Stories to entertain you.....

 

A Walk in Fog and Time....a young man strolling thru the woods near

his home comes upon a very odd ritual...

A brief stop at Level Two....a young woman in a car accident suddenly

finds herself.......briefly in another place. 

A Skate on Strange Ice...a girl ice skating sees a mysterious face 

under the ice which she is skating on.

Lost at the Drive In....a young couple head for the drive-in but aren't

found until 16 years later.

Reflection at the Ardmour...a cleaning lady has a reflection in a mirror

at work follow her home...with dire consequences.

The Mason's Mark...a woman is drawn to buy a house that indeed had

very special signifigance.

A Rose in the Cemetery...a man doing photography has an encounter

with a young lady on a snowy day.

These are just some of the 28 enchanting short stories you will find

in Tales Unleased (Book Stand Publishing). You can see and open the

book at either Amazon or Barnes and Noble and read the first two

stories free!....now that is enchanting itself. 

Thanks for stopping in....drop a  note anytime at undertakings@inbox.com 

would love to hear from you. SS

It's just a number.......

 Do you believe in a lucky, or perhaps and unlucky number? Joshua Cobb's number was

3.  But  why a 3? Most of us are born with a number attached to us in some manner.

The story below is number 10, in Tales Unleashed.

The Haunted Belfry

The church near Berkley Creek, Pennsylvania has been closed many years ago. It’s pastor who had been loved by all, had been dismissed by the elders after engaging in an affair with a woman on the church’s finance committee.

And so it was that the church sat idle, entangled by the yearly growth of weeds and invasive vines which choked at it’s very shingles, decade after decade. The glorious Sunday morning worships which echoed the organ and choir sounds down the hollow were now silenced, replaced by the calls of wayward crows looking to roost. An occasional passerby walking on the dirt road out front would stop, give pause and try to imagine the building when it was king of the hill. It was now indeed a lonely place. The building had witnessed the baptisms, marriages and funerals of hundreds of it’s followers…..but now only silence, except for the occasional thrice ringing of the church bell. It was not a regular alarm in the tower….it only happened about three times a year, and it was usually on the third of the month, and it was always at 3:00 a.m., when all men and beasts within it’s range were nestled into their beds.

A bit unsettling to say the least, especially for neighbors who lived within the half mile separated only by the tall pines and sugar maples which buffeted the sound.

It had been rumored for years that the church was haunted…haunted by it’s organist Joshua P. Cobb, an elderly man in his 70’s who had played and maintained the pump organ for over sixty years. Joshua had met an untimely death in the church while practicing for a recital late in the fall of 1940. The custodian who discovered Joshua was stunned to find him face down, heading down the set of steps which numbered twelve. But Joshua had only made it part way down, his foot breaking thru the old board on step number three, his foot still lodged there… his body dangling down the remaining steps causing his demise.

The number three was Joshua’s number indeed.

Church records showed that he had been born on March 3^rd, 1873, and was one of three children.

So when that bell tolls three times at that ghastly hour, people think little of it….. they know that Joshua is still there, kind of a perpetual caretaker. But on that 3:00 a.m. ringing, people have a tendency to pull the covers up a little tighter and hope for early daylight.

Start your story......

 

You've thought about writing that story for some time now...but there

was always something else to take up that time....or perhaps you just

didn't know where to start. Both are possible explanations for not 

getting at it.....but maybe 2021 is the year you get it done....or at least

started.

So where do you start? One of the best places is to just sit down with

pen and paper, or at the keyboard and begin outlining the story you

want to tell.  

A good story, whether it's true or fiction will have a beginning, the

story, and the end. Some of the great writers will let you make up

the ending yourself....making for a real let down if you are looking for

that 'hook' that ends the read. 

Start your outline....put it down for a few days and go back to it.

You can change or re-organize the outline as you write....as new

ideas come to you...you'll incorporate those into your story...so 

the outline is not set in stone. 

