Another

Chapter Eight: Ghosts Are Like Music

I awoke to the smell of eggs frying. Awfully strange. I peeked over the edge of the couch. Snow was at the stove cooking.

She noticed me. "Wakey-Wakey sunshine! I thought since you cooked me dinner I can cook you breakfast."

Wow, roommates are awesome. If I had known Snow would be this helpful, I would have warmed up to her as soon as they met.

"So Jacob? When were you going to tell me about those 'Spookies'?"

Ugh. The one thing she wants me to tell her about just had to be that eh? At least it was morning, those stories give me the creeps if it's too close to nighttime.

"You really wanna hear those scary stories? They're so lame but you won't sleep for a week!" I tried to play it off, hoping she wouldn't ask again.

"C'mon! Please? I bet they're not scary at all." She rolled her eyes.

"Hehe, yeah, let's see about that." I stood up from the couch and took a plate of eggs. She grabbed one as well and poked me on the shoulder.

"So, what can be so scary about something named a 'Spooky'? It doesn't even sound creepy."

"Well, have you ever heard blood-curdling screams from the forests, the mountains, or the rivers? Have you ever felt cold and shallow breaths across the back of your neck but when you look there's nothing there? Have you ever looked into the night and felt like something was staring back at you?"

Snow tried to look calm but her eyes said otherwise. "No, but it doesn't sound like something I would like to experience." She crossed her arms and sat down defiantly.

Here's the dealbreaker. "Good, because spookies don't do that."

Snow looked panicked now, "What do they do then?"

I smiled maliciously. "Well, you don't hear them from the forests, or mountains or rivers. You hear them from behind you, when you're about to lull off to sleep, when you're in the darkness of night from all directions. And you know those breaths you feel but don't know where they're from? You can see them, right in the darkest corner, out of reach, staring back at you..."

Snow adjusted her seat, pulling her legs close to her body.

"But that's not the worst part. Out in the dark when you can't see anything but the moon, there's the laughing."

"The laughing? They laugh?" Snow looked utterly terrified now, occasionally checking behind her shoulder.

"Yes, they laugh. Just a faint giggle in the distance, but soon enough the night is filled with laughing all around you. You can hardly hear yourself think because it's that loud. The laughs seem to be coming from nowhere, yet everywhere. Then abruptly, it stops. There's just... silence."

At this point snow has grabbed a pillow and is clutching it closely.

"The worst part is when they hit you but you can't do anything about it."

Snow looked up with a confused face. "Nothing about it? What do you mean?"

"Ghosts are like music, you can't touch them, but they can touch you..."

She sank further into her seat.

"Spookies."

I nod. "Yeah but they aren't the worst..."

Snow's jaw dropped, "There's worse things?"

"Oh yeah. Spookies are tiny, only a little bigger than Flint. There are things out there that are bigger than me!"

Snow sits there for a long time before standing up and sighing heavily. "Well! Now that's over, shall we do something a little less dark?"

I laugh, "Yes anything but more stories."

I felt Flint tug at my jeans.

"Jacob, let's get wheels for R.C." he chirped. Snow sat up quicker than I could reply.

"That sounds like a great idea Flint. C'mon Jacob, you wouldn't want to be caught by spookies!" Snow grabbed Flint and started to walk out the door. It's crazy how quick to emotions Snow can be. I grabbed my backpack and walked outside.

Snow and Flint were laughing at something.

"What's so funny?" Snow put a finger to her lips and looked at Flint. He let out a whir.

"Oh nothing. We were laughing at the shape of that cloud. She looked up and immediately blushed. There were no clouds in the sky. She shrugged her shoulders and asked Flint which way to go.