Free Lure by Brian Rathbone

approached what had always been one of Sam's favorite booths; the one with rock and roll banners, black lights, posters and albums. She could see the dark backdrop over the heads of the crowd before her, and she moved in that direction. Her aunt's booth was not far from there.
    As they passed the Amish food stand, which stood in a permanent structure built within the largest pole barn, stools lined either side, and women wearing sheer bonnets worked inside. The smells coming from within were enough to lure even those with full bellies, and Sam was tempted to get a roasted chicken for the ride. She'd been known to buy one and eat the whole thing before getting home. It was quite a feat, but she had skills.
    The longhaired guy in the rock and roll booth was jamming out on air guitar to Boston's Walk On , and Sam cast him a wave. He saw her and banged his head extra hard while she was walking past. Part of her wanted to go join him, and for a moment she stopped and jammed with him, holding up the crowd. Shells jumped in on the air drums, and everyone just had to wait for the moment to pass.
    There were low grumbles, but no one actually said anything to Sam or Shells, and they just began moving along with the flow once again. When Aunt Julie saw Sam, she ran out from behind her table and into the crowd. "I wondered what the commotion was, and now I know. Excitement follows you two girls wherever you go. Now git over here and give your Aunt Julie a hug."
    Sam embraced her aunt, who kissed her on the cheek before letting go. "And where have you been hiding, you rascal?" She asked before planting a kiss on Shells' cheek. Shells actually blushed. "It's been far too long since you've come to see me! I've been worried about you."
    "I'm OK, Aunt Julie. Now I have the chance to do whatever I want with my life."
    "And what is that, dear?"
    "For the moment…uh… hunting ghosts I guess."
    Aunt Julie looked doubtful. "I'm certain there are spirits out there that you can make contact with, but perhaps this is something best left alone. There can be a very dark side to things such as these, and I don't want you getting caught up in that, you understand me? Now come back here and let me smudge you."
    Groaning, Sam followed her aunt behind the table. She hated getting smudged, but she knew it was best to just let her aunt do what it was she wanted to do; she would get what she wanted one way or another, so it was easiest to just not resist in the first place. After lighting some sage on fire, Aunt Julie waved the smoldering mass of sage sprigs and sent curling wisps of thick white smoke into the air. The smell was pungent and almost overpowering. Sam could hear people in the crowd complaining, but Aunt Julie ignored it as she always did. "I hear your stomach growling," she said, and Sam knew what was coming. "Let me get some peppermint essential oil to rub on your belly."
    "Aunt Julie," Sam whined.
    "Oh, hush and do what your aunt says."
    For once, Sam did just that, and allowed her aunt to rub peppermint oil on her belly while vaguely familiar people walked by. It was an uncomfortable experience and was one of the reasons that Sam hadn't visited more often.
    "How are your bowel movements?"
    "They're fine, Aunt Julie. Just fine. I'm fine."
    "No you're not. Just look at your aura. You look awful. Doesn't she look awful?"
    Shells and a couple people from the crowd agreed that she looked like shit. Sam just raised her middle finger without looking to see who it was.
    "Now you 'cancel, cancel, clear,' young lady."
    "Yes, ma'am," Sam said.
    "Sniff this," Aunt Julie said. Sam wrinkled her nose and took a shallow inhalation. The pungent smell of oregano was overwhelming. Sam was glad when Aunt Julie finally turned her attention to Shells. "How are your bowel movements?"
    Looking dumbstruck, Shells just stood, agape.
    "Well?" Sam asked.
    "Uh. Like. Uh. You see, I lead a mostly vegetarian lifestyle."
    "Oh you must have the most magnificent poo!" Aunt