The Money Clip Part 1

Brandon and Jessica stood on the corner waiting for the rest of the gang to show. Brandon had his skateboard propped against the blue mailbox that hunched a few feet away. Tina and her brother Michael were always late because Felix lives next door to them and dragging him away from this or that science experiment is torture sometimes.

"Hey here they come." Brandon said as he leaned down to grab his skateboard.

"Its about time!" Jessica called out to the odd looking trio as they crossed the street.

The only reason she called them odd was because Michael was the most gorgeous boy she had ever seen with his dark hair and blue eyes, his sister Tina had the same coloring so she was a beauty, and then there was short Felix with mousey brown hair that always stuck up and glasses that he constantly pushed up on his nose. But they loved Felix like a brother; they all had a pact to remain best friends forever, no matter what. The group of kids stood on the corner in the summer sunshine knowing school would be starting in a few weeks. High school would be a daunting place but they would stick together.

Tina smiled brightly at Brandon as she thought he was the coolest guy with his ripped jeans, skateboard, and spiked blonde hair.

"So what are we doing today?" She asked.

"How about going down to the Burger House?" Felix asked just as his stomach rumbled its hunger out loud. Everyone laughed and Michael said.

"I think Felix is hungry and I am too. How much cashola do we all have?"

Soon the friends were sitting on the sidewalk corner pulling change and dollar bills out of their pockets. After a short while the tally came to four dollars and twenty nine cents.

"Well, that won't get us much." Brandon said with a sigh. "Too bad we couldn't find some more somewhere. The gutters sometimes has quarters and stuff in it when people drop their change putting it in the parking meters."

Everyone agreed to start looking so the tribe of friends headed off down the street their eyes peeled for any sign of silver in the gutter.

Tina paused beside an overgrown alley between a boarded up house and the butcher shop brick wall. A glint of gold caught her eye and she stepped into the alley as her curiosity got the best of her.
Brandon turned to see where Tina had went, he liked to watch her as she was so pretty, but he was too embarrassed to do anything about his feelings. He saw her step into the alley and he followed her. Never know what could be lurking in an alley. He found her crouched down picking something up that looked gold.

"Oh my." Tina said softly.

"What? What is it?" Brandon asked as he peered over her shoulder to see what looked like a money clip in her hand and it held a wad of bills.

"Oh hell yeah! Girl you got money radar!" He whooped with glee and that brought the rest of the tribe into the alleyway.
Tina stood up and pulled the bills from the clip. There were ten one hundred dollar bills there and she turned to look at the rest of the group who stood there staring at the money.

"There is a thousand dollars here guys. We can't keep it." Tina firmly said as she tucked the money back into the clip. Brandon frowned and then stepped forward.

"Why not? I mean possession is nine tenths of the law or some crap like that isn't it?" He turned to look at Felix.

Felix being the brain of the bunch nodded in agreement to the statement.
"It is true what Brandon says. But the morally correct thing to do with this much money is either turn it over to the police or to the owner."

Tina nodded and walked out of the alleyway into the sunshine. There she examined the money clip a little more closely. She had noted there was an engraving and it ended up being the initials of the person who owned it. The initials were GLB. Her gaze lifted to her friends that surrounded her.

"These initials are for Galvin Boden, the old man that lives in that huge Victorian on the corner of aspen and pine." She knew this because there was the same initials marked in the cement driveway in the corner and she remembered when the old man had the driveway poured years ago.

"Galvin the Ghoul?" Michael chirped. "Oh no way. That guy is senile and warped..." Michael trailed off at his sisters disapproving glare.

"Maybe that is why he lost it Michael! He is old and maybe did not even know he lost it. Can you imagine how much money this may be to that old man. It could be his life savings. There is no way I will not try to give it back to him.
Jessica stood beside Tina and gave her friend her support by laying an arm around her shoulders.

"I agree," Jessica said looking at the boys. "We should try to give it back to him. It is the right thing to do. We are not thieves."

