Page 99 Blogfest
January 28, 2011
The Page 99 Blogfest is hosted by Holly at Super Mom Writes where today writers share the 99th page of their WIP novel. My novel - I still haven't come up with a decent title for it - is a MG/young YA story about a boy named Chris who struggles to come to terms with his ability to communicate with ghosts. Among other things. Yeah, I really have no idea where I'm going with this, so just bear with me! Oh, and by the way, I've removed certain names and pronouns so as to not give away too much of what happens in the story. Enjoy!
A light tap-tap-tap at my window pulled me away from my jumbled thoughts. I crawled out of bed and went over to see Mitzie's face peering in at me between her cupped hands. I unlocked the window and pushed it up, stepping aside to let her come in.
"It's late," I said, closing the window against the bitter cold.
"I know," she said apologetically. "But I'm just SO excited about what we did today! What you did, I mean. Helping [the ghost] find [the thing he was looking for]? That was amazing! I can't stop thinking about it."
In spite of myself, I had to smile. Her enthusiasm was contagious and, I realized, very much needed.
"I know," I said. "Me, too. Kinda.”
I went back to my bed and crawled into it, shivering, and propped my back against the wall. Mitzie hopped up and sat Indian-style at the foot of my bed.
"I still can't believe you can actually see and talk to ghosts! I try and try and try and can't get anything! Not a whisper!"
I thought right then about telling her everything: How I came to have this ability, whether I wanted it or not. How everywhere I looked there were people claiming to be psychics or mediums who could communicate with spirits. How they would go to peoples’ homes and hold séances with candles and Ouija boards to contact dead relatives. I watched shows about these people on TV, thinking I was going to see someone like me, someone who could really see and communicate with ghosts, just so I could feel some connection with someone, like I’m not the only freak out there. But they were all just scams. Just some old woman pretending to be “possessed” by the spirit of someone’s loved one to get some cash out of a sad family, or “sensing” the presence of a missing person in a vacant lot or garbage dump to gain notoriety with the police and be interviewed on the local news. I could tell they were lying though. Because I could see the ghosts, right there on the TV screen, standing right beside them, and the mediums and psychics were ignoring them completely.
But I just couldn't tell her any of this. Not yet. It was still too painful to ... to go back to that night, when it all began. I can still smell the smoke and feel the heat of the flames …
"Hey, Chris? Hello? Earth to Chris! Come in, Chris!"
I jumped at the sound of Mitzie's voice. I was so caught up in my memories I had forgotten she was there.
“Wow, you were really spacing out!”
“Yeah,” I said. “Sorry!”