The Ghost and the McGee Twins

A Very Hungry Ghost

Mom and Dad decided to have a weekend to themselves, so Grandma Nin came over to stay with us for the weekend. Molly, Darryl, Scratch, and I helped her with making some traditional Thai dishes for a festival dinner. Well, Scratch was actually just waiting until the food was ready as usual. "Nin! Yeah!" Scratch exclaimed, hovering over her. "Oh, Nin! I love it when you visit!" "Since Sharon and Peter are having fun this weekend, we can too!" Grandma Nin explained. "I bet Mom and Dad are having a great time." Molly said. "Just the two of them, camping in the woods." "Dad's most likely wrestling a bear." I commented. "Whoa! Breakfast in buffet form." Scratch sniffed. "Smorgasbord for one!" "Uh-uh-uh. That's for Sart Duan Sib." Grandma Nin explained. "Is that Thai for "in my mouth"?" Scratch asked. "It's a Thai festival where we honor our ancestors and other hungry spirits with extra super yummy food offerings!" Molly exclaimed. "Basically the Thai equivalent of Día de Muertos." I added. "A holiday about honoring ghosts and feeding me?!" Scratch asked as Molly placed a cover on top of the food. "You wait. The feast is tonight." Grandma Nin said, handing each of us an apron. "And to prepare, I need my best kitchen helpers." "Best? You're obviously talking about me." Darryl joked. "Though, I understand you can't say that due to... familial obligations." "You did not just say that!" I shouted. "If this was about that one time I put salt in the sticky rice, I was five!" Molly gasped. "And the time Amber added curry powder to the spring rolls." Darryl added. "I was also five, you pest!" I snapped. "Do sibling rivalry when you're off the clock." Grandma Nin intervened. "There's work to be done. "Grandma's right, guys." Scratch agreed. "You're forgetting the spirit of the holiday, which is serving tons of delicious food to me, me, and only me!" "Oh, no, Scratch. This holiday is about giving." Grandma Nin explained. "You must invite your ghost friends. They're hungry, too." "Oh, no can do, Grandma." Scratch replied. "You see, I have no friends." "Scratch, you have friends." Molly said. "What about Geoff?" "Hm, Geoff? I can't quite place the name." Scratch lied, reaching for his plate. "You know, G-E-O..." I began. "Okay, jeez! He got you doing the spelling thing too, huh?" Scratch asked. "I thought you couldn't stand him?" "I can't, but it's fun watching you spiritually suffer." I chuckled. "Fine. I'll invite Geoff." Scratch sighed. "Will that make you all happy?" "Very." Grandma Nin replied. "Great." Scratch grunted, creating a portal to the Ghost World to invite Geoff for dinner.

Once Scratch had left to invite Geoff for dinner, my siblings and I continued to help Grandma Nin make more food for tonight, starting with some dumplings. "Now pinch the dumplings into a tiny pouch like this." Grandma Nin instructed us. "Easy." Darryl scoffed. "Got it." Molly said. "Seems simple enough." I added, glaring at my siblings as we took our time to make some dumplings. "Done!" Molly exclaimed, showing off her dumpling. "Ah, what a beautiful dumpling." Grandma Nin complimented. "Perfect pleating. But we need 50 more!" "Huh, like this?" Darryl asked, revealing a plate of multiple poorly made dumplings. "That is the quantity we need!" Grandma Nin explained. "But the quality... Uh-uh." "Read it and weep, sibs." I laughed, showing off my dumplings in perfect quality and quantity. "I'm not entirely unlucky." "Well done, Amber!" Grandma Nin smiled as Molly and Darryl glared at me.

After all the food was finished, we helped bring every dish outside to set the table. Once every meal was on the table, we went back inside to see that Geoff might've invited more guests, since I know for a fact that Scratch wouldn't have. "This is better than I imagined!" I chuckled. "The dinner rush is here. Time to pick up the pace! Just know that whatever happens next, I still love you three very much." Grandma Nin said, pulling out a pair of butcher knives, slicing up more vegetables to make more dumplings with. "Faster! We have hungry ghosts out there!" "I'm going as fast as I can!" Molly panicked. "Not fast enough!" Grandma Nin shouted. "That all you got, chef boy?" "These things are too delicate!" Darryl cried. "You're too delicate!" Grandma Nin snapped as I chuckled a little. "Is this a joke to you?!" "No, ma'am!" I replied, making more dumplings.

