I could not stop smiling and I looked up, to the right, and to the left. "Okay," I said shyly. "There is one boy who ..."
" Aha! I knew it!" Mother said. "Tell me really all about him."
" His name is Abbott, but he does not pay attention to me, not that I noticed at least."
" Well, why won't you just go talk with him? Find out what he's really like?"
" Mohooom, stop pestering me. Are you insane? I can't do that. Then he will think I like him."
" Which is really true, isn't it?"
" Yes, but I can't let him know that."
My mother started seeing a little annoyance in my posture and chose it wasn't time to push my buttons. I wasn't prepared for such a move, and she would leave it at that. Thank goodness.
After the afternoon snack, I went to the forest again. There were more ghosts than before. I didn't remember seeing all of these.
" Where did the new ones come from?" I asked, practically hoping to receive a spoken response.
One of the ghosts flew midway into a circle in the direction of the mountain, as if to suggest the direction they originated from. I thought for a moment and assumed there was a lot of lava in that mountain, and that's probably where they originated from. But it was paradoxical and intriguing to see that so many of them had gathered here in the forest to see me. I felt popular, despite the fact that it wasn't amongst my own kind. Now there were about 30 ghosts flying between the trees, surrounding me with their presence.
" Hey, you know what?" I said. "I think I know a game. How does that sound? It will be wonderful. Are you in or are you out?"
The ghosts nodded, which meant they wanted to play.
" Okay," I said. "Here is what we're going to do ..."
Chapter 3: The Fight
" There is barrel in town. I know exactly where it is. The barrel contains oil. And do you know what oil does?"
One of the ghosts became really ecstatic and flew up and down in the air.
" Right! It burns like insane! And you like burning, don't you? So who is up for the contest?"
All the ghosts flew in circles. They nearly developed a small tornado of some sort. I could tell they were enthusiastic about the idea, and I instantly revealed them the way. I ran all the way down the path, down another path, and took a shortcut through the trees. I looked back and saw an entire troop of ghosts flying behind me. They trusted me and they would go anywhere I would. It felt great.
Finally, after some running and flying around, we reached the designated spot. The barrel was there. It was on the outskirts of the town, and I didn't think we would bother anyone with our contest.
" Stay here," I said.
I ran towards the barrel, which was next to a barn with hay, and checked if the coast was clear. Nobody was there. It was safe. I positioned the barrel in front of the barn, far enough from it, or so I presumed, and ran back towards the 30 ghosts that were lined up and waiting on my command.
" Whoever hits the barrel first, wins," I said happily. "Ready? Aim ... FIRE!!!”
All the ghosts were spitting fireballs to their best ability. Most of them missed, since the barrel was up until now away, and some of them, like the child ghosts, didn't even make it that far.
" Okay, okay," I said after a while. "The youngsters can come closer. I really believe that would be fair." Therefore they did.
Chapter 4: Accidents Happen
Something happened however, something I had not foreseen. Later, when I looked back, I thought of my stupidity and my recklessness. It was bound to happen. It was a destruction waiting to occur.
One of the ghosts hit the barrel.
Whoosh!
The barrel instantly ignited. I cheered and celebrated with the other ghosts. Some ghosts made loops in the air. Others dropped to the ground and jumped up again. It was like a party.
But then I looked at the barrel.
Whoops.
That wasn't meant to go wrong. This was terrible! The barrel had tipped over and the oil was spreading. It was gradually streaming to the barn ... the barn loaded with hay.
" Noooo!" I shouted, running towards the barn. But I was far too late. The barn ignited too. The flames spread within seconds to other sides of the barn and the entire structure was being incinerated, all beginning with the dripping oil.
I dropped on my knees, feeling desperate and afraid. What if somebody learnt? How was I going to replace a huge barn like that? What would I do? What would I say? I could not bear to watch any longer, so I turned to the ghosts and told them to follow me into the forest. Maybe if I pretended to be oblivious of the matter, no one would blame me. But was that actually the right thing to do?
I was soon ready to find out, as the structure wasn't the only thing the fireball had kindled ...
Chapter 5: Angry
Apparently, a few hotheads (pun intended) who resided in that area ... farmers from the beyond the town, had seen every little thing. They ran at me and the ghosts and waved their hands in the air. One of them was holding a pitchfork and the other a shovel.
" What are you doing there, girl?" one of the farmers said.
" Are you nuts?! You destroyed everything, you dumb, little ..."
" I'm sorry!" I yelled back.
One of them came really close and threatened me with his weapon. He was raving. I had never seen anybody so furious before. The farmer was wearing a blue outfit and a set of black boots. His hat was scruffy and the ends of his pitchfork were exceptionally sharp.
" Why are you with these beasts?" he asked. "Look at what you've done. You are a disgrace to the town."
