Story2book: More Bedtime Tales for Grave Snatchers

By Tommy Richards

From Below the Cellar: A novel. There were a lot of ghost stories regarding the old house. For over a century now, the house itself was rumored to be haunted; always rumored to have spirits roaming in and out of there at freewill. Find out why over these last few days, Aunt Mary's house has been rumbling away like a noisy subway station.

My Wife the Cherry Tree: A short story about Mr. Jones and his abusive wife.

Sweet Mrs. Hart: Find out what happens after her best friend passes away.

The Eyes of Victoria: A novella about the Crawford family and the house they just bought. Is it really their house??

The Black Mood Ring: Find out what happens when it's removed from someone's finger.

They Cross the Bridges at Night: A short story about a toll collector and the discovery he makes while working the graveyard shift.

A Certain Phone Call: Steven is going through a midlife crisis. Find out what happens when he makes a certain phone call in the middle of the night.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Dec 5, 2022
• ISBN: 9781665575898

Tommy Richards

Tommy Richards, a horror junkie and zombie lover, is taking a second stab at scaring the world with his creations. Since he grew up reading horror comics and Stephen King books, he now feels that it's time to unleash more mayhem. Enter if you dare!

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© 2022 Tommy Richards. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 11/12/2022

ISBN: 978-1-6655-7590-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6655-7589-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022921345

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

From Below The Cellar

Prologue

Chapter 1Aunt Mary’s House

Chapter 2The Maestro Has Arrived

Chapter 3A Fight in the Subway Station

Chapter 4Gunther the Excellent Arrives at The Show

Chapter 5The Everlasting Railroad

My Wife The Cherry Tree

Sweet Mrs. Hart

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From Below The Cellar

PROLOGUE

T here were a lot of ghost stories regarding the old house. For over a century now, the house itself was rumored to be haunted; always rumored to have spirits roaming in and out of there at freewill. But you see, there’s been a lot more action lately; a lot more hustle and bustle. According to the neighbors, the spirits usually follow each other into the cemetery across the street. There were others that would rather disappear into the woods. Over the last few weeks, the neighbors have noticed an abundance of wailing spirits pushing their way into the cemetery. The once very shy spirits are now much bolder. They’re moving much faster and they’re shining much brighter; it seems pretty obvious that something is afoot. Something major has caught their attention.

According to the old woman who owns the house, the spirits emerge from under the cellar steps. They climb the steps in a single file and then drift their way through the front door. The old woman is now paralyzed with fear. Even worse, over the last few weeks, the old cellar has been rumbling away like a noisy subway station. Right before the spirits emerge from under the darkness of the steps, the sound of squealing brakes come grinding to a halt. Throughout the years of living in that house, she always heard the distant clatter of trains from afar. It always sounded like a train station was located somewhere in the distance. There actually was; but now she knows for sure where it’s all been coming from.

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Aunt Mary’s House

CHAPTER 1

T he story takes place in the middle of Pennsylvania somewhere; during the hot and sticky summer of 1972; in a house where a little kid once declared war upon a wasp nest. The one that was sitting next to the foot of the old deer statue that was located in the backyard. There’s a lot of spiders creeping around back there as well; their bloodlines can be traced all the way back to the stone age. From what I understand, the colorful ones are venomous and they’re more than happy to take a bite out of you; those things were always aggressive.

Aunt Mary’s house is a very old structure that was built with cobblestone. It was erected way back during the reign of King George III; during the time when he believed that he should rule the world. Inside the house, the wooden spiral staircase is still in very good condition. Over the years, Aunt Mary did her utmost to keep that staircase in perfect shape; the glossy wood still looks brand new. Another fact is that the house was built without electricity; the hallways were always dark. As the years rolled on, the house itself needed to adjust to the current times. So, an electrical system was finally installed way back when. But you see, Aunt Mary loved the old house and she always preferred to keep the lights at a dim setting; she doesn’t like bright lights. She loved the cool autumns and she always preferred to keep the fireplace burning. There’s another staircase that’s located in the cellar; it climbs up from the cellar floor and directly into the living room. These days, that particular staircase is much easier for Aunt Mary to climb. The spiral staircase is very thin and over the last few months, she’s been having trouble climbing up to her bedroom. She can feel herself getting older every day and she’s ok with that; she lived a long and happy life. She’s one of the very few people out there who has peace of mind. Outside the house, the dry grass below the first-floor windows is turning gray. In the backyard next to where the deer statue is located, the original barn is still standing. These days, Aunt Mary only uses it for storage. A long time ago, that barn was erected because Aunt Mary’s house is located on three acres of farmland. This all took place during the colonial period in the year 1760. The dwelling started off as a stagecoach tavern for travelers and trailblazers who needed to rest. The original innkeeper noticed that there was a lot more development in the area. Because he was a visionary, he understood the needs of the people. He knew that there was a need for more taverns and saloons in Pennsylvania. Hence, he and his family built the tavern from the ground up. They also erected the old barn that still stands to this day. With crops and cattle, they were able to sustain themselves while living on the farm. Travelers could buy new horses or they could just let their own horses rest out back for the night.

