Raven's Rest
By Stephen Osborne
Michael Cook has left his abusive lover and settled in the small town of Banning, Illinois. Having nowhere else to go, he checks into the Raven’s Rest Inn and soon learns that the haunted reputation of the hotel is well deserved. Michael gets a job at a local café, where he meets Trey Ramsey. Though Michael has misgivings about starting up a new relationship, Trey seems to be the complete opposite of Michael’s controlling ex, so he decides to give Trey a chance.
Life at the Raven’s Rest becomes increasingly frightening when the ghost of Coleman Hollis appears in Michael’s room. Coleman seems to want something from Michael, and the mystery deepens when Michael discovers he’s the spitting image of Coleman’s lover from years ago. Together, Michael and Trey must discover why Coleman’s spirit is drawn to the Raven’s Rest—and to Michael.
Table of Contents
For Maggie Geise:
Enjoy your journey, my friend!
You are an inspiration!
Love ya!
THERE WAS
nothing about the inn, other than its somewhat evocative name, to suggest that dark secrets were housed within. I first saw the Raven’s Rest in the early twilight hours, and to me it looked like heaven. The Raven’s Rest Inn gave a homey impression: a large white building, a former farmhouse that had been added on to over the years. Here, the house seemed to say, you can find peace and tranquility. It beckoned to the weary traveler, offering solace from the hustle and bustle of the city. The perfect place to get away.
And getting away was just what I needed to do.
Escape might be a more apt word.
I sat in my car in the parking lot, holding in my hand the brochure for the Raven’s Rest Inn that I’d picked up at a rest stop along the highway. I’d switched the engine off, but I hesitated before getting out and going inside. There was no longer enough light to read, but I’d already perused the pamphlet enough times that I knew the basic contents by heart. The Raven’s Rest boasted eleven suites, perfect for the traveling businessman or the vacationer who wanted to enjoy the sights and shopping available in the town of Banning, Illinois. I gazed out the window at the Halloween decorations near the entrance. Orange lights outlined the doorway, and a candlelit jack-o’-lantern was positioned to one side of the steps, its flame guttering slightly from the evening breeze. Fake tombstones adorned the lawn, and a white-sheeted ghost hung from the branch of a large oak tree, either welcoming guests or warning them to stay away, I wasn’t sure which.
I’d first tried the Holiday Inn just off the freeway, but they were booked solid. The manager on duty had been good enough, however, to check to see if any rooms were vacant in the vicinity. Due to a last-minute cancellation, he told me, I could stay at the Raven’s Rest Inn, just outside of town. He even provided me with directions. Maybe he saw something in my eyes that made him take pity on me, or maybe he was just always so accommodating.
The trouble was, this place looked like it would be a tad more expensive than a Motel 6 or the Holiday Inn. And while I had enough money in my bank account to last me a couple of months, I didn’t know how long I’d have to stay at the Raven’s Rest. It could be weeks, and unless they made me a deal, that might cut one hell of a chunk out of my bankroll.
On the other hand, if Kevin came looking for me, he’d never think to check this place out. He knew my frugal nature, and he’d never think of looking for me at a fancy joint like the Raven’s Rest.
My heart was beating fast, and I could feel a panic attack approaching. Forcing deep breaths, I chanted, “You can do this, Michael. You can do this.”
Could I? Yes, I could. I had to.
I tossed the pamphlet onto the passenger seat and got out of the car, my mind made up. After all, I was starting a new phase of my life. I might as well do things right.
Besides, I deserved a little luxury. I’d put up with Kevin for five years, hadn’t I?
As I made my way to the front entrance, the inn seemed to be speaking to me, telling me I’d made the right decision.
Welcome
, an imaginary voice said inside my head.
We want you to feel like the Raven’s Rest is your home. Stay as long as you like. We’ll protect you.
If Kevin really did try to find me, I’d need protecting.
The mere thought of what he’d do if he located me made my knees weak, but somehow I made it up the steps to the porch. The jack-o’-lantern grinned eerily at me.
Inside, the atmosphere was warm and friendly. The owners had gone to some pains to make the Raven’s Rest look as little like an inn as possible. In many ways, I could have been walking into someone’s private home. The check-in desk was small and positioned off to the side, so as to lessen its visual impact. What I saw first was a grand staircase, the banisters festooned with black-and-orange crepe paper in honor of the coming holiday, hardwood floors polished to a shine, and clean white walls with plenty of framed pictures. Most of the photographs were of the inn itself, showing it during different times in its history.
Behind the desk was a tall, thin, young black man. I myself was pretty tall, but he towered over me, so he had to be at least six foot four. And when I said thin, I meant almost skeletal. But he had a welcoming grin on his face that extended to his eyes, as if he genuinely was pleased to see me.
“Welcome to the Raven’s Rest,” he said. “How can I help you?”
A sudden, gripping fear seized me. Did I really have the nerve to go through with this? I knew not a soul in Banning. I had no job and no prospects. If I went back now, maybe Kevin wouldn’t be too angry. True, I’d have to endure his tirades for months to come, but maybe they wouldn’t be so bad.
No. A new life. A new start.
And it started here, in the Raven’s Rest.
“I think they called you from the Holiday Inn, the one by the highway,” I said as I approached the desk. “My name is Michael Cook.”
The young man’s grin spread, which I wouldn’t have thought possible. “Only Holiday Inn in the area, so I hope it was them. But yeah, they called for you. We had a cancellation, so you can have the Ulalume Suite.”
