Friends

A Story by BIONICman

Ghosts

Friends

There was a house that sat upon some flat land, with a bunch of other houses right next to it. It seemed like an ordinary two story house, placed in a decent neighborhood with equally decent neighbors, who threw equally decent barbecues, on fairly decent summer days. It had three rooms and two bathrooms, with a decent size kitchen and living room. However this house was special, it changed tenants often; there were some rowdy college kids, some old folks, some grumpy women and those who told dirty jokes. They would all move away though, they were frightened of the house, none stayed longer than a year, and most left before even that. This was because they weren't the only tenets that occupied the decent house on the decent flat land in the decent neighborhood. There were in fact two tenants who had had occupied the house for around fifty years and one didn't like others in the house.

Arabella sat on the roof with its decently placed tiles, stuck around the age of seventeen, smiling a pale smile at the panicked family rushing hurriedly into their decent looking station wagon. She couldn't help but be glad that these people where out of her house, the mother had been the most fun to scare, the ones who didn'tbelieve where always the most fun to scare. The dad had maintained that nothing was wrong the entire time, putting up a wall of denial the whole way through, but Arabella knew he had been scared, too, she could see it in his eyes. The brats they called children where fun as well, as Arabella stole their toys and turned off their TV causing much grief in their parents and much amusement in her. It wasn't the first time Arabella had scared a tenant away, some took a long time, others tried to hire specialists to get rid of her, but she wasn’t evil and she would just scare them too. She was getting good at this though, this family hadn’t been here for more than a month or two. She nodded her head in victory as the station wagon drove off in a hurry.

“Must you always get rid of them?” her brother said. Fred was floating above her completely pale like herself, stuck around the age of twenty three with a small frown gracing his cheeks. He wore the nice dress shirt and tie that he had died in with some slacks, though now it was the same see-through white.

“Oh come on Fred, I was just having some fun,” Arabella winked as her brother as she kicked her feet back and forth. She wore the thin leather jacket and tight jeans she had died in, with some now not so black boots, “I mean should have seen the look on the ladies face when I moved her chair out from under her. Arabella started laughing at the memory.

“But they bring books for me to read and music to listen too, without them this house is just so dull little sister, it’s not like they are bad,” Fred floated toward her, looking her in the face with his pale eyes, they used to be green she remembered, she always remembered what it was like before they had died.

“Oh come on your dead, what good is all that knowledge if you can’t use it. Come on live a little,” she smiled at her own joke, feeling satisfied with herself.

“But we are not alive,” Fred said as he floated back into the house. Arabella sat there for a good while longer, looking out at the setting sun. It was as close to the rest of the world as she would ever get. After it got dark she slid back into the house, and surveyed its emptiness now that the family had moved out, the walls where empty and the kitchen chinaless. She explored and began to clean and fix all her favorite nooks and crannies, a walk in closet perfect for hiding, some air vents that made great travel slides, and her favorite a music box that an old lady he had left behind in the attic, it was small and plain oak wood on the outside with a little frilly pattern around the rims, the wind crank was a faded copper that had been touched by many hands. The old lady had been one of the few that Arabella couldn’t scare away, the woman would just shout for her to be quiet and shut up. The old woman’s family had finally come and taken her away to a home, but they had left Arabella the box. She lifted her dainty ghostly fingers and wound the box. When it opened, a little white ballerina popped out and danced as the box played its small little tune. Arabella liked the little ballerina. She was a pale white like herself and like herself seemed to be having fun. She never understood why her brother was such a party pooper, even when they were alive he behaved like he had a stick up his rump. She sat there watching the ballerina dance until it couldn’t and went about seeing what other junk the last tenants had left behind.

Her brother sat in the other corner of the attic reading, he stuck her tongue out for him to not notice and continued to rummage. She looked and prodded but found nothing interesting, except some old left behind photos. She slouched crossing her legs in disappointment.

“Damn! Nothing good,” Arabella rested her chin on her palm.

“Maybe, you would get more nice things if you actually let someone stay here,” Fred said, pleased with himself. He looked up from his book, “You may find that you like it.”

“Oh shut it, this is our house Fred. Who do they think they are? We still live here and that means they can’t,” She folded her arms and fit her face into a pout.

