The Antique Child

by Wanda Hargrove

Johnny sat nervously drumming his fingers atop the table in the dayroom as his leg jiggled in rhythm to the tempo his fingers were setting. He was waiting for a phone call from his real estate broker, Lori. He had his eye on this little adobe hacienda. Although it was small, it was well suited for his needs.

Chet walked in and rolled his eyes, "Will you give it a rest, Gage?"

Johnny had been getting on everyone's nerves, with his nervous pacing or his nervous drumming of his fingers on something. Even Henry looked annoyed, from his position on the couch.

"I'm waiting on a phone call..."

"From your broker," Chet completed for Johnny. "We've heard it a thousand times by now!"

Johnny opened his mouth to speak when the phone rang. Johnny leaped out of his chair and latched onto the receiver, "Fireman Gage... Hi Lori.... All Right!" He listened for a moment as he wrote down the time and address. "Okay, I'll meet you there tomorrow. Thanks again, Lori."

Johnny turned around with a big grin on his face, just as the tones went off, calling the squad out on another run. Johnny raced out towards the squad, forgetting all about the slip of paper he'd written the address and time on.

Chet walked over, his curiosity getting the better of him. He glanced down at the list and smiled a smile that would compete with Sylvester from the Looney Tunes Cartoons. I know where this place is and if the stories I've heard are true, it's haunted. I wonder if Gage'll be able to spend one night in the place.

Chet rubbed his hands in confident expectation, quietly wondering how long it would take for the house to clear after Johnny signed the paperwork. I'm going to enjoy this. He began plotting ways of scaring Gage if the ghost didn't co-operate.

The next day

Johnny pulled into the driveway, seeing Lori's car already parked there.

She climbed out and smiled at him. "All set to take the grand tour?"

"You better believe I'm ready," he smiled as both he and Lori walked up to the house.

She unlocked a polished oak door and let Johnny into the livingroom. He looked up at the ceiling, noticing the highly burnished oak beams above. At this time of day, the heat outside was blazing, but inside the house the adobe clay of the walls helped to naturally cool the house down.

"I like this all ready," Johnny commented as they walked down a hall towards the master bedroom. As they entered, Johnny thought he felt a pair of eyes watching him. The sensation made him uneasy but he shook it off as nerves.

Finally the tour ended in the kitchen, which sat off the small courtyard in the center of the house. Johnny didn't need to think twice, this was the house he wanted. "Lori, I love this house. If you have the papers with you, I want to sign."

"Maybe you should think it over first."

Johnny shook his head no, "I've decided, I want it."

"Let's go back to my office and I'll draw up the paperwork."

A full week later Johnny was sitting in a lawyer's office downtown with his broker. Together they went over the final contract. The lawyer, a Mr. McReynolds, laid the contract on the desk and pushed up his glasses.

"The past owners have agreed to the price offered, Mr. Gage," McReynolds stated as he pushed a pen over to Johnny. "All we need now is your signature, and the house is yours."

Johnny signed the papers, and took the keys with glee from Mr. McReynolds.

"The house is now yours lock, stock and barrel."

"It's been a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. McReynolds," Johnny replied as he rose from his seat.

Johnny, with Roy and Mike's help, began moving his things into his new house. Both men quickly realized how Johnny had fallen in love with the house. Its gleamed invitingly, sunlight bouncing off the highly burnished oak finishes on the doors and the beams all throughout the house and the marble floor tile in all the rooms.

Once they were finished, Johnny fixed them a quick meal of soup and sandwiches. As they were eating, Mike thought he saw something out in the courtyard.

"Johnny? You don't have a dog do you?"

"No, I don't. Why do you ask?"

Mike looked back, and the dog that he saw playing out there was gone. "The sun must be playing tricks on my mind," he shrugged it off.

Johnny and Roy continued eating until Roy felt something pass through him, dropping his body temperature by a few degrees. He visibly shook.

"What's the matter?" Johnny asked, concerned, noticing Roy's movement.

"I don't know. I suddenly felt cold." Roy looked around and thought he saw the figure of a little girl skipping down the hall. He gulped. "Uh... I think I'd better go home. I might be trying to come down with something." He hated lying to his partner but something about the house was giving him the creeps.

"Yeah, Johnny. I hate to eat and run but I've got to be going too." Mike didn't want to give the impression that something around the house was making him uneasy.

