Time got away from me tonight. And while I’m excited to bring back some characters from years past, I also want to make sure I don’t rush their story. So, this is a little introduction to their trip across the country!

“Do we have anyone who has any psychic ability with the group tonight?” Cody, the tour guide, asked enthusiastically.

A woman dressed in head to toe black with a wide brimmed black hat complete with black veil shyly raised her black-gloved hand.

“That’s fantastic!” Cody said and you could tell he meant it. “What is your name, ma’am?”

“Dawn,” she said softly from under her veil.

“Alright, Dawn,” Cody nodded enthusiastically. “Well, if we encounter any spirits on this tour please don’t hesitate to point them out to the rest of the group!”

“Fat chance,” Tina said out of the side of her mouth to Maria. “We’ve been here, what, twenty minutes and the voodoo queen over there hasn’t so much as raised an eyebrow at me!” She waved in the woman in black’s direction. “Hey! Anne Rice! Over here!”

Maria fought the urge to laugh and she covered it by leaning in to the stroller as if she were attending to baby Christy.

“Before we get started,” Cody turned in their direction, “I just want to make sure your baby is going to be okay on this tour. I mean, we’re going to be visiting some haunted Hollywood sights!” Cody really worked the “haunted Hollywood sights” bit.

“Oh, her?” Maria asked. “Yeah, she’s… yeah, she’s seen more than her fair share of ghosts already.”

“World’s best dead babysitter!” Tina crowed loudly. “Right here, people!”

Christy let out an adorable baby giggle at Tina’s antics.

“Great, then, let’s get started. Let’s go this way,” Cody started the tour down the sidewalk.

“Why are we here again?” Tina asked as they walked.

“To see if there are any ghosts out here,” Maria said simply. Too simply.

Tina stared at her sister suspiciously. “No…. no, that’s not it,” she said as they walked. “What’s your real motive here, sis? I mean, Martin was way too enthusiastic for us to go on this ghost tour. And now you just want to see if you can find ghosts? No, I don’t buy it.”

Maria sighed and stopped with the stroller until the crowd had moved sufficiently down the block before she said quietly, “Fine. Martin and I thought maybe if we went on this ghost tour… I don’t know… maybe you might… you know…”

“No, I don’t know.”

“Maybe you might meet someone yourself.”

Tina gaped at her sister. When she stood long enough that Maria started to squirm a little, Tina burst out in laughter. “Dios mio, sis! That’s hilarious! Meet another ghost on a ghost tour! Even in death you can’t help trying to set me up!!”