Chapter Six!
Ghostly Encounters
September - The Los Angeles Ministry
The chimes from the the old grandfather clock in the library echoed throughout the Ministry, the last chime soon faded away. The hallways were silent and still, but the sound of ghoulish chatter and hurried footsteps disturbed the silence of the night. The ghouls were causing mischief around the unholy church, the night belonged to them when the outside world was sleeping. It was the early hours of the morning, but a buzzing sound disturbed the peace in one of the dorm room on the second floor.
Albany stirred in her sleep and rolled into her side, her eyes fluttering open she saw the screen of her mobile phone lighting up. Rubbing at her eyes she gave herself a moment to wake up before sat up in her bed, she then reached for her phone. She checked who was calling her at this ungodly hour. The name she could see on the screen unsettled her, it was the third call she had received this week from Papa Nihil's office telephone. Looking around her dark room Albany hesitated before she answered it, her voice soon broke the silence of the room.
" Hello?" She asked.
" Albany..."
" Who is this?" She asked.
The phoneline clicked and the call ended, her mobile phone's screen went blank. Albany immediately turned her bedside lamp on before she threw her phone onto the bed, she was unsure if she was dreaming. Supernatural occurrences had been happening lately, she was beginning to think the Ministry was haunted. She had seen unexplainable white mist in the chapel and things had been moved around in her room, the old piano in the hallway had been heard playing all by it's self in the early hours of the morning. Albany had spoken to Phil about it, he had reassured her that her Father wasn't calling her from beyond the grave. He suspected that the ghouls were playing tricks on her since they knew she was getting paranoid about the odd disturbances, but she was unsure what she had done to upset them if that was the case.
The buzzing of her mobile phone caught her attention again, the caller was Papa Nihil. Bringing her knees to her chest Albany hugged her legs while she watched her phone ringing out, the screen soon went blank again. A faltered sigh escaped her lips while she brought her finger tips to her lips, the thought of her Father trying to contact her from beyond the grave was unsettling. Albany glanced around the room and pulled back her blankets, she needed to get to the bottom of who was calling her phone from her Father's office telephone.
Albany took her mobile from her bed sheets, she slipped her bed socks on before she climbed out of her bed. She planned to visited her Father's office even if the hour was late, it was the only way she would be able to settle her mind this night. Leaving the lamp on in her room she unbolted the door and entered the hallway, she quietly closed the door behind her. The silence of the hallway greeted her, she looked both way before she venture through the double doors of the female dorms floor. She decided to take the stairwell instead of the elevator, it would be quicker on foot. Entering the ground floor from the stairwell she kept on walking, the hallways were empty.
The Ministry was silent and calm, no one was around at this ungodly hour. Albany glanced into the chapel while she walked passed it, the unholy place of worship was lit with candles and incense sticks. She kept on walking until she reached Papa Nihil's old office, the door was ajar. A thin ray of light shone though a gap in the doorway, she was unsure if the office was occupied. Approaching the door Albany's hand reached for the handle, her fingers curling around it she took a deep breath before she slowly opened the door. The door creak and the hinges squeaked, she noticed a shadow scurrying across the wall when she entered the room. The chair at the desk was spinning, the telephone's reliever was hanging from it's holder. Her voice was soon heard, she was curious about the eerie situation unfolding in front of her eyes.
" Papa, are you here?" She asked.
The office remained silent and still, but the ringing of the telephone soon disturbed the peace. A shiver ran down Albany's spine, her gaze fell upon the telephone. The receiver was off the hook, it was impossible that the telephone should be even receiving phone calls. The room became icy cold in seconds, her hot breath lingered in the air. An unhappy groan disturbed the silence of the night, she dared not look over her shoulder when she felt something lightly brush against her arm. A panicked breath escaped her lips, she stumbled over her own words until she found her voice.
" Please stop..." She muttered.
