Turn Back Time - The Ghost and Molly McGee Story

Chapter 7

Scratch flew as far away as he could get from the McGee household. He was never going back. There was no way he could go back. Molly was mad at him, and she was the only person keeping him in the house. The rest of the family wanted nothing to do with him, and now that Molly was upset, there was no point in staying.

Scratch knew she wouldn't summon him, probably never again. The curse was unbreakable, but that didn't mean it couldn't be worked around or avoided. As long as she didn't summon him they didn't have to be together. They could be on opposite sides of the town and, as long as she didn't call for him, never be reunited again. She also couldn't summon him in the Ghost World, which he could definitely use to his advantage.

The streets of Brighton were a lot darker at night than he remembered. They weren't many people filling the streets, and as long as he stayed in his transparent state, none of them could see him. Only the McGees and Libby could see him then. He flew on top of a building in the town. He had no idea what the building even was, it just seemed like a place far away from where the McGees lived. He sat on top of the roof as the night began to get darker. Scratch never noticed how cold the night felt. He knew spring had just barely came, and the weather was still trying to recover from the winter months, but it had never felt this... cold. He could get through the coldness, it's not like he could die from it or get sick or something, but it still wasn't pleasant. He shivered as he began to peering down at the people of Brighton.

The town was small, so the streets were never busy, especially at night. He watched as all the townsfolk headed back to their homes, presumably to be with family, friends, or other loved ones. Scratch secretly wished he had those.

It was quite late when the town was completely empty. Scratch had no idea how late, but it was late enough for him to feel comfortable enough to come out of hiding. His ectoplasm gave off a natural blue glow when he wasn't invisible, which helped him see a bit. He only prayed that nobody would come around and see a glowing blue light from atop a random building.

He pulled his ectoplasmic hair over his face as tears flooded his eyes. His friendship with Molly was something he was trying to preserve, not break. Whenever he messed up in front of anyone, they'd never forgive him for it. And Molly was just like everyone else; there was no way she was going to. Their friendship had just been tossed out the window like it meant nothing. He softly began to cry as he rocked himself back and forth. The night air blew even harder onto his ghostly body, making him feel ten times colder than he would've been in the comfort of the McGees home.

It had to have been around midnight when a portal to the Ghost World appeared in front of him. Scratch had a feeling it was the Council summoning him for his inevitable banishment to the Flow. He didn't even try to fight being summoned. There was no point anymore. Before he had something to fight for, now he had nothing. Molly was the only reason he cared. He closed his eyes as the portal sucked him inside and spat him out the other end.

Scratch used all of his might to lift himself off the ground. It was the least he could do before he got banished. Everyone he ever knew would forget about him, and he'd forget them, just like every other ghost in the Flow. His banishment was going to be painful, but at least he'd forget it.

"Just do it." He said softly. "Send me to the Flow. I know I messed up. I didn't do what you wanted me to. Just do it."

He waited for the moaning whirlwind to come and sweep him away, but that noise never came. Instead he just heard the laughter of the Ghost Council, which was something he wasn't expecting.

"Oh, Scratch, you did it!"

Scratch blinked. He was baffled by their response. "I did?"

Brighton's misery meter puffed in front of his face. "Look at your misery levels! They're outstanding! You did an amazing job dealing with that one girl - Molly, was it?"

I dealt with Molly?! He thought, his eyes going wide. How?

"You should be safe from the Flow; for now, of course. Excellent work."

"What... what happened to her?" He asked quietly. "I'm just curious."

Another portal appeared in front of Scratch's eyes, this one leading into a bedroom of some sort. The bedroom was too familiar for him to dismiss; it was Molly's.

He could see the human on her bed, holding a pillow close to her chest as she cried. "I thought he was my forever friend... I thought he wouldn't leave me... why did he do this? He promised he wouldn't, yet he did..." She cried a bit harder. "I thought he wouldn't hate me..."

The portal closed up in an instant. "See? I have no idea what you did to her, but man, it worked better than I could've ever expected!"

"You have risen in our esteems, Scratch! Just don't mess this up again, okay?"

He entered back in the Human World on top of the building he left on in shock. "I thought he was my forever friend." Molly's words echoed through his mind as the realization hit him. She was sad about him opening her box, running away, leaving her. It was his fault she was this way. Sure, it kept him clear from the Flow of Failed Phantoms, but was that really worth it? Was seeing his past friend dejected and at her lowest really what he wanted? And did he really want to accept the fact that it was all his fault?

He sat back down again, then pulled the bottom of his ectoplasm closer to his face to keep him warm. He broke down into tears soon after.

Being in the Flow of Failed Phantoms and knowing Molly still had an ounce of love left for him felt better than being out of the Flow and knowing Molly didn't love him at all.