It was a stormy Sunday afternoon in the early Spring, storm clouds were gathering over the nearby hills to the West of the ghost town of Last Chance. Shamus O'Hara was watching this from his office in a two-story building in a back street of the town. A crack of thunder and a flash of lightning and then sounds of rain falling on the tin roof of the building and then a knock on the office door.
"Come in, the door is opened." Said, Shamus as he thought to himself who could this be sitting at his desk looking through the latest edition of the Chronicles of Last Chance before going to print.
It took a moment or two before the office began to open a flash of lightning shone through the office window revealing two figures in the doorway after it fully opened.
"Come in, and sit down." Said, Shamus as he pointed to the two chairs at the front of his desk.
It took moment or two before the two figures began to move towards Shamus's desk. As the two moves closer towards him and his eyes adjusted to the light Shamus could see that the figures were an ignorant woman carrying something in her arms. The other figure was that rather strange looking elderly man. It was not long the two had reached the chairs and sat down at Shamus's desk. For the next few moments, the young woman the elderly man and Shamus sat at the desk looking at each other.
"Are good afternoon my name is Shamus O'Hara how may I help you." Asked Shamus as he shifted in his chair, his back giving him pain.
"Mr O'Hara good afternoon what is my name is unimportant at this time, for now, you can call me Lara. For now, all you need to know is that you will be at the Hilltop graveyard at midnight, not a second later." Replied the young woman in a sarcastic tone.
"Why?" Asked Shamus in a surprised voice.
But there was no reply from the young woman or elderly man they just looked at each other. Next, there was a puff of smoke and after the smoke cleared they were gone all the evidence that they were even there was a black cat and a note. A flash of lightning a rumble of thunder and a knock on the office door left Shamus scratching his head.
"Come in the bloody thing is still opened." Call out Shamus in a confused voice.
"It is only me." Replied a young man in a gruff voice as he walked through the office door and into the office.
The young man James McDonald the chief printer in charge of printing the Chronicles of Last Chance.
"Are James did you see anybody in the hallway coming from here?" Asked Shamus as he approached the Desk.
"No, I did not are you alright boss?" Replied James.
James could see that Shamus was as they say a little green around the gills.
James notices that a black cat sitting on the desk where the young woman was sitting and alongside the cat was a note.
"What going on here boss!" Asked James he could Shamus was out of it.
"Come sit down and I will tell you what I can recall it happened so fast it all a bit hazy." Said, Shamus in a puzzled voice pointing to the chair in front of the piece of paper on the desk.
James did what Shamus wanted and sat down and listened to what he had to say. After James finished listening to what Shamus had to say James picked up the piece of paper.
"What on the paper?" Asked Shamus.
"Look likes the cat's name its name is Salem." Replied James.
"The name of the cat." Said, Shamus in a sarcastic voice.
"Are James you can go ahead and put the magazine to print all good. Would you please tell Nikki to drop in and I would not mind a cup of coffee and I will see you tonight after you have finished with the printing. I buy you, Nikki and Christopher, for dinner at the hotel." Said, Shamus.
"Not a problem boss. Arr boss what are you going to do with the cat." Replied James as he stood up and began to the door.
"I like him I think will keep him. Can ask Nikki to bring some milk with her when she comes in, please." Asked Shamus.
"I shall boss." Replied James as he opened the office door and walked out the door closing it behind him.

To be Continued.



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