Brandon flushed red along his neck and cheeks at the word thief. He used to be one until he met this bunch but for some reason he changed. He liked them all too much to be such a low life anymore and they accepted him for who he was when he was new to the town of Waterford.

"All right then, lets return the thing. Maybe the old man will give us a reward." Brandon said hopefully as the pack of friends began to walk towards the Victorian where the old man resided.
Tina slipped the money clip into her pocket and an image flashed before her minds eye. Just a glint of sunlight off something sharp and then a spray of something that looked like blood. A shiver of apprehension washed over her and she wondered if this was the right thing to do or maybe go to the police instead. But she said nothing about the image as Jessica walked beside her up Redwood Street towards Aspen and chatted away about the new boots she was going to beg her mother to buy her next week.

The tribe of friends reached the corner of Aspen and Pine in just a few moments. No one uttered a word as they all stood staring at the huge Victorian home that was in a state of disrepair. The yard was starting to overgrow and the rose buses that the old man prized were wilting. One would always see him out in the early morning hours trimming and talking to his roses. Since his wife had passed everyone thought he was growing senile because he talked to himself a lot.
Tina turned to the rest of the bunch and said.

"So are all of you coming with me or what?"

No one answered her as they were lost in their own thoughts.

"Fine, then I will go alone. Chickens." She spat then started walking towards the iron gate that looked rusted. As her hand touched the gate a scene flashed in her mind. The glint was coming over and over again, the dark red blood spurting everywhere, and she shuddered. A hand laid on her shoulder got her voice to loosen and she shrieked.

"Sheesh Tina, I am sorry I just wanted to go with you." Brandon said with a smile playing about his lips as he scared her good but something inside of him was fearful. Something was not right about this place nor that money clip. Maybe the faster it was gone the better off they would all be. Brandon reached for the gate and swung it open. It creaked just like any old gate would in a horror flick and he bowed gallantly to Tina.

"After you milady." His grin was infectious and Tina had to smile back even though her hands were shaking. The flashes in her mind of these terrible things must be from her watching too many movies. As a pair they moved up the overgrown walkway towards the front door. Mail was sticking out of the over full mailbox and some lay on the welcome mat in front of the door. Tina reached forward and rang the doorbell. The sound of the chimes echoed in the stillness of the house and they both waited. There was no sound at all of anyone approaching the door so she rang the doorbell again.
Brandon wandered down the porch to the living room window; he cupped his hands to the glass, and peered into the living room. Through the gauzy curtains he could see a couch, a coffee table, and partway into the dining room. To one side was the hall where the front door was and then the staircase that lead to the upper floors. He leaned back with a frown on his face.

"He must be out of town. I mean look at all the mail and how nasty his yard looks." He said as he scanned the area.

A frown marred Tina's pretty face as she turned from the door to see the others gathered at the bottom of the steps.

"No one home?" Michael asked as he looked at all the mail on the porch and in the box.

"It seems not. But I am worried. What if he is like....dead inside or something. He has no family you know. His son never comes around any more. At least my mother said so. They had a huge fight after his wife died and then he left." Tina said as she walked down the 3 steps of the porch.

"Maybe we should just go to the police and give them the money clip and tell them about the house." Felix said as he felt an unease creeping up his spine. Something was watching them from one of the upper windows of the house. He would not breathe a word of it since the others would rib him for days about him seeing ghosties and ghouls. But something was there and something was wrong. He could tell Tina felt it too and his worried look caught her attention.

"Hey, why don't you all go on ahead to the Burger place? Felix and I will walk down to the police station." Tina said and prayed everyone would agree as she sensed that Felix was feeling what she was.

Brandon nodded as he wanted to get away from this place and it seemed Jessica and Michael were all for it as well.

"Yeah, we will meet you there in a while." Brandon said as they walked together to the gate and back out onto the sidewalk.

They parted ways and as soon as Felix and Tina turned the corner on Pine Tina paused.

"You felt it too didn’t you Felix?" She asked softly, her eyes wide with apprehension.

"Yeah. I also think I saw or rather felt someone watching us from the upper left window of the house. Something is wrong there Tina, really wrong."

