Excerpt:

Jossette sat up and pulled a ceramic planter with a flower in it from her bed stand. She threw it at Victor/George. He dodged it and it crashed and broke on the wall behind him. Jossette screamed, “Get the hell out of here. With any luck the plane you take will crash and I will never have to see you again.”

“Bitch, I will see you when I get back. You can count on that.”

“Yeah you do that. Next time you see me in this bed I might have a dude on each side of me. How will you like that?”

“Yeah, well, you can buck break them. You are not buck breaking me.”

“Buck break?”

“Force them to have gay sex.”

Jossette screamed in tears, “Why do I love a man that I hate so God damned much?”

Victor/George finished dressing while Jossette watched in seething anger. As Victor/George opened the door to her bedroom to leave he blew a kiss to Jossette. He thought she might fake catch it and hold it to her heart like a loving girlfriend. Instead Jossette threw a pillow him.

Hearthville Serial: Book 8 Chapter 7

Any Truth, Proper Grammar, or Correct Spelling is totally coincidental if not accidental. All characters are fiction. This story is fiction. This story makes no claims about any real person.

By Charles Peters Copyright 2022, 2023 All Rights Reserved

Chapter / Episode List of the Heathville Serial

There is a wickedness in the air and a desperation in the hearts of men. The Hades part of Planet Earth has fallen to Satan and Belial, as the God Amelia sleeps and the God Iapetus is caged and the God Caelous is caged. The God Jesus also known as Hercules sits beyond the gates of heaven with the God Zeus and the God Virgin Mary beneath an apple tree and playing the card game Rummy.

There is a silence but in this silence between them there are many thoughts. Finally VM, also known as the Virgin Mary, speaks. “We’ve got to do something. We can not allow all the souls on planet Hades Earth to be caged.”

Zeus said, “Our earth is not in danger. And even on Hades Earth most people are living normal lives now. There is no sign that Satan plans to cage everyone in Hades.”

JH, also know as Jesus/Hercules, spoke. “Satan likes to play games. He likes to be entertained. He hasn’t given Belial total control of Hades Earth as happened on Pluto Viso. So far Satan has not even allowed Belial to take back control of Pluto Viso.”

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VM questioned Zeus, “What about your spawn Hades? It is his world. It does not belong to Satan. It does not belong to Belial.”

Zeus rolled his eyes. “What about him? I don’t control him and he does not control me. These days we do not even talk.”

JH said, “Father, obviously, I am not going to question you on Hades. I only ask if you will be angry if I talk to Hades and question him on how he might regain control of his realm or if I can help.”

Zeus smiled. “Angry. No. I welcome that you might talk to him. I would not object to helping him. But do not be shocked if he rejects your offer to help him.”

VM nodded. “Hera tells me that Hades is building a new realm on Pluto Viso. She says he is planning to migrate as many souls as he can there. She doubts his plan will work. She is afraid for him and for us.”

Zeus said, “I can’t believe that you would talk to Hera. She is such a vile and dangerous creature.”

“You once loved her and she loved you. And the truth is I enjoy talking to her.”

Zeus frowned. “You are too good. You are too kind. Hera can not be trusted.”

“Maybe. But you should trust me and know that I am just as strong as Hera. You should trust my advice more than you do.”

“We are in a mess. But it is mess we can handle so long as we don’t make it a bigger mess that we can’t handle. I am not saying that you and Hercules should not help Hades rescue his earth realm from Satan and Belial. I am asking that you two keep me informed. Also. Please be careful.”

“Father, of course we will keep you informed. And trust that I know how evil Hera can be. I am not exactly her favorite person and you know that she is not my favorite person.”

VM said, “I am sorry for how you have been tortured, first as Hecules and then as Jesus. I know how Hera wronged you and I am not forgiving of that.”

Zeus said, “Well. I am sorry also but the truth is Jesus, you brought part of it on yourself by trying to show the humans out of Hades and back to the real Earth and where they might stand a chance at heaven. Son, you have to realize that in end they must find their way on their own to be worthy of the real earth and most of them will never be worthy. They have lost their way and there is no way even the best compass, the best shinning man of near perfection, can show the lost souls home.”

JH said, “Maybe we can’t show them how to be worthy of the real earth but we can’t let them be caged. We have got to stop what Satan and Belial are doing.”

