Free Ghost Program by Marion Desaulniers

face, feeling it wet with tears, and I suddenly felt foolish.
       “Am I in my bedroom?”
       “Sure are.”
       “It was Mr. Breame, from community college.  He...he was evil .”
       “I’m sorry,” he spoke quietly.  “There’s no one here.  We’re all alone.”
       I peered through darkness.
       “And there was mom with that hatted salesman....dancing....” I felt another wave of panic and began to sob helplessly.
       “It’s been a rough day,” he said and pulled me closer so that my face was buried in his chest.  “For both of us.  But it’s nothing you or I can’t handle, okay?  I promise you that everything will turn out all right.”
       “I have to pee,” I said, sniffling.  “I have to pee.  You have to come with me.  I’m afraid of this house.  I’m afraid of the dark.”
       “Is that all?  Come on, I’ll take you.”  He pushed back the covers and helped me out of bed, taking my hand and pulling me up. 
     
       I shivered as the cold air touched my skin.  Wind still lapped against the house; I heard its angry wail.  A flash of purple lit the world beyond my curtained window as Brent put his arm around my waist tightly, and we walked into the dark hallway.  It wasn’t just dark, the entire house was engulfed in inky nothingness.  Clearly, the power was still out.  Brent opened the bathroom door, and I gasped.  Only the faintest glint of moonlight shone through the window.
       “I can’t go in there,” I whispered.  “Oh God, I just can’t do it.  It’s so dark.  Anything could be hiding in there.”
       “How bad do you have to go?” asked Brent.
       I couldn’t ignore the urgent feeling between my legs.  “Real bad.”
       “I’ll go in there with you.”
       “What are you gonna do?  Hold my hand while I pee?”
       “Yes.”
       “Won’t that be weird?”
       “Wanna wait to go until morning?” he asked.
       “No,” I admitted.
       “Come on.  It looks scary, but there’s nothing there.”  He gripped my hand tightly, and we walked towards the toilet and bathtub.
       “Nothing we can see , anyway.”
       We stopped at the very faint outline of the toilet.
       “Promise you won’t leave,” I said.  “Cross your heart and hope to die.  I’ll die of shock if you leave me alone in here.” 
       Brent still held my hand.  He used his other to gently pat my head and laughed a little.  “I’m not going anywhere.”
     
       I pushed my nightgown up and pulled my panties down.  Relieving my full bladder felt better than I’d thought it would, and though I couldn’t see Brent’s face in the dark, his hand never left mine as I fearfully squeezed his palm harder than ever.  I grabbed some toilet paper awkwardly with one hand and wiped myself, still listening intently for the sound of his breath, needing to feel his warm grasp as reassurance that he was still there, that I wasn’t alone.  I pulled up my panties.
       “Let’s get out of here,” I whispered.  “It’s creepy as hell.”
       I heard his quiet laugh.  “I hear you.  I really do.”
     
       He pulled me back through the pitch black hallway and into my dim bedroom where I heard rain pound mercilessly on the roof above me.  Brent rolled back the cover and sheets, giving me a brief but forceful hug before he gently pushed me towards the bed.
       “You think you can sleep, now?” he asked.
       I actually didn’t want to.  Who knew what terrifying worlds lay beyond the realm of consciousness?
       “I think so,” I said.
       “That’s my girl,” said Brent.
     
       He wrapped his arm around my waist and held my hand as we lay together.  I fought sleep for what seemed like an eternity, but eventually it claimed me.

 
     
    ❃ CHAPTER 7 ❃
     
     
     
       I opened my eyes.  Sunlight streamed through the billowing lace curtains of my window.  Sunlight!  The clouds were gone, and the