In 1776, the tavern was expanded to meet the needs of the people traveling through the area. After the colonies declared their independence from England, the tavern officially established itself in 1780. That tavern, with the original architecture, is now Aunt Mary’s house. There are so many good and bad memories that still remain within the walls. Around the year 1810, the original innkeeper decided to build an upper floor on top of the inn; travelers could come and go as they please. There was gambling, prostitution and a lot of hard drinking. According to legend, there were a few murders in the cellar of the tavern; the bodies were buried in the old graveyard across the street. The original graves have remained undisturbed for all these years. The small, beaten-down church in the old graveyard has been hanging in there as well. When the tavern was at its peak, there were many fistfights and gunfights going on inside the bar. So many bums and alcoholics were among the people who were first buried there. Some men, who deserved execution, were buried in there with all the others; right after they were shot. A long time ago, there was a certain pastor who decided to build a church inside the graveyard. I think he wanted to bless the cemetery so that the grounds could be considered sacred. He also maintained the old family plots and all the beautiful mausoleums. Sometimes, the churchgoers helped out with the landscaping; there was always plenty of work to do. The work was never too hard if everybody chipped in.

Over the years, the locals saw to it that the graveyard was well maintained. According to historians, Aunt Mary’s cellar was a slave hiding space; way back when Harriet Tubman was helping the slaves travel through The Underground Railroad.

Soldiers from The Continental Army used to stay at the tavern; when they needed to forget about war for a little while. They used to hide from The Redcoats just like everybody else. There were certain British officers who believed that they had every right to go around banging on all the front doors in search of The Continental soldiers; but nobody ever snitched. The Americans hated King George III and all of his precious Redcoats. There were many civilians who wanted to fight alongside our soldiers.

Inside the Christ Lutheran Cemetery across the street are the ghosts and graves of the very soldiers who used to frequent the establishment. Buried across the street are the actual soldiers from the Revolutionary war, the war of 1812 and the Civil war. We even have veterans from World War 1 and World War 2 buried in a different section of the cemetery. I think it’s safe to say that there’s a lot of heroes buried inside the old graveyard. The empty graves and mausoleums are still in use to this day. The family plots are still waiting for their friends and relatives to arrive. When they do arrive, there are so many happy reunions. The cemetery has been there for at least three hundred years and the original farm is long gone. But that’s ok, Aunt Mary always preferred to do her own gardening anyway. The soil on her property is still very healthy. Over the years, she planted many flowers and nurtured a countless amount of vegetable gardens. She grew tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, green beans and so much more.

By the end of each summer, there was more than enough to go around. Over the years, Aunt Mary gave plenty of free veggies to all the neighbors and they were always grateful for the kindness that she displayed. Sometimes she grew corn and other times she planted sunflowers; much to everybody’s delight. She knew how to roast the sunflower seeds and sometimes she just left them out back for all the birds to enjoy; as if they didn’t steal enough for themselves already. Aunt Mary was always amazed when the giant sunflowers tilted their heads as they followed the sun. As she grew older, her gardens grew much smaller because it was a lot of hard work. Nevertheless, she always nurtured a little something each season; working outside is something that she needs to do. One time, somebody tried growing pot plants on her property without her knowledge. According to her niece and nephew, it was a practical joke and they both thought it was pretty funny; they probably knew who it was.

