HDA - The Secret Study by the Wildcat Ghostwriters Chapter 7

"So Frank, what does the pamphlet say about the cemetery? You never did read that part," Joe asked as he munched on some of the snacks that Professor Zane sent with them in a cooler. "You know, Professor Zane must be a junk-a-holic." Joe was scarfing down the last of the Doritos and draining it down with a Pepsi.

"That is probably all he eats since he is hardly at home. You know his office only had a microwave," Frank said as he chewed on a Butterfinger. "He sure kept us well stocked. There is enough pop, chips and candy in there to last five days with even you!"

"HA! HA!" Joe quipped. "As mom says, I am a growing boy. So what does it say?"

"What say?"

"The pamphlet."

"You are not actually interested in that still are you?"

"As a matter of fact, I am. I want to know what it says about the cemetery. You know what happened to me and then we read the pamphlet and it said…"

But Frank cut him off. "You just got around too much dust or something. I am sure that there is a…."

"I know, a logical explanation. Sometimes things can not be explained. Like God."

"What do you mean like God?"

"Well, no one has ever see Him. But there is a written book about him and people still believe that He exists," Joe commented, taking in a handful of Doritos. "You keep saying a logical explanation, but you believe in God don’t you?"

"Of course I believe in God, you know that. I think we are alive because of Him. I mean, we do take a beating and keep on going!" Frank remarked defensively. He knew where Joe was going with the conversation. "God is different. He is not a ghost. He is…um.. he is.. he is just God."

"I know that. But my point is this, things can exist that can not be seen, touched or heard you know. Well I just think ghost and spirits and stuff are the same. Who are you to say they don’t exist?"

"Fine Joe. I don’t want to get into a debate over this right now."

The brothers were silent for a few minutes. The building was unpleasantly still, but nothing was going on at all. Frank had already opened up a history book about the Civil War and was contently reading it with his lantern style flashlight.

"Frank?"

"What?"

"I want to know what it says about the cemetery."

"Fine, get it out and read it. You can read you know," Frank snorted as he went back to his reading.

Joe reached across Frank and grabbed the pamphlet. Frank was not too crazy about his brother’s intrusion into his reading time, but listened intently as Joe read the passage about the cemetery.

The cemetery of the hospital was both a peaceful and turbulent place. Many souls escaped their illnesses through death. A group of patients were responsible for burying the poor souls whose bodies were laid to rest in the lonely cemetery. While some families requested to have the bodies of their loved ones, many did not because they did not want the added expense of burial. So the hospital used the back wooded area of their property to bury the dead. The cemetery was often the place many patients that were allowed out would come, visit and even tidy the place up. Some residents planted flowers that still bloom year after year. The cemetery was a special place with the beautiful view, peaceful setting and many nice mauselums that some of the residents help build themselves.

One grave that was popular was the grave of a former military nurse named Elizabeth. Elizabeth came to the hospital soon after World War II. The many years of being on the front lines took their toll on the military nurse who had seen the worst that war and man could do. This left her traumatized and her family had no choice but to admit her into the hospital. But Elizabeth never did recover and she was soon forgotten as her family slowly died off. But Elizabeth already had another family… the residents of the asylum. It was not uncommon for Elizabeth to dress up in her uniform and care for "her" many patients. The nursery was a particular favorite. She would spend countless hours rocking the babies to sleep. It was noted that she knew each child’s name and birthdate in the hospital and would dutiful celebrate each one with a cake that she insisted that the kitchen make. The hospital did not mind her "using her nursing skills" and saw her as an asset in times of need. She would care for the sick patients night and day, even if it meant changing them or feeding them. Then

When the patient would die, Elizabeth would insist on cleaning the body and preparing it for burial. She did the job just like a professional, so again the hospital did not mind. However, it was soon noted by a new doctor that many unexplained deaths were occurring when Elizabeth tended the sick. The nurse was observed many times, but nothing was ever found out until one day Elizabeth was caught putting a dying cancer patient into a sufficating position. The dying patient got very angry when the interns came in and tore Elizabeth from her task. The patient was quoted as saying, "Leave her alone. She does the work of the Lord. She brings us everlasting peace." But his pleas did not help. Elizabeth was locked into her room. The patient died three days later after suffering many hours of pain. He even called out to her, calling her the "annointed one". Soon the hospital found out that Elizabeth was using her military skills to aid in what they call "mercy killing" of people who either asked or were terminally ill. They demanded to see Elizabeth, but the isolation had taken its toll on the nurse. She chose to take her own life the same way she took others… by using a chemical in an injection that she had taken from the medicine storage. It was said that Elizabeth showed the patients a love that many had never felt from anyone else and for some, she was their only family. Many talked about how she would "put people to sleep" and then sit with them and stroke their faces with her fingers until they peacefully died. Her grave soon became a popular visiting place where the patients laid flowers and even writing messages to her on the outside shelf of her resting place. The hospital had to permanently close off the moseleum to keep the residents from writing on it. To this day, it is said that Elizabeth did continue to care for "her patients" by coming to them in the night and gently stroking their faces with her calming peace. Her resting name was placed on her slab and she will forever be known as…

Frank put his book down and looked over at Joe with a look that Joe had never seen.

"Lady Brackman," Frank answered before Joe could finish. Joe’s face turned white. "Right before I passed out, I remember feeling something cold brush against my cheeks."

Joe’s eyes grew wide. "You mean a ghost touched you. SHE touched you?"

"I don’t know, Joe. Maybe it was just my imagination."

"Was it creepy or slimy or what?"

"It was soothing. It felt like mom, when she used to come in and check on us before dad made her stop. So it made me feel safe and calm, just like Mom," Frank said softly. "It was also cold. Really cold."

Joe just sat there and thought about what his brother told him.

"That is what I felt right when I was being held down in the brain room. Cold," Joe said, eating the last bit of the Doritos. "You know Frank, I do think that there is something here you know."

Frank sat there in thought. Then he returned to his book. "I don’t know Joe. I just don’t know what to think and honestly, at this point. I don’t think I care. After tomorrow morning, our job is done and we are back to chasing the criminals that are living breathing human beings." Then he abruptly laid his book down and reached over to the lantern light. "As a matter of fact, I am closing my mind to the spirit world right now." The room went completely dark, leaving Joe scrambling in the dark to clean his area up. Frank just did not want to end up in a debate over ghosts with his brother. He was tired and a little freaked out. After a good night’s sleep and some tape viewing, maybe they would have some answers.

The room was silent except for the noise of Joe Hardy trying to get comfortable in his sleeping bag.

"Frank?"

"What Joe?"

"Can I ask you one thing?"

"As long as it has to do with the living."

"Well, I guess it does," Joe said in a matter of fact tone. "Do you think that Aunt Gertrude is going to come back and haunt us when she passes on?""

Frank had to let out a chuckle at his brother’s comment. While both boys loved their father’s older sister dearly, they could not help but to joke about her stern ways.

"It depends on whether she has someone up there to get after! But I do have to say that if she does, we will surely know it."

Both boys laughed and drifted off into a peaceful night’s sleep.