Skeleton Games

“Olivia . . . . Olivia,” came the insistent voice from somewhere overhead followed by a tap, tap, tap. “Wake up will you!” the voice pleaded.

“W-who's there?” I mumbled my brain foggy from a deep dreamless slumber.

“Why it’s your new best friend, Minnie.”

“Minnie, I don’t know anybody named Minnie,” I said as I rubbed my eyes. My limbs felt stiff and numb. I shook them out and stretched.  

“Where am I? Why is it so dark?” I called.

“Just follow my voice. I’m right here. Come on, come on up here.”

As the blackness faded there stood before me a translucent figure. She was young, my age, and wearing the strangest of clothes. A long black old-fashioned dress with lace details hung on her tall lean frame. Her raven hair fell loose to her waist.

I drew back and screamed.

She threw her head back and laughed. “I love that reaction!” she said gleefully as she clapped her hands together.

“You're a ghost!” I exclaimed and watched in horror as she elevated three feet off the ground and seemed to hover effortlessly in the air. She stuck her arms out in front of herself and waggled her fingers.

“Boo!”

I screamed again.  

She lowered herself back onto the ground. She gathered her long skirts in her hands and did a deep curtsy. She then put a finger to her lips. “Shhh, you will wake the others.”

“What do you mean the others? There’s more ghosts around here?” I said.

“Well, look around, you silly goose. What do you expect to find in a place like this?”

I took my eyes off the apparition before me and for the first time took in my surroundings. I was in a park. A tidy park that I had never seen before with a wide expanse of lush green lawn bordered by an iron-wrought fence. Large majestic oak trees, their bare branches scratching at a darkening sky, dotted a winding path. But there was something else hiding amongst the shadows, gravestones. Gravestones littered the lawn. It slowly dawned on me that I wasn’t in a park, but a cemetery. I screamed again and stumbling backwards landed on my behind.

Minnie sighed. “This is going to get real old, real fast. We only have a few hours to play my game.” 

“Game? What are you talking about? I’m not playing a game with a ghost” I scrambled to my feet. I needed to get out of here. Go home. Back to safety with my mom and dad. They must be wondering where I am.

Minnie folded her arms across her chest, a pout forming on her small pretty features.  

“Minnie! For land sakes alive child do be quiet. Some people are trying to rest around here.” A whitish wisp appeared behind Minnie that soon transformed into a plumpish old woman. Her blue satin dress fell almost to her feet. Her short grey hair curled around her heavily rouged cheeks.

“My apologies, Mrs. Dubois. But I am trying to get the new girl to play my favourite game.”

“The new girl, huh. Well since I’m here, let me get a look at her.” I watched in stunned silence as the old woman floated effortlessly towards me.  

“Funny looking one, ain’t she?” said Mrs. Dubois. “What happened to your hair? It’s pink.” 

“I happen to like my hair,” I said with a sniff.  

“And what a strange outfit you're wearing,” said Minnie. “Why does it have number 23 on it?    

“My outfit is strange?” I looked down.      

“This is my baseball uniform. I’m the captain of my team, and the best player in my division,” I couldn’t help boasting.

“Baseball what’s that?” asked Minnie.

“It’s a game that boys play. I ain’t ever heard of girls playing it,” said Mrs. Dubois.

“This is crazy, I’m not going to stay here and be insulted by ghosts!”

Mrs. Dubois sadly shook her head. Turning to Minnie she said, “She hasn’t figured it out yet has she? The poor dear.”

“Figured what out? What is going on?” I said near tears.

Minnie pointed behind me. My eyes followed her finger. The thing I stumbled against earlier was a gravestone. My gravestone. I read out loud its inscription,

Olivia Sarah McFarlane

LOVING DAUGHTER FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS

Born: April 3, 2009

Died: October 21, 2020

“Why that’s me, but that can’t be. That must mean that I’m,” I stopped. Unable to say the word.

“Dead,” Minne finished for me. “And so are we. But don’t worry, it’s not so bad. You’ll get used to it.”   

“B-but how? I don’t understand.”

“It happens to all of us eventually,” she said with a shrug of my shoulders. “I’ve been here 131 years, and Mrs. Dubois 88 years.”

“Don’t worry dear, there’s worse places to be. At least you have company,” she shook her head, “Still it’s a shame you being so young and all.” said Mrs Dubois.

“When I first saw your gravestone, I was so happy to have a girl my age to play with,” said Minnie.

“Well, I don’t want to be here, I want to go home,” I wailed.  

“Now now dear, there is nothing to be done about that,” said Mrs. Dubois with a cluck of her tongue.  

“So I’m just supposed to stay here? Forever?”

With her eyes glowing, Minnie said, “I know what will cheer you up. Do you know what tonight is? It’s the most special, most spookiest night of all, Halloween and you can join me in playing my favourite game. Olivia, please say yes. Nobody ever wants to play with me.”

“What is it?” I asked hesitantly.

“The town’s teenagers like to hang out in the cemetery on Halloween night. I like to put on a show that will give them nightmares for weeks,” she said with delight.

“Oomph, a bunch of nonsense that is. I’m going back to bed. Minnie keep the rack down, will you? A lot of folks around here just want peace and quiet.” Before Minnie could answer, Mrs. Dubois quickly faded and disappeared into the night air.

“Well now that she’s gone,” said Minnie, “Say yes, pretty please? If you play my game, then I’ll play baseball with you.”

My eyes gazed about the cemetery. What once seemed scary now seemed tranquil. Then as I looked into the expectant face of Minnie, my new best friend, I felt myself relax. This was now home.  

“Sure, I’ll play.”