The Key To Ghost World Page 8

  “I know.” said Jaedon. “I’m not mad at him anymore. At first he was doing things that I got blamed for, but I know he didn’t mean for me to get into trouble.”

  “Carolyn discovered that he stayed here to be close to his parents after he died. When they moved away, he just stuck around for awhile. Then you moved in and he wanted to be your friend. He likes you very much. Hand me that pepper over there.”

  Jaedon picked up the pepper shaker and handed it to Hannah’s father. “I like him, too. I never thought about ghosts before, and when he first showed up, I didn’t want him around because I was always getting into trouble by myself. I didn’t need any help. But he’s cool.”

  Hannah and her mother carried salads and drinks to the table on the deck. As the small group was finishing their meal, Carolyn and Randy popped in. They settled into the extra chairs.

  “Hi, Jaedon.” Carolyn said. “Randy tells me that you’ve been looking for your gold watch and can’t find it. I’ve just explained to Randy how to retrieve. If Sam took it, Randy can retrieve it.”

  “Really! That’s great! I knew you were good for something.” he joked to Randy.

  “When did the watch go missing?” asked Carolyn.

  “Well, I had it on Saturday. I put it in the box where I always keep it. Monday, when I got home from school, it was gone.”

  Carolyn looked at Randy. “You just start at Saturday and do the retrieval just like I showed you.”

  Randy nodded. “I can do that.”

  “I guess I’d better head home.” Jaedon said. “I promised my mom that I wouldn’t stay long because I’m riding my bike.”

  “Tomorrow is Saturday. We’re going fishing. Do you want me to call your mom and ask her if you can join us?” Hannah’s mom asked Jaedon.

  “Sure! I’d like that. But someone will have to teach me how to put the worm on the hook.”

  “I’d be glad to,” Hannah’s dad offered.

  “I can teach you,” Hannah said. “It’s really easy!”

  Pushing his chair back and getting up, Jaedon noticed that Randy had left without saying goodbye.

  “When did he leave?” Jaedon looked at Hannah. “I didn’t hear him pop.”

  “Didn’t ya smell him?” Hannah grinned.

  Jaedon felt his face grow hot. He knew it was turning red.

  “Jaedon says that Randy farts every time he pops.” Hannah explained to her family.

  “Oh my!” Carolyn exclaimed putting her hand to her heart.

  Hannah’s father raised his eyebrows and then laughed. “I remember when Carolyn started visiting us after she died. Do you remember, dear?” he turned to his wife.

  “Yes, I do. She sneezed every time she popped.”

  “I did, didn’t I! It took me weeks to pop without sneezing. Popping takes so much energy that ghosts need to learn to control. I had forgotten all about that.” Carolyn mused.

  “Well, thanks for dinner and the ghost information. I’d better get home. I’ll see you tomorrow if my mom says I can go.” Hopping on his bike, he peddled towards home. It was nice to have a friend who understood things.

  Mom and Sam were on the porch when Jaedon rode his bike into the yard. He waved before riding his bike into the garage and closing the door.

  Sam met him at the corner of the house. “Mom got a job!” he cried. “We aren’t going to starve.”

  “We weren’t going to starve,” Jaedon assured his younger brother. “You might have had to wear my hand-me-downs, but we weren’t going to be hungry.”

  “My dad called,” Sam continued, running to keep up with Jaedon. “He’s coming to pick me up. I have to go to his house for a visit. Will you come with me?”

  “I don’t think so. I don’t think your dad really wants me to come; and anyway Hannah’s dad said that I could go fishing with them.”

  Sam ran ahead of Jaedon and joined their mother on the porch. “Jaedon’s going fishing tomorrow. I don’t want to go to my dad’s alone. Tell Jaedon he has to come with me.”

  “Jaedon doesn’t have to go with you to your dad’s,” their mother explained. “If he wants to go fishing, he can. Your dad wants to spend some time with you. I think you will have fun with him. Let’s go inside and get some ice cream before he gets here.”

  “But I don’t want to go,” grumbled Sam. “Why can’t I go fishing? You should make Jaedon take me fishing.”

  “Sam, I don’t want to hear any more of that. You need to learn to respect your brother. He probably doesn’t want to take you fishing because you are always so mean to him. When you learn to respect him, you may just find that he’ll take you with him.”

  “Yeah, well I can’t be mean to him anymore or his ghost will wedgie me.”

  “Stop it!” Samantha turned and glared at the boys. “I. am. tired. of. hearing. about. this. ghost. Jaedon, I don’t know where you got that idea, but stop putting those thoughts in your brother’s head. He will have nightmares.”

  “I didn’t tell him anything.” Jaedon protested. As much as he wanted to go up to his room and see if Randy had found his gold watch, he wanted to spend time with his mother and little brother. He couldn’t remember ever feeling this close to him.

  “No, you just told your ghost to wedgie me.” Sam insisted. “And he did.”

  “One more word about ghosts and you will not be going fishing tomorrow.” As she turned her back, Jaedon stuck his tongue out at his brother and followed their mother into the house.