"Well, thanks for all the help, guys," Johnny replied as both men left.

Johnny spent the rest of the day unpacking boxes and getting things situated to the way he wanted them. Finally exhausted, he sat down on the couch. Johnny Carson was half way through his monologue when Johnny Gage dozed off.

He woke suddenly around midnight, startled out of his doze by the feeling of a pressure on his lap. It wasn't an unpleasent feeling, but felt like Roy's daughter did when she sat on his lap. He felt safe and warm, as he drifted back to sleep. A blanket floated through the air and was placed across him, then carefully tucked in by an unseen force.

Johnny woke to find the blanket he had thrown over the back of his couch spread across him. I must have pulled it over myself sometime last night during Carson and didn't realize it.

He stretched as he got up. Noticing with a grimace then, how dirty he was, he decided to give his shower a try. stepped into his bedroom, took off his dirty clothes and then hopped into the nicely warm water. As he washed himself down, he though heard the giggling of a child. Guess that's a neighbor kid, outside. Sound must carry strange in old houses.

He climbed out and padded over to the mirror with a towel wrapped around his middle. He put shaving cream on his face after filling the sink with hot water. The mirror was steamed opaque. Reaching out to wipe it clear, he froze in mid- motion, watching in helpless fascination as an invisible finger began writing on the mirror.

Hi! I'm Sally and I miss my daddy.

Johnny jerked out of his paralysis, then quickly wiped away the condensation on the mirror. The revealed reflection froze him into immobility once again.

Sitting there on the basin was a little blonde- haired girl about seven or eight years old. She had bright green eyes and a beautiful smile. Johnny looked over at the spot where the girl would be sitting. There was nothing there but empty space. He looked back into the mirror and there she was, along with his own slightly gape-mouthed reflection.

A ghost girl in my new home? He gulped as he watched the little girl in the mirror. He brought his razor up to his face, quickly shaving while trying to ignore her.

Walking back into the master bedroom, he felt a cold breeze following him from the bathroom. It wasn't an entirely unpleasent feeling. Looking down on the bed, he found some clothes laid out for him. He smiled to himself, feeling a bit more at ease with the little girl he had seen in the mirror.

"Thank you, Sally."

He thought he heard a light-hearted giggle come from inside the room. He responded with a wide grin.

"I've got to go to work today, so I'll see you tomorrow Sally." He swore he felt a cool kiss on his cheek as he stepped out of the house, locking the door behind him.

Chet grinned to himself. His own ingenuity never ceased to amaze him. Now all I need is my pigeon.

Hearing the approaching footsteps and off key whistling of the stooge in question Chet stuck his nose into his locker. Trying to hide the fact that he was grinning like the bird who ate the stool pigeon.

He heard the outer door open while he kept up his facade of searching his locker for something. Then he heard the locker open followed by the shriek and howl of the taped Halloween music he'd placed in there. Along with the ghost on the wire that hid the water balloon. He heard the pop, and splash accompanied with the hissed, "Kelly, I'll get you for this!"

Chet, after a time, pulled his head out of his locker, feigning his innocence.

"Don't try it with me!"

Chet felt Johnny's forefinger poke him in the chest painfully.

Chet came clean. "All right, Gage, you got me.But I had to, since you bought the old haunted adobe."

Chet watched as Johnny's eyes narrowed at him. "What makes you think that the house is haunted?"

"Oh, come off it, Gage. I live in that neighborhood, or had you forgotten? That house has a very spooky reputation." Chet grinned like a Chesire cat, "Have you seen the ghost and decided you've got to sell it?"

"No, Chet. I haven't seen any such a thing, but if you continue to talk this way, eventually you'll be visited by those nice men in white coats and taken off to the funny farm."

"Hardy har har," Chet stalked out of the locker room. Now he was totally confused. Usually, Gage, would start arguing with me. But this is... This is not Gage at all.

After a long and tiring shift for Johnny, he gratefully unlocked the door to his new house. As he entered, he heard the soft, lilting voice of Sally as she sang a very old song, Camptown Races.

Johnny smiled to himself. Having Sally around as a companion was certainly better than some other inhabitants he could think of. Especially a certain demon who had tried to steal Jennifer DeSoto almost a year ago.

