Ghost House Story

Prompt: Write about someone’s first Halloween as a ghost (from here)

I looked around, confused. Where was I? Who was I? I had no memory of my past. Did I even exist before now?

I was in some sort of house, and it was dark and kind of spooky. All around me were blocks, some made of wood, others of stone, still others some sort of yellow plastic, all of them somehow floating above what seemed like an endless void. Is this what I was? A block, like all these blocks around me? Somehow I thought that was true, although I didn't know where that knowledge came from. I looked down at my… hands? I had hands? They were white and kind of transparent.

Eek! A g-g-g-g-ghost?!?

I floated upwards… I could float! I floated forwards, phasing through some of the blocks. Where should I go? What should I do?

Just then I heard a doorbell sound. I floated towards where the sound was coming from and found a door. The doorbell rang again, multiple times, and I heard some kids' voices from outside of it saying "Trick or treat!" I looked down and saw a bowl of candy. Right… Halloween… how did I know about that? I tried opening the door, but my hand just went through the knob. Oh no! I can't give them any candy without any hands!

I floated through the door. From there I could see more clearly that there were four kids, all wearing sheets so they looked like… me!

"Sorry, I can't seem to open the door, but it's unlocked and you can get some candy", I said, but they all just stood there, not seeming to notice me.

"Boo!" I said. Still no reaction.

"Boo?" I said again, this time more hesitantly. Still nothing.

I went back inside. They… they can't see me. They like me enough to dress up as me, but I can't… I can't show me liking them back, I can't give them candy, I can't…

I started to cry.

As I was crying, a creature wearing blue robes and a matching blue wizard's hat materialized in front of me.

"What's wrong?" said the creature.

"Huh? You can see me?" I said.

"Yeah. I'm a wizard. And also, I'm the one who created you."

"Created me? How?"

"With this spell I have that turns blocks into enemies."

Ah, so that's why I thought I was a block. Wait a minute— "Enemies?!?! Whose enemy am I supposed to be?! I don't want to be anyone's enemy!"

"Mostly this one plumber named Mario. If you touch him, then you'll hurt—"

"What?! No! I don't want to hurt people! I want to give them candy! I just… I wish I were still a block."

"If you're a block, then you won't be able to give people candy either."

"Then… then I wish I were a real boy…" Wait. Something felt wrong about that. "No. Wait. Girl. I wish I were a real girl."

"Oh, okay, fine", said the wizard, and he waved a wand and some sparkling PlayStation buttons started swirling around me. I felt… something. Something weird. I felt various parts of my body morphing in different ways, and somehow… felt… more real. Like now I was here, and before I wasn't. I looked at my hands again, and they were normal non-ghostly human hands.

I opened the door again, but the kids were already going away. "Boo!" I said. The kids turned around and looked back towards the door. I held out the candy bowl, and each of the kids took a piece.

"Thank-a you so much-a!" one of them said, in an accent that resembled an Italian accent.

"You're welcome!" I said back, and I lived happily ever after. The end.

Author commentary