Zeus said, “We have to be careful. We don’t want to risk the real earth or heaven being put in harms way by the evil ones. Hades is not just a place for souls who are too flawed for the real earth. It is a buffer to protect the real earth from the flawed and the evil. We don’t want earth to become another Pluto Viso.”

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* * *

Holding his phone, Victor stood naked at the foot of Jossette’s bed. He stared at the beautiful, naked, Jossette, horny, laying not so restful in her pink, frilly, canopy bed waiting for Victor to throw his phone down and join her. She longed for him to take her in his arms and to hold her and to kiss her and then to roughly take her the way she wanted to be taken. She stared at his huge cock and she wanted the feel of that cock inside her.

“Come to me Victor.”

“That was my brother Stewart. He needs me.”

There was a sound of anger in Jossette’s voice. “I need you.”

Victor began getting dressed. “I have got to go to Hotville. Shane Felter has been murdered.”

“Surely an hour of sex will not delay your trip enough to make much of difference to Stewart or a dead man.”

“I have got to arrange a plane and hopefully I can can’t catch Roger before he has left where he can fly in to Hotville with me.”

“You fucking asshole. Here I am laying in this bed, wanting you, needing you, and you are just going to leave me here.”

“Well, you can come with me to Hotville.”

“Come with you? Can we have sex on the plane?”

“No.”

Jossette sits up and pulls a ceramic planter with a flower in it from her bed stand. She throws it at Victor/George. He dodges it and it crashes and breaks on the wall behind him. Jossette screams, “Get the hell out of here. With any luck the plane you take will crash and I will never have to see you again.”

“Bitch, I will see you when I get back. You can count on that.”

“Yeah you do that. Next time you see me in this bed I might have a dude on each side of me. How will you like that?”

“Yeah, well, you can buck break them. You are not buck breaking me.”

“Buck break?”

“Force them to have gay sex.”

Jossette screamed in tears, “Why do I love a man that I hate so God damned much?”

Victor/George finished dressing while Jossette watched in seething anger. As Victor/George opened the door to her bedroom to leave he blew a kiss to Jossette. He thought she might fake catch it and hold it to her heart like a loving girlfriend. Instead Jossette threw a pillow him.

Jossette screamed, “Get the hell out of here and don’t ever come back.”

Victor/George left. He thought to himself, “She is going to be a wild one in bed. It is going to be fun.” Then he shrugged. “But today was not to be the day. Waiting will make it more fun.”

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* * *

JH (Jesus / Hercules) sat working on his communication console that he would need to connect to Pluto Viso in hopes that he might talk to Hades. As JH was working, VM (Virgin Mary) walked in with Hera.

Hera said, “Hades is not going to talk with you. He has plans for Pluto Viso and those plans do not include you and Zeus.”

“I need to try.”

“He has left Lucifer in charge of his Earth Hades operations. Lucifer is the one you need to plan with to try to get Belial out of Earth’s Hades.”

VM said, “Right now, our primary goals must be to rescue souls from being caged. We need Victor and Caelous or a woke Amelia to get Belial out of Earth’s Hades. Without Victor and Caelous, we don’t have the power.”

JH was barely listening when VM spoke. But then his ears perked to hear what Hera was saying.

Hera nodded. “VM, I don’t argue against that. I wish I could. I wish I could say I have the power but I don’t. Still, whatever your plans, you need to consult with Lucifer for it is his and his father’ s realm.”

JH asked, “Where can I find Lucifer?”

Hera said, “If you are agreed, I will invite him to Olympus. I would like for Zeus to be at the meeting.”

JH said, “I will ask Zeus, but I don’t know.”

Hera said, “Now I want to ask you something else. VM says we need the help of Victor, Caelous, and Iapetus. And that is true. I agree. But exactly what are you going to do about Victor, Caelous, and Iapetus being caged? How do you plan to rescue them and bring them to Olympus.”

JH screamed, “Bring them to Olympus! Are you insane? We can’t. Victor and Caelous are too unstable. I agree that we need to try to free them, although I warn that Zeus might disagree, but there is no way we are bringing them to Olympus. Zeus would never agree to that and neither will I.”