Johnny's body shook as he remembered the unpleasentness of that time. He pushed the memories to the back of his mind again, hoping that he would eventually forget them. Slowly he made his made his way back to his bedroom, and collapsed on the bed. He quickly drifted off to sleep, listening to Sally's giggles.

"Oh Boomer," Sally commented wistfully to her companion, "he smells just like Daddy always did when he came home."

Boomer "arrffed" in response.

"Shhhh, we don't want to wake him," Sally softly rebuked her canine companion, as both she and her dog vanished from the room.

Chet Kelly's luck was going from bad to worse since he pulled the little ghost prank on Johnny at the station last shift. He was puttering around his apartment when he smelled smoke. He rushed around his apartment trying to find the source, to discover it wasn't in his apartment.

He felt the door to the hallway, it was cool. Opening the door cautiously, he stuck his head out and noticed smoke that was getting thicker by the minute. He headed for the stairwell and pulled the alarm. Then he remember Mandy, his neighbor. She lived alone, but was usually sleeping during the day since she worked nights. He ran to her apartment and banged on the door, as he heard the fire getting closer to where he stood.

Finally he kicked the door in and raced into the bedroom. He frantically shook the sleeping woman, who slowly opened her eyes. "Mandy, we've got to get out of here, the building's on fire!"

Chet didn't wait for an answer, he grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder in a fireman's carry, making sure he had her quilt too. He rushed down the hall with his burden and made it halfway down when he felt her pounding on his back.

"Chet, will you quit acting like a horse's ass and put me down!"

"Mandy, I'm getting us out of the building, it's on fire!"

The pounding ceased and his burden calmed down as they made it out the front of the building. He set her down on the ground as he heard the sirens of the first responders in the distance.

Johnny woke from a fitful sleep to the sound of sirens in the distance. He rose from the bed and wandered over to the window. Looking out he watched as 110's drove by. Something drew him towards the door. He had to know what was going on.

Chet watched as the ominous rumblings grew louder. The fire that had started somewhere in the bowels of the building had happily devoured his building. Everything he owned was gone. He silently mourned this fact as he noticed a familiar figure walking towards him.

He inwardly groaned, fate had dealt him a dastardly blow. How did Gage know? he thought to himself as Johnny stepped up to him.

Chet heard Gage's voice, but it took a moment for his brain to register what his pigeon was saying.

"Chet... if you need a place to stay... well, I've got room."

"Thanks Johnny," Chet looked at the paramedic, grateful for his offer. "I'll take you up on it."

Both men walked away from the scene of what could have been a major disaster. Chet found what was left of his rattletrap station wagon. It had been smashed to bits as a section of wall had fell on top of it.

Chet groaned as he felt a pair of hands steer him away from this disaster.

Johnny pulled into his driveway. Chet hadn't spoken since Johnny had steered him towards the Rover. To Johnny, Chet seemed to be in shock. Not the shock of an injury, but the sudden shock of losing everything he owned.

"It'll be okay, Chester B." Johnny started, but was quickly stopped by Chet's head shake.

Both men walked into Johnny's house. Johnny smiled as he heard the now familiar Camp Town Races tune being sung.

Chet looked sadly over at Johnny, "Would you mind turning off the radio? I'm not in the mood for music."

Johnny looked over at Chet, amused, as he moved his head in the negative. "Sorry, Chet, but that isn't a radio. That's Sally."

"Sally?" Chet asked, curious.

Johnny just smiled knowingly. "You'll meet her soon enough." Quickly changing the subject, Johnny led Chet down the hallway to the guest bedroom.

Chet stretched out on the bed as Johnny walked out. He looked around the room, and admired the style of the wood-- but this wouldn't replace his belongings. What he lamented the most was the loss of his barbed wire collection. That had taken him a long time to collect the perfect pieces, and examples from different time periods.

The singing of Camp Town Races got closer. Chet looked up to see the form of a little girl and dog come leaping through the wall into his room. Stunned at what he just saw, his lower jaw dropped. He tried to find his voice-- which at the moment wasn't forthcoming. The little girl smiled at Chet and then giggled as she leapt out the way she had come. Finally some sound came out of Chet's mouth. He squeaked softly, then took a deep breath and screamed, "JOHNNY!" as he flew out of the room.

