Paige Parker

9/28/15

10th grade

Love War

Dan is a kind boy roaming the streets of New Orleans in 1901, as a ghost. He was born in 1800, but became a ghost in 1813. He was caught in the path of a serial killer, and his life ended at thirteen years old. Dan was the first victim of the gang, known now as the Patty Cannon Gang. His murder shocked the community and deeply saddened his family and friends. After his death more and more bodies began to be recovered for the next five or ten years. Until one day the gang was caught and sentenced to death by the means of hanging. The news reached an overwhelmingly joyful family to know that their son's death had justice served.

If anyone ever asked the family, they would always say they felt his presences around them. Where ever they were Dan's family knew their beloved Dan was there. They always felt that he was at peace knowing his killers blood didn't run through a single vein walking the earth. They were put to death at such young ages there was no possibility that they would ever have had children.

One day, in 1901, that all changed. Phil Lester was doing a history report on his past. The problem was his dad didn't help him with any of his research because Clyde, his father, didn't want him to discover is true identity. He didn't give Phil any background information on the family history, nor did he bring him to any facility to help him. He wasn't able to go to his mother either because she passed away a few years ago; causing any discussion on the family history to be brief and frail. With no help from his father and the urge to find out where he came from, Phil set out to discover his identity. He deserved to know his past.

To find out more he skipped school and went to the nearest library keeping family records because he had the feeling his dad was hiding something. There, however, was one problem when he reached the library. There was no record of him being born, nor was there a record of his dad. In fact, there was no record of a single Lester in the south after 1871. Phil was bewildered. How could he and his family not exist? His dad worked, he went to school. Some kind of paperwork must exist.

The only thing that kept Phil and his father safe was Phil not knowing he wasn't a Lester. That thin line was about to be crossed when Phil raced home to question his father on who he really was. With a face of anguish his father expressed he was not ready for the whole truth. That he knowing anything could potentially get the both of them killed. Being a normal thirteen year old, Phil was stubborn and persistent. Demanding the truth to its entirety.

One late night, Phil snuck away from the comfort and safety of his home for a few measly hours at the library of records. Intensely searching and searching record after record. Different years, different names. Collectively he probably searched over three thousand names and years. It didn't matter if the criteria were broad or narrow; nothing helped get him closer to knowing his past.

Searching for so long night after night exhausted him and he nearly fell asleep in the shelves a few times, but always found the strength to go home. He spent hours a night looking at names, yet only a few names ever stood out. And he still had to stare at them because Phil didn't know why those names stood out to him.

The constant staring and unknowing was tiring Phil out severely, so he showed his father a few of the names. It astonished Phil he peculiar interest his father showed to the name Annaliese Loraine Cannon. When his father's eyes crossed the name, he rapidly twitched, and had a faint sweat sweep across his face. These actions perplexed Phil because his mother's name was Bonnie Elizabeth Lester.

As the next week progressed, Phil and his father sat down because the arguments between the two of them were destroying their father-son relationship. Clyde was about to release the flood gates of truth. Everything about the deadly ghost boy trying to kill him, his blood line, and the truth behind his mother and her death. The truth behind the name Annaliese Loraine Cannon. The truth about why he had been lying about his entire life.

In disbelief, Phil hysterically and deafeningly laughed at his father. He thought that here was no way a spirt from a dead guy over fifty years old is killing off his family. "It's not like we could have done anything because we were not even conceived yet!" Phil voiced his opinion loudly. His father strongly agreed, but he is a spirit who cannot peacefully res while Cannon Blood walks the earth.

"Cannon?" Phil thought aloud. "I am a Lester, not a Cannon and who is this Annaliese character?"

"Son," his father began, "You have Cannon in your blood, and Annaliese Loraine Cannon is your mother's real name. She changed it when she found out she was pregnant with you and had a curse coursing through her veins." Clyde begins weeping, "Sadly that didn"t spare her life."

His father went on about how his mother faced the ghost, and begged for her life. Although with no mercy, the ghost brutally murder her. Phil couldn't bare the gruesome details, but now understands why his father was the way he was when the family past came to conversation.

As the next few months quietly went by, Phil and his father think everything will be forgotten. The ghost perhaps found peace and lays in peaceful rest. Nothing unusual happens. Everything is calm and Phil settles into a new school year.

A foggy October night, on Halloween, Phil wandered into a cemetery. One that was rumored to be haunted. Regardless of the rumors, Phil wanted a place of solitude to gather some thoughts. One of the more comfortable places was near an interesting looking tombstone. It was difficult to read to do the extreme weathering that as occurred to it. The name presented on the stone appeared to start with an D.

