For starters,
we each ask an easy one,
or a silly one,
just for fun.
“Will I pass
science class?”
“Does Principal Flayer
have his real hair?”
You wiggle.
You giggle.
“Will the math exam be hard?”
“Is there gold in our backyard?”
“What’s for dinner? Come on, tell!”
“Why does Joshie always smell?”
Josh says, “Hey!”
It’s fun. It’s play.
Then the lights go out.
You jump. You shout.
In the darkness, someone—who?—
whispers, “Spirit, tell us true!
Go on, tell us, don’t you lie,
who of us will be first to die?”
You freeze in place—you’re scared to death.
It starts to move—you hold your breath—