He collided with Johnny out in the hallway.

"What's the matter, Chet?"

"What's -- What's the matter?! Girl... out of wall..." Chet listened to himself and realized he sounded like he was jabbering idiot. He paused in his speech as he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "A girl and a dog jumped out through my wall! She giggled and they both leapt back in!"

"Calm down, Chet," Johnny tried placating the stocky fireman. "That was Sally and her dog. They're both harmless."

"Harmless! You think they're harmless! The both of them almost gave me a heart attack, for crying out loud!"

"Take it easy, Chet." Johnny had learned that he could gauge Sally's moods by her singing, and right now he could tell she was not amused at Chet's tirade. "Look, Chet, you need to calm down. You're making Sally angry."

"Her angry?" Chet looked at Johnny as if he'd grown three heads in the past minute. "I'm the one who nearly got scared half to death!"

Johnny sighed, he wasn't getting through to the stocky fireman at all. Behind Chet, he noticed Sally appear. She was stamping her foot on the ground impatiently. Johnny knew she was going to do something if Chet didn't stop his ranting about her. "Chet, shut up!"

Chet continued his tirade, until he felt something pierce his calf. Something extremely cold, accompanied by a dog's growl.

"Yeouch!" Chet yelped, jerking away from the sensation. He sat down and pulled up his pant leg. Looking down, he found what looked like a dog bite, with a small trickle of blood oozing from the wound.

"Let's go to the bathroom and I'll take care of it." Johnny took Chet by the arm, leading him to the bathroom. Taking some disinfectant from the medicine cabinet, Johnny cleaned the wound and then checked it again. "All you need is a band-aid."

"A band-aid?! All I need is a band-aid!" Chet ranted-- until he glanced toward the mirror. There was Sally, scowling down on Chet from the mirror. Chet gulped, and stopped complaining.

Later that evening Johnny suggested that they go see what they could find in the way of clothes. Chet agreed, since the idea of Sally running around in the house was giving him the creeps.

In the car, Chet asked Johnny, "How do you like living there? I mean, knowing that your house is really haunted."

"Well, at first it was a shock but Sally is easy to get along with if you give her some respect. I mean, that fit you threw earlier really upset her." Johnny glanced over at Chet then looked back to the street again. "Besides, it's nice to know that someone is watching over me."

"I suppose so, but I was startled. I mean, there I am laying there on the bed. The next minute there's this little girl and dog coming through the wall. You saw her too, didn't you?" Chet asked hoping to be vindicated.

"Yes I did, Chet. After you'd launched into your tirade, she appeared right behind you. I could tell she was getting angry, by the way her foot was tapping the ground." Johnny laughed, "You know I think that is a habit all women have to show their displeasure with us."

Chet finally found something amusing and snorted.

They returned back to Johnny's house after doing some shopping for Chet. They'd stopped at a fast food joint and picked up some burgers on their way home. Chet took his purchases back to his room, and quickly put them away.

He returned to the living room where Johnny was watching something on TV. Chet began eating his food. "What'cha watching?" Chet asked in between bites.

"It's that TV movie they been advertising. 'Terror At London Bridge,'" Johnny answered as he took a noisy drink of his soda.

"Cool! I've been wanting to watch that one all week long!" Chet replied enthusiastically.

They both watched as a car sped along the desert. Chet ate more enthusiastically as the plot unfolded. He watched as the woman in red pricked her finger and then stumbled into the key stone of the bridge. As the small dot of blood began to grow, Chet leaned foreward eager to see what was going to happen. Then out of the mist Jack the Ripper made his appearance. "Run!" Chet yelled at the screen as the woman screamed and ran.

Once the movie ended Chet rose, stretching, and headed back to the guest room. When he flipped the light switch everything was in a shambles. All of his new clothes were strewn everywhere about the room. It looked like a tornado had flown into the room. Clothes were hanging off the light in the ceiling, on the bed, and all over the dresser.

He cleaned up the room, and then climbed into bed, finding an uneasy sleep. Waking the next morning, he looked around the room. Again his things were strewn about, the room again looking like a hurricane had gone through.

Johnny leaned against the door frame, "What are ya doing, Chet, redecorating?"

"You're a barrel of laughs! No, I'm not redecorating. This is the little present that Sally left for me, this morning and last night after the movie!"