These days, there’s a lot of overgrown shrubs scattered all around her property. The three acres of farmland now looks more like a forest and Aunt Mary has no problem with that. The oak trees are very old and they all grew to heights well over one hundred feet; they have girths measuring over twenty feet in circumference. They’ve grown to be so thick because they’re at least two hundred years old; it’s a lot of fun to climb trees when they’re that tall. When you climb up that high, you can see the navy-blue horizon of the Atlantic Ocean. The squirrels collect their acorns and hide inside the oak trees during the winter months. Over the years, Blue Jays and robins have raised many families within the protective arms of the mighty oak trees; the same applies for the Mourning Doves; it really is a nice piece of property.

There’s a lot of crabapple trees that stand in a different section of Aunt Mary’s three-acre property. Within the bushes, we have evergreen trees and blue diamond spruces; all very healthy and bright. The red maple trees, with low-hanging branches, look absolutely beautiful in the fall. The property is strewn with colorful leaves that never make it out of the woods. Aunt Mary loved each and every one of those colorful leaves. Especially when the leaves scatter themselves all over her front and back lawn. That fact alone makes it difficult to try to convince Aunt Mary to sell her property. And besides, there’s a lot of different reasons why she would never be able to sell that property as it is; there’s a lot of old secrets hiding within the trees. Not once in her lifetime did Aunt Mary ever have the urge to sell her house; she will never sell that property. She loves the American history that surrounds her property and for all these years, she enjoyed answering questions about what she knew to be true, historical facts; she really did enjoy telling those old stories. There were so many important historical figures who have dined inside the house; all the way back to when it was still a stagecoach tavern. In Mary Preston’s family, you can trace her bloodline all the way back to The Mayflower. She had a few distant relatives who fought in the revolutionary war; they’re interred in Arlington National Cemetery. Aunt Mary also had relatives who fought on both sides of The Civil War. Didn’t I just say that she’s not going to sell her property? Good luck with that.

In the past, she was happy to know that the locals would never want to buy her house anyway; it’s a cozy old house with so much family tradition. Aunt Mary is still the proud owner of all three acres and she wants to live on the estate for the rest of her life. Over the years, her family enjoyed celebrating all the holidays at Aunt Mary’s house. Whenever her family decorated for the holiday seasons, the old cobblestone house emitted feelings of warmth and comfort; especially at night when it was snowing outside. From inside the house, the kids enjoyed watching the snowflakes swirl around the glow of the orange porch light; now much dimmer when it’s draped with snow. And standing at the foot of the haunted forest is Aunt Mary’s house; her front door faces the old graveyard that’s directly across the narrow roadway.

The house is surrounded by trees that fill with singing birds each and every morning. It was always calm and peaceful in this area of the state; Aunt Mary will never sell that property. Aunt Mary, who had the pleasure of growing old in that house, was the youngest one in her immediately family. Besides her parents who are long gone, Aunt Mary was the youngest of their five children. She had three older brothers and one older sister who ruled over all of them with an iron fist. They’re long gone now and Aunt Mary still has a lot of good memories about them. And now that she’s the only one left, she’s the sole owner of the estate and she has the deed proving this fact. There’s only one name on that deed…Mary Preston. Good luck with that; she’s a very wise old woman.

However, Mary Preston, who is 93 years old, is now scared out of her wits. Something’s going on that she can’t quite explain. After some thought, she finally called up her niece and nephew and told them this:

I’ve been hearing strange noises from under the cellar steps!

Her nephew, Albert Preston, is 58 years old and her niece, Nancy Preston, is a 52-year-old woman. Albert and Nancy are siblings who just so happen to be very nice people. They have families of their own and they both work full time. Be as it may, they keep in touch and they always help out their aunt whenever they can. They have a nice system going because Aunt Mary never wanted their help in the first place; it was always a pleasure to go over there for a visit.

