The Haunting of Sunshine Girl

Chapter 15

"Okay, I have a question," she begins, still sitting in the passenger seat of the car. "Why is, on the license plate, you may or may not want to see it—" Sunshine turns the camera to a gray van in front of them, "it beautiful British Columbia and ours is just Oregon, why is it not, like, y'know, Organic Oregon or.. something.. with an O. Outrageous Oregon. Like why is that."

Kat looks over. "That's a very deep thought."

"I know." Sunshine nods. "I just — I've been pondering it, I don't know why." She smiles.

"If anyone knows," Kat says.

"Tell us." She turns the camera back around. "We're at the oceaaann~! See it past that — large ass truck."

"We did it. We arrived," her mother says from beside.

"Kind of a little bouncy 'cause she's a terrible driver."

"Yeah, that's why." Kat rolls her eyes. "We're still not to the hotel, but we are at least to the ocean."

"Which is always important." Sunshine tries to look over the houses at the rippling waves of the sea. "Oh look, there it is again — it's kinda hard to see and ohhh there it goes." A large tan brick house covers the sloping hills. "Behind that house. A very large castle-like house. What is that, that's weird."

"That is weird."

"I don't like that house at all, they have weird balconies — bye big truck I didn't like you, you smell bad." She sticks her tongue out as the large truck turns away.

"Ugh. It really did," Kat snorts.

"Stank. Really. Awful." Sunshine turns the camera to her then furrows her brow. "The one thing I don't like about the beach is what people wear here. It's terrible. It's like — 'Ah! It's freezing cold outside! But let's look like a skank anyway.'" She gets distracted and smiles when the sand drifts up to the road. The blue water stretches over the horizon. "There it is again guys! I'm so excited. Aaa."

Kat tilts her head. "Wow, there's a lot of people here. Everybody decided — they said, 'Hey, we hear Sunshine's gonna be at the beach!'"

"I'm... sure that's why they came."

"That's it."

"Exactly it."

Kat takes the camera and and smiles. "It's definitely the beach. Cause look it — TRAFFIC!"

"Yay," Sunshine says unenthusiastically, gazing at the cars piled behind one another.

Her mother sighs heavily. "I think... we're almost there."

Sunshine grunts. "She's not telling me where we're staying, so I just keep guessing — I'm deciding.. Lincoln City Inn." She nods at the large pale brown hotel across the street.

"Yeah, because that certainty looks haunted," Kat scoffs. "But it does have a nice ocean view if you can see past the Kyllo's sign."

"Kylloooo's — no, you really can't, but it's actually a really good restaurant, I've heard."

They both sigh as the traffic continues slowly. "Well," Sunshine announces. "I will continue guessing. How about D'Sands Motel? D... Sands? I don't get it."

"I think it's supposed to be clever," Kat explains when she sees Sunshine's confused expression.

"Oh, D'Sands, aaaaaha, like — oh, no, I still don't get it."

Kat laughs. "Good thing you're preeetttyyy."

"TUUUUURN," Sunshine yells at the car in front of them.