Page 78 of Possibly Texas

Just as the thought entered my head, the breeze shifted direction violently, sending a gust down Susurrus Creek, causing my hair to fall into my eyes. A chill ran up my spine as I reached up to swipe my forehead clear. As I cleared my eyes of my hair, a low, hollow whistling sound echoed down Susurrus Creek from the north. Another chill ran up my spine. Without willing it, I reached over and grabbed Auggie’s forearm.

He didn’t even flinch. Instead, he chuckled at my surprise.

“You know,” Auggie said calmly as the whistling sound tapered off as if being sucked back up river, “Susurrus Creek has always been incredibly haunted.”

Though having Auggie with me while by the creek at night, him saying such a thing still unnerved me.

“Wh-what?”

“The whole town, really,” Auggie patted my hand that was still on his forearm reassuringly. “They say that anyway. The whole town is crazy haunted.”

“Who says?” I gulped.

He shrugged. “Everyone? I guess?”

“Stop it,” I said, managing a nervous chuckle.

“I’m serious,” Auggie playfully nudged me again. “Like, the spirits of miners and settlers and maybe indigenous people or something? They all haunt the town.”

I wanted to ask Auggie why he wasn’t scared, too, but that would force me to admit that my shivering wasn’t from the breeze but from what he was saying.

“You sure it’s not Malia doing performance art?” I teased, though my spine still felt like icy fingers were trailing up its length.

Auggie laughed. “Don’t believe me. It doesn’t matter. But this town is haunted. So they say.”

“Bullshit,” I squeaked.

My statement was meant to sound confident. I had sounded petulant.

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Auggie asked, turning and propping one knee up on the bank to smile at me. “With its history, there’s no way it couldn’t be haunted.”

“Bullshit,” I repeated, managing a sing-song voice this time.

Auggie laughed loudly.

I smiled, pleased I had amused him.

“I’ll prove it to you,” he said.

“How will…how will you do that?”

Nervously, I chewed at the inside of my cheek, my eyes darting around to see if Auggie was going to summon a spirit out of thin air. It was a ridiculous thought, but Possibly, though wonderful, was a ridiculous town.

“Well,” Auggie said, leaning in conspiratorially, “there’s an old legend around here.”

“I’m listening.”

“They say that if you walk around the perimeter of downtown Possibly thirteen times—backwards—then visit Bend of the Road Graveyard at midnight, you’ll see at least one of the spirits,” he whispered wickedly. “You never know which ghost will appear to you, but they’ll appear. Then you know for certain that Possibly is haunted.”

I stared at him.

“You’re making that up. Right now. You pulled that out of your ass.”

Again, Auggie was laughing. “On my life.”

“Fine,” I nudged him. “Have you done it before?”

He shrugged. “No. I never had a reason.”