Shadows of My Imagination

My name is Matt Stewart. I'm in my late twenties and working for a property development company in El Paso Texas. I'm pretty good at what I do and have always had aspirations of owning my own real estate company. I used most of my early commissions to flip a couple of inner-city houses. This gave me enough cash for something bigger.

Blair Mountain had been a small ski resort in northern New Mexico, close to the Colorado border. It had never been very successful. It was plagued by rumors of strange occurrences ruining guest visits. The state environmental bureau had also scrutinized it for health issues. A few seasons of low snowfall was all it took to put the place out of business.

After sitting empty for ten years the resort area was beginning to see new life. Fanex was a software company out of Washington State. They had bought a piece of the property and were building a new facility. This would bring high-end jobs, people and money to the area.

I was hoping to get a piece of that action. I put a dirt-cheap deposit on the old ski lodge. My thought was that I could fix it up and rent it out or flip it. Either way, it should be a profitable move. The next step was for me to assess the property and get my hands around the environmental issues. As chance would have it I knew an environmental engineer working that area.

Malani Rey and I had gone to college together. She transferred in when we were sophomores. We lived next to each other that year. It was a co-ed floor, my room was the last on the guy's side and hers was the first on the girl's side. We remained friends till graduation and kept in touch through social media after that. She had a job with an environmental firm about 30 miles from Blair Mountain.

I contacted her about my investment. She was excited to hear from me and knew about the property. Malani explained that 50 years before the mountain was a ski resort, it was a copper mine. Near the end of its life, there was a cave-in that killed several miners. After that, it was shut down without going through the proper closing procedures. Because of this, old mine gases were percolating up through the ground.

As she told me this I could hear my money blowing away. She assured me that it was not as bad as it sounded. Malani explained that her company could design and install a sub-slab depressurization system that would safely mitigate these 'soil vapor intrusions'. She would need to place sampling canisters in the basement and let them sit for twelve hours. The canisters would indicate how bad things were and what sized system needed to be put in.

I was planning on going to the site in a few weekends and asked her if she could do the sampling then. She could and wondered where I'd be staying. The area was still pretty rural and didn't have anything but the shadiest of motels. I told her I was planning on bringing camping gear and sleeping on the property.

Malani was super excited by this idea. She said she had not been camping since high school and missed it. She added that it was peak fall foliage so the view from the property must be spectacular. She asked if she could join me for the 'camp out' after the sampling canisters were placed. I didn't have a girlfriend and I knew from her social media page she was also unattached. I agreed, quickly thinking of the potential 'benefits' the weekend now held.

The plan came together. We would meet up and travel together to the small hamlet at the base of the mountain. There we could get the food we needed for the overnight before going to the old lodge. Once there we would set up the testing equipment and check the place out. We'd camp while the equipment collected air samples and head out the next morning.

***

I left work early and drove several hours to Malani's apartment. I parked, stretched my legs, walked up and rang the bell. When she opened the door I was stung with her beauty. Her ancestry was a mix of Indian, Jewish and East African. This gave her an exotic look that I must've not appreciated in college because I didn't remember her looking so incredible.

She cut a huge grin and threw her arms around me. As our bodies pressed together I could tell that her slim build was firm and fit. Her perfume also made her smell amazing.

"Oh so good to see you!" she said enthusiastically.

"You too. Thanks so much for helping me."

"No problem at all. This is going to be fun. I'm so excited."

We chatted a bit more while loading her stuff into my car and headed toward Blair Mountain. We spent the drive catching up. At one point she asked, "Do you ever communicate with Jenna?"

Jenna had been my college girlfriend the year Malani and I lived next to each other. "No, when she dumped me, she went back home to be with her high school boyfriend. Our paths never crossed again."

"That's crazy, I don't know what got into that girl. How about your mom, how is she?"

"She's doing really well, thanks for asking."

"She was so great to me. I'll never forget how I was trying to move myself in, I knew nobody. Your mom had finished moving you in, saw me struggling and started helping. You joined in and when we were done she brought us out to dinner. That's one of my favorite memories. You were my first friend at college." She reached over and rubbed my arm and shoulder.