But then I got defensive. "They are NOT beasts," I said. "They are kind creatures that are just misunderstood. You have not the slightest idea how intelligent and skilled they are. They can a lot more than you think."
" I don't care what you say, girl. I am going to tell the whole village, and when they become aware of this, they will punish you. And don't rely on a light punishment. It will be severe."
" Fine. Then I will not go back," I said. "Come on, pals. We're out of here."
That surprised the farmer. He looked at me with huge eyes ... speechless because of my last remark. The other farmer, who was out of shape, finally caught up and asked while panting, "Hey ... wha-what's going ... on?"
" She says she won't come back to the town," the farmer said. "I do not know if she means it or if she is just bluffing. Either way, we'll be rid of her. Do I look like I care?"
The other farmer disagreed. I heard it from a distance, despite the fact that I was already far away. He argued that I was only a teen and that my mom would be trying to find me. But neither of them wanted to follow me and discover where I was going. Maybe that was for the very best. I disliked the villagers. They never accepted me. I had finally found my home: With the ghosts in the forest.
And that's where I remained, at least for the time being. I wasn't returning that night, and I didn't care. I looked at the ghosts. Some of them sobbed. They sympathized with me.
Chapter 6: Not Good
That night, I didn't leave the forest. I crawled under a bush and put my coat over my body. I had never stood still at the fact that ghosts needed their sleep too. I had never seen them sleep. I watched as some of them dropped off to sleep on branches and others behind rocks.
The child ghost was still my favorite. It was lovable to see it coming towards me and giving me a hug.
" I love you too, buddy," I said with a smile, closing my eyes while accepting it.
I didn't sleep much that night. I heard all types of strange sounds. I was afraid. This was my first night in the forest. I heard an owl fly by, and I am pretty sure something strange or unsafe was making the leaves rustle in that bush in the corner. I shivered. I didn't like this. I thought I ignored how homesick I would become if I kept away from home in an unidentified place ... well, unknown at night. I had been coming here every day during the day.
One of the ghosts observed my worry and ca
me closer. The ghosts were radiant a little in the dark and having them near me made me feel more secure. The ghost remained awake and hovered above the ground by my side, waiting for me to fall asleep.
Eventually, I fell asleep. The fatigue had overcome me.
But in the middle of the night, I got up. I looked around me. All the ghosts were asleep. They were radiant a little, but besides that, it was pitch black. No streetlights in the forest ... that was apparent.
I heard something. Something was coming closer. I crawled back and ended up under the bush I was hiding under. Then I saw it. Eight red eyes were shining in the unknown blackness of the night. It looked dreadful. No ... wa-was it one of those enormous spiders? Wou-would it try to eat me?
I panicked and woke up the ghost next to me, elbowing it in the face. The ghost arose with a shock and looked at me with a mean face, nearly not acknowledging me initially. Then its facial expression changed when it saw that it was me. But the ghost was also knowledgeable about the fact that there was something wrong with me. I was terrified and I looked at the red eyes which appeared from the shadowy corner of a tree trunk. Shivering while looking at it, I gradually raised my arm and pointed at it.
The ghost turned around and instantly found what was going on. I could see the anger in its eyes. How dare this spider threaten me, the ghost girl? Without doubt, the ghost spat a fireball at the disgusting monster. The burning ball hit the eight-legged creature in the face, and not too long after that, it disappeared from our sights.
What a fantastic ghost! It had safeguarded me and saved my life. I gave it a kiss, even though it felt kind of amusing.
Chapter 7: The Way to Be
The next day, I got up by chirping birds. The sun rose and a bright brand-new morning was going to be full of surprises. The first surprise was somebody calling my name.
" Caroline!”
Was that my mom? The ghosts were all awake now, and they were surrounding me like a protective shield.
" It's okay," I said. "I think it's my mom. Moooom!”
" Oh, Caroline. I am so glad you're okay. I have been searching for you for hours. Why did you run away from home?"
" Well, I accidentally burned down the farmers' barn, and since a lot of people do not accept me in that town anyhow, I thought I would just keep away. It made more sense to me. Nothing personal towards you. I just do not know what to do."
She embraced me and held me tight to her chest. "It's good nothing happened to you. |Don't you think it's a little risky to be in the forest by yourself?"
" By myself? Who says I am here by myself?"
My mother looked around her. The 30 ghosts had increased, or so it appeared. More of them had shown up from the volcanic mountain. I had not observed it before either, but when my mom gazed at the flying fire creatures, I quietly counted them and came to the number of 58. Wow. More and more were joining our little get-together.
" D-don' t they assault you at all?" Mom asked.
" Of course not," I said. "They are perfectly safe ... well, around me at least, and it seems like they feel rather comfortable around you too."
" Fantastic."