“In past lives Victor has been your father, your brother, and once even your lover. And you would deny him his home on Olympus.”

“Zeus once killed Uranus. Have your forgotten? And Uranus became trapped in Iapetus as a result. So he is trapped in a cage now. Maybe that is what Zeus wants. I know we need the help of Victor and Caelous but it is not like I am thrilled about it. And when I approach Zeus about it, he is going to be even less thrilled.”

Hera said, “So your petty differences with Victor and Caelous are more important than the mortals.”

“I told you that I agree they need to be freed. We need their help.”

“Yeah, your message is kind of mixed. You want them freed but you don’t want them freed. You know, mostly in these stories that mortals tell I am cast as the bad guy. But I tell you what. You and Zeus can be total assholes. ‘Oh we love the mortals. We care what happens to them.’ You don’t really give a flying fuck about them. They are all your prisoners and you love playing games with them, but you don’t really love them. Still, you demand that they love you.”

“Bitch, I died on the cross for them.”

“Exactly how did that work? Does that even make any fucking sense? 7 million souls are in Hades right now and in danger of being caged by Belial and Satan. That was really some rescue plan you came up with baby. ‘Worship me as a martyr and all will be well with the world.’ I hate to break the news to you but all is not well with the world. This damn machine, this damn prison, is a mess.”

“Hera, I hate you more than words can describe.”

“Such a loving God, aren’t you. Wow. I may have to build a temple to you, myself.”

The Virgin Mary stared at Jesus and Hera. She wasn’t sure what to say. But she knew what to feel. She felt despair. She turned and vanished into the air, leaving Hera and Jesus standing together, alone.

Hera said, “Jesus. If you will rescue Victor and Caelous and Iapetus and give them the protection of Olympus, I will let you visit your children on my planet Venus. And I will allow you to build at least three temples there to either Jesus or Hercules as your choice and your desire.”

“Why do you care about Victor and Caelous?”

“Maybe it is just that I am horny and I want Victor’s big cock.”

“And what about Zeus’s big cock. He isn’t caged.”

“Isn’t he? Love is a type of cage. And I can think of worse cages than being in love with Mary. I suspect that cage brings a great deal more pleasure to Zeus than being in love with me.”

“Well, you know, George has kept Victor’s body alive. You could have sex with George. He has the same cock.”

“It is a thought. But I want Victor freed.”

“I will see what I can do.”

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———

* * *

Victor/George arrived at the airport. He pulled into the parking lot with his windows rolled down. He saw Roger Ogleby at Roger’s car with Roger’s half sister Tabitha Angster. They were standing next to the red corvette and smoking cigarettes.

Roger called out to Victor. “Your call shocked me. I was with Tabitha at Uncle Arthur’s.”

“You don’t mind me going to Hotville with you, do you?”

Victor/George cleared his throat. He had not expected Tabitha to be there. He had not seen her since Victor had been caged and Belial and Satan had changed memories and even time itself. He wasn’t sure how she felt about him now.

Victor/George parked next to where Roger and Tabitha were standing. Tabitha favored her half sister Jossette quite a lot. Victor/George crawled out of his car. He felt an unusual nervousness. “Of course I don’t mind you coming with us.” Then George shook his head and rolled his eyes. He guessed what he was about to say was not proper but he was going to say it anyway. “Of course I must tell you that I left Jossette naked in bed and begging me for sex.”

Tabitha laughed. “Funny. Roger told me that Jossette hasn’t been quite herself. I explained to him some things. That you are George. Jossette is a figament. Victor has been caged.”

“It is confusing to me. This witch stuff confuses me. I don’t understand.”

Tabitha said, “They don’t want you to understand. Hell. Any second your memory may be erased from what I told you.” Tabitha touched George. “Uncle Arthur has told me stuff. And he has been helping me to practice my witchcraft. I wanted to come because you might need me, or more to the point, you might need my witchcraft.”

Victor/George said, “For what it is worth, Tabitha, I, George do still have strong feelings for you. I don’t know what game I am playing with the figment, Jossette.”

“Game. We all play games. It is okay.”

Roger laughed. “Changing the subject to back to our Hotville trip. Is Stewart okay?”

“I am not sure. He saw Shanes ghost and some creature coming out of the ocean to try to cage Shane. It was upsetting to him.”

