Ghost

0501

Raven and I had made our way out into the hall and under the pull-down ladder, in the middle of giving me a short explanation of why she was only just now mentioning that another ghost was wondering around my house. 

"The book," she continued as I reached for the cord to the ladder. "The memories started coming back to me when I found it. It was like a catalyst, I suppose."

"I still don't get how I haven't even seen him yet." I jumped up a few times, my arms extended, but was just an inch short of grabbing the frayed string.

"He's terribly shy at the moment," she said. "When I remembered he was up there and went looking for him, he refused to come down." She shook her head. "He was always so stubborn."

"Little brother?" I asked, giving up and dragging over a tub of Christmas decorations to stand on.

"Yes. He was sixteen before he...well." She gulped. "You know."

"Died?" I finished for her before my eyes widened. "Sorry."

"It's alright."

I yanked down the string and the ladder fell with a rusty groan. I had to duck out of the way to keep from getting toppled, coughing up dust and cobwebs. "I guess I'll be the first person to go up here," I said, finding it hard to mask my excitement. I'd have first dibs on everything that had been forgotten over the years. 

When I poked my head up above the floor, my face fell. Everything was cleaned out except a brass bed frame and a box. I climbed up and headed for the wooden square, opening the lid and letting out a deflated sigh. Just a small collection of Coke bottles.

"Nobodys even up here," I called to the gaping hole in the floor. When I turned, she had appeared on the bed; hovering slightly as if she were sitting on the ghost of a mattress.

She sighed. "I think he's...what did you call it again, in slumber?" Slumber was a term I'd previously explained to her. When ghosts used up a lot of energy, they disappeared for a certain amount of time, depending on the amount of energy used.

"He shouldn't be. He hasn't done much of anything," I said. He hadn't even shown himself in his visible form yet. She shrugged. "He must be pretty weak, then."

"I am not."

I jumped and spun around. No one was there. Raven sighed.

"Come out, Alfred. She's not going to care."

"I care," a voice said defiantly. I shot Raven a questioning look.

"He won't show himself. He's afraid you'll be disgusted by him."

"Josie!"

"What?"

"Wait, what's wrong with him?" I asked.

"It's none of your concern."

"He's got a death wound," Raven answered. A groan filled the air.

"You are unbelievable."

"Oh, don't be such a sap."

"Fine," the voice sighed. "I'll come out, but if anyone runs out of the room screaming; don't expect me to do it again."

"Fine," I said

"Fine," the voice said.

"Stop being so dramatic," Raven said. "Get on with it."

A boy a little older than I appeared in front of me, clad in brown slacks held up by suspenders, a dirty white blouse hanging over his torso. His hand was up over his face, covering is mouth from view.

Raven sighed. "You are so ridiculous. Just show her already."

He sighed, but dropped his hand.

His jaw was hanging from the upper part of his skull; one side broken and deformed, the skin hanging off like moss and revealing the red of his tongue. I blinked.

"Cool."