“Ulalume?” It sounded like an odd name to me.
“All our rooms are named after either stories or poems by Edgar Allan Poe. Guy that built this place was a bit of a Poe nut.” He chuckled to himself, I think over the term “Poe nut.”
“So there must be a Raven Suite, and maybe a Black Cat Suite?”
“Oh yeah. The Raven Suite’s the big one on the second floor. You’ll like the Ulalume, though. Nice view of the gazebo and the gardens. How long were you planning on staying, Mr. Cook?”
That was a good question. I wished I had a good answer. Should I play it safe and go day by day? No, that would be a hassle, and what if they booked someone else into the room? “Can I pay for a week up front?” I asked. “I may need to stay longer, in fact.”
“Sure can.” The young man did some typing on his keyboard. The homey feel extended to the staff’s attire. Instead of a stuffy suit, the desk clerk was wearing a flannel shirt over his bony frame, and comfortable-looking jeans. A name tag over his left breast informed me his name was Lonnie. I decided I liked Lonnie a lot. My first friend in Banning.
The clock behind him told me that it was nearly ten o’clock, much later than I’d thought. I must have spent more time at that rest stop than I’d realized as I’d tried to figure out what I was going to do with myself for the next few days. “Sorry I’m so late,” I said.
“Hey,” Lonnie said, “no problem. I’m here all night.”
“Good place to work?” I asked.
Now his grin showed his teeth. “I’d better say yes, since my mom owns the place.”
I laughed along with him. “I guess you’d better. Business been good?”
“Real good this week, but then we’ve just had Banning’s fall festival. Normally we wouldn’t be all booked up like this.”
He gave me the price for a week, which wasn’t as bad as I was expecting, and I forked over my credit card. As he processed the transaction, I took in more of my surroundings. Off to the side of the staircase was an archway leading to what looked like a little gathering place for guests. Currently it was in darkness. Opposite it was a solarium, with two walls almost entirely made up of glass. Lots of wicker furniture and potted plants. Looked like a good place to read when things were quiet.
Lonnie gave me back my credit card and handed me a key card. “The Ulalume Suite is on the second floor, all the way down to the left. Do you need help with your baggage?”
“It’s out in the car. I can grab it myself.” One bag, in fact. Everything I now owned, reduced to one suitcase. There was a lot of shopping in my future.
What the hell was I doing? I opened my mouth, ready to hand Lonnie his key card back and tell him I’d made a terrible mistake. When I looked at him, however, he had such a friendly look on his face, I couldn’t disappoint him, not to mention myself. A genuinely good soul, this Lonnie, and God knew I needed good things in my life right now.
“In town on business, Mr. Cook?”
“Call me Michael. And no, just here to see the town.”
That surprised him just a little. “Not much to see in Banning. The fall festival is pretty much over. Don’t worry, though. You won’t get bored.”
I was reluctant to leave him. After all, what would I do up in my room all by myself? Probably fret about my decision to leave Kevin and get myself all worked up. So I forced a smile on my face and leaned in closer to Lonnie, as if we were being conspiratorial. “So tell me, with a name like the Raven’s Rest, is this place haunted?”
Lonnie surprised me by loudly proclaiming, “Hell, yeah! We’ve got at least three ghosts roaming the halls. Don’t worry, though. They hardly ever visit the Ulalume Suite. Now if you were staying in the Black Cat….” He left that room and what went on there to my imagination.
“Three ghosts?” I said, letting my skepticism show.
“At least.”
“Ever seen one?”
He chuckled. “Not as such. But I’ve had a lot of weird things happen to me, and I’ve seen shadows move when there isn’t anyone around. Once, I saw a guy out of the corner of my eye, right there on the stairs. But when I turned to say something to him, there was no one there. Want to see him?”
Was Lonnie offering to show me an actual ghost? “See him?”
The young man emerged from behind the desk and led me over to one of the photographs on the wall. “That’s him there. Coleman Hollis. He lived here around 1980 or so. His father was the guy who renovated this place and turned it into an inn.”
The picture was in black and white and showed part of the grounds, including the gazebo. Standing in the structure, facing the camera, was a serious-faced young man with long blond hair. The photo was obviously meant to showcase the beautiful lawn and gardens, and Coleman Hollis wasn’t the main feature. In fact, it was hard to tell much about him, other than the long hair and that he was a handsome guy.
“1980?” I asked. “I take it he died young.”
Lonnie shrugged. “Actually, he disappeared. At the time, a lot of folks around here just thought he ran off somewhere. His father, Darryl Hollis, wasn’t exactly a nice guy. I wouldn’t say he’s changed either. He still lives in town. But no one’s seen or heard from Coleman for years, as far as I know. When my mom bought this place a few years ago, we started hearing from guests who claimed to see the apparition of a young man. Finally someone pointed out this picture and said it was him that they’d seen. Which tells me that Coleman didn’t live long after he ran off. I guess he decided to come back home, though. In ghost form.” Lonnie smiled at his macabre joke.
I shivered, even though I was still wearing my jacket. It was like the air around me had suddenly plummeted several degrees. I looked around. “There must be a draft coming through here.”
“Or maybe that was Coleman, saying hi.” Lonnie favored me with a sly smile. “We get cold spots a lot here, which from what I understand is pretty common in places that are haunted.”
I shook my head. “You really believe that ghosts reside here, don’t you?”