CHAPTER 6

"Eww, that's gross!" Josh exclaimed after I told my family the gruesome details of my dream.

"The imagination can do crazy things," my dad reassured us both as he flipped the bacon in the frying pan with a pair of metal tongs. He was in a good mood after a half-decent night of sleep and a morning breakfast that wasn't cold cereal served on fine china that he had to eat on the floor or leaning against the counter.

We sat at the table, the chairs unwrapped from their protective plastic. Mom dug out our usual dishes and the cookware, while Dad drove to the store to buy a few more essentials for meals. When he returned, and Josh was finally up, he started on the bacon and eggs. The house smelled great and the gray morning light took on a calming quality. The dream was drifting into the distant past of the night before and I was able to see the ridiculousness of it.

"Here we go," Dad stated as he set a full plate of greasy bacon and runny eggs in front of me.

My stomach did cartwheels. The images of devouring that sinister feast returned. Silly as the dream ultimately was, it had still felt graphically real.

"I don't think I'm that hungry," I apologized, gently pushing the plate away.

"Mandy's afraid her breakfast might be haunted!" Josh giggled as he stuck a fork into his yellow pile of scrambled eggs. "Ooooooh," he wailed with a childish smile.

"Hey," my mother appeared, putting her hand on Josh's shoulder until he lowered the eggy fork back to the plate. "Remember what we talked about yesterday?"

"Yes, ma'am," Josh's smile disappeared.

"I'm sorry you had such a frightful dream, Am," she consoled me, sitting down to her own breakfast. "I didn't have the greatest sleep either last night. But they are just bad dreams, nothing more. Jack?" she looked over at my father who briefly looked away from his spattering pan. "It's so damp in here this morning, we're all gonna end up with a chill. Can you check the windows today?"

"Of course," he held up the spatula in mock salute, making Josh giggle.

I thought again of the window in my room. Had I dreamed that too? What about that frightening moment where I couldn't move and I was surrounded by those voices? Were they real? Or just another product of my overactive mind. Why couldn't my imagination get carried away with more exciting and enjoyable things rather than trying to scare the crap out of me.

"A little sunshine will help dry this place right out," my father stated.

Right, I thought. If the sun ever visited Dark Falls. I looked out the window, into the backyard. The skies were, you guessed it, gray and cloudy. If Dark Falls had a weatherman, I had a feeling his job was pretty easy.

"Where's PD?" Josh asked, a mouth full of food, standing up from his chair to follow my gaze out the window.

"He's out there, Josh," Mom answered, pushing my brother back into his seat. "Poor thing didn't sleep well either and was whining to be let out early this morning. Probably out digging holes, or chasing a few of those rabbits I saw out there last night."

"You saw rabbits in our yard?" Josh asked excited. "If I catch one, can I keep it?"

"Leave the bunnies alone, Josh," I gasped. "What did they ever do to you?"

"Yes, Josh, we don't need another pet," my father cautioned, finally sitting down to his own plate of food. "And wild animals can bite and carry diseases. So look but don't touch."

"Oh, okay," Josh hunched back into his chair. He looked up at me expectantly, "so what are we going to do today?"

"How should I know?" I responded, looking at him as if he had just grown horns.

"Well, your father and I are going to continue to unpack and work on a few things around the house. It would be good to get as much done as we can while I have the time off." Mom made a sideways glance at me. "And it would be very helpful if you took Josh and explored the neighborhood. Maybe find some new friends."

"So you want Josh out of your hair for the day and I am the unpaid babysitter."

Dad chuckled, "I think she's on to us, dear."

"But I want to unpack my stuff," Josh whined. None of us were surprised.

"Go get dressed," Mom urged. "I left some clothes out on your bed. "Then you and your sister can go exploring. It'll be fun!"

Whenever Mom really wanted you to do something you didn't want to do, she always seemed to think that it would be fun, and reminding us of that fact would somehow change our minds. Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't want to do the dishes, but that was before I realized it would be fun!

"And take PD," Dad called after him as Josh left the room, heading for the stairs. "Just make sure you hold on to that leash real tight."

"Can we ride our bikes instead?" Josh continued to complain, no longer in sight. His slumping pouty posture so apparent in his tone that we could all picture him as he slinked up the stairs with an exaggerated motion. He was so dramatic, that it often came out comical, undermining his theatrics.

