Dead Children
It was a dark and stormy night. Darkness was the only thing someone could see for miles around. Grace, a ghost, hovered over a scratched car in the middle of the road. As she floated over the car, she thought about the loud snarling noise the werewolf made when it attacked the car ten minutes ago.
Grace quickly dodged the ambulance that was speeding by. Her straight blonde hair flipped this way and that in the wind. Her blue eyes focused on the scene. After everything she learned, there was no need to hesitate about what to do. She glided into the forest so no one would see her. Peering from the tangled vines, bushes, and trees, Grace saw men pulling a stunningly pretty woman out of the expensive car. The woman looked exactly like Grace.
"Do you think a crash would do that?" A tall man, who seemed very important, said as he looked at the car and then at the woman's scratched face, arms, neck, and legs.
"Nah. I reckon some animal attacked the car and the lady, Oliver." said a man with floppy red hair.
"Seamus, what animal would do that?" Oliver asked. " It's pretty spooky up here in the mountains. Maybe a ghost?"
"Ghosts ain't real,” Seamus replied. "Everyone knows that! Only a fool believes in ghosts."
"Hey! Ghosts are real!" Grace thought to herself. "That man, Seamus, is wrong. Ghosts are not part of your imagination!"
Suddenly, a piece of paper fell out of the beautiful lady's open purse. The men overlooked the paper fall from the woman's purse because they were too busy bickering about what attacked her.
After Grace heard the ambulance speed away, she peeked her head out of the tangled vines, bushes, and trees. Grace looked left and then right. When she saw no one was watching, she carefully floated to the spot where the paper fell. It turned out to be the information about the woman.
Grace found out that the woman was Kathryn Bunihoffer. She learned that Kathryn Bunihoffer was born on March 13, 1989. She also found out who her husband is: Eric Bunihoffer. Their kids, Amelia, age 13, Zane, age 11, and Emily, age 8, look exactly like their mother. They all had the same straight blonde and blue eyes.
Thinking of siblings, Grace's eyes filled with tears. She thought of her brother, Liam, haunting the graveyard nearby. He could not adapt to life as a nature ghost, what Grace is now. Liam could not leave the ways of being a human behind. Since he could not adjust to the new way of life, he just moped around in the graveyard.
Grace tucked the paper under her arm and glided quickly to the broken-down hut where she lived. Grace's bed creaked as she sat on it, thinking about everything that had happened.
She wondered what Kathryn Bunihoffer was doing in the mountains because no one goes there. Everyone said that there was something creepy about the hills. That’s why no one goes up there. What they said was always different. Legends say the fog covered the mountains because vampires were alive on the top and were hiding in the mist. Other stories said that werewolves lived in the forest, waiting to bite someone when they stumbled into it, and others say that ghosts are on the rickety roads killing anybody that crosses their path. Of course, what they say is completely wrong: ghosts do not kill anyone who crosses their path. No vampires have lived on the top of the mountain, and no werewolves have lived in the forest. But why did that werewolf appear and attack Kathryn Bunihoffer?
Grace thought about Amelia, Zane, and Emily, Kathryn Bunihoffer's kids. Why are their names so familiar? Did they know what happened to their mother? What were they doing when their mother was driving? She wanted to learn more about Caroline and Andrew Bunihoffer and their kids.
Packing her bags, Grace wiped away her tears. She had found this shack a year ago and did not want to leave her temporary home.
The form fluttered to the floor. It landed upside down on the soil street. There were the words “Dead Children.” And underneath, in a smaller font, was Grace Bunihhoffer, who died at age 12 from a mysterious and deadly disease. There was a photograph/ that looked exactly like her. Underneath Grace Bunihoffer was Liam Bunihoffer, who died at age ten from the same illness as Grace. The picture looked exactly like Liam, whose straight blonde hair and bright blue eyes were very noticeable.
“What is going on?” Grace asked herself. “Could Kathryn Bunihoffer be my mom, but I don’t remember it? I don’t remember anything about my life before I died, so it is possible. Or could I just look like the girl in the picture and have the same name?”
Half Dead
Just being half dead/half alive feels overwhelming. Who would like to be half in the Underworld and half in the human world? I don’t, for one thing. My sister was all for becoming a ghost, but I wasn’t. I couldn’t get through the Underworld and haunt the human world. That’s why I’m stuck. My sister was able to, which was no surprise. She’s good at everything. When she was living and even now when she is dead.
When we had first died, Grace could have lived in the tropical Underworld. But she came to the Living-world to stay with me, her “baby” brother.
When I was alive: I was Liam Bunihoffer. Though, I am still Liam Bunihoffer. My sister, Grace Bunihoffer, doesn’t believe our mom is Caroline Bunihoffer, the famous actress. She does understand our mom is Caroline Bunihoffer; she just can’t remember it. Of course, she can’t remember her life as a human. I can only remember half of my life because I am between both worlds. But Grace needs to be the best, according to her. So I know she wants to investigate because I have lived with her my whole life. Grace is my big sister, but Grace died first. I was ten when I died, and she was twelve.
