The picture book

I started for home, and kept hearing some noises behind me. The crunching of leaves. The shuffle of someone’s feet. Was Bertha following me home or something? I didn’t think she would want to be around me after that whole incident with Laura. That really didn’t go how I wanted it to go at all. She must feel really bad about me after that. I wouldn’t blame her if she changed her mind about being friends with me. I looked behind me, but I saw nobody. Maybe I was just being paranoid. “Hello, Bertha is that you?”

A shadow seemed to loom across the street. The distinct feeling that someone was watching me crept over my body. Nobody answered my query. I started to run for home, not liking the idea that I might be stalked here. Some creep wanting to kidnap young girls maybe. As I came home, I shut the door hard with a loud bang. Panting I started heading for my room. I couldn’t wait to tell Olivia the news of what happened. As I headed for my room I heard my mother yelling.“Did you have to slam the door like that? I have a headache.”

“Sorry mom, hey what’s for dinner?” I started to sniff the air to see if I could get a hint of what it might be. Mom was the kind of cook that made the kitchen smell heavenly.

“Your going to have to fend for yourself tonight. I feel way too bad to cook anything for you girls tonight, sorry”

This was the first time that mother has made us fend for ourselves, I hoped it didn’t become a habit. I didn’t know how to fix anything. Maybe I could bug Denise to cook something for me. If she was home. I headed over towards her room and gave a little knock on the door. I heard a mumble from the other side. “Yeah what is it?”

“I was wondering if you could cook something for me?”

“What am I some sort of slave to you or something, cook something for yourself. I think mom got some frozen dinners for such an occasion”

Eww frozen dinners. Well I guessed it was better than noting. I went to the fridge and started to look to see what kind mother had gotten. It looked like she had selected some that didn’t seem that I would like them, but I picked the most appetizing of the group read the directions and stuck it in the oven. I paced back and forth as it cooked. Something in one of the kitchen windows moved, I froze watching the shadows dance across the wall then slowly opened it. Whew, it was just a cat. I kept on having the feeling someone was watching me and it was really getting to me. I heard the timer ding telling me my dinner was done and I pulled it out of the oven using some oven mitts. I felt a little weird to be eating my meal alone. I finished my meal off quickly and headed for my room and opened up the book. Out popped Olivia, looking a little bit confused.“Ayita? I thought you gave up on me.”

“Well I did, but I changed my mind. I have some really good news for you.” I smiled, wondering how she would react to the news.

“Well I am glad you changed your mind. I really missed you. So what’s the news?”

“I told your sister that I saw you. I am going to show you to her tomorrow.”

Olivia gaped at me. “You did...what?”

She didn’t look as happy as I thought she would. “Aren’t you glad your going to see your sister again?”

“She...can’t know about me. I will not show myself. I will not...” She then disappeared back into the book.

Argh, why did Olivia have to be so difficult? Why didn’t she want to see her sister? If she didn’t produce Olivia, Laura and Bertha would never believe her story. But...I still did have the picture that Olivia had gave her. Surely that was enough proof that she had seen Olivia’s spirit. Well at least I hoped it was. I picked up the book and put it up on a high shelf so it wouldn’t end up in the trash again by mistake. I just hoped that somehow when I showed the picture book to Laura, somehow Olivia wouldn’t sense her sister there and come out anyways.

I sighed and stared out the window, things didn’t look good. If Olivia didn’t show herself Laura might think I was crazy for seeing things that weren’t there. At first when I saw the ghost that is what I thought, but she turned out to be too real. At least I was pretty certain she was. The fact that she gave me her jewelry and the boy that had a crush on her recognized it was enough for me to believe that it was a real ghost, as unbelievable as a ghost coming out of a picture book was.

Maybe I shouldn’t have told Laura about it; most likely she wasn’t going to be happy seeing her dead sister as a ghost. If one of the members of family died, I would have liked to think they went to a better place instead of hanging around on Earth. But I guessed Olivia hung around because she wanted for people to know how she died, but why she didn’t just tell me outright instead of helping me I have no idea. But I am glad she did, I wouldn’t of had the confidence to make friends with Laura and had my first boyfriend (even with how long he lasted) without her.

Then my mind started to gravitate to Greg and the problem with Laura escaped me for a while. Maybe I didn’t give him a good enough chance. Maybe he might have had a crush on Olivia but really had feelings for me. I found my fingers dialing his number and the next thing I know I was having a conversation with him.

“Hi Greg, I know your probably surprised to hear from me but I decided to give you another chance.”

I said shyly, half expecting him not to accept my apology. I had been rather mean to him after all. But the voice on the other end wasn’t a cruel one at all.

“Ayita! I am glad to hear from you. If you’re going to give me another chance, do you think maybe we could go out on a date? And please, don’t wear that necklace. I want to think of you and not anybody else.”

I smiled at that, how could I refuse his offer? I could hardly wait.

“I would like that, so how would Friday sound to you?”

I twirled my fingers around the phone cord, pondering the future. What would we do on our date? I hoped something fun and not just going out to dinner.

“Friday’s perfect. Uh can I have directions to your house?”

I gave Greg directions to my house, and then hung up the phone flopping on the bed thinking about him. Would things become serious with him? It was too soon to think of that, but I was glad I decided to give him another chance. It seemed a little silly now that I had chosen to break up with him just because he had a crush on Olivia.

© 8 years ago2000 stories • words stories • fic