The Ghost of Red Shoe Inn

By Kathleen Olson

Emily was not at all happy that she had to move to New Hampshire from Indianapolis. However, along with her twin brother, Jiggs, she made new friends, and they got into something she never expected. She found a very old envelope with a poem in it that promised that she, Jiggs, and their friends, Pete and Repete, would be richly rewarded if they followed the clues and the direction to keep their actions a secret. The clues led them on a chase through the town and through time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Oct 5, 2021
• ISBN: 9781639032822

Kathleen Olson

Kathleen Olson always had a great interest in history, and when it came to writing "Shadow Journeys", she was able to incorporate so many periods of the past into a fascinating story. Kathleen lives in northeast Illinois with her husband of fifty-five years, and two cats, Goober and Piper who, she says really run the house. 4/21/2021: Kathleen Olson always had a great interest in history, and when it came to writing "Shadow Journeys', she was able to incorporate so many periods of the past into a fascinating story. World traveler and animal lover, she visited a hypnotherapist many years ago to get help in quitting smoking. A friendship developed and together they explored the concept of past lives thus opening a pathway into other realms. Kathleen lives in northeast Illinois with her husband of fifty-five years and their two cats, Goober and Piper. According to Kathleen, it's the cats that actually run the house.

Book preview

Chapter 1

I never even met Great-aunt Sophie, Emily said. Why do we have to live in her house in New Hampshire? Why can’t we stay right here in Indiana?

Emily’s mother looked sadly at her. I know this is very hard on both you and Jiggs, Em. But since Aunt Sophie left her house to us in her will, it’s the only way we have right now to make a living since Dad’s company went out of business.

But New Hampshire is so far away. I’ll never see any of my friends again! Emily was near tears.

Yeah, her twin brother chimed in, and that house is so old I’ll bet it doesn’t even have electricity.

Both of you know that’s simply not true! Yes, it is old, but that’s what will make it a perfect place to run a bed-and-breakfast. People will love to stay in a house with all that history.

But why did she leave the house to you, Mom? Emily asked. She’s not even a real relative. You said so yourself that she’s just a half an aunt.

She was your grandmother’s half sister. And I am her only living relative. Really, you two, I know this isn’t easy, but we have no other choice. You’ll grow to love New Hampshire, truly. Red Shoe is in the heart of the Monadnock region, and when the trees turn color in the fall, it’s something you’ll never forget!

Emily Kittle didn’t want to live in any town called Red Shoe. She didn’t want to live anywhere but Indianapolis, where everything was comfortable and familiar. Her best friend, Deanna, had asked her to go with her family fishing for a week in Wisconsin this summer, and she had been chosen to play first flute in the school band. She had to give all that up, and for what? Some stupid little town in New Hampshire? Emily looked at what was now ahead, and she felt very lonely.

Ah, pifflefarf! growled Jiggs, using his favorite expression. His real name was Julius Iggelstad Kittle, after a famous ancestor, but even Dad and Mom weren’t heartless enough to call him that.

You know I understand, Em, her mother reminded her for the umpteenth time. I had to move when I was your age. It hurt, and I was lonely, but I soon made new friends. You will too. Come on, here are some more of your clothes that need to be packed. Put them in the box in the corner of your room, the one labeled with the purple marker.

Emily took the stack of clothes and went down the hallway to her room. Her room? No, it was somebody else’s room now that they had sold the house. She dumped the pile in the box, climbed onto her bed, drew her legs up, and hugged her knees. It wasn’t fair.

At eleven years old, Emily had her whole life planned out, and it didn’t include moving to an old house in some mountains she never heard of before. Deanna would get to stay in Indianapolis, play in the band, go fishing, and do all the things that Emily had wanted to do, only she would do them alone. Suddenly, she felt sorry for her friend too. Now it was double unfair.

Hey, Moss Nose, Jiggs called from the hall, Dad wants us to come down into the basement and go through the box of old toys and throw out what we don’t want.

Emily dragged herself off her bed and followed Jiggs downstairs. She didn’t want to throw out her toys. That would be like throwing away a part of herself.

We’ve got a lot of things here that need deciding on, Dad said. We won’t have a basement in our new house that you can use.

No basement? Jiggs said.

Well, there is a basement, but it’s got a dirt floor and rock walls. You won’t want to spend too much time down there, trust me. You’ll have the loft in the barn. You two can fix it up any way you like. There’s even a piano up there, I’m told.

Cool, Jiggs said happily. He was a whiz at the piano and could play anything by ear.

Emily knew Jiggs wasn’t having half the trouble leaving Indianapolis as she was. He always said since they were twins, it meant his best friend was going to Red Shoe with him.

You’re really too old to play with these dolls, Emily, Dad said, interrupting her thoughts. Maybe you should throw them out.

Not my dolls! Emily protested. I’ve had these my whole life! She looked fondly at her doll family and thought of all the years she spent with them. No, leaving behind this bunch would be the worst thing she could do. She needed to take something of home with her.

Okay, Mam’selle, Dad agreed. No reason you can’t keep them. But what about all these old games? Half the pieces are missing.

She sighed heavily and began tossing old toys and games out so quickly that Jiggs finally had to stop her from getting rid of his good junk too.

Knock it off, Sponge Brain! he yelled. "There’s nothing wrong with this Monopoly set, and I’m taking my rock collection with me.

That’s not a rock collection, Granite Head. It’s just a bunch of stones you picked up.

That’s how much you know. These happen to be rocks from each place we’ve been on vacation. See? Here’s one from Hubbard Lake, and this one’s from San Diego.

