Haunt

Chapter 3

Later in the afternoon, Boollivan decided to rest under a bunch of gnarled and leafless trees. He enjoyed the lonely silence of the outside forest. No boo to make fun of his size or lack of illusion abilities. The silence helped him relax and clear his mind of all the things that were troubling him, but he wasn't crying. Crying wouldn't help his situation. All he needed was time to think to himself without any interruptions-

But it didn't take very long for him to suddenly feel a presence. Something - or theoretically someone was watching him, lurking in the darkness of the forest.

"Hey-" a voice called out to him all of a sudden. He quickly rose his spherical body upwards in surprise, looking up to see another boo hovering slightly above him.

He quickly realized it was his friend, Booligan. "You scared me! What do you want anyway? Why do you still want to be around a loser boo like me?" Boollivan asked, coolly.

"Cause I don't think you are a loser. Besides, I also think you need some company." Booligan earnestly answered.

Boollivan only scoffed. "What makes you say that? I don't need company... I prefer to be alone right now. It's not like any boos will appreciate me anyway. What makes you any different? You're better off leaving me alone as well before anyone starts bullying you too."

"You know I do and nothing you say can change that. My other friends would too and I was wondering if you'd give me a chance to let you meet them." Booligan offered.

This made Boollivan pause for a moment to think it over further. "Your... Friends?" That's right, Booligan wanted him to meet his friends earlier but he never got the chance.

"Yeah, we make for excellent company. I promise you that." Said Booligan, holding out an appendage to Boollivan. "Come on, let me introduce them to you. At least give them a chance."

"Introduce me...?" He paused for a moment before continuing. "Just so they can judge me too for my illusion blunders."

"They won't laugh at you. I promise! You really should meet them before we make false accusations before you even know them."

Boollivan's guard was up. Should he really trust his best friend? However, the look in Booligan's eyes were very friendly and sincere that soothed Boollivan. "Alright... Fine... I'll give them a chance." He reached over and took Booligan's nubby appendage, returning a trusting smile.

The two boos hovered over to a clearing further away from the tower and deeper into the forest. Boollivan wasn't sure where they were going or what his friend was really up to but he carried on with it a little more.

"Hey everyone! Boollivan's here with us too!" Booligan shouted to seemingly no one in particular.

Before Booligan could question if his friend was hallucinating and his friends were all just pure imagination, fifteen other boos began to appear and hover around them. Their tongues sticking out and wide smiles plastered on their faces in full excitement. All of the boos quickly turned to greet them both. "There he is! We heard so much about you from Booligan. It's nice to finally meet you!" One of the boos beamed brightly.

Boollivan was very surprised to see so many boos happy to see him. Most boos would just turn away and ignore him. It has been a long time that he actually meant truly friendly boos like this. He was still a bit hesitant but he didn't want to seem rude to his potential new friends. He slowly waved an appendage to them and greeted them. "Hello everyone...!"

"Hey! You must be Boollivan!" One of the boos spoke up.

"I am."

"My name's Booster. It's a pleasure to meet you!" The boo named Booster introduced, offering his small appendage to him to shake. Boollivan quickly accepted it to avoid seeming rude.