Roger said, “Do you think Stewart is in danger?”

“I don’t know. I just know that I want to make sure that he isn’t in danger.”

Roger nodded. “Absolutely.”

Tabitha said, “I am not sure what we are dealing with. We have got to make sure that none of us are in danger. Why would some creature come out of the ocean to try to cage the ghost of someone? That is weird. Mom and Uncle Arthur both said that is very unusual.”

“You talked to Arthur and your mom.”

“On the phone. Different times. They weren’t together if that is what I said sounded like.”

Roger said, “Uncle Arthur’s pilot is motioning for us. We need to get on the plane.”

Excerpt:

Shane saw a strange creature come out of the ocean. The creature was holding a birdcage. Somehow Stewart also saw the creature and the birdcage. And suddenly he could see Shane. Stewart wasn’t sure where the thought or the realization came from but he knew he had to warn Shane.

Stewart screamed, “Run Shane. Do not let the creature catch you. Run. Run now. The creature is going to try to catch and cage you. Run. God damn it. Run.”

Shane ran and took flight though he had no idea how he was flying. For now, Shane made his escape and the creature began walking back toward and into the ocean.

Stewart’s focus turned from the creature as it vanished into the ocean. And then he saw everyone was looking at him.

Sheriff Connie McIron stared at Stewart. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

Reminder:  All the characters with any level of sexual heat are over the age of 18.

Notes:
An alter is a distinct soul and personality that shares a body with someone.  In this case Victor’s alter George is in control of the body while Victor’s soul has been caged in the Outlands, a metaphysical place/world.  Caelous who also shared the body has also been caged in the Outlands.

A figment is a body that has no soul but is operated from computer code created by previous souls that have been in the body at some point or another during moments when the computer code was created. In the case of Jossette, something was done to Jossette’s soul when Nette took control of the body.  Nette was in control of the body until Victor’s father Elliot caged Nette’s soul.  With both Jossette’s soul and Nette’s soul gone from the body, the body operates as AI / Computer Code.

A type of time is computer code.  It allows a person to live the same life or some version of it more than once.  It allows a person to be born in the past, be born in the future, or repeat the same life.  When no soul has been reborn to a body, that body is a figment that operates mostly from previous computer code that souls have created when the body had a soul or operates from new computer code created by the interaction of other people with the figment.  Figments may behave oddly and not always make sense if other souls are changing the computer code to a greater degree than the figment/AI can calculate a proper response based on the predictive nature of past souls in the body.

Hearthville Serial: Book 8 Chapter 6

Any Truth, Proper Grammar, or Correct Spelling is totally coincidental if not accidental. All characters are fiction. This story is fiction. This story makes no claims about any real person.

By Charles Peters Copyright 2022 All Rights Reserved

Chapter / Episode List of the Heathville Serial

Victor and Jossette stood there together as Jossette’s brother, Roger went up the stairs to pack for his trip to Hotville. Of course Victor was not really Victor but was his alter George and Jossette was not really Jossette but was a figment. Nette who had been pretending to be Jossette had been caged by Elliot, Victor’s father. And the soul of Jossette was missing, presumed by Elliot and maybe others to have been caged by Nette or her husband Artorious.

This moment between George and Jossette was not some fulfillment of that great love for Jossette that impassioned Victor with great imagination. But George and the figment of Jossette were both horny and there was sexual desire, sexual tension, taunting the two of them. George thought he did not want to go too far with Jossette, even her figment, for that would feel like a betrayal of Victor. George guessed that Jossette didn’t know that she was a figment without a soul. She certainly did not know that he was an alter of Victor. To pursue sex with her would be wrong and George knew that such a sexual entanglement had once gotten the real Victor killed. But of course that was a conspiracy against Victor and Jossette by Nette and Artorious. Nette was caged and Artorious was, well, George wasn’t sure but he guessed that Artorious was also caged in the Outlands.

George and Jossette looked into one another’s eyes. He wanted to kiss her. She wanted to kiss him. Their lips quivered with thoughts of doing something about the heat that was rising between the two. But instead of moving closing together, they stepped farther apart, backing away from one another.

George said, “I guess I should be going.”

“My Aunt Rachel and that awful Rita did such an awful thing to you. I don’t blame you for wanting to go. To leave. I can’t believe we were ever friends with Rita.”

