Grim Bones and the Ghost of Sad Mans Creek

It was a cool and dusty evening by the Hanging Tree. Grim Bones had gone for a walk as he usually did around this time. One of the Ghosts of the tree had told him that he was best going east, away from the town. This was because he was still hated by the townsfolk when he nearly killed them with the cursed fiddle.

Grim took this advice and went east, away from the sun, and quickly found the light disappearing all around him. To most this would be terrifying. But Grim had grown up living in the shadows and was not deterred by the dark. He walked lost in his own thoughts until he heard the sound of a river. This was strange as Grim had never seen a river. He followed the sound and found that it was a very small river indeed. He jumped over it from side to side following its trail.

After a particularly big jump Grim caught something out of the corner of his eye. He turned quickly. Nothing was there but he was sure he saw something.

“Maybe one of the towns’ people has followed me” Grim said to himself with a shiver.

He began to follow the stream a little quicker but realised that he must have got turned around because he didn’t know which was he was going, the sun was completely down and the toe nail moon was giving off very little light. He decided to follow the river a bit more and then settle down for the night.

Grim was very upset. Roger, the ghost of a teacher who lived in the Hanging Tree had told Grim to always mind his surroundings.

“You don’t want to get lost do you now little man” Roger would say with a stern look
“N-no sir” Grim replied honestly. Grim always wondered why Roger called him little man, he was unquestionably small, but a man? Grim was not so sure. All he knew was there was a reason Roger didn’t want him getting lost. And Grim had to admit, it was very frightening.

The stream seemed to get wider, to a point where Grim Bones was unable to jump over it anymore. He kept following. A figure moved behind him. Grim spun around; this time positive there was someone there.

“Hello...Anyone there?” Grim Bones could feel his voice quivering.

Nothing.

Grim was backing away slowly when he began to hear a soft sobbing. Grim moved towards the sound, assuming that anything making that sound couldn’t be out to do him harm.

“Hello…I don’t want to hurt you…is anyone there?”
“Over here” a deep mans voice echoed from the dark. This put Grim at ease. If it was someone from the town then it was better that it was not a child. The children hated Grim.

Grim moved towards the voice and began to see a shape in the dark. It was a man, a large man indeed. He was sitting near the bank of what had now become a river.

“What is wrong?” Grim asked in his softest voice.
“I am all alone, I’m always alone” The man said through his clasped fingers.
“Why are you so far away from town?”
“I’m not far away from town, look, the lights are just over there” The man pointed, and then covered his face again.

This took Grim by surprise. The stream must have turned while he followed it, and then became the river running through town. Grim should have known this. Roger had taught him all about rivers and streams. He knew that the old marsh was flooded sometimes and that was from the river. Grim was pleased with his knowledge but most of all he was glad he had met the man sooner rather than later. The last thing he needed was to follow the river into town.

“What is your name? Mine’s Grim Bones” Grim offered his hand.
“Grim Bones is a strange name, mine is Vincent” Vincent extended his hand but it went through Grim’s.
“You’re dead” Grim Bones said with clear certainty. Unfazed by the mans deceased nature.
“Yes I am…how come you are not scared?”
“All of my friends are dead; I live in the Hanging Tree”
“You mean that creepy old thing that people used to be executed on?”
“That’s the one” Grim loved his home and always spoke about it with pride.
“I used to be really scared of that tree when I was young, me and the other kids used to dare each other to go near it. We thought it was haunted” Vincent gave a little laugh “I guess I know that it was now”
“How did you die?” Grim asked abruptly knowing that the ghosts always got annoyed when he asked blunt questions.
Vincent gave a startled look. “I drowned in the river” Vincent hung his head.
“That’s terrible” Grim replied, he didn’t like the idea of drowning at all.
“It wasn’t so bad, I wanted to” Vincent muttered.
“Wanted too!? Why would you ever want to do that!?” Grim responded a little louder than he wanted to.
“I found out that my wife was with another man” Vincent said and began to cry again.
“So you killed yourself... Why?” Grim bones asked innocently. Of matters ghostly Grim bones was as smart as they came, however when it came of matters of the heart, he really didn’t have a clue.
“I was upset…she was everything to me, without her I couldn’t go on” Vincent was fighting back the tears. “I came out to the mouth of the river and put some bricks and stones in my pockets and coat then jumped in. The water was so cold I couldn’t hold myself up for long. I sank down. Then I remember standing near to where we are now looking down at my body. I was found by a hunting party, they took my body away. Every once in a while the local children come here like I did to the Hanging Tree. They dare each other to splash in Sad Mans Creek. They named it that after me I guess. They say that if they splash in the water for more than five seconds the Sad Man will pop out and try and get them.” Vincent was walking around in circles. “That is all I am now, a Sad Man…not even that, I am a Sad Ghost.