***

There was not much to the small town at the base of the mountain. There was a post office, several small shops and the new Fanex building under construction. The grocery store had a deli inside. I suggested we get sandwiches for our dinner. Malani agreed, she also needed coffee for the propane coffee maker she had.

We placed our order with a college-aged girl working at the deli. She was tall with long straight blonde hair and large breasts. This point was accentuated by the deep V-neck top she was wearing. I must have gotten caught up in the cleavage spectacle because Malani slapped me in the abdomen and mouthed the words 'stop staring'.

The girl asked, "You two part of the Fanex project or just passing through?"

"Neither," I said. "We're going to look at the Blair Mountain lodge. I'm thinking about buying it."

"Are you going up now or in the morning?"

"I need to do some testing that will take twelve hours," added Malani. "We're going to sleep there."

"Oh no, don't do it!" cried the girl excitedly. "Crazy stuff happens up there at night. People have seen ghosts and all sorts of freaky things."

"You're saying it's haunted?" asked Malani. "Have you seen anything firsthand?"

"No, but some friends of mine broke in once. They thought it would be fun to go on a ghost hunt. They were there for about half an hour before they heard someone calling for help in another room. They went to the room and found no one there. Then doors started slamming shut on their own. My friends got out as fast as they could."

"Wait a minute," Malani exclaimed, looking serious. "There might be something to that. If there's soil vapor intrusion it could cause air pressure differences inside the building. This would cause air to move around and potentially shut doors."

"Ok maybe, but that does not explain the voice," said the girl.

"Probably one of your friends trying to be funny."

"No, I don't think it was that," The girl replied, handing us our finished sandwiches. "You two be extra careful up there."

We paid for our food and got in the car. "Funny how these superstitions get started," Malani said. "Leaking gases can cause doors to move. They can also cause people to get light-headed. Rather than investigate and find a logical answer they make up ghost stories."

"Well, you have to admit the part about miners dying in a cave-in under the property is a little creepy," I said while starting the car.

"Well if you're going to repurpose an abandoned building, you must expect a few ghost stories to go with it."

***

As we drove to the top of the mountain, it started raining hard. It was a slow go, the road was rough and muddy. It was late in the afternoon and the rain made it darker earlier. By the time we arrived at the lodge, it was quite dark. With the darkness came a thin, drizzling gray mist that made it hard to see the overgrown landscape.

"This kind of ruins the idea of camping," said Malani.

"We could go back to town and find a hotel. Or we could camp inside the building."

"Yeah, I like that idea. That'd be just as fun as tent camping."

"The only thing is we might be in there with 'ghosts'!"

"That's fine. I would rather visit some ghosts than be chewed by bedbugs."

Looming in the mist was the shadowy outline of the old ski lodge. It was a wide two-story building with a sweeping front porch and a huge set of double doors at the entrance. It seemed bleak under the gray sky with all of its first-floor windows boarded up.

As we stepped out of the car, a light breeze blew, scattering the mist and the ghostly landscape was flooded with pale, sickly moonlight. I glanced at the sky to find a full moon obscured by clouds. The cry of a coyote or wolf broke the silence of the night.

Feelings of doubt and dread came over me. This was a dark, damp, isolated and lonely place. I thought to myself, maybe this project was a mistake.

I think Malani sensed my apprehension, "Well this is a crappy first impression but I see the potential. I'm sure without the fog, the view is spectacular. The outside of the building has held up and the roof isn't falling in or anything."

This was all I needed to bring me back to reality. Even if the building was a bust, I could always knock it down and sell the property after it appreciated in value. I also get to spend the night with an exotic beauty, and if I'm reading the situation right we won't be spending the time sleeping.

"Come on, let's get this stuff out of the car," said Malani. I thought her voice sounded a little excited. Was it the adventure of the situation or did the idea of impending sex turned her on as much as it did me? "Here you take the LED lantern. I'll carry the testing gear."