Alas, over the last few weeks, they noticed a change in their aunts’ behavior; she seems genuinely frightened; they heard her voice trembling when they spoke to her on the phone. In the past, whenever they slept over at Aunt Mary’s house, they (and other relatives) have seen the ghosts emerge from under the cellar steps. They walk out the front door and then slowly walk across the street into the old cemetery. Another fact is that a lot of ghosts are still hiding out back within the safety of the trees. When it’s dark outside, more of them come out to play. The locals always tolerated this because the property is a landmark. They also believe that after all these years, a haunting would’ve been inevitable; perhaps it would be sacrilege to destroy the house and property. The harmless spirits were always graceful and quiet; they didn’t want to hurt anybody. Even if this was true, how could a family have any hope in selling a known haunted house? There were certain relatives who preferred to stay away from that house as it was. But you see, Mary Preston has lived in that house for all these years. The way she carries on is like nothing was happening at all. Everybody knows that the place is haunted; that’s why nobody will ever buy that house. Albert and Nancy thought they were doing their aunt a favor by trying to sell the property; they would’ve been dead wrong. But all that doesn’t matter; they, like usual, can’t sell a known haunted house. It may be fun to visit but living there is something totally different; all the spirits share the same bed with you. Aunt Mary would’ve been angry if she knew that they were trying to sell her property. I suppose they meant well but all that doesn’t matter, Aunt Mary has all of her faculties and she’s quite capable of making her own decisions; she doesn’t want to die in a nursing home. That wouldn’t be fair to her and besides, the house belongs to her and the mortgage is paid off; her family owned that house long before the banks were constructed. She comes from a proud family and she knows that the ghost stories are out there. Maybe she wants to protect the family name and at the same time, try to stop any bullshit from spreading. Since she grew up in that house, she knew that the place was haunted for a very long time. However, she also knew that the spirits wanted nothing to do with her. These days, if her family needs to visit for any reason, it’s because they want to check up on their aunt; they feel guilty over the fact that she still lives alone in that house. But the fact of the matter is that Aunt Mary doesn’t want to move out of there.

Last week, her niece and nephew said that they did stop by to check up on her; but she never answered the door. These days, they don’t want to sleep over there either; that’s why they’re staying at a hotel. They had a lot of fun growing up with their family and friends but that was a long time ago. They both said that whenever they used to visit their Aunt Mary, they used to go exploring through the woods on her three-acre property. Everything’s so amazing to the children and the trees have so many stories to tell. So many children have conquered the woods over at Aunt Mary’s house. It took many broken bones and many bloody stitches; even a tumble in muddy ditches. But the kids were always victorious! And of course, the trees remembered who they were; they were so happy to see their old friends again. There were so many beautiful memories for them.

The other day, Albert and Nancy visited their aunt’s house once again. As they waited for her to answer the door, they looked around at all the trees they used to climb; such great memories for them. Nancy pointed out that her old swing was still hanging from one of the tree branches. The weather took a heavy toll on the swing but the ropes are still very sturdy. They weren’t ready for what was about to happen next and I can tell you this; boy were they surprised.

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The Maestro Has Arrived

CHAPTER 2

1

A s Albert and Nancy gazed around at the serenity of the trees, something unexpected happened. The beautiful silence was interrupted by the grinding brakes of a noisy train.

What the fuck was that? Albert asked his sister, Was that a train?

It sure sounded like one, said Nancy. But how can that be? That train sounded very close. Is there a new train station around here somewhere?

At that very moment when Nancy finished asking her question, the ghosts came streaming out through the front door and made a beeline directly into the cemetery across the street. A few moments later, Albert and Nancy heard the sound of tapping glass coming from behind them. When they both turned around, Aunt Mary was already peering at them from behind the curtain of her living room window. Something didn’t seem right because it took her a few extra moments to finally answer the front door. The hinges creaked as she slowly pushed the front door open. When she finally stepped outside, she gently closed the door behind her. She knew that they were there to check up on her and she appreciates all that they do for her. She would’ve invited them to come inside and have a sleepover except that she knew the answer would be no. She was scared when she stepped outside but when she finally did, she couldn’t help but notice the concerned look etched upon the faces of her kin.

Aunt Mary, don’t you think the time has come for you to finally move out of here? Don’t you want to live in peace? Albert pleaded as he wiped the sweat from his brow.

But I already do.

Oh, c’mon! There’s a good chance that the house isn’t safe anymore!! I’ll never understand why you won’t leave this place!

Don’t shout at me! she demanded.

Ok, I apologize. I didn’t mean to shout.

I accept your apology and now that I’m outside, what do you want?

What? What the fuck does that mean? I thought you called us because you were afraid! Aren’t you scared? I know I would. I don’t understand! Albert lamented.

