Free Books of the Dead by Morris Fenris Page A

said, “It is not just her; there are some spirits that some claim to have come across.”
    Merly was feeling a little dizzy in her head and didn’t know how to relate them to her missing books, her friend going off or Nora’s encounter with Mr. Summers in the library.
    “Anything about Mr. Summers?” With a little courage, Merly finally asked, because she had to know.
    “You are asking me about a teacher. This doesn’t seem to be about a book, does it?” Natalie looked at Merly sharply.
    Of all the things, Merly wasn’t going to tell Natalie her motives unless she wanted it to be the topic of the campus and people labeling crazy or stupid. Merly wanted to avoid it at all cost. She didn’t want to indulge Natalie with any other information and insisted it was in fact for the book that she was collecting the information for.
    Natalie looked at her, but it was obvious that she didn’t believe what Merly said, so she waited for her to answer her question in more detail.
    Merly weighed the option that was more important to her. Indulging Natalie would call for trouble, but then she needed to know the truth and was fairly confident that Natalie knew something.
    Everyone in and around the campus knew about Natalie, her ways and her love for knowing things beyond. Merly thought she could be her ally and be of some help to her, but then she didn’t want to get someone into trouble because of her nor did she know if the girl was trustworthy.
    Natalie seemed to notice the dilemma on Merly’s face, and Merly knew that she had to take a decision fast. It was worth a shot, she thought, so she finally said, “Okay, I’ll tell you, but only if you promise to help me.”
    The temptation of knowing what was going through Merly’s head was too much for Natalie. She knew that Merly was hiding something, and it could be the biggest news that she has heard so far, so she decided to help and said slyly, “I will.”
    “You have to promise me that you won’t tell this to anybody,” Merly pleaded.
    “This seems to be very important to you. You can trust me,” Natalie said.
    Merly didn’t know how much she could trust her, but she still took the chance. “I am having those same dreams,” Merly said in one single breath and waited for Natalie to react, but she didn’t. Natalie stood there silently waiting for Merly to finish what she was saying. “Say something,” Merly implored.
    “But you never finished what you were saying,” Natalie casually said.
    Merly hesitated a little before saying, “There is nothing much to say. I am just having the same dreams like that student you just mentioned. The dream just kept coming back every night; it is horrible,” she stuttered while saying the lines.
    “That means you saw the ghost?” Natalie asked.
    “No, I didn’t, and I don’t want to either,” Merly said.
    “Then what about the teachers? Why are you inquiring about them?” Natalie asked to get a clear answer from her.
    “I think one of the teacher’s from this university is involved in this whole situation,” Merly confessed.
    “Who do you think it is?” Natalie questioned.
    “I think it’s Mr. Summers” Merly said without thinking. She was unsure that Natalie could be trusted with the information, but it was too late to think about that anyway. “I am not sure about this, but strange things are happening to me since the last few days, and I don’t think that they are simply coincidence.” Merly waited to catch her breath, then continued saying, “I was sent some books on criminology along with some on invocation, spirits and ghosts from an unknown sender. I tried to give them away, but a day later, the books on criminology were stolen. Nora went missing and without telling me where she was going. I questioned Mr. Stevenson, and he informed me that day, he heard Mr. Summers and Nora arguing over something, and two of the college year books are missing. These dreams keep coming back.” Merly paused for a