Ghost

   October 30, 1980 - The station wagon pulls up to our seasonal campsite around 6:00 p.m. Our trailer sits on a wooded lot overlooking a tranquil lake. Water laps against the sandy shore as crimson leaves drift in the breeze and rustle under our feet. My brother and I help mom unpack the car while dad starts a campfire. We sit around the campfire roasting marshmallows as the sunsets in the autumn sky. “Mom, can Todd and I go to the arcade?”

  “Yes, as long as you stay together.”

   We walk the short distance to the pavilion. A jukebox stands in the corner playing music while a group of teenagers dance nearby. We head to the back, where a row of pinball machines line the hallway. I’m a better player than Todd, and he runs out of quarters within five minutes. “I’m bored, Annie!”

  “Todd, I am going to beat the high score!”

  “I don’t care. I have to use the restroom.”

  “Ok, use the restroom in the pavilion and come right back here when you finish.”

  As I finish my pinball game, I realize Todd has not returned. I make my way to the other side of the pavilion, but he is not there. One of the teenage boys is just coming out of the restroom. The smell of cigarette smoke permeates the air. “Did you see a young boy in the restroom?”

  “No one else was in there.”

  “Ok, thanks.” 

  The teenagers have paired off and are slow dancing in the dim light. I notice Christine dancing with a muscular teen. Christine’s family rents a seasonal campsite near our own, and she has become a sister figure to my brother and I. “Have you seen Todd?”

  “Yeah, he was heading toward the trail.” 

  “Thanks Christine. He wasn’t supposed to leave the pavilion. My mom and dad are going to kill me if I don’t find him soon!”

  Mist shrouds the trail. A thick layer of pine needles covers the ground, muffling the noise of my footsteps. In the distance, a faint cry drifts through the air. My heart races as the cry becomes a high-pitched wail, piercing through the peaceful night. A large branch laying across the path is invisible in the dark, and I crash to the ground. My knees are bleeding as I scrabble to my feet and race ahead. I reach the end of the trail, gasping for air just as the wailing ceases. 

  The trail ends at the beach, and gray clouds shroud the moon, making it difficult to see.     

The sand shifts beneath my feet as I head toward the shoreline. I wade into the cool lake, splashing water over my bloody knees as I scan the beach for Todd, but he is nowhere to be found. Without warning, an enormous black form rises from the depths of the lake and slithers towards the shore. I scream and race across the sand. As I flee, the wailing starts again, and I can hear something move across the beach behind me. My hands tremble, and my stomach clinches in fear. I run until my sides ache. A rock catches my foot and I stumble into the side of a tree. The wailing stops. I am alone and terrified, but I need to find my brother.

  I take a shaky breath and make my way to the boat launch. A snake weaves through the reeds, making the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. My feet sink into the damp ground and mosquitoes swarm my bare skin. But Todd is not here. Out of nowhere, an empty rowboat glides through the water. Just beyond the boat, the black form re-emerges from the murky lake. It is immense and looms near the shore. I panic and rush through the wet grass, heading toward our campsite.

  As I stumble toward the gravel road, I shudder and fold my arms against my chest. The temperature has dropped and I shiver in my t-shirt and shorts. I am relieved to see someone approaching from the other direction. As the figure gets closer, I realize it’s my brother. “Todd, where have you been? I have been looking all over for you!”

  “Were you scared?”

  “Yes, you were supposed to come right back to the arcade!”

  “Anything happen while you were looking for me?”

  “Wait, were you following me the whole time?”

  “Ha, ha! I got you good! You were scared to death!”

  “Todd, you are going to pay for this!”

  The next day, we eat breakfast at the small table in our trailer. Today’s Halloween festivities include a costume parade, pumpkin carving, bobbing for apples, a haunted hayride, and trick or treating. Todd is still teasing me about last night when dad comes in from his morning run. “You better get dressed. Mom is outside decorating the campsite for Halloween. She could use your help.”

  We are both excited and hurry to help mom finish. Caution tape surrounds our campsite, and a creepy scarecrow is sitting at the picnic table. Mom hangs spiders and bats from the awning and she has dressed our dog as a pumpkin! Once we are done, Todd and I take a walk and admire everyone’s decorations. Pumpkins line the gravel road and ghosts hang from the tree branches. At the pavilion, the jukebox is playing Halloween tunes and they are serving apple cider and donuts. Christine is there and waves us over. “Hi guys! Happy Halloween!”

  “Happy Halloween!”

  We sit with Christine and enjoy our cinnamon and sugar donuts while discussing who will be the pumpkin carving champion. The contest is at 11:00 a.m. and we all want to win. I brush the sugar off my lap as I stand. “We better get back to the campsite. Mom and dad are going to wonder what happened to us.”

   “Annie, I forgot to ask you. Did Todd scare you last night?”

  “Yes! He is going to pay!”

  Todd chuckles. “I got her good!”

  “I can’t figure out how you made the black form rise out of the lake? It was frightening and so realistic!”

  Todd’s eyes grow wide. “What black form?”...