Young Writers Society

Name: David Edward Schwertner
Age: ~65-70 no I did not decide on specific ages for anyone but the children in this novel
Height: 5'9 when he was younger, probably a bit shorter now because he's older
Eye colour: gray
Physical appearance:

“Are you all right?” the voice repeated.

It belonged to a little old white man in a brightly striped waistcoat and shirtsleeves and galoshes, with a sky-blue backpack over his shoulders and a pencil stuck behind his ear. He looked around the age people usually thought the groundskeeper was: maybe seventy or so, with laughter lines around his gray eyes and thick white hair that had once been golden like his eyelashes. He seemed to shine in the sunlight, or perhaps that was the groundskeeper’s eyes still working to balance out images in the bright light.

Strange or unique physical attributes: golden eyelashes, gray eyes, laughter lines
Favourite clothing style/outfit: slacks, a button-down shirt, a colorful waistcoat, and a bowtie
Where do they live? What is it like there? Harrington, OH, quintessential American small town
Defining gestures/movements: David runs his hands through his hair a lot
Things about their appearance they would most like to change: David's pretty happy with his appearance, although when he was younger he wished he was taller.
Speaking style: still not sure what this means, but educated, I guess? idk fam I literally don't know what this means and never have
Pet peeves: People who willfully get history wrong or ignore important situations, attitudes, contexts, etc or who try to paint history as this idealistic Good Old Days rather than engaging with the bad things.
Fondest memory: He and Isaiah were walking in the park one day when it started to rain. He had not brought an umbrella because he was certain the weather would hold; Isaiah had. Isaiah pulled him close and held the umbrella over both of them as they walked.
Hobbies/interests: all things history
Special skills/abilities: historical knowledge, especially local, and research
Insecurities: Not many at this point in his life, or at least not many that really keep him from going after what he wants. Sometimes he worries he's too much for people, but then he remembers that if someone thinks he's too much, that person's not for him anyway.
Quirks/eccentricities: The man loves waistcoats and bowties and always wears colorful, patterned ones.
Temperament: Generally cheerful and outgoing.
Negative traits: Tries to pretend he's fine when he's not; can prioritize history over people; doesn't get angry much but has a quick temper when he does.
Things that upset them: Things he can't understand.
Things that embarrass them: Not much, tbh, but he does get selectively embarrassed, e.g. his embarrassment when the groundskeeper - who's great with plants and keeps a beautiful garden - sees the chaotic, overgrown garden at his house. (I mean, the groundskeeper obviously loves a chaotic, overgrown garden, but David still gets lowkey embarrassed about it.)
This character is highly opinionated about: Family doesn't mean blood.
Any phobias? None to speak of.
Things that make then happy: His friends, the good bits of his family, history, carnivals, and popcorn.
Family (describe): Older of two siblings. Estranged from parents. Sibling (brother) more accepting but still doesn't really understand him. Close with his niblings but doesn't see them often because they live far away.
Deepest, darkest secret:

He has really been struggling since Isaiah got sick. Prior to Isaiah's death, he was constantly sick with worry and prioritized taking care of Isaiah over taking care of himself to the point that he started losing weight and getting sick himself. After Isaiah's death, it's been hard for him to look at pictures of Isaiah, hard for him to spend time at the now-empty house, hard for him to talk to other people about Isaiah. He acts like he's fine, most of the time, but inside is a constant gnawing ache he's been living with for well over a year at this point. In particular, since Isaiah's death, David feels like he doesn't belong in Harrington. Like Isaiah was the only reason he ever belonged there.

Reason they have kept this secret for so long:

Aside from a deep-seated need to always appear cheerful and friendly - and aside from a deep desire that no one should ever worry themselves on his account - David has said nothing to anyone because he knows perfectly well that his sudden feeling of non-belonging has nothing to do with anyone but him. He doesn't want to hurt his friends and neighbors by making them feel like he feels out of place because of them; no one has said or done anything to make him feel like he doesn't belong. It's just that it's hard to feel like you belong somewhere when your whole way of existing there has changed.

