The Changer

Chapter One

Chapter One

My eyes shot open as a loud thump rang through the church. Looking up I saw Tim staring at me. Tim was a ghost. More specifically the ghost of a gargoyle. He looked like a rock pig with horns, wings and a long tail. 

I’ve seen ghosts for as long as I can remember, which isn’t that long considering that I’m only fourteen and my first memory is from when I was six months old. I’m a pretty lonely person and through my years I’ve only gained one living friend and a bunch of dead annoyances. 

“Hello! Earth to Evelyn!” I looked up at Tim who was swinging around by his tail, “The sermons over, you have to go get communion.”

I looked around and saw that I was holding up the line so I lept to my feet and ran down the aisle to the priest, almost tripping over my untied shoelaces. The priest always said the longest sermons and I tended to fall asleep. In my defense so did half of the adults.

The priest sighed as I nearly face planted on the altar, “Daydreaming again, Evelyn?”

I nodded.

He sighed. Again. 

“Body of Christ.”

“Amen,” I recited as he placed the eucharist in my hands. I then walked back to my seat and saw Tim waiting for me.

“I went up to get communion again but the priest just ignored me! I thought he was supposed to be nice!”

I sighed. Tim didn’t like the idea of being a ghost and me being the only one who can see him. So, he just says that everyone else ignores him and I’m the only one with any common decency.

“Thanks for waking me up… again,” I said, not wanting to sit through yet another conversation where he complains and I try to convince him that they can’t see him.

“Ya whatever. Will you bring me some eucharist so I won’t be the only idiot sitting here like some unholy ghost.”

“I’ll try to break into the Tabernacle after mass,” I told him sitting down as the communion song finished.

The rest of the mass took about five minutes and then I just sat in my pew with my little ghost friend until everyone else filed out of the church.

“So,” Tim said while we waited for the old ladies to stop chatting and leave, “what are you gonna do today?”

“I don’t know yet,” I replied, “Maybe I’ll hang out with Clare for a little while.”

“Oh. Well, If Clare’s busy you can always come visit me in the prayer garden.”

I sometimes felt sorry for Tim. He was the only ghost left at the Church and sometimes got lonely. I once asked why he didn’t just move on with the rest of his friends and he said he thought he still had more to do on Earth. He had a “mission” to complete. 

“Maybe,” I told him.

Now we just waited in silence until everyone finally left. Then, I snuck up to the altar and over to the Tabernacle. 

I was probably the worst Christian in the world after all the times I had robbed the church but it was for a good reason. I think.

I pulled a hairpin from my updo and quickly unlocked the box. Then, I grabbed a Eucharist and handed it to Tim who just let me drop it in his mouth so it fell through him and onto the floor. I picked it up and put it back in the Tabernacle before locking it back up and leaving the church.

“I don’t know why I have to get you a Eucharist if it just falls through you,” I told Tim as we walked through the prayer garden toward my bike.

“Hey!” he objected, “It’s not my fault that I have a really quick digestive system.”

I sighed. When would he accept the fact that he was dead?

“Well, see ya around,” I said, hopping onto my bike and starting to pedal off.

“Yep, see ya," Tim called after me.