The perils of ghost hunt rewards

by Nikita Weymann on November 12th, 2014

In recent days, our fair city has seen an influx of foreign visitors, in response to the Beacon Spiritualist Institute’s call for ghost hunters. The society is cataloging ghost sightings and legends from all over the state. As reported by my colleague Jack Mondieu, several New Toulouse business and community leaders have volunteered to offer rewards as an incentive to ensure that our local ghosts are well represented. Intrigued by some of the stories I was hearing from the hunt headquarters, I set out to get more information about these rewards.

Jack was out of the office, but even the most intrepid of reporters is not foolish enough to hunt ghosts alone, so I enlisted the aid of my neighbor, Ms. Kristine Jinx-Kristan. Armed with lanterns and notepads, we followed the trail of the ghost hunters and learned quite a bit about our local haunts. For those who may still be in the process of hunting, I won’t spoil those stories here.

Suffice it to say, we made it back to headquarters minus our shoes, plus a few gray hairs and a case of the creeps. But that’s when things got weird.

After we returned to headquarters with sufficient proof that we had visited plenty of haunted sites in town, we were given an armload of boxes and vouchers for various services, and instructed very mysteriously not to open anything at headquarters.

Some of the prizes were what you would expect from local businesses sponsoring an event—clothing with logos, beautiful handcrafted curios, useful items to have around the house. We unpacked some of those in the Tattler office.

Some prizes from the ghost hunt, brightening up the Tattler office

Some prizes from the ghost hunt, brightening up the Tattler office


Many of the prizes were definitely geared toward the interests of the type of tourists who might come to town specifically to chase ghosts: spooky decor, eerie illustrations, and furniture and artifacts associated with haunted sites. The prize from the French Market Apothecary included a voucher for free fortune-telling, so we stopped in to see what was in store for us.
Ms. Jinx-Kristan and Ms. Moreaux hear their fortunes, while surrounded by some of the prizes from the ghost hunt

Ms. Jinx-Kristan and Ms. Moreaux hear their fortunes, while surrounded by some of the prizes from the ghost hunt


The seers told me, “Many will travel to hear you speak.” To Ms. Jinx-Kristan, they said, “Your mind is your greatest asset.” I was a little sad that I hadn’t brought Jack, because I imagine his fortune would be fascinating. We thanked the seers and went to open our last prize, which awaited us on the dock near the French Market.

It was at this point that we realized we’d forgotten the time-honored New Toulouse tradition of hazing the tourists. Really, being locals, we should have known better, but we pried open the crate anyway … and that is the story of how my neighbor and I ended up running for our lives through the market, in our socks, to get away from a gator so hungry that he’d brought his own condiments.

Our heroes scamper up a tree just in the nick of time

Our heroes scamper up a tree just in the nick of time


In summary, there were some wonderful treasures awaiting us after finishing the ghost hunt, although the best prizes were the local ghost stories themselves. If you haven’t started the tour yet, it runs until Nov. 23, and it’s definitely worth your time. Just make sure you bring a light source, an extra pair of shoes, and maybe a big stick.

Trust us.
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Jane Moreaux keeps all four eyes on New Toulouse. Kristine Jinx-Kristan owns Look What the Cat Dragged In, a secondhand store on the ground floor of Spiegel Hall.

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