Howard looked over at Grant, steady concentration written across his face. Grant was bewildered and, truth be told, slightly frightened. Had the Gate Keepers found him already? And why hadn’t Prudy warned him via the watch he had been given? Remembering the watch, he reached into his pocket and pulled it out. He wasn’t sure what it would look like when used as a communication device, but to him, it still looked like an ordinary pocket watch. Getting up, he tread over to Howard, in order to speak more softly.
Whispering as faintly as he could and still be heard over the wind whipping outside, Grant said, “Who in the hell do you think that is?”
Shrugging slightly, Howard wet his lips. “I’m not sure...” He trailed off, staring blankly in thought, which made Grant uneasy. “I hope it’s just my daughter. She was over at her friend’s house when the wind started howling... I was hoping she’d just stay over there.”
Silently letting out his breath, Grant replied, a little louder, “Well, that’s good. You better answer it then. It’s better than who I thought might be at the door.”
Without hesitation, Howard said, “Gate Keepers.” Walking around Grant and towards the door, he added, “They wouldn’t knock.”
Holding his ground, anticipating that the wind would reach for the door and attempt to rip it off its hinges, he twisted the knob and opened it about a quarter of the way. Reaching out with one arm, while holding the door steady with the other, he grasped whoever was out there and pulled her inside. Struggling to close the door, the girl fell to the floor with a thud. Finally clasping the door shut with a click, Howard bolted all the latches again, locking out the storm.
The girl, it turned out, was completely covered in dirt, head to toe. She shook her head from side to side, the dust flying out in all directions and delicately dancing to the floor. Shooting her father a dirty look, she then noticed the other man in the room and crawled backwards a touch, still sitting on her bottom. She shrieked, “Ghost!!”
Copyright © by Erin M. Truesdale, 2013
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