Other people's opinions of this character: People generally either like David a lot or think he's too much.
Favourite bands/songs/types of music: Big band jazz, movie classics.
Favourite movies: Anything that plays on TCM.
Favourite TV shows: Prefers movies to TV shows but enjoys Frasier.
Favourite books: Mostly reads nonfiction historical books.
Favourite foods: Loves a good comfort food or else something bright and fresh, like salad or sashimi, nothing in between.
Favourite sports/sports teams: Doesn't much follow sports but enjoys a good baseball game in person now and then.
Political views: Progressive
Religion/philosophy of life: Recovering Catholic; largely a skeptic but believes in the goodness of people.
Physical health: Reasonably good, especially considering his age. Some arthritis and stiffness.
Dream vacation: Anywhere by a large body of water where he can relax and take his time, e.g. Savannah, Mackinac Island.
Description of their house:

It was a slate-blue craftsman-style house with white trim. There was a large arched window in front on the right, and a deep-set porch on the left with two white wicker armchairs and a little glass table beside the front door. The garden was small but pleasantly overgrown, with flowers poking up, pink, gold, violet, disordered and planted every which way. David’s ears pinkened when he caught the groundskeeper looking at it.

Description of their room: Small and tidy, pale peachy walls, cream bedspread that looks really cozy and comfy, two small bedside tables with lamps, an armchair in the corner, a couple wall shelves with books, an oil painting of a boy in old-fashioned clothing reading under a tree.
Any pets? Nope.
Best thing that has ever happened to this character: meeting Isaiah
Worst thing that has ever happened to this character: Isaiah's death
Superstitions: David would say he doesn't have any, but despite the fact that he's a recovering Catholic he'll still sometimes cross himself when he's somewhere creepy or if he sees something worrisome or if there's a near miss, like if a car crash almost happens right in front of him but the cars miss each other he'll cross himself, or if he's walking through the park alone at night and hears a spooky sound he'll cross himself.
Three words to describe this character: Cheerful, soft, stubborn
If a song played every time this character walked into a room, what song would it be? I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch) by the Four Tops, and he'd probably dance along to it as he entered

potential prologue: A spring storm that shifts and resettles the headstones in the cemeteries awakens an angry spirit.
ch. 1: Peter arrives in Harrington and meets Neveah, the director of the cemetery. The ghost of her father lingers nearby, but when a panic attack triggers an episode of spectral spookiness, Peter hustles Neveah out of the caretaker's cottage.
ch. 2: That night, Peter meets Sayid and Samira al-Masri when they break into the cemetery after hours. Samira runs off; Peter finds her in the cemetery's spooky back lot, where cholera victims from the 1840s and 1850s are buried. When the children's parents worry over Samira's recent tendency to run away, Peter offers to watch the children any time they'd like to visit the cemetery, provided it's during open hours.
ch. 3: Peter heads back to the back lot to get a feel for the spirits back there and to see if he can find any ghosts he should be worried about: it's definitely older and creepier back there than in the rest of the cemetery. Instead of a spirit, however, he finds David Schwertner, a local historian interested in cataloguing the cholera graves. They have lunch together when David finishes his work for the day.

ch. 4:
ch. 5: something something bonding
ch. 6: something something ghosts & research
ch. 7:

ch. 8: (~30k) David breaks his leg while in the back lot of the cemetery. Peter panics, convinced a ghost is involved, but later on worries that his panic is a sign that he's in too deep - especially since, upon reflection, it seems very unlikely a ghost had anything to do with it.
ch. 9: Peter is preparing to leave town when Neveah calls: she's in a field off Route 2 and has no idea how she got there. Peter knows, however: a ghost rode her out there. He brings her home, resigning himself to stay in Harrington despite the danger to his heart; he can't leave the town at the mercy of a powerful ghost.
ch. 10: When Neveah worries that her misadventure was the result of the first bad dissociative episode she's had in a while, Peter tells her the truth about ghosts, her father, and the ghost he's looking for.

ch. 11: something something Samira's
ch. 12: friends with the ghost?

