The Ghost Train

Chapter 3

“Time now please, ladies and gentlemen,” the course gravelly tone of Cyril Armstrong landlord of the Smuggler’s Arms, reverberated throughout the pub. Once he had finished shouting the order, his hand reached up above the bar and grabbed the rope which belonged to the giant brass bell he kept hanging there, solely for this purpose.

With a firm yank he battered the inside of the dome several times, the noise causing several punters to wince. Cyril had been told often enough that his voice was loud enough for every living soul within a mile radius to hear the order, but he was a traditionalist and felt that the clang of the bell sent the point across better than even his booming voice.

“Come on then,” said Jeremy, “best be off before Cyril starts getting’ leary.”

“Have you tried calling Psycho?” asked Colin, knocking back what was left of his pint.

Jeremy nodded, raising his own glass to his mouth. “Texted him twenty minutes ago, still no answer.”

“That’s odd,” remarked Colin, belching loudly into the back of his hand.

“Pig.” Stated Susan, evidently disgusted by her boyfriend’s behaviour. “He only acts like this when he’s with his crew,” she declared, turning to face the girls at the table. “Believe it or not, he can be quite the gentleman when we’re out on our own.”

“I believe you,” said Jenny, busy shuffling the remnants of her crisps into one corner of the bag. “Dave’s the same.”

“I wish that were the case with Wingnut over there,” Connie replied, nodding in Jeremy’s direction. “He was born a slob and now wears it like a badge of honour.”

Jeremy Ruskin had earned the nickname ‘Wingnut’ whilst working for his father’s metal shelving supply company, although most people called him ‘Winger’ for short. Connie knew he preferred ‘Winger’, so she only used the full version to wind him up.

Jeremy ignored his girlfriend’s comment and turned back to face the lads. “Perhaps he and Cherry have decided on an early night,” he suggested, winking at them, slyly.

Dave glanced at his watch. “Nah,” he observed, “it’s way too early for a Friday night. Besides, he told me earlier that they would be dropping in before closing.”

Colin shrugged. “Who knows with those two, if Cherry started one of her whingeing offensives perhaps Psycho just gave in for a quiet life.”

Just then, a spinning beermat caught him on the side of his cheek.

Colin spun round. “Ow, that bleedin’ hurt.”

“Serves you right,” replied Susan, “that’s my mate you’re talking about.” Susan had been the first one amongst the group to really get to know Cherry, which had been long before she started to go out with Simon, and although Susan was not his biggest fan, she saw how happy her friend was around him, so she sat back and stayed out of it.

The boys in the group were particularly mean to Cherry, although usually behind her back, because her parents were quite wealthy, and they classed her as spoilt. In truth, Susan felt that she was pretty lonely being an only child who had hired help to look after her throughout most of her childhood while her parents were away attending some prestigious event, or the other.

If Susan was being totally honest, there were occasions when Cherry’s ‘spoilt-brat’ persona reared its ugly head, but in fairness to her friend those occasions were particularly rare, and they had succeeded in them receiving discounts in several shops and restaurants.

As the friends finished their drinks, Martha, Cyril’s daughter, came over to gather up their empties. “Goodnight, good people,” she said, cheerily. “See you all soon.”

“’ere Martha, fancy a moonlit stroll along the beach?” asked Colin, cheekily.

Martha looked up and pulled a face. Turning towards Susan she said, “How do you put up with him?”

Susan shuffled along the table until she was within range, then shot Colin a hard punch on his arm. “I ask myself that, more often than not, if I’m being honest.”

Colin turned around, rubbing his arm where the blow had landed, a hurt expression on his face.

The six of them piled out of the pub and into the warm night.

The beach was directly across the road from the pub car park, and as usual they all drifted towards that side of the street. The tide was on its way out, and they could hear the sound of the water gently lapping against the shore as they walked back into town.

In the distance they could see the flashing lights from the funfair.

“I wonder if they stopped off at the fair on their way to meet us,” questioned Connie.

“What and miss out on a pint just to ride the big wheel,” Dave sneered, “no chance.”

“Maybe Cherry twisted his arm?” offered Jenny.

“She does love the fair,” Susan added. “She once told me that was part of the reason why she chose to study down here instead of moving further away.”

