GHOST CABIN ☆ EARTHMIX AU

Part sixteen: wild imagination

"Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter."

- Mark Twain

Earth sighed, he knew one day they will have to talk about his age, but he wasn't expecting it to be so soon. Let's hope it won't be a challenge to convince you that I'm not that old, Mix.

"I'm 28."

Mix sipped on his tea, "no you are not."

"Yes I am, Mix."

"Hardly, if you were alive in 1965."

"I died when I was 28. I haven't aged a second since. That makes me still 28," Earth explained, already seeing Mix's doubtful expression, he knew that Mix had a thing or two to say about it.

"Okay, let me rephrase the question," Mix put the mug back on the table. "When were you born?"

"In February."

Mix sighed, "just tell me the year, come on. I won't judge."

"1937," Earth said, trying to read from Mix's face whether that puts their forming connection on the reverse mode or not.

"So you are 84," Mix nodded, his lips pouted, "I mean older guys are fine I guess, but isn't this too much, don't you think?"

"Mix, I'm 28," Earth said, serious.

"Actually, no, you are not. It's simple math. You were born in 1937 and it's now 2021. That makes you 84 years old," Mix said, finishing his plate of delicious omelette.

Earth put his hand on Mix's blanketed thigh, squeezing it a little, "Mix, please, I told you I haven't aged since 1965. I am still only a couple of years older than you."

Mix looked at where he felt Earth's touch but didn't say anything about it, "you know, you being so much older than me, and yet still being young at the same time...I feel like I'm in some kind of vampire fanfiction."

"What?" Earth was confused, what was that word...fanfiction?

"That's..." Mix chuckled, "that's nothing you need to stress about."

"Mix, about my age...I need you to understand-"

"Yeah, I know, you are 28. I was just messing with you. Don't worry in my eyes you are 28. But," Mix looked exactly where Earth was sitting, for a moment Earth thought that Mix could actually see him, "if you actually look like an old grandpa, you better wait until I can see you and touch you. I will kick your old ass."

Earth laughed, relieved, "well, that's good I'm young and handsome then."

.....

Weeks went by and September gladly let October take over. Days and nights were getting colder and colder. Mother nature showed to the world her full artistic potential painting all the trees with the most vivid shades of yellow, orange, red, brown and everything in between.

The forest was getting cowered by a heavy grey mist that sometimes stayed for a whole day making the forest look mysterious even ominous. Some nights Mix woke up hearing weird sounds coming from the forest: howling, scratching, roaring of a wind (hopefully), on occasions even something that scarily resembled knocking - making Mix remember Khaotung's words; "Something doesn't seem right. There may be serial killers in the forest like that or some wild animals."

Mix was most definitely betting on it to be wild animals rather than serial killers but he still found himself, on a few occasions, in the morning asking Earth if he didn't sense something weird in the air or if he didn't see someone just randomly creeping in the woods right behind the cabin.

But Earth's words always calmed him down even before Mix even fathom to begin creating horror scenarios inspired by The Texas Chain Saw Massacre or Friday the 13th, in his head. "Don't worry, Mix. There are no evil people lurking around to hurt you. It's only animals and wind you hear. Nothing else. Trust me I know, because I'm all over this place. I'm with you but at the same time, I know what is happening outside. Just like right now; sheriff LeBlanc is about to knock on the door in three...two...one..." And just like that, there really was a knock and it indeed was sheriff LeBlanc, making his weekly visit.

And it wasn't about Mix being a scaredy-cat, because he wasn't. If he were he would disappear right the moment he found out that ghosts whether he liked it or not they were real and he was about to live with one. It was more that, Mix's imagination was a really active and outlandish part of him and sometimes he get lost in it. So for Mix to end up imagining the entire horror movie with him ending up being cut in the half and hanging on a tree for crows to eat wasn't that hard.

Thankfully, Earth stopped him before he could even get to the point where the killer is introduced. If Earth said that the place was safe then it was safe. Heck, even Mix's grandmother lived there for twenty years and was completely fine; no horror elements involved - well, besides living with the ghost but that doesn't count.

Mix pretty early on realized that he believed everything that came out from Earth's mouth, which was strange considering Mix didn't even fully believe in Earth's existence. But he was getting there slowly but surely.

Sometimes he had those moments when he thought that everything was just one extremely realistic dream. That maybe he was still in his bed, in Thailand - duvet, thrown all the way up covering his head; sleeping. And he sleeps so deeply that the plane just flew away without him. So then Mix has to catch another plane and his whole arrival schedule is messed up and sheriff Leblanc is definitely not happy about it.

But then, there are those other times - the majority of times he had spent in the Ghost Cabin already - when Mix could feel it in his heart, he knew that Earth was real. He must have been. Because he was there with Mix. Mix could feel Earth's presence, hear his voice. And through the big fluffy blanket, which quickly became Mix's favourite item in the cabin, he could feel Earth's touch. All of this couldn't be only Mix's overly creative imagination.

It was right during times like that when there were those flashes of moments during which Mix could actually see Earth. Just for a fraction of a second but he could. At least that was what his eyes were telling him.

Just like right now. Mix saw a fragment of Earth standing in front of him, watching as Mix was painting the lake and the snow tip covered mountain far behind it. It happened again, but until now, Mix didn't say a word about it to Earth. He didn't want to create false hope for Earth. For both of them.

Mix wasted enough time already. It was time to ask Earth the question which answer will establish whether Mix was only going crazy or he could actually see Earth, even if it was for way less than Mix hoped for.

To be continued...

P.S. Clw tomorrow 😍🥳

Earth's birthday on Wednesday and I'm going to celebrate it here with a triple update💃🏻