Evelyn's Ghost

Evelyn skipped down the hallway of her large house, her long blonde hair swinging behind her. She entered the sitting room, where her parents were settled down on the couch. They looked up at her, and smiled.

“Hello, Evie-bug,” Her father greeted her.

“Hello, Papa!” She ran over to them, and sat in her father’s lap.

“Are you excited for your sixth birthday tomorrow?” Evelyn’s mother, Alice, questioned. 

Evelyn nodded excitedly, smiling. When she smiled, her missing front teeth became even more apparent, and it made her father chuckle. He lifted her up, began to carry her up to bed. 

“Bedtime, okay Bug?”

Evelyn nodded, knowing the earlier she slept, the earlier her birthday showed up. Her father tucked her into her small bed, making sure the covers were tight around her. He kissed her on the forehead and left the room, blowing out the lantern before he did. 

Evelyn snuggled down into her bed, and closed her eyes. Before she knew it, she was fast asleep.

The next morning, Evelyn was woken up by the loud bang of her door being thrown open. She jolted up, and looked over to her doorway. Standing there was another little girl, dressed in a long dress and rubber boots. The little girl stared at Evelyn. Evelyn slowly made her way over to the girl, and they examined each other. Finally, Evelyn spoke.

“Um.. Who are you?” She questioned.

“I’m Kassadie..” The girl responded. “Who are you? Why are you in my house?”

Evelyn was shocked. “This is my house!”

Kassadie looked at her. “No.. It’s mine. Me and my family are moving in, we’re rebuilding it after the fire.”

“I’ve lived here my whole life! You can’t move in!”

Evelyn ran downstairs, where she found her parents sitting around the breakfast table.

“Mama! Papa! Who is that girl in our house?”

They looked at her, confused.

“What girl?”

“Kassadie,” Evelyn responded, out of breath. 

Her parents looked concerned, and sat her down at the table.

“It was probably just a dream, Evie. Here, have some breakfast and then go out to play.”

Evelyn nodded, not convinced. She glanced up the stairs, but saw nothing. She decided to do what her parents said, and settled down to eat.

Once she was done, she went upstairs to change, and then went out into the back garden. She followed the worn path into the woods, where it ended in a small clearing, just like she knew it would. 

She crouched down, playing in the dirt. Behind her, she heard a gasp. She fell into the dirt on her knees, and her head whipped around. Standing behind her was Kassadie.

“Where do you keep coming from?” Asked Evelyn.

“I told you, I LIVE here!”

“No, I live here!” Protested Evelyn.

Kassadie turned and looked behind her.

“Do.. Do you think.. I’m a ghost?”

Evelyn looked at her weirdly. 

“Why would you be a ghost?” She questioned. 

“Well.. we were in a car crash, last week. Do you think.. Do you think I could be dead?”

Evelyn looked confused, and opened her mouth to respond. But, before she could, she heard her mother yelling her name. She looked towards the house, glanced back at Kassadie, and went dashing back to her parents. Tears were streaming down her face, and she was covered in dirt. Could Kassadie be a ghost? What would it mean if she was? She was so lost in her thoughts that she ran straight into her mom. 

“Woah, woah, woah,” Her mother said. She took a step back, examining her daughter. 

“What happened to you, Evie-bug?” Evelyn’s father stepped out from behind a bush that he was trimming. 

Evelyn brushed tears off her face, and told her parents what happened. They looked at each other with doubt, but her father scooped her up.

“Come on, hun, we’ll go check it out.”

Evelyn nodded, clinging to her dad while he walked her back to the clearing. Her mother followed close behind, and they stopped where Evelyn told them Kassadie had been.

Her father looked around, yelling out Kassadie’s name. 

“See, Bug? No one is here,” He smiled at Evelyn.

She looked at him, and nodded doubtfully. They walked back to the house, and Evelyn’s parents got her ready for bed. Right before bed, they handed Evelyn her birthday present. She smiled, and opened it. It was a ragdoll!

Evelyn laid down, and closed her eyes. But, something felt wrong. She opened them, and there was Kassadie. A scream stuck in her throat. Instead of yelling, she reached out for the girl. When she got to where Kassadie’s body should have been, Evelyn’s hand went right through. She shrieked, and her parents ran in. Suddenly, Kassadie was gone. She told her parents she had had a nightmare, and they handed her the ragdoll.

She held it close while her parents tucked her in, and she drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Evelyn woke up. She went downstairs, and in the kitchen was a random family. There was an older boy, around 10 or 11, and a baby boy. And then, Kassadie walked in! She stared at Evelyn for a second, and then sat down at the table.

“What.. What are you doing in my house?” Evelyn asked frantically.

No one answered.

“Who are you? Where are Mama and Papa?” Evelyn was yelling now, but no one answered.

She ran into the sitting room, and looked around. She saw a calendar on the wall, turned to the page October. She looked at the year. 2011? That wasn’t right. That was decades away. She went to run out, and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror above the mantle. Evelyn stopped, staring into it. Looking back was a pale reflection. She had on a raggedy, dirty nightgown, and was clutching a burned version of her ragdoll. Her face was sunken in, she was skinny. Her hair was covered in dirt, and her body was covered in burns. But the worst part of all was that young Evelyn, as much as she concentrated on her reflection in the mirror, could see right through her body.