Ghost in the Falls

Chapter 2

However, Danny was unable to sleep. He lay in his bed for what felt like hours, tossing and turning in his bed. He heard loud snores, at which point he looked over to Jazz, who was relaxed, her eyes closed, asleep. Danny sighed and decided to go for a little flight outside to relax.

After scanning the room for any cameras, he jumped up from his bed and rings of bluish-white appeared around his waist. One of the two rings went up his body, changing his pyjamas into a black hazmat suit with a white neck, and a stylised D in white on the front of the suit across his chest. His eyes glowed a neon, ectoplasmic green, and his hair became a glowing white. The other of the two rings went down his body, changing his pyjama bottoms to the trousers of the hazmat suit. He wore white boots and gloves, covering his previously bare hands and feet. Overall he had an ethereal look to him, like he didn't belong in the mortal realm.

Danny decided it would be best to turn invisible as he left, it would be too suspicious if he just flew out of his room completely visible.

He had gained ghost powers several months prior, and had kept it a secret from everyone except his best friends, Sam and Tucker, and his sister, Jazz. If he just waltzed out of his room in his ghost form his parents wouldn't take long to figure out that he's half ghost.

Danny turned invisible, and flew through the wall. He sighed as the cool night air brushed against his skin. He could use his ghost powers to lower his body temperature, but had decided not to around his parents, it would seem odd if he was the only person who wasn't boiling in the summer heat.

He flew away from the shack and became visible again over the dark, foreboding forest that surrounded the town. Various unidentifiable creatures roamed the woods, and Danny was glad that he didn't have to camp with them in there - being mauled by a wild animal wasn't on his list of holiday activities. All was silent, aside from the occasional shaking branch or gust of wind, and the town of Gravity Falls was but a few lights shining in cluster of dark streets. He took in a deep breath of fresh air, and let it out, marvelling at how calm the scene around him was. It was very different to life in Amity Park, where there was barely a moment with this sort of peace.

Danny began to fly closer to the trees, and in response, as though sensing his presence, the nocturnal birds took off, shaking the leaves, the masses of shadows shifting with the movement. He turned intangible, and flew through the branches that clustered and tangled around each other. Landing on a sturdy branch and sitting down, his legs dangling in the air, he observed his surroundings. A group of small creatures scurried along the forest floor, and Danny turned invisible as not to spook them, and flew down to get a closer look. On closer observation they were small rodents, with antlers? That was odd, he'd never seen any creatures like that before.

A crunching noise of footsteps stopped Danny in his thoughts, as he turned around to face what he expected to be a bear. Stan was walking through the trees, his eyes on the ground, wearing boxers and a tank top. Danny wasn't one to judge his clothing choices, and watched silently as Stan walked towards the Mystery Shack. 'I guess he must have also decided to go for a walk,' thought Danny.

Not long after this encounter, Danny figured it was probably a good idea to try and get some sleep, he had cooled down nicely, and was beginning to feel a bit dopey. He glided invisibly into his room, and was engulfed in his rings of light, returning to his human form and landing neatly on his bed. It wasn't long before Danny lost consciousness, sinking into his lumpy mattress.

• • •

"Wake up Danny, we're going ghost hunting!" The sound of his excited father was the sound that woke Danny from his slumber.