“They were both under supernatural influences.”

“You can’t believe that.”

“Your Aunt Rachel loves you very much.”

“You can’t defend her. She and Rita almost killed you. You were beaten and locked in the boot of the car, left to die. You should hate her and Rita.”

“I don’t want to hate anyone. I just want to feel whole again.”

“What does that mean?”

George knew he shouldn’t try to explain, but still he had words and they were spoken. “Don’t you ever feel like there is a part of you missing. Like you’ve lost something. Maybe something spiritual.”

“No. But I do feel guilt about what happened to you.”

“Do you? Do you really? Why should you? You did nothing but want to love me.”

“I still want to love you. And more. I am feeling so naughty right now. I would like for the two of us to go up to my bedroom, get naked. I want to see that big cock of yours.”

“Jossette.” George sounded almost bashful. But he felt something different. “Where is your mom?”

“She is visiting Aunt Rachel in the mental institution. I keep telling mom that Aunt Rachel is faking it. I know she is faking it.”

“There are supernatural things happening. This world is not what you think. You must not hate your aunt. You should love her. You should have went with your mom to visit her.”

“Aunt Rachel still thinks you were trying to seduce both her son Mark and me. She thinks you are predator. She wanted you dead.”

“Maybe I should go visit her.”

“Are you insane?”

“Maybe. Maybe we are all insane living in an insane world.”

“I want to have mad, insane, sex with you. I don’t want to be a virgin any more.”

“Do you really love me or do you just want to use me?”

Jossette turned to look away. She turned her back to George, Victor’s alter. “Use you? For sex? I think rather that should be a woman’s accusation though it is not one that I will make”

“I helped to make you and your mother very wealthy.”

“What? Next, you are going to accuse me of plotting with Aunt Rachel to kill you so that mom and I would have all the wealth from our inventions.”

“No. I don’t even know what I am saying.” But now George wondered. Jossette was a figment. How much was she programmed by the real Jossette and how much was she programmed by Nette. George wondered. How much did she know about what the real Jossette had planned or what the real Nette had planned. Victor had loved Jossette in more than one life. And theirs had been a great passion. For that passion Victor would always look beyond the faults of Jossette. He would never allow himself to hear or think she had done wrong. He was blind to her ways. George wondered if Jossette’s figment was accidentally revealing something.

Jossette said, “I think you should go. I don’t want to ever see you again. I want your business relationship with mom ended.”

Before the inventions, Jossette, Roger, and their parents had lived poor. They had not been rich like Arthur and Rachel Ramsey. Jossette had never made a secret that she wanted to live like a rich person. On the other hand, even though Victor had bought Hazel Manor, he was perfectly happy living modestly in a middle class home with his parents. He had mostly bought Hazel Manor with Jossette in mind. He fancied it would be a surprise gift to her after they got married.

George said, “If you try to end the business relationship I will not leave you with anything. I will get everything. Understand. You will be poor again.”

Roger walked in on them just when Jossette said, “By God I will never be poor again. I hate you. I’ve always hated you. I wish Rita and Aunt Rachel had killed you. And if the only way I can end the business relationship is to kill you, I will do it.”

Roger screamed, “I don’t know who the hell you are but you are not Jossette. Jossette loves Victor. She has always loved Victor.”

Jossette laughed. “Yeah, I am going to kick you out of the business also. The last thing I need is a freeloading, queer, brother influencing mother and cramping my style.”

George scratched his head. Was the figment saying the words of the real Jossette or the thoughts of Nette? Jossette had not been the perfect woman in Victor’s past lives Victor had imagined, but George realized Roger might be right. This figment was not taking on the personality of the real Jossette. It was taking on the personality of Nette. And George considered that if he fucked this figment it wouldn’t be like a real betrayal of Victor. Victor did not love Nette. George didn’t mind that this woman, this figment, was a hateful bitch. He wanted to stick his dick in her and have the roughest sex he might imagine.

George said, “Nette, you are over playing your hand.”

Roger asked, “What did you call her? Nette?”

Jossette said, “What? You misunderstood. Didn’t he Victor?”

“Jossette. As long as you don’t understand what I said, we love each other. Right? And you love your brother Roger. Right?”