Fred sighed “Fifty years of death have made you no more mature than the seventeen year old that you died as.”

“I’m dead Fred, and just like life, I’m going to enjoy it the way I enjoyed life by having fun,” With that she went back to her music box and played it all night.

Weeks passed and Arabella was setting up the house early awaiting the new tenants the furniture had been brought a day ago. She thought of all the great things she could use to scare them. It would start easy at first, mess with the light switches, and then put things in places where they didn’t belong. Then she would give them the chills, make funny noises oh it was going to be great. She sat there and wondered what they would be like. Would they be old or young or if she was lucky they would be completely dysfunctional. Arabella sat at the front of the house and awaited them as the morning passed. It was then that she saw them approach in a little blue car that had all manner of boxes tied to it roof. A tall thin woman stepped out of the car’s driver side she wore nice knock off clothes and carried a small purse and she was pregnant. On the other side stepped out a small boy no more than seven, wearing a t-shirt and some shorts that where a little big for him. The both had the same chestnut hair and chocolate eyes and caramel skin. Arabella would have some fun with these two she gathered. The mom seemed uptight and the kid was probably a brat like the rest of them.

Arabella followed them into the house as they toured it for themselves before the woman instructed her son to start taking boxes into her house. Arabella hoped they contained some good things to be left behind. She rubbed her hands together in anticipation. They spent the rest of the day unpacking some of the boxes they had brought and then fell asleep on the couch. Arabella examined them with interest. They seemed so peaceful together, but they had invaded her house and she couldn’t stand that. She went and repacked one of their boxes the one with all the kid’s toys in it that should cause some tension. She folded her arms and examined her work, yeah that would do.

When they woke up the Mom looked a little perplexed as she rummaged through the things she brought.

“Hito didn’t we unpack your toys, yesterday,” the Mom said as she was reopening the box.

“I thought so momma guess we must not have,” the little kid shrugged his shoulders

“We can just do it today,” chirped the Mom. If Arabella had been capable, her face would have been red. They must have been too tired from the move to notice. She would have to be more direct. The little boy went into another room to unpack his toys and set up his room. Arabella waited for the mother to leave and sat quietly in the room behind him where he couldn’t see her not, that it mattered but it made her feel more skilled at this. She picked up a stuffed retro dinosaur and cocked her hand and threw. The toy hit the boy square in the back of the head with enough force to make his head jolt a little.

“OW!” he said turning around “What did you do that for?” shocking her as he looked right at her “Well?” he said impatiently. Arabella still said nothing frozen in surprise at the face that this little kid could see her.

“Y-you can see me?” she piped up.

“Well no dip, you’re only the whitest thing in the room lady, now why did you hit me?” The kid was rubbing the back of his head.

“I-I-I,” Arabella couldn’t think of anything to say, even the most scared of folks couldn’t see her, they only felt or saw the things she did, “I-I’m sorry,” was all she could manage given the situation.

“Well I guess its ok, as long as you weren’t actually trying hurt me, I mean you only threw poor Samson,” he said checking his dinosaur for damage. Arabella’s eyes stood wide like an owl on caffeine.

“Why are you all white and see through?” The boy asked with the genuine curiosity of a seven year old. Arabella had to think fast because she didn’t know what this kid would tell his mom and explaining what she was hard because she honestly didn’t know. She finally decided on the truth.

“I’m a ghost,” she said folder her arms across her chest. Wincing before the reply even came.

“Oh, my mom says they don’t exist,” The boy looked up at her with child skepticism.

“Well I’m here aren’t I?” Arabella said a little more than huffed.

“Yeah but you could be something else my mom doesn’t lie,” he said planting his dinosaur in between his crossed legs.

“Well your mom hasn’t met me,” she said pouting.

“Yeah but you could just be imaginary,” the boy said, “My mom always said I had lots of imagination.

“I AM NOT IMAGINARY!” she shouted waving her arms in the air, “See I’m spooky.”

The kid laughed, “No you’re not, your just really see through.”

“Wha- I am too- uhhhhg… I am too scary!” Arabella floated up to the kid and made her best attempt at a scary face. The kid just laughed again.