"I agree but I don't want to give the money clip to the police just yet. Lets go to the park that is next to the station and talk some more."

Felix nodded and they walked off together both feeling uneasy.

Brandon and the rest of the group walked down Redwood but no one was talking much. It seemed the encounter with the house had gotten to everyone. They passed the alleyway where Tina found the money clip and he paused. Letting the others go ahead he stepped into the alley without a word to the rest of them. He looked around on the ground. He had no idea what he was looking for but maybe there would be something else to clue them in to what is happening. A few feet down the alleyway he saw a brown lump in a patch of weeds. He approached it cautiously and when he got closer he saw it was a crushed hat. Lifting it from its resting place he saw it was one of those derby hats that the old men liked to wear. Round and brown they were but this one was crushed and stained. He turned it this way and that trying to figure out what the stain was. He walked back out of the alleyway and stood in the sunshine like Tina had earlier with the money clip. The stains on the hat looked a little too much like blood and he dropped the hat as Jessica yelled.

"Oh my God, that is blood!"

"Damn it Jessica, just announce it to the world eh?" Brandon snapped as he bent to pick up the crushed derby hat.

By this time Michael had joined them and all three of them stared at the hat with a mixture of revulsion and curiosity.

"That is the kind of hat Galvin wears. I always saw one like it on him when he sat out in front of Mitch's Barber Shop." Michael said softly.

"I don't like this. Let's go find Tina and Felix before they get to the police station." Brandon said as he started to trot back the way they came.

Jessica called out as she and Michael followed.

"Why? Why should we get involved? Lets give the hat and the money clip to the police."

Brandon turned back to them and said.

"No way, we got a mystery on our hands folks and I think we should go after it."

Tina and Felix settled down in the park on a bench well away from the playground where the kids were playing. Tina pulled the money clip out of her pocket, took the wad of bills, and stuffed them back into her pocket.

"We do not need anyone seeing us with so much money. I just want to look at the money clip." She said to Felix who had sat down on the bench facing her.

"I know I saw something Tina. I know you think I am being over..." Felix said but Tina lifted a hand in the air to stop him and said.

"I believe you. I really do, because as strange as it sounds I have been having something like flashes of a vision in my mind when I look at the money clip."

Her attention was focus on the money clip in her hand, which she turned over and over studying it.
Felix watched her closely and then whispered.

"I believe you too Tina but what are you seeing in these....visions?"

"They are fast so it's hard to see clearly but it looks like light glinting off a knife as it is coming downward and then something that I guess is blood spurting everywhere. I do not see any people or anything like that, just the glinting knife and the blood."

"God, I bet you are scared."

"Actually, I am more worried. I wonder what has happened to the old man and we could be his only help." Her gaze lifted to meet Felix's astonished one at her words. Suddenly her gaze lifted upward and she said.

"I wonder why they are here?"

Felix turned to see the rest of the gang almost running towards them across the park. Brandon looked like a man on a mission as he flew up to them, tossing his skateboard down beside the bench and sat on the other side of Tina. He lifted the bowler hat up and said.

"I found this a few feet away from where you found the money clip."

His eyes were alight with a mixture of excitement and fear.

Tina glanced at Michael and Jessica as they sat on the grass before the bench. Both of their faces looked pinched with worry. When she finally looked at the hat Brandon held she gasped.

"My God, it is blood on the hat."

She dared not to touch it as she worried more horrid visions would visit her mind.

"Tina, I have to tell you that I have seen Galvin wearing a hat just like that one before." Michael said softly as he was worried about his sister. He could tell when she was scared or really upset and this was one of those times.

Brandon waved the hat around and exclaimed.

"We have to find out what happened in that alleyway. We need to start searching for more clues and I think we should start inside Galvin's house."

The rest of the bunch gaped openmouthed at Brandon and his wild idea. None of them had ever gotten into more trouble than lighting cherry bombs in garbage cans around town and he was talking about breaking into a house.

