A Trick or a Treat? (Halloween Short Story Part 3)

“I really like your outfit,” she announces while the two of us climb up the stairs. Well, I am. May simply floats next to me. “What’s the occasion?”

“I was invited to a Halloween party,” I reply. “Nothing too big, really.”

“Really? It sounds fun.” May’s smile fades away for a few seconds before it comes back on her small lips. “So who are you supposed to be? A witch?”

“Close,” I chuckle awkwardly. “A mage.”

“What’s a mage?” she asks, her face bewilderment.

“It’s a type of magician that does more than just pull a rabbit out of a hat.”

I laugh when May ooed and ahed what a mage does. It would be impressive if you find a mage that can do more tricks than what he or she has up his or her sleeves.

After a couple of flights of stairs later, both May and I reach the top. May releases a sigh. “I wish I can go to a party that you went.”

My eyebrow arches, eyeing on May with curiosity. “You mean, you never went to a party before?”

She shakes her head and grins, quickly changing the subject. “Let’s play a little game!”

“U-um, sure. You have a game in mind?”

“Hide-and-seek!” May chimed in happily. For once, I thought we have to play a board game or ones that have silly rhymes. But this is much comfortable and suitable, I guess.

So I nod my head, which we proceed the game. “Can I be the seeker, while you hide-- um.”

“Ashley,” I answer, knowing that she is going to ask for my name. “but people call me Ash, which I like.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ash.” May extends her ghostly hand towards me and, when I try to extend mine, her translucent hand passes through my solid one. “Oops,” I forgot that I’m a ghost.” She giggles awkwardly before it disappears, glancing at me with uncertainty. “You’re not afraid?”

“Nope,” I grin.

“How come? Most humans are scared of ghosts like me.”

“That’s because they don’t have a backbone as I do,” I tease playfully.

“Well, it’s nice to meet the living who is not afraid,” she giggles again. “But anyway, can I be the seeker while you hide, Ashley?”

“Sure. Might I ask you your name?” I ask, even though I knew her name before I came here. I still want to be nice towards the child-- who appears to be sweet and cheery, despite people’s view on May. And I cannot bear to bring up rumors to May since she seems to be unaware of them.

When she introduces herself, May and I proceeded with the game. “1-2-3-4…”

Immediately, I go through each room to find a hiding spot. There is so much to choose from. When May is close to counting twenty, I select the place that is near me: the bedroom.

Knowing that I don’t have much time to think which specific place May least expects, I decide to hide under the bed. And when I crawl under there, dust is tickling my nose. I covered it with my hand, but it makes it worse when I notice there’s dust on it.

Remaining in the shadow, I spot a white glow passing through the doorway, realizing May is here. So I try to hold my breath to stifle myself from blowing my cover, but my nose is urging to get rid of that ticklish feeling.

At last, she exits out of the bedroom and slowly, but quietly, I release a breath. Unfortunately, I sneeze, causing May to come back in the room. She ducks her head and grins, her index finger almost touching my face. “I found you,” she exclaims happily.

“Aww,” I chuckle and crawl out of bed, before I rub off the dust in my hands and straighten my costume. “Well, it’s my turn to seek you, so you better hide.”

May laughs giddily, as she darts out of the room. I grin and cover my eyes with my hands, counting to twenty.

I haven’t thought how terrible it would be to spend time with a child with a ghost. In fact, I wasn’t sure how I was going to handle it. And now, I’m having so much fun. Funny, but I think I lost the feeling of being numb from earlier tonight. Either I lost the sensation to the cold, or maybe the adrenaline is keeping me warm, I don’t care.

The sound may be distant, but I can hear May’s bubbling up a laugh.

So I smile to myself and walk out of the room and into the hall. Despite that the small girl’s giggling has ceased, I can still guess where she might be hiding: at the end of the hall.

Reaching over there, I am torn between two rooms. They do seem promising. And, catching my coal black eyes, I see something poke out of the doorway.

A white sheet cloth.

She’s in there, I guess and go to the room to my right.

The floorboards squeaked beneath my punk boots, which I don’t have a care. Though, they do feel unstable.

Carefully approaching the slightly closed door and pull back the sheet. “Ha! I--”

I freeze in mid-sentence, my breath is held from the sight.

Bones.

Rusted and covered in dirt.

Trapped in a closet.

How long have these soulless bodies have been there? There could be a couple of skeletons in that closet, wanting to get out of here.

Or maybe they were here before--

May.

“What seems to be the holdup?” May complains, making me turn to see that she is standing in the doorway. “I have been waiting for you for five minutes.”

When I couldn’t speak, May’s lips fell more. “What’s wrong?”

Narrowing my eyes at May, I point to the closet filled with skeletons. “How long have you been hiding them?” I ask, trying to keep my tone steady.

“Wh-what do you mean?”

“Don’t lie,” I snap. “The bodies. How long did you keep the bodies and why?”

Taking a few steps back, she shakes her head slowly. “I don’t like this,” she cries softly. “I don’t like how you’re yelling at me.”

