Turn Back Time - The Ghost and Molly McGee Story

Chapter 8

Molly spent the next day trying to avoid everyone. She was scared someone would bring up the dreaded question of "where's Scratch?". She didn't want to answer.

The moment she got home from school, she threw her backpack onto her bedroom floor and flopped down on her bed. She rolled over onto her side so she directly faced the dollhouse in the corner of the room. It had been untouched for almost two days now. She tried to blink the tears out of her eyes as she sat up straight. She could imagine the little ghoul sitting in the dollhouse, relaxing in the living room by the cardboard fire in the plastic fireplace. "Why did you do this...?" She asked softly.

She took a deep breath. Despite what he's done, she still loved Scratch, and deep down she really wanted him back. She just didn't know what would happen if they met up again. What if he never apologized? Even worse, what if he never forgave her for calling him all those nasty names and telling him he's a terrible friend? Molly never meant to hurt him, her anger had taken over her in the moment, she never would've called him out like that otherwise. She secretly feared he'd never come back.

She walked over to the dollhouse and bent down next to it. Scratch would inhabit it again, no matter if she had to fix their friendship herself. She started to look through the windows at all of the rooms. Every room looked the same, messy and unorganized, blue ectoplasm lying around everywhere. She sighed.

Scratch did what he did for a reason, it couldn't have just been purely from curiousity. She was trying to wrack her brain around what that reason was, but she couldn't think of anything. She lifted up the dollhouse gently and continued to look through it, hoping it would give her answers, until she felt something fall onto her lap.

It was a paper which had been crumpled into a ball and hidden behind the dollhouse. Curious, she picked it up and unfolded it.

"Today is the day of my banishment." She could tell who wrote it instantly - she could recognize Scratch's wavy handwriting anywhere. She continues to read. "I was given two days to make Molly sad, but I can't do it. She's my best friend, and she means the entire world to me. I'd rather be in the Flow of Failed Phantoms than hurt her. I don't know what to do, I can't hurt her feelings, I'm going to be banished. If anyone is reading this, I've most likely been sent to the Flow. If you're reading this and you're name is Molly McGee, just remember I love you, and I always will."

Molly set the paper down on the floor as tears flooded her eyes. He was right? The Ghost Council was forcing him? He wasn't doing it to hurt her, he was doing it as a last resort?

Molly took a deep breath. She felt awful. She needed to apologize. "Scraaaatch!" She called as loud as she could. She waited for a few seconds, fully expecting the ghost to fling through the window and back at her side. It never happened. She hesitated before trying again. "Hey, Scratch!"

Nothing.

Molly knew she couldn't summon him while he was in the Ghost World. Maybe he was just there. She could try again later. He usually never spent too much time in the Ghost World. She worked on her schoolwork for a little while, then decided to call for Scratch again. He didn't come.

She repeated the process for hours, with each passing moment making her even more worried than she was before. Scratch had never showed up. The only explanation she could think of is that he was in the Ghost World, but he said he hated the Ghost World, why did he suddenly want to spend all this time there? Was it to avoid her? Was it because he knew she couldn't summon him while he was in the Ghost World and he didn't want to confront her? Was he never going to come back?

She let the panic sink in further. Irrational thoughts always seemed to flood her mind whenever she was in situations like these. Multiple scenarios began to run through her head, like Scratch permanently moving into the Ghost World, or finding some way to break the curse so he wouldn't come back. She looked over at the clock. It was 9 p.m. It was dark outside, which made her uneasy. She didn't know what to do. She slammed open the trapdoor to the attic and climbed down the ladder as fast as she could, then darted down the stairs. "MOM! DAD!"

Sharon and Pete were both reading a book on the living room couch, completely oblivious to what was happening. Sharon set her book down once she saw her daughter running towards them. "Yes, Molly? What do you--"

She climbed into her mother's arms like a child as she slowly broke down into tears. Her parents were shocked. "Whoa, sweetie, what's wrong?"

Molly could hardly even explain the situation between her cries. "He.. ran... gone... my fault..."

"Okay, Moll, take a deep breath." Sharon said. "Take a deep breath."

She followed what they said. They always knew how to calm her down. "Now explain to us what's wrong." Pete stated.

She took another deep breath. "Yesterday, me and Scratch got in a fight, and he ran away... he hasn't come back yet...'

"Scratch ran away? Can't you just summon him?"

"I TRIED!" She screamed as she started to cry again. "I've been trying every since I got home from school... but it isn't working..."

Sharon and Pete both exchanged nervous glances. They had never dealt with someone running away before. "I'm sure he'll come back. McGees never leave each other behind."

"Yeah... but..." Molly leaned on her father's shoulder. "I don't think he knows that..."

"Why don't we just wait a bit longer?" Her mother suggested. "He's going to come home. If you can't summon him, he's probably just in the Ghost World or something."

"But that would mean that he's been in the Ghost World all day. Scratch never spends that much time in the Ghost World."

"Then well catch him when he comes out. No big deal.

"But what if he doesn't come out? What if he's staying in the Ghost World and will never come out? What if he broke the curse so we don't have to be together? What if he's really gone...?"

Pete shushed her, stroking her hair gently. "Don't worry, Molly. He'll come back. And, if he doesn't, we'll find him. He's a member of this family, and we aren't going to let him leave us like this."

"But... I... I don't think he knows he's a McGee." She said softly.

Her parents rocked her back and forth as she cried for what felt like ages. After a while, Sharon finally piped up and suggested they wait a bit longer, and they could always take a drive around Brighton to see if they could find him. Molly complied, although still being doubtful.

She had no idea what she'd do if Scratch refused to come back.