I turned on the lantern and was surprised at how bright it was. Malani pulled out a metal suitcase that looked like it belonged locked to a spy's wrist in an old movie. She lit a flashlight and asked, "How do we get into the basement?"

I led her to a small stairwell on the side of the building. I descended a few steps to a door and after some work was able to turn the key in the rusted lock. The hinges creaked loudly as the door swung open. We stepped through the opening and found ourselves in a large utility room. Everything from HVAC, incoming water, sprinkler system, sewer, and power were all housed in this room. A damp, sickening odor filled the place, and the concrete floor was slick and moist. Malani tapped her foot on the wetness, "This could be condensation from vapor leaks."

She knelt down opened the case and got to work setting up her equipment. The canisters were thermos sized cylinders with one flat end. She placed one on the floor and pressed a button on the top side. The soft whirl of a fan and small, blinking, green light indicated it was on and functioning. She placed three more in other spots, "Okay, this is good. What other rooms are down here?"

She walked past me to a door on the other side of the room. She seemed to be her element. She was not turned off or scared by the environment. To the opposite, she was confident and comfortable.

The heavy door was not locked, but the hinges were so rusty that both of us had to push on it to get it open. While we were in each other's personal space I could smell her perfume again. It was a stark contrast to the dank and musty room. I thought it represented her well, exotic and sexy.

The space on the other side of the door was split into two rooms. One was full of empty, wooden shelves that must've been used for storage. Now they were covered with large brown spiders and their webs. The other was a laundry room. There were half a dozen rusted out old washers and dryers.

Malani placed and activated several canisters in each room. "Okay that's it, all I need now is time," she looked at her watch. "It's about 6 pm, so by sunrise tomorrow they'll be done collecting. Let's check the rest of this place out."

We found a wooden stairwell that led up to the main floor. Thick dust covered the stairs deadened the creak of our footsteps. Malani was in front of me giving me a spectacular view of her ass. I started wondering what it looked like without jeans on when I got the sense that somebody, or something, was watching us. I stopped and glanced over my shoulder.

Malani must have felt it too or sensed my nervousness. She turned to me, placed her flashlight under her chin, and said with a grin, "Oooo ghosts and goblins."

I grinned back and gave her sexy ass a little push.

We got to the top of the stairs, opened the door and found ourselves in the lobby. It was an immense open room. At the center, there was a massive stone chimney with fireplaces on three sides. In front of each was a set of thick handcrafted hardwood furniture with forest designs carved into them. "These must've been too heavy to bother moving out," I said.

"Or it's where the ghosts hang out. You know sitting around the fire telling human stories," Malani replied mockingly.

"This place really brings out the playful in you doesn't it."

"Hey exploring a spooky place with a good looking guy, it's every girl's dream date. These are a little creepy though." She pointed out the carved animal staircase posts made from old telephone poles. She was right, under the lantern light, they looked like demonic creatures.

Tucked on the other side of the lobby was a bar. It had a stone floor and exposed timber walls. The bar itself was made to look like a bear had clawed at the wood. Behind the bar was an elaborate mantle with a large inset mirror. The surface was covered in dust. The image of Malani and I lacked detail. We looked like corporeal versions of ourselves.

We made our way across the lobby to what had been the restaurant. The kitchen was completely gutted. All that was left were pipes and outlets on dirty walls. The dining area was just a large open room with nothing in it. There were cobweb-covered, antler chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. The carpet had dozens of stains in a variety of colors, sizes, and shapes.

As we walked through the space I realized how quiet it was. There was no sound at all. I whispered, "Do you hear that?"

"All I hear is silence."

I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up when a voice from the lobby cried, "Silence."

For a second we stared at each other in surprise. Then she snickered.

"An echo," whispered Malani. "See, no ghost!" she shouted.

"Ghosts." the voice cried back.

I should have felt silly, however, I felt spooked. I couldn't shake a sense of foreboding. Malani must've seen this on my face because she grabbed my hand, "Come on, let's go upstairs."

