Ghost Island

Jonah found himself at the Branford Library on yet another Friday night. Two months ago, his mom moved him to Connecticut for a “fresh start” after the death of his dad. Jonah’s mom grew up in Branford. His grandparents still live here which Jonah’s mom thought would help with his transition to a new town. Tall and lanky with brown hair and mud green eyes obscured by thick, black-framed glasses, Jonah wasn’t exactly a ladies’ man. In fact, he had not made any friends in the whole two months he had been here. Jonah always struggled with not feeling seen by others but being in a new town he felt downright invisible and the only other one that might understand how he felt died 6 months ago. Jonah tried to push thoughts of his dad out of his head as he turned his attention back to the library shelves that held all the books on the history of Branford.

Originally, Jonah started coming to the library to get out of the house while his mom worked overnight at the Yale-New Haven Hospital, but soon he became engrossed in the history of the town. On this particular Friday night, Jonah found that he was not the only one in this section of the library. Rather than search for the book he came to this aisle for, Jonah felt compelled to stare at her. He had never seen her before but she looked to be his age and he wondered if she went to the high school. Jonah observed how the sun streaming in the window to her right showed the auburn highlights in her brown curly hair. He noticed how her hazel eyes had a glint and sparkle in them. He tried to suppress a smile when she scrunched her nose as the dust billowed up from the book she just grabbed off the shelf. Jonah felt his palms grow sweaty and his breathing become hitched as he thought to himself This is my chance. My chance to say something to her that is clever and will make her laugh. Jonah cleared his throat and asked “Come here often?” He immediately regretted the question as soon as it left his lips. Madison looked over at him, giggled shyly before responding “Not too often. I am Madison”. He introduces himself “I am Jonah”. Jonah glanced at the book in her hands Local Ghost Stories and he scoffed slightly “You don’t actually believe in ghosts, do you?” She considered him curiously for a moment and asked, “Don’t you?” Without hesitation, Jonah said “Not at all. Any documented paranormal activity can be logically explained. Besides if ghosts existed, I would have seen my…..”.he trailed off not wanting to bring up his dad. With a shrug of her shoulders, she said “When you grow up here you learn to believe pretty quickly. My friends and I are planning a ghost hunting trip tomorrow night on Halloween. Halloween is the one night of the year the veil between the living and the dead is the thinnest. So my friends and I are going to prove ghosts exist”. Despite his skepticism, Jonah did not want to miss an opportunity like this and without thinking he asked “Can I join you and your friends?” Madison smiled at him and replied “Sure! Meet us on the dock at Stony Creek Harbor tomorrow at 9:30p”.

The next day, Jonah was filled with nervous energy. He couldn’t wait to see Madison again and proving ghosts didn’t exist would only be icing on the cake. By the time he arrived at the dock, Madison was there with a group of friends. Jonah sauntered up to the group with his hands in his pockets. Madison perked up when she saw him and said “Great Jonah you are here. This is Connor, Mark, Poppy, and Willow”. He greeted the group “Hey” and they responded in unison “Hey”. Connor and Mark looked like your typical jocks, tall with broad shoulders and muscular frames. Willow and Poppy were both petite but that was where their similarities ended. Willow had short black hair, brown eyes, caramel skin, and wore gray glasses. Poppy had red hair, green eyes, and freckles all over her face. Jonah asked the group “So where exactly are we going on this on this excursion?” Everyone exchanged glances before Conner answered, “My parents’ boat is docked here and we are going to head over to one of the Thimble Islands called Ghost Island”. Madison adds “Legend has it that back in the 1600s, pirate Captain William Kidd buried a chest of gold somewhere in the Thimble Island chain as he fled pirate hunters. It is believed the treasure could very well be on Ghost Island. But that is a story for another day. Originally known as Page’s Island, the wealthy Wheeler family acquired the island in 1885, with it remaining in the family until 1998. It was later bought by a wealthy widow named Christine after her husband died. She leveled the original house in 2001 and replaced it with a stately, three-story home. The house has sat abandoned since the home was finished due to strange occurrences of doors slamming shut, footsteps heard in the hallways, raspy voices heard, and sightings of apparitions. The Wheeler family also reported suspicious ghostly activity when they owned the island. Thus, it has become known as Ghost Island”. Willow seemed reluctant to speak then quietly added “Some stories talk of scary encounters with a spirit that appears as a man appearing in pirate clothing and a spirit a young girl dressed in Victorian clothing. Some people report injuries such as scratches or burns on their body, unexplained illnesses, and even tragic accidents not long after their encounters on this island”. Mark held up a large plastic case and stated “We will set up night vision cameras and carry camera that detect temperature fluctuations. We also have headlamps, sound recorders, and EMF recorders. We should be able to catch any ghost activity that occurs”. Poppy pipes up “Alright now that we are all caught up let’s do this”. They all headed down the dock to Connor’s boat and boarded a boat named The Iron Maiden. It was only a 15-minute boat ride through the Long Island Sound or The Sound as locals call it. Soon they were anchoring the boat and wading through the water to the small private beach on Ghost Island.

