She stayed back out of sight watching Billy Armen and his friends playing football in the field across from the Shady Arms cemetery where her and Astor had been waiting for their opportunity, just as the sun began to inch its way down behind the horizon the opportunity presented itself, someone had overthrown the ball and Billy missed it and it rolled out into the street. Mary Ann made her move and ran into the street to retrieve the football just as Billy Armen walked up. “Give me the ball you little Brat! Or I’ll belt you a good one!”
Mary looked at the cemetery and smiled at the prospect.
“You want the ball you big ape? Then go in and get it!”
And with all of her might little Mary Ann Montgomery threw the ball right through the gates of the Endless Grave yard to where she knew Astor would be waiting. She backed away, just as Billy’s friends showed up, quickly while their attention was on Billy she ran behind the fence and hid and watched. Boy after boy Refused Billy’s orders to go into the Shady Arms cemetery to retrieve the football until Billy, the king of all bullies was forced to go in all by himself.
“I’m gonna skin that little brat!!” He Yelled.
Slowly he made his way into the Endless Graveyard where Astor had been waiting for him to test his courage.



It was getting closer to nightfall now and everything cast menacing shadows in every direction. Further and further The reluctant hero inched his way into the cemetery, until he saw his precious football resting against a headstone, slowly Billy’s confidence began to grow.
“This ain’t so tough!” he told himself.
And he almost believed it until he heard the slow building moans coming from behind him, and when he turned to see the glowing form of Astor no more than ten feet away he himself became white as a sheet. “Whooooo dare disturb me from my eternal rest??”
He stood there almost frozen in place, as Astors voice became deeper and scarier. All the while Mary Ann Montgomery who had been watching from her hiding place, had to cover her mouth to contain her slowly rising giggles. “Leave Here Now!!”
Billy Armen couldn’t move, and slowly Astor grew closer to him until his nose was but inches from the frightened bullies face.
“Did you not hear me Boy??… I.. SAID… NOOOOOWW!!”
He ran like he’d never ran before, his feet almost tripping over themselves on several occasions. And when he reached the gate moments later Astor could hear the roar of laughter from the other children.



Mary Ann Montgomery showed up by the ghost’s side still halfway giggling. She looked up at him.
“Hmmm. What do you know about that Mr. Astor?” she said. “He was in such a hurry he forgot his football.”
The child bent down and picked it up and began to walk back to the hole in the fence that she’d came in through secretly, when Astor’s voice much softer now gently called her back.
“Mary?”
She turned to face him.
“Maybe you should go out the same way that he did when you return their football to them ay?”
She smiled, and ran to the gate. But stopped suddenly to look back at him, slowly she walked back over to him.
“Mr. Astor sir?”
He bent down to look at her.
“Yes young Miss?”
“Well I know that you helped me with my bully problem, but how did I help you?”
“I don’t know if you will understand Mary, but you see child, sometimes we must realize that it isn’t what we did or did not do in the past that defines us, but it is what we do in the here and now, for ourselves and others, if you take care of the present then the past will take care of itself. I could not pass through the veil not because of someone else.. But because of me, you helped me see that child.”
She sadly looked up at him.
“Well You deserve to be happy, so if you have to go I understand.”
She turned to leave the cemetery and Astor disappeared from view.. Briefly at the first light of day on the next morning he briefly reappeared at his own Headstone and found a single rose on his grave with a note from little Mary Ann Montgomery on it were scribbled three little words.
Rest In Peace.

Scratch ABT. copyright© 2007.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

She slowly inched her way closer to the ghostly glowing form of Astor. Still he stayed in the shadows almost as if fearful that the child might see him. Still closer she came with her precious ball firmly in her grasp until she stopped almost directly in his path. But what happened next, took him by complete surprise. The little girl actually spoke to him.
“Hello?.. I know you are there.. Its alright you can come out, no one will hurt you.”
Slowly almost wide eyed Astor peered around the trees at the young child.
“That’s It.. Its ok.. I won’t hurt you”
“Child.?” he asked her almost in disbelief. “I am a ghost! Are you not afraid?”
She giggled a soft giggle and put her fingers to her lips.
“No.. You’re a pretty scared looking ghost there yourself sir. And no I am not afraid.. I know Billy Armen and his two friends and they are far more scary to me than you. No disrespect intended to you as a ghost sir.”



He looked out into the street, and then back down at the child.
“Do you mean those boys who were demeaning you?”
“Yeah.. They even punched me once. Billy is the meanest boy in school, they always pick on the smaller kids.”
Astor stood abruptly.. Looking back to the street.
“Well I don’t know if I approve of that.”
He turned to find the little girl actually smiling up at him.
“So.. How long have you been here?”
He thought for a moment.
“Two hundred years or so.. I suppose..”
“Why aren’t you in heaven or someplace else with all of the other Ghosts?”
He sat down on the steps leading up to a mausoleum next to her.
“I don’t know child.. I suppose I’m just not nice enough.”
“You seem nice enough to me.. I’ve been here all of this time and you haven’t tried to scare me once.. So who’s in charge up there anyways?”
It was at that moment that an idea had struck Astor. He stood and looked out beyond the Endless Graveyard, and then turned to the little girl.
“You know child I think I have happened upon the problem.”
“You have a problem Mr. Ghost?”



