An Eventful Stay At Potter's Field Inn

20261015

Written for the Second Indulgence, Prompt #10

“Welcome, welcome, to the Potter’s Field Inn!” Mr Scratch threw his arms wide and beamed at the waiting crowd, guttering light from the faux torches throwing his dark moustache and goatee into sharp relief against his angular, pale face and casting shifting shadows across his old-fashioned suit and top hat. “Does everyone have their tickets?? I hope you’re ready for a stay to DIE for!”
He laughed and most of the crowd laughed too, some genuinely, some obediently, and many impatiently.
“Well, since our guests have arrived…” He pointed his cane, and the front doors swung open. “Remember, everyone, obey all the signs - or you might just find your stay becomes permanent.”
More laughter, as everyone surged inside. His ears caught, with unnatural clarity, one man grumble to his wife “The chap they had last year was better.”
Ah. Excellent. He was never sure if the changes he made to his Guise were too subtle. It didn’t do to never age, after all. So he pretended to be merely a front-man for the attraction. An actor on a seasonal contract.
Because, of course, there must be many workers involved in such an attraction. While nobody could figure out what mechanisms were used for the Potter’s Field Haunted House, visitors said the effect was positively magical. And, with all the blurbs about the historical serial killers and other twisted ‘occupants’, it was also educational!
Which meant that, despite having no online presence, visitor numbers were up every year, to the point he was now having to actually hire some mortals. Checking tickets and directing parking and welcoming visitors and keeping an eye on everything all on his own just wasn’t viable. And none of those were jobs you could exactly entrust to angry ghosts.
Just as well the money wasn’t the point, eh?
He sauntered into the entryway to watch visitors wander into and out of rooms. Unlike many attractions, there was no linear path for them to follow. Nothing gently prodding them to get through and done as quickly as possible. In fact, the more time they spent lingering, the better.
“Goodness, it’s so creepy.” One teen gushed to her friends. While rubbing her arms and looking a touch pale. Perhaps aware, however subconsciously, of the hungry aura which was sapping her.
Fortunately, mortals were usually good at self-regulating, and would leave before they actually keeled over. Or at least, could be gently encouraged to “get some fresh air”. After all, he didn’t want their entire soul; this was about the long game.
Hm. There were dissatisfied murmurs coming from one of the upper rooms. Was a ghost resisting? Tsk. You’d think they learn. Ah well, time to remind them who they’d signed a contract with. Thankfully visitors were usually understanding about an attraction “breaking down” and needing a quick looking at.
So he tucked his cane under one arm and jauntily strutted up the stairs. Mentally feeling for the obstreperous chained soul.
Honestly, the ingrates. With a less imaginative and modern-minded demon they would’ve been thrown into a sulphurous pit to fester. What was a little dignity in comparison? And yet, many of them seemed to feel they’d rather just burn forever than be used to entertain the living.
No helping some people.
Ah. Daniel. Daniel, Daniel, Daniel. Do we really have to do this again? Alright, where have you found to sulk-
The focus was gone.
His eyes narrowed, and he hastily shored up the Guise. It wouldn’t do to let things slip now.
How had…? He would’ve sensed the moment anyone messed with or stepped past the heavy velvet ropes blocking off the ‘attraction’ sections.
He forced a smile. Waved the people looking around out of the room with a canned apology of “Guess the ghost isn’t feeling it, haha! Let me just sort this out.”. Shut and locked the door and flipped the sign around to read “out of order”. Then hurried through the “Employee Only” door.
Only once he was safely away from mortal eyes did he manifest a Window and open a Scry. It must have just happened, he’d checked everything before letting mortals in…
Aha.
A middle-aged man lingered until the room was empty, then nipped in and pulled out some electronic device from the depths of his anorak. He waved it around like a metal detector, then produced a telescoping grabber and delicately plucked Daniel’s snuff box off the shelf.
Dammit! Teenagers were almost as untrustworthy as ghosts! He’d told them to check for anybody packing weird supernatural-investigation equipment!!
Alright.
He reached into the Scry and plucked a Trace.
“I hope you weren’t planning on getting away with this, bucko. Because right now, it’s a question of whether I get to you or Daniel does. Of all my ghosts to try and kidnap, you would pick the frothing sadist with no self-control. But perhaps that’s for the best. For me, I mean.”
Trace in hand and Guise back on, complete with showman smile, he briskly followed the trail downstairs and out the front door. Naturally. But the place was fairly secure - those thorny hedges weren’t just for ambiance. So…
A scream rang out, quenching any hope of sorting this out tidily. This was going to waste so much power, wasn’t it?
The would-be shredder of the masquerade was face-first in a hedge, clearly being forced into it by an invisible figure. His screams increasingly muffled by the leafy barrier. Good.
Mr Scratch crooked a finger, and the snuff box leapt from the floor to its rightful owner’s hand. And the force assaulting the fool vanished. He beckoned, and the man was yanked loose to collapse in a sobbing, bloody heap.
Hmm… alright, he could work this. Call an ambulance and the police, report an attempted burglary and say the idiot tried to climb the hedge in a panic while fleeing, muddle a few heads, all should be well.
Oh, and get Daniel back where he belonged. Before he got any more ideas.

Prompt was “You are the owner of a famous haunted house. Every Halloween, people flock to attend because they love how realistic it is. What they don’t know is that it’s all real, but you’ve learned how to keep it in check. It’s Halloween night, and everything is going smoothly. That is, until you find out one of the attractions has gotten loose…”

Read other stories written for this prompt here.