In the distance an owl hoots and leaves rustle as if there is a breeze blowing that none of them can feel. A dense fog has settled over the island as if it is setting the scene for the ultimate horror movie. Jonah swallows the lump in his throat he didn’t realize was there as he thinks to himself Maybe this was a bad idea. Something is seriously off about this place. Not wanting to be the only one to chicken out, he trudges along behind the group as they make their way to the house. Connor and Mark remove the boards nailed across the front door so they can gain access to the door. Madison starts handing everyone a headlamp. Before they enter the house, Madison smiles and says “No going back now”. Jonah is the last to come into the foyer. He is struck by how beautifully decorated the house is. The house may have been abandoned 20 years ago but it doesn’t look like the passage of time has taken a toll on the house aside from there being dust everywhere. Connor and Mark head upstairs to set up some cameras in the bedrooms. Willow and Madison go off to set cameras up in the library and kitchen. Poppy starts laying out the sound recorders and EMF recorders on the table in the dinning room. Jonah feels drawn to the living room. His eyes land on a portrait of a young girl that is hanging above the fireplace mantle. Jonah startles as Poppy speaks behind him “That is Adaline, Frank Wheeler’s youngest daughter. She died of tuberculosis when she was 10 years old. Many people believe she is the young girl in Victorian clothing that haunts the island”. Jonah’s gaze remains fixed on the portrait and the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as a shiver runs through his body. The young girl’s expression in the portrait is very unsettling and Jonah’s skepticism begins to fade ever so slightly. Maybe there is some truth to these ghost stories he thought.

The others join Jonah and Poppy in the living room. Connor announces “All the cameras are set up. Where should we start?” Madison asks “Should we investigate together or break up into smaller teams?” Mark says “Smaller teams might be better. This place is huge and we would cover more ground. Let’s do teams of two. Me and Poppy. Connor and Willow. Madison and Jonah”. Everyone nods in agreement and Madison says “Sounds good to me. We’ll met back here in two hours”. They each grab one sound recorder and one EMF recorder per team and head off in different directions. Jonah and Madison started in the kitchen. Madison called out “If there are any spirits here that want to talk show us a sign”. Jonah shook his head as he tried to suppress a laugh just as he felt like he was being watched. Jonah looked around the kitchen but did not see anyone else but Madison. His heart began to race as he continued to feel like he was under the watchful eye of someone. A voice whispered “Leave here. It’s not safe”. Jonah turned to Madison and asked “What did you just say?” Madison looked perplexed and asked “What do you mean? I didn’t say anything”. He stumbles over his words “I uh I heard a female voice say ‘Leave here. It is not safe’ I swear I thought it was you?” Madison laughs and says “Oh stop you are just messing with me because I believe in ghosts”. Try as he might, Jonah could not get that voice out of his head. After the kitchen they go to the family room then the dining room. Although Jonah does not hear the voice again in either of those rooms, he still feels as if he is being closely watched. He also notices that every room gets noticeably colder once they enter it. Madison seems to be oblivious to all of it making small talk with him about where he grew up and his family.