We looked at the ghosts a little bit longer. Some of them were flying in circles, others were spitting fireballs at the river, and the closest one to us, the child, began flying around my mother, observing her with all the curiosity that a baby possesses.
" Anyhow," my mom continued. "You cannot stay here. Please get home with me. I will explain to them that it was just an accident, and I am sure they will leave you alone."
At first, I refused, but I wasn't persistent enough, and Mom was proficient at convincing. She did that thing again where she looked me in the eyes and pled me to come along. Eventually, I gave in and followed her to the town.
But it wasn't how it used to be. Even my mom didn't know about this. When we arrived at the village, huge spiders were all over ... tons of them. They were crawling on rooftops and breaking doors. They were jumping on lights and rolling through windows. It was chaos ... total turmoil.
" Aaaaarhg!" we heard from one corner.
" Eeeeeeh!" we heard woman shriek.
Everybody was panicking. Spiders were pursuing villagers, guys were fighting them off with silver swords and iron pickaxes, and women and children were hiding behind the walls, hoping not to be seen by these hairy devils.
My mom and I didn't say a word. We could barely actually believe our eyes. The damaging scene before our eyes was the material of nightmares.
When I came to my senses, I tapped my mom on the shoulder. "I am going to get the ghosts," I said.
She stared at me for a 2nd and after that said, "Go! You are our only hope!”
I didn't wait. I ran to the forest, turning left and right in an effort to find the best faster ways to the river location where the ghosts were. When I showed up, I had to catch my breath.
" Ughh ... heeheee ... The town ... pfew ... is ... under ... attack," I said, trying to speak but struggling to find the air to do it.
The ghosts gathered around me. They were all there. I paused for a moment and told them the rest. "Spiders are all over the village. I know the villagers don't like you, but this is your chance to prove them wrong. If you can go there without burning any other buildings, or worse, people's houses, then follow me and kill these spiders once and for all!”
The ghosts moved sporadically in enjoyment, comprehending totally what needed to be done. I took guts, shook my head, and ran back to the village. Luckily, the damage was down to a minimum, but if I had waited any longer, it could have been catastrophic.
The ghosts flew in. It was war. They spread all over the village and spat fireballs at the spiders, aiming to their best capability and eliminating many.
I was there. I commanded ghosts to go here or there, and I more or less felt like an omnipotent woman, controlling and ordering the forces of nature around me. The little baby ghost was there too. I watched as it quickly cremated a massive spider in front of me.
" Good going, pal!" I cheered. "That was extremely remarkable!”
The child ghost practically blushed a little. It was so cute!
" Good job! Keep going!" I said, encouraging it a little.
One spider was going to pounce on a little girl when a ghost appeared in front of it and burned its face with an extremely hot flame. Other ghosts were flying above the rooftops, looking for the spiders that were closest to the villagers or knocking some tarantulas to the ground. The slaughter was in our favor. Spider corpses were piling up on the streets and the remainder fearfully scooted away, leaving the town and never looking back.
Success was ours! The ghosts had saved the city!
Chapter 8: Better Acceptance
When all the spiders were either removed or killed, chased away or roasted like a barbecue, the ghosts were surrounding me. Gradually but definitely, all the villagers came to the main square, curious to see what had just happened.
They saw me.
More than fifty ghosts were flying around me in circles, alert to the fact that anyone may still threaten me. I was their friend, their relied on partner ... their supreme leader.
I watched several villagers come closer. The farmer was in advance ... the exact same farmer who had been scolding me near the barn. He took off his hat and said sorry.
" I am sorry for suspecting you and your friends," he said. "You saved my family and my home from those horrible spiders. I owe you thanks."
" Oh, it was nothing," I said. "Always happy to help. I'm sorry I burned your barn to the ground. It was never my objective to do so."
" I totally understand," he said. "Consider us even."
" Sounds good to me," I said.
Mother came too. She gave me a hug after kicking away a dead spider in front of her feet. The garbage man took a snow shovel and dragged some other carcasses away. It was pretty horrible, but everyone felt like celebrating, and later I was told that there had been no fatalities.
The other villagers approached me, carefully treading the area where the lots of ghosts were still circling in the air. But something that stood apart ... somebody who moved forward out of the crowd, caught my attention: A pretty face I instantaneously recognized.
It was Abbott.
" That was truly cool, Caroline," he said.
I was surprised he even knew my name. The butterflies in my stomach got wilder and wilder. He was so handsome. Wow!
" Perhaps we can go do something fun. How about tomorrow?"
" I 'd like that," I said. "Any ideas?"
" Well, I thought of heading to the forest, and after that you can show me what else these ghosts can do. I sort of like them."
I smiled. The boy of my dreams was asking me on a date, I had just saved the town and had been accepted by a lot of the people there. The ghosts were still my good friends and I felt more confident than ever. This was the best day of my life!
THE END
Anthology of Horror Stories Page 22