Page 16 of The Neighborhood Ghost

A screech howled through the living room. Alice lowered her arms to see a shadowy figure flying toward her. A figure with a head, arms, and a torso, but vaporous trails following behind. Itseyes glowed yellow and mouth gaped open. Its body was a swirl of dark shadows.

“It’s a wraith!” Alice shouted as she stumbled backward, tripping over Max. She fell to the floor with a thud and dropped the book. It slid across the hardwood flooring.

Max took off in a frenzy to escape the ghostly figure racing toward them. Her paws slipped on the hardwood floor, and she tumbled to the ground as her legs sprawled out. She bounded back up and took off into the hallway.

Guinevere confronted the charging apparition, flying headfirst to meet the phantom like a jousting knight. It flew right through the spirit. Guinevere turned around and charged once again, unable to impede its progress. The wraith followed Max, screeching and wailing.

Alice flipped over and leaped to her feet. With a flick of her hand, she called forth a purple ball of arcane energy. She pursued the duo into the hallway.

Max was at a near sprint down the hall, but she slammed into the front door as she turned back to the living room. The wraith closed in, clawing at the dog and screeching as it flew nearby. Max regained her footing and took off for the safety of the living room, narrowly dodging the spectral attack.

The wraith slammed into the door, momentarily stunned. Alice furled her eyebrows, curious as to why it couldn’t pass through the door.The protection spell. The house protection spell prevented the ghost from leaving the house.

“Hey, you,” Alice yelled. “Chase me.”

She threw the purple arcane ball of energy, hitting the spirit in its torso. It shrieked in anger and turned its attention toward Alice.

Guinevere flew in from the living room and right through the ghost as it attempted to strike the spirit. Gwennie slammed into the stairway wall, momentarily stunning the broomstick.

The shadowy wraith charged at Alice, with its claw-like finger out and ready to strike. Alice’s eyes widened at the approaching spirit, unsure if it would pass through her or slash at her. She gulped. She breathed in and readied the flame to strike as it closed in.

Max ran back into the hallway behind Alice. She whined at the charging wraith. Max stopped, digging her feet into the flooring only to slide into the hallway. Her legs slid along the smooth surface before she steadied herself and bolted back into the living room. The wraith banked to the right and passed through the wall.

“Shit!” Alice yelled. She hurried into the living room.

Max ran out and headed for the stairs with the wraith closing in behind. Guinevere flew into the living room, striking and passing through the wraith yet again.

“Max, stop it!” Alice yelled as she sprinted through the living room. “It’s keying off your fear. Calm down, girl.”

Max bolted up the stairs with the wraith close behind. Alice tried to keep up, but the golden retriever was a pro at stair climbing. She reached the top and leaped into the bedroom as Alice reached the bottom of the steps. The wraith followed the golden retriever.

Alice scurried up the stairs, her legs straining with every step. Dog barks came from the bedroom.

“Max,” Alice shouted. “Come back here, girl.”

The shrieks of the wraith echoed off the stairway walls. Guinevere flew like a flash past Alice, barrel-rolling as it darted into the bedroom.

“What the hell is that thing?” Alice’s reflection screamed. “Get up here, now!”

“Max!” Alice yelled, catching her breath as she reached the top. A purple arcane ball formed in her hand.

She lunged into the bedroom to see the wraith circling around the canopy bed. Max hid underneath, crying and whimpering. Guinevere poked at the ghastly image like a dashing swashbuckler with no results. The wraith charged at the bed, but it was met by an unseen force. It bounced off, unable to proceed. It flew into the bathroom.

“What is it?” Alice’s reflection cried out. “Get it! Get it, get it, get it!”

The wraith charged the canopy once more. Guinevere passed yet again through its temporal body. The wraith dove for Max, but it was stopped again by the unseen force. A spell, carved into the canopy posts, protected the occupants from any sort of magical or spectral attack. Luckily, Max’s first instinct was to hide under the bed.

The wraith flailed wildly, screeching into the night. It flew into the boarded-up window, but it was met with the same unseen force as downstairs, contained by the defenses protecting the exterior of the house.

It turned around to face Alice. The wraith snarled, narrowing its yellowish eyes. Its black, cloudy body grew darker as the shadows swirled in its body. The wraith’s lengthy arms outstretched, its clawed points splayed out at the ready.

“Come get me,” Alice taunted it. “Come on. Get me.”

The wraith charged Alice, claws pulled back and ready to strike, with a ghastly shriek.

Alice produced a purple arcane ball and flung it at the ghost. It slammed into its torso, and the arcane ball evaporated in a purplish explosion. The wraith reared back in pain. Alice, in a twisting dance, pelted the phantom with two more arcane balls.

The wraith faded; its shadowy appearance became translucent. As Alice pelted it with her arcane energy, the wraith became lethargic and stunned.

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