[Calliope]: 216.Contests.Ghosts of Ourselves

Written for Ghosts of Ourselves

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  Gather around little ones and let me tell you a tale. It’s a tragic tale full of passion, dedication, loss and heartache. It is a story that has been passed through the community for months now and still never fails to pique reader’s curiosity and wonder. What kind of tale can it be you ask, simple, it’s one of the best genres for this, little ones, is a ghost story. It all started on a cold and blustery day…

  [Paz] had always been interested in history. When asked where to find her everyone would point you towards the archives for she haunted them alive just as she haunts them now. This particularly cold and blustery day brought forth the perfect opportunity for [Paz] to confine herself within dusty old volumes searching for hidden secrets and forgotten memories.

  Curled up with her candles and comfy blankets, [Paz] was content browsing through old forums and news links searching for any kind of little tibits. A new button was introduced here, a bug was found and removed here, it all fascinated her and she devotedly recorded it all. On this particular day [Paz] had found an extremely decrepit and obviously ancient book of community events and records. Giddy with the prospects she instantly began to drown herself in the past. About halfway through the colossal book [Paz] happened upon a piece of information that she knew held the potential to alter the community as we know it. Hidden within these archaic records was a letter that spelt out, in fine detail, the inspiration of all Heddate sites. Just think! what inspired the creation of Elftown and inadvertently WritersCo., MusMakers, Cathug and all the rest! [Paz] was just about to dive headfirst into this letter and its revelations when a friend arrived with a steaming cup of cocoa. The friend had also kindly added a dollop of whiskey to the cocoa for its prime quality of making the consumer feel like they’re warm. It was a cold and blustery day after all.

  As [Paz] sat and talked with her friend while drinking her cocoa the importance of the history slowly faded from her mind. She became involved in friendly issues and was in no rush to return to her previous endeavors. Eventually however, the friend did leave and [Paz] returned once again to her engrossing study of artifacts. Before she could get too far into the fascinating letter the spiked cocoa began to have an effect on her though. Soon enough [Paz] was dozing peacefully in her chair with her head cradled in her arms atop the pile of documents. Nobody is sure how long she slept for but it her reaction when she awoke is known far and wide.

  [Paz] woke up to a chilly, sticky feeling surrounding her arms. After a moment spent gaining her bearings she surveyed the room and then examined the sticky substance that coated her. Horror engulfed [Paz] as the true tragedy began to sink in. All around her was a cool and oozing puddle of whiskey flavoured cocoa. Sometime during her nap she had inadvertently tipped over her remaining beverage and the dry parchment of the letter had quickly soaked it up. Now illegible, the sopping letter resembled what one would think a melted ice cream sandwich would look like but who really knows since who would waste a perfectly good ice cream sandwich? Anyway [Paz] desperately tried to revive the letter but to no avail. A short ceremony was held by her in remembrance of the secrets it would never divulge.

  Things never seemed the same around [Paz] after the incident. She seemed to lose herself even more in attacking the archives. Some say she was bent on finding another article explaining the inspiration of Heddate sites but nobody can say for sure. The outcome is the same no matter what the cause however. After a brief period of forlorn insanity [Paz] entered the archives and was never seen again in any community. Many believe that she simply resides in the archives so that she is closer to her beloved history and can devote more time to it, but I know better. Sadly, [Paz] put herself into an irreversible decline and now the only way to see her is to enter her beloved archives for this is where the ghost of [Paz] dwells.

  It is said that [Paz] wanders the archives dejectedly, forever mourning the lost letter and forever seeking a similar document. Anyone who has seen her ghost will testify that it is [Paz] simply because she is covered with dust and lost within the vast quantity of records. Generally she glides serenely around mumbling to herself about the possibilities washed away by chocolate but there are tales, few and far between of course, but tales none the less, of her becoming violent. The most renowned instance is when an innocent young member wandered into the archives with a mug of warm cocoa as a companion. [Paz] swooped down on the baffled youngster, removed the cup from their grasp and hurled the youth out of the archives. The adolescent was immediately followed by a wave of warm cocoa in the face along with the smack of a mug connecting with their chest. Needless to say, that member hasn’t visited the vaults in a long time now.

  With the exception of this instance [Paz] is a very well behaved ghoul. There’s no reason why you little ones should avoid our history because of her. In fact, she should inspire you to learning more about our community. You could even research [Paz] and her ill timed demise and consequent haunting of all things cocoa in the archives. The only thing you must remember is never, ever, take a steaming chocolate beverage, or any beverage for that matter with you. It is unwise and sure to gain you a bump on the head and a nice beveragey shower.

© Angie O'Connor