Kisses from the Grave - Chapter Three (standard:Ghost stories, 1059 words) [3/8] show all parts
Author: kissofthehungry	Added: Jan 16 2005	Views/Reads: 2751/2104	Part vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
In the shadowy halls of his new home, Mark cannot be sure what his eyes see or his ears hear.

For the first time in what felt like forever, they had a pleasant
dinner.  His father actually complimented him on his aid throughtout 
the day.  Kind words, it didn't seem possible and his mother and he 
joked.  Moving out here did seem to be making things easier to handle. 

After dinner, he did dishes and feltlike skipping to his room.  He
hadn't felt this good in ages then Benny danced into his mind and his 
happiness rocketed down in a heartbeat.  Benny would have told him to 
not ever let go of Desiree, but he was gone.  His life shattered and 
Mark would never be able to forget that. 

His mom and dad went to bed and he was left alone in the kitchen,
washing and drying the dishes.  Suddenly, the hairs on his neck 
prickled as a breeze out of nowhere, crept over him.  Then he heard 
what sounded like a girl's soft moan and he froze, his breath captured 
in his throat.  There was nothing but silence and the breeze had died 
but the hairs on his neck were still standing on end. 

Swallowing, he continued to do dishes when he heard mournful dog howling
somewhere outside.  It was timed so perfect that he jumped and dropped 
to the glass he was holding, shattering it in the sink.  Laughing at 
himself for being so jumpy he began to pick up the pieces.  Then in the 
reflection of one of the chunks, he saw a blur of movement behind him.  
Quickly he spun around, his heart pounding furiously in his chest.  
Nothing was there but he felt someone, or something there.  There was 
electricity crackling in the air and fear blossomed in his body with 
lightening speed.  Then in an instant, it was over.  Whatever had been 
with him was gone. 

Giggling nervously, surely he'd imagined that, he returned to picking up
pieces of glass.  Quickly he finished the dishes, eager to get to his 
room and out of the kitchen, away from whatever was formed from his 
mind.  The stairway was dark but when he reached the top, the hallway 
was darker. 

Trying to ignore the chills that ran up and down his back, he held his
head high and began to walk down the hall.  The hairs on his neck were 
standing up again but he desperately tried not to feel it.  In his 
mind, he pictured Desiree like a goddess stepping out of the marsh, 
felt her lips on his, and for the moment it worked.  He made it to his 
room without any incident and was able to breathe easier.  There was no 
way he was telling anyone about the creeps he had, they would laugh at 
him.  Especially since he hadn't actually seen anything or really heard 
anything, it was all in his head. 

With that in mind, he settled into bed but drifted off to sleep thinking
of the young beauty he had met.  She made him feel good and feel alive 
again, like there was a chance for something better in the world. 

For the first time in a month, he didn't dream about cars crumpling like
soda cans and didn't hear the dying groans of a dear friend.  Rather, 
it started out much more pleasant. 

He stood on the tire swing, rocking back and forth when he saw the
grasses part and Desiree step out, a smile already on her lips.  Poka 
was panting at her side, looking happily up at him with his tongue 
sitting lazily out the side.  Open armed, she walked towards him, her 
eyes twinkling. 

A cloud floated over the sun casting a bluish gray shadow over the land
and her blue eyes suddenly filled with fear and sadness.  Mark wanted 
to run over and hold her, give her the comfort that she had wilingly 
given him but he couldn't get down from the swing.  Crying softly, she 
turned towards the marsh and watched as the grasses parted again. 

Mark watched, curious as to what else was going to come from the
wetlands.  However, he almost fell off the swing when Desiree emerged 
again.  Yet it wasn't Desiree, at least not as he had seen her.  Her 
beautiful hair was tangled in knots, mud and leaves decorating it.  Her 
face was bleached of color, her eyes a translucent blue, and dirt 
smeared her beautiful features.  Her dress was stained and torn, but 
there were more stains than just mud.  It looked like blood. 

"Follow me," she asked and he nodded his head, stunned by this turn of
events.  Nodding her head, she walked towards the house and he tried to 


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