"Why can't we just give this to the police and let them handle it?" Jessica said in a voice laced with fear. She wanted to just get on with the rest of the summer and not have to run across any dead bodies. A shiver washed over her and Michael noticed. His arm went around her shoulder and she leaned into him.

"If we go to the police" Brandon said as he laid the hat down on the bench between him and Tina. "They will think we are nuts, they will take the money, the money clip, and the hat and store it away waiting for Galvin to come back. Then it may be too late."

Tina half listened to Brandon as the hat sat so close to her. She could feel the evil vibrations coming off of its fabric and without even thinking she laid a hand over one of the stains. A soft cry escaped her throat as the images began even stronger. A dark night. A barking dog. An argument. The flashing of steel in the air. The spurting blood. The hat rolling away in the weeds. The sound of something heavy hitting the ground. The sound of someone trying to breath but unable to. The image of something crouching beside a figure on the ground. The sound of something sucking or eating.

"Tina...TINA!"

Brandon shook her harder as Michael tried to rip the hat from her hands that clutched it hard. A slow blink from Tina and then a scream emitted from her throat as she came from the vision. Several people in the park stopped to look at the bunch of teens sitting on a bench but nothing looked out of the ordinary so they moved on.

"What happened?" Michael had got the hat from her clenched fingers and thrown it to the grass by her feet. Brandon still held her shoulders trying to get her to look at him.

"It killed him. Killed him and then...ate him." she whispered then turned to bury her head in Brandon's chest as she started to cry. The others looked at one another as real fear began to creep up inside of each one of them. They knew Tina was not a hysterical girl and she was seeing something that was scaring her to death. Michael turned to look at the kids in the playground and wondered if they could just leave the hat and money clip with the police. Tina had seen something she was obviously not supposed to see and what if....what if it knew. He looked to his sister and knew she saw the truth in her mind. She had the trait like their grandmother though they never spoke of it to anyone. They did not want the ridicule from their friends. But maybe this time they could trust these friends to help them. For they were in this now whether they liked it or not.

Everyone was silent for a while as they each pondered what lay ahead of them. Michael kneeled before Tina and touched her knee.

"I need to tell them"

Tina's head buried in Brandon's chest gave a small nod to let her brother know he could tell them but she would not look up.

"Tell us what?" Brandon said his worry growing as he kept his arms around Tina's still trembling body.

Michael cleared his throat, settled down on the grass with his legs crossed and began.

"In my family we have a line of what you all would call witches. But it is really not that simple."
He looked at his friends hoping that after he told them about his family line that they would not turn away from him or Tina.

"All the first born women in the family have the gift of sight. That is what my grandmother calls it. A gift of seeing things that will happen in the future or what has happened in the past. It varies slightly with each generation; one will have a more powerful vision of future events while another will have better access to the past. Tina is the first-born; she was born 3 minutes before me. If we were identical twins I may have the gift as well but since we were fraternal there is no telling. But Tina, she has a different sense of the gift. She can see the past, the future, and the present when she touches something. That is why she is so scared. She is seeing visions of what has happened or will happen when she touched the money clip and the hat."
He grew silent letting his friends take all of this in.

No one said a word but Tina had sat up and was wiping her eyes with the backs of her hands. Her soft voice cut through the strained silence.

"What I saw when I touched the hat has already happened. I know that much. Since I am still young and being in...." a blush stained her cheeks as she stared at her hands now folded in her lap, "puberty has my gift off kilter as my grandma would say."

Jessica tilted her head and then said,

"That is cool to be able to see things but are they always bad things?"

"No, not always bad. I once helped my Dad find his lost truck keys before he was late to an important meeting. I can do things like that at times but it is when I touch something that the gift really kicks into high gear."

Brandon sat there listening then he nodded.

"I think we should go to Galvins house and see what we can find. Tina, you can touch things and see what has happened. The cops will never believe us but maybe we can find....find where Galvin's body is and show it to the police or tip them off somehow."

Felix nodded in agreement.

"I think it is a good idea even though I am against breaking into a house. But we need to know the truth and you seem to be sure what you saw was the past. So we need to find out if there is someone or something out there killing people."