So, with that in mind.....why not start your story.....it is a relaxing

way to spend some time....and down the road...who knows....

share with friends....publish on- paper or on line.... so so many

possibilties. Have fun with it, and stay safe. 

Lost at the Drive In.....

Great memories of decades ago. What great entertainment it was....out in the open

under the stars.....not a care in the world. This is story 25 in Tales Unleashed.....it 

would be a night remembered for years to come......for many. 
 

Lost at the Drive-In

It was 6:00 on a Friday night and Jerry was looking at the clear sky over the perfect farmland which butted up to his dad’s property. It was the ideal place to live . . . a hundred acres outside of a little town of less than twelve thousand people. Two minutes into town to the malt shop, the bowling alley, the tackle shop, and the best of all, the Starlighter Drive-In. Jerry remembered going to the drive-in as a kid, sitting in the back of his father’s Hudson while his mom and dad were in the front. His memory brought back the great smells of the drive in—the hot dogs and relish,  the popcorn, the hot fried dough.—but all that was years ago. Now it was June 1965, and a glorious night it was. 

Jerry got on the phone with his steady girl Cindy and they agreed he would pick her up at 8:30 . . . maybe stop for a quick vanilla cone then head to the Starlighter for the show. What was playing? Was it even important? Heck no, the Starlighter was the make-out spot for the whole high school it seemed. Jerry cleaned out his red ‘57 Chevy and made it look very inviting for Cindy, as this was the first time they were going to the drive-in alone. No double dating, no chaperones. Just the two of them, under the stars and watching the big picture show.

Jerry’s jaw dropped as he drove up to Cindy’s house and saw her bopping down the steps. She was gorgeous tonight . . . a white blouse and pink sweater, pleated skirt, bobby socks, and penny loafers.

Jerry thought that this girl could actually be the one . . . the one that they always tell you about as a kid, the one you have to never let get away under any circumstances. Jerry’s smile was wide as he opened the door and Cindy slid over the white leather car seat to be as close to him as she could.  As Sam Cooke’s “You Send Me” played on the radio, Jerry put the Chevy in gear and they headed for their night out.   

It was 7:00 am and Jerry’s dad was up and getting his fishing gear together for the day. He had promised Jerry that the first Saturday he had off, they would head out to Brier Lake and try their luck for some rainbow trout. The locals said the rainbows were large and mighty plentiful there. As Jerry’s dad made the coffee, he looked out the window and noticed the ’57 Chevy was not in its usual spot. That’s odd. He knew that Jerry was taking Cindy to the drive-in, but that was last night. He chuckled to himself . . . could they have fallen asleep and not noticed the early daylight? He had heard of it happening before. Such an incident would surely be met with grave words from parents upon returning home.

As the hours passed, there was no sign of Jerry, Cindy, or the red ’57 Chevy. The local Sheriff and state police put out an all-points bulletin for the vehicle and its occupants. The day turned into three days, then to five, then to an agonizing seven days with no resolve. Jerry and Cindy were both level-headed kids, the kind not to run off or to make bad decisions, so it stumped everyone in the small town. Both popular kids in the same class, these two were the least likely to be in any sort of trouble. 

Time continued to pass. A year turned into five years, the sixth year stretched into the tenth, and then into year sixteen . . . but it wasn’t to be sweet sixteen. After failing health and no son returning, Jerry’s father passed away, a desolate and frail man.

It was in the 17^th year that a young man scuba diving in Brier Lake found himself in very dark, murky water and swam headlong into a vehicle entwined in seaweed and muck. He recognized the swept- back tail fin. The young diver knew in an instant that this indeed was the profile of a ’57 Chevy.

 Within two hours the local Sheriff and coroner stood on the bank of the boat launch and watched as a wrecker gently pulled the vehicle out of the water. As the vehicle emerged from its long-held place in the lake, the bright sun reflected off of the rusted bumper and trunk lid of the old car. It was indeed a red Chevrolet.

