Red Ghost Sighting as Seen From Our Characters in The Hero Least Likely

If you read Tagalong Bride (Love Under Desert Skies Series: Book 1), you’ll recall that at the end of the book our characters headed off to capture two very dangerous outlaws.

They are following the only lead they have: a map to Quartzsite, Arizona where treasure is believed to be hidden. This is what takes us to Book 2 in the Love Under Desert Skies Series, The Hero Least Likely.

During the late 1800s, there were actual Red Ghost sightings in Arizona, and this made its way into the folklore of that time. As it turns out, our lovable main characters faced this Red Ghost head-on, and they are stopping by this blog today to tell you what happened in their own words.

We will start with one of the characters who had direct contact with this thing.

Deputy Zeke Ritter: expert on Red Ghost sightings and now first-hand witness

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I’ve been studying up on the Red Ghost ever since I first saw an article about it in the Mohave County Miner newspaper. I made it a point to research every incident that occurred in Arizona ever since. I knew there was always a chance that I’d see it since I travel around the state, but even when you know there’s a chance of seeing something, you’re still shocked when you do.

This thing was like a monstrous creature coming straight out of the lower pits of Hell. It was massive in size. It was red, hairy, and incredibly dangerous. This thing was faster than anything I’ve ever seen. I barely caught up to it as it dragged poor Bernadette off into the night while she was trapped in her bedroll. We didn’t escape the beast until it dragged us all the way to Granite Wash Pass. And even then, it was still running in a murderous rampage. Men were shooting at it, but it just kept on going. It even had a demonic creature in the form of a human skeleton on its back. It had to be a demonic creature because it never fell off the monster’s back, no matter how much it was bouncing around on it. Nothing human–not even something that used to be human–could stand up to a force like that.

*shivers* Even thinking about it makes me thank my lucky stars that Bernadette and I are still alive.

I was asked to bring my best estimation of how this thing looked, and this is what I remember seeing:

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In enters Blaze Levi: our resident skeptic

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Now, hold it right there. I saw the thing, too. It’s not some monstrous beast from the lower pits of Hell. It was a camel. A regular old camel that the US government brought over from another country to navigate our desert terrain. The skeleton was the remains of a poor man who died while riding its back.

Zeke is just making it more than it was because he’s obsessed with the stupid thing.

In enters Bernadette Reid (Lucas’ sister):

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It really was that scary, Blaze. I ought to know better than anyone what this thing was like. When I woke up, it was peering down at me as if I was going to be its next meal. It had a large snout and glowing eyes. I was in my bedroll when it hauled me off in an attempt to take me to its lair where it was going to eat me, so I didn’t see much more than that.

Blaze: Who said this thing was going to eat you?

Bernadette: What else was it going to do? This thing is notorious for killing people. Thankfully, it didn’t succeed this time. Zeke and I are lucky that we survived its attack.

Zeke: We are lucky. This thing doesn’t care if you’re a man, woman, or a child. Its thirst for blood is ravenous.

Blaze: This thing is just an animal. It’s probably scared. It’s been dragged to the southwestern US from everything that was familiar to it. People go around shooting and yelling at it all the time. It hasn’t had a chance to get used to the people around here. If Bernadette hadn’t screamed when it was in our camp, I might have been able to secure it. Then I could have worked on taming it.

Zeke: You can’t tame something like this.

Blaze: Sure, I could. I’ve worked with many animals in my life. Some were wild.

Bernadette: I don’t see how this can be tamed. The men in Granite Wash Pass were shooting it, but it didn’t even slow down. It just kept running.

Blaze: Lucas and Gail, what do you think? Was it a monster, or was it a camel?

*Neither Lucas nor Gail answer*

Blaze: Where are they?

Bernadette: Probably out of earshot so they can have a moment alone. All they ever do is talk about how much they love each other. The rest of us might as well be invisible.

Zeke: You can’t fault them for that. They’re newlyweds. I think it’s sweet that they’re so much in love.

Blaze: Sweet can wait. Right now, we have business to contend with. We don’t want to waste the readers’ time by making them wait for Lucas and Gail to make an appearance. After we’re done with this post, we need to keep going so we can find Lee and Wilson, the two dangerous outlaws that brought us to this book to begin with. *leaves to search for Lucas and Gail*

Zeke: We don’t really need to involve Lucas and Gail in this post. They were asleep when the Red Ghost came through our camp. I don’t even think they woke up in time to see what was going on. I have been trained since I was a kid to wake up at the slightest sound. A deputy isn’t worth his badge if he doesn’t wake up when there’s trouble. I’m telling you, this thing was a monster. Bernadette and I both saw this thing up close. Blaze wasn’t near it like we were. He probably just saw its silhouette in the moonlight.

Bernadette: I agree. This wasn’t a regular animal.

Blaze: I found them. They aren’t even wearing the clothes they’ve been assigned to wear in this book. You would think if they took their roles seriously, they would dress the part when they are representing themselves on this blog. Now people are going to think this is a contemporary romance instead of a historical western romance.

Gail: I’m sure people can separate out a blog post from the genre a book is in. It is hot out here. We are out in the middle of the desert during the summer. I’m tired of sweating all the time. I need a reprieve.

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Lucas: Besides, we don’t need to be in this post. We didn’t see anything. By the time we woke up, the thing was hauling Bernadette and Zeke off. We only saw a big shadow of what seemed like a big hairy creature running toward Granite Wash Pass.

Gail: Yeah, that could be anything.

Zeke: Exactly, Blaze. This could be what Bernadette and I say it is. It doesn’t have to be a camel just because you say so.

Blaze: Set them straight, Ruth. Tell everyone what that creature was.

Ruth: Well, the way I figure it, it’s all about perspective. Zeke and Bernadette saw a monster. You saw a camel. Lucas and Gail are so enamored with each other that they are lost in their own world. I think I’ll leave whether this thing is a monster or a camel–or something else–up to the reader.

Blaze: Well, that’s no fun.

Ruth: Sure it is. The story is always better when the reader gets involved in it.