Lost or Just Mislaid?
By Lejindarybunny
A/N: Well, um yah, this is my Casper fic, or rather the first chapter of it. There aren't a lot of them around and I had this idea so I decided to write it. It'll be novel-length when I finish it, and it is based on the 1995 Casper movie, and does not take into account anything revealed in any of the made for video sequels. It's kind of a drama, humor, romance fic. It is not likely that Cat or Dr. Harvey will show up in the fic. They might, or they might be mentioned, but no promises. So I'm really sorry if you're a big Cat/Casper fan. Yes, it has an Original Character (oh the dread!) but I promise I'm going to try my besty-bestest to keep everyone in character, and no, fear not it's definitely not Casper/Mary-sue!
Please review if you read it!
Chapter One- The Girl
She was panting and sweating, her face contorted in fear and exhaustion, tears streaming down in her face, caught cold in the late November wind. Bright leaves, fire-like in their intensity, whipped around her face, and her brown hair flew out behind her like a banner. Behind her the man's boot-fall's pounded, heavy and eager.
"Come on my lovely," he shouted at her, his voice harsh and fanatical. "We wouldn't want me to have to hurt you, would we?
A fresh sob and burst of panicked speed rocked the girl. Why? Why did her bus stop have to be in the middle of nowhere? Why hadn't she said anything about the man, lurking never far from her for the past week? Why her, anyway? She wasn't pretty. She wasn't!
She was running up hill now and pain in her legs was awful, her breathing coming in chokes and gasps. But she couldn't let him catch her. She couldn't. She crested the hill, still hearing the man's catcalls and jeers, but not coherently. And she saw it, up ahead, a house. A house! If only she could get to it, up that long driveway, and to the door, surely she could escape. Surely someone there could help her! They had to!
In her dismay and exertion the only thing that really registered was the fact that it was a house. She didn't remember that the house in question had been empty since who knew when, and boys sometimes dared one another to break in. It was a house, and houses were where people were safe.
"You can run little girl, but I'll catch you. I'll catch you and we'll have some much fun!" he laughed manically.
"Please, leave me alone!!" she cried. She was closing in on the house now; the tall iron gates were thankfully open. But the man's footsteps were heavier, closer now, he was gaining. Oh god!
"Stay away from me!" she screamed, stumbling up the stone stairs. Her foot caught on the top step and she nearly fell, but caught herself at the last moment, gripping the large doorknob. She rattled it, but it was locked. She pounded on the door.
"Help! Help let me in please!" she screamed as the man drew closer. She banged the door with her fists and suddenly the door swung open and she fell on her stomach into the great hall of the house. The breath was knocked from her; she couldn't breath.
Someone grabbed her ankle. She couldn't breath.
"Hello my lovely!" he giggled, tightening his grip upon her.
She screamed.
"Help somebody help me please!"
"There's nobody here, nobody to hear you scream."
She braced her hands on the cold floor and with all her strength wrenched her foot out of his hands and leapt to her feet; running before she was even completely upright.
The man too had scrabbled to his feet and was after her.
"You won't get away so easily," he called.
The girl's eyes darted around the expansive room, finding a huge staircase. She dashed toward it, grabbing the polished wood rail for a moment to catch her balance and then practically flying up the steps. She heard the man thumping up behind her, but he was slowing now; he must be getting tired. Thank god he was getting tired! A thrill of relief hit her as she reached the top of the long spiral stairs well ahead of him. She looked down the hall and saw that there was a large number of doors. Maybe she could hide somewhere! Maybe one even led to a back stair and she could get away. But she had to pick on quickly.
She grabbed the handle of the second door on the left, flung it open, and screamed.
Floating just inside the room, pearlescent, was a ghost.
"Hello," it said.
She didn't give herself time to come to grips with the sight, just slammed the door and and ran down the hallway until she came to one of the last doors. She opened it, and found that it seemed to be empty, and hurried inside, trying to close it noiselessly. Across the room, which was dust filled, and had probably been a bedroom at one point, was a door, most likely to a closet. She ran to it, hoping to hide there, and opened it.