  Randy was sitting on the counter in the kitchen. He hopped to the floor and walked past Jaedon. “Guess what I found. See you in your room…” he sang. With a pop and the expected fart, he was gone.

  “Mom!” Sam cried. “The ghost! It’s here! I can feel it!”

  “Shut up!” yelled Jaedon. “There is no ghost.”

  “Yes there is. I felt it. It wanted to give me a wedgie.”

  “Mom,” Jaedon pleaded. “I can’t stop Sam from talking about ghosts. Please let me go fishing. Sam just wants to get me in trouble. It’s not my fault. I didn’t say anything about a ghost. Please…”

  “Let’s not talk about ghosts. You get the bowls. I’ll get the ice cream. Don’t you want to hear about my new job.”

  “Yes.” Jaedon said reaching into the cupboard for the bowls. “Let me scoop the ice cream.”

  “OK. You scoop, but Sam gets first choice. That way we can keep it fair. Monday I start my new job as file clerk at Newton’s Law Firm. Isn’t that cool?”

  “I guess. So does that mean you will work for a lawyer?”

  “Sweetie, don’t you know who owns Newton’s Law Firm?”

  “No.”

  “Hannah’s dad.”

  Chapter 19 - Jaedon ends up in Ghost world

  “Hannah’s dad is a lawyer? I didn’t know that.” Jaedon couldn’t imagine Hannah’s father as a lawyer. Lawyers were supposed to be dull and, well, legal-like. Hannah’s dad was fun. Jaedon couldn’t picture him being a lawyer.

  “When Hannah’s mom called me this morning and said that they were looking for a part time file clerk, I didn’t know if I’d want to work for them or not, but I figured ‘What the hey, I can at least go talk to them. I do need a job’.

  “I really liked Hannah’s dad. He is so funny and smart. The best thing about it is – I only have to work three days a week. And, they are paying me as much as I could make working five days a week somewhere else. I’m so glad that you and Hannah are friends. I heard you laughing out on the porch this morning. It sounded so good. This has been an absolutely fantastic day.”

  “I wonder why they didn’t tell me about it when I was over there?” Jaedon pondered.

  “Because I asked them not to. I wanted to be the one to tell you. Isn’t it terrific!”

  “I guess.”

  “You don’t have to sound so excited,” his mom joked. “Sam, watch that bowl. You will spill your ice cream.”

  Sam righted the bowl which had been tipped so he could scoop out the last
of the treat. Ice cream on his chin dripped onto his shirt.

  “Here,” Jaedon said handing Sam a napkin. “Clean your chin and your shirt.”

  Turning to their mother, Jaedon added. “I’m glad you got a job and I think it’s cool that Hannah’s dad is your boss. I’m going to take a shower and go to bed. I want to be up early to get ready to go fishing with your new boss.”

  Poking Sam in the arm, he said “Have fun with your dad. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

  “Yeah,” Sam grumped. “I wish you were coming with me.”

  Jaedon hurried up the stairs to his room. Randy was propped up on the bed playing with Jaedon’s PSP.

  “Did you find it?” Jaedon asked.

  “Of course I did.”

  “Where was it?”

  “It was in your mom’s room in the top drawer of her dresser, but Sam didn’t take it.”

  “Who did?”

  “John.”

  “Why would John take it?” Jaedon asked.

  “Beats me. So, are we going fishing tomorrow?”

  “Yeah, and you want to hear something weird? My mom is going to work for Hannah’s dad.”

  “At the law office?”

  “You knew that he was a lawyer?” Jaedon asked. “Does everyone in the world know except me?”

  “Maybe if you’d get your head out of your butt once in a while, you would know these things too.”

  “Oh, yeah! Speaking of butts… did you know that you fart every time you pop?”

  “I was hoping that you wouldn’t notice.”

  “Well, I did and they stink.”

  “You stink.”

  “NO, you do, Stinky Butt.”

  “And to think I went back and retrieved this precious watch for you and all you can do is call me names.” Randy held the watch up for Jaedon to see.

  “Thanks!” said Jaedon.

  “I’m not sure I’m gonna give it to you now. You called me a Stinky Butt.”

  “Give it.” Jaedon lunged at Randy, but Randy popped before Jaedon could reach him. Jaedon ended up sprawled on the empty bed.

  Randy appeared next to the closet. Jaedon lunged and missed again as Randy popped away. Both boys were laughing. Randy appeared next to the dresser. This time, when Jaedon lunged, he caught Randy around the waist.

  Jaedon felt a strong pull. It felt like a giant had wrapped his arms around Jaedon’s body and tugged. The invisible giant let go of Jaedon and the room darkened as if a thunderstorm was moving overhead.

  “Oh crap!” Randy moaned.

  “What happened?” Jaedon looked around. The room looked liked his, but the walls were papered in a pattern of blue sky and clouds and the furniture was different. And, it was dark. “This isn’t my room. Where am I?”

