and stormy outside," Jim replied.

"You're probably right."

"Whoooooooooooooooo's thereeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?" Megan said, like a ghost.

"I'm not so sure it's the wind. It sounds like a ghost," Jim replied.

"Oh come on. A ghost in River City," Frank remarked, as he laughed.

"Well, it could be," Jim replied.

"Okay. If you say so," Frank agreed.

After Frank grabbed Christy and tied her hands behind her back, he plopped onto the bed, but his right foot stepped on Megan's fingers. Besides being in pain, Megan felt scrunched and wanted him to get up. When Frank bent down to take off his shoes, Megan's eyes bugged out. She saw the gold ring with the black stone, so she knew the two men were the bank robbers.

Frank stood up and sat on a chair in front of Christy, so Megan thought this was her perfect chance to strike Frank. However, she had second thoughts because she didn't want them to catch her, too, so she knew she had to be cautious.  She decided to wait to free Christy when Frank left, but her hopes of that happening were shattered when Jim walked into the room. Megan wanted to get out of there, but she didn't know how if both of them were going to be in the room.

Suddenly, Christy blurted out, “I'm hungry.”

“All right I'll get ya somethin',” Frank replied.

When they returned, Jim wanted Frank to untie Christy so she could eat, but Frank thought she'd try to escape. Jim told him she was only a teenager, and they outnumbered her. Watching Christy eat made Megan envious of her. Megan wanted lunch, too, but she knew it was impossible. When Christy finished eating, Frank tied her back up and left the room with Jim. Peeking out from under the bed, Megan whispered, “Christy are you all right?”

“Come on out, but be careful because one of us needs to be free.”

As Megan scooted out from under the bed, she heard the two men in the other room talking about Christy and about their plans.  Megan didn't want anything to happen to either of them, so she knew she had to be cautious when she attempted to free Christy, and they had to be cautious when they tried to escape.

Christy looked out another window and said, “There aren't any bushes here, so we should be safe, but let’s hurry.”  She climbed outside, but before Megan could escape, Frank entered the room.

“Stop right there!” He rushed over and grabbed Megan firmly. “Where do ya' think ya' going?” Frank snarled, as he tied Megan up. “Wait a minute! How'd ya get untied?” Frank added, with a puzzled look on his face.

As Frank tied Megan’s hands behind her back, Megan saw Christy peeking in the window. “I'm hungry,” Megan said.

“That's impossible because you just ate.”

After realizing what she said, she replied instantly, "I'm still hungry.

"All right. I'll get ya somethin'," Frank snapped.

As Christy climbed inside the shack and untied Megan, Megan heard Frank tell Jim something strange was happening. Megan dashed out the window, but before Christy could escape, Frank came in with the tray of food.

“Stop right there!” He yelled, as he set the tray down. He grabbed her, plopped her in the chair, and gave her the tray of food, so she could eat before he tied up her hands. “Why ya tryin' to escape? I don't know why ya still hungry.”

Christy didn't answer him because she started to eat.

Frank sat with his back to the window, and Megan grabbed a rock and tossed it inside. The noise scared Frank so much that he toppled onto the floor, and when he stood up to walk over to the door so he could pick up the rock, he bent down, and Jim opened the door and hit Frank on the head. Frank collapsed to the floor and yelled out in pain because of the bump on his head.

"What's goin' on? I heard somethin'."

"It was a rock," Frank said, as he held the top of his head.

"What's a rock doin' in here?" Jim asked.

"I don't know how it got in here."

"Maybe it's ya' ghost tryin' to get ya' attention," Frank grinned.

"Oh knock it off," Jim remarked. "Let's get somethin' to eat."

"Yooooooooooooooooooooooour riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight," they heard a voice say.

“Cut the wise cracks," Frank snarled.

"I didn't say anything. It had to be your ghost," Jim said.

"I'm beginning to think this place is haunted unless this girl is playin' tricks," Frank said.

"How can she be playin' tricks when she's tied up?"

They left the room, and Megan quickly climbed inside and untied Christy. They both climbed out the window and tore out of there like scared rabbits until Megan heard some footsteps following her. They hid in the bushes and rested for a few minutes. When they felt rested, they started walking toward their horses. "I don't remember this area," Megan said.

Christy looked around for a few minutes and said, "The farm is over there, so we're on the other side of it."

They continued walking in the direction they thought was toward their horses, but they located the road that led to the deserted shack. As they walked along the road, they spotted a man on a horse coming toward them, so they dashed behind some shrubbery to hide. They cautiously peeked through the bushes and saw the man ride passed them.

When they thought it was safe, they carefully came out and looked around. Seeing no one around, Megan and Christy continued their journey to their horses. They saw them tied to a tree and ran toward them. They climbed on their horses and rode down the lane to the main road, but as they road their horses, they thought they heard someone riding a horse behind them, so they turned their horses toward the bushes and hoped someone didn’t spot them, especially the bank robbers.

After a short time, Megan peeked through the bushes and looked around, but she couldn't see anyone. They waited for a few minutes until they felt sure it was safe to leave. They wished they had taken their pistols, but they didn't think about confronting the bank robbers.

On their way home, Megan thought about the two men and about how they went crazy trying to figure out the incidents that she and Christy pulled on them. “Those two men sure were going crazy. We had them confused, didn't we?”

“We sure did, but I was also frightened when I heard the ghost making noises because I didn’t think there was such a thing as ghosts until I heard them talking.”

“I made the ghostly noises because I wanted to scare the men,” Megan replied.

“I should have realized that you had something to do with it because you’re always sneaky, but it was hilarious when they couldn’t figure out why you were so hungry.”

“Playing tricks on people is the best part of being identical twins,” Megan replied.

“No matter how old we become, I guess it is exciting to be sneaky and play tricks on people,” Christy agreed.

All the way home, they continued to observe their surroundings to see if someone happened to follow them. Within a half hour, they came to the road that led to their farm. Noticing the sun beginning to set, they knew it was almost chow time.

They put their horses in the barn and took off their saddles. Then, they brushed them and shut the door. After that, they returned to their house and cooked some food.

Megan thought about the bank robbers and wondered what they should do next.  She decided they should notify the sheriff about the two men in the dilapidated shack and let him handle the situation and arrest them.

Within a few minutes, they heard a knock on their door, and when Christy opened the door, she saw the sheriff. “I’m glad you came,” Christy said. “We found the bank robbers in a dilapidated shack down by the river.”

"I know the area, so I'm going to round up some men and go after them."

The sheriff gathered his men and headed out of town toward the shack.  When they arrived, they hid in the bushes until they had the perfect moment to approach the bank robbers and capture them.