Doors were left unlocked by day, but at night, doors were locked to keep the ghosts out. Well, that was a superstition that the people in The Downs held in common. On this particular night, Mrs. Bucklin had left her back door open, and, in truth, the door was open no more than a crack in order to let a little cool air into the house. An open door at night in The Downs would have heads shaking, but Mr. Bucklin had complained of the heat in the house, and, in addition, he was not feeling well. And..., it was Christmas.
The footpath that passed by the Bucklin's door was travelled in the night by an hurtful ghost named Dudingston. Dudingston was a tormentor; he would enter the body that had a broken bone, and he would torment the poor soul with doubts and a disagreeable temperament. Just moments after the daylight was gone, Dudingston slithered into the house and took a place close to Bucklin. The evil spirit could only enter a body that had a broken bone, and Dudingston had sensed that there was a broken bone in Bucklin's body. The ghost had sensed it well, Bucklin was a house painter, and he had cracked a bone in his foot while stepping down from a ladder yesterday.
About the time the evil ghost settled next to Bucklin, two plain-faced children came to the back door, and the boy gave three sharp knocks, and called-out, "Hello?"
Mrs. Bucklin came to the door and saw the boy and girl standing there. "Good evening, Mrs. Bucklin, we have stopped by to say hello to Mr. Bucklin."
"Do come in, children. Mr. Bucklin is resting in his chair. He hurt his foot yesterday and could use a little company and cheering up." The children came into the house. The Spirit recognized them for who they were before they entered the room, and the Spirit moved himself into a dark corner. Both children saw the shadow in the corner where there should have been no shadow at all. The children did not have to speak about the shadow. Just a look between them told all that had to be told.
"Joseph, look who has come to visit us." She then asked the children, "Would you children like some milk and cookies, or, perhaps, a bowl of stew?"
"You are very kind to offer. A bowl of stew would be just right," said the girl. "Perhaps we would be able to repay you with a kindness of our own." The evil ghost shifted uneasily in the corner.
Mrs. Bucklin kept a very clean house, and the children sat at the table carefully eating their bowl of stew so as to not spill a drop. When they were finished, the boy took-up three oranges that had been in a bowl on the table and began to juggle them without so much as a glance at the fruit. Then there were four oranges, then five, then six flying through the air. Bucklin clapped his hands, "Glory be, look what he can do. Where did all those oranges come from."
They told the story as best they could and then repeated the story again.
Mildred Nelson had seen the children come to Bucklin's door, or so she said, but Mildred was a drinker, and she was slurring her words. The more she said, the less the people believed her. Then there was Franklin who said the children had arrived with him on the city bus. Again, the account did not hold true to the listeners. In the end, nobody knew very much about what happened that night.
The footpath that passed by the Bucklin's door was travelled in the night by an hurtful ghost named Dudingston. Dudingston was a tormentor; he would enter the body that had a broken bone, and he would torment the poor soul with doubts and a disagreeable temperament. Just moments after the daylight was gone, Dudingston slithered into the house and took a place close to Bucklin. The evil spirit could only enter a body that had a broken bone, and Dudingston had sensed that there was a broken bone in Bucklin's body. The ghost had sensed it well, Bucklin was a house painter, and he had cracked a bone in his foot while stepping down from a ladder yesterday.
About the time the evil ghost settled next to Bucklin, two plain-faced children came to the back door, and the boy gave three sharp knocks, and called-out, "Hello?"
Mrs. Bucklin came to the door and saw the boy and girl standing there. "Good evening, Mrs. Bucklin, we have stopped by to say hello to Mr. Bucklin."
"Do come in, children. Mr. Bucklin is resting in his chair. He hurt his foot yesterday and could use a little company and cheering up." The children came into the house. The Spirit recognized them for who they were before they entered the room, and the Spirit moved himself into a dark corner. Both children saw the shadow in the corner where there should have been no shadow at all. The children did not have to speak about the shadow. Just a look between them told all that had to be told.
"Joseph, look who has come to visit us." She then asked the children, "Would you children like some milk and cookies, or, perhaps, a bowl of stew?"
"You are very kind to offer. A bowl of stew would be just right," said the girl. "Perhaps we would be able to repay you with a kindness of our own." The evil ghost shifted uneasily in the corner.
Mrs. Bucklin kept a very clean house, and the children sat at the table carefully eating their bowl of stew so as to not spill a drop. When they were finished, the boy took-up three oranges that had been in a bowl on the table and began to juggle them without so much as a glance at the fruit. Then there were four oranges, then five, then six flying through the air. Bucklin clapped his hands, "Glory be, look what he can do. Where did all those oranges come from."
Neither child said a thing. Both children kept watch over the activities of the shadow that was creeping slowly, ever so slowly, towards Mr. Bucklin. The boy gave a nod of his head, and the girl pulled a colorful stick from her sleeve and pointed it towards a spot in the corner. "Be gone!", she said, and the words were so clearly spoken that Bucklin heard the words inside his heads for years to come. The words were followed by a flash of light so bright that it blinded the couple for a minute or two. They heard a clap of thunder that knocked them back in their chairs and kept them pinned there for a minute or more. When they were finally able to see again, the boy and girl were gone. The three oranges were back in the bowl on the table.
The room had the odor of a poorly lit coal fire. "What was that...; who were those children?", Bucklin stammered.
"I thought you knew them; they said they had stopped-bye to see you."
"I'd never seen them before in my life."
The room had the odor of a poorly lit coal fire. "What was that...; who were those children?", Bucklin stammered.
"I thought you knew them; they said they had stopped-bye to see you."
"I'd never seen them before in my life."
The flash of light and the BANG! that followed caused the neighbors to run outside their houses in a panic. A noisy crowd gathered at Bucklin's door and called to the Bucklins. The Bucklins came outside; Mr. Bucklin was as white as a sheet, and Mrs. Bucklin was clearly ill. Both were shaking.
They told the story as best they could and then repeated the story again.
Mildred Nelson had seen the children come to Bucklin's door, or so she said, but Mildred was a drinker, and she was slurring her words. The more she said, the less the people believed her. Then there was Franklin who said the children had arrived with him on the city bus. Again, the account did not hold true to the listeners. In the end, nobody knew very much about what happened that night.
The part of the night the children liked best was when Mrs. Nelson had said that the children had pointed ears and long, pointy noses, which they certainly did not have. A few nights after the departure of Dudingston's ghost, the children appeared in Mrs. Nelson's bedroom and woke her with a song. They had put-on pointed ears and long, pointy noses just to entertain her. She hollered at them, "You children will drive me to drink!"
The boy gave Mrs. Nelson a wink and a smile. She kept the news of the visit to herself, and she never took another drink for the rest of her life. More than that, she had no memory that she had ever taken a drink.
In time, all the people moved away from The Downs. The houses stood for awhile, but without care, all the houses soon fell to the ground, and then they covered with vines.
It was Dudingston's evil spirit that had brought the children to The Downs that night, and on that night, the children, without a care, had sent his ghost straight to Hell for an eternity.
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