The garden of ghosts
Thanks to devila for just being there and listening

- - -

Prologue

"You're scared."

"I'm not." The black-haired boy denied fiercely but his classmate only grinned knowingly and Aaron felt obliged to defend himself. "There is nothing to be afraid of!"

"Then surely you're not too cowardly to join me tonight into a little walk."

"Of course not", Aaron told him in a firm voice but Tsuyoshi could see a hint of fear flickering deep inside those brown eyes. "But why should I?"

Tsuyoshi smiled coldly and tapped his index-finger rhythmically against his desk. "Because I know how much you long to be accepted. It's your chance to prove to me that your worth to join the club."

Aaron swallowed and regarded his classmate carefully. Could it really be the truth? For more than two years now he tried to make friends in his new class but it wasn't easy for him. Being the only English boy in a Japanese class, this alone was reason enough for his classmates to avoid him but Aaron never gave up in hoping that someday one of the other boys would finally befriend him. And above all he wished nothing more than to be accepted by Tsuyoshi and the other members of 'The Club of the Lionhearted'. Everyone was eager to join and Aaron was no exception.

But no-one had asked him. Until now…

"Well? What do you say?"

The boy nodded and Tsuyoshi shot him a triumphant smile.

"Fine. Tonight you will visit the old witch in the house on the hill. We'll meet right in front of the gate. At midnight."

- - -

To be honest Tsuyoshi wasn't as courageous as he pretended to be. But coaxing the foreign boy in his class into doing something dangerous and adventurous had been too good an opportunity to resist.

Sneaking out of his house had been simple. Tsuyoshi was rather practiced in leaving his parents house by night and used his skills to explore the dark streets and alleyways with relish.

Slowly he turned a corner and there it was. Right in front of him on the top of the hill stood an old and dilapidated house. A wall of rough stones, overgrown with ivy and burs circled the place. The only way up to the house led through a rusty iron-gate and over a small sandy path which went twisting and turning through the knee-high grass.

Tsuyoshi, in a pose of coolness and haughtiness, leaned against the stonewall and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

The clock stroke midnight but still there was no sign of that rabbit-faced English boy...

"Boo!"

Tsuyoshi jumped with shock and stared unbelievingly at his classmate who somehow had managed to sneak up on him.

"Ow...I'm sorry! Did I scare you?"

That did it. Growling Tsuyoshi hid his unease behind a mask of fury and annoyance and tried to pay his classmate back for nearly making him lose control. "Spare those stupid jokes for your test! I'm sure you won't be this loud-mouthed when we go up there!"

Aaron followed his gaze and now it was at him to cover up his true feelings by a indifferent smile. "Do you really believe in ghosts? Trust me, such things doesn't exist. In England…"

His classmate grimaced contemptuously and regained his superior manner. "As I said before, you're scared. It's obvious. I can see it in your eyes. And... you're trembling!"

"That's not true!" Aaron denied once again but all he got was a knowing look from his classmate. Unexpectedly on the verge of tears the only way out of this dreadful situation seemed to be to turn around and flee. But instead of doing what seemed to be the reasonable thing he found himself walking determinedly to the gate.

Footsteps followed him quickly and then Tsuyoshi was at his side, still this unnerving smile plastered over his face and seemingly very pleased with himself.

"They say that the old woman kills everyone coming to her doorstep but the children she prefers to imprison, feeding them with sweets, fulfilling their wishes and then…" He leaned in and whispered harshly: "…then she eats them."

"Very funny." Aaron swallowed hard but nonetheless moved on. He felt rather queasy but was too afraid to say so. His classmate would mock him about his cowardice and he would gamble away his only chance to ever be accepted. He wouldn't let that happen.

"Okay, here's the plan. We'll go up there and you'll ring the bell. Talk to the witch and ask her if she recently has eaten one of your friends."

Aaron stopped dead in his tracks and stared unbelievingly at his classmate. "Are you insane? She'll call the police for deliberately insulting her and rightfully so."

Tsuyoshi only raised one of his brows but this time Aaron didn't give in. They stared at each other for several minutes and finally Tsuyoshi lowered his gaze. "Alright. Maybe it's a little bit extreme to ask something like that. But then you'll have to convince her to invite you in. Once inside find something you can bring with you to prove that you've really have been in her house. I guess a picture or something like that will do. I'll wait on the outside to testify your success."

"Fine." Aaron murmured to himself and nodded his consent. Silently the boys went up the hill. In front of the veranda they stopped and watched the old house for long moments before Tsuyoshi braced himself and went up the rotten steps to the door.

"Come on, scaredy-cat. It's your test and not mine."

His classmate obeyed quickly. He was looking for a bell but the inhabitant of the house didn't seem to have one. So Aaron grasped the knocker and froze. Blinking in surprise he stated in a slightly bewildered voice:

"The door is open."

"Really?" Tsuyoshi pushed him aside a shoved at the dark-wooden door. Creaking loudly the door swung back, offering the sight at a dusty floor.

"Are you really sure that its inhabited? I don't think so." Aaron watched the dust lying on the floor rather sceptically.

His classmate shrugged and took a step forward. "My parents told me that there is an old woman living up here but maybe she's already dead? No-one ever comes here and we're the ones to detect her corpse."

Aaron refused to answer. The whole situation unnerved him more and more but it was far too late to back down. If there was the slightest chance that there was an old woman needing their help he would never forgive himself when he just turned around and fled.

"Hello! Is there someone!"

"Shut up!" Tsuyoshi hissed in annoyance and hit his classmate hard on the shoulder. "Are you mad? What if…"

"Did you hear that?" Aaron interrupted the other boy and stared around wildly. For a moment he thought that there was someone whispering but the were alone. Dismissing the idea of someone watching them as illusion. Shuddering he turned around and in this instant a flurry of dusty air swept down the corridor and slammed the door shut.

"Let us go!" Suddenly more than frightened Aaron grabbed his classmate's arm and dragged him forward. When Tsuyoshi did nothing to follow him he turned around and froze in shock.

Two hands were emerging out of the surrounding shadows, carrying a bejewelled net which tangled lifelessly down between them.

"What on earth…?" Tsuyoshi asked in a stunned voice and suddenly the hands snapped to life, stretching the net to a taut line of glittering stones and meshes.

"Tsuyoshi!" Aaron cried out but it was too late.

The net swept over Tsuyoshi's head, closing tightly around him, before cutting like a razor through his body and viciously slashing his skin. For a long moment there seemed to be two Tsuyoshi's, one lucent the other frighteningly substantial and then the net was dragged back into the darkness and the body of his friend evaporated into a cloud of white dust.

Aaron never realised when he lost the control over his bladder only noticing what happened when he felt a warm substance running down his legs. His silent screams echoed in his head, all he wanted was to run, to let this nightmare behind him, but somehow his legs just won't obey.

And then an old woman resolved out of the wall in front of the boy and with a mocking grin on her old and wrinkled face she blow the remains of Tsuyoshi's body, which still lingered in the air, away.

Suddenly Aaron regained the control of his body. Screaming in horror he turned around and ran off, never looking back until he reached his home and broke down unconsciously on the doorstep.