The second floor consisted of the main hall and all of the guest rooms. Malani went to the first door, opened it and looked in. It was nothing but an unfurnished hotel room. No bed, no table, no TV, the shower didn't even have a curtain. The window, however, had been broken and the cool, moist night air was blowing in. She mused, "Well I don't think we'll be sleeping in there."

We made our way down the hall and checked all of the rooms. It was the same story in each, they were all empty and in different states of disrepair. Some had paneling falling off the wall, some were missing bathroom fixtures, and one had the petrified remains of a large crow. The windows in all of them were broken or missing, I figured either vandals or trespassers were to blame.

"None of these will do," I said. "With the broken windows, we'll be fighting rain and cold all night."

"We might have to sleep here in the hallway. There are a few rooms left, maybe we'll get lucky."

"I hope so."

At the end of the hall was a large oak door. Malani pushed it open and looked in, "I think we just got lucky."

We walked into what must've been the banquet room. It was large enough to hold a party of a hundred people. One side had floor to ceiling windows with a specular view of the mountainside. The ceiling had a large skylight letting in the moonlight. There was a dance floor in the middle of the room and a stage in the corner for a DJ or band.

"This is it," said Malani, "We can camp here, none of the windows are broken and it's the cleanest."

At that moment the heavy oak door we came in slammed closed with a deafening crash. Startled, we both instinctively turned toward the noise. There was nothing there but the shut door. I glanced over at Malani. She looked scared but forced a little laugh.

"Malani," I asked. "Is that the pressure difference you were talking about earlier?"

"Yes. No. I don't know, but maybe. Soil vapors are known to cause drafts inside buildings. And drafts have been known to shut doors."

As soon as she finished her sentence we heard a dozen doors slamming one after the other. A bolt of fear shot through me, someone must be inside the building. I ran to the door, yanked it open and flew into the hall. I stopped and raised the lantern to shine as much light as it could. Malani was behind me and did the same with her flashlight.

The hall looked the same as when we first arrived, a dark corridor with dozens of shut doors.

"That was our fault," Malani said.

"What do you mean?"

"We left a lot of doors open. All of those rooms had broken windows. A strong wind must've blown in and slammed the doors shut. No one's here, there's nothing to fear."

I nodded my head thinking it was a convincing enough explanation, "I must be stressed and hungry."

"I'm sure you are. We've seen as much of this place as we can tonight. Let's get settled in."

***

We made several trips to and from my car gathering our gear. I rolled out two queen-size comforters and stacked them on top of each other. On those, we set up the sleeping bags and pillows. Malani put a picnic blanket down and set up our food. I set up two more LED lanterns that threw a soft light around the room and made our shadows dance on the walls.

"Here, come sit," she said, holding one of the sandwiches out to me. "Nothing like a little food and booze to calm your nerves. I've brought a bottle of something special."

She pulled a handcrafted bottle out of her duffle bag. "This is Feni. I went to India, for work, last year. While I was there I spent time with my cousins and they introduced me to it. It's a brandy made from fruit. You can only get the good stuff from small distilleries in the state of Goa. I brought several bottles back with me. Here try some."

She poured a glass and handed it to me. It had several waves of taste. It started with tropical fruit, pineapple, and guava. Next was a wash of nuts, spices, and cinnamon. I could tell it was strong like tequila or scotch. "I've never had anything like this before," I said. "It's very bold."

"But that's what I like about it. It's great isn't it?"

After a while, I started feeling better. We ate, talked, laughed and drank. The Feni was going to straight to my head. By the time we finished our food, I was buzzing. Thoughts of what was about to happen between Malani and me were also getting me excited.

As I leaned in to kiss her, I saw Malani staring over my shoulder, her face was white and her eyes were glassy. I leaped to my feet and spun around. The door to the hall, the one we shut after we finished moving our stuff, was wide open!

For what seemed like forever we stared at the open, empty door. My heart was racing and I felt the grip of fear so strong it was terrifying. "Oh shit, oh shit, shit, shit, shit. Doors can't open themselves. Malani, someone's here, someone opened that door behind us."