“Of course I do. Roger, I am so sorry.”

Roger stared at Victor. Then he stared at Jossette. “Sure. But look sis. Don’t let our new wealth turn you into a monster. And sure as hell, don’t forget that without Victor we would still be poor. Don’t ever think about betraying him, even when you are fighting. Dont!”

“I won’t forget that we owe everything to Victor. How can I forget? And Victor, you know I will always love you. You do know that, don’t you?”

“Sure. I told you that there is supernatural stuff happening.”

“You think something supernatural came over me?”

George thought to himself, “Yeah, figment Nette, you and I are going to fuck so hard that you will never forget that you have been fucked.” Then George said, “That is the only explanation. There is a ghost, Nette, trying to take control of you.” Of course George knew that his father Elliot had caged Nette.

“Nette. Wasn’t that the name of Uncle Arthur’s grandmother who helped raise him?” Roger asked.

Jossette said, “Yes. But to think a ghost is trying to take possession of me. That is crazy talk.”

Roger said, “Sis, you haven’t been being yourself. Maybe it is not crazy talk.”

“I don’t believe in ghost. I believe that when we die, that is it. We are gone. I don’t believe we have a soul.”

George considered that with Jossette caged and Nette caged, all that was left of the Jossette he was looking at was the figment. At this moment, she didn’t have a soul but she did have Jossette’s computer code and Nette’s computer code and that code was as eternal as the soul itself. And perhaps his pursuit of this figment was as dangerous as if he were trying to seduce Nette, herself.

George thought, “I am about to play a very nasty, perilous game. It will be fun.”

Roger said, “Should I call off my trip to Hotville? Should I stay here.”

Jossette laughed. “What? To protect me from some imaginary ghost. No. You go on to Hotville and try to seduce Stewart.”

“That is not why I am going to Hotville.”

George said, “Well. You go on and have fun. Hey, you might be surprised. My brother might try to seduce you.”

Roger smiled as he considered what “Victor” had said. Then Roger laughed. “No. Just friends.”

***

There was that dreaded knock on the door. Claud Felter and Sarah Felter jumped with fear when they heard the banging. Claud looked through the peep hole in the door to see Sheriff Connie McIron standing at the door. He didn’t know her but he could see her uniform and her badge. He opened the door.

“Officer. Sheriff.”

“This is the most awful part of my job.”

“My wife left our son playing poker at the Favors Poker Room. She was losing and he was winning. When we woke this morning, he wasn’t in his bed.”

Sarah Felter said, “Please tell me that our son, Shane, is okay.”

Sheriff Connie stares at Sarah. “We are not sure if the person in question is your son or not.”

Claud shakes his head. “Person in question? What does that mean. Has he been arrested?”

“A young woman by the name of Mary Dugan found a body of a young man on the beach. He had been shot five times. We need you to look at the body before it is moved.”

Sarah trembled. “It can’t be Shane. It can’t be our son. We aren’t the kind of people who end up murdered. We are good people. Yeah, we play poker. But Favors is a reputable place. We are good people.”

“I am sure you are. I play poker. I am not very good at it. So you say your son was winning. How much had he won when you left?”

“He had won $25,000. And I had lost $5,000 which is my limit.”

“The young man did have some money on him but not nearly that much. Was he in a car or on foot when you two went to Favors.”

“We both walked to Flavors.”

“I had the car and was running errands when they went to Flavors. I had to have a tire repaired and I bought some groceries. Snacks and such. Neither of them should have been walking around with that kind of money.” Claud fights back the urge to cry. “I know.” Claud cleared his throat. “Is it possible the young man isn’t our son?”

“There is always a chance but you should be prepared.”

“Oh God. I shouldn’t have left him there alone. Why did I leave him there?”

“He is young but he is an adult.”

“Grown but he was still my baby. He will always be my baby.”

“Are you ready to walk down to the beach?”

“The last time we walked down to the beach, it was to play in the ocean. He was cracking jokes. We were having fun. This isn’t fun. This isn’t a vacation story I want to tell my friends about. Oh God.”

“I know. I am so sorry you are being put through this.”

“Honey, we need to walk down to the beach with this nice lady. We need to see if the young man is our son.”

“Okay.” Sarah took several deep breaths. “Let us go view the body.” Sarah struggled to not cry. “The body.”