He Nodded.
“I do child, the reason that I haven’t passed through the veil is because I wasn’t ready to. Because they don’t think that I am nice enough or perhaps worthy.”
“So how can I help you?” she smiled.
“Child.. I think we can help each other.”
The unlikely pair sat back down on the steps and quickly outlined a daring plan to deal with each of their problems. And long about two pm she stood and headed for the front gate of the Endless Graveyard, but stopped suddenly and turned to face him once again.
“By the way. I am Mary Ann Montgomery.”
He slowly bowed towards her and for the first time in two hundred years Astor could almost feel the smile that was forming on his lips.
“I am Astor.. Jacob Astor.. And I am pleased to make your acquaintance.”
She turned towards the gate to leave.
“Mary Ann?”
She looked back at him.
“Remember the plan little one.. And don’t be afraid of them or the dark.. I will be right here with you.”

~To Be Continued.~

Scratch A.B.T. copyright © 2007.

It seemed as though he’d been watching them for eons from far beyond the confines of the endless graveyard that had become his eternal prison. And still his silent cold stare continued to gaze upon the world of the living as though some part of what remained of him longed for a taste of a life that had long since past. Until on the night of the full moon the voice of Pelon would come to him, through the mist that swirled around his headstone.

“Why Astor?” he inquired. “Why do you continue to do this to yourself? .. To spend this night here watching the world of the living go about its business, it is folly Astor.. You are no longer alive.. And yet you tirelessly watch them, with as much contempt and animosity as you can muster. And for what? Your anger with this living world is misplaced. You Astor, have been dead for over two hundred years.. And still you refuse to pass into the veil. Clinging to what? The life that you lived is nothing more than a memory, nothing more can be gained by your presence here, do not torment yourself with these foolish ponderings of a world that you are no longer a part of.”

His head turned towards Pelon, his head and nothing more. his cold stare now focused fully on the apparition. In a throaty gruff voice Astor addressed him.
“Do not concern yourself with my ponderings Pelon. I am full aware of what I have become and for how long I have been here.
Go now.. Into your precious night.. Leave me to such ponderings as I may have of this living world. They are, as am I, of no great consequence to you.”
And as Pelon left him to his Ponderings sitting alone perched on his own headstone, Astor’s thoughts began to slowly drift to life of another time. His life.. But alas, such memories were as old as dust upon a book, and he no longer had a mind to summon them.

And so he did as Ghosts, spirits and specters often do when they refuse to believe that they are no longer of use to the living. He waited he plotted and he schemed and he waited for the opportunity to show someone in this living realm that he may very well still have some remnants of life left in him. He silently prepared himself for a haunting. A haunting, yes it seemed the only way Astor could prove to himself and everything beyond the Endless Graveyard, that he even though very much dead, would no longer allow his presence to be ignored.



He sat until he saw the first rays of light of the new morning began to make their way through the leaves of the tree tops that surrounded the Endless Graveyard. He pulled himself further into the shadows as if the light would scorn and burn flesh that no longer existed. So from it he hid in the shadows. But soon sounds came to him, from beyond the front gate of the Graveyards fence, out and into the empty street, sounds echoing of children’s laughter. But not laughter that echoed itself into the graveyard in a happy way. This was a tormenting laughter that drew Astor out in the open closer to the fence.

It was there beneath the weeping willow tree that he peered into the street to see three older boys tormenting a young girl. Much smaller than them she was.. They had a ball that they were keeping away from her, and try as she might the brave young child could not get it back from the older larger children.
“You want your ball back little girl?” One of them taunted her. “Then go get it!”
And with all of his strength the large boy threw the ball high into the air. And it was heading right for the Endless Graveyard .

He curiously watched as it slowly rolled towards him and came to rest at his feet. Out past the fence he could hear the cackling of the three boys as they made their way down the street, but what happened next took Astor by complete surprise. When the form of the little girl appeared through the gate of the Endless Graveyard. She made her way slow but steadily through the shadows looking for her precious ball, until she came to within twenty feet of him. He hid and watched her bend down to pick it up . She looked around, but it wasn’t a fearful look that crossed her young face. But the look of childlike wonder at what lie beyond the shadows of this dark place. She knew that she was not alone here, and more curiously.. Astor somehow knew that she wasn’t afraid.

~Scratch.. A.B.T. Copyright © 2007.