“I thought it was because she didn’t want to move too far away from her daddy’s bank account,” Colin suggested, laughing at his own joke.

Susan yanked his arm back. “Will you stop making fun of her, she is my friend you know.”

Colin held up his hand in surrender. “Only joking,” he assured her.

They continued their walk along the road until they were close enough to the fair to be able to smell the succulent hot dogs that were sold along the entrance to the pier.

Jenny breathed in the heavenly aroma. “Oh, let’s stop off for a dog,” she suggested, looking at her boyfriend, “I’m starving. Those crisps never fill me up”

“Good idea,” agreed Connie, “we can have a quick scout for Cherry and Simon while we’re here.”

Colin stopped himself from groaning at the thought of having to search for his girlfriend’s friend, but the hot dog certainly sounded like adequate compensation.

The boys queued up and bought the meaty treats for themselves and their respective girlfriend’s. While they waited, the girls walked further along the pier over to the entrance of the fair and scanned the crowd for their friends.

From this distance, there were far too many people criss-crossing their line of sight for them to be able to locate the couple. But the friends continued their vigil until their partners brought over their dinner.

A four-seater bench became free just as they started eating, so the group moved in with Colin and Jeremy opting to sit on the outer arms so that they could all squeeze on.

* * *

Out of sight of the group, Peter Cranville, the most senior living member of the Cranville clan, made his way through the crowds towards the Ghost Train. As he neared the attraction, Jeb Cranville the operator caught his eye and smiled at him.

Peter waited until he was a few feet away from Jeb before speaking. “How many?” he asked, checking around him to ensure that no one else was close enough to hear their conversation.

“Two,” replied Jeb, proudly. “Went down about half-an-hour ago.”

Peter nodded. “Have you checked on them?”

Jeb shook his head. “Nah, I wanted to wait until things quieten down, just in case I got me another bite.”

A trio of teenage girls walked by on the other side of the passageway, giggling, and shrieking with delight as they gazed at the mobile the girl in the middle was holding.

“Fancy a good scare to finish your evening off?” Jeb called over to them. The girls looked up from their screen long enough to wave the offer off before continuing with their task.

Peter waited for them to be out of earshot before he turned back to Jeb. Frowning at the operator, he said, “You know better than to take more than two at a time, what were you thinking?”

Jeb shrugged his shoulders. Although Peter was only a couple of years older than him, he was still their elder which commanded a certain respect from the rest of the family. Therefore, whatever he said, went. “They were girls, they’d be no trouble,” Jeb muttered, lowering his gaze to show Peter that he was not trying to challenge his authority.

“Girls or not, I said only two at a time,” Peter barked. “Now don’t let me down or I’ll put someone else on here.”

Jeb flushed red. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry. Don’t move me off. I’ll make sure I stick to the rules.”

Peter could tell by the man’s tone that he appreciated the seriousness of his elder’s admonishment. Everyone in the family knew that to be left in charge of the Ghost Train was the highest honour, bestowed only on those Peter could trust without question.

Peter’s first cousin Harry had run the attraction for over ten years before suddenly being taken ill and dying earlier that month. Initially, Peter had closed the ride down out of respect for over two weeks, but he knew that because of the ride’s main function, he could not leave it closed for long. Therefore, he had thought long and hard before deciding who would take over Harry’s position, and Jeb knew it. So, the last thing he wanted to do was let Peter down, especially since he had only just been given the task.

“I’ll make sure I don’t make the same mistake again,” Jeb apologised again, trying to look his elder in the eye to prove his sincerity. “Trust me, you won’t have cause to worry.”

Peter waited a moment for effect, before nodding his understanding and turning away to continue his patrol of the pier.

Jeb heaved a huge sigh of relief as he watched the elder walk away.

* * *

Having finished their dogs, the six friends stayed put for a while and looked out across the pier, watching the waves forming out at sea.

On a clear night such as this, with the stars lighting the way, it was possible to imagine all sorts when gazing out at the choppy water.

After a while, the men especially began to grow restless. “Come on,” suggested Jeremy, “let’s do something, I’m fed up with all this.”