“You’re a funny lady,” he said laughing, “My name is James by the way?” the boy stuck out his little scrawny hand.

“I can’t,” she said, “Mine will just go through yours.” and folded her arms even more.

“You could just put it there and we could shake up and down.” James kept his hand firmly out. ‘Arrrgghh,’ Arabella didn’t like this kid, ‘He is too smart for a seven year old.’ She stuck her see through hand out and closed it around his. To her surprise it felt as solid as her music box, she had always been able to move and mess with things, but never touch people, now this kid was scaring her.

“See” he said shaking their hands up and down with little kid strength. Arabella’s face went a little sour. “Now what’s your name?”

She let out a sigh “Arabella” the words formed with reluctance in her mouth. The little kid didn’t seem to mind.

“Wow, cool that a pretty name,” he replied.

“Thanks,” she spat with heated sarcasm.

“So what are you then?” James pressed.

“I told you I’m a ghost,” she was getting irritated with this kid.

“But my mom says…,” the kid was cut off however.

“I don’t care. Look here,” She said as she floated up and around phasing her hands through things and whirling around doing all the ghostly things she could think of. The kid just laughed more at these things.

“Ok hmmm, well my mom isn’t a liar and you are all pale,” James sat and thought a good while and sat there while Arabella stared at the decent ceiling. “I got it!” he said “You’re a guardian angel; my mom tells me that those exist.”

Arabella did see herself as very angel-like, but desperately wanted this to be over so she conceded.

“Fine I’m an angel,” she said beginning to float back up to the attic, “And this angel has to go.”

“Wait!” shouted James “Will you come back and play with me?” Arabella thought for a long time, this kid could see her, and she irritated him, but if she could use him to scare the mom it might make her afterlife easier.

“Ok you got yourself a deal, but don’t tell your mom. She might not like me,” she said floating on back up to the attic. Fred was up there reading as usual, planted in his little corner.

“Getting acquainted with our new friends are we,” Fred said flipping a page of his book.

“Oh yes,” she said, “they’re just lovely people.” Sarcasm was a decently practiced skill of Arabella’s.

Fred laughed, “Oh, sweet little sister, maybe if you were nice once in while they wouldn’t bother you so much.”

“Their existence bothers me,” she spat folding her arms through her chest.

“I suppose your scaring didn’t go so well?” he inquired Arabella just frowned, “Didn’t think so,” and he began chuckling again.

“Ugghhh! That little twerp!” Arabella moved and wound up her music box.

“What little twerp?” Fred put his book down.

“The little kid that moved in Fred, who else?” Arabella was in no mood to play twenty questions.

“Failed to fall for your little tricks, did he?” Fred chuckled again.

“Well if he couldn’t see me maybe it would have worked, ugghhhhh,” Arabella wound her box again.

Fred’s face grew deadly serious “He could see you?!”

Arabella looked up with genuine irritation “Yeah he could, and it sucks.”

“Arabella, do you not realize that this means you can finally have some company,” Fred talked with a sever seriousness, “You could finally have another friend.”

“I don’t want another friend Fred I want them out of my home” she said.

“Ours is a lonely existence Arabella, maybe it’s time you learned that not everyone that moves here is trying to take this place from you,” Fred floated away after that as Arabella wound her box.

It had been a few days and Arabella had fulfilled her promises to play with James. She hated it at first, he would always beat her at checkers and videogames, but he never talked bad or bragged about it. She wanted so much to dislike him, but he gave her nothing. On this day, James had just beaten her at checkers again, and she grew frustrated.

“I hate this stupid game,” she said.

“It’s ok Arabella. You’re not that bad, especially for an angel,” James looked up at her with his chocolate marbles.

“Yeah, well, angels don’t play checkers,” she said.

“Yes, they do,” Fred’s voice was friendly and warm. Arabella frowned a bit.

“Oh hey! Another angel, what’s your name?” James hopped and hobbled on to his stubby legs and held out his hand. Fred took is and gently shook.

“My name is Fred. I am Arabella’s brother,” he said smiling

“Cool,” said James as he set the checkerboard up again, “Mom says I’ll have a brother soon. I hope he is as nice as you.”

