While Eric and Julie drifted off to sleep and dreamed of their own bright future, Nate and Alex settled into an evening by the campfire that they had set. Nate was pleased with his scheme to avoid having to set up the tent and was happy that Alex wasn't too upset with him. It let them settle into the folding camp chairs that they had brought along for the weekend, cook s'mores and engage in plenty of good fun. Alex even had a set of specialized tools to hold the graham crackers, marshmallow, and chocolate over the fire without having to burn their fingers or the food. It sat as a sort of wire basket made of stainless steal and was on a long handle which let both of them hold the prepared snakes over the flames to let the chocolate and marshmallows melt a little bit. Both werewolves loved the taste when they bit into the cooked s'mores.
"That was a dirty trick you pulled," Alex said to Nate after a few moments, though his voice had a very teasing tone to it, which indicated to Nate that he wasn't angry.
"Hey, it worked, and we got the fire going," Nate smiled back as he took another bite of his s'more.
"True," Alex commented, "Know any good campfire stories then?"
Nate paused for a moment. He had learned plenty about fires and using them for cooking and so forth, as when William had grilled things in the past, he had been around for some of that in the bast, and while the Anderson family hadn't had much experience with camping before, he had been on a few camping trips with a few friends in Minnesota from time to time. They never went far, but it had been fun and Nate picked up what he felt was enough to have fun. Hiking could be fun, as would swimming in the lake, but that could wait for tomorrow. Right now, he was being asked to share some campfire stories.
Nate had never been told many great campfire stories, but then most sort of campfire stories that he'd always thought of tended to be ghost stories and things like that. And after the talks he'd had over the course of the day over what he would with his life he figured to actually try coming up with something creative there.
"I don't think I've heard many great campfire stories," Nate commented, "but I'd figure most of them tend to be ghost stories and stuff like that."
"They can be," Alex commented.
"So... I figured I'd create one," Nate gave a smile.
Alex nodded and looked on with some interest, "Go on..."
Nate nodded and got started with his tale, "Well... it all began with the gangsters Thomas Winner and Jacob Loser in the 1920s. They'd just robbed the biggest bank in Chicago and were fleeing from the police."
Alex finished off the s'more he'd been eating and soon set about making another while Nate continued.
"The two managed to get away from the police and made it to a little rural hamlet in Minnesota," Nate commented, "it wasn't well developed and was rather wooded. And in the middle of these woods was a bog, with the dirtiest water you'ed ever imagine. Dirt and mud, reeds and weeds, flies and mosquitoes, and even a few lily pads made this lack a place where things went to die. Not even fish lived in this lake."
"Doesn't sound like a good place to be," Alex commented.
"Not if you wanted to live there," Nate nodded, "but great if you're escaping the law. The police didn't want to go in and Winner and Loser were able to hide out in a lone cabin that had been in the center of the woods near the hamlet. The woods and the lake were so mysterious and deep that the people in the hamlet never bothered to look into it."
"Who built the cabin?" Alex wondered.
"No one knows," Nate answered, "maybe the first to see Minnesota before they knew how bad those woods and the lake was. But by the 20s it was abandoned and Winner and Loser were able to hide in there. With no one chasing them, the two of them began to debate on what to do with the money they'd stolen. They'd agreed to split it evenly, but once no one was chasing them anymore... they soon began to bicker and argue. Neither of them could agree on how to split the money. They argued late into the night and eventually agreed to pause and wait until the morning."
Nate made a wave for more graham crackers, a marshmallow, and chocolate. Alex did oblige him and let Nate continue his story.
"However, Winner had his own secret plan to get it all," Nate continued, "he waited for Loser to go to sleep. He then stabbed Loser with a butter knife in the chest and tossed him into the lake. Caught by surprise, Loser was doomed and succumbed to the wound in his chest and drowned in the lake, and his body was practically consumed by reeds and weeds in it. However, before he died, he vowed vengeance on his partner and any heirs he might have for betraying him."
"Ouch..." Alex said slowly.
"Yeah," Nate agreed, "but was something that lingered in that dirty lake and stewed there. Winner went on to change his name and use the money to establish a fairly wealthy lifestyle to go "straight" as it were. He forgot all about Loser and settled into life. Then in 1969, Minnesota began to develop the woods that Winner and Loser hid in. Ironically it was being done by a company owned by Winner's son, Julian. He wanted to build up the little hamlet into a major city, which required building over the woods. The trees were cut down and the cabin and lake were found."
Alex leaned forward as he listened to the story.
"And as the lake was drained and cleaned, Loser's body was found and buried," Nate continued, "but this released his spirit and he immediately began to take his revenge while Julian Victor tried to continue his plan to develop the area. Machines failed, accidents with no reasonable explanation occurred and began to kill his workers, and to Julian's own surprise these things seemed to happen when he was present. Things were fine when he wasn't there."
Nate took a bite of the latest s'more that he'd made and chewed on it before continuing with the tale. He noticed that Alex seemed totally engrossed in the story.
