Cerridwen and the Phantom Nurse
Chapter One: An Midnight Encounter with Nurse Spooky

Warning: The following contains elements of horror. And a brief scene of mental torture. If you are sensitive to such things. Please enjoy one of my other stories. And though this is a horror story with elements of the supernatural thrown in for flavoring. I would like to assure my faithful readers that this story does indeed have a happy ending.

I've always been something of a frail, sickly child. I think I tend to get more than my fair share of colds, sinus infections, and other such illnesses. Most of the time though I can shrug them off, and keep on moving. Not this time though. This time, over the counter cold and flu pills, mom's chicken noodle soup and a visit from our family doctor could not save me. This time, I've finally landed myself in the hospital.

Now, I've only been in a hospital twice before, the first time was to have my tonsils removed when I was six, the second time was to have my appendix removed when I was twelve. Since then I've managed to stay away from them. But now it seems I'm a guest of Mississippi Medical Center, I have a lovely room all to myself on the fourth floor.

Now according to my friend, or should I say mentor, Madeline Brewer this hospital is haunted. Well most hospitals are haunted. I mean people are born here and they die here. Some people come to one expecting to get treatment and to make a full recovery and others come here expecting to die. I mean, name me a hospital that is not haunted, go on, I dare you to. I bet you a hundred dollars you can't.

Anyway according to my mentor, and friend Madeline Brewer and her best friend Jamie Sarah Potter. This hospital is suppose to haunted by the ghost of a nurse, well two ghost nurses. The first one is something of a guardian angel. If you're prone to believe in such things. She is supposed to comfort children who are near death, and guide them into the afterlife. Ease there passing if you. Stay by their side till they accept their brief time on this rock spinning through space is at an end. Her name is Nurse Mindy and according to all accounts she the guardian angle of this hospital

The other is a wicked thing. She was wicked in life and is wicked in death. She is supposed to be the source of all nightmares, a vile woman, beyond redemption. In life she was known to torment the living and in death she still does. Her name is Nurse Spooky. And she is kind of the boogeyman the other nurses use to scare children into behaving.

According to the stories I've heard. Nurse Spooky and Nurse Mindy are locked in a never ending game of chess. Or an eternal game of cat and mouse with the souls of sick children at stake. To simply put it, Nurse Mindy wants to keep all children safe. And Nurse Spooky wants to drag all the children into the dark shadows of the underworld.

Now there is an old proverb that goes like this. “Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.” And well I've also been a curious person. Mom says that will be my downfall one day. And I guess that's true. I have often been more curious than afraid when it comes to ghosts, demons and other supernatural beings. I'm sure that will lead to a messy end one day.

Anyway, I knew I had a chance to see a ghost and I knew from all the stories I've heard around a campfire that Nurse Mindy was said to appear to children who strayed from their rooms and roamed the hallways and Nurse Spooky was said to stalk children who ventured into forbidden places. One those places happen to the hospital's mortuary oddly enough.

And so with those two solid pieces of information to go, I hatched a plan. The first step in my plan was to memorize the movement of the nurses on the floor. I'd noticed from midnight to one in the morning the nurse on duty often took her lunch, and that most shift changes took place at five in the morning.

So my best bet was to move a little after midnight when the nurse on duty was taking her lunch and all of the ward was fast asleep. Also the last nurse checked in on me a little after eleven. So between eleven and one I had a golden window to leave my bed and roam the hallway. But I had to roam with a goal in mind. Now I had a few places I wanted to visit, the hospital mortuary being at the top of my list. After all, my friend Susan had tried to go there once and had been caught. I managed to get in and snap a few pictures. I would forever have the bragging rights around the campfire back in Benton and one hell of a story to tell.

And so I waited, counting down each hour. Till at last the clock struck twelve. I pretended to be fast asleep as the eleven o' clock nurse came into my room and checked over me. She looked over my chart, signed a few things and then went on her way. Once I was sure she was gone I opened my eyes, took a deep breath and then gathering up my courage I tossed the thin hospital blanket to the side and slipped out of bed.

As soon as my feet touched the floor I felt a chill rush over me. It was like something or somebody had taken notice of me. I pushed that thought away from me and started to creep toward my door. With trembling fingers I reached out and turned the handle and pushed it open. I then peaked out of the hallway. The hallway was totally void of life. And a pale, full moon could be seen from the windows that lined the hallway.

A small smile crept across my face, as I eased out into the hallway. Then as if going for a casual stroll around the walking track in Goose Egg park back home I started toward the elevator. I even smiled at the nurse who was staffing the nurse station as I strolled right past her. The woman looked up, blinked, rolled her shoulders and went back punching the buttons on her phone. I had no idea what she was doing on her phone and I did hover around to ask. I was a woman on a mission.

Once I reached the elevator I pressed the down button a few moments later a loud chime could be heard as the metal doors slid open. I hovered there for a few minutes before I stepped inside. Then with trembling hands I pushed the 'B' button and then the elevator lurched to life. One by one the floor numbers light up. Everything seemed to be going smoothly till it reached the second floor. Then it stopped and the doors slid open and there in the doorway appeared a nurse.

