Haunted Theaters by Tom Ogden

Author:Tom Ogden
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780762756216
Publisher: Globe Pequot

Chapter 19

Without a Trace

Home to at least three ghosts, the Victoria Theatre in Dayton is now the primary residence for Vicky, an actress who mysteriously disappeared from her dressing room one night, as well as Lucille, a woman who was assaulted in a stage-right private box.

“Vicky, hurry up. What’s keeping you?”

The door to Vicky’s dressing room had been closed for quite a while, which was unusual for the young actress. True, she was modest—too much so for the Roaring Twenties, according to some of her friends—so she always swung the door closed when she was changing her clothing, but that usually only took a couple of minutes, at most.

Her friend knocked at the door. And again. No answer. She turned the knob. It was locked.

What is going on? she wondered. Vicky never slipped out without saying goodnight. She rushed down to the stage doorman, who was sitting behind his desk checking out the Daily Racing Form.

“Hey, did you see Vicky leave? I can’t find her anywhere backstage, and she’s not in her dressing room.”

“No, sorry, sweetie. I woulda seen her if she had gone out this way. I guess she coulda gone out the front, but I’ve never known her to do that.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

Now she was worried. Where could Vicky be?

She went out into the theater, where the stage manager was setting out the ghost light. The actress knew all about the theatrical tradition—some would say superstition. It’s been around for as long as anyone can remember.

A “ghost light”—a single, bare light bulb perched on top of a pole about six feet tall—is always placed center stage after the audience has gone for the evening. It’s turned on and allowed to burn throughout the night.

Now, the lamp does have a practical purpose: preventing accidents. A solitary bulb might not give all that much illumination, but if someone’s trying to negotiate a stage or auditorium, it’s better than complete darkness.

But the other reason the ghost light is left on—isn’t it obvious from its name?—is to scare away any stray spirits in the theater that might be in the mood to create havoc. (And, perhaps, given the relatively few problems caused by the countless number of theater spectres that have been reported over the years, it would seem that ghost lights work.)

But Vicky’s friend had more immediate concerns: Someone was missing! The stage manager was a pretty smart guy. He’d know what to do.

“Well,” he explained, “if Vicky hasn’t left the theater, which she most likely did—that lazy guy at the door probably missed her; always has his mind on the horses and never takes his nose outta the—oh, right, Vicky. And you checked her dressing room?”

Although he didn’t like to do it, the stage manager finally agreed to use his spare key to open Vicky’s room and let her friend take a quick peek inside. The actress could just be asleep, but she might be sick, or worse. It would only take a second to check.

The two made their way to the dressing room.

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