"But no one realized that instance and Julian tried hard to find some reason for these accidents," Nate continued, "he set up his offices in a camper on the construction site so he could see what was causing the problems. This lead to more problems and more accidents and his workers began leaving him. He was left alone... but determined to have his way, he began trying to get the work done himself and to do even better."
"That couldn't have gone well," Alex commented.
"It didn't," Nate answered, "eventually the lights in has camper began to flicker and other random things began to happen. It spooked Julian and eventually he simply broke down and simply demanded to know why these things were happening. While he'd said it to no one in particular, Julian got an answer. An eerie voice answered him, "you cut me out!" Julian could only look around. He saw no one, but heard the line repeated again, this time stronger."
"Spooky," Alex commented.
"Julian looked around the entire area but found no one," Nate continued, "yet he kept hearing the line and in frustrated he demanded to know who was there and who he was talking to... and eventually he did get an answer. "You know me. You cut me out!" Julian denied cutting anyone out. As unlike his father, who had died of old age, Julian had actually paid his workers well and when they left, they didn't blame him. The spectral voice only answered him, "You think yourself a winner, but I know what you are! A cheat and a thief!" Which left Julian confused."
"But both Winner and Loser were both crooks to begin with," Alex pointed out.
"Yes, but Julian didn't know that, and for Winner and Loser, morality had a rather different meaning," Nate answered, "it was okay for them to rob others but not each other. And the ghost of Jacob Loser wasn't going to realize that robbing the bank was wrong. It was Thomas Winner's decision to kill him and get all the money that was the crime, and the ghost was determined to carry out Jacob Loser's promise of vengeance. Julian never knew this... but the ghost recognized the connections Julian had to his former partner. Thus the ghost kept up its attack."
Alex put another couple of logs on the fire to keep it going.
"Julian denied ever meeting the ghost or knowing the ghost," Nate continued, "but he quivered as the ghost of Jacob Loser made himself visible to him. Julian was terrified as the sight was skeletal and thin. Skin seemed to hang loosely over a gaunt skeleton. In some places, the skin even appeared rotted away and was replaced with bone protruding through. Julian was horrified and screamed in terror that he didn't know the ghost. "Oh really... you forget the man who's murder your fortune is based on?" the ghost replied. Julian only crawled backward as the ghost floated forward. Julian pleaded that he'd never murdered anyone. "Not you," the ghost spoke with a cruel smile, "your father." Julian only cowered saying that his father was a good man."
"Jacob Loser's ghost then revealed the truth, didn't he?" Alex asked.
Nate nodded, "the ghost told the whole story of the bank robbery and hiding in the cabin to avoid the police and then Thomas murdering Jacob to get what wanted and then fleeing. The ghost also made mention of being held by the lake and being unable to do anything until Julian's company began to clear the ground and drain the lake. He was now free to gain his revenge on those who had profited off what was his share of the loot from the original crime."
Nate then paused to finish his last s'more and to late Alex look on from the front of his seat.
"Julian, terrified begged for mercy, fearful of the same sorts of accidents that had killed his workers," Nate continued, "and the ghost agreed on the condition that every penny the Winner family had was to be brought before the ghost. Julian questioned what a ghost would want with money, but the ghost roared in response, making the entire camper shake and a knife from its kitchen area shook and fell landing between Julian's legs. Julian then hastily agreed. The ghost smiled and vanished. Frightened and to some degree even panicked, Julian returned to his home. At first he wanted to just forget it and try to start over with a new locale, thinking that the ghost of Jacob Loser was stuck in the lake where his father had dumped him and tried to do some research into family history. After all, he'd known his family name to be Victor, not Winner."
"Though the words could be interchangeable," Alex commented, "though, I'd guess he never knew that."
"He didn't, and neither did he know that by having Loser's body properly buried that Jacob Loser's ghost was freed from being contained in the lake," Nate nodded, "So... when Julian didn't return in a week's time with every penny he had, including the financial worth of his home and business, the ghost followed Julian home. The ghost made lights flicker and he soon began to flash in and out in Julian's mirrors frightening him. He of course panicked and fled his home, only to run into traffic. He was hit and run over by a Budweiser delivery truck and killed on sight. And as Julian Victor's soul passed on... it was left with the haunting image of Jacob Loser hovered over him with the warning, "you may think yourself a winner for you've had. But in the end, all your games and tricks have left you the real loser!" And so Julian Victor died... too hurt to scream. And Jacob Loser's ghost haunted his home for all time. Secure that no one would ever claim Julian Victor's money or home... and no one has stolen from it it... EVER."
Alex humped a little as Nate leaned toward him as he finished the story.
"That was pretty good for a ghost story," Alex chuckled, "pretty good."
"Can you match it?" Nate chuckled.
"Don't know," Alex answered, "don't think so though. Probably shows why I won't be the writer."
Nate laughed and enjoyed the night continued.