Phantom Nights by John Farris

Author:John Farris
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: horror, Speculative Fiction
ISBN: 9780765346889
Publisher: Tor
Published: 2005-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

Alex Gambier walked slowly along the platform of the decrepit depot at Cole's Crossing, sane, he thought, but with a nervous apprehension muttering around his heart. Mally Shaw was beside him, out of touch but still a comforting presence like the soul of a candled saint, perfectly realized by her own mysterious light in the deep darkness around them.

"You can't just leave here if you want to?"

"No way that I know of," Mally said with the sorrowfully perplexed expression she'd had from time to time. When she was alive.

"Have you tried?"

"Oh, yes. Cemetery at Little Grove is as far as I get."

"What stops you?"

"Nothing I can explain. It's not like running into a wall. There's nobody with a stop sign like a crossing guard at school. I just feel the need to turn back."

"But you've been to the cemetery."

"Since my remains were taken away, yes, I did go."

"Is something down there that I uh can't—"

"No, sugar. There's just little shrunk-up corpses wearing the fine clothes they were laid to rest in. Souls have all moved on. Even my William's spirit, which I hope is not so tormented anymore."

"Well where did they—"

"This place is a Crossing between worlds, which is all I know about it so far. Maybe I ought to be someplace else already, 'stead of walkin' up and down this platform keeping you company because you don't seem to understand it is way past your bedtime."

Alex snorted. "I stay up all night lots of nights. And this is . . . I mean, I don't want to go. You're here; it's the most incredible—"

"Not going to pee in your pants again, are you?" she teased.

"Hell no. Don't make fun of me! We've got to get to the bottom of this."

"'Kay. I'm game if you are, and I don't have anything else to do."

"I thought maybe you can't leave here for the same reason you can't touch me and I can't touch you."

"I don't know," Mally said, shrugging as if she'd lost interest in phenomena. She had another interest, looking down at herself. "Wonder where did I get this dress from? And did you notice, Alex? My fingernails and toenails, they're done ever so nicely."

"I noticed."

"Well, and I did wonder could it be what Alex thinks or remembers about me or—wants me to be, that's how I'm going to look to both of us when I'm with him? Although you never did see me in my lifetime with my toenails done up." She smiled impishly. "You like women, girls, with their toenails painted? Your brother's cute wife? Might be you have a crush on her?"

Alex looked uncomfortable. "I'm over that."

"Oh, sure."

"Sometimes I did think about her when I was—"

Mally cut off his confession with a wave of her hand. "No need to be completely honest with me, Alex. Boys are gonna be boys, and there's no shame in it."

She folded her arms across her breasts, frowning as if she felt a chill or sense of alarm, and darted a look over one shoulder.

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