***

Stewart Duddley had turned his attention from Mary Dugan to Deputy Sally Francis. Who was more interesting? Who was more sexy? Mary Dugan in her bikini or Deputy Sally Francis in her uniform.

Stewart smiled as Deputy Sally Francis walked up to where he and Mary Dugan were standing. “That man standing there told me that he saw you at the Flavors Poker Room at the same time that the victim was there.”

Mary Dugan said, “Yeah I was playing poker. I can’t remember whether I saw the victim there or not.”

“The man said he saw you speaking to the victim.”

“Maybe. I don’t know. I don’t remember every dork who speaks to me.”

Deputy Sally Francis asked, “Are you two friends? I mean you and Stewart Duddley.”

Stewart said, “No. We just met. I just arrived here and I am waiting for them to get my room ready. I saw the activity on the beach and became curious to what is going on.”

“A young man has been murdered.”

“She, by the way I don’t even know your name, told me. It is awful. Have you identified him and notified his family yet?”

“Sheriff Connie McIron has gone to who we believe are his parents though we aren’t sure yet. We are not sure who he is yet? Stewart, do you want to see the body?”

Because Stewart was a High School Football star, it was not unusual for people to know him, but for him to not know them. Still, it was awkward. And he kept thinking, “I should know this lady, this deputy?”

Deputy Sally Francis repeated, “Do you want to see the body?”

“Want? I guess it is possible the deceased is someone I know. So I can view the victim if that is what you want.”

Deputy Sally Francis smiled. “Come with me.”

Stewart walked with Deputy Sally Francis. Mary Dugan remained where she had been standing.

Stewart asked, “Is that girl a suspect?”

“I don’t know. What do you think?”

Stewart smiled. “This is awkward. I should know you. Shouldn’t I?”

“Not really. I have been in your house. Your mom and I go to the shooting range together sometimes, but it is not like you and I have ever sat down together and discussed our favorite sexual position.”

Stewart blushes a bright red and nervously laughs. “I do now remember you. It is just you look different in your uniform. I like your uniform.”

“Thanks. But back to the question. Do you think Mary Dugan should be on our suspect list?”

“Yeah, she came across as lying when you told her about her being seen with the victim at the Flavors Poker Room. But of course, even if she is lying about that, that does not mean she is guilty of killing him.”

“Your mom told me that you were some law enforcement related classes at the collge. She does not really like that idea but I can see why you would have that interest.”

They came to the body which had been put on a stretcher. Stewart looked at him and did recognize him. That is Shane Felter. He is, was, in a few of my classes at the Hearthville College. I didn’t really know him. My brother thinks I am a snob and I guess I can be. Of course right now I have nothing to be a snob about. I thought Football would be my life.”

“You will find a new calling.”

“Calling. Preacher Pat Piaolo says the same thing. But I don’t know, I had such plans. I guess Shane did also, and now look at him. What would you say his new calling is?”

“Maybe an angel.”

Though invisible to everyone Shane stood there. Watching. Listening. Talking to himself. “I am no angel. If I were, maybe I would not be dead now. Why is my memory so fucking hazy?”

Deputy Sally Francis saw Sheriff Connie McIron walking with the parents of Shane Felter. “Here she comes with his parents. This is going to be awful.”

Sarah Felter was walking at first. But then she started running when she saw the stretcher. She reached the body. She saw her son. Dead. And she fainted. Stewart caught her and eased her down to the sandy beach.

Claud ran to his wife. He saw his dead son. He cried out in pain. “This can not be happening. This can not real. I am having a nightmare.”

Unconscious, or maybe beyond unconscious Sarah Felter saw her son standing over his own body there on the stretcher. And Shane saw his mom come out of her body.

Sarah screamed, though no one but her son could hear her. “Please don’t be dead.”

“I am sorry mom. I don’t know how this happened. I do not know who shot me. I don’t want to be dead.”

“Please come to me. Let me hold you in my arms one last time.”

Shane moved toward his mom. He reached out for her and she reached out for him. And then there was the smell of smelling sauce. With the awful smell in her nose Sarah opened her eyes and with a start, sat up. She saw Steve Jergins yank the vile of smelling sauce away from her nose.

