Sam Williams - Tales from the Swollen Corpse

The big man blushed. He had never in his entire life been so complimented. He walked into the kitchen, sat down the bowl then stood and thought. After a minute he came back, untied Ryan and introduced himself as Earl. They hit it off beautifully. Earl shared with Ryan a recipe diary he had been keeping. Over the course of two days, they experimented with Paul’s remains using Earl’s recipes and Ryan’s vast culinary knowledge, resulting in a two day gluttonous feast.

Earl and Ryan are friends to this day. While Claudette’s is not enjoying national notoriety, it has become a very popular local spot and is famous for its savory comfort food. Ryan visits Earl almost every weekend now. He goes for the conversation, to work on new recipes and to pick up fresh meat for the restaurant.

Dan sat looking out the window at the rear garden. The contrast of gray outside to the warm interior of the library made him feel like he was looking into an aquarium. He was happy being out of the cold and dreariness. During the course of the day, the gloom seemed to have slowly penetrated his flesh down to his bones.

The J.K. Parks Library was donated to the city by one of its founding families almost a century before Dan was born. In its many secret nooks, countless words had been quietly read by generations. In the main hall, rows of large cherry tables sat under a cathedral like vaulted ceiling. The wooden tables looked medieval and had darkened to a mahogany hue from years of varnish.

Dan spent each day after school at the library. He was supposed to study and do his homework until his mom got off work. Most afternoons were spent daydreaming and exploring. When he did sit down to read, the subjects he liked weren’t found in his school books. What did catch his interest were monsters and scary tales. He read every book he could find in the place about such things.

A large leather bound book lay in front of Dan. An especially interesting find, It was a very old book about witches. It was so old, in fact, that he found it in a section of books you could not check out and take home. It was written in English, but such an old dialect that Dan felt it may as well have been a foreign language. He was enjoying the pictures; every few pages seemed to have an image of something dark and sinister. One particular image caught his interest. It showed a hag standing over a minute horned demon. She had an arm outstretched, pointing a finger; the demon stood on little hoofed feet looking up to her command.

“That’s cool, what’s that book about?”

Startled, Dan looked to see a freckled face looking over his shoulder. It was one of the library volunteers. He thought he had heard the librarians call him Josh but Dan wasn’t sure. He seemed to be about Dan’s age but taller and lankier. He was there every day that Dan had been. Usually, he was putting books away or standing behind the information counter.

“Yeah it is cool; I think it’s about witches.”

“You like that sort a thing?”

“I sure do. My favorite show is Dr. Cadaver’s midnight movie and I have a stack of horror comics as big as a house.”

With a long pale arm the redheaded boy rested a stack of books on the table. He looked around with a cautiousness Dan found silly.

“You want to see a real witch?” He said smirking mischievously.

“Um sure.”

“Follow me.”

Dan stood, leaving his tattered backpack and the old book on the table. He followed the odd young man, half expecting what he wanted to show him. They walked out of the main hall towards the front entrance. The lobby resembled a foyer you might think of finding in a turn of the century mansion. Its walls were filled with historical pictures of the area. A glass case in the center displayed a local kindergarten class’s tiny paper turkeys.

On one side a dark wooden stair case led to a single upstairs room. The stairs were roped off and the room at the top had always enticed Dan’s imagination. It was visible outside as a tower with a Moorish style dome on top. Just as Dan thought, it was the picture that hung on the wall just below the staircase he’d been brought to see.

It was the picture of an elderly Agnes Parks hanging just below a picture of her parents. She was the only child of Jackson and Elizabeth Parks and the last of the Parks family to live in the building before it had been donated. She never married nor had any children. Local lore had begun about her even before her death. She had a well deserved reputation with her contemporaries for being mean spirited. But it was the rumors of witchcraft that would immortalize her for generations of the town’s children.

Dan had often wondered if the picture alone wasn’t responsible for the legends. It gave him the creeps. An old unsmiling (as was common with portraits of the time) woman with black eyes. It was that those calculating and disapproving eyes seemed to follow you that really got to Dan.

“Old lady Parks.” Dan said as if he were referring to an old acquaintance.

“Oh, you know of her?”

“What kid doesn’t? They say she took kids for sacrifices to the devil. She would take them down to the basement and they were never seen again. Some say their bodies are buried in the gardens in the back.”

“It’s all true.”

With a puzzled expression on his face, Dan looked at the tall gangly boy. “How do you know?”

“Because she’s still here. I am sure you’ve heard too, that she haunts the place. I help lock up sometimes and can get the keys. I’ve snuck back in here late a few times. I’ve seen her.”

Dan thought his knew friend was a bit off. He wasn’t sure if the kid was just trying to impress him. He did seem to be quite serious about all of it. The thought of seeing a real ghost, let alone a witch, thrilled him greatly.

“You want to see her?”

Dan felt like he had read his mind. “Yeah I would.”

“Can you get back here tonight about eleven thirty?”

Dan felt excitement build, along with nervousness in his belly. He thought about if he could pull it off. He had snuck out before. He might be pushing the time depending on when his mom went to bed, but he figured he could do it. He nodded.

“Sure, I’ll be here.”

His friend looked at the clock on the wall and started to rock back and forth on his heels as if he had a large amount of work to get back to.

“Okay, be here at eleven-thirty sharp. Knock on the front door and I’ll let you in…oh, and don’t be seen.”

With that, the redheaded young man started to sprint away.

“Hey, what’s your name by the way?” Dan asked, trying to be quiet but still be heard. The boy stopped before turning the corner.

“It’s Josh, you’re Dan right?”

“Yeah.”

“Nice to meet you Dan.” Josh walked around the corner and was gone.

Dan looked back up at the picture of Agnes and turned away. He started to have second thoughts. He went back to the table before he could talk himself out of the evening’s adventure.

Sneaking out proved to be easier than he thought. His mom had complained of suddenly feeling ill when they got home. She took some night time cold medicine and was out before ten. On the bike ride to the library he didn’t see one car. Dan had an odd feeling things were working out too well.

A cold breeze blew through the trees in front of the library. Dan looked up at the tower in the moonlight. The two sinister windows felt like Agnes’s eyes looking down at him. The old place was uninviting in an almost literal sense. He hoped for a disembodied voice to tell him to leave as he ascended the steps, but none came.

His heart raced when a creak frightened him. It came from one of the large wooden and glass doors. The door opened before he made it close enough to knock. Josh poked his head out and whispered he was glad Dan made it.