Chapter One. #2
Aw, shit. My beautiful wife had never celebrated Christmas, but the scene below resembled something from a movie set. There was a village setting at one end of the basin it sat in, and we could see the hotel and the wooden cabins surrounding it. There were a few shops, restaurants, and a bar.
Splitting the dip in half was an unusual feature.
There appeared an expansive wood that separated Santa’s Village from the Christmas Village.
It was a dense woodland. I’d never seen a valley bowl split into two like this, although similar layouts probably existed.
I spotted a clear path woven through the trees, all lit up and with what looked like animated figures.
A stone arch with a tower on either side was built halfway through the trees.
“That’s where you pass through a portal to the North Pole,” Connor explained, and I nodded.
Guess that made sense. Further down was the ‘North Pole’ replica, and Callie’s mouth dropped open.
It was any child’s dream, let alone an adult’s.
A sturdy, decorated, lit tree stood in the centre, buildings surrounding it.
They were painted cheerful colours, and all shone brightly through the thousands of lights.
I spotted candy canes as tall as humans, old Victorian lamps, and many other little things that made the place magical.
Yet everything fell dead with me and failed to inspire any excitement. Nothing held appeal whatsoever. I’d had good Christmases with my mom and Liv. But I was too old now.
Then a thought hit me. Would Callie want to celebrate similarly for the baby?
Oh hell. My brow furrowed as grumpiness settled over me, and I glowered at the village.
Maybe I could escape with the bare minimum?
A Christmas tree and a few decorations. That was okay, right?
Surely Callie wouldn’t be interested in this and would consider it overdone.
Then again, looking at Callie’s expression, I could see the longing in her.
Deep down, this was Callie’s ideal Christmas.
Fuck! I really didn’t fancy an over-the-top Christmas.
I shook myself mentally. It would be fine; I’d talk Callie round into a quiet Christmas.
She didn’t need something like this. Callie had me, the baby, Liv, and Cherry.
That’s all she needed. I’d be able to get away with a tiny tree.
Callie
I was almost beside myself when we got out.
Connor had described the place, but this far surpassed my expectations.
And even though I was an adult, this reached out and excited the inner child I still had.
I wanted to explore, and most of the team did, too.
Apart from Sunny, who didn’t look impressed whatsoever.
In fact, he reminded me of the Grinch a little.
The SUV entered a small car park. A warm café looked inviting just outside the village, where two horse-pulled sleighs waited to take us.
“Oh, my word!” I exclaimed with excitement.
Our driver, a man in his sixties called William, smiled.
“Usually, guests come a different route into the valley.” William pointed to another road.
“We came the higher way as Simon and Fiona wanted you to view the village in its entirety. There’s a lower road, so they don’t see Santa’s Village.
Both roads lead here, and no cars are allowed past this point.
Sleighs and snowmobiles are used exclusively.
Each sleigh can take eight people, and carts will bring your equipment,” William said.
“How do supplies get in?” Sunny asked.
“They are unloaded here and transported over. It’s a bit of a hassle, but compared to wrecking the pristine surroundings and the atmosphere, worth the effort. There are large carts that have snow runners for easy use—usually for commercial purposes,” William explained.
“Good idea. They’ll carry the equipment?” Phil inquired.
“I’ll stay and ensure everything gets moved over,” Freddie offered.
“Are you sure?” I asked.
“I’ll stay too; you all go ahead,” Solace suggested.
“Thanks,” I replied. “Will you be okay here?”
“They’ll be fine. They can wait in the café for the carriages to return,” Kit, the other driver, suggested.
“The first drop-off is the winter clothing shop. The hire of ski suits, etc., will be included in the cost of the stay. For you guys, though, there’s no charge.
So, if you’d all enter the sleighs, please feel free to use the blankets provided.
You’ll also find some hot flasks of chocolate. ” William smiled.
I couldn’t get my ass on board quick enough.
In fact, I think Michelle and I almost stumbled over each other in our eagerness.
Harry and Connor laughed, but Sunny looked glum.
None of this seemed to amuse him. He was being a total misery guts.
Let him, I planned to enjoy this as it was nowhere near a normal haunting!
Jack, Connor, and Sunny joined us on our sleigh.
Hundreds of fairy lights lit the route we travelled down.
They were hung in trees and lined the road for travelling.
We passed through a huge arch with the words ‘Welcome to Christmas Village’ carved into it.
Everywhere you looked, there were Christmas colours and items. Candy canes, pinecones, and large sparkling snowflakes were in abundance.
As we approached the clothing store, I could see the village centre, which appeared to be built around a frozen lake.
“Can we go ice skating on that?” Jack asked.
“Yes. The ice is over a foot thick. Plenty safe enough for skating. As you can tell, it gets pretty chilly up here. Because we’re in a dip, the weather stays cold all year round,” William stated.