Next Jonah and Madison head down to the cellar. He has never been a fan of cellars, but he would never admit that to a pretty girl. The cellar was unremarkable which Jonah was happy about. Madison was looking around to the right and Jonah suddenly heard rattling sounds coming from the left side of the cellar. He approached an old workbench that seemed to be shaking. Written in the dust on the surface of the workbench “Leave now or the others will hurt you”. Jonah called to Madison “Hey come check this out” as he turned around to get her attention. Madison was nowhere to be found. “Madison, stop this isn’t funny. Come out from your hiding spot” Jonah said. He received no response. All at once the door to the cellar slammed shut and his headlamp went out. The room got even colder and Jonah could now see his breath in front of him. He squinted his eyes in the dark and noticed a faint one white growing larger and larger about 15 feet in front of him. The white light began to take the shape of a young girl in Victorian clothing. “He-he-hello” Jonah nervously stuttered. The young girl steps closer to Jonah and speaks “You need to leave here right now. You are in danger. The others want you to stay with them. Don’t let them get their hands on you. Go now before midnight or it will be too late”. Just then the door to the cellar creaked open and Jonah ran up the stairs. “Madison, Conner, Mark, Willow, Poppy. Where are you? Let’s get out of here” Jonah bellowed out. No one answered. He ran from room to room but saw no signs of any of them. They left me here he thought to himself. Jonah stopped to catch his breath and think of what to do next. He found himself back in the living room with the portrait of the young girl.

Turning from the unsettling portrait, Jonah breathes a sign of relief when his eyes fall on Madison and her friends. He notices they look a little paler but his guys may be playing tricks on him due to what he just experienced. They speak in unison “Stay with Jonah. Stay here forever with us”. He found it strange they spoke in unison but shrugged it off saying “We need to leave now. I think we are all in danger”. Again they speak in unison “We picked you for a reason. You are just like us. Lonely and misunderstood. Stay with us”. They each reached out and grabbed his arms pulling him towards them. His skin where the were each touching him felt it was burning and his head mind feeling fuzzy. Jonah felt like he was going to pass out and he suddenly felt like he did want to stay. He could not remember anymore why he wanted to leave the island to begin with. Out of nowhere Jonah heard a loud pitched shriek. He saw the white light growing behind the group. Then his world went black.

Jonah woke fully clothed and in his bed. He looked down and saw burns in the shape of 5 distinct handprints on his forearms and biceps. He couldn’t remember how he got home. He needed to talk to Madison to find out what happened. Jonah realized he did not know her last name so he decided to go to the library in hopes he would run into her again. He walks into the library with a purpose and heads straight for the history section willing her to be there with all his might. He rounds the corner of the aisle and finds it empty. No surprise there he thought bitterly to himself. Jonah heads to the front desk. Mrs. Weatherby, the librarian smiles warmly at him and asked “Can I help you Jonah?” Unsure of what to say, Jonah says “On Friday, did you see the girl I was talking to in the history section?” Mrs. Weatherby says “I am sorry but I didn’t see you talking to anyone on Friday night”. Crestfallen Jonah says “Oh um thank you anyway”. As he turns to go his gaze falls on a photo on Mrs. Weatherby’s desk of her and Madison. “The girl in that photo with you on your desk is the girl I was talking to”. Mrs. Weatherby’s smile falters and she replies sadly “That’s impossible. My daughter and her friends died in a boating accident after visiting one of the Thimble Islands Halloween night 5 years ago”. Already knowing the answer, Jonah asks “What was the name of the boat?” Mrs. Weatherby answers “The Iron Maiden.