ch. 13: (~50k) As Harrington grows uneasier about the spooky happenings around town, Peter tries to discover the ghost's identity. Then Yafa calls: the children are missing. [This could maybe come right after ch. 10? But also I wanted it around the 50k mark. But also it was fine slightly after the 50k mark (ch. 14, now ch. 15) where it was before. But also I'm not sure anymore because! Structural changes!]
ch. 14: Peter rushes to the al-Masris' house, but the children come home soon after: Samira ran off, and Sayid went to find her. Samira exchanges sharp words with her mother, hurt and angry about her parents' near-constant absence in recent months. Peter comforts both of them and gives Samira an iron band to wear before he leaves: he's sure she'll run off again and doesn't want her to be without protection from ghosts when she does.
ch. 15: Lurking through the museum, Isaiah finds the boarded-up bedroom in which the unknown E.S. likely died & helps David find the room through his spectral activity. [this is a candidate for cutting even though I ADORE it and Isaiah, because David tells Peter how he found the room anyhow and Peter would obviously put two and two together]

ch. 16: As Midsummer - and the anniversary of his curse and exile from Ireland - draws closer, Peter experiences worse panic attacks, more frequent flashbacks, and greater anxiety over his inability to find the spirit haunting Harrington. David calls him to tell him about the hidden room during one such episode. Recognizing Peter's distress, David invites him over and calms him during another, less intense panic attack. Peter flees after they share a moment.
ch. 17: Later that night, Yafa brings the children by and asks Peter to watch them while she goes to the hospital: the staff doesn't think her father will make it through the night. As Peter cares for the children, he realizes he loves them like they're his own.
ch. 18: Once again, Peter prepares to leave town, more desperately than before: he loves these people too much. If he stays, he'll only get hurt. As he packs his things, David calls to tell him he's discovered the identity of E.S.: Eoin Shaughnessy - though David doesn't know it, Peter's younger brother.
ch. 19: Neveah takes Peter to the museum to see the room and Eoin's belongings. All thought of leaving Harrington is gone: now that he knows the spirit he's been looking for is that of his brother, Peter can't leave, no matter the danger to himself. As he spirals in Eoin's room and Neveah helps him calm down, he has to admit to himself that it's nice to have friends there to take care of him, for once.
ch. 20: Peter tells Neveah about his curse but is frustrated by his own inability to answer so many of her questions about it. The spectral activity around Harrington escalates, but Peter still can't find his brother's spirit. Eoin won't answer when he calls out for him.

[There might also be the first night of SummerFest in here? But I do NOT need a 4,000-word chapter of Peter at SummerFest with all his friends lolsob. He just needs a picture with David, which could really come from an earlier point in the story as well.]

ch. 21: Midsummer Eve. As Harrington celebrates SummerFest, Peter works feverishly to make sure he and his friends will be safe through the weekend.
ch. 22: Things start to get spooky downtown. Peter has shut himself in for the weekend when Sayid comes pounding on his door: Samira is missing. In searching for her, they finally find Eoin's grave - and evidence that Samira freed him.
ch. 23: Flashback to earlier that evening, showing how Samira freed the ghost and afterward tried - and failed - to stop him upon realizing what a colossal mistake it was to free him.
ch. 24: Peter and Sayid find Samira - and her panicked parents - downtown, but the ghost has taken over her body. Peter drags the al-Masris to the museum and asks Isaiah to keep them and David safe.
ch. 25: Peter goes out to meet the ghost, who is just as angry with him as he as with Harrington: Eoin's life fell apart when his brother left Ireland. Peter shields the rest of the town from Eoin's rage with his body. After all, no matter what the ghost does to him, he cannot die.

ch. 26: Despite Peter and Isaiah's best efforts, Eoin infiltrates the museum. Everyone fights him off as best they can without harming Samira. Peter distracts Eoin with an old photo of a little girl who was one of the few people to show him kindness at the end of his miserable life. By getting his brother to remember the girl's kindness and then the love of his family - rather than the pain of losing them - Peter convinces Eoin to move on. Then he collapses.
ch. 27: Peter wakes up in the hospital after several weeks, with all his friends by his side. They have questions; he tells them all about the curse, his immortality, and his brother. David is angry when Peter tells him privately that he's leaving Harrington as soon as he's discharged. David storms out; Peter tells no one else about his plans to leave, in case they leave him first.
ch. 28: Fully recovered and out of the hospital, Peter prepares to leave Harrington, even though he aches to be doing so. As he finds more and more things his friends gave him among his possessions while packing, the idea of leaving them hurts more and more. At last, Peter abandons packing and walks to David's house, where he kisses David and admits he wants to stay. As they head in to breakfast together, Isaiah's spirit departs the museum.