"Sounds to me like you really made Sally angry, Chet. You're going to have to appease her somehow before she'll leave you alone."

Chet thought over what Johnny had said as he searched for a new place to live. Going to the insurance agent, he found out that his station wagon had been totaled, so he received a check for that along with the money for everything that had been destroyed in the fire.

Finding a new apartment seemed to be a daunting procedure for him. Every apartment he found was too high-priced for what he made with the department. Then one day, he stumbled across an antique store. Going inside on a whim, he strolled the aisles, keeping his hands carefully at his sides. The numbers on the price tags were a bit intimidating. He made the circuit, then headed back towards the front door. His eyes fell on something that had escaped notice the first time. Something that brought him to a sudden halt. Cautiously, hre picked up the little enameled music box. In the place of the usual ballerina there were two horses, and the music it played was Camptown Races.

Immediately thinking of Sally, he purchased the music box-- at a sum that would have bought a nice major appliance. Settling it securely on the seat beside him, he headed for his new home away from home. Climbing out he walked into the house and heard Sally humming her favorite song while Johnny washed dishes and whistled harmony.

Looking into the soapy water, Chet could see her reflection as she looked over at him and scowled for a bit.

"Sally, I know you're mad at me and I'm sorry. But I bought you a present."

Sally smiled excitedly.

He pulled the music box out of the bag and set it on the counter. He wound the golden key, then opened it to reveal the two horses racing in time to the tune she so dearly loved to sing.

Chet stepped to the side as Sally appeared in between he and Johnny, with her dog beside her. She giggled happily and then threw her arms around Chet's waist. Chet could feel the cold rush of air, and the slight pressure.

Johnny dried his hands and gently picked the music box up, and put it on a shelf. "Here it is Sally, for you to play with whenever you like."

Sally clapped her hands together, and Johnny heard a whispering voice say 'Thank you.'

After another week of searching, Chet finally found an apartment he could afford. Getting ready to move from Johnny's wasn't a problem, since all his belongings had been destroyed in the apartment fire. Now, his entire estate fit into one medium size suitcase.

Chet's main problem was-- Sally. He'd come to love the little ghost child almost as much as if she was a living part of his family. He closed his eyes to memories of tossing a ball to Sally in the courtyard, once he had made peace with her.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Chet said his good-byes to both Johnny and Sally. He exited Johnny's house. Just before he closed the car door, Chet raised his hand to his cheek. A cool, yet soft, kiss brushed his skin.

The following shift at the station, Chet came in with some papers tucked under his arm. He rushed into the locker room. Ignoring everyone else, he reached out and grabbed a startled Johnny, pulling him along behind him into the day room.

"Hey!" Johnny shouted, not really angry but a little bit miffed that Chet had interrupted his conversation with his partner.

Chet waved the papers in front of Johnny's face. "You won't believe what I've found!" Chet nearly jumped up and down in his excitement.

"What the heck are you talking about?" Johnny asked the bouncing, almost demented-looking fireman in front of him.

"I'm talking about this!" Chet replied as he stuck a copy of an old newspaper in front of his friend's face.

Johnny took the paper away from Chet and slowly read the article that Chet had circled.

Daughter of Fire Chief Dies In Tragic Fire!

Sally Putnam, the seven-year-old daughter of George and Nancy Putnam died Saturday in a fire at Mary Putnam's house. Mary, George's sister, tried to rescue the girl but was killed also.

Johnny looked up at Chet, "Are you sure this is the same Sally?"

"Yes I'm sure. Johnny, check out the address for George and Nancy Putnam's house."

Johnny read a little further and looked up at Chet in shock. "Her father was a fire chief?"

"Yeah, he was. No wonder she took such a liking to you," Chet replied as he found another page. "Here's a picture of her father."

Johnny looked down at the picture, noting that there was a small resemblence between him and Sally's father, but not much. "What happened to her father and mother?"

"Well, it says here," Chet replied as he pointed to another paper, "that Nancy Putnam had taken ill, and Sally had been sent to her aunt's. While George took care of his wife, he learned that a fire had taken place at his sister's house, killing Sarah, her dog Boomer, and his sister. Not long after their deaths, Nancy Putman died of her illness and George Putnam went mad from grief."

"Man!" Johnny replied, and then threw the papers at Chet as the tones went off, calling the squad out on a run.