Out in the hallway the man reached the hall, panting but just in time to see a door at the end of the corridor close. A horrible smile curled on his thin lips. There was no where for her to run now.
He was already past the first door when the ghost emerged.
"Well that didn't go very well," Casper muttered to himself, then, looking up, saw the man walking intently towards the end of the hall. "Oh, ah, Hello?"
The man didn't seem to hear him.
"Um, hello?" the small entity asked again, floating closer to him.
Again he was ignored. Something wasn't right with the man. He was talking to himself in a low, babbling voice. He put his hand on the knob of the last door and turned it.
The girl stared through the door she had just opened and her heart sank. It was no closet, rather, a balcony!
Behind her she heard the door from the hall open. There was no where to run. She whirled around, wide eyed and in terror.
"Hello again my lovely," the man advanced on her.
"Hey! Hey!" Casper shouted, sensing that something as definitely not right here, and getting in front of the man. "Leave her alone!"
The man advanced on her still, right through the ghost, as though he didn't even see the spirit before him.
The girl saw it though, and thought she must be going crazy. She was shaking with fear and began backing out into the open evening air of the balcony.
Casper's eyes search the room frantically for something to throw. He grabbed a lamp and chucked it forcefully at the man.
He dodged the lamp, and the sudden loud noise startled the girl so that she screamed and stumbled backwards, falling with her arms across the rail of the balcony.
"Please please please get away from me!" she begged, trembling all the more. She felt the rail crumbling a bit behind her and she looked back. It was a long way down. It was the only direction she had to go.
"No my lovely," he purred viciously. He stood before her coming all the closer, but his features were hidden beneath a dark brown hat, and collar of his jacket. He was so close to her now that she could see her own terrified reflection in his eyes, glinting from the shadow. She would not let him come any nearer. She couldn't.
"Don't worry! I'll save you!" she heard the ghost saying from inside the room. Casper was looking for something else to throw, trying to think of something to do to help the girl and so he didn't see what happened next.
She braced herself on the rail and pushed herself up so that she was standing on it. She wobbled slightly on the thin, creaking thing, afraid to look down, but more afraid to look at the man.
"What are you doing lovely?" he cooed. "Come down from there like a good girl."
"St-stay back!" she yelled. "Or I'll-"
Her foot slipped a little and her eyes flew wide as she tried to regain her shaken stability.
"No you wouldn't," he said, assured by the way she wove back and forth to stay on the rail. He took a step forward, bringing them less than an inch apart; he reached out to grab her.
She drew no breath as she let herself fall backwards.
For one single instant they seemed frozen that way, her looking up into the darkening sky, and his fingers almost grasping her shoulder.
But he didn't catch it, instead getting hold of her silver necklace, snapping it.
The little silver squares that adorned it sprang free from the slender coiled chain, so fragile, and scattered through the air like seven doves, lost in flight, and falling.
The girl, falling through the air saw everything for a moment, the broken necklace, the man, and the house, the sky, and her home and her friends, and her school, and her mother and father, and for a moment the girl felt so free and she felt so exhilarated in the falling and the memory and the unafraidness of it all, basking.
And then that moment ended.
The man looked down at the girl, broken and splayed strangely on the ground like making snow angels. He turned disgusted, and he walked away.
Casper, who was darting back into the room with a wooden pole saw him leaving and grinned.
"Yeah, that's right!" he said. "Get out of here! Don't come back!"
The man kept walking.
The ghost let him go as unimportant and hurried back to the room, ready to reassure the girl.
The room was strangely empty.
"Hey? Hello?" he looked around for some sign of her." Miss?"
The door to the balcony was still open, maybe she was out there. He drifted out, but she wasn't there.
Casper looked around, and found, far below, the image of a girl painted on the green grass.
He gasped. "Oh no..."