The others glanced from one to another, then nodded a silent agreement. Although some of them, Susan and Connie especially, could sit and gaze out at the sea for hours without feeling bored, they had to accept that the rest of their friends did not feel the same, and even though it was a warm night, just staying put in one place did leave one vulnerable to the night air.

“Come on then,” offered Connie, standing up and stretching, “let’s go for a walk and see if we can locate Cherry and Simon.”

Dave groaned. “Do we have to?” he mumbled. “I’m getting ready to call it a night.” As if to cement his position, he yawned loudly.

“How do the rest of you feel?” asked Jenny, feeling loyalty to her boyfriend, but at the same time not wishing to appear disloyal to her friends.

“Well, I’m ready for a walk,” said Susan, “so a brisk stroll around the fair to see if we can find them suits me as much as the walk home.”

“Come on, Dave,” said Colin, “we’ll do a quick round, then if we can’t find ‘em we’ll head off, what d’yer say?”

Dave shrugged. “Fair enough,” he agreed, grabbing his left ankle with his left hand, and pulling hard to stretch out the muscle before repeating the operation with his other leg.

“Should we split up, or stay together?” asked Connie, not aiming her question at any specific member of the group.

“Let’s stay together,” replied Jeremy, “otherwise we’ll spend all night trying to find each other again.”

They moved off together and made their way down the pier and into the main body of the fair. Being a Friday night, the crowds were still fairly thick, so rather than stay together in a line, they manoeuvred themselves into pairs, and staggered their formation.

Although they had agreed to stay together, when they reached the first arcade, they realised that if they all went in to look for their friends there was a good chance that they might pass by on the pier, out of sight. So, they decided to split up after all, with Jeremy and Connie going through, and the others walking around to meet up at the far entrance.

They used the same tactic for the next arcade, and again for the third, by which time they had made their way to the far end of the pier, without success.

“This is stupid,” announced Colin, clearly frustrated by their lack of progress. “They’re probably shacked up at Cherry’s place with their phones switched off, and good luck to them I say.”

After a moment, Jeremy agreed with his friend. “Colin’s right, let’s just leave it, it’s not like they’re kids or anything.”

Susan sighed. “I suppose so,” she agreed. “Who fancies a spin on the Waltzer before we make our way back?”

In truth, Susan would have felt better if they had located their friends. But then she knew that she was only being overprotective for Cherry. After all, she was a big girl and old enough to take care of herself. But sometimes she did have the feeling that Simon bullied her and tried to cajole her into situations she was not altogether comfortable with.

Cherry had confided in her on a number of occasions.

The trouble was, whenever Susan suggested that Cherry leave him, or at least threaten him with it in order to make him shape up, Cherry would always back down and start making excuses for his behaviour. If Susan pushed the matter, Cherry would even pretend as if she was at fault for making too much out of nothing.

In Susan’s eyes, there was only so much she could do if her friend refused to heed her advice. She had even thought of confronting Simon herself. She was not afraid of him, and she believed that he knew it. The problem was that if Simon then went running to Jeremy, he would feel torn between his best friend and her, and she really did not want to put him in that situation.

In truth, Susan’s suggestion that they have a go on one of the rides was really just a ploy to give them more time to see if the others showed up. But to her surprise, the idea seemed to take flight.

“Oh, yeah,” agreed Jenny, “that’s my favourite.” She pulled Dave closer to her and planted a kiss on his mouth in anticipation of what she believed was bound to be a negative response.

Jeremy glanced at Connie, who nodded and smiled at him.

“Come on then,” he said, cheerily, “let’s go and get the tickets.”

They had to wait for the ride to make a full circuit before they could hop on.

They decided to use two cars, for even though they had managed to squeeze six in one before, the girls had not enjoyed the experience of being crushed each time the car swung either one way or the other.

In the end, Susan and Colin had their own car, while the other four shared one between them.

After the ride, they all made their way back along the pier, using the opposite side to the one they had arrived by just in case Cherry and Simon happened to be on that side.

The pub on the pier had already closed for the night, but there were still a couple of stragglers finishing off their drinks, so Jeremy looked through the grimy window to see if his friends were amongst them.

Once he was satisfied that they were not there, the group moved on.

As they passed the various stalls on this side of the pier, the hawkers called to them, offering them guaranteed prizes if they only took part in whatever attraction they ran.