I try to walk towards May, but she keeps backing away from me. I don’t mean to harm or yell at May like a parent, but I have no other choice. I want answers. Real answers. It’s bad enough that I have been lied to the popular girls, but to a girl who appears harmless-- I am ashamed and hurt.

Keeping my tone calm again, I hold my hands up to indicate peace. “May, I want to know the truth. You are my friend, remember?”

Casting her eyes down on the floor, the small girl hugs herself. “You don’t understand,” her voice croaks.

“Understand what, sweetie?”

“I’ve been alone, even before death.”

I kneel beside the girl, seeing shiny, clear tears streaming down at May’s plump cheeks. I want to wipe those tears away and hold her close, but it’s no use. “Tell me everything as much as you can,” I say. “If you want to, though.”

Without any expectation, May nods her head and glances up, still teary-eyed. “You are my friend, Ashley, and you have the right to know.” Before she can begin, May wipes away the tears from her cheeks and clear her throat. “For so long, I have been bullied and lonely when I was alive. That’s because I was never able to learn or understand. You see, my parents told me that I’m ‘a slow-learner.’ I believed them. Even when they shunned me at times and left me alone, I thought that I was not a part of them.

“But there was one person who made me feel special, though. It was my grandmother; she would babysit me and read me some bedtime stories.” She pauses and laughs before May can even continue. “My grandmother was impressed when I memorized the lines that my grandmother read from each book. Then, one day, my grandmother passed away before I turned seven. She was the only person who cared, and I lost her.”

May breaks into a silent sob, as she keeps away the wet tears from her eyes. “Take a deep breath, May,” I console her. “Do you want to tell me something else?”

May’s tears disappeared, but her voice us shaking a bit. Though, she has calmed herself now. “My death was short and bitter-sweet, two weeks after my grandmother passed away. My parents took off for a vacation, not including me. They didn’t even say when they will come back. In fact, they didn’t bother to hire a babysitter for me.

“While I was sitting on the windowsill, waiting for my parents to come home, I heard footsteps. So I walked out of my room to see if my parents came back for a surprise. But instead, it was a burglar, dressed in black. He was about to grab me, but I managed to run away. And that, Ashley, is when I fell to the death, tripping down a couple of steps before landing on the hard carpet. That explains the blood on my head.

“Hovering over my motionless body, the burglar was panicking and ran out the door, leaving behind the stolen goods.”

The entire time, I frown while listening to the small ghost’s side of the story, how she had been neglected and hurt for too long. I’m amazed that May’s parents didn’t even bring their daughter. No-- even worse. I’m disgusted with the way they treated May, causing her to feel alone. Poor girl. “Can you explain the bodies in the closet?” I speak.

“Yes,” she replies. “I couldn’t manage to move on, so I decided to stay here. And as I stayed in this house, I noticed that there was a “For Sale” sign out front, realizing that there’ll be a new family moving in. So I took the opportunity to fit in; however, all I got was frightful faces. Some have ran away. Others… I trapped them in here until they took their life.”

I place my hand on my chest; a pangy feeling was starting to grow inside. “S-so they killed themselves?”

When May nods her head, I rub my temple. Guilt begins to punch me in the heart because I recalled how I thought May was behind the killings. Despite what May did was wrong, part of my assumption of her was also wrong.

All she wanted was to fill the loneliness inside, but nobody took the time to hear her out.

“M-May, I’m so sorry,” I say, a hint of dismay in my voice.

“I-it’s alright, Ash,” she chokes before shedding a few more tears. “I just want to be loved, again. But what I did there… it was wrong.”

Slowly, a weak smile spreads over my face. “I know what it’s like.”

“You d-do?” May’s eyes pop in astonishment.
“At home, my parents love me,” I explain. “but at school, it’s different. I’ve been bullied and an outcast as long as I could remember.” I shrug and purse my lips. “At first, I didn’t like it; I wanted to stay home and never come back. But my made me feel special, just like what your grandmother did.”

“Really?” A small grin appears on the child’s face.

“Yes,” I laugh softly. “My mom says that being different and imperfect and what makes me feel special. It also makes you feel special, too.”

May beams at my statement, and, and when she embraces me, I feel a warm breeze. May’s touch. “I think your mom sounds special,” she responds.

“And I think I want to break the truth to you,” I grin playfully. “I think, in a way, you are not a slow learner. You are a brilliant person through my eyes.”

Still, May’s translucent arms wrapped around my body. Her warmth is spreading through me, which I’m astounded by it. “Thank you, Ash,” she whispers.

“Anytime, May,” I say, as the girl pulls away. “I think I have a little favor of you to ask.”

“Oh?” May arches her eyebrow.

“Yes, and it’s going to be fun.”

“She claps her hands together and jumps up and down. “Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!”

Gradually, a mischievous grin grows, as I fold my hands together. “Let’s pull a little trick for tonight’s special.”

(Stay tune for the last part of my short story. Be up-to-date with my blogs.)