All FALL DOWN
by Anthony Jones
© 2017 All rights reserved
The fire was licking the newly placed log and the orange flames seemed to enchant the teen campers. It was Gordon Ashbury who suggested they tell ghost stories. Four boys and three girls had snuck away from Camp Konocti to have their own nightly adventure. Gordon’s brother Daniel told the story of Bloody Mary and they all had a good laugh.
“That’s the oldest ghost story ever,” Cindy said.
“Do you know any new ones?” Jenny asked.
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“I know one,” Linda said. “And it has to do with this very area.”
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“What do you mean?” Daniel asked.
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“My aunt came to this camp when she was a kid and she said the counselors told the story of Tabitha Levy to scare the kids into not sneaking away from the camp like we just did.”
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“Who is Tabitha Levy?” John asked.
“She was a nine-year-old girl who was accidentally killed while playing ring around the rosy in 1870,” Linda explained.
“The nursery rhyme game for little kids?” Daniel asked.
“Well that’s just it, we remember it as a harmless child’s game that we all played, but my aunt said it’s not a game at all. She said it is really a witch’s spell.”
“Ha, sounds pretty stupid to me,” Ken said as he tossed another dry log onto the fire causing the flames to rise with the scattered embers.
“Easy Ken!” Daniel exclaimed, “We don’t want people to see our fire.”
“So how is an accidental death a scary ghost story?” Cindy asked.
“Well, the legend of this camp goes back to the 1960’s, about ten years before my aunt came here. She said some kids who heard the story of Tabitha Levy went to find the graveyard where she was buried and were never heard from again.”
“Ok Linda, let’s hear it... tell the story,” Cindy said and hugged her knees as she sat near the fire.
Linda looked around at the faces of her friends. Daniel had his arm around his sweetheart Jenny Casner. They had been an item since the seventh grade. Gordon, Daniel’s brother was sitting on a granite rock and tossing small twigs into the fire. Next were Cindy, then Ken and finally John who was to Linda’s left. All seemed interested in the story so she started much in the same way her aunt told her.
“Ok, but I may mess it up some because I have only heard it once,” Linda said and took a sip from her Dr. Pepper.
“In 1870, before this area by the lake was a summer camp, it was a gold town. Where we are now is where the school playground used to be. The whole town was only about a hundred people and only about sixteen children attended the schoolhouse. Tabitha Levy was the only child of a single mother who some say was raped by the Indians. Tabatha never knew her father and was treated cruelly by the other kids. The called her half-breed.
“That’s terrible!” Cindy said.
“I get it, in the 1800’s people treated Indians pretty bad,” Daniel added.
“One day, Tabatha was invited by the four most popular girls in school to play ring around the rosy.” Linda continued.
“Tabitha was delighted as she was usually excluded from such games and jumped at the chance to be part of the popular group. What Tabitha did not know, was the leader of the group, my aunt called her Jessica Bower, was really plotting a dirty trick against Tabatha, she had loaded a bucket filled with creek water on the oak branch above them and had Tabatha stand directly below it. Hands together one linking to the next in a circle, the four girls chanted as they turned the circle. Linda took another sip of her soda and started to chant.
“Ring around the rosy, pocket full of posy ashes ashes all fall down. The girls dropped to the ground at the final note of the incantation and Jessica turned and pulled the rope tied to the branch meant to shake the bucket loose. What happened next was talked about for years to come. The old oak branch was rotted and broke off falling down and striking young Tabatha in the head. They say it killed her instantly.
“Oh my God, that’s awful,” Cindy said.
“Her mother was devastated and put a curse on the town for treating her beloved child so cruelly. Tabatha was buried in the town cemetery and her grave was marked with a headstone. Legend has it Tabitha died so quickly she doesn’t know she is dead. Her ghost still wants to finish the game.”
“Ok that’s a pretty good ghost story.” Cindy said, “I got chills.”
“That’s not the worst part Cindy, my aunt said in 1962 when this camp opened, the four girls who went out to find the grave disappeared. They say the ghost of Tabatha got them.”
“Very good, you even had me going,” Gordon said, “You know there is a graveyard over that hill and you used it to give the story that extra spin, I love it.”
“I didn’t know that,” Linda said.
“How far is the graveyard?” Ken asked.
“It’s right over that hill, we could be there in about ten minutes,” Gordon said.
“Not me!” Cindy said hugging her legs even tighter.
“Chicken?” Ken teased.
