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Previous chapters of the Vista Falls story:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
How should the story continue? Voting is open on the current chapter!
Last time, after seeing the ghostly Woman in Gray again, the teens, Chief Colbert, Jenny Littlepoole and Mr. Dinello went off in search of the mysterious woman. As they walked along Old Martin Creek, they found a key-card from the nearby convention center hotel. Soon, they encountered a woman on the path who introduced herself as “Missy.” Missy explained that she was staying at the new hotel and had gone out in search of her own key-card which she had lost. Unfortunately for Miss, the key-card that they had found was not her missing one. Missy grudgingly went back to the hotel and Kate worried that the woman would have to walk all that way alone in the dark. The teens, Chief Colbert and Mr. Dinello talked about the Legend of the Woman in Gray. Jenny Littlepoole and Kate—not being from Vista Falls—were not familiar with the legend and wondered what the others were talking about. What happened next? Here’s what you decided.
Chapter 7
Ghost Roast
“It’s such a long walk in the dark.” Kate said as she watched Missy walk along the creek.
“Especially with that weird Woman in Gray out.” Delia shivered.
“Wait a minute.” Vera said, thinking aloud. “If each card has a different picture on it depending on which floor the room is on, maybe we can find out who this card belongs to by asking at the hotel.”
“Good thinking, Vera.” Mr. Dinello smiled.
“And, then we can maybe find the Woman in Gray.” TJ nodded.
“But, the legend doesn’t say anything about the Woman in Gray staying in a hotel.” Rick shook his head.
“But it does involve the land where the hotel was built.” Ward said.
“Would someone please tell me what this legend is?” Jenny Littlepoole laughed.
“I think we should walk with that nice lady back to the hotel, it’s so dark.” Kate said again.
Chief Colbert squinted up the path. “I can see her from here. It looks like Miss Merrick is almost back at the hotel. That path is well lit and I know the parking lots and area around the hotel are well guarded. I’m sure she’s quite safe.”
“Good.” Kate smiled.
“Now, please, someone tell me about this legend!” Jenny Littlepoole said impatiently. “It seems as if everyone knows about this ‘Woman in Gray’ except me and Kate.”
“We all grew up with the legend.” Ward smiled.
“I want to tell it.” Vera spoke up dramatically.
“Go ahead.” Chief Colbert smiled. “But, let’s have a seat.”
They all settled down—sitting on the stone wall that surrounded the pathway along Old Martin Creek.
“Well,” Vera began. “The Lady in Gray is the ghost of a woman whose fiancé jilted her.”
“Supposedly.” Ward said.
“It’s a documented fact that Mordecai Jessop broke up with Theodosia Westwick.” Vera frowned.
“No. I mean supposedly, she’s a ghost. Personally, I don’t believe in ghosts.” Ward smirked.
“You’re ruining my story.” Vera glared.
“Wait. Westwick?” Jenny Littlepoole asked. “Like the Westwick Memorial Library?”
“That’s right.” Chief Colbert nodded. “About two hundred years ago—when this story takes place—there were three powerful families in Vista Falls: The Westwicks, the Latchfords and the Trotters. Only the Trotters remain in town.”
“Who’s telling the story?” Vera narrowed her eyes.
“You are.” Chief Colbert laughed.
“Okay. So, Theodosia was the beautiful daughter of the Westwick family—their only child. She fell in love with a wonderful, but poor man named Mordecai Jessop. Her family was delighted. But, the other men in town who were also in love with Theodosia weren’t so thrilled—especially Harland Latchford. Harland plotted to convince Mordecai that he wasn’t good enough for Theodosia because he was so poor. Well, after awhile, Harland’s lies began to work. Mordecai decided that for Theodosia’s best interest, he’d better release her from their engagement. It broke Theodosia’s heart! And, her heart broke even more when he went off as a cook on a ship. Meanwhile, Harland Latchford hoped to win Theodosia’s love. But, it didn’t work. Then, Theodosia received news that Mordecai had been killed in a shipwreck. After that, she refused to see anyone. She never left the house—ever! Even after her family died, she stayed alone in the house.”
“It’s really a tragic story.” Mr. Dinello nodded.
“It is!” Vera nodded. “People would walk by the mansion to get a glimpse of Theodosia. They say that she roamed the halls of the mansion in the same gray gown she had worn on the night that Mordecai proposed to her. Many years later, after she died, she was found wearing that same gown.”
“How awful.” Jenny Littlepoole sighed. “Sam, you’d better not jilt me.”
“Never in a million years.” Sam Colbert hugged his fiancée.
“So, after Theodosia died, people said that her ghost still stayed in the mansion. But, over time, the Westwick Mansion began to fall apart, so the mayor at that time ordered that the house be torn down. After that, they say that the ghost of Theodosia could be seen wandering the land where the mansion once stood. Other people say they have seen the Woman in Gray haunting the courthouse where she and Mordecai had gotten their marriage license.” Vera continued.
“The old courthouse.” Jenny nodded. “But, where was the Westwick Mansion?”
“Up here.” Vera pointed. “Where they just built the convention center and the hotel.”
“Mayor Winsome had a lot of superstitious people complain when the hotel was built there. They said it would anger the ‘Woman in Gray.’” Chief Colbert reported.
“That’s all it is.” Ward shook his head. “Superstition. Stories our parents used to tell us so we’d behave.”
Rick laughed. “Yeah. Or else The Woman in Gray would come and get us!”
“Well, how do you explain what we just saw?” Delia asked. “Maybe it was the ghost of Theodosia.”
“Or maybe it wasn’t.” Chief Colbert smiled.
“There has to be some explanation. And, I intend to find what it is.” Vera smirked. “We already have one clue. That key-card.”
“That could belong to anyone.” TJ shook his head. “People lose those things all the time. I’ll bet there are a hundred people at the hotel just like Miss Merrick who could have lost their card.”
“It’s a start.” Vera argued. “I know we can get to the bottom of this.” She narrowed her eyes again. “So, is anyone going to help me or am I going to have to figure this out on my own?”
What should her friends say?
Voting results for how the story continues:
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48.1%
39.2%
12.7%Go to next chapter!
