Chapter 1: Haunted Courthouse
I’ve never actually seen a dead person, but thanks to a very talented storyteller, I am now imagining a bunch of bloated bodies hanging from massive trees and swaying in the breeze.
“…and after the bodies were cut down, they were dragged over to the livery stable right across the street from the courthouse,” my friend and co-worker, Morey Yager, says theatrically. “They were dumped there until the relatives claimed them.”
So apparently I’m working in a haunted house. Or rather, a haunted courthouse. I’m already pretty familiar with this old place, and I’ve heard some rumors about weird stuff going on here, but come on. This is Gainesville, Texas, where nothing exciting ever happens. Well, even if it’s true, I’m not afraid of ghosts. In my almost seventeen years, I have already spent quite a bit of time learning to be brave.
“But many families were afraid to claim their loved ones for fear of being accused of treason against the Confederacy,” Morey continues. “So, quite a few of the bodies remained in the livery stable and rotted. Some were carried off by wild animals, like boars and coyotes.”
In my mind’s eye, I see a pile of stinky, glassy-eyed corpses being carried off and devoured by snarling beasts. It is not a pretty picture. In fact, it sounds like a lot of bad karma. But one thing is for sure. Morey’s story definitely spices up the first day of my dreaded summer job.
My mom, the district attorney of Cooke County, decided my last summer as a high school student should be spent working in her office as a file clerk. Instead of hanging out at the lake with my friends. Which is what I’d rather be doing.
Ghost Town Description:
Something very wrong is happening in the tiny town of Gainesville, Texas. Ava Morrow, age seventeen, may be the only person alive who can make it right. Or she might die trying…
Although she may not realize it yet, Ava can see ghosts. That’s fortunate for Will Fairmont, since he is one. And he needs Ava’s help, because his descendant has been accused of something terrible. The good news for Ava is that Will’s descendant is a hot young musician. The bad news? He might be as guilty as sin.
Will was wrongfully executed during the Great Hanging, a real event that happened in Gainesville, Texas in 1862. He was innocent, and his executioner, Clydell Swaggert, was pure evil. Clydell has haunted and terrorized Will’s descendants for 150 years. Will can’t rest until Clydell goes to Hell. Ava wants to help send him there, but she’ll have to face some demons of her own, and she’ll put everyone she loves in grave danger. And not everyone will survive Clydell’s fury.