Steve Jergins whispered, “I am sorry.”

“I saw the ghost of my son. He was standing over his body. He said he does not know who killed him. And before I could give him that one last hug, you pulled me back to my body.”

Steve repeated, “I am sorry. May I help you stand up.”

Stewart reached down to help Steve bring Sarah to her feet. Bracing herself on the stretcher she looked at her dead son.

Claud moved to put his arm around his wife and shared her look at their son. “He was more than our son. He was our best friend.”

The ghost of Shane smiled. He touched his father on his shoulder. “The two of you were my best friends.”

Shane saw a strange creature come out of the ocean. The creature was holding a birdcage. Somehow Stewart also saw the creature and the birdcage. And suddenly he could see Shane. Stewart wasn’t sure where the thought or the realization came from but he knew he had to warn Shane.

Stewart screamed, “Run Shane. Do not let the creature catch you. Run. Run now. The creature is going to try to catch and cage you. Run. God damn it. Run.”

Shane ran and took flight though he had no idea how he was flying. For now, Shane made his escape and the creature began walking back toward and into the ocean.

Stewart’s focus turned from the creature as it vanished into the ocean. And then he saw everyone was looking at him.

Sheriff Connie McIron stared at Stewart. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

Stewart didn’t know what to say. He had to think fast. He remembered his mom telling him that one of her friends had narcolepsy. “I am sorry. I sometimes experience narcolepsy. It is more likely when I am upset and under stress.”

Deputy Sally Francis said, “I also have narcolepsy.”

Sarah whispered to Stewart. “You saw him too.”

Stewart nodded but doesn’t say anything. Sheriff Connie McIron heard the question and noticed the slight nod. She decided it is best for her to ignore what has been said for now. She watched as Stewart, looking dazed, walked away.

Deputy Sally Francis said, “I better go with him. He might be sleep walking. That sometimes happens.”

Stewart walked to parking lot of the Sevy Motel. He sat down at a table that is near a hotdog stand in the parking lot. He pulled out his phone. He called his brother Victor. “Victor, I need you to come to Hotville. I am scared. Shane Felter that is in a few of my classes has been murdered and I saw his ghost. I saw a creature come out the ocean and somehow I knew the creature planned to cage Shane.”

Stewart looked around to see Deputy Sally Francis standing behind him. He knew she had heard what he had told Victor. She sat down at the table with Stewart. “I didn’t mean to interrupt. Continue talking.”

Stewart said, “Victor, can you come.”

Victor told him that he was in Atlanta and would ask a friend to fly him to Hotville.

Stewart said, “Good. I need my brother. I don’t understand this kind of stuff.” Stewart hung up.

Deputy Sally Francis said, “So Victor is coming.”

Stewart said, “Yeah. Seeing Shane’s ghost and that creature coming for him scared the hell out of me.”

“I understand.”

“Do you think I am crazy?”

“I don’t know what to I think. Shock and grief does strange things to a person but maybe you and his mother did see Shane’s ghost. I don’t know. Did you see Shane get away from the creature?”

“Yes. But I fear the creature is not finished yet.”

“Do you think the creature has something to do with Shane being shot?”

“I don’t see how, but I don’t understand supernatural type stuff.”

“Do you think you might have been the one to kill Shane?”

“No. Hell no. I just arrived in Hotville. I didn’t know he was here, and the truth is, I don’t really know him. We had classes together but that is it. Well. Not it. I hate that he was murdered. And I feel awful for his parents.”

“Sure.”

“I do.”

“I am not doubting you.”

“Then why do I feel like you want to put handcuffs on me.”

“Maybe I do, but in a kinky sort of way.”

Hearthville Serial: Book 8 Episode 5

Any Truth, Proper Grammar, or Correct Spelling is totally coincidental if not accidental. All characters are fiction. This story is fiction. This story makes no claims about any real person.

By Charles Peters Copyright 2022 All Rights Reserved

Chapter / Episode List of the Heathville Serial

Hearthville Serial: Book 8 Episode 4

Any Truth, Proper Grammar, or Correct Spelling is totally coincidental if not accidental. All characters are fiction. This story is fiction. This story makes no claims about any real person.

By Charles Peters Copyright 2022 All Rights Reserved

Chapter / Episode List of the Heathville Serial