The Neverland Inn

Anyone Spooked

The footsteps echoed in the wooden floor and we all stood to our feet listening closely the ghostly thuds. One by one, they began to tread down the stairwell and we all began for the door to listen. Walking on eggshells almost we listened to the door, the footsteps still being very vivid. It grew it's loudest finally, sounding like it was right outside the door. Then, there was silence. Nothing was all to be heard. Only the heavy breathing coming from our lungs emanating from terror. I got a vat of wild courage and swung open the door. I opened one eye slowly and saw there corridor was empty. Like nothing had been there to even begin to make the sounds we heard. I looked around the corridor and looked down the stairwell, "Hello?!"
I called out looking around but my voice still rattled. The girls came out behind me slow and I see Shania's eyes widen. She gasps then Faith points shaking across the stairwell to the other corridor. At the end of the hall, upstairs, was Michael's bedroom door was wide open.
"No one has been in there since yesterday, even then..we shut the door back.." I said in disbelief.
I turned to them both, in a shaken panic, "Guys did anyone go into Michael's room today? Guys fess up if you have, it's okay."
They both looked at me with the whites in their eyes showing. They both shook their head and Faith says, "We agreed to do Michael's room last. No one has even been upstairs since we woke this morning."

"Yeah, we've been together the entire day so its not like anyone's strayed off.." Shan clarifies.
I nodded realizing both of their statements were true. I leaned against the wall and gathered what had just happened. All of us were pretty shaken up but somehow we found a way to get back to our work. The only thing that really kept our heads above water was the fact we knew it was only Michael. We never looked for his ghost though. We let the ghost have its space. In the next few weeks we used Janet's money to hire landscapers and repair men. Everyone gave us the same cliché phone conversation,
"You want us to work where?!?"
Once people were seen constantly going to and from Neverland the ranch, word definitely began to get out. By our first month, the ranch looked a million times better. But by the first month, that's when the footsteps and small noises stopped. That's when things began to escalate further.
It was Faith and I in the west parlor that day hanging new artwork we had purchased for the decor. We were hanging the bathing of Apollo above the fireplace mantle. I was standing a few feet up on a step ladder when I see Faith turn her head to look out the window. I look down and ask if she could pass a screwdriver and she stands frozen. I look to her concerned and shaking she lets out a blood curdling scream still looking out the window. I jump down from the ladder as Faith begins to back up far away stuttering,
"Dee!!! Who is that!! Dee look!!"

I looked out to where she pointed and out by the tall oak tree on the main lawn was a tall man dressed in a red blazer. He stood facing away but leaned his shoulder against the tree's trunk. The man had a fedora and black hair tied in a ponytail. This was no stranger. I brought my hand to my mouth realizing I was looking at the apparition of Michael.
"Who do you think it is!?" I said breathless and in a glimpse I began running for the door. I got into the foyer and raced for the back door leading to the back courtyard. I stand on the steps but to my disappointment, Michael was gone. The afternoon wind moving the leaves in the oak trees was all to be seen. I hold my arms close as I feel the adrenaline turn to almost sadness, and make my way to the tree. I put my hand to the trunk and look up towards the tall branches. I closed my eyes but felt as something was familiar about where I was standing. I paced around the roots still looking upwards until I hear a metallic clank on the bottom of my shoe. I crouch down to investigate and there under some fallen leaves was a golden almost memorial plate there on the ground. Wiping the leaves away, I saw that it read,
"My Giving Tree.."
How could I not have guessed?
This is wear Michael spent a large amount of time from where I've read. This is the tree where he'd write music and come to be alone, climbing up to the top. I smiled and almost giggled at how silly it seemed that I couldn't have guessed. I felt a strong vibrate from my pocket and got out my cellphone to see who's calling. I didn't recognise the number but answered curious, "Hello?"
Janet Jackson's voice came on the line making my face light up and I hurry back inside to get the other two and Janet begins,
"How's it all going girls? Any progress?"
We all nodded smiling around the phone and replied,
"Tons. We've got a lot done. We've got a nice portion of the mansion and we've got landscapers coming everyday. Thank you for making us a list, it's really been helpful!"
I hear Janet's tone turn to an excited happy and she says,
"That's great! I'm so proud of you. I knew I could trust you to do it. I can't wait to see Neverland alive again. Has anything strange happened yet? Anyone spooked.?"
We all sighed and told her some stories of things that have happened. She listens giving us advice with how to handle things like this and she begins,
"Would you like to know something strange that happened to me that's kind of cool?"

"What's that?"

"If you'll play Michael's music in the top bedrooms of the mansion, Michael will perform down in the theatre next to the den."
We looked to each other confused and faith asks,
"What exactly do you mean?"

Janet clears her throat and says,
"My sister had her cellphone playing Michael's station on Pandora and when the song 'Ghosts' came up I was downstairs in the den but next door I heard the vocals loud and clear. I poked my head out the door and made my way over to the theatre. And I heard Michael singing. He was singing along to the song. Not only did I hear the voice I heard stomping. Like he was dancing. You should really try it."

I guess the trick went against our moral of never looking for Michael's spirit but I suppose since Janet was insisting we could atleast give it a go. We go back into the mansion and the atmosphere was strangely quiet. We begin a new round of polishing until Shania breaks the silence blurting out,
"I'm not the only one who wants to try that right?"

"Nope!!!!" Faith and I shout and we race up stairs.

"Who has the song ready?!" I ask in our upwards scrambling.

"On it!" Shania says pulling out her cellphone.