Grim Bones felt sorry for Vincent. He knew what it was like to be all alone. He tried to think of something that could help Vincent. Ghosts cannot stray far from where they die, so Vincent couldn’t come and live at the Hanging Tree with him, so what could he do? Then it jumped into Grim’s head. An idea. Niccoló had once told him that if a ghost could resolve their living business then they could move on. All of the ghosts at the Hanging Tree had died many many years ago, when people were still hung, so they had no chance of resolving their business, but maybe Vincent hadn’t died that long ago. The only problem was the after time ghosts lost their sense of time. They would always answer the same way when asked how long they were dead for. ‘A few months’. Grim needed to find out how long ago Vincent had died, and that meant going into town.

Grim thought about the situation and decided it was best to go while it was still dark. He would break into the library and look at the old newspaper clippings. He assured Vincent that he would be back soon, hopefully with a way to help him.

He followed the river and the lights of the town. When he arrived he moved through the back alleys as not to be seen. There were a few people around, mostly drunk and Grim figured the time to be about 3am. When he found the library he was pleased to find a window open in the back. He clambered in through it and into the library. Grim thought that the library was very creepy. Roger had told him that libraries were the best places in the world, but all Grim could think was that someone would catch him, and he would be done for.

He found the archives and began to search through the papers. By the time he found the news article the sun was beginning to come up. It was sixty years old.

Local Man Dies with Broken Heart
A man was found today by a hunting group. He was floating face down in the creek. Vincent Chester is believed to have died in the early hours of this morning. An investigation into his death has revealed that he had committed suicide. It is believed that he had discovered infidelities in his family and could not go on. A funeral service will be held at the Chapel on Sunday, his family say all comers are welcome to celebrate the life of a man who ‘brought light to everyone he met’.

That was it. Vincent had died sixty years ago. Grim began to wonder if Vincent’s wife may still be alive. Vincent had said that her name was Charlotte. Grim found the marriage register; she was young when they got married. The archive said that she was twenty when he died. He went over to the town register and looked through the deaths. There was no record of Charlotte Chester dying or leaving town. She must still be alive. Grim was ecstatic. When morning came he would go to her house and get her to visit Vincent.

“OI YOU!” a large man bellowed across the library.

Grim realised that he was the morning security guard. He looked around and knew the best exit was the way he came in. He backed up slowly keeping his eyes on the guard.

“I know you don’t I you little creep…you’re the one who tried to kill everyone in town, wait till the folks realize I’ve caught you” the guard said, his face red with anger.
“I didn’t mean to kill anyone, it was an accident, and I stopped before anyone was hurt”
“Sure, sure, tell it to the sheriff, he might think differently” the guard was advancing slowly.

Grim had no choice now, he sprinting as fast as his small legs could carry him towards the window. He could hear the guard pounding towards him. He jumped up to the window and began to scrabble through. The guard grabbed his leg. Grim could feel the guard’s warm breath on his back. Grim threw out a kick and the guard recoiled. It gave Grim enough time to squeeze through the window and run as quickly as he could back along the river. By the time he got back to Vincent he was out of breath.

“She…she…..she’s still alive…I saw it….she’s alive” Grim panted.

Vincent dropped to his knees, covered his face with his hands and cried. At least it looked to Grim that he was crying. But when Vincent removed his hands he was laughing. He was happy.

“She is still alive! I can’t believe it.” Vincent said and punched the air in celebration.
“I was seen by a guard in the library, there is no way I can go back to town now, and they will get me for sure” Grim said while kicking a stone around the floor.
“It’s ok, as long as she is still alive that is enough for me; I still love her more than anything in the world.”

Grim smiled at Vincent and told him that he would have to be getting back to the Hanging Tree; the ghosts would be worried about him. Vincent agreed but made Grim promise that he would come back and visit him. Grim promised and headed back to the Tree.