It was generally the girls who smiled in response and shook their heads, whereas the boys merely ignored the callings.

Further along, Connie noticed a jewellery stall. The sign outside boasted that everything on sale was handmade and specifically crafted by the owner.

Unable to resist, she pulled back on Jeremy’s arm. “Just a sec, I want to have a look in here,” she explained, unlinking her arm from his as she knew he would have no interest in joining her.

Jeremy sighed as he watched her engage in conversation with the middle-aged woman in charge. Noticing that the others had not realised they had stopped, he called out to them to hang back a moment.

The lads obliged, sauntering slowly back towards their mate. Susan and Jenny, on the other hand, seemed to have found their own attraction as they hovered around a shop selling scarves, belts, and an assortment of accessories.

“We’re back here,” called Colin, not wanting them to wander off too far out of sight.

Jenny waved back, distractedly, just to show that they had heard.

The old woman who ran the shop sat at the far end on a wooden rocking chair. She smiled up as the girls entered, displaying several missing teeth. “If yer see somink yer like, make me an offer,” she called, brightly.

“Thank you,” replied Jenny, as they began to browse.

Back at the jewellery counter, the three boys stood in a huddle, complaining to each other about how impossible it was to go anywhere with their respective partners because of their annoying habit of wanting to stop at every second shop to see what was on offer.

Connie, meanwhile, had found herself a charming bracelet which appeared to be a perfect match for a necklace she had back at home. The necklace had been a gift from her parents the last time they had visited her, and now she wondered if this might be the place where they purchased it.

The price was a little steep at £25, but the more she admired it, the surer Connie was that she was going to purchase it. She turned back to gauge Jeremy’s opinion, for what it was worth, but he was evidently too distracted with his mates to notice.

The owner of the stall noticed the crestfallen expression on Connie’s face when she turned back, unable to interest her boyfriend. “Were you hoping he might go halves with you?” the woman asked, chuckling.

Connie felt her face flush. “No,” she replied, shaking her head, and smiling. “That would have been too much to hope for. He’s not big on presents, that one,” she indicated over her shoulder.

The woman smiled. “Tell you what my lovely, as you’re such a pretty one, I’ll let you have it for £15, whaddya say?”

Connie’s immediate response was to refuse the kind offer. She had a personal dislike for people who bartered in shops, especially when the price tag was so clear and concise. If she could not afford something, she had learned to go without. After all, the shopkeepers had their living to make too.

Before she had a chance to respond, the woman placed her hand on top of Connie’s, covering the bracelet. “It’ll do my heart good to know that such a pretty thing will be worn by such a lovely girl,” she said, leaning in close enough so that only Connie could hear her.

Connie shook her head. “No, I couldn’t do that,” she insisted, “this must have taken you ages to make, it’s so pretty.”

The woman nodded. “All the more reason for me wanting you to have it,” she assured her. “I love to see my handiwork go to a good home.”

Connie stared down at the woman’s hand covering her own. She felt slightly uneasy, almost as if she were afraid that the stall owner might not let go unless she accepted her kind offer.

The woman was not exactly gripping her hand, and Connie knew that she could snatch it away if she felt compelled. But that would appear rude, and besides, the woman was being extremely kind and generous, and did not deserve such a discourteous response.

“Well, if you’re sure,” Connie muttered under her breath. “It is so lovely.”

“Then it’s settled,” the woman confirmed, triumphantly. She removed her hand from Connie’s wrist and held it out for the money.

Connie paid her in cash, presuming that was what the woman preferred. The woman thanked her and stuffed the cash in a bum-bag she had tied around her waist, before turning away and busying herself with something which Connie could not see.

Connie waited for a moment for her receipt, but after a while it became obvious to her that the woman was no longer aware of her presence, so she turned back and walked over to the men.

“What yer get?” asked Jeremy, feigning interest.

Connie held up her wrist for her boyfriend to admire her latest purchase.

After looking at the bracelet for a moment, he asked, “Haven’t you already got one like that?”

Connie dropped her arm back by her side, without answering. “Come on,” she said, “let’s find the girls.”

Jeremy looked back at his mates and shrugged, then they all moved off together towards the shop which they had seen Susan and Jenny disappear into, earlier.

To their surprise, the two girls were nowhere to be seen.