“Yes, I am,” Cindy said and reached over to take a sip from Linda’s Dr. Pepper.
“I say we do it,” Daniel said.
“No!” Jenny said and punched him in the arm.
“Come on, lets at least see if we can find the grave,” Ken said taking out his flashlight and standing up.
The rest got to their feet and took out their flashlights. “Lead the way Gordon,” Daniel said.
Gordon started towards the hill and the rest followed not wanting to be left alone.
When they reached the graveyard the teens split up and started reading the headstones.
“There from the 18oo’s alright, look at this one.” Gordon said, “Jack Murphy, born 1829 and died 1892.”
“This place is historical,” Daniel added.
“Hey, guys! I found it, right here,” Ken said, “Come here everyone, you have to see this!”
The seven stood in a half circle shining their flashlights on a granite tombstone. Linda read it aloud,
“Tabitha Levy, beloved daughter, born September 8, 1861, died October 31, 1870.”
Holly crap! She died on Halloween, now that is really spooky! Daniel said.
“She was barely nine years old, how sad. Cindy said.”
“Ok we found it, so now can we go back?” John asked.
“Don’t be such a puss John; this is starting to get fun,” Ken said.
“It’s like we are living in a ghost story., Jenny said.
“Guys, I think we should leave,” Linda said.
“Hey Linda, you said Tabitha wanted to finish the game right? So let’s help her. Daniel said.
“That’s a terrible idea!” Jenny said.
“Actually it will make a good story to tell the others when we get back, come on join hands,” Gordon said.
The teens began to turn the circle and chant the age-old incantation,
“Ring around the rosy, pocket full of posy ashes ashes all fall down!”
As the group dropped to the dried leaves and dirt on the ground all of their flashlights went out.
“Don’t panic I have matches,” Gordon said.
But the light was the last thing on their minds, in the moonlight near the headstone stood a small girl in a white nightgown, she had long dark hair that fell into her face. Her eyes were as black as shark eyes and lifeless as a toy doll. She had dried blood on her head and when she smiled her teeth were black with decay. The butterflies in Linda’s belly quickly turned to pure terror and she screamed in horror.
As the teens scattered in fear, all sense of direction was a blur. Ken ran right into a tree rendering him unconscious. Daniel and Jenny tried to run holding hands but quickly tripped over headstones in the dark and became separated. Gordon did not move, he was frozen with fear, eyes fixed on the little girl as she began to approach him chanting in her wee little voice, “Ring around the rosy, pocket full of posy ashes ashes all fall down” On the last note this time, the little girl rushed Gordon and locked onto his torso biting her sharp black teeth into the neck of Gordon Ashbury and drinking his life-giving blood rendering him a lifeless shell of who he used to be.
As John hid near a creek that fed Clear Lake he tried to remember a prayer. All that would come to mind was a meal blessing his father used to say. In his moment of terror, he began to pray. “Bless us oh Lord and these thy gifts which we are about to receive from thy bounty through—, he did not get to finish. From the graveyard behind him, he heard the chant in a strange voice
“Ring around the rosy, pocket full of posy ashes ashes all fall down.” This time Tabitha attacked from behind him, she latched onto John's back and he tried to run with her. He screamed in pain when her sharp little teeth bit his neck. Tabatha fed until John was lying on his back dead and white as snow.
Jenny was crying and calling for Daniel. When Tabatha stood in front of her, Jenny fell to her knees, begging,
“Please no, please don’t hurt me.”
Tabatha’s brow dropped in anger as she stared her black eyes at Jenny.
“All fall down Jenny, All fall down!”
These were the last words in Jenny’s ears before her blood was drained and her lifeless body lay on her back, looked up at nothing.
The sun began to rise over Clear Lake. It was foggy and cold. Linda was all alone. She was bleeding from her knees and elbows and her clothes were torn. She had thorns in her face and hands from trying to run in the dark through the unforgiving woods.
“I made it.” she said in a hoarse voice. Her screams died out hours ago. When she reached the counselor's cabin, she busted through the door and was shocked at what she saw. Betty, her group leader was actually in two pieces. Betty’s top half, with her head, was on the bed and her legs were on the floor. Blood was everywhere, from the ceiling to the floor the cabin was stained crimson.
In the corner of the cabin, also dripping in blood, stood little Tabitha Levy.
“All fall down Linda! All fall down!” Tabatha screamed…
The End
Happy Halloween!