The Prattsville Spectral Tavern and Restaurant

prattsville

PHOTO PROMPT © Dale Rogerson

If you like my work, buy me a virtual cup of coffee at Ko-Fi.

Ed held the polished wooden sign declaring “Homestead Bed and Breakfast” in both hands. He looked dubiously back and forth between the derelict building in the middle of nowhere and his wife.

Lorraine’s grin radiated absurd confidence. “Put the sign up next to the others. Our dear haunt will be incarcerated with the rest. You’ve seen Ghostbusters.”

“They had a laser containment.”

“Just stick it to the wall.”

The sign magically adhered to the rotting wood and because he was near the door, Ed could hear the other spirits welcoming their new resident. The party got started all over again.

It’s Wednesday and time once again to participate in Rochelle Wisoff-Fields’ 6 September 2024 edition of Friday Fictioneers. The idea is to use the image at the top to prompt the crafting of a poem or short story no more than 100 words long. My word count is exactly 100.

It took me a few minutes to contemplate the signs and to sidestep some of my more commonly used tropes. I came up with the idea that each sign represented a ghost. Remove a sign or other similar object from where they are haunting and they’re captured temporarily. Place the sign on the tavern wall, and they permanently take up residence with the rest of the specters therein. Don’t worry, they’re having the time of their lives…well, unlives.

I needed names for my characters and “Googling” “husband and wife ghost hunters,” I came up with Ed and Lorraine Warren. I made no attempt to duplicate them in my story, I just used their first names.

To read other tales based on the prompt, visit inlinkz.

My short story “The Other Place” is currently available in the Raconteur Press anthology The Super Generation both in paperback and Kindle formats.

My wee tale “Wraiths” is now available in issue 13 of SciFanSat in viewing (I have trouble getting this one to behave), ePub download. and PDF.

34 thoughts on “The Prattsville Spectral Tavern and Restaurant”

  5. James, I appreciate the research of the names. Very good concept that could be a hoot to develop into a series of books, with that place as home base, like Ankh-Morpork in the Discworld books.

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  6. Sounds like it’s going to be a real “Hoot and Holler!” LOL! We have a bar in Nnorthern Kentucky that is said to be extremely haunted. I remember my Mom even warning me not to go there when we first moved here. She said it was “Satan’s sanctuary”. Ah, now I remember the name (I Hope) “Bobby Mackey’s : https://www.bobbymackeys.com/ .

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