Jerry and Cindy had been found. What had happened that night would remain a mystery, though. Did they go to the show as planned? Did they make a detour and head elsewhere for more privacy? Did they become lost in the twilight, or worse yet, become victims of some insane person? All unanswered questions. 

As the tow truck operator pulled the vehicle up on to the flatbed, he lit a cigarette and started whistling a very melodious tune.

 “Say”, said the Sheriff. “I know that tune. What is it you’re whistling there?” 

 “Oh, it’s an old Sam Cooke favorite of mine. ‘You Send Me.’”

 The Sheriff nodded and said, “Yep, remember it well.” He got in his patrol car and headed home.

Thanks for checking in....

    

Hope this finds you well wherever you are checking in from out there

on the web. It's been quite a year-plus for everyone...and I hope your

circumstances are improving wherever you might be located. 

The pandemic has completely changed the marketing and distribution

of books for authors such as myself. Instead of monthly or twice montly

in person presentations, we've been restricted to on line work...virtual

appearances etc... it hasn't been as much fun, and I am hoping we can

get back to the 'norm' later this year...if there ever is to be a 'norm' again.

I want to make a huge shout out to my readers overseas. My sales

in England every month are very good...and I thank a funeral director

there; Peter Abraham for promoting my book Undertakings. He's a great

guy...and my following there is because of his support.  

Below are some of the feedback messages received from the UK at

Amazon; 

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 30 

Verified Purchase

Great read. funny stories. Heart warming stories also would highly recommend and look forward to reading more books like this

 

5.0 out of 5 stars Old fashioned story telling

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 31

Verified Purchase

Worth the read, but he is already describing historical practices. Indeed, he was part of history himself. I recommend it for the nostalgia.

 

5.0 out of 5 stars Really good read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 2

Verified Purchase

Would recommend this book highly it's a really easy to follow informative read about what funeral directors do and how they see death

 

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 9

Verified Purchase

Very honest and an enjoyable read. The details of the 9/11 clear up was heart wrenching. Would definitely recommend this.

Thanks to my loyal UK followers.....stay healthy, wealthy and wise. SS 

The Reading.....

 

    What could be more fun than to have your fortune read at the county fair.

For Jim and Cathy, a brief stop along the midway in a dark and mysterious

tent would make great changes in their lives. The story is part of

Tales Unleashed. Dont' be afraid....after all.... it's just a story.  

The Reading

Jim and Cathy hadn’t planned to go to the county fair that day. Jim’s mom was a bit under the weather, and being the man of the house, Jim felt he should be nearby if she needed anything. His dad has passed away several years before. At twenty three and single, his job at the auto parts store and some other part time work helped to pay the bills and put some food on the table.

Cathy had graduated with Jim just six years prior. She didn’t want to go to college and had been Jim’s steady since the tenth grade. They had often talked about tying the knot but circumstances seemed to be against them both . . . so they went on day to day, week to week, trying to look down the road for brighter days.

The county fair was in action, just five miles to the east, and Cathy had asked for two weeks solid if they could go on that first Friday night. Jim hesitated, but his mom pushed him into it.

“It’ll do you and Cathy both good,” she advised. “Go have some fun. I’ll be just fine here.” His mom was confined to a wheelchair, had breathing difficulties, and suffered from a plethora of other problems which seem to get worse yearly.

Jim took her advice and picked up Cathy at 7:00 the night of the fair. They drove in his Chevy pickup, contemplating what was ahead for them at the fair. It was the event of the year with lots of food, entertainment, a midway, and just bushels of excitement to experience. As they walked by the fortune teller’s tent, Cathy grabbed Jim’s left arm and asked, “Hon, let’s go in. I’ve never had my fortune told. It’ll be great. it’s only five dollars . . . can we?”

