Cold Hands, Warm Hearts

(Written in December of 2020 as a California submission to SCBWI’s anthology, The Haunted States of America for middle grade readers.)

There wasn’t a lot the Anderson sisters agreed on. So when their mother invited them to tag along to San Francisco during her work trip, they both had grand ideas about how they’d spend their time in the Golden State. Ginny wanted to ride the cable cars. Tess wanted to take a ferry ride to Sausalito. Ginny wanted to try an “animal style” burger at In-N-Out. Tess wanted to eat a gigantic Ghirardelli hot fudge sundae. Ginny wanted to catch a Giants game. Tess wanted to visit the Walt Disney Family Museum. The only thing that they could actually agree on was the ghost tour. Their neighbor Yvonne bragged about doing it last summer. The Anderson sisters knew if Yvonne could handle it, so could they. 

To their surprise and delight, when they landed at SFO, the girls learned they’d be staying inside the Queen Anne Hotel, where the ghost tour began and ended. Once they were dropped off into the foggy, cool air, the girls marveled at the Victorian mansions lining Sutter Street. Stepping inside, they were immediately greeted by ten-foot ceilings and vintage parlors, filled with antiques. 

“Oh, yeah, this place is so haunted.” Ginny said knowingly. Tess nodded enthusiastically. She couldn’t stop thinking if she were a ghost, this would be the kind of place she would want to haunt too. 

“They have a complimentary continental breakfast!” Their mother beamed. She really had a thing for complimentary continental breakfasts. 

“Wanna look for cold spots?” Ginny asked. Tess looked back in surprise. It wasn’t everyday her older sister asked to do something that didn’t involve argument or competition. 

“Let’s check in first. Then I need a snack.” Their mother wailed, leading them toward the front desk. Tess bit her lip in disappointment. Hopefully her sister’s eager attitude to willingly spend time with her would return before anyone became hangry. 

After they inhaled a decadently greasy meal at Tommy’s Joynt and settled into their room, their mother yawned, “I’m exhausted. Can you manage the ghost tour without me?”

“Yes!” Ginny exclaimed immediately. “Can I be in charge of Tess?” Ginny asked hopefully as Tess audibly rolled her eyes. 

“Watch over each other. I’ll call and let them know it’ll be just the two of you.” Their mother said, pulling a blanket up to her chin. Ginny squealed and grabbed Tess’s hand before their mother could change her mind. Ever since she turned twelve, she had asked to be taken more seriously. Even though Tess was only a year younger, Ginny wanted to be seen as capable and responsible. Perhaps with a little luck, she could even convince her mom to release the parental controls on her phone… or in the very least, brag to Yvonne about attending the outing without a real adult.

“Here for the ghost tour?” A voice greeted them at the stairs. Her hair was dark and pulled back and she wore a long, black cloak. She carried the smell of roses and freshly sharpened pencils. While she appeared slightly stern, her eyes held a flicker of excitement, her mouth faintly upturned into a smile. 

“We are.” Ginny answered, confidently, standing tall. “I’m Ginny. This is my younger sister, Tess.”

“Glad you could both be here.” The woman welcomed, “I’m Mary, your guide. We’ll begin shortly. Take a seat.” The girls nodded and found a small red cushioned chair to share. It was too small for them to each sit comfortably but they squeezed together like only sisters can.

“Want a ring pop?” Tess asked quietly. She was a little nervous, but she didn’t want Ginny to think she was being a baby. 

“What flavor?” Ginny whispered. 

“Red or blue?” Ginny raised her eyebrows. “You can have the blue.” Tess relented, knowing very well Ginny always picked blue.

“Okay. Thanks.” Ginny shrugged, opening her hand. 

“Your fingers are freezing!” Tess hissed as Ginny wiggled them in her sister’s face.

“Booooo!” Ginny teased, making Tess laugh. Suddenly, Tess felt both a wave of cool air pass through her and a comforting warmth in her heart.

“Welcome to the Ghost Tour,” Mary resounded, once the small group had gathered. “We’ll begin the evening touring this very hotel and then explore a few neighboring sites on a short walk.” Ginny and Tess caught eyes and they smiled at each other, already enraptured, tingling with goosebumps. “We start here because, as I’m sure you can feel, this is the site of one of San Francisco’s most haunted places. This city may be full of some spiteful spirits but the inhabitants of the Queen Anne hotel are much friendlier.” Mary continued, her voice prideful. 

“Friendly?” Ginny questioned, a bit louder than she intended. Mary narrowed her eyes on the sisters’ now blue and red lips, her face grave. 

“Guests of this hotel have reported having their suitcases neatly unpacked, being tucked into bed, and have been sung to sleep by unseen voices.”

“What else?” Tess asked, suddenly feeling a bit braver. “What about the scary stuff?” 

“Not every ghost story needs to be a scary one.” Mary answered curtly. The Anderson sisters each let out a disappointed groan. “Not to worry, the other ghosts on this tour may haunt your dreams for all of eternity.” Mary cautioned with a mischievous smile. The girls excitedly crunched their ring pops. 

As she walked the group around the block outside for the next hour, Mary proved to be a knowledgeable, commanding guide; stopping to point out various sites and explaining their histories and hauntings. When they returned to the hotel, she brought them to room 410.

“In the 1890s, before it was the Queen Anne Hotel, this was a school for young ladies.” Mary revealed with a soft fondness. “This is where the headmistress’ office was… today, it’s another room for visitors. It even has a functioning bidet!” Mary added. Ginny and Tess giggled. “Along this hallway, you may see something reflected in the mirrors or feel a cold spot when you least expect it.”

“Cool.” Ginny and Tess mused before making eye contact and yelling, “Jinx!”

“This is where we part ways. For now.” Mary concluded with a small wink and bid them farewell. Ginny and Tess went back to their room to find their mother asleep. They tucked her in hoping that any nearby ghosts would see their efforts and return the service. 

After a nice, warm sleep, they awoke refreshed, humming a tune from their dreams, and eager to take advantage of  the complimentary continental breakfast. But before they could reach the staircase, their mother stopped abruptly, her face crumpled and confused, as she listened to a message on her phone.

“What’s wrong, Mom? You look like you’ve seen a ghost!” Ginny laughed, though she hoped her mom had seen a ghost because that would be so cool.

“That was the owner of the ghost tour. He had food poisoning and wanted to apologize for canceling last night’s tour.” Ginny and Tess felt a gush of cool air travel through them before their eyes landed on a framed portrait in the hallway, next to a grand mirror. Tess moved closer and gasped. Ginny followed behind.

“No way!” Ginny exclaimed, staring at the picture. There in front of the sisters was a small sign reading, “Mary Lake, Headmistress of Miss Mary Lake’s School for Girls”. Looking back at them was Mary, their tour guide. The sisters locked eyes, grinning. “Let’s go get breakfast, Mom, we can tell you about the tour.” Their mom nodded. “And then we can take the ferry ride that Tess wanted to do.” Ginny encouraged, smiling at her sister. Tess took one more look at Mary’s picture, grateful her first ghost experience had been a friendly one. She squeezed Ginny’s cold hand and her heart felt warm again.