***
By Lejindarybunny
A/N: Well, um yah, this is my Casper fic, or rather the first chapter of it. There aren't a lot of them around and I had this idea so I decided to write it. It'll be novel-length when I finish it, and it is based on the 1995 Casper movie, and does not take into account anything revealed in any of the made for video sequels. It's kind of a drama, humor, romance fic. It is not likely that Cat or Dr. Harvey will show up in the fic. They might, or they might be mentioned, but no promises. So I'm really sorry if you're a big Cat/Casper fan. Yes, it has an Original Character (oh the dread!) but I promise I'm going to try my besty-bestest to keep everyone in character, and no, fear not it's definitely not Casper/Mary-sue!
Please review if you read it!
Chapter One- The Girl
She was panting and sweating, her face contorted in fear and exhaustion, tears streaming down in her face, caught cold in the late November wind. Bright leaves, fire-like in their intensity, whipped around her face, and her brown hair flew out behind her like a banner. Behind her the man's boot-fall's pounded, heavy and eager.
"Come on my lovely," he shouted at her, his voice harsh and fanatical. "We wouldn't want me to have to hurt you, would we?
A fresh sob and burst of panicked speed rocked the girl. Why? Why did her bus stop have to be in the middle of nowhere? Why hadn't she said anything about the man, lurking never far from her for the past week? Why her, anyway? She wasn't pretty. She wasn't!
She was running up hill now and pain in her legs was awful, her breathing coming in chokes and gasps. But she couldn't let him catch her. She couldn't. She crested the hill, still hearing the man's catcalls and jeers, but not coherently. And she saw it, up ahead, a house. A house! If only she could get to it, up that long driveway, and to the door, surely she could escape. Surely someone there could help her! They had to!
In her dismay and exertion the only thing that really registered was the fact that it was a house. She didn't remember that the house in question had been empty since who knew when, and boys sometimes dared one another to break in. It was a house, and houses were where people were safe.
"You can run little girl, but I'll catch you. I'll catch you and we'll have some much fun!" he laughed manically.
"Please, leave me alone!!" she cried. She was closing in on the house now; the tall iron gates were thankfully open. But the man's footsteps were heavier, closer now, he was gaining. Oh god!
"Stay away from me!" she screamed, stumbling up the stone stairs. Her foot caught on the top step and she nearly fell, but caught herself at the last moment, gripping the large doorknob. She rattled it, but it was locked. She pounded on the door.
"Help! Help let me in please!" she screamed as the man drew closer. She banged the door with her fists and suddenly the door swung open and she fell on her stomach into the great hall of the house. The breath was knocked from her; she couldn't breath.
Someone grabbed her ankle. She couldn't breath.
"Hello my lovely!" he giggled, tightening his grip upon her.
She screamed.
"Help somebody help me please!"
"There's nobody here, nobody to hear you scream."
She braced her hands on the cold floor and with all her strength wrenched her foot out of his hands and leapt to her feet; running before she was even completely upright.
The man too had scrabbled to his feet and was after her.
"You won't get away so easily," he called.
The girl's eyes darted around the expansive room, finding a huge staircase. She dashed toward it, grabbing the polished wood rail for a moment to catch her balance and then practically flying up the steps. She heard the man thumping up behind her, but he was slowing now; he must be getting tired. Thank god he was getting tired! A thrill of relief hit her as she reached the top of the long spiral stairs well ahead of him. She looked down the hall and saw that there was a large number of doors. Maybe she could hide somewhere! Maybe one even led to a back stair and she could get away. But she had to pick on quickly.
She grabbed the handle of the second door on the left, flung it open, and screamed.
Floating just inside the room, pearlescent, was a ghost.
"Hello," it said.
She didn't give herself time to come to grips with the sight, just slammed the door and and ran down the hallway until she came to one of the last doors. She opened it, and found that it seemed to be empty, and hurried inside, trying to close it noiselessly. Across the room, which was dust filled, and had probably been a bedroom at one point, was a door, most likely to a closet. She ran to it, hoping to hide there, and opened it.