People thought I was weird when I was alive, and ghosts and spirits know I’m like an alien now. No one in three hundred years has been half dead/half alive and successfully passed through the Underworld and then haunted the Upperworld or Living-world. Before that, there were no old souls and spirits to tell the tale because the souls forgot stuff. I’ve tried asking.
“Going somewhere?” I ask as I spot Grace packing up her bags. That look on her face, which I knew too well, tells me something. She has something in mind; nothing could change Grace’s mind once she has created a theory about something.
I’m hysterical. Grace is (or is it “was”?) my older sister. She is supposed to know better.
Grace can get hurt. After all, she is delicate. So, I need to go with her. 6 she’ll say I need protecting, not her. So, I decide to tag along. But I know that I can not just follow Grace without her knowing. No, I have to ask her myself to join her adventure. But what is the mission? And is it even a mission? But I have a hunch about what the task is.
The next day, I walk to Grace’s bed, where she is packing her possessions into a suitcase.
I recall that suitcase, we had found it and another bag on the forest floor abandoned.
“Um…Grace?” I cautiously question.
“Yeah, Liam. What do you want?” Grace asks as if defending herself. But who or what is she protecting herself from? Me?
“I wanna come with you on your trip,” I say, trying to get everything out before Grace can have the chance to interrupt me.
“You what?” she screeched at a volume no human, ghost, vampire, or werewolf can make.
“But I’ll get lonely,” I say. Why did I say that in a baby voice? And why did I have to say that excuse at all?
“Fine,” Grace responds, rolling her blue eyes into the back of her head. “If you put it that way. Pack stuff. Time is wasting.”
I do that, putting my photographs into my suitcase, smiling Graces if you care to ask. I pack my slippers, my bathrobe, my pajamas, a few sweatshirts, and sweatpants. I know what you’re thinking, “Ghosts can wear clothes?”
Yes, we can wear clothes. We’re like humans, except we're transparent, dead, and only images of people who died.
“I’m done packing, Grace. Now what?” I ask impatiently, tapping my feet against the wood floor.
“I need to finish packing. Then we'll plan, Grace responds, yet again, rolling her eyes.
I nod. Grace thinks of everything. Of course, we need to plan! Five minutes later, Grace finishes packing. Then, we start to plan.
Them “Ghosts”
I wondered who murdered the lady. Or what killed her. I guess that no human assassinated her. I reckon some animal attacked the lady. But what animal? A bear ain’t attacking’ random people drivin’ on the street. Neither do wolves. Or do they? I’m startin’ to believe that no real animal murdered that lady.
Oliver thinks a “ghost” attacked her. But them” ghosts” are just part of a story someone created. Them storytellers have some imagination.
Though, I’m startin’ to reckon that them “ghosts” exist. But I’m not sure. There’s no evidence about them “ghosts” bein’ real.
I know that my mam would sure disapprove of me startin’ to think them “ghosts” are real. My mam taught me when I was a youngster that there is no such thing as ghosts, vampires, and other “mythical” made-up creatures.
People here in Sleepy Hollow, New York, believe in them “ghosts.” Back in Ireland, where I was born and my mam and dad currently still live, no one believed in ghosts. When I moved to Scotland, I was introduced to the believin' of “ghosts.”
But who in their right mind would ever be believin’ in them “mythical” beasts? That ain’t me.
Being a paramedic is a hard job. I sometimes need to save someone’s life. And being a paramedic is serious business. There’s no time to believe in “mythical” creatures.
My paramedic partner, Oliver, is convinced that a ghost attacked the woman. He must have been taught in a family that believes in ghosts and other imaginary beings. I was not educated by a family who believed in made-up creatures.
I’m startin’ to remember something about that lady. I know I’ve seen her before. On the telly? I ain’t recalling nothing else about her except that she was unnaturally stunning. Nobody I knew looked that beautiful. Not even my mam. And she was considered very attractive back in Ireland.
The lady must be a model. Or maybe an actress? She looked a whole lot like Caroline Bunihoffer. Could she have been Caroline Bunnihoffer? I’ll never get to ask her because she died in the ambulance.
When the lady died, I heard a noise. A “duh-duh-dun” sound came from outside. I still question many things about that night. Who or what made that sound? Why did they make that noise? Where did that racket come from? And who or what killed the lady?
I think Oliver was making that noise. I reckon that he was tryin’ to get me to believe in ghosts. Yeah, that’s right, Oliver made that sound. Or did he? But Oliver was in the ambulance with me. The mystery noise came from outside the vehicle, not inside.
Who on this darn earth would ever make that sound? I ain’t have a clue on what's goin’ on. I reckon I need to figure out what the noise was. But my head is sayin’ to find out who or what made that sound. I ain’t have an idea about what to do.