Neither do I, said Nancy. What’s going on around here? Is there a new train station around here somewhere? What just happened? Is that the reason why you asked us to come over here? Can you please tell us what’s going on? Are you sure that you’re, ok?

My God, so many questions. I’m just frightened that’s all. And no, there aren’t any new train stations around here. I just needed to tell somebody about all this. I needed to get it off my chest and I feel better already.

Well then, if you’re so scared, why do you still want to live around here? I still don’t understand why you won’t move out of here.

I did say that I was scared Albert, but I never said that I wanted to move out of here!

But why…?

"Didn’t you hear what I just said? I will never leave this house!"

"But what about the ghosts?

We have a mutual understanding; don’t fuck with me and I won’t fuck with you. Do you understand?

Wow, Aunt Mary! Since when do you talk like that? Nancy asked with all sincerity.

I never heard you speak that way before! How is it possible that you still want to live in a haunted house? How do you get to sleep at night? I don’t understand why you won’t sell the property. You could make a fortune if you did.

That sounds good to me. said Albert.

Over my dead body! I will never put this property up for sale! I’m 93 years old! Where am I supposed to live? I’m not going to end up dying alone in any nursing homes!

Why would you end up in a nursing home? Nancy asked her.

"I said that I’m not leaving here to go live in any nursing homes! I’m not going anywhere! I’ll just get beat up by some ugly, perverted man! I’m sure this whole thing will pass and besides, all the stories are out there! How the staff abuses the elderly patients! It happens all the time! If you think it’s so wonderful, you can go live there! I will never, ever leave this house! And by the way, I’m not going downstairs to pick a fight with any ghosts! I think my boxing days are over."

"Aunt Mary! We’re not trying to get you committed into any nursing homes! You must believe me." Nancy insisted to her.

I know you aren’t, honey. You need to understand that I feel safe living in this house. I’ve always wanted to die right here in my home; within the safety of my sheets. That’s my right and I pray to God that it happens that way. I have every right in the world to insist on that happening… don’t you forget it!

Aunt Mary has every right to be concerned; nobody wants to end up in a nursing home. Where is she supposed to go anyway? She comes from a proud family and she knows that the stories are out there, both true and false. She knows in her gut that she would never be able to sell that house. She’s not planning on leaving nor did she ever have any plans to sell her property in the past. She’s not going to budge and she’s very happy about her decision.

Yeah, but what if it’s not safe around here anymore? Albert wanted to know.

"Albert, let me put it this way. I’ve lived in this house for a very long time; I’m not going anywhere! And you know what else? We’re all going to die of something anyway, Mr. Smarty-pants! I’m not budgin’! Don’t even think about it! And that goes for you too, Nancy!"

Are you sure Aunt Mary? she asked, "I can’t help but think that this whole house is going to end up destroyed. What if something should happen to you? Something terrible! Why would you still want to live in this house?

It’s very simple! This is my home and it will always be my home!

Yeah, but what if you fall and get hurt? If you fall in the basement, how would you be able to call for help?

Nancy, in my 93 years on this earth, I never fell or hurt myself while living in this house… I’m not about to start now. You need to stop worrying about me; go home and take of your children. You are their parents and they need you more than I do. Do you understand what I’m trying to say to you? That goes for you too Albert! Go home and raise your children; you are their father which means, don’t you forget it Mister!

Aw, c’mon Aunt Mary; we’re just trying to help.

I know you are Albert and I appreciate all that you’ve done for me; that goes for both of you. Go home and sleep well tonight. I promise that from now on, I will be extra careful around the house; especially in the kitchen.

And the steps leading down to the cellar! Nancy reminded her.

And the cellar steps! Aunt Mary said while crossing her heart; just like she used to do a long time ago; way back when they were still children.

2

Amid the commotion that we call life; we suffer losses that cut you a certain way. Human beings don’t realize this until something dear has been stripped away from them. When this happens, we know right away that the pain is never going away. The next time this happens to you…you will recognize it. Sometimes you may wish bad things on certain people because you were angry at them. Even if that was the case, it never feels good to lose somebody you love. And all this extra noise from across the street was because of a new resident. When he arrived at the mausoleum, he and his family members threw some wild party that very night; just a few hours after his arrival. A few of the neighbors claimed to have heard somebody playing the piano that night and it was all because of that new