A Ghost at Stallion's Gate by Elizabeth Eagan-Cox

set my recorder on my lap and was content to not mind it at all.
    Alex settled in some more and placed his right arm over the back of my seat. He lightly tapped me on my right shoulder. I looked at him and nodded okay. Having him next to me was a sense of relief. I seriously considered poking him in the ribs as pay back for dragging me along on this wild ghost hunt. But fearing he would sound out at a rib poke, I decide not too. Just at that moment, Gracie announced that we should try another tactic.
    “Maybe you two should come back down here. Let’s go to the dressing rooms on the second level.”
    “Hey, I’m all for that,” I called out.
    “Me too,” agreed Alex. He stood and reached for my hand.
    That was when I screamed, “Let me go!”
    “I’m not holding onto you,” Alex said.
    “Alex, this isn’t funny,” I defended my actions. “You just tried to pull me out of my seat,” I accused.
    “I did not,” Alex claimed.
    By now, Gracie was up at our aisle and standing next to Alex. She reached over to me and put her hand on my shoulder. “Shannon, I was watching, Alex did not go near you. He had turned away from you and had his flashlight pointed to the end of the aisle, he was lighting the way for you.”
    Alex turned to me and said, “Shannon, exactly what did you experience?”
    “I’ll tell you, but I want to get out of here, right now. And, I’m not walking back on the same side of the street.”
    Within ten minutes Alex drove up to the street curb outside in front of theater. I took the passenger seat and Gracie hopped into the back.
    “We can go back to my apartment, if you like?” she suggested.
    We dropped Gracie off to get her car and then followed her over to her home. Once inside she put on a pot of coffee. Alex and I sat together on the sofa. Gracie brought coffee to us and then she sat in a chair, directly across from us.
    I sipped the warm brew and looked around Gracie’s apartment, which was one side of a condo building, a townhouse actually. It was tastefully decorated in Ikea fashion, Danish Modern with California style accents here and there of potted plants and colorful pillows. In the corner stood a beige carpeted cat tree.
    “Do you have cats?” I asked.
    “Two, they’re black and both have short hair, they’re siblings. I call them Heckle and Jeckle. They’re around here somewhere. After we settle in, they’ll probably come out of hiding. Are cats okay with you?” Gracie asked me.
    “I like cats.”
    Alex felt the need to give further assurance and said, “Shannon has a way with animals. My big guy, Atlas, adores her.”
    I looked at Alex and was truly grateful he stepped in and tried to neutralize a situation. I gave him a weak smile. Then I turned to Gracie and said, “I’ll try to explain what happened to me in that theater.”
    “Do you mind if I record you?” Gracie asked.
    “Go right ahead.” I took a deep breath and collected my thoughts. The last thing I wanted to appear as was irrational. “First, when we entered the auditorium and I looked up at the two chandeliers directly above us, well, I saw them light up, ever so dimly and twinkle. Also, some air movement caused the crystal drops and beads to sway, just a little.”
    “Anything else occur at that moment?” Gracie asked.
    “No, but Alex saw it too.”
    “As a matter of fact, I did,” Alex commented and then explained, “It was just as Shannon described. It was those two chandeliers, no others. When it happened, I immediately scanned the entire ceiling. No other lights twinkled or moved. I think that rules out an earthquake or a sonic boom. And besides, there was no mistaking that the chandeliers were lit.”
    Gracie’s eyes widened and she said, “Wow. Shannon, what else happened?”
    “Well, when I thought it was Alex who tried to pull me up from my seat, it felt like a person, probably a man, had gripped my right hand and jerked me up. My mind raced and of course I couldn’t imagine