Free Five Days of the Ghost by William Bell

the supernatural and all that. And the biggest lie of all, as far as I’m concerned, is the idea that ghosts come back to hurt people. I know some people believe that, but I don’t.
    â€œAll the movies and books nowadays are based on that,” John said.
    â€œRight. That’s what I call the Revenge Theory. Like in The Changeling . Remember, Karen? The ghost of the little boy wants revenge on the rich famous Senator. Who ends up dead. Most movies and books are based on the Revenge Theory.”
    â€œSure, because that makes a more interesting story,” John said, resting on the oars for a moment. “Blood and guts and stuff.”
    â€œRight,” Noah answered.
    I didn’t feel any less scared, but I was sort of half interested.
    â€œWhat other theories do you have?”
    â€œWell, there’s the English Castle Theory. In England they’ve got tons of old castles and manors and houses and bridges and a lot of them supposedly have a ghost haunting them. The ghost is there because of something—usually some kind of disaster, like a murder or horrible accident or wrecked love affair—and it just sort of hangs around. It appears . It doesn’t try to make contact with live people and it doesn’t try to hurt anyone.”
    â€œSo that’s the theory you like,” I said.
    â€œNope, I think it’s dumb too—probably. I think those ghosts are dreamed up by tourist bureaus.”
    I was beginning to wonder if Weird Noah ever gave a straight answer.
    â€œWhy do you think it’s wrong?” John puffed. He was pulling at the oars again.
    While Noah talked, I tuned out and looked down the lake toward the narrows. It was a beautiful night, calm, with no wind, and a big silver moon splashing light on the water. The oars creaked as John rowed, and the bow whispered to the water. I could have stayed out there all night. Except that me and two crazy boys were going to find a ghost .
    I tuned back in to what Noah was saying.
    â€œDo you remember Marley’s ghost?”
    â€œYeah,” I said, “from A Christmas Carol . What about him?”
    â€œHey!” John put in. “Maybe Karen and I didn’t see anyone Friday night. Maybe it was an undigested bit of beef! Or a fragment of an underdone potato!”
    Noah laughed and said to me, “Marley warned Scrooge that if he didn’t change his skinflint ways he would end up like Marley, right?”
    â€œRight.”
    â€œSo Marley was condemned to walk the earth and see humans suffering and not be able to help them. He had the chance to help people when he was alive, but he didn’t. All he cared about then was money. Now he wants to help, but he can’t. So he suffers, too. See? It’s kind of, like, moral suffering. Marley warns Scrooge to change his ways so he can avoid that.”
    I tried one more time. “Is this the theory you follow?”
    â€œMostly.”
    I groaned.
    â€œMy idea is that a ghost is a dead person—”
    â€œBrilliant!” I cut in. “Wonderful—”
    â€œâ€”who can’t get into heaven or wherever we go when we die because he has to atone for something first.”
    â€œA-tone?”
    â€œYeah. It means, like—” Before Noah could answer, the boat ground up onto the rock on the shore of the island.
    â€œWe’re here,” John announced. As if we didn’t know.
    A few minutes later we were ready. We wrestled the rowboat well up onto the rock shelf, with the oars and life jackets stowed inside. We had bug lotion smeared on our hands, necks and faces. I pulled my hood up and tied the drawstrings.
    John and Noah had the two-way radios hung on their belts, like cops on TV. Noah looked like a newsman with his video camera and voice recorder hung around his neck.
    I got to carry the cross. I wondered why a guy who didn’t believe in werewolves and vampires brought a cross with him, but I didn’t say