The Haunted Traveler December 2017 Edition

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own soldiers. Ben turned to the left to see what the witch had to say about him getting
drafted.
After the father left for work and the mother was taking her morning shower, Ben took
the mother’s car and drove up to the state library in Salem. He took along the family
telephone book to show the librarian. He left the mother’s car in the parking lot of a
liquor store a block from the state library; the keys were in the ignition, the driver’s side
window rolled down.
Nobody could understand what he was saying any more, so Ben decided to pretend
to be a deaf mute who could read lips. He spent the whole day looking through the
bookcase of telephone directories for the name the witch had given him, Louina. He
had to find Louina.
“Sir,” the librarian said to Ben. He pretended not to hear. She tapped him on the
shoulder again. Ben jumped as though stung by a scorpion. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I
didn’t mean to frighten you. We’re closing, you have to leave now.”
Ben ignored the librarian and kept looking through the telephone directories.
“Sir, before you leave, you have to pick up all of these directories and put them back
on their shelves.” Ben pretended not to understand. He wasn’t even halfway through
and he didn’t have time to be reshelving the telephone books.
The librarian left, clicking her heels on the marble floor. In a few minutes she was
back with a piece of paper. She waved the note at Ben: Please pick up all the telephone
books and put them back on the shelves. We are closing in fifteen minutes.
Ben grabbed the piece of paper and ripped it in half and then in half again, and
again. He handed the paper back to the librarian. She snorted, turned and left. Ben kept
looking, he knew he didn’t have much time. He didn’t know if he was looking for a last
or first name. He scanned the Ls first and then started thumbing through the book.
After seven hours, he had eye strain and a tremendous headache, but every time he
rested, the witch’s voice reappeared in his head: Louina.
Twenty minutes later, the librarian reappeared with two sheriff ’s deputies.
“Sir,” the taller deputy said. ”You have to put these phone directories back and leave
the library.”
“I’ll put them back,” the librarian said. “Just get him to leave so we can close.”
“Come with us, sir,” the shorter deputy said. He grabbed Ben left arm, but Ben
resisted. “Sir, if you don’t leave, we are going to have to arrest you. Do you understand?”
“I think he might be a deaf mute,” the librarian said. “I wrote him a note, but he just
tore it up.”
“Jim, grab his other arm. We’ll take him outside and talk to him there.”
Ben fought the deputies, screaming, “Sarbene garfed Louina.”
“Do you understand his language,” the taller deputy said to the librarian.
“I’ve never heard anything like it. He doesn’t look like an Indian.”