Seeing Double

Flickering: A Flashback

The ghost looked like a kid. Probably around Danny's age. He was sitting in front of the TV, hugging his knees against his chest. Absolutely absorbed in the show.

Danny stood behind the couch, holding himself as still as possible, trying to breath evenly. Quietly.

The ghost hadn't noticed him yet.

Danny had discovered him a week ago. He'd woken up in the middle of the night and noticed a faint glowing in the room.

The ghost was languishly floating up against the celing, running his hands over the stickers there.

The white hair stood out the most. It was bright in the dark.

And maybe he would have shrugged it off as a funny dream. But the ghost kept popping up around the house.

Sometimes he would flicker in and out of view. Like he had bad reception. Other times he was kind of transparent, just a faint outline.

Once Danny had watched, mouth agape, as his sister walked right through him.

She'd been walking with her nose in a book with no regard for her surroundings. After she'd gone through him she shivered and looked up.

But the ghost had vanished again.

"What'cha watching Danno?" His dad came bounding into the room with all the noise and enthusiasm of an over-sized puppy.

The ghost boy disappeared.

"Uh, I just- just a TV show?" Danny said.

Dad grinned at him, clamping a large hand down on his shoulder. "Must be nice to get to watch it like its new again!"

"Yeah," Danny said. "It's nice."

It was late. Like 2 a.m. or something. Danny had tip toed into the kitchen to make himself a sandwich.

And he found the ghost kid sitting on top of the fridge.

Well, not quite sitting. Hovering. With his legs crossed together lotus style.

They made eye contact and the ghost blinked.

Tentatively, Danny waved.

The ghost gasped and vanished.

"Wait!" Danny whispered. "Come back!"

"Come back, he says," a disembodied voice muttered. "What is wrong with you?"

"Me? You're the one floating around like a weirdo," Danny said. "Where are you?"

The boy reappeared at the door to the basement. He waved his arms around slowly, wiggling his fingers. "Th-this is just a dream," he said in an exageratedly ghostly voice. "A dreaaaam."

Danny guffed. "You're not fooling anyone."

Ghost kid dropped his hands. "And you're... not scared?"

"I've seen you around." Danny shrugged. "Sort of got used to you?"

The ghost's eyes widdened and he began to flickered in and out of view, like a light switch being flipped on and off.

"Hey hey," Danny said. "Why are you fading in and out like that?"

The ghost glanced down at himself. "Oh," he said.

He ran a hand through his white hair. "I just lose it sometimes, I guess."