Every day, no matter what it was, it went down the same. Josh wanted to know what was expected of him. If that somehow clashed with what he perceived in his own mind, or what he wanted to do, he would start complaining. Mom and Dad would argue with him. If he pushed it too long, those arguments would turn to threats of punishment. That I didn't mind too much. Josh being sent to his room left the house a lot quieter, and if he was really unfortunate, Mom would start assigning him extra chores. I wasn't going to complain when some of those chores came off of my list.

I waited for Mom and Dad to finish breakfast, I was able to swallow a piece of toast with minimal cannibalistic imagery interfering. After, I helped them clean up, stacking up the washed dishes onto the drying rack. As Dad and I dried our hands, I could hear Josh still arguing with Mom somewhere in the house. If I didn't pull Josh away soon, he was in for a rough day.

"Let me just get my things," I shouted. "Then we can go exploring, Josh!" I tried my best to layer on the mock enthusiasm. I wasn't particularly thrilled about having to watch over my kid brother all day, but in all honesty, it would beat unpacking boxes and cleaning the house. He didn't get it that we were being let off the hook. Given a chance to go out into this weird little town and try to find some semblance of normalcy.

I thought of Kathy. I missed my friends. Hopefully Dark Falls had teenagers more normal than would befit the town. Then again, hopefully they aren't so normal they are completely blind to real excitement and think that quiet towns where the sun never shines is the real normal. Who am I kidding, I would just be happy if there are teenagers who aren't jerks or snobs. Could I actually make real friends here? Would there even be a point if I was going to move away in less than a year?

I walked up the stairs, trying to picture the sort of weirdos this town could churn out. Then I froze.

Above me, at the top of the stairs, stood a girl, about my age with short dark hair. Her eyes were shadowed by long bangs. Her head was cocked to one side like a dog and she was smiling. Not a warm, comforting smile. A cold sinister smile of long broken teeth. Something slithered behind that haunting smile and vacant stare.

My feet felt glued to the steps. I couldn't move, couldn't take my eyes off the girl. Was it a ghost? She didn't seem transparent, but maybe that was just how ghosts looked in the movies. How would I know what some undead spirit haunting my hallway was supposed to look. She just twisted and cocked her head, staring into my eyes as if to try to discern my thoughts.

"Mom! Dad!" I finally managed to call out.

"What is it?" Dad popped around the corner of the entryway at the bottom of the steps. I looked at him, pointing up the stairs.

"There," was all I could say.

"What?" he looked confused, wrinkles creasing his large forehead. "What is it?"

"Something wrong, Am?"

I followed the sudden emergence of my mother's voice. She was standing at the top of the stairs right where the girl had been. But where had she gone?

"Th-there," I stammered, more in frustration than fear. "There was a little girl standing at the top of the stairs."

"Again with this?" my mother put her hands on her wide hips. It seemed cliché but when she did it, you know she was at her limits. "Am, I am tired of this nonsense. There are no ghosts in this house, or anywhere for that matter. Your attempts to scare your brother and the rest of us have gone on long enough. It wasn't even funny yesterday."

"But Mom, I wasn't-"

"I said enough," she interrupted. I was going to get nowhere with her. I shot a glance at Dad, there wasn't much hope there either. Were they right? Was I just losing it? I swear to this day that I saw something in that house. Though no one would believe me. I clenched my fist and took a deep breath. It was okay. I wasn't going crazy. People see ghosts all the time, that doesn't mean there has ever been any concrete evidence that they exist. There could be a thousand reasons for thinking I saw what I did. And in that moment, that was enough to hold me over. But if things continued, I didn't know how long I could keep telling myself that there was no such thing as ghosts and that there weren't two of them in that house.

If it was this house that was just getting to me, some time outside would be good for me. I got dressed, trying to find something that looked good (in case we met anyone on the walk), but wasn't too wrinkled from being shoved into a suitcase or box. I grabbed a jacket out of my bag, slipping it on as I trotted back down the stairs. Josh was there, waiting impatiently to go on a walk he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to go on. PD was attached to the leash, which to him, meant it was time for a walk. And an opportunity to piss on a dozen new things outside of the yard. He was pulling at the leash, rearing to go.

We called out our "see you laters" and slipped out the front door in to the cool grey morning. Alright Dark Falls. Show me what you got.