Sam and I met at the sailing club again the next day. We finished off clearing the boat and by the end, Sam said it looked as good as new. We went into the coffee bar and ordered two cokes and sat down. The door flung open suddenly and in came two boys of about thirteen or fourteen dressed in sailing gear.
“Hi Sam.”
“Oh hi Pete. Hi Matt. This is Florence she’s staying at Apple Jack’s Cottage.”
“Hi,” they both said to me. I could feel my face getting hot and red. I smiled back too embarrassed to speak.
“You staying there for long?” asked Matt slumping into the chair.
“Just two weeks,” I mumbled.
“Seen any ghosts yet?”
“Pardon?”
“You must have heard. That place is haunted. People always say they’ve been funny ‘going ons’ there.”
“What sort of funny ‘going ons’?” asked Sam.
“You know, the sort of things,” answered Pete, “ghostly figures walking pass the window and in the garden in the moonlight.”
“Flo, you thought you’d heard funny noises, didn’t you?” said Sam.
“Yes, but it was only the old house noises. There are no ghosts there. Ghosts aren’t real anyway.” My face was burning and I knew my face must be red like a lobster now. In front of boys and Sam too. I felt so stupid and babyish.
“Got you,” the boys and Sam burst out laughing. I had fallen for their stupid joke and rather than laugh along with them, I hung my head in shame and wished I could run away.
The boys got up and left.
“Flo, don’t you know any boys?”
“No, it’s all girls at my school. I feel so stupid. They must think I’m a real dork.”
“Don’t worry; they think everyone’s a dork except them. They’re Ok really. Just boys. My mum says boys are a completely different species. I fancy Matt which one do you fancy?”
I’d never even thought about boys in that way. The only boy I ever really took any notice of was Dave who was in a band called ‘Scoop’ up to that point, so I didn’t know what to say.
“Go on, which one Flo?”
“I don’t know,” I said totally embarrassed.
“Well, which one would you like to go out with?” asked Sam, with even more determination.
“Go out with? You’re joking. My Mum would have a heart attack,” I replied.
“No she wouldn’t, bet you? She’d probably be pleased that boys fancy you.”
“I doubt that. She still thinks I’m about four. I ‘spose I prefer Pete but he wouldn’t even notice me or possibly like me. Who’d fancy me with red hair and freckles?”
“Flo, you’re gorgeous. Like that model what’s her name? Only difference she’s about two feet taller.”
“Do you mean Lolly Middleham? I’m not remotely like her Sam.”
“You just don’t realise how pretty you are Flo.”
Later on, I sat in my room looking at myself in the mirror. I tried to untangle my hair. Lolly Middleham, what a joke! I pouted and made a model face. Nope, I couldn’t see any resemblance at all. But I did feel chuffed that Sam thought I was pretty. Apart from Aunty M and granny (and they didn’t count because they would say things like that), no-one had ever told me I was pretty.
Behind me in the mirror, I saw the picture on the wall shift. Then the duvet and pillow started to ripple. Suddenly, the room became icy cold. I turned around. The ghost was there. She was glaring at me. She was clear and unmistakeable. It was like looking at me. The only difference was that she was pale and white, almost shiny. A glowing aura surrounded her. I froze. Petrified, I fell to the floor and covered my head in my arms.
“Get up, get up,” she whispered at me.
“No, no leave me alone. Leave me alone. I can’t bear this. I can’t bear this. Please leave me alone. Why are you here? Why do you keep letting me see you? I don’t want you. I want you to go away and leave me alone. I feel like I’m going mad.”
“You’re not. Get up. Get up now. I need you.”
“No, no. Leave me alone. Go away and never come back. I can’t help you,” I said desperately.
“You can and you are the only one who can. I won’t hurt you. I can’t. I just need you to help me.”
I unfolded my arms from my head and looked up. Tears were streaming down my face and my nose was running and I had to keep sniffing. God, mum would go mad if she could see me now. I looked up. The ghost was smiling at me now.
“Hello, Florence. I need your help. Will you help me?”
“How can I possibly help you? You’re a ghost. Who are you? Please leave me alone. Can’t you see that I am really scared? I am terrified of you.”
“I know you are. I can see that, but I want you to help me rest in peace,” said the ghost.
“How can I possibly help you? How could I help you ‘rest in peace’?”
“But you are the only one. Don’t say no, not ever. You’re all I’ve got.”
And with that, she faded away.