Apparition High School

               Apparition High School

               The halls of Ben Franklin High School were like anywhere in the Mid-West. Morrisville Missouri but BF as we call it has another world to it, the most haunted high school in Green County. The back story is that the high school was rebuilt after a fire in the 1930’s. Back then it was a two-story wooden building and the fire started in a bathroom from the old janitor smoking.
               I’m Bea short for Beatrice, my mom was a bit old fashioned. Being the new kid is no fun, being blessed with physic albitites is not fun. Arriving on my first day and finding my locker and getting to know some kids I see my first spirit a boy around 15, “You can see me tell me what happened I remember smoke and heat then nothing.” A goth kid walks through him, and he disappears. I wander the halls after lunch looking for my health class and see the display about the old fire, “1934 fire destroys local high school, janitor to blame.” Wow looks like it spread quickly being an old wooden structure I was reading so long the bell rang and the hall monitor says I have three minutes. “I didn’t cause no fire it was the old mine under the school, no one would listen to me.” Hall monitor blows a whistle, but I find my class and settle in.
               Mom was at her new job, so I came home to Grandma Dee making biscuits for dinner. I kiss her cheek and help he press the cutter down “Even so we have good rise now” I promise her I will and after they are in the over, I grab some banana bread and head up to some English work. I keep drifting to the boy and now the janitor. The janitor must have warned everyone about the old mine in the area and it happened so fast that the boy remembered heat smoke then nothing. Forcing myself to do my work I will talk to Grandma after dinner, she is better than Google for local history anyway. With that done I head downstairs to the wonderful pot-roast dinner and Mom is home.
               “Grandma Dee tell me about the old high school was there a mine under the school.” Mom and Dee are suspicious, but Grandma goes into the story. “I am not as old as you think but we were living in Willow Springs, so I went to school there. We heard about that fire and how the janitor was smoking a pipe in the boy’s room, and it ignited a fire and spread across the whole school.” I decided to hit Goggle and back up what the janitor was saying. After chores I got to Google and I did find an article about an old tin mine in the area, so I have a field trip tomorrow after school.
               Mom dropped me off around the corner so I could walk some of the way, it’s not cold today there is sun out.  I stopped at the fire display and studied the pictures of the students and janitor, it was after school so only a few kids were there, I looked at the boy I saw yesterday and the janitor when hall monitor came up. “Hi, I’m Bryan with the Y, you like history or something.” I smile and say” Yes in a way and I’m Bea, my mom loved Bea Arthur, but I was reading this yesterday, so I know I am early.” He and I chat, and I ask about the tin mine. “Yeah, it was right on the other side of the school, the mine tunnels went all over town.” The bell dose ring so it’s off to class, guess I my research will have to wait “There was a shaft under the school it was destroyed in the fire, clear my name.” That janitor will have to learn some manners if he wants my help.
               During lunch I get nachos from the cafeteria. They are stacked with beans, meat, and cheese sauce. I pick the table by the tree and Bryan asks to sit with me “Sure so tell me more about these mines.” Bryan was talking about the tunnels and Goth kid came over “Mom wants us at the store after school” Bryan rolls his eyes and introduces me to his brother Greg “Hold it I like to be called knight like Gotham Knight my favorite caped crusader Batman, but I do vibe with the Goth ascetic.” I ask what store they need to go to, and Knight says, “Gracie’s its mom and our dad’s truck stop, bait and tackle, general store.” We all chat about the store, and I tell them were Mom and I came from “We are ordinally from Branson but after Dad died, we moved to Hope Springs then here with Grandma Dee.” They say they both had grandma for 7th grade English, and she was tough but nice. After the bell rings we all agree to meet at Gracie’s after school.
               “Grandma I have no homework can I take the scooter to Gracie’s?” Granma pipes in from the Livingroom. She is watching her favorite show Let’s make a Deal. “Okay dears say hi to Gracie for me, tell her to save me a place.” Grandma appreciates my gift Mom not so much. I was talking to the walls as Mom said earlier. I’m thinking I get it from Dad, he would talk to air too. Now on to Gracie’s Bryan and Knight gave me directions, little did I know it buy a cemetery, me and cemeteries don’t mix, too many voices.

End of Part 1