The Spirit Stealers

The Two Deaths

“C’mon, Sam, Dad isn’t home! You know you want to! Don’t you wanna find out how Mum died? Come on! Dad won’t know!” Charlie shouted at me from the top floor.

“NO, for the last time, I do not want to investigate with you. It’s scary enough knowing Mum is dead!”

“Then you are such a scaredy cat! Scaredy cat, scaredy cat! Ha!” Charlie was seriously going completely over the top.

“Ask me one more time, and I’ll call Dad. Just leave me alone, I’m reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.”

That seemed to drop the subject. Calling Dad was the last thing anyone wanted to do. Dad was so depressed now, what with Mum not here anymore. I was just a baby when she died, so I don’t remember what happened. Charlie told me she was found just lying on the floor by the attic, which was why he was always so eager to find out what was really up there. If we ever spoke about Mum in front of Dad, he would go all quiet and after a few minutes he would get away from us and start sobbing like crazy.

“Scaredy cat,” I heard Charlie mutter one last time. He was three years older than me, at thirteen. He would always boast about his football skills, and his IQ being 109. Yes, he was quite clever, and good at football, but he knew nothing about being quiet! It was a clear Saturday, but Dad had to work extra to pay for our living. We didn’t see him as much, but as long as we had food to eat, and a house to live in, we were fine. We only went shopping for new clothes and shoes in the holidays, but we never went anywhere.

Lunch passed. I called Gabi, my best friend, and asked her what to do. She said I could see what Charlie was doing, so I said a quick thanks, and rushed into Charlie’s room, which was located on the top floor like mine. He had the bigger room though.

“What’s up?” he said as soon as he heard me knocking the door.

“I’m bored.”

“Then go read Harry Potter. It seemed to be all you wanted to do earlier.”

“Then can I come in and read it?” I had the book in my hands anyway. Charlie appeared at the door and sighed, letting me in. I walked over to my favourite beanbag, the grey one, and started reading. Charlie went back to his laptop and carried on playing The Last Battle. He saw me looking and asked me to play.

“C’mon, I’ll teach you.”

I was soon addicted to the game, and stayed playing it while Charlie went downstairs to play on his Xbox. He got it for his birthday, from Dad. I paid for some of it, with my savings.

“Hey Sam! Dad’s home!” Charlie shouted ten minutes later. I had only just got on to level four! My avatar was Sandy the Mender and Healer, which meant I worked in the Harpstool Village’s repairer half the week and the medical centre the other half. My Sunday was free, so I could roam wherever I wanted to. I put my status as ‘Having a hard day at work, so can’t talk’, and went downstairs to say hi to Dad.

“Hi Dad! Have a good day at work?” I asked, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

“Oh yes, but that Cherie Harper is really getting on my nerves!” Cherie Harper was Dad’s worst enemy ever, but they had to work together. Dad worked as editor-in-chief for The Social Neighbour magazine and sometimes when the editor (Brandon Shay) was ill, Dad got to be in charge for a day.

“Oh that woman!” Charlie smiled, appearing from the kitchen with a packet of crisps. Dad started making dinner, and Charlie went back upstairs.

“Come on, Dad won’t know now! He’ll be busy making a beef casserole or something.”

“No! I already said! I won’t put myself to danger because of you. If you want to go so badly, why don’t you go yourself? Yeah! Just go yourself!” I shouted, and locked myself in my room.

“I let you play on my laptop! You should be grateful!” I heard Charlie shout through the door, the sound being muffed out.

I sat down at my desk and got out my notepad. I drew a few women, trying to imagine what Mum would look like. She probably had ginger or orange hair, because Dad’s was dark brown and me and Charlie had brown. She couldn’t have had blonde, otherwise out hair would be lighter.

After I finished drawing Mum, I drew Cherie Harper. Now this time, I didn’t have to imagine! I had seen her at a party we went to with Dad. I could remember that day so well….

We are at the food table. A nice looking woman comes over to us, and takes a fruity wine. I smile at her, only seven, and she fakes a smile back. She is wearing big sunglasses way too big for her head, an artificial fur coat, a very short pencil skirt with tights, black leather gloves and knee high boots. Charlie takes one look at her fake smile and punches her. Miss Harper is taken by surprise as her nose starts to bleed. I’m laughing and clapping-

“AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH! SAM, HELP! I’M STUCK! PLEASE! COME AND HELP ME!” I heard Charlie shout. He was definitely joking.

Then I heard a thumping above me. I unlock my door and peep out with my camera, ready to take a picture if anything scary really does come.

Suddenly, dad ran up the stairs, obviously because he heard something unusual.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” he asked me.

“I-I d-don’t k-know. H-he says h-he is s-stuck, a-and needs h-help,” I managed.

Dad swore and stormed up the attic stairs. Suddenly he was sucked up in to the attic. I screamed and started crying. What was happening! A few seconds later, Charlie was thrown out of the attic, lifeless.

“Charlie! Talk to me! Are you alive? Please! Talk to me!” I shook him hard, but it was no use. I sobbed and cried until Dad was also thrown out, lifeless. I sat in between them, crying and sobbing, unable to stop.