NO!
From somewhere in the depths of the house came an anguished scream.
“Quit it, Uncle Gregory!” I yelled in frustration. “There’s no such thing as ghosts! It’s just a recording.”
“Libby...” Matthew shook his head. “All the stories you’ve heard are true. You can’t leave. Not without dooming the entire town to destruction. The spirits in the house are your ancestors. They’ve been trying to help you, but you’re just not listening.”
“Not you too.” Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. I really thought I’d met someone special. There was no way I could date a man who believed this nonsense.
“Please, Libby.” Matthew stepped towards me, but I shrugged him off. “I know it sounds like a fairy story, but it’s all true. I promise. You have to stay. Lashire Bluff depends on you.”
“I don’t care.” My mind was made up. “I know I said I’d give it a couple of months, but I’ve seen everything I need. I’m out of here. I’m taking my £500 and the Beetle. I’m gonna pretend I’ve never heard of Lashire Bluff.”
“Libby! Don’t go!”
I wasn’t sure whether it was Matthew who was speaking or another one of Uncle Gregory’s fake ghosts, but it didn’t matter. I was out of there.
Books started flying off the shelves, throwing themselves at me as I fled the library. The assault didn’t end there. As I ran through the corridors and towards the front door, vases tossed themselves at me, plinths falling in front of me to block my way. I got a nasty bump on the head when a statue fell on me, but it only made me even more determined to get out of the place.
At last, I reached the front door.
“Libby!” Matthew cried out for me as I reached for the handle. “Please. I’m begging you. Don’t leave! I don’t want to lose you.”
“You never had me,” I reminded him as I yanked the door open and ran out to the car.
Thunder rumbled overhead as I jumped into the Beetle. I could have my things shipped to wherever I ended up. Right now, all I wanted was to get as far away as possible.
As I fired up the engine, I saw Matthew running out of the house towards me. I slammed my foot down to the floor, the spinning wheels sending gravel shooting up behind me before the tyres gripped and sent the car shooting forward.
The thunder grew louder, the sound menacing and low as I sped away from the mansion. I could see Matthew’s anguished face in my rear-view mirror and for a moment, I felt sorry for him. He really believed the crazy story he was spouting.
But that wasn’t my problem anymore. I was outta here.
Lightning forked overhead, and as the next thunderclap hit, electricity arced down, burying into the side of the mountain, sending rocks flying down towards me. I had to swerve quickly, sharply tugging the steering wheel to the side to avoid driving into a boulder.
“Mountain spirits aren’t real!” I screamed, as more and more rocks tumbled down the slopes, each and every one of them heading straight for me. It took all my strength to manoeuvre round them. I was getting out of there if it killed me.
And then I got my wish. The biggest boulder I’d ever seen rolled down the mountain, slamming straight into the side of my car, pushing me off the road and further down the slope...
***
Roughly eight months later
“Ready for today?”
I opened my eyes to see my sexy boyfriend carrying a tray laid out with fruit and pastries with a single red rose on the side.
“Ready as I’ll ever be to participate in an ancient ritual to appease the mountain gods,” I smiled, pulling myself up. “I’m really looking forward to the summer fayre. I’ll even ride a goat if I have to!”
“That’s the spirit.” Matthew leaned forward to kiss my forehead before placing the tray in my lap. “I’ll see you in town later. I’ve got to go and help with the final preparations.”
“No problem. See you later, gorgeous.”
As I picked up one of the pastries, I caught sight of the crescent moon shaped scar on my wrist, a reminder of my fall down a mountain when I tried to escape my destiny. Dr. Carrington, the town’s doctor, said that if I wasn’t the last of my line, I would have died. As it was, the mountain spirits saved me, just this once, to give me the chance to fulfil the agreement my ancestors made so many centuries ago.
I didn’t think it was such a crazy story anymore.
After I finished my breakfast, I put on the dress Beth had made especially for the summer fayre. She was every bit as talented as Rose said she was, and I loved how the dress complemented my figure without being too revealing. It was a pretty floral pattern, perfect for a midsummer festival.
Going downstairs, I heard the sound of someone picking out Stevie Wonder’s Isn’t She Lovely? on the piano.
“Thanks, guys,” I smiled. Now that I’d gotten to know the ghosts in the house, I’d discovered they were really rather friendly.
Stepping outside into the sunshine, I closed my eyes and gave thanks for my new life. Matthew was the best boyfriend a girl could want, and who knew? Maybe one day we’d fill the mansion with little Fortunes, guaranteeing the future safety of the town.
But for now, I was happy with being the Fortune of Lashire Bluff.
From the author
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