As he sat, recognized a faint humming coming from around the stones. He thought that he was hearing thing although the sound continued. To investigate where the delightful sound is coming from he goes toward the hum, and discovers a beautiful guy. Singing and dance beneath a willow tree. Tangling in the leaves, dancing with the wind was the most beautiful person, Phil was sure he has ever seen.

The boy paid him little attention even though his eyes were on him like a hawk on a rat. The beautiful boy had long black hair (for a guy)and pale skin. His eyes really were windows to the soul. He was glowing under the moon light. Phil was trying to gain the courage to go to him, and he did.

"Hello," Phil started, "my name is Phil, what is yours?" He waited a while with no response from the mysterious guy. He came to the assumption that he may not speak English, so he tried again in Spanish. "¿Hola mi nombre es Phil lo que es tuyo?" He giggle, amused by his efforts to communicate with him

. "Hello Phil, my name is Dan."

Phil is unaware that Dan is the ghost who brutally murdered his family, and trying to do the same thing to him.

"Why is such a beautiful person such as yourself alone in a cemetery at night?" Phil asked.

While blushing Dan replied," You think I am beautiful?"

"Of course I do. Who wouldn't?"

"Thank you Phil. You are very kind."

"You're welcome. Do you mind if I sit with you?"

"Not at all."

Dan and Phil sit and talk for many hours. They both are intrigued by each other. Wanting to continue to talk, but Phil has to get back home. Before he leaves he makes Dan promise to meet him back under the willow tomorrow night at eleven o'clock. Which he does.

Dan and Phil went back week after week to that cemetery to talk under that willow tree. Playing with the leaves while talking for hours at a time. They were not afraid to tell each other all most anything. Except Dan has still failed to mention that he is a ghost, but Phil doesn't suspect a thing. He believes Dan is a sweet normal guy who loves him.

Until one day when he notices a familiar face in a crowd on Bourbon street. He is the only one to see this face and everybody else is walking through him. It is Dan. Phil is remarkably calm, but has the same feeling when his father was explaining that his life was a lie.

Phil waited anxiously that night under the willow for Dan to show up, but he never did. However, the very next night he did. And once again Phil got an explanation of the truth. Astonishingly Phil was okay with everything because his undying love for Dan over shadowed every single thing.

Phil couldn't fathom the stand thought that he couldn't be with Dan because he is going to kill him. Although Dan knew that is was killing him, the thought of ending his new love's life. Dan wouldn't be able to live with himself if he did that. And he couldn't let burden himself with Phil death, so he set out on a plan to solve the arising problems.

As Clyde left for work, Phil began to formulate the aspects of his plan. Gathering the materials for his plan to be carried out correctly. Then, he shuts himself in his room.

With great force, Phil drove a large chef's knife into his body. Piercing the pain within his heart. He falls on the ground bleeding onto the floor of his room. His spirit then pulls from the lifelessness body of his. When he is entirely out of his body, he is overwhelmed.

So many emotions raging through his body. The thought of finally being able to be with is love, Dan, had him feeling like he was on the moon. Then, when more thoughts pours in he had a slight depression of realizing he left his father entirely alone. "No one is left for my father," Phil thought.

But soon the thought passed him, realizing his father now has the opportunity to live and love again without the burden of a curse child. Phil then set out for the cemetery to give his love the wonderful news that they could be together.

Phil had no way of knowing that Dan had crossed over once he had killed himself. The Cannon Blood no longer walked the earth, he can finally rest in peace after all these years. Dan no longer had to aimlessly had to walk the streets of New Orleans as a ghost; he can be reunited with his family. The same fate didn't seem to be in Phil's path.

Phil was not at peace. He killed himself to be with his love and now he can't. His life ended to short. He had no one and couldn't have anyone because no one could see him. He was confused and didn't know what to do. However, he would monitor the cemetery for any site that Dan would reappear for them to live the happily ever after. Even though he knew that the odds were slim for that to happen he was hopeful, one thing did give him a glimpse of happiness again. On the day of his funeral.

He was laid to rest next that strange tombstone from the first night at the cemetery, Dan's tombstone. He now, in a sense, could be with his love. Although his hope that one day he too could cross over, will linger in his thoughts for eternity. Though, even if he crossed over it came with uncertainty.

He did not know how Dan's family reacts to the two being in love. If they would allow the blood who ended their time with him, be with Dan.

Dan had previous explained how happy his family was when they thought that no Cannon blood would ever walk the earth again. He knew that only time will tell.