Okay, I have to admit that this sibling rivalry was really starting to get frustrating, not just for me, but for Molly as well. I looked out the window to see that most of the guests had left, but after five new guests arrived. What was their deal? Are they more unlikable than Scratch is? "Yeah, humans!" Scratch ordered from the backyard. "The offering!" "I have no idea what just happened, but Molly, we've got more ghosts to feed!" I exclaimed, shoving Molly out the back door and I followed behind. "You called?" Molly asked. "What can I do for you, buddy?" "I'm sorry, I thought you claimed these humans were afraid of you." The green ghost said. "Are you indeed this human's, "buddy"?" "Oh, yeah, he's my best friend." Molly confessed, hugging him. "He's..." "No, I'm not." Scratch lied. "These girls do my bidding and she calls me "Biddy"." "What?" Molly and I questioned. "Just trip's form, you can't hear that well. They're both real words. Anyway... You know what? Enough talk. Lemme just scare up those offerings for ya." Scratch rambles. "Act scared and get inside." Scratch made an attempt at making a scary face, but looked ridiculous, but regardless, Molly and I played along with this plan of his anyway. "Oh, no! A ghost!" We acted out, heading back inside the house, with Scratch not far behind. "That was close." Scratch sighed with relief. "Also, your acting? A little over the top." Well, we didn't have time to inhabit the characters, Scratch!" Molly complained. "Never mind the acting. Who are those guys?" I asked. "The Ghost Council!" Scratch confessed. "The biggest, baddest, most bureaucratic ghosts of all! We gotta get them outta here before they figure out the truth about us." "Aww, does little Scratchy wanna keep up the grumpy Ghost World reputation?" "Molly, this is serious." Scratch stated. "If they find out I'm friends with a human, they're gonna take me away from you. Forever!" "Forever?" Molly gasped. "Board up the windows and prepare to fight!" "Grandma Nin, I worry about you sometimes." I said as Grandma Nin pulled out a chainsaw. "I won't lose my best friend!" Molly shouted. "I'll barricade the door." "You do realize that ghosts can move through walls, right?" I reminded her as she tried to barricade the door with the dining room table, but the table wouldn't budge. "Is this table bolted to the floor?" Molly panted. "Why don't we just feed them?" Grandma Nin asked. "They are here for food. I mean..." Scratch explained. "The faster we get it to them, the sooner they'll leave." "You want food fast? I'm on it!" Darryl exclaimed. "No, I'm on it!" Molly argued. "In your dreams." I scoffed. "Perhaps if you worked with each other, you could do three times as much work." Grandma Nin suggested. "For the greater good?" Darryl asked, holding out his hand. "It's the only way." Molly replied, shaking hands. "BRING ON THE SPICE!" I shouted, also shaking hands.

Grandma Nin was onto something when she told us to work together. We put together a huge pile of dumplings in perfect quality for this ghost council. Once we finished the dumplings, it was all up to Scratch to serve the food while we secretly watched from the kitchen. The council seemed to enjoy the food and went back to the Ghost World as soon as they finished. Although, there's something about that ghost that was wearing a black robe that I can't quite put my finger on, and that other blue ghost just looks like he would be a jerk on and off duty, if he ever is off duty. We all sighed with relief once the council left. "Well, that's over." Molly groaned. "I'm wiped." "Yeah, I'm wiped, and I haven't had a single bite all day!" Scratch complained. "If I hadn't been selfish and shared the meal with Geoff, there would've been enough food for both of us. Now everything's gonna be cold. Ah, whatever. Better than... nothing? They took it all! No! This is the worst tragedy that has ever befallen a ghost! Afterlife is so unfair!" "We could order a pizza." Grandma Nin suggested. "Pineapple?" Scratch asked. "Are you out of your mind?!" I shouted. "Pineapple on pizza. That's ridiculous!"