Ghost

Ghost shuddered as the woman draped his wet form over the clothesline. At least, he would have shuddered if he had a muscular and nervous system. He winced as she secured three clothespins to his middle, but the pain was only imaginary. 

The wind blew. Ghost would have shivered from the chill as his sides billowed in the breeze, again, if only he had a nervous system. 

The woman sighed and moved down the line. She pinned a row of socks, and then a row of underpants. The autumn sun shone bright, but it lacked the warmth of summer. Ghost was grateful for the steady gusts of air making him dance, because it meant he would dry quicker.

The woman hung up three t-shirts, then looked at her watch.

“Ugh. I’ve got to get the decorations ready,”she muttered.

She picked up her laundry basket and carried it into the house.

Ghost swayed back and forth in time with the t-shirts and underpants next to him. The socks boogied to their own beat. Probably because they were heavier than the other undergarments. Ghost felt embarrassed that he was grouped together with underwear on laundry day, but there was nothing he could do about.

The woman came back out and pulled two pumpkins from the garden. She carried one in each arm. Her knees buckled at their weight, but she managed to keep her hold on both. 

She had to set them down when she reached the back gate. She couldn’t open it when both hands were occupied. The woman propped the gate open with a big rock. Then she picked up the pumpkins, and continued on her way.

Ghost knew she would be setting them out on the front steps. Some years, they were carved first, but it seemed that this year, they would remain whole. Ghost wondered what else the woman would set out with them. Sometimes there were orange and black lights wrapped around the porch railing. He always liked when there were lights.

Hours passed. Ghost began to feel a little nauseas from all the swaying. At least, he would be feeling nauseas if he had a gastrointestinal tract. Nevertheless, he hoped the woman would be coming out to get him soon. 

The sun was lower in the sky now, and darkness was creeping in. An owl hooted in the distance. This would have sent a chill down Ghost’s spine, if he’d had one. He was scared of noises in the dark. 

Ghost could see the family through the big back window. The child was wearing a long black cape and a pointy black hat. The woman was applying some sort of makeup to the child’s face.

Ghost longed for the days when he used part of the celebration. At one point in time, the child had only wanted to dress up as him for Halloween. She’d worn him for many years in a row. While passing out candy to trick-or-treaters, and for days after, he’d had the important job of helping her look spooky. As she grew older, her interest in Ghost faded, until it was gone completely.

Now, he spent most of his days crumpled and twisted beneath the duvet. He didn’t get a chance to be spooky or important very often anymore, and he missed it. Ghost fluttered helplessly on the line. 

The sun set, and the moon rose higher in the sky. Ghost sighed. The woman must have forgotten to bring in her wash. He didn’t want to spend the night pinned to the line. He wanted to float, and flow, and scare people.

Ghost heard the dogs barking from inside the house. Rufus and Riley were stinky, loud, and had sharp teeth. Ghost wasn’t exactly fond of the family pets. He was maybe even a little frightened of them, if he was being perfectly honest. 

Ghost knew that if the dogs were creating a ruckus on Halloween night, it had to mean that the first trick-or-treaters were arriving. There was no hope of the woman coming to collect him now. He’d be stuck here next to the frilly underpants and scratchy wool socks for much longer.

The owl hooted again in the distance. It sounded closer now than it had the first time. Ghost almost wished he had a spine, so the chills that the hooting elicited would have someplace to go.

The screen door slid open, and for a moment, Ghost thought the woman was coming out to retrieve him. All hope was lost when barking filled the backyard, and the screen door slammed shut.

A sudden burst of wind had Ghost and the underpants bouncing on the line. Rufus, the smaller of the two dogs, stopped barking when he saw Ghost swaying. He ran to the clothes lines and sunk his teeth into Ghost.

Ghost let out a scream, or at least he would have, if he had vocal cords. Rufus chomped down harder, growling as he yanked on Ghost. He felt a pop, pop, pop, and the three clothespins that were securing him to the line fell to the ground.

Rufus pulled again. Ghost slid off the line just as the wind blew a powerful burst. His body flew up into the air, except for the part that was in Rufus’s mouth. Ghost floated down. He landed on top of Riley. 

Riley took off at full speed. She was completely covered by Ghost. She could see nothing, but somehow, she managed to find the open gate that the woman had forgotten close. Riley whipped around the side of house and bolted across the front yard.

“AHHHH! A ghost!” screamed a trick-or-treater in a princess costume.

Rufus came barreling up the porch steps. He was tangled in a lacy pair of underpants. Riley ran back and forth across the grass. 

Ghost squealed his delight as the trick-or-treater screeched in fear. At least, he would have, if he had vocal cords.

The front door flew open

“Rufus! Riley! Come!” the woman shouted. 

She pulled the underwear off, and Rufus ran into the house. The woman clomped down the steps. As Riley ran by her, she lifted Ghost off of the dog.

“Inside!” the woman ordered.

Riley trotted up the porch steps. She sat next to the door.

“I’m so sorry. I forgot to close the gate. Let me get you some more candy,” the woman told the princess.

She pulled the front door open, and Riley ran in. The woman tossed Ghost down in the entryway, and came back out with a big bowl of Halloween candy. She poured the entire thing into the trick-or-treater’s bag. Then she turned, and went inside. The door slammed closed, and the porch lights flipped off.

The woman looked down at Ghost, still crumpled on the floor. She picked him up and ran her hand over a grass stain.

“I’ll deal with this tomorrow,” she sighed.

She dropped him back on the floor, and left him there.