Chapter Text
“Don’t trip, Honey,” Rae called as Claire brought two jack-o’-lanterns into the bedroom.
Rae looked at them critically. “They’re not very scary. Even the kids didn’t think they’d keep ghosts away.”
Indeed, Claire’s pumpkins weren’t scary. In fact, they looked like her friends Pipi and Loretta. She’d even added hair to each one: long pink wool for one and short brown moss for the other. Cute would have been a better description. “Claire’s Plump Kin,” Rae had called them.
“I made them for the kids,” Claire said. “I didn’t want them to have nightmares or wake up terrified in the middle of the night. Yours almost frightened even me!”
“You did look rather pale.”
“I did not! I would have been happy to put yours in our bedroom if the kids hadn’t insisted on keeping it in theirs.”
“Be honest. You’re just jelly because the kids like mine better.”
“Am not!”
“I hope Pipi and Loretta are up to scaring off ghosts. It’s All Plump King's Eve, when ghosts and goblins walk the earth.”
“You made that up!”
“Actually, I didn’t. If I’m lying, I’m dying. It’s actually called All Hallows Eve. Why, I’ll eat a Thanksgiving dinner you cook if I’m making it up.”
“Same thing,” Rae thought. “Your cooking is a no-save instant death.”
Claire gave up. “Whatever, go to sleep.”
“Do have too, your Plump Kin give off such a romantic ambient light.”
"Thump, thump." Something woke Claire and Rae in the middle of the night
Rae grabbed Claire, shivering. “Did you hear that? “Footsteps! On-on-on the roof.”
For once, Claire didn’t push her away. “There’s someone up there,” she hissed. “Go see what it is?”
Rae pried her arms off and got out of bed.
“Splash, squish.”
“There’s water!” Rae’s voice was shrill as she stepped into a puddle of water by the bed. “A ghost’s been here.” [Note: In Japan, ghosts are associated with water. When one visits you, it often leaves a puddle of water behind.]
Claire crept out of bed. “Squish, splash.”
In the moonlight, Rae could see Claire biting her lip. Her hand trembled as she grasped Rae’s.
“There’s something in the garden.” Claire’s voice squeaked.
“Garden?” Rae muttered to herself.
Claire tugged on Rae’s hand. “We need to find out what it is. The kids. We have to protect them.”
Rae followed Claire through the shadowy house.
“Rattle, rattle, bang.”
Claire shrieked as the pots and pans in the kitchen danced.
Rae chuckled to herself. This was going much better than she’d expected. Claire had swallowed the bait: hook, line, and sinker. She was even imagining things out in the garden. Rae hadn’t even put anything in the garden. This was a whole new level of teasing!
Rae opened the door and stopped. In the garden, a ghostly head floated amid the weeds at the garden's edge. Its eyes and mouth flickered like dying candles. It was a face that was stamped indelibly in her mind, synonymous with villainy.
“Salas Lilium,” Rae muttered. “Returned for revenge, no doubt.”
She squeezed Claire’s hand and said in a low voice, "Joint attack." Then, she charged out of the house shouting, “Team Claire!” The door slammed behind her.
Gales of laughter spilled out, not from the apparition but from Claire.
“Surprise,” Claire sputtered between peals of laughter. “You didn’t think you were going to fool me this time, did you?”
Under the pumpkin, which was carved to look like Salas, Rae found warm blankets and cushions.
Rae smiled. Claire was the kindest, loveliest bully she’d ever known.
•───⋅☾Story by Nara Moore☽⋅───•
Bluesky: @naramoore
Mastodon/Fedi: @NaraMoore
WordPress: Josei Yuri and Paranormal Romance