Free Ghost Granny by Carol Colbert

over to the fire place to make sure there was no fire there
that was spitting out blue embers. She quickly took a shower and
changed her clothes. Catherine had planned on going right back to
the big kitchen to help Isabel, but instead she made herself a cup
of tea and went to sit on the swing on her front porch, deciding
she deserved the break Isabel told her to take.
    Although it was October, there was not much
of a cold chill or wind to the air. Catherine held her big mug of
tea with both hands and put her feet up underneath her and took a
deep breath.
     
    It is so beautiful here, so peaceful .
Catherine thought, looking up at the full moon and all the stars in
the sky and out towards the big pond with the wooden bridge. The
air smelled sweet from the flowers around the porch and the
delicious smells coming from the big kitchen they were baking out
of.
    Catherine’s eye caught the sight of a big
box at the bottom of the stairs. Looking into it she found what
looked like feathers and bells that perhaps might be used to
decorate the carts and/or the mini ponies. Caramel walked up to the
porch and nudged Catherine’s arm, her big brown eyes looking at
her.
    Catherine patted her head and said “You will
look very pretty in these feathers tomorrow, Caramel.”
    A sound drifted in from the lake and
Catherine looked in that direction. The night was clear, but it was
a ways to the lake and Catherine’s eyes were tired. She saw, or
thought she saw a tall man walking with a much shorter plump lady
and they were laughing. Catherine wondered who they were. Caramel
nudged Catherine’s arm and it made her drop her tea. At least this
time it did not spill on her and she was glad the mug had not
broken.
    Oh well, time to get back to work anyway.
Catherine said. She picked up the mug and walked into her house to
rinse it out and then turned to go out the back door. She almost
tripped on Twinkle.
    “My goodness, Twinkle!” One of us will have
to be more careful about where we are walking.” Catherine said,
going to the cupboard and taking out a couple of kitty snacks for
the cat. Twinkle looked up at Catherine and ate the snacks from her
hand and then purred and walked into the other room.

Chapter 11
     
    It was close to midnight when Catherine put
her arms around a very sleepy Cody and announced that they were
done for the night. Catherine was finding it hard to keep her eyes
open another minute. They had worked hard, they all had.
    Sebastian and Isabel had told Cody and
Catherine not to worry about waking up early in the morning. They
were all set as far as help getting the rest of the decorations and
food to the hill and plenty of help from the town to help them from
there. Catherine did not argue. She knew that both she and her son
had been a big help and she felt good about that. She wanted to in
some way give back to the village. She was very grateful to the
town for welcoming Cody and herself and making them a part of their
community.
    She also knew that she would sleep very well
tonight and even better knowing that they did not have to be up at
any pre-set hour. Cody took a quick shower and fell into bed,
asleep before his head hit the pillow.
    Catherine washed her long blond hair and
then twirled little pieces of her hair around her finger and
secured it with a bobby pin, repeating the process until her hair
was all pinned into little circles. She usually wore her hair in a
ponytail or a braid, but since she had the Tinkle Bell costume to
wear tomorrow she wanted to have her hair as curly as she could get
it. I hope no one needs me to help anymore tonight. Not with a
head full of these pin curls!
    Preparing her hair for the party reminded
her to check again to make sure what she was planning to wear was
not in the fireplace. Satisfied that all was as it should be,
Catherine laid down in the big bed with the very comfortable white
down covering and fell into a deep sleep.
    Catherine dreamed of the full moon and the
beautiful