Sandra's 23rd Birthday

Sandra was planning on celebrating her 23rd birthday in one of the oldest cemeteries in town. She loved spooky atmospheres. Maybe because her birthday was close to Halloween. Not quite on Halloween but on the 23rd of October. So this was going to be a special day!

It was just going to be her and five of her closest friends. That way they could have a good time without showing any disrespect. She got several strands of battery-operated and rechargeable strings of dim lighting, several white and red candles, a music list of eerie music and sounds, and of course booze and snacks! Looking over everything, she grabbed some blankets to spread on the ground and a set of lap trays.

The doorbell rang and she ran to the door to meet her friends. It was only about thirty minutes before dusk, so they headed out so they could get set up before dark set in.

Arriving at the heavy iron wrought gates, they all grab the goods and head toward the mansion crypt. At least that's what they called it. It was a gray cement building with two giant dragons breathing fire on the double steel doors and a huge Celtic cross in the middle of the steep roof. It was at least five hundred square feet and held several generations of one family.

They strung the dim lights through the door handles of the crypt and ran them all across the ground and over a few various granite tombstones. They lit the candles and put them in a circle around the spread-out blankets. One of her friends brought red, black, and white balloons and another brought fake cobwebs. After they were through setting up they created their own little haunted area in the deserted cemetery.

After a while, the booze was flowing and they were in high spirits. When Sandra decided to hold a seance. With their hands clenched tight, Sandra repeated a chant she got from the internet:

We gather here tonight to connect with the spirit world.
We open our minds and hearts to the energy around us.
Spirit guides, we call upon you. If there are any spirits
present, please make your presence known.

A short burst of soft wind whispered through the trees. The candle flames shot up tall and slender, then began to flicker erratically. Goose bumps and hair stand on end, as an unexpected chill fills the air.

In a somewhat shaky voice, Sandra asks if a spirit is trying to communicate with them.

All at once, a gust of wind snuffed the candles out. The group all shot opened their eyes wide. Scanning the grounds for anything strange.

Only a few feet to the side of them were the somber depths of the cemetery that even moonlight itself would not touch. Scattered on the unruly ground were yellowed tombstones, cracked and jagged.

With a sharp gasp from Sandra, the group followed her gaze. It looked to be some sort of movement. It was almost like a distortion of the air itself. A hazy type of blurring. Then slowly, in the foreboding corner, an ethereal spirit came into focus. She was in a long pale dress with angel-wing sleeves. Her wavy hair draped down her back.

They all knew the story. It was a well-known urban legend. It is rumored that she killed her husband, but before he took his last breath, he plunged the meat machete straight into her heart. She's been cursed to walk the dreary grounds. Never finding peace. She lingers among the weathered gravemarkers, where time itself seems afraid to breathe.

And just like that, as if they were of hive mind, they all jump up and grab the things closest to them. They take off running for the car. Vowing they'll never use the cemetery for their entertainment again. They leave the restless spirit far behind them.

(652 Words)


NEW PROMPT:
Write a story or poem about a 23rd birthday party held in a cemetery. Why is it held there? What's going on?

Use GHOST as one of your genres.

NEW PROMPT DUE in 22 hours 5 minutes 16 seconds
(11:59am on Wednesday, September 6)