Dave walked inside the shop just to make sure they weren’t crouched down out of sight, admiring some of the merchandise. But the shop was empty, save for the old woman in the rocking chair who barely lifted her head off her chest when he entered.

“Excuse me,” Dave called, “but have you seen two girls come in here in the last ten minutes, or so?”

The old woman looked at him and shook her head, before returning her attention to the leather strap in her lap, which she was busily stitching.

Dave was sure that he had the right shop, and his initial instinct was to challenge the woman further, but given her age and general frailness, he was too afraid of upsetting her with his interrogation.

He walked back out without thanking her and joined the others. “She says she doesn’t remember seeing them,” he announced, signalling over his shoulder with his thumb at the old woman.

“But this is definitely the right place,” insisted Colin, looking around him just to make sure he had not miscalculated how far away the girls were standing when he shouted over to them.

“So where have they wandered off to?” Dave asked, rhetorically.

The group stayed in place, almost as if they were afraid to breakaway in case they too became separated from the group. They all looked around in different directions to try and locate their friends.

Finally, Connie spoke up. “Well, they can’t have gone far. They’ve only been gone a couple of minutes.” Taking out her mobile, Connie scrolled down to Susan’s number and hit the dial button. After a couple of seconds, the others could hear Susan’s voice over the loudspeaker. “Where are you two?” asked Connie. There was discernible relief in her voice upon hearing her friend answer.

“We’re over here,” answered Susan, excitably. “Look to your right, over here.”

The group turned as one and saw Susan in the distance waving them on.

Connie disconnected the call without replying, and the group moved towards the girls. As they came into view, the group could see that the two friends were standing in front of the Ghost Train. Jenny appeared engrossed in conversation with the ride operator, who was gesturing animatedly towards his attraction with his back to the approaching group.

As the others arrived, they could hear Jeb describing to Jenny the history behind his attraction, and what made it superior to others of the same ilk.

Colin walked up to Susan and grabbed her by the elbow. “What the hell were you thinking wandering off like that?”

Susan began to look tearful, so Colin, realising that he was holding her much harder than he had intended to, released his hold.

“We were only over here,” replied Susan, rubbing her arm where Colin had grabbed it. “This nice man called us over to offer us a free ride on his Ghost Train.”

Colin glanced over his girlfriend’s shoulder, towards the ride.

Jeb, having turned around, now noticed the small group gathered in front of him and his expression changed immediately. No longer the cheerful, grinning fairground assistant, his face now wore a scowl where his smile had been a moment before.

“What she say?” asked Dave from behind. “A free ride, I’m up for that.”

Jenny turned back to face her friends. “Jeb’s offered us all a free ride because they have just repaired his track and he’s looking for volunteers to test it.”

As she spoke, Jeb looked down at Jenny, his mouth opening and closing without speaking. It was clear to Connie that he was not amused by Jenny’s announcement.

Jeremy looked at Connie. “Whaddya say then, a free ride to finish off the evening?”

Before she had a chance to reply, Jeb shouted down from his post. “Sorry, must be a misunderstandin’ with the young ladies, I only said I would offer them a free ride when the track was fixed, but it’s still being sorted.”

Jeb turned away from the group and pretended to concentrate on something on the control panel in front of him.

Jenny spun round. “But you said…”

Before she had a chance to finish her sentence, Connie sidled up beside her and gently took her arm. Jenny turned to look at her friend, and Connie shook her head as if to tell her to leave well alone.

Jenny was convinced that she had heard Jeb offer her and Susan a free ride only moments before the rest of the group turned up, but she could sense from Connie’s look that there was no point in arguing the toss.

Reluctantly, she shrugged her shoulders and grabbed Dave’s arm before leading the rest of them away from the attraction.

Jeb watched them leave. Although he had managed to control it on the outside, inside he was quivering with rage. He had been so close to convincing the two girls to come for a ride he could almost taste it.

Pete would have been well impressed with him for managing another couple of victims before closing, but now his chance had slipped away.

Still, as far as he was concerned it was Pete’s fault anyway. Jeb would have had no qualms taking on all six of the friends and sending them down into the cavern beneath the pier to meet their fate.

But he knew better than to disobey Pete, especially after receiving a warning earlier.