“What about the evenings? Does night fall early?”
“Night falls by nine p.m. For parents with kids arriving, we’d encourage them to try to push bedtime back and have a late breakfast. All that type of stuff is explained in the welcome packs,” William said.
“Do you know why we’re here?” I asked.
“Yes, ma’am. We need some help. The ghosties are playing nice, but with kiddies coming… we’re all a bit on edge.” He rubbed the back of his neck.
“Have you seen anything?” Jack questioned, alert to a story.
“Yes. Several things. It’s Miss Fiona I feel sorry for. They like to mess with her and Mr Simon.” William’s mouth turned down.
“Why do you think that is?” Connor interrupted.
“Well, I can’t rightly say. I’m a simple man, and this paranormal stuff is beyond me. This is the Kit Store, as I call it. A girl inside will fit you out. I’ll wait here for you,” William said as he reined in the horses.
“We won’t be long,” I promised with a smile.
“Take as long as you need, ma’am,” William replied.
◆◆◆
Forty minutes later, we were on our way to the main hotel with our hires. Two people stood outside the hotel entrance as we pulled up.
Connor leapt out of the sleigh and rushed up the few steps and hugged them both. “Wow, you look amazing!” he exclaimed.
“And you seem so much happier than the last time we saw you!” the guy replied as he slapped Connor vigorously.
Connor turned back to us with a huge smile. “These are my friends, Simon and Fiona. These are the Ghost Seekers Inc. Callie is the team leader…” He gestured to each of us.
“Oh, I love you guys. No need for introductions, Connor, we watch you religiously,” Fiona exclaimed. She rushed forward and grabbed me in a hug.
Startled, I tried not to stiffen because she was obviously being friendly. Fiona stepped back with a huge smile.
“I’m so glad you gave Connor a chance. He loves the paranormal so much that his heart broke with what happened to his old team. Connor’s has integrity coming out of his ass, and those fools received their just desserts,” Fiona said.
“I completely agree. I hate frauds,” I replied.
Fiona’s gaze moved past me, and she gave a warm smile to everyone. Simon, her husband, stepped up and offered his hand, and one by one, we all shook it.
“Come inside. The fire’s going, and hot chocolate and coffee are available. Lunch won’t be long. Chef is busy-busy!” Fiona exclaimed and started walking up the steps. She shoved open the double entrance doors, turned back to us, and beamed. “Welcome to the Christmas Hotel.”
Fiona paused as she entered the building. She sent a worried look over her shoulder at Simon, which Connor and I picked up on. We hurried forward, as did Simon, and I gasped.
“That’s something you don’t see every day,” Connor muttered.
“Um, no,” I replied.
Standing on the beautifully carved reception desk was tinsel. Nothing extreme about that, apart from the fact that it was coiling and uncoiling itself like a snake. The others crowded around as we all watched in surprise. The tinsel repeated its actions a few more times before it turned and hissed.
A soft giggle echoed before the tinsel was flung upwards. “Welcome.” The word floated through the air before dissipating.
Fiona shifted to face us. “Do you understand why we need you? Things like this keep happening.”
“I didn’t sense anything malicious in this,” Michelle replied as she studied the tinsel she was now holding.
“No. But kids will be scared. We never actually see anyone, and it’s concerning everyone. How do I know someone won’t get hurt one day or a ghost won’t appear in front of a guest?” Fiona worried.
“That’s why we’re here. Although dancing tinsel wasn’t quite what I expected,” I said, amused. “It could be your spirits are more mischievous than bad or threatening.”
“They could still frighten people,” Simon argued.
Quickly, I nodded. “Oh, I don’t disagree. They most certainly could. We’ll find your answers, Simon; that’s a promise. And Michelle is a fully trained exorcist.”
Simon held my gaze. “Thank you. We want to open soon. Everything is ready, but we can’t open because of the haunting.
Hell, as of this week, I’m paying staff to dust and clean instead of the duties they were hired for.
Although I’ve sent an email telling them they’ve got ten days’ holiday.
I didn’t think having employees in and out would help you guys. ”
“No. And I guess because of what this village represents, you don’t want this on TV either?” I asked.
Fiona and Simon exchanged glances.
“We’d rather not. Can you imagine a haunted Santa’s village? The shit would hit the fan!” Simon finally drawled.
“In more ways than one,” I exclaimed as glitter exploded in the air from nowhere. We all blinked furiously as Simon groaned.
“I just cleaned up from last time!” he snarled and stomped off.
We shared glances as Fiona wrung her hands. “Let’s have lunch, and you can discuss a plan.”
“Good idea,” Connor replied, throwing an arm around her. I exchanged a look with Jack. This would be fun!