Graveyard Games

A short story about a little girl and her ghostly brother.

Running and skipping through the slumbering and sprawling country cemetery playing hide and seek by the light of the moon. I crawl inside a little granite house with a slate pitched roof and accidently giggle. I wiggle as crouch down trying my best to be very quiet and still, so he won’t find me. Shhhh! "Be very quiet now!"

Then I feel a thump on the back of my shoulder, as I hear “Boo!” Ha! I should have known Marvin would find me in his own little house covering his last resting spot.  Soon we start playing soccer throughout the cemetery with Marvin’s ball, running in and out of the headstones and the oak trees. Marvin scores a winning point kicking it past the Stone chapel at the very end of the graveyard.

Last summer Marvin started appearing in my room, which used to be his when he was alive. At first he would just giggle and sing with his sweet angelic whispering voice that I heard singing, "The ants come marching by two..." I was so touched when he made my Build A Bear Buddy dance and twirl to the song as he sang. We live in the yellow cape cod just across the street from the cemetery.

Marvin’s my towheaded baby brother with the sly grin, he died of the measles when he was only five years old before I was born.  He likes me to bring him braids of red licorice and bubble gum whenever I come to play while my parents are asleep.

He also loves me to bring him a few army men to play with too or a Spiderman comic book for him. On special events like the World Series or Christmas time, I'll bring my transistor radio that he can listen to.

Marvin is my best friend. He's so creative and exciting to be around. We have so much fun playing together, I wish he hadn’t died. 

Soon I may be joining him because I’m very sick too.  You see, I hear Mommy and Daddy whispering about my bone cancer late at night. My odds aren’t the best. Soon Marvin and I might be able to play a lot more together. I'm glad he came to guide me into my afterlife. You see he's my angelic brother from beyond, guiding me to Jesus.

 

 

 

Author's Note

Something from my imagination. Let me know what you think.

Reviews

[Rory CJ Frankson]

Marie, I didn't find this creepy in the least. In fact, it was for me rather endearing and could be taken in a number of different ways. Which for a short story its great when that is ran into. You made me read through a couple times after the end reveal, the yound girl sick with bone cancer. This element of sad relationship that hold no real future, other than a possibly soon joining.

I found the disciptive really well presented, I could feel the engagement. I loved the reveal that it was a baby brother who had died five years, before you were born. My thoughts on this: is that it is an awesome writ, an exceedingly well presented short and, very engaging. Thank you, for bringing this work to my attention. It was well worth the read... Great work.

[KL]

You captured a very interesting topic, depicting it effortlessly through the eyes of a child. Well done. There are some mistakes here and there, but you'll figure 'em out.

"Ants go marching one by one, hurrah, hurrah..."

[Michael of Gilead]

hehehehe...cool little "creepy" write ;)

[SR Urie]

Hi Marie,
Very good story. The girl is happily haunted by her late brother. He sings and dances for her in the privacy of a shared bedroom, and she brings toys to his grave that he may not be so bored and lonesome in the graveyard. It's very sad that she may join him sooner than mom and dad had planned, but not to the girl and her angelic big brother of whom is with her.

Great write, ma'am. BZ

[Zeitgeist Manifesto]

Normally, stories about children's visions are harmless, but there was an eerie
vibe to this. It made it really interesting.

[Robin]

your imagination has painted hope into a heart felt story ..

Ugh. Why did this have to be in my read requests? Like Shawn didn't make me cry enough this morning. As soon as I read the description "..little girl and her ghostly brother" I already knew I was done for..

[David W Moore III]

very creepy. My last house had a ghost in our daughter's play room. A young girl in a turn of the century dress would walk across the room holding flowers in her hand. We later found out that in the 20's a girl around 7 died of some disease or other in the house. I wonder if the ghost survived Katrina and all the damage to the house?

[Dream Weaver]

Creepy, sad and wonderful come to mind.
Nice write..