Ghostly [On Temp. Hold]

Chapt. 3 Haunted Hay Ride

 Chapter [?]

June 7th eventually came. I just hope Noelle remembered to come.

   It was light outside with a gentle breeze, perhaps mother nature decided to get off her period with this town for once. On the way there I couldn't help but feel a sense of anxiety, I remembered how overwhelming it was to see so many ghosts at once.

    I was half hoping to meet Ghost 2 again. Every once in the while when I pass the place where Walker Bridge use to be I can still see the little boy coloring with chalk down the road. The townspeople decided to name the new road Adrian Avenue after the youngest casualty in the accident.

    A handful of people were at the memorial, I recognized a few of them. After glancing around I saw Noelle in the corner with her mom and a group of people I thought was her mom's friend's family.

    I decided to let her be for awhile as I stalked around, then I saw him. Ghost 5's ex-husband.

    I walked up to the man and asked him about his wife. After coughing a few times, he said yes. I told him about his wife's secret diary that's she hid under the mattress.

     It was supposed to contain stuff that she had wanted him to know. On the day of the accident, she had pointed at a man in a car that looked dead and asked me if I could pass a message along to her husband.  At the time all I could do was nod and looked terrified.

     Her once body was there next to his.  I told him before that she died she told me to tell him that she loved him and didn't blame him for any of what happened. 

       You know, usual corny last words stuff.

      "How do you know?" he asked, "You were there?"

     I was riding my bike when I heard the explosions, the police said it was a ruptured gas line. That was when I sensed them, the ghosts, the fear they radiated was too much for 10-year-old me. I took me awhile to stand up again but I eventually made my way to the bridge.

    "I was."

     It seemed good enough for him because he stood up, gave me a pat on my shoulder, whispered something to himself then left.

   I looked at the wife's picture surrounded by flowers at the foot of the altar table. You owe me one, I thought to myself and smirked.

          I just full-filled what I think is probably one of the most important parts of this whole seeing ghosts gig.

    "There you are!" she yelled, "Where were you? You're twenty minutes late!"

    "You've ever heard of being fashionably late?"

    "Oh, shut up," she said, "Hey, I wanna get outta here, want to go to the carnival, its the last day it's opening.."

    "Sure..it'll be fu--"

     She ran to tell her family something then came back a few minutes later.

     "All set, I had to bribe my little brother not to come."

     I nodded,  shook my bulldog bobblehead's head then started up the car. The engine roared to life.

     When we reached the carnival it was crowded with people. Happy children, angry adults, and yelling cotton candy salesman. The usual small town carnival scene. It was one of the rare places in town that offered some entertainment value. Sucks it only lasts four days.

    "So where to first?" I asked.

    "Hmmm..let me think."

    Then we both caught sight of a sign that read:

                                                                      HAUNTED HAY RIDE                                                               

                                                                  BEWARE! $5/ADMISSION

     I looked at her. Her face agreed. Perfect, I thought.

   After buying the admission tickets we walked to the entrance of the ride. There to meet us was an older looking man seated on a tractor hooked to a trailer with bins of hay.

   "Caree ta ridee?" He said with a raspy voice.

    We both took seats on the side of the trailer. The old man waited for other riders but after deciding more wasn't coming he began into the woods. We decided to ditch the chair shaped hay and sat cross-legged on the bottom. Besides, we had the whole place to ourselves. Except for that weird old man.

   Eerie music was emitting from somewhere in the thousands of trees and bushes that surrounded the path.

   "This is so lame.." I said chuckling, "Who falls for this sh--"

    "BLAAOHahAhaa!" A skeleton dropped from a tree above.

    I jumped about 200 feet in the air and landed on on her.

    "I'm so sorry!"

    She was busy laughing at me. I was glad the darkness didn't show my blush.

    I gave her a playful smile.

    Then I noticed I was still half on her and straightened up to dust my shirt off.

     A few witches, ghosts, and even a zombie looking thing later I decided to lie down.

     She laid down right next to me, all I could feel was her warmth.

    "You see the stars?" I asked.

    "They're beautiful."

     She looked at me then smiled. "It's coldddd. Come here!" 

                                                                           ~~~

     After we said our goodbyes to the driver and began heading home. It was eleven o'clock. I silently thanked the old man, must have given us a few extra go-rounds or something. But now no one was left except for the clean-up people.

    The car ride to her house was quiet.  It was almost midnight once I reached her house.

    "Thanks Liam," she said with the most sincere smile.

    "Look Noelle.."

    She pushed her index finger against my lips.

    "You don't have to say anything." 

    I went in my car, bobbled Mr. Bobbles and headed home. 

    When I came home I found the microwave door open with a Post-It's note on it.

     God bless this woman I thought to himself and smirked,  that's just like her to sign off 'love' after condemning someone to cruel and unusual punishment.

    I found a Post-It's stack and a pen to write her back.

   I finished the mac n' cheese and turned on a 90's ghost movie. They always managed to make me laugh my ass off.