But they all look alike! Emily snorted.

I can tell the difference.

Cannot.

Can so!

Can’t!

Can!

Jiggs, Emmy, knock it off! Dad interrupted. I can do without the fang and claw society. We have a job to do, let’s just do it. Now, do you want to keep this paint set? It looks a little dried up to me.

The paints were trashed along with most of the old games. Two of the dolls went out: one was missing an arm, and the other was a victim of Jiggs’s scalping knife.

Two days later, after the movers had swooped through, the house was largely empty. They hadn’t even left the beds, and Emily would have to unroll her sleeping bag on the living room carpet that night.

Meals were interesting. Mom was trying to get rid of a lot of food so they wouldn’t have to take it with them. Jiggs wanted to eat a whole can of cranberry sauce by himself, but Mom insisted he share. Emily loved leftover nights, but this was crazy! All the vegetables, eggs, milk, cheese, fruit, and other things from the refrigerator were on the table. Mom said these would spoil and couldn’t go to New Hampshire with them.

Tomorrow morning would be their last meal in the house Emily had lived in her whole life. She thought of what was left in the pantry and made a face to herself when she thought of trying to eat up all the open boxes of cereal. And when that was done, they would pack up the car and trailer and follow the boxes that the moving company hauled away that afternoon.

Emily wandered into her room that was no longer her room. The bare floor creaked, and the open, empty closet was an echoey cave. In spite of the summer heat, she shivered. An interesting thought crossed her mind, and she went to her suitcase and took out a spiral notebook and a pencil. Carefully, she wrote:

Dear person who gets my room,

Please take good care of my old room. I did a lot of growing up here, and I hope you like it as much as I did. Do you think you could take a picture of it and send it to me once you have moved in? That way I can see how you have decorated it. Send it to:

Red Shoe Inn Bed and Breakfast

PO Box 29

Red Shoe, New Hampshire

Thank you very much.

Emily Kittle

She took a piece of packing tape and stuck the note to the inside back of the door. She felt a little better.

Morning came too quickly. She rolled up her sleeping bag, got dressed in the bathroom, brushed her teeth, and walked into the kitchen. The kitchen was quiet.

Em, are you all packed? Mom asked.

Aren’t we going to eat up the leftover cereals? she asked.

The movers packed the cereals. I guess our last meal in Indianapolis will be in a restaurant. Don’t you think that will be fun? Mom was trying to sound cheerful.

I guess.

Come on, Fungus Face, Jiggs said, showing off as he tried to carry out three suitcases at once. Get a move-on. Aren’t you ready to go yet? He paused, set the suitcases down, and said, Ah, c’mon, Em. It’ll be all right. She nodded silently, and he gave her an encouraging smile and pat on the back before he resumed carrying the suitcases. Jiggs was pretty much okay for a brother. Emily walked to the front window and pressed her forehead to the glass. It was cool and soothing, and she felt a little calmer.

Before she had time to think any further, everything was packed, the house emptied, and Dad was waving her into the car. It was time to go. A few of the neighbors were there to wave goodbye, and Deanna was among them.

Catch a fish for me when you go to Wisconsin, okay? Emily asked. And I’ll write you as soon as I get to Red Shoe. Deanna nodded, and Emily could see tears in her friend’s eyes.

Come on, Em, Dad said, I want to get out of town before the traffic gets too heavy.

Emily nodded, turned to Deanna, gave her a hug, and ran toward the car. Dad closed the door behind her, and he slipped behind the steering wheel. The car started easily, drove slowly down the driveway, pulling the trailer, bumped down the curb onto the street, and drove east away from her house. The neighbors waved goodbye, and they all waved back.

Emily watched her house dwindle as the car picked up speed, and soon even the pine trees at the end of the driveway became only green blobs. Finally, even they were out of sight. She turned her face to the east and wondered very hard what her new home would be like.

I’m going to hate it, she thought. I just know I’m going to hate it.

Chapter 2

After four days of driving that Emily thought would never end, they finally arrived in Red Shoe. Her boredom with driving, slowly pulling the trailer across Indiana and Ohio, was quickly replaced by interest and a certain amount of fear of the mountains they encountered in Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, and finally New Hampshire. Emily watched Dad as he shifted the car over and over again going up and down the mountains.

Can’t go too fast with this trailer behind, you know, he would announce from time to time as other cars whizzed past them.

Jiggs spent all his time staring out the window, not saying a thing. Once in a while, Emily could hear him murmur, Wow! She knew better than to disturb him when he got like that.

As they drove through the town of Red Shoe, Mom pointed out the library, grocery store, several local restaurants, lots of souvenir stores, and a bank.

Where’s the movie theater? Jiggs asked. He went to the movies at least twice a week.

It’s back that way, across the street from the diner we just passed, Mom said.

Did you see what was playing? he asked, becoming even more interested.

It was a Disney picture, I think, Mom said.

"A Disney picture? You mean there’s just one screen?"

Looks like, Mom answered.

Pifflefarf! Jiggs sank down into the car and stared at his knees.

Look, there’s the church Aunt Sophie belonged to! Mom said excitedly. Isn’t it the prettiest one you’ve ever seen?

Emily could see only the dark, looming graveyard next to a white building with a steeple. Quickly she grabbed a button on her blouse for good luck, closed her eyes tightly, and held her breath until they were past it.

Our house isn’t far, Mom said. It’s just down this street right here, if I remember correctly.

They turned onto Applegate Road. Emily didn’t know exactly what to expect, and she was expecting a tumbledown, neglected