The Key To Ghost World Read online

  “Uhm.. I have a message for you,” Jaedon stammered.

  “From who?”

  “I don’t know his name, but he said it was important.”

  “It’s Horace!” the Fat Man screamed in Jaedon’s ear. “My name is Horace.”

  Jaedon jumped. “It’s Horace.” he blurted. “His name is Horace.”

  The small woman dropped the towel. Tears sprung to her eyes.

  “Tell her to go up to the master bathroom and pull the medicine cabinet out from the wall. Tell her to look behind it.”

  “You are supposed to go to the master bathroom and pull the medicine cabinet out from the wall and look behind it.”

  “Who sent you?” The woman narrowed her eyes. “Is this a joke?”

  “No, ma’am.” Jaedon said seriously. “Please go check behind the medicine cabinet. I’ll wait.”

  The woman turned her back and closed the door. Jaedon looked around at the porch. The white paint on the rails was flaking and peeling. Blue paint flaked from the sides of the house.

  A small black dog sauntered around the corner of the house. When he saw Jaedon, his tail wagged and he bounded up the steps and danced at Jaedon’s feet.

  Jaedon sat on the top step and pet the dog. He was still there a few minutes later when the front door opened and the woman stepped out.

  “How did you know?” she asked, her face full of wonder. “How did you know there was so much money behind the cabinet?”

  Jaedon shrugged. “I didn’t really.”

  “How can I thank you?”

  “You don’t have to. I’m glad you found the money.”

  “This means so much to us. It’ll help more than you can ever know.” Tears filled her eyes for the second time. “Wait here.” she instructed.

  She returned a minute later with a cherry pie wrapped in a towel. “I know it’s not much, but I hope you will enjoy it.”

  “Oh, I will.” Jaedon assured her. “I love cherry pie. I really have to go now. My mom is wondering where I got off to.”

  He set off down the sidewalk before he realized that he had no idea where he was. He looked around for the Fat Man but saw no sign of him. Reaching in his pocket, he wrapped his hand around the gold watch and thought of his own kitchen. A slight tug brought him back to the familiar room.

  His mother was standing near the spot where he had disappeared. She was leaning forward staring at the chair he had been sitting in. Her palms were facing the ceiling and her mouth hung open forming a large O.

  When Jaedon reappeared behind the chair, she gave a shrill shriek and stepped back.

  “Mom,” Jaedon said. “It’s okay. Calm down.”

  “Calm down!” she shrieked. “What do you mean calm down. I’m as calm as I’m going to get. Where did you go? Where did you get that pie?”

  “I was in Ghost World,” Jaedon started to explain.

  “One second you were in that chair and the next, you disappeared.” Her voice rose with each word until the last word was nothing more than a shrill scream.

  Hannah’s father rose from the chair next to his wife and walked to the counter where he poured a cup of coffee. He carried it to Samantha and held it out to her.

  “I need to tell you a story.” he said leading her to the empty chair next to his wife. He stood behind Samantha and rubbed her shoulders as he talked softly. “I never believed in ghosts. I thought they were for storytellers and kids. But then I met Jewel and she showed me that they were real. At first I was as confused as you are right now, but she taught me how to see them.

  “Jaedon is telling the truth. Hannah’s great-grandmother, Carolyn, is here. She’s the one who showed Jaedon how to use the key to get back.”

  Samantha bowed her head and stared at her lap. “No,” she said softly. “My son does not see ghosts. He doesn’t use a key to go to a different world.”

  She spoke so quietly that Jaedon had to lean forward to hear the words. Putting the key in his pocket, he walked to where she sat and knelt by her chair.

  “It’s true, mom. But it’s not scary any more. Not even the Fat Man.”

  At the mention of the Fat Man, Samantha jerked upright. “You mean that Fat Man you kept telling me you were seeing was a ghost?”

  “Yeah, mom. He’s a ghost and he was following me because he hid some money before he died and his wife and kids don’t have any money. He wanted me to help him tell his wife where the money is. I just did that and that’s where I got the pie. She gave it to me after I told her where to find the money.”

  Samantha’s eyes grew large. “Why couldn’t he just tell Hannah’s grandmother, then she could tell Hannah and Hannah could tell his wife?”

  “No, mom. They need someone to trust. They can trust the Key Master,” he explained.

  Then, realizing that he had just made a statement that changed his life, he said with conviction, “I am the Key Master.”

  Samantha looked at him. “Jaedon, you are only fourteen. You are too young for a job. Especially a job with this much responsibility. Let someone else be the Key Master until you get older.”

  There was a moment of silence and then Jaedon smiled. “It doesn’t work like that, mom. I didn’t choose the key, the key chose me. These people need me.”

  She narrowed her eyes and glared at him. “They aren’t people, Jaedon. They are ghosts.”

  “And they have living people who need help,” he said patiently. “Don’t forget, someday you will be a ghost. Wouldn’t you want to know that there was someone to help if you needed it?”

  “Yes,” she said quietly. “Yes, I would.”

  Picking up her cup of coffee, she drank. The cup was half empty before she resumed speaking. “But, there will be rules. Rule number one: This does not interfere with school.”

  “Nope, it won’t.” promised Jaedon.

  “There will be more rules when I’ve had a chance to get my wits about me.”

  “I understand, mom. Don’t worry, I’ll be just fine.”

  She wrapped her arms around Jaedon and smiled. “Let’s not allow this to cause problems. I feel like I’ve just taken control of my life and I don’t want to lose control again.”

  A pounding on the front door made them all turn.

  “Hey,” Sam called. “If you can’t let me in, would it be that hard to leave me a key to the house.”

  “Speaking of out-of-control,” Jaedon smiled, walking to the front door and opening it.

  “Jaedon!” Sam exclaimed, flinging his arms around Jaedon’s waist. “I missed you so much!”

  “Hey,” looking around at the room full of people he asked “Who are all these people? And why are you holding that cherry pie? Get out the ice cream and let’s have a party.”