The telephone ceased ringing, the office became silent once again. A familiar smokey scent caught her attention, her gaze wandered around the room. The walls creaked and waves appeared beneath the wallpaper, she wasn't alone. There was a ghoul nearby, but she was unsure which one. The lamp flickered and the bulb exploded, she jumped when one of the draws to the filing cabinet flew open by it's self. Albany immediately exited the office, the door slammed violently behind her. Wrapping her arms around herself she looked both ways down the hallway while she trembled, she was unsure what she had just encountered in the office. Her gaze was caught by the creaking office door, there was a ghoulish looking hand pressing against the wooden door. She quickly stepped away from it, but a cheerful voice soon caught her attention. Her gaze was met by a familiar face, it was Copia.
" Hi, Hello!"
A smile crept across Albany's features, she was grateful for her lover's presence. She watched him walking down the hallway, there was three rats scurrying close behind him. She was unsure why he was still awake at this hour, but his company belonged to his rats since it was their scheduled night. Albany hurried along the hallway and flung her arms around his shoulders, he lifted from the floor for a couple of seconds before he placed her back down on her feet. Albany was pleased to see Copia after her spooky encounter, she didn't want to be alone right now. Her lover's voice was soon heard, he was curious about why she wasn't in bed.
" Why are you awake?" He asked.
" I just needed to check on something." She replied.
" You should be in bed, it's late." He said.
" I know, but I got another phone call from Papa's telephone." She said while she pulled herself away from him and showed him her recieved call records on her mobile phone. " Someone said my name this time before they hung up, their voice sounded familiar. I think it was Papa..."
" The old guy?" He asked.
" Yes." She replied.
" Did you see anybody in his office?" He asked.
" Well no, it was empty." She replied, her gaze wandered back along the hallway. " Wait, no! There was a ghoul inside the walls, I'm unsure which one. The lamp's bulb exploded and one of the filing cabinet's draws opened all by it's self, it was like a scene from a horror movie..."
" Which horror movie?" He asked.
" It doesn't matter which one!" She said.
" Are you sure you weren't dreaming?" He asked.
" I'm very much awake!" She said.
" Okay, okay! Listen, listen..." He said, their gaze met while he lovingly caressed her face with his hands. " I will speak with the ghouls in the morning, leave this to me. They may have just been checking on his office, it's normal for them to patrol the Ministry's walls after midnight."
" But what if it wasn't them?!" She asked, her speaking was filled with concern. " What if it really is Papa? He could be trying to contact me from the other side, it's not the first supernatural occurrence that's happened at this Ministry since his death."
" Are you talking about the time the pepper pot in the kitchen moved all by it's self?" He asked.
" The pepper pot moved by it's self in the kitchen?" She asked.
" You didn't see that happen?" He asked.
" No..." She replied.
" I think we should speak about this in the morning, it's getting late now." He said in a reassuring tone. " Let's get you back to bed. You will feel better after a good nights sleep, I will sit with you until you fall asleep."
" I don't think I can sleep after what just happened in Papa's office..." She sighed.
" Then let's go for a hot milk in the kitchen." He said.
" But it's your rats scheduled night, they may get toe nippy." She said.
" They won't mind, it's okay." He said before he took her hands in his own. " Come now, let's get you warmed up. I do like what you're wearing, but your toes may get cold."
" Can I have some honey in my hot milk?" She asked.
" Anything you want, baby." He replied.
" Thank you." She said.
Copia embraced his lover in his arms once again, he kissed the top of her head before he reassured her that everything would look better in the morning. Albany couldn't fully agree with his statement, but she knew he was only trying to make her feel better. He soon pulled Albany away from him and offered her his arm, she immediately cupped arms with him. He began guiding her along the hallway while he told her about his evening with his rats, they had been eating popcorn and playing video games in his room. Albany held onto his arm tightly, her gaze remained on him. She listened to him intently, but her thoughts were still being plagued with the supernatural events that had just happened in her Father's office.
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The Morning
Albany was sitting at the kitchen table, she was nursing a cup of lurkwarm coffee. There was a plate of half eaten pancakes and a bowl of fruit in front of her, she wasn't that hungry this morning. She had been awake for most of the night, her thoughts were haunted by the spooky events she had witnessed in her Father's office. Albany couldn't settle after the phone calls she had received, she was still trying to figure out who was behind the mysterious calls. Copia had stayed with her until she had fallen asleep, he had insisted that she should turn her mobile phone off and try to forget about it. But it wasn't that easy since she had heard her Father's voice this time, she was worried in case he was seeking her help from the afterlife.