  “In my room,” Randy said. “When I popped, you came with me. This is my room. This is how it looked when I lived here.”

  “Was it this dark?”

  “No. Everything is dark on this side.”

  “This side of what?”

  “This side of ‘I don’t know’. I guess this is just ghost world. Everything is the same as it was when I was alive except everything is a little darker.”

  “Pop me back.”

  “Hold on to my waist like you did when we crossed over.”

  Jaedon wrapped his arms around Randy’s waist and hung on. Randy strained. He grunted. He even farted, but they stayed where they were. “I can’t,” he finally said.

  “Am I dead?” asked Jaedon.

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Try again.” Jaedon said wrapping his arms around Randy once more. Again Randy strained to pop into Jaedon’s room. Again, nothing happened.

  “Stay here.” Randy told Jaedon.

  “No way! You aren’t leaving me alone here.”

  “Then come with me, but keep your mouth shut.”

  Chapter 20 - The Fat Man finds Jaedon in Ghost world

  The two boys left the room and turned the corner to go down the stairs. Jaedon felt dizzy as he looked around the house that should have been familiar, but wasn’t.

  The family portraits on the wall were gone; in their place were landscape pictures. Reaching the bottom of the steps, Jaedon shrieked as a small dog came hurtling out of the family room and into his arms.

  “That’s Rascal.” Randy said. “He used to live here a long time ago. He got hit by a car and died so we have a lot in common. He really likes you.”

  The small dog was wiggling in Jaedon’s arms, licking his ears and face. Jaedon held him and scratched his ears while he followed Randy to the kitchen.

  An elderly man was sitting at the table reading a newspaper. “I knew you would get yourself into trouble.” he said without looking up. “Look what you’ve gone and done now.”

  “Can you tell me how to take him back?” Randy asked.

  “How would I know?” The old man demanded. “I never messed with the living. I warned you that it would lead to no good.”

  “Didn’t you ever visit your wife after you died?”

  “Well, of course I did, but she didn’t know. I helped her out a little but I never tried bringing her here.”

  “I didn’t try. I popped and he grabbed me at the same time. It was an accident. Please help me take him back.”

  “Rascal sure likes him,” the old man commented. “It’s good to see her happy. Come here, Jaedon. Sit down in that chair and give me both your hands.”

  Jaedon did as he was told. The old man’s hands reminded him of Carolyn’s. Marshmellowy was the word that came to his mind.”

  “OK.” The old man said. “I want you to squeeze my hands and concentrate very hard on your kitchen. I am going to do the same thing. If this works, we will pop together into your kitchen.”

  Jaedon closed his eyes and concentrated on his kitchen. He felt a tug and heard a small pop, but when he opened his eyes, they were still seated in the darker room. Tears came to his eyes. He missed his mother and brother. He didn’t want to be lost here in this dark world.

  The old man was watching him. “Jaedon,” he said finally. “I’ve watched you ever since your family moved in. I’ve seen how your step father treated you. I even applauded when Randy gave him wedgies. I’ve watched how well you handle your half brother’s pranks. I admire you. I’m going to help get you home, but you need to be strong. Don’t fall apart on me, you hear?”

  Jaedon nodded and wiped the tears from his eyes.

  “Let’s try this again,” the old man said. “Concentrate as hard as you can. Think only of your kitchen. Do not think of this kitchen. Are you ready? Here we go!”

  Jaedon closed his eyes. Scrunching his face, he thought of the cheery kitchen he knew. He thought of his mom and Sam. He remembered their game of Uno from the other night. He wished very hard to be there. When Jaedon opened his eyes, Randy and the old man looked sadly back at him.

  “I’m stuck here.” said Jaedon. “I’m never going home.”

  “Let’s try one more time. This time Randy can join us.” The old man scooted his chair over so that Randy could squeeze in. Holding hands the three of them tried it again. Again, they stayed in the dark kitchen.

  Jaedon reached down and picked up Rascal who snuggled into his neck. Hugging the small ghost dog made Jaedon feel a little better.

  “You boys go on upstairs and wait. I’ll see if I can go out and learn if there is a way to send a live person back. Don’t lose hope, Jaedon. We will get you home.” With a pop, he was gone.

  Walking back through the familiar yet strange house, Jaedon thought about how different something so familiar could be. It was his house. But, it didn’t feel anything like his house. Rascal nibbled on his ear sending chills up his spine. Jaedon moved the ghost dog so that he couldn’t reach his ear and climbed the stairs behind Randy.

  “Who’s the old man?” Jaedon asked once they were back in Randy’s old bedroom.

  “His name is Mort. He lived here about 20 years ago. After he died, his wife l
ived here until she went to a nursing home and my parents bought the house. I met Mort when I died. He’s OK. Doesn’t talk much, but he’s not mean or anything.”

  “What about Rascal?”

  “I don’t know. He was here when I got here. I guess he belonged to Mort’s son. He was hit by a car and died a long, long time ago. Mort said that they had other dogs, but none of them stayed after they died. They all must have gone to Heaven.”