When he got back all of the ghosts appeared and surrounded Grim.

“Where have you been?”
“We were worried sick”
“You can’t go off in the middle of the night and not come back without telling anyone”
“I’m sorry…but I have a lot to tell you” Grim ushered the ghosts to a stone where he could sit down.

Once Grim was done explaining his story he felt tired. He needed sleep desperately but Roger and Niccoló wouldn’t let the subject drop.

“It seems such a shame that Vincent is out there all alone, and he can’t pass on” Roger said in his thoughtful way. “I just wish there was something we could do.”

Roger looked at Niccoló who was facing the floor, avoiding eye contact.

“What is wrong Niccoló?” Roger asked.
“Nothing…I’m just thinking we should help Vincent.”
“How can we do that? Grim cannot risk going back to town now, the people will most certainly catch him and we are stuck at the Tree” Roger stated desperately.

The matter was hopeless. It didn’t seem fair that Vincent would have to spend the rest of his death alone.

“I might be able to help” said Niccoló

Grim and Roger both looked at Niccoló. They just stared, not knowing what to say.

“I am very old as you both know, over 300 years old according to Grim. I have been able to leave the Hanging Tree for some time now. Not for long, I start to get weak if I’m too far away and I fear that if I drift too far I will lose my way. I have never gone as far as the town but I think I can make it. I can go to Charlotte and tell her where Vincent is.”
“But if you do that you might get lost?” Grim asked
“Possibly Grim yes. I don’t know of any other ghosts who have been able to leave the place of there death. All I know is when I’m far from the tree I begin to get weak and fade.”
“Then you can’t do it, I will go to her myself, it doesn’t matter if I get caught.” Grim said even though going to town was the last thing he wanted to do.
“No Grim, I have been alive and dead for a long time now, I am ready to go. I have already put you in danger with the fiddle and I feel terrible for it, I owe it to you to keep you from danger.”
“No Niccoló, you don’t owe me this, I need you” Grim felt his eyes filling up.

Niccoló place his hollow hand over Grim’s shoulder. “You will be ok Grim, I have seen you grow well, and the other ghosts here will always take care of you. I will go now and tell Charlotte. Good bye old friend”
“No Niccoló, don’t go!” Grim hurried after Niccoló but he had already vanished. Grim worried that this would be the last time he saw his friend.

Grim was distraught. He ran to Vincent to see if Niccoló went there first. But it was only Vincent he found by the river. Grim explained to Vincent what had happened and what Niccoló was going to try and do.

They sat there for what seemed like a lifetime. Grim couldn’t believe that he was never going to see his friend again. Niccoló had become like a father to him, and now he was feeling all alone.

Just at that moment a woman’s voice came from behind them.

“Vincent…?”

Vincent and Grim turned to face the voice.

“CHARLOTTE!” Vincent shouted running towards a frail old woman.
“VINCENT” Charlotte moved as quickly as she could manage towards him.
“I can’t believe you are here. Have you been waiting here all this time?” Charlotte spoke through a veil of tears.
“I have my love, I made a mistake, I should have let you explain” Vincent said as his translucent hand passed through Charlottes hair.
“It was my fault, I was young, I didn’t realise how much I loved you until you were gone, and I have missed you every day since. I never remarried, I hated myself everyday. You still look like I remember you, you haven’t aged a day.”
“You are still the most beautiful creature I have ever laid eyes on my love” Vincent held his frame around Charlotte, unable to touch her.

At that moment Vincent began to pass from sight. Slowly fading, growing more difficult to see.

“Don’t go, I want you to stay, I have waited so long to see you again” Charlotte pleaded.
“It will be fine my love” Vincent spoke, almost invisible to the human eye. “I will wait for you like I have always waited for you.”

Charlotte gave a smile to Vincent, eyes glassy from her tears as he faded completely from sight.

Charlotte hugged Grim Bones hard. It was the first time anyone had touched him. He felt warm and loved. But he was still sad that he had lost two of his friends. Then Vincent’s voice spoke from invisible eternity.

“Grim…Grim I haven’t got long…thank you for everything. Grim….Niccoló is here. He says he is very proud of you”
“Tha….” The words choked in Grim Bones throat.

He was happy that Niccoló had been given a second chance. He was happy for Charlotte and Vincent. And as he and Charlotte hugged, he was happy to have a real life friend.