The Ghost of the Lake

Chapter 3

"Opal, will you help me out with the furniture?" May asks me, annoyed as usual, as she opens the door to my room.

I rip away from the trance I was just in. I start to pick up the clothes I had dropped.

"Uh...yeah...sure. I guess I can," I say trying to sound as calm ever. However, my voice cracks when I say the word can.

"Let me just pick this up and put them in the dresser," I say shaking.

"Sure...I'll be waiting in my room," she says, not noticing how shaky I was.

I finish picking up the clothes I had dropped. I didn't want to think about what I had just seen. I put the clothes in the drawer and look at myself in the mirror. I had sworn I had seen something. What it was is unreasonable, though.

I had seen a tall figure standing beside the window. The light made it look transparent, but I could tell what I was looking at was black. Of course I could just have been imagining this whole thing, but it still creeped me out.

I went out to the hallway and into my sister's room. I saw her trying to move her dresser, but it didn't even budge.

"Hey, so what do need help in?" I ask her still shaky.

"Well in case you haven't noticed I'm trying to move this dresser," she sasses.

"Yeah I noticed, but you didn't even ask me to help you move that. For all I know you might need help thinking." I couldn't help the sarcasm.

"Well then do you expect an invitation?"

"Ugh! A please and thank you would be good." I get beside her and start moving the dresser to one side of the room.

"My dresser was much lighter," I say.

"Well I thought it would be much easier if I put my clothes in first and then move it," she states.

"Well you're pretty dumb. You should know that it would just be heavier if you do that. Of course I should know that you didn't know that," I say.

"Whatever," she replies exasperated.

We moved her dresser over to a side of the room. I didn't even wait for a thank you nor did I wait to see if she needed any more help with anything. I had a lot of things to do myself. I didn't need another bag to carry.

I entered my room. Still startled I looked around the room. I looked out through the window, but saw nothing that indicated for something like that, that I saw, to reappear.

I shook the thought out of my head and continued arranging my clothes into the dresser. I was on the last pile when I heard Nelly calling my name. I poked my head outside the door and saw May doing the same.

"Did Nelly call us?" I ask her.

"Yeah, but I don't know why." she replies.

"Okay, can you tell her that I'll be on my way. I just need to finish arranging my clothes. I'm on my last pile."

"Okay, I'll tell her. Just hurry up."

"Sure," I say and with that she went downstairs.

I go back in my room and finish with the pile. I was just walking out the door when I felt the same feeling I had just felt a moment earlier. Shaken, and too afraid to look behind me, I power walked all the way to the staircase. I went down the stairs slowly to catch my breath. I didn't want Nelly seeing me looking this tired. She would ask why, and not even the simplest lie would get her from asking multiple questions.

"You called, Nelly?" I ask as I enter the kitchen. Balto greeted me by licking my hand. I served him the dog food we had brought from Lincolnville into his bowl. He started to eat right away.