Phil had prepared some breakfast for her this morning, he made sure she had everything she needed before he went to investigate last night's incident. He was determined to find out what was going on within the unholy churches walls, he wasn't too pleased that Albany had been spooked in Papa Nihil's office. His protectiveness over the youngest child of the late Papa hadn't gone unnoticed, the ghouls had been complaining about Phil to their Papa Emeritus. The senior ghoul had been strict with them, his duties at the Ministry were far than over just yet.
A scrapping sound from the kitchen table caught Albany's attention, she immediately looked at the empty place next to her. She was half expecting to see something eerie, but instead her gaze fell upon a brown coloured rat eating some cereal from a bowl that Phil had left for Copia. A sigh of relief escaped her lips before she took a sip of her coffee, she would rather have the company of rats than ghostly ghouls playing tricks within the walls. Her attention was soon caught by footsteps entering the kitchen, she smiled when she saw Copia pulling a chair away from the table. He soon sat down and poured himself some coffee, his voice broke the silence of the kitchen.
" Good morning, how are you feeling today?" He asked.
" I'm just tired, but I'm okay." She replied.
" Didn't you sleep well after I left you?" He asked.
" Not too well, but I turned my mobile phone off like you told me." She said.
" Would you like me to call the Ghostbusters?" He asked.
" No thank you, it's okay." She replied with an amused smile. " Maybe you're right, I could have been dreaming. I'm just tired, this lockdown isn't helping much neither."
" Maybe we should visit the beach house, it would do you some good getting away from this place." He said.
" Mr Saltarian is staying at the beach house." She said.
" There's always the other beach house, the one where the little hell hound tried to hump the arm of the couch." He said.
" The one near the rock pools?" She asked.
" Yes." He replied.
" Sadly we can't leave the Ministry yet because of the lockdown." She said with a sigh. " It was a nice thought, Copia. I do miss the coast, but we should definitely visit that beach house when we get more freedom."
" Let's break the rules, it could be fun." He said before he leaned closer towards her. " We can pack an overnight bag and travel by night, the highways are mostly empty."
" Stop tempting me!" She smiled.
" I do like tempting you with sinful deeds." He said, his lips brushed against her shoulder. " I would very much like a beach day with you again."
" We could bring the beach to the Ministry in our own way." She said.
" Oh?" He asked.
" The bathtub could be our ocean and we could wear our swimsuits." She replied with a dreamy expression on her face. " I could cook us something nice, there's a pineapple in the fruit bowl. We could toast marshmallows by the fireplace and drink cocktails beneath the stars..."
" Can I rub sun lotion on your back?" He asked.
" Of course." She replied with a smile. " I was hoping you could apply sun lotion to the places I can't reach."
" Oh baby..." He purred.
A smile crept across Albany's features when Copia kissed her shoulder, his gaze remained on his lover when he pulled the chair she was sitting on closer towards him. His arm draped over the back of the chair while his thumb brushed against her cheek before he softly kissed her lips, he lusted for more than a cup of coffee this morning. The thoughts of having their own beach day at the Ministry excited Albany, she enjoyed making scheduled plans with her lover. Curling her hand around his wrist her voice was soon heard, she had a question to ask him about their plans.
" What kind of cocktails shall we make?" She asked.
" I do like a naked lady cocktail." He replied.
" How about a between the sheets cocktail?" She asked.
" I'm very fond of hanky panky cocktails too." He said.
" I do like the sound of that cocktail." She said.
" It's not as good as a panty dropper cocktail, they can be very fruity." He chuckled.
" Oh!" She smiled.
Albany couldn't help but laugh at the name of the cocktail he had suggested, she was finding their naughty cocktail naming game highly amusing. Her lover always knew how to lighten the mood, she adored him for his humorous behaviour. Albany smiled before she leaned into kiss him, but her attention was caught by something sliding along the counter side again. A deep sigh escaped her lips when she saw the sugar pot moving along the side all by it's self, they still had to get to the bottom of the ghostly goings on at the Ministry.