“I’m sure he will be,” Fred said as he sat across from James. Arabella watched them play for an hour. James really liked Fred which made Arabella all the more jealous; she was the fun one, not old bookworm.

Fred let him win and said, “Good job James, I hope you can teach my sister a thing or two, I have to go now and read. I’ll see you around.” Arabella stuck her tongue out at him as he left.

“Wanna try again?” James looked at her with puppy eyes.

“Sure,” she said and they sat there all night playing checkers.

“Where is your mother?” Arabella finally had to ask.

“At work, she is always at work, she says it’s so we can live in such a nice place. Whatever that means,” James jumped two of her pieces in a swift double move.

“Where do you live?” he asked taking another one of her pieces.

“I live up there,” she extended a pale finger toward the attic.

“Cooool,” he said, “can I see?” James had a little sparkle in his eyes.

They went up the dusty old attic. Fred was nowhere to be found. James went wild with all the knickknacks they had collected over the years. James went around and stopped at Arabella’s music box.

“What’s this?” he said picking it up

“Don’t touch that. Its mine?” she said reach out at him.

“Oh, ok,” James put it down gently like it was the Holy Grail. “What does it do?”

“I’ll show you,” she said excited, she picked up and wound the box, the little ballerina danced as the music played back and forth.

“Can you dance like that?” James asked.

“Hmm, no, not even when I was alive, but I wish I could have,” Arabella stood transfixed on the little ballerina.

“I could show you. My momma taught me salsa,” James grabbed her ghostly arm with ease. He held out his little hands and gripped hers like a grown gentlemen, “Like this,” he said. They moved maybe a few inches back and forth but Arabella felt like she was the little ballerina as the music churned away she wanted to cry, but sadly ghosts couldn’t. The music finally stopped and James let go. Arabella smiled and wanted nothing more than to hug that little seven year old twerp. So she did.

“Thank you James,” she said.

“You’re welcome my mom always said that dancing was the best thing to do when you are sad,” James piped up, “Well, I got to go to bed; Momma says I got school tomorrow.”

James waddled back down the attic steps and left Arabella up in the attic. Fred was still not back. Arabella just sat up there and wound her box again. The next day was bright and sunny and Arabella was sitting on the roof. James came out by himself with a small dinosaur backpack. He saw her and waved.

“Hey Arabella, do you want to come to school with me?” James was extra bright this morning.

“Oh I wish I could James, but I can’t move past the front yard, believe me I’ve tried,” Arabella rested her chin on her palm.

“Can you try again?” The little boy asked, practically hopping out of his shoes.

Arabella knew it wouldn’t matter, but for her little friends sake she tried, and floated down toward James. When she tried to go past the property line she hit a wall.

“See I can’t” she said.

James put on his thinking face and pondered, “Ah I got it” he reached out and grabbed her arm again and ran her across. To her amazement she was past her house.

“How did you do that?” she asked.

“Well if I was the only one who could shake hands, maybe I could take you with me.” James looked up at her and smiled “Come on, my mom says you can learn all kinds of things at school.” He grabbed her arm again and they were off. He drug her the whole block it took to reach the school, she had to float to keep up. It was an average school, with an average school yard, made of average red brick. Arabella saw groups of tiny students roaming around the yard waiting for the day to begin. James stayed holding her hand as he looked around. Just then a large pudgy looking blonde boy waddled their way. He was thick with baby fat and had cheeks that had been burnt by the sun.

“Hey what are you doing with your arm?” the boy commanded.

“What are you talking about can’t you see my friend?” James looked genuinely taken aback by this question.

“There aint nothing there pipsqueak, and you are too small for school,” The boy laughed at that, “Now give me your lunch money!” The boy laughed again.

James focused his eyes, “No!” he said folding his arms across his chest.

“Then I’ll just have to pound ya, wont I, pipsqueak,” the boy went to raise his fist, Arabella had seen this. This is where it started, James would be bullied here, and then in high school, if he didn’t win the fight with this kid. Arabella was sad to say she had picked on more than a few undeserving people in her life. She floated over behind the big pudgy boy and grabbed his underwear and yanked tight. They boy let out a squeak as the wedige commenced. James giggled a little and then a lot.

“James,” Arabella said, the boy looked up from laughing, “I need you to repeat after me ok?” James nodded his head.

