Good For Business
They looked up at the sign which read “Riverfront Pioneer Guest Haus”.
“I’ve heard this place pre-dates the Revolution and is haunted,” he said.
“That’s probably just marketing. Haven’t we been here before?” she asked.
They moved to the entrance.
The restaurant was crowded so they sat at an unoccupied table for two in the corner. It sat by the window overlooking the street. This was a small town “historic district” made over to look like a tourist’s idea of a pioneer town. The dining room carried on the theme with walls that looked like logs, a flintlock rifle over the unlit fireplace and wooden tabletops that were carefully uneven. An electric “oil lamp” glowed on each table.
The table was already set with plate and ornate utensils when they sat down. No menus yet but a card lay in the middle of the table.
He read it and said, “It says this was a guest house on the Santa Fe Trail. It did a brisk business until the couple that ran it murdered their little girl. Business died after that.”
“Gee, I wonder why?”
Still reading, “The building was unused for years until the current owners redid it.” He looked up from the card. “I guess they figured they could trade on the idea of the murder and the place being haunted. Good for business, I’d say, judging by this crowd.”
“Slow service, though,” she pointed out.
He leaned back and looked around, spotting a waitress at the far end of the room. She wore what was supposed to be a Revolutionary Era dress and bonnet. He waited to catch her eye.
“Oh my God, it’s her,” his wife said.
He looked around and saw that a girl of maybe 11 or 12 stood by their table. Her hair was long and unkempt. Her face pale, she had dark circles under her eyes. She wore a dirty white shift with red splotches on it. She looked at the table expressionless.
“Hey!” he said. When she didn’t reply he leaned down to get into her line of sight. “Hey, what are you doing?”
She did not reply or change expression.
Other diners were looking their way. “You see her too, right?” he asked in their direction. “I mean, she’s an actor, not a ghost, right?!”
The girl turned and walked quickly out the front door.
He worked his chair backwards over the decoratively rough-hewn floor and hurried after her.
~
A girl in a dirty white shift popped into the kitchen and quickly closed the door behind her.
“Did anyone follow you?” the cook asked.
Panting from her run, she just shook her head.
“How did it go this time?”
“I did it like last time. I stared at that empty table in the corner, the one you never sit anyone at, for a slow fifty count, then I left.”
“Did they notice you?”
“I’ll say they did!” The waitress in the bonnet said coming into the kitchen. “The whole place is buzzing about it. Good for a few more weeks I’d say.”
The cook handed the girl a twenty dollar bill. “Good work.”
~
In front of the restaurant he saw no sign of the girl. “No, it couldn’t be,” he muttered. She joined him in looking up and down the Historic Main Street. They turned around.
They looked up at the sign which read “Riverfront Pioneer Guest Haus”.
“I’ve heard this place pre-dates the Revolution and is haunted,” he said.
“That’s probably just marketing. Haven’t we been here before?” she asked.
They moved to the entrance.