Jim tried to pull away, but Cathy pushed him into the tent opening which led into a very small enclosed canvass room, no bigger than ten feet square. Dimly lit, they could see the room was appointed with wall hangings touting the great mind-reading powers of Belinda, who they assumed to be an older woman. To their great surprise, a sheet was swept aside and out walked a very attractive woman, probably in her thirties, dressed in a white fluffy blouse tucked into a deep purple floor-length skirt.

“Please sit down,” Belinda commanded, as she pointed to the two chairs in front of the small card table. On the table were just two items: a six-inch white candle which was lit and producing just a whisper of smoke, and the crystal ball, approximately ten inches in diameter and cradled in an ornately carved gold base.

Her eyes met Jim’s and she gave a smile of approval. “Why haven’t you married this fine-looking man?” she asked Cathy.

“Well, maybe someday,” Cathy replied. Before she could say more, Belinda had put a finger to her own lips, asking for quiet.

After being seated, Belinda surrounded the crystal with both hands turned up, almost in a position of accepting a gift. The room was quiet, the only sounds were those of others passing by on the midway and the carnival music drifting in slightly through the gaps in the tent.

There was no movement in the closed room, only the light grey smoke from the candle, which started to envelope the crystal, making for quite an eerie presentation.

“You two will be married in March of next year,” Belinda said. Do whatever you have to in order to make that happen.” She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and reached for Jim’s hand. “Soon after you marry, you will be taking your mother for a long ride. It will be out of state. Now I must go.”

With that, the mysterious woman got up and quickly departed the same way in which she had appeared.

“That certainly was strange,” Cathy said.

“Indeed it was,” replied Jim. “But eight months from now, you and I will be one!”

The pair stood, gave each other a huge hug and headed for the midway which awaited their discovery.

The courting of the two continued for the next several months, through the holidays and on into winter. Not wanting to jinx the reading they had received, Jim and Cathy planned a wedding in Jim’s house with his mom and a few close friends . . . and their dreams would soon be true. A March wedding was a bit different, but the two were deeply in love, and no matter the financial circumstances, they would make it happen.

Two weeks after the couple exchanged vows, Jim’s mother took a turn for the worse. With pneumonia complicated by heart problems, she quietly passed away one evening while sitting in her favorite chair, doing her entertaining crosswords.

Upon making the final arrangements for his mom, Jim found out she had already attended to such, and had most of the expenses in advance. The big surprise was discovering she was to be buried in her home town of Bethlehem, PA. That was over one hundred miles away. But it was what she wanted, so Jim was not one to change plans that had been set in advance.

Jim and Cathy followed the hearse the day of the funeral. Under some small maple trees on a beautiful mid-April afternoon, they said goodbye to this sweet lady who had done so much for them. As they motored their way back home, Jim and Cathy talked about the day they had been at the county fair—specifically, their encounter with Belinda in the tent, the marriage in March, and taking his mother for a long ride. A visit to a county fair fortune teller had produced the two opposite ends of life itself: a wedding and a funeral. Joy and grief.

As they continued North along the interstate, Jim pointed at a billboard just before they made their exit. It advertised the 85^th Annual Broome County Fair.

“Maybe we’ll pass the fair up this year,” Jim chuckled. Within the hour, the pair had arrived home.

Two years passed and Cathy, seven months pregnant, wanted to go back to talk with the lady at the fair to see if she could tell them if it were to be a boy or a girl. But Jim would have no part of it. “One trip in a lifetime to a fortune teller is more than enough,” he warned. Their daughter was born two months later. They named her Belinda, after the ravishing black-haired beauty who had foretold their marriage.

And perhaps another trip to the county fair?            Maybe next year.

The crow....keeper of the gate.

 

The crow.....ever watchfull, always on duty. 

At the cemetery he is the one who watches all who enter.....

It is his domain.

Read the Crow, keeper of the gate.... it's the first story

of 28 in Tales Unleashed; and you can go to Amazon

look up the book, open it up and read the story. 

But be careful, the ever present crow knows who 

visits his territory....he will be watching you closely.