They returned two hours later from what was supposed to have been a simple 'child trapped' rescue. It turned out not to be so simple. Not only did the two paramedics have to deal with an anxious mother, but also an irate father. The child had locked herself into the bathroom and wouldn't come out.

Johnny shook his head disgustedly as Roy back the squad up into the station. "That was supposed to have been an easy case. If I knew that the child in question was thirty I would have said let dispatch send someone else. Like the guys with the butterfly nets from the local asylum."

Roy snickered to himself at he memory of the 'child' who had flung herself at Johnny once they got everyone calmed down and the door open. She'd taken one look at the dark-headed paramedic and instantly believed he was her knight in shining armor come to take her away from this place.

Johnny had looked up gratefully when Vince Howard arrived to take everyone's statement and to find out what was going on. Johnny was grateful to turn the daughter over to Vince.

Johnny leaned on the seat towards Roy, "You still think that was funny, don't you?"

Roy climbed out of the the squad pleading the fifth amendment, on the grounds that he might incriminate himself.

As soon as Johnny's feet hit the cement of the bay, Chet appeared, grabbed Johnny by the arm and dragged him into the locker room.

"Did you check out the date on those papers I showed you earlier?" Chet asked in a hushed voice.

"No, I didn't."

Chet pulled out the paper with the story of the girl's death, and pointed up to the top of the page.

Johnny read the date. May 18, 1880.

Johnny looked up at Chet, and mouthed, "Are you sure?"

Chet nodded, "Yes, I'm sure. I found these at the library and got the librarian to copy them for me."

Johnny sat down on the bench. "No wonder she likes that song so much."

Johnny never had a chance to think more of what was going on at his home, as the rest of the day both the squad and engine were kept busy.

Johnny barely made it home safe. The busy shift all day and most of the night had left the paramedic barely enough energy to make it home. He found his way into his house, and collapsed on his bed without saying good morning to Sally. He drifted off to sleep almost as soon as his head landed on his pillow.

Sally watched as Johnny sleep. She was uneasy, something wasn't right in the house. Boomer whined at her feet. She disappeared through the wall, finding the heating unit. Today was one of the rare times the temperature dropped low enough to cause it to cycle on. It sparked and then burst into flames.

"Johnny! We've got to wake Johnny!" Both Sally and Boomer appeared in Johnny's room. She tried to wake Johnny, but he wouldn't open his eyes. Boomer barked loudly, but that didn't rouse him either.

Sally focused on the one person who she hoped could help.

Chet was enjoying his dream of being on the beach with Bo Derrick. He was waiting for her to run into his arms.

"Chet, you have to wake up and help Johnny!"

"Wha," Chet asked in his sleep, "who's there?"

"It's me, Sally. Chet, Johnny's house is on fire and I can't get him to wake up. Help him, please!"

Chet's eyes instantly flew open. That's when he spotted Sally standing in his bedroom, and he knew it wasn't a dream. Quickly climbing out of the bed, he grabbed his phone and called it in to dispatch. Then he pulled on his jeans, shirt and shoes. Grabbing his keys, he flew out the door and was on his way to Johnny's.

Pulling up in front of the house, he spotted the smoke coming from the rear, near Johnny's bedroom. Quickly rushing into the house, Chet ran towards the bedrooms, coughing as he came upon the smoke in the hallway.

Grabbing the unconcious paramedic, Chet threw him over his shoulders in a fireman's carry and pulled him out of the house. Laying Johnny on the grass he quickly started CPR as he heard the sirens in the distance.

110's pulled up to the scene as Johnny began regaining conciousness. He coughed as Wheeler and Kirk of 110's ran over to assess Johnny.

Tom Wheeler sat back on his heels, "Well, Johnny, you sure are lucky Chet came by. "

Johnny coughed again as he looked gratefully at Chet, "Thanks."

Then Johnny began to mourn, not the loss of his house but Sally, and Boomer. Both had found a place in his heart. He felt the area next to him grow cool, and felt a small hand placed inside his own.

Johnny looked down on a puddle near his feet, and saw Sally and Boomer's reflection in the water.

Johnny slightly squeezed her hand. Now he knew he'd have somebody watching over him for the rest of his life.

Catch a ride back to the Flight Deck....