"It is what we have to do." Michael said and then put his hand out palm down. "We need to do this together. Tina and I trusted you all, our best friends enough to tell you our secret, now we need you to help. We must stick together."

Brandon slapped his hand down on top of Michaels.

"Together until the end brother."

Soon Tina's hand was over Brandon’s, then Felix, and then Jessica's. They all swore their oath to each other as brothers and sisters to the end. As one they stood, Brandon scooping up his skateboard and the bowler hat.

"Lets go to my house and think of a plan. We can't go there in broad daylight."

The rest agreed and they all walked out of the park back towards Redwood. A rustle in the bushes at the edge of the park, near where the bench sat, went unnoticed. The stench of decay floated out from the rapidly browning leaves of the bush and the grass quivered with the breath of something foul. A snort of amusement came from within that dark place and these words were whispered.

"Come on in and play”


The tribe all gathered in Brandon's basement bedroom always listening for the slam of the front door that announced Brandon's dad coming home.

"Ok, since I was the bad boy of the bunch and know a little about breaking and entering, how about I lay out a plan then you all tell me what you think."

Brandon said this looking at each person in the room. Michael and Jessica lounged on the floor and were leaning against a large red beanbag. Tina sat beside Brandon on his bed and Felix laid on the sheepskin rug that was in the center of the room. Everyone nodded their agreement and Brandon began.

"We all must dress in black or dark colors. Girls, you gotta keep your hair up in a cap or tied in a bun. We don't want anyone to be able to tell if we are girl or boy. There is a back entrance to the house, that much I am sure of, I will try to jimmy the lock if I can't do that then we will break one of the small basement windows and slide one of the girls through since they are the smallest. A brick with a towel around it will muffle the sound of any breaking glass so neighbors will not hear a thing. Also, all of us have to wear gloves of some kind. Felix, you still have those latex hospital gloves your dad gets from his office?"

"Yeah, he does."

"Great, then you swipe a box of those and that will keep fingerprints from showing. Also, wear sneakers that are real worn on the bottom. If the place is dusty the cops can track you just by the sneaker pattern you leave behind."

Michael grinned and said.

"Dude, you have been watching way too much court TV lately haven't you?"

Brandon smiled but it was a dark smile that conveyed there was much more to his words than just a television show.

"Yeah, well those shows help but without me telling all my bad deeds of the past, lets just say that I have experience in these areas and leave it at that."

The rest of the tribe nodded as they did not want to pry into their friends past before coming to Waterford unless he wanted to talk about it. That was what friends did, supported one another, and they were doing it again now.

"Tina, you will be the key. Just remember to do your best not to scream or make any sounds. I know it will be hard if you see some bad images but I will be right at your side ok?"
Brandon looked at the woman he thought was so beautiful and wanted to protect fiercely.

"I understand Brandon. I will do my best." Tina said.

"Ok then. Let us all go home, do the dinner thing with the parents to keep em off the trail and then we will meet at the corner of Aspen and Pine at one am."

The tribe agreed and as each one left Brandon's room they had their own private nightmares of what may come of this night.


Night fell upon the small town of Waterford and its residents tucked themselves in for the night. A slight breeze blew, rustling the leaves on the trees, and sending a stray paper or two tumbling down the road. Brandon crouched on the corner of Aspen and Pine, almost invisible against the fence and the darkness of the hedge behind the fence. One by one the tribe arrived to crouch beside him in the darkness. No one said a word for a moment as they all sensed something was amiss.

"Listen."

Felix whispered as he glanced upward towards the towering trees that hung overhead.

"Listen to what? It is silent Felix."

Jessica said with a bit of annoyance in her voice. What did he expect at night? A brass band to be playing?

"That is just it Jessica, listen to the total silence. Normally there are crickets, especially this time of year, an occasional owl hoot, and even dog barking through out the neighborhoods. But tonight there is nothing, it is like everything is hiding, and is as scared as we are."

Everyone took in what Felix said and a sigh was heard from Tina.

