Episode 1: East Shady Grove Cemetery

The Truth About Sadie Wilkins, Paranormal Fiction

My name is Sadie Wilkins, and I've accepted that I must help spirits who reach out to me. Honestly, I don't have much of a choice. The souls of those who need to pass on won't leave me alone until I help them with whatever it is that’s keepin’ them stuck. 

I remember the first time I knew I could see ghosts and for sure wasn't imaginin' things. It all started when my family moved from the Valley in Southern California to a tiny town in Arkansas. The move was a culture shock to me, but also worse. Livin' so far away from the rest of my California family and friends would make my daily life unbearable because my parents were free to do as they pleased.   

Sadie in Southern California by Sharon Wilfong via DALL-E

Anyhow. I only bring that up because I think it bears some significance in this story. So, here goes.

***  

Mama said it would take around a day to travel to our new home. Of course, she didn't tell us we weren't gonna stop except to fill up the gas tank. Me and my brothers entertained ourselves in the back of the camper by pretending we were wild animals, and our parents were transportin' us to the zoo. Mama gave us sandwiches from the mini-mart, and we sat at the camper table on our haunches, eatin’ the cheap lunch meat without usin’ our hands. 

We were all exhausted from the 1,640-mile trip by the time we got to our new house. Daddy made us unload the trailer, beds, and all before we could rest. Mama said we were on a mission to unpack before Daddy started his new job on Monday mornin'. I finally got all my stuff into my room around midnight and passed out on the bed without explorin' anything. I woke up at some time around 3 a.m. because I felt like someone was watchin' me.

It wasn't Daddy.

Whatever this was, the unfamiliar presence sent a chill right up my backbone. I lie in bed lookin' at the ceiling for a few minutes, thinkin' I was havin’ one of those nightmares I have whenever things change too much. 

You know, stress and all. 

Still, that full moon shinin' through my window, lightin’ up the whole far side of my room, convinced me to slide out of bed to see what was out there. The sight took my breath away. 

Sadie Wilkins in her new room via DALL-E

Not too far up the hill was an iron gate and sign markin’ the entrance to East Shady Grove Cemetery. It had been dark when I was movin’ my stuff in, and I was tryin' hard not to get into trouble for loafin' around, so I hadn't taken the time to explore the scenery from my bedroom window.  

"Why do I have to be in the room facing the cemetery?" I asked myself.  

I knew why, though. It was the closest room to Mama and Daddy's bedroom. Didn't matter right now. I got out of bed and stood in the window, observin’ the moonlight over the graveyard.  

It was magical for a few minutes. Then somethin’ brought me out of my trance.

***

Tip-tap.  

Tip-tap.  

The pitter-patter headin' down the hallway reminded me that I woke up with a sensation that someone was watchin’ me. Now, I was convinced that one or both of my brothers were plannin’ a sneak attack. So, I decided to play along. I tip-toed into the hall, listenin’ for any movement. It was dark, but the back porch light was on.  

The new house had a slidin’ glass door that opened to a small cement patch. The rest of the backyard was rocky dirt. And beyond that, it was all trees. I hadn't got to take a real good look at it earlier, but I figured I'd slide by undetected right now, as long as I was careful. 

If daddy caught me up roamin' around when he had to go to work in a couple of hours, there's no doubt he'd beat my ass. So, I got down on all fours and crawled past Mama and Daddy's door. From my position, I saw someone in the bathroom where the light seeped through the crack between the bottom of the door and the floor.  

I waited. The light went off. But no one left the bathroom.  

"What the heck?" I thought.

I stood up, ever so quiet. Just when I was about to open the door, this little girl ran across the hallway from the livin' room and out the slidin’ glass door! Here's the thing. She didn't open the door. Instead, she just kind of went right through it.  

"Maybe I'm dreamin'." 

I pinched myself. It hurt. So I was pretty sure I wasn't sleepin’. I figured I might as well check out back since I was up anyway. First, I opened the bathroom door to make sure no one was in there. It was dark and empty. Next, I slid silently to the slidin’ glass door.  

CLICK!

The dang sound echoed through the house, almost givin’ me a heart attack! Not only that but there was no way anyone went through that thick glass.

“I must be havin' some kind of nervous reaction," I said to myself.

I slid the door open and left it like that to make less noise. Then, I stepped into the warm, fresh, smellin' summer air. Mama and Daddy's room was dark. But it was gonna be gettin' light soon. I decided to walk around the house and then go back to bed. I turned the corner, walked to my bedroom window, and stood in front of it, facing East Shady Grove Cemetery.  

Right when I had pretty much made up my mind that I’d been imaginin' things, the little girl darted from the woods behind my house and ran up the hill.  

"Hey!" 

My voice barely escaped, but she heard me. She turned around and waved to follow her. I ran after the little girl, chasin' her all the way up the hill, and lost her right after I went through the graveyard gate.

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Read Episode 2

The Truth About Sadie Wilkins