“Good evening.” She said, smiling a little. “I see we're going to the same place. Mind if I ride with you?” She said as she pressed the 'B' button and the doors closed, sealing me inside with the nurse. At first I thought I was caught, that the game was up and that she was going to question me, and then march me back to my room and tell me off for being out of bed. But instead she just seemed to hover there smiling a little.

It took a moment but something felt off about the nurse. She seemed off. Now I'm a witch, and part of being a witch is reading a person's aura. And the aura that surrounded this person was giving me the creeps. She seemed to notice me peering at her, and then she smiled, it was the most wicked smile I've ever been given. It was not really a smile, more like a smirk, but that smirk soon became what I can only call a very preparatory smile.

“So, how long have you been dead if you don't mind me asking?” The nurse as casually as if she was asking to borrow my phone to call her ride. “And how did it happen? Must have been some kind of illness, long term?” She asked.

“Pardon me?” I was a little taken back. By the question.

“Well, your gown is clean. So it could not have been from an operation gone wrong. And your not bruised and broken up, so it could not have been from a car crash.” She said. “So that only leaves a long term illness that finally got the best of you. You have all your hair, so I'm going to rule out cancer. Unless that a wig you're wearing.” The nurse chuckled. “Really hon, only the dead go down to the basement. So how did it happen?” She paused again. “Let me guess. Suicide?”

“What?” I said backing into a corner. “NO!” I said, taking a deep breath. “Listen Lady! I'm alive! My name is Cerridwen Circe Whitethorn and last time I checked I was alive and kicking!” I said feeling the blood that was flowing through my body turn to ice water.

“Cerridwen Circe Whitethorn.” The nurse said in a sing-song tone of voice. “Sounds a bit Gothic. I bet you were one of those Hot Topic Chicks. We get those from time to time. They listen to songs about about suicide and write depressing poems about life. Let me guess you either slit your wrist open or you overdosed on pills. You look like the kind of girl who would overdose. I bet it was because your boyfriend, the love of your life, broke up with you. Maybe for another Hot Topic Chick or maybe you were bullied to death.”

I don't know why but at that moment I started to fill my blood boil and anger overcame my fear and the sense of dread that was coming from this strange nurse. Whoever she was, she had a really sick, and twisted sense of humor.

“Daisy would never, ever cheat on me!” I shouted.

“Daisy?” The nurse said. “Oh so it was not your boyfriend that broke your heart, it was your girlfriend. That explains it. I bet she came from a super Christian family and when mom found out her daughter was dating the local Gothic chick, she gave her a choice, either break up with you and go to confession and say a thousand Hail Mary's. Or get kicked out of the house and get disowned. And so she broke up with you, and you were so heartbroken that you swallowed a bunch of pills, you then fell asleep and when you woke up you were peering down at your own body? Happens sometimes, not all the time, but sometimes.”

“You have a fucked up sense of humor.” I muttered.

“Comes with being dead. Give it time honey, and you will develop it too. Unless you're going to move on soon. And given you're still floating around this hospital, I take you’re new to the underworld. So allow me to be the first to welcome you to the ever growing, ever expanding realm of the dead. I'm Nurse Spooky and I will be your guide tonight.” She said, chuckling a little.

I felt my jaw drop a little as I started to push myself into the corner.

“Oh don't be shy. I don't bite much!” She said as and at that very moment the metal doors of the elevator slid open and the dark hallway showed itself. We were in the basement now. The nurse just smiled and reached down and took me by the hand. Then she paused.

The moment the nurse's hand touched my hand was the moment I wanted to scream, horrible visions filled my head. Begging children, blood splattered operating rooms, wailing mothers and crying fathers. Children charts getting misplaced or lost. Operating dates getting switched around. And the source of all of this. Was touching my hand at this very moment. And her name was Nurse Spooky.

“Oh what is this?” She said as she let go of my hand. “A bracelet, a plastic bracelet and it has such pretty colors. Pink, blue and white. The same colors of that new flag I've seen flying from the flag poles on the news channel. That explains so much honey.” She said grinning.

“...” I did not want to say anything, instead I just stayed in my corner.

“I've heard these colors belong to a pride flag called 'Trans Pride' . I bet you're one of those Transgender youths we get from time to time. Mommy and daddy could not accept you, girlfriend or boyfriend broke up with you. Your whole world came crumbling down around you. And so in a moment of despair you swallowed a bunch of pills and washed it all down with some bleach for extra measure? Oh dear, no wonder you don't even know your dead!” She cackled. “You were so piled up when you died, you lost yourself in your own little world! Well honey your in my world now and things are about to get twisted!”

It was at that very moment my mothers words came back to bite me square on the ass. Those words were as follows 'One day Cerridwen Circe Whitethorn, that curiosity of yours is going to get you into some really big trouble. And when that day comes, I'm afraid not even all the magic in the world could help you. Mark my words young lady'.

As I felt myself being pulled into the darkness. I started to pray. I prayed to the Goddess that she would take pity on me, and send somebody out to save me! And as the darkness closed in around me, I knew in my heart of hearts I had crossed a threshold. I had left the world of the living, and was now a traveler in the world of the dead.

To be continued.