“You and your friends.”

“You and your friends,”

“Are going to leave me and my friends alone ok?”

The boy nodded and winced as the underwear pulled his chubby frame.

“Or else!”

Arabella yanked one last time and the boy gave a squeak. He ran of holding his hands on his butt. James and Arabella started laughing, and then she straightened up.

“What I did was not ok James, I had to do it for you but don’t go being mean to other boys ok?” She wagged her finger at him in a motherly fashion that she had seen on TV once. James nodded and they went to school the rest of the day. Arabella got to learn about numbers, George Washington, finger-painting (she would remember that one), and the food triangle though she was only entertained by her young friends reactions. School ended and so they left back to the house and the flat land. James went to bed and Arabella floated on up to the attic. Fred was there as always reading his books and smiling.

“You seem rather happy today, sister,” he said.

Arabella did all she could to tame her excitement “I got to go outside past the house today.”

Fred raised a spectral eyebrow “Oh, and how it was.”

“Wonderful though you may be mad at me,” she said. Fred raised his eyebrow a bit more.

“What did you do Arabella?” he was suspicious now.

“I may or may not have, perhaps, maybe, only a little bit, given a fat kid a wedgie,” she slumped back into her shoulders embarrassed. Fred floated over to her.

“Arabella, you are still a child sometimes even stuck at seventeen,” Fred gave her a few disproving head shakes.

“What was I supposed to do, James is my friend and you don’t let your friends get bullied,” she folded her arms across her chest pleased with herself.

“Oh, so he is your friend now, what happened to him being an annoying little twerp?” Fred grinned now. She just stuck her ghost tongue out at him in defiance. Fred went back and sat down in his usual corner.

“Oh, hey Fred?” she whispered. He looked up at her curious. “Can you teach me to play checkers?”

Fred laughed “Sure thing, little sis?” and he went to get the old board.

It was later that night when James’s mom came home, Arabella and Fred had just finished their tenth game. She was crying, and she went straight to James’s room. Arabella watched her head through the ceiling peering down. James’s mom had had an accident at work; she told her son how he wasn’t going to be getting a little brother after all. Arabella felt a deep wound in her open, she wanted to cry but couldn’t, because ghosts couldn’t cry. She floated down to see James and his crying mother. She knew only James could see, but she hugged both of them all the same. Fred joined in too; they all stayed there until morning.

It was early and James was still asleep, Arabella was looking out at the sunrise, kicking her feet. Fred floated up from behind and sat next to her.

“It’s not fair Fred, neither of them deserved it,” she wasn’t able to cry but she sound like she was all the same.

“I know sweet sister, it never is, and it wasn’t when it happened to us either,” Fred put his pale hand on her shoulder.

“This is different, I at least deserved this. I hung out with the wrong crowd and you ended up paying the price for my mistakes,” she looked up at him sadness welled in her eyes but could go nowhere.

“No sweet sister, you made mistakes, you were only human, and now you have a second chance with this boy, be his friend. Lord knows both of you could use one,” Fred smiled a sad smile at her, “Besides you always have me, too.”

She looked up at him and smiled back, “I’m glad, otherwise I might have died twice,” they both laughed at that for a good long while.

For the next few months Arabella went to school with James, it took her a while to see him back to his own happy self, but he did though he still always told her he missed his brother. Arabella and James grew close in that decent house, on that decent flat land, in that decent neighborhood. James and his mom never moved away. Years passed and seasons changed, and the neighborhood expanded. The neighbors always talked about the decent house, it had become more than decent over the years and became worth a decent-penny. The old man that lived there now though wouldn’t sell it. This became the talk of the neighborhood; Old Jim couldn’t last much longer why he didn’t sell the house. Old Jim would sit outside and play checkers with himself, making remarks as if someone where on the other side. When they asked him why he wouldn’t sell the house all he said was “It’s where angels live.” Old Jim finally passed away and the decent house, on the decent flat land was given to his grandchildren. They were not allowed to sell it though, and they couldn’t any way because this house was special. Every now and again kids from grade school to college tried to see what the old house was like. Stories circulated that it was haunted, because everyone who had been there was scared away, some even got wedgies.