Out in the hallway the man reached the hall, panting but just in time to see a door at the end of the corridor close. A horrible smile curled on his thin lips. There was no where for her to run now.
He was already past the first door when the ghost emerged.
"Well that didn't go very well," Casper muttered to himself, then, looking up, saw the man walking intently towards the end of the hall. "Oh, ah, Hello?"
The man didn't seem to hear him.
"Um, hello?" the small entity asked again, floating closer to him.
Again he was ignored. Something wasn't right with the man. He was talking to himself in a low, babbling voice. He put his hand on the knob of the last door and turned it.
The girl stared through the door she had just opened and her heart sank. It was no closet, rather, a balcony!
Behind her she heard the door from the hall open. There was no where to run. She whirled around, wide eyed and in terror.
"Hello again my lovely," the man advanced on her.
"Hey! Hey!" Casper shouted, sensing that something as definitely not right here, and getting in front of the man. "Leave her alone!"
The man advanced on her still, right through the ghost, as though he didn't even see the spirit before him.
The girl saw it though, and thought she must be going crazy. She was shaking with fear and began backing out into the open evening air of the balcony.
Casper's eyes search the room frantically for something to throw. He grabbed a lamp and chucked it forcefully at the man.
He dodged the lamp, and the sudden loud noise startled the girl so that she screamed and stumbled backwards, falling with her arms across the rail of the balcony.
"Please please please get away from me!" she begged, trembling all the more. She felt the rail crumbling a bit behind her and she looked back. It was a long way down. It was the only direction she had to go.
"No my lovely," he purred viciously. He stood before her coming all the closer, but his features were hidden beneath a dark brown hat, and collar of his jacket. He was so close to her now that she could see her own terrified reflection in his eyes, glinting from the shadow. She would not let him come any nearer. She couldn't.
"Don't worry! I'll save you!" she heard the ghost saying from inside the room. Casper was looking for something else to throw, trying to think of something to do to help the girl and so he didn't see what happened next.
She braced herself on the rail and pushed herself up so that she was standing on it. She wobbled slightly on the thin, creaking thing, afraid to look down, but more afraid to look at the man.
"What are you doing lovely?" he cooed. "Come down from there like a good girl."
"St-stay back!" she yelled. "Or I'll-"
Her foot slipped a little and her eyes flew wide as she tried to regain her shaken stability.
"No you wouldn't," he said, assured by the way she wove back and forth to stay on the rail. He took a step forward, bringing them less than an inch apart; he reached out to grab her.
She drew no breath as she let herself fall backwards.
For one single instant they seemed frozen that way, her looking up into the darkening sky, and his fingers almost grasping her shoulder.
But he didn't catch it, instead getting hold of her silver necklace, snapping it.
The little silver squares that adorned it sprang free from the slender coiled chain, so fragile, and scattered through the air like seven doves, lost in flight, and falling.
The girl, falling through the air saw everything for a moment, the broken necklace, the man, and the house, the sky, and her home and her friends, and her school, and her mother and father, and for a moment the girl felt so free and she felt so exhilarated in the falling and the memory and the unafraidness of it all, basking.
And then that moment ended.
The man looked down at the girl, broken and splayed strangely on the ground like making snow angels. He turned disgusted, and he walked away.
Casper, who was darting back into the room with a wooden pole saw him leaving and grinned.
"Yeah, that's right!" he said. "Get out of here! Don't come back!"
The man kept walking.
The ghost let him go as unimportant and hurried back to the room, ready to reassure the girl.
The room was strangely empty.
"Hey? Hello?" he looked around for some sign of her." Miss?"
The door to the balcony was still open, maybe she was out there. He drifted out, but she wasn't there.
Casper looked around, and found, far below, the image of a girl painted on the green grass.
He gasped. "Oh no..."
***