The dark voice grew louder. “Come.”
My lip quivered. I pointed to the hole that continued to widen in his sleeve and reveal some other world inside of it. “Go in there?”
“Yes.”
I shook my head.
He pointed his other finger at me. This one was white, instead of black.
“You will come.” He flicked the white finger.
A threatening chill cut through me. My knees grew weak.
I crashed to the ground. “No. What’s happening?”
Invisible cold hands grabbed at me, inciting prickly sensations on my skin. I screamed. It felt like thirty hands snatching at my body and yanking me forward. I reached out for thin air, trying to move away. They pulled me toward the opening.
“No!” With no control, I moved in the direction of the black robe. “I’m not going in there!”
“Come.”
“No!”
The world went dark.Chapter 19
Blue ChristmasWithin the ghost’s robe, darkness clogged my throat and blinded me. I heard nothing. Cold wind flickered along my skin. And there was this blackness all over—within me, around me, spilling into my pores, and gnawing at my soul. It was as though it would take my life. I fought to stay in control but all I could do was scream.
And then it all stopped.
I lay on something.
Where am I?
I opened my eyes and took in the scene around me. Moonlight reflected off the snow in a silvery glow. Where it didn’t glow, shadows surrounded. And they were odd, moving and forming into odd shapes. Wind twisted through the skeletal treetops, bare of leaves and dripping with sharp icicles. Still, I didn’t feel cold. Yet, I hugged myself and looked down at my clothes. I no longer wore the maid of honor gown. I now had on those damn white pajamas.
Why did that happen? What are the rules to this place?
I unfolded my arms and rose from the ground.
Where is that creepy ghost?
The huge shape crept out of the darkness. “I-v-y.”
“Yes. Yes. I’m here.” I hugged myself again and stepped back. While the other ghosts were enchanting and calming, this one provided no comfort. All of my senses screamed that something horrible would happen to me.
There it stood, towering over me. That dark robe swayed back and forth and yet there was no wind. I waited, but he didn’t move toward me.
I studied the creepy being. “So. . .you dated my mother?”
No words came.
This must’ve been right after she died. Surely she would have been in a depressed mood. I mean. . .what really could be under that robe besides things that would bring nightmares.
He lifted the other arm.
I edged back.
The white hand pushed out from the sleeve.
He has two different colored hands? Why? What’s going on?
With his white hand, he pointed in my direction.
I touched my chest. “What?”
“G-O!”
I jumped. “Go where?”
He continued to point.
I looked over my shoulder. Shock hit me. A massive black mansion loomed in front. Or maybe it was more of a modern-looking castle that one would find in a fairytale. But this would be where the evil witch lived. It towered over the gloomy property with high peaks pointed like the jagged teeth of a monster.
The dark voice sounded behind me. “G-O!”
“Okay. Okay.” I hurried forward. And something odd happened. Each step was several feet of a glide. I seemed to move in a floating blur along the snow. And the being was at my side, keeping the strange pace.
I let out a shaken breath. “As I was saying before. I-I’ve already learned my lesson. Thank you. I can wake up now.”
We continued forward.
When the front of the mansion appeared, I stopped at the door. It was made of metal as if the owner feared a mob of enemies would come and break it down. At the center of the thick metal door was an ornate knocker carved into the shape of an elephant’s face, reminding me of my grandmother’s love for the animal.
“Whose place is this?” I looked at the dark ghost. “Do I knock or—”
He simply walked through the door.
“O-kay.” I slipped through the door too. It felt like sliding by a heavy sheet hanging in the doorway. Something was there, yet it also was not.
We entered a dimly lit foyer. Silence thickened the air. A large winding staircase stood before us. It was a grand one, rising several feet in front. It consisted of slabs of black marble. That same black marble also served as the foyer’s floor and walls.
“What are we doing here?” I didn’t know which was creepier, the being who brought me here or the mansion. I almost wondered if a monster would jump out.
Footsteps echoed on the stone floor. I looked in that direction. An old woman walked forward, holding a silver tray of food. Wrinkles covered her face. A delicate bun topped her head. She wore a red and black dress. She looked so familiar but I couldn’t figure out who she could be.