"They are still cleaning up after the plane crash from a week ago,
it said so on the news," Marsha Bloom told her friend Holly Rudd.
It was a pretty day in May; in fact, it was the last day of school
for Marsha and Holly. "I hear everyone aboard was killed!" replied
Holly. Marsha sat slowly chewing her last school lunch of the year.
Marsha was a pretty fifteen-year-old with long light brown
hair and eyes the color of the ocean. She was skinny and her skin
as white as snow. Her friend Holly was quite different. She was
plump with tan skin, green eyes, and hair dyed blue. The two girls
had been friends for three years.
Marsha silently watched the kids at other tables. They were
all laughing and cheering. Just then Holly flicked a pea at her.
Marsha almost jumped. Holly and Marsha now joined in laughing. The
bell rang and everyone rushed to dump their trays. Marsha and Holly
waited for the line to get smaller and then they walked to the dump
buckets.
After recess and a short awards ceremony, the students
exchanged good-byes and they all went home. Marsha's mother picked
her up and drove her to their little farm. Mr. Bloom was waiting for
them. He hugged his daughter and told her to go search for Pep,
their horse who jumped a fence and was in the cow pasture.
Marsha changed clothes and went to look for the horse. She
was deep in the pasture when suddenly a young boy appeared. Marsha
called to him. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" He seemed
surprised. "You can see me? Um . . . Can you hear me?" he asked her
hopefully. "Why couldn't I? Are you feeling OK?" she replied,
suddenly feeling sorry for the boy. "I'm dead. I feel nothing," he
said, gritting his teeth.
Marsha soon learned that the boy was Greg Patterson and he
had died in the plane crash. He and his brother Jay were now both
ghosts and for some reason Marsha could see them and hear them, but
not feel them.
Later, after Marsha left the woods with Greg, they met up
with Jay. Marsha and Greg found a note saying that Mr. and Mrs.
Bloom had gone to town. They walked into the living room and
suddenly a radio clicked on in Marsha's room. They ran to the radio
and there they met Jay. He was wearing underwear on his head, and
dancing. "Hey brother! Doesn't being a ghost rock? No rules!" he
shouted proudly. "She can see us," said Greg. "You mean, she isn't
scared that her underwear is floating? She sees the head upon which
it lies?" Jay replied in disbelief. "Indeed, I do," Marsha said,
grabbing her underwear. "Stupid girl, stupid brother. I'll show them
who is in control," chuckled Jay once the other 2 had left.
"He is bad news, Marsha," said Greg as he ran off into the
pasture. Marsha's parents were home. As soon as they walked in there
was a crash and the vacuum fell over. Marsha saw what really
happened though. Jay had pushed it. As the day went on things flew,
fell, broke and banged. However, Mr. and Mrs. Bloom didn't suspect a
thing.
For the next few days Marsha and Greg tried to reason with
Jay but nothing worked. Jay pulled chairs out from under people,
made things fall on them, and just scared them. The Bloom family was
all bruised and beaten.
Marsha didn't let Jay know she was sad or in pain. Jay
wanted to hurt her by hurting her and her family. She had to make
him believe he had failed.
The next day was horrible. Marsha was just sitting by the
stove stirring her soup and suddenly Jay grabbed her chair and she
fell. As if that wasn't enough, he grabbed the hot soup and threw
it on her. She was still able to fake that she was fine, but really
she hurt all over.
Jay was mad, mad as possible. He had pulled every trick and
every chair. Why didn't Marsha suffer?
That first day when Marsha met Greg, she called Holly and
told her. Holly didn't believe her. Lately when Marsha called
Holly, she started to cry in the middle of talking. Because of this,
Holly started to believe Marsha. Marsha couldn't tell her parents
about Jay because they might freak out and everything would go
wrong. They might even try to get rid of Greg.
The next day, Jay told Marsha she was boring. He also told
her what a foolish family she had. Then after his complaints, he
left. He was never seen again by Marsha or Greg and he never
bothered the Blooms again.
One Sunday in July, Marsha went to the pasture to see Greg. She did
this everyday but this day was different. She told Greg to follow
her. They walked for a long time and finally reached a cliff. "Where
are we? What are we doing?" asked Greg. "We are not on your property
anymore," added Greg quickly. "Greg, you are my friend. Don't you
trust me?" Marsha replied. "I don't like my life. Everything goes
wrong. It is so hectic," sighed Marsha. Greg sat in silence. "You
are the only thing I live for," said Marsha in a calm quiet
voice. "You may think what I'm about to do is crazy or stupid..."
Marsha spoke in a scared yet joyful voice. "I want to join you."
said Marsha, and with that, she ran off the cliff and fell to the
rocks far below. Marsha Bloom was now a ghost.
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