When was the last time you read a great ghost story, say one like The Legend of Sleepy Hollow? To me, a great ghost story isn’t full of ugly murderous ghosts, it’s a literary tale of delight and wonder, one that keeps you on the edge of your seat as the narrator shares his words about how those in the afterlife can sometimes make life a little different for those of us left behind, and sometimes necessary to correct mistakes made in the past. I am very pleased to present Mr. Hancock’s Signature by Brian S. Wheeler, an extraordinary ghost story!
In a small town in Monteray County, a young man named Stephen Hancock was rocking on his porch as all the furniture was auctioned off one by one. He was the last of a family that had lived on his land for a long time, farming and providing for his needs. They rarely left the house, choosing to bury their own in the front yard where they could keep the small plot free of weeds and full of flowers. Now people wandered among the flowers, sat on the tombstones, hoping to find that treasure that had lived in his neighbor’s house. If they thought of Stephen that day, it was only to pray that they would never see the end of his family line and would also lose their homes. But Stephen just didn’t have the skills and heart to continue the farm. His brother had been the one who had loved the land, but he had gone to war and when they felt a coffin at home, the only thing inside was an American flag.
Esteban’s father was still alive at the time and his father sent him into the city to find a stone that would honor the son who had given his life for his country. Stephen traveled row after row of stones, trying to find the perfect one. All afternoon he searched, until finally, in despair, they took him to an old shed, so dark they had to use a flashlight. And then that light disappeared, seemingly lost when he hit something that refused to reflect the light. It was then that Stephen found the obelisk, the blackness of it so deep that he couldn’t look away. Where did he come from? The seller did not remember seeing it before… Later, Stephen and his father planted the empty box at his feet.
And it was there at the obelisk that Stephen said goodbye to his family and left the only home he had ever known. It was also the place where Ian Washington, a young man looking for a bit of mischief, listened to Stephen as he talked to his dead brother, even though he had buried an empty coffin. And it was there that Ian saw a bright light and heard a buzzing that would be with him for the rest of his life. He later wondered if it was fate that brought him back to that small rural town to become the town’s engineer.
For it was not long after its arrival in the city that the ghost train made its first visit to the old train station. And when the sounds of the invisible steam whistle coming from the invisible train died away, a coffin was left by the old tracks. And it was surely fate that when the security guard found that casket, the only city official he could find to sign off on his burial was Ian Washington, the new engineer.
When that coffin was opened, there was no one living in town who could identify the man who had died and was taken there, that is, until Mr. Drumming, who was one of the oldest and most prosperous farmers, was contacted and the body was found to be that of Stephen Hancock. In fact, it had been Mr. Drumming who had bought the land that had been the Hancock farm, for less than it was worth, plus a promise.
Ian Washington couldn’t share the secret that he had eavesdropped on Stephen Hancock’s last sentences, but neither could he forget his declaration that there would be no one to bury him when his time was right. Ian Washington knew that he was destined to ensure a proper burial, but there was no room in the small family cemetery that was now completely surrounded by rows of corn. And Mr. Drumming was not interested in working with Ian to provide additional land.
And so the body was taken to a funeral home. There, William Compton cared for him as he would any other person and promised to keep him there to await final burial as soon as a place could be found. But the next day, the body was gone. It was found later that day and returned, only to be stolen again that night. There were some who said they saw something that looked like a man dragging a corpse. At least one knew it was a man golem.
Jack Johnstone had seen that golem, just as he had seen the others, the ones that lived deep in the river. As a child, he had been one of those children who braved the river by jumping from the train tracks into its depths. And it was Jack who one day convinced his young friend that it would be easy and would give him a good reputation in the city. The young friend, on the other hand, became one of those who never rose to the surface but stayed there, waiting. That’s when Jack had started to see them, as they teased him and followed him when he left.
Jack Johnstone had become the town drunk and during those hours under his influence, he began to talk about what he saw. He soon had a following and it became a church, a really strange church, where all the men carried guns and Jack Johnstone carried Fire and Brimstone, two old-fashioned pistols that he placed over the Bible every Sunday.
And as Mr. Hancock’s body was moved from one location to another, it was Ian Washington and Jack Johnstone who joined the now-haunted funeral director and others in town to help ensure that the dead walking in Monteray could finally go back home. . But would they make it? And would the driver of the Ghost Train wait?
This story is fascinating, but brilliantly written with a voice that enticingly recounts the story of a small rural town where the dead walked, until the neighbors stopped fighting and banded together to help those who could no longer help themselves. . You will regret if you miss this one!