"Let us get this over with. Just being close to this place makes me nervous." She whispered and stood to make her way towards the gate. Just as her hand laid upon the slightly rusted gate a hand fell atop hers.

"No." Brandon whispered in her ear fiercely. "That gate is as squeaky as hell. Remember when we went through it earlier today? Let us go around to the side where the hedge has a break and jump the short fence."

Tina's hand came off the gate quickly. She had forgotten how loud the squeak was on the gate and it would surely attract attention.

The tribe made their way through the darkness in their dark clothes and white rubber gloves. One by one they jumped the fence with the boys helping the two girls over without too much noise. Single file they moved along the side of the large house, ears perked for any out of the ordinary noises, and kept an eye out for sudden lights. The back door came into view and Brandon crept up the stairs slowly. Each one creaked softly but it was hardly heard as he moved with stealth. Something metal flashed in his hand and soon the sounds of the lock being worked on. A soft grunt of satisfaction was heard and the door swung inward.

"Come on." Brandon whispered to the rest of the tribe.

One by one they silently moved up the stairs and into the dark house of Galvin Boden. What they would find was a mystery.

The room they entered was a mudroom with a washer and dryer crouched to one side and an area to the left where coats and shoes rested. The next door that led into the kitchen was open and Brandon stepped through, holding up a hand to the rest of them to wait a moment. There was a small light coming from the clock on the microwave that sat on the counter but other than that the room was dark. He strained to hear anything moving in the house at all but he was only greeted with silence. He waved the rest of the bunch in and soon they were all standing near the kitchen table.

"I think we should split up." Brandon said. "We can cover more ground that way. How about if Tina and I head upstairs while Michael, Jessica, and Felix check out the main floor?"

"I think that is wise. We need to get in and out of here as fast as possible." Michael whispered.

"We need light, we can't stumble around here in the dark. What if we bump into something?" Jessica said.

Suddenly there was a cracking noise that sent them all jumping.

"Relax guys. I figured we would need these." Felix smiled as he shook the glow stick and soon there was a soft green glow that gave off enough light to see by. Everyone laughed softly as they took their sticks, cracked them, and shook them to get the same greenish glow.

"Ok, let's go. And be careful." Brandon said as he and Tina headed out of the kitchen and into the living room.


Brandon held his light stick up and could see the outline of the couch and chairs within. Nothing seemed to have been overturned or moved off the tables. He glanced back to see Tina standing close behind him, her face bathed in a green glow, and she was staring at the staircase.

"What is it?" He whispered.

"It is up there." She said softly.

"It?" He looked over to the staircase but could see nothing.

"Do you know what it is?" He asked as he kept a sharp eye on the staircase. He could hear the others heading into the dining room.

"No, but it doesn’t know we are here. It is...sleeping." she said and then without another word headed towards the staircase. Brandon hurried to catch up and soon they were creeping up the stairs. One or two of them creaked softly but it seemed Tina did not care; she just needed to catch the thing unaware. She had to see it. See what it was. Somewhere in her mind she recognized the thing and it horrified her.
They reached the landing and the hallway went both to the right and the left. Without hesitation she turned left and walked quietly down the center of the hallway on the carpet runner. Brandon looked into each room as they passed. A bathroom, a spare bedroom, and then they paused at the end of the hall where a door was closed.
Tina's hand wrapped around the doorknob and the breath left her body. The glinting light filled her mind once again but now she could see it was not a knife but wicked claws that came down into the flesh of Galvin. Yes, she could see him now. His arms held upward in defense as the beast clawed at him and growled.

"You ruined me old man. Ruined me. Now I ruin you. You ruined me old man. Ruined me. Now I ruin you. You ruined me old man. Ruined me. Now I ruin you."

"Tina!" Brandon whispered in her ear sharply as he yanked her hand off the doorknob.
Tina blinked her eyes rapidly and then sagged backwards into Brandon's body.

"Oh my God. I can't believe...." she trailed off as her eyes widened. The doorknob began to turn slowly.

*Part 2 continues on another item*