July 2021: GroundskeeperWIP Revisions

so then it's probably been a day or two and Peter's getting more and more panicked and he knows it's partly just bc he's in the cemetery where he can constantly feel the spirit's anger, but he keeps thinking of the Midsummer he was cursed [actually I think we're bringing all of his Midsummer history here, bc we've been building up to it and honestly I'm not sure during the funeral is appropriate for all his younger time with Jack], and this is where we'd bring in the rest of his Midsummer history - maybe more about Jack here actually but I'm hoping we can kinda cram that half in with that prior funeral chapter to break the backstory up just a bit - and he's having panic attacks and he feels constantly overwhelmed in the cemetery ESP outside his garden wall and then David calls and he kinda leaps at the chance to get the heck out for a while, they have their moment, he flees (Tues)

then he watches the children, see my note below about how that happens now that the cemetery is more dangerous and he's trying to keep people out of it (Tues)

[OKAY WAIT WILL THIS WORK IF I HAVE PETER HUSTLE NEVEAH OUT OF THE CEMETERY? U G H okay well it probably will? bc? Yafa doesn't know? that the cemetery is all dangerous? I mean I guess he could just be anxious like "you shouldn't've come" but she's too upset to really understand or anything she's probably just like "I know it's late I'm so sorry" and he watches her leave just to be safe and then relaxes bc after all the children are safe IN the cottage - and then idk how his conversation with Samira happens but maybe they don't leave the garden after all, maybe they sit on the garden wall, maybe he distracts her with the chickens lol, don't know yet - and then Yafa calls when she's on her way back but he convinces her not to come, like their convo happens basically like it does except they're on the phone the whole time, and he offers to drop them off in the morning to keep her from returning to the cemetery bc he really wants everyone to stay out of the cemetery as much as possible OKAY YES I THINK THAT'S FINE]

then we get to him leaving and Neveah getting REAL UPSET about it bc of how things have changed in the story to this point, but he stays when he learns the identity of the ghost, but at this point Midsummer is in like 2 days and he has no clue where Eoin's buried or how to find where he's buried or ANYTHING and the poor man is just p a n i c k e d (Wed)

- the next morning, Peter brings the children home and then prepares to skip town, because ghost or no ghost he's in danger from these people and he needs to get the hell out of dodge; Neveah comes to bug him because David's been trying to call but hasn't been able to get through (because Peter wouldn't answer and finally took the phone clear off the hook); she realizes he's leaving and gets mad because how dare he leave them all in danger??? and she calls David, who tells Peter that he's gotten INTO the room and found a box and it was E.S.'s room AND he even knows who E.S. is now! aaaaaaaand it's Peter's brother. so now Peter obviously can't leave. he goes to see the room and has many panic attacks but also tells Neveah about his curse.

[NOTE TO SELF: so THEN when Peter's packing to leave and David's trying and trying to call and not getting through, Neveah comes by bc she's WORRIED bc holy shit Peter told her it was so dangerous, but he stayed behind, and now he's not answering his phone OH NO. so then she gets extra angry when she realizes he's preparing to skip town YES HELLO I LOVE IT. I'm thinking David has not had his cast off quite yet bc he broke his leg during the first 10 days of May probably and now it's only the second week of June, so yeah, he probably actually needs to wait another *two* weeks and his cast will be on until after Peter's in the hospital so that works out just like it did originally! anyway, David's still in his cast, which is why Neveah goes looking for Peter even though she's not already at the cemetery either~ PERFECT]

so then Neveah invites him out bc she's like "look I know you're worried, I'm worried too, but it's Summerfest, everyone's ready for some fun especially after this weird spooky summer we've had, and frankly I'm worried about YOU and I think you need to get out of your own head for a bit, come with us" so he does but it's SHORTER THAN BEFORE and everyone's together almost the whole time and Peter's probably more anxious the whole time but nothing bad happens - maybe bc of the decor? like maybe the school is all decorated with yellow flowers and stuff? so it's not ghosty around here yes I like that idea - and they have their pics at the end and it's just a nice calm before the storm BUT SHORTER I CANNOT STRESS THAT ENOUGH we do not need 4,000 words of carnival!!! (Fri)

and then BAM it's Midsummer and Peter's anxiety is ALL TIME HIGH and everything basically happens as it currently does BOOM WE HAVE OUTLINED FROM WHERE WE ARE TO THE END rip about Isaiah's chapter but that's *also* like 4,000 words and it's not important enough a l a s (Sat)

Peter Shaughnessy is more than two hundred years old and ready to die. Unfortunately, he can't: a youthful encounter with one o' them left him with a curse: to wander eternally far from home.

Now Peter wanders from town to town, ridding each place that calls to him of troublesome ghosts. Once, he was certain ridding the right town of the right ghost in the right way would break his curse—surely that's why immortality came with a side order of being able to see and understand spirits no one else knows are there.

After a century of dispelling dangerous ghosts, he's stopped expecting his exploits to win him the death he desires, but he continues his ghost-hunting nonetheless: helping people gives his life some semblance of purpose, and leaving town when his work is done ensures that he never gets to know anyone too well or care about them too much.

Enter Harrington, Ohio. For the first time in more than a century, Peter finds himself wanting something other than death. A family. A community.

But he knows the people of Harrington will die someday. And he won't.

Afraid of the emotional danger he'll face if he stays, Peter decides to leave Harrington - but an angry spirit is determined to destroy the town, and Peter's the only one who can stop it.

CWs/TWs: anxiety; panic attacks; allusions to attempted suicide; discussion of death of close family members; physical violence and bodily injury; dissociation; flashbacks