A Ghostly Night

Even though it happened over 20 years ago, I remember everything as if it happened yesterday. The details are seared into my memory. I can almost feel... it... touching me, even today. To even think of it gives me goosebumps!

Well, now that I have taken up the pen, I might as well make a clean breast of it all.

It was the year 2015. I was a student in 10th grade. Living in a city I dare not name. I can tell you only this: We had moved from Minnesota, three weeks prior to the events that shall be described further on.

It is important, for the purpose of understanding what is to come next, that you should know this: my family was living in a house, which was unfortunately, and uncomfortably close to the local graveyard. It was like we had the dead, for neighbors.

Now, my parents are not freaks or something. They didn't want to take the place; it was the only available house. They had to!

Alright, back to the story.

So, I was new at school, and to the place in general. I usually didn't make friends easily, but here, I found some boys who were really nice company. Two weeks in the place, and we had become a tight little group, of four. Me, Jake, Thomas, and Peter. They were all a lot like me, in their behavior. They didn't talk to other people at school. It was just our group in which they interacted openly.

We didn't care much for others at school, and the feeling was mutual. Sometimes other students gave us odd looks as they passed by us. Not that we cared. Our group was enough for us. We played together, we spent the lunch hour together. We spent a large part of our day together.

In every boy's life, there comes a time when he has an intense desire, for adventure. Well, this desire came upon us, and we decided upon doing something completely insane. To go into the graveyard and try to find out what, and who, makes it scary.

Being 21st century kids, we didn't believe in the existence of ghosts. It was all a load of garbage to us, at that time. We were certain that the graveyard is spooky only due to radios or something that were planted by some prankster.

So, one fine night, we tramped out of our homes, and assembled at the graveyard, in the dead of night. None of us seemed scared. In fact, we were giggling like anything.

Me being the one living closest to the graveyard, it was decided that I open the gate. I placed my hand on the gate, and it swung open, as if of its own accord. We walked through. A gust of wind blew past us. Hearing a creaking noise, we turned, to see the gate swinging shut. Odd.

I felt shiver go down my spine. I wasn't so enthusiastic about this anymore. I had a feeling we weren't exactly going to go out of this place, giggling.

Tonight, the graveyard seemed much spookier than it had seemed earlier. I suspected hints of a mist, now and then, quickly vanishing. I thought it must be the fear clouding my senses, and didn't say anything for the fear of being considered a coward.

We went through the area, searching for loudspeakers, wires, anything at all that could give hints to a set up that was being used to scare people. We had been there for half an hour or so, when I felt slightly nauseous. I turned to call my friends. They were all looking in one direction, the expression in their eyes unfathomable. Following their gazes, I soon realised what was wrong.

The gate. It was gone.

"This can't be!" I exclaimed, beginning to get hysterical. And then, I heard the church strike twelve midnight. I stood rooted to the spot, waves of horror pouring forth from me, for suddenly, the whole graveyard was covered in the same mist I had earlier had glimpses of, and when it thinned out, I could no longer see my friends. And the place... Had come alive.