My name is Luca Rosaria. I am 12 years old. Ever since I've stumbled upon a storybook of spooky stories, I've wanted to see a ghost. My mom, Harley, doesn't believe in them, but I'm sure they're real. It's been the one thing I've yet to quickly get so bored about throughout my life.
And tonight...I think I'll be able to see one. A friend of mine, Tess, told me of an abandoned shack that smelled bad - and my other pal, Jake, had stumbled upon a book containing a "ritual", a way to meet them. I hope someone answers from the "other side" as I've heard it called! I have yet to feel so excited before now!
"Tess, blindfold me."
"On it, Stranger!" Tess, with her bucket hat and chipper attitude, confidently tied my eyes shut with the cloth instructed in the book we found.
"Jake, can you tell me what the next step is?"
Jake, bareheaded and nervous, answered me. "O-okay, so, you gotta pick up the salt and knife in one hand each-"
Confidently, I pick up a fistful of salt, and the knife I borrowed from home before Jake finished what he said.
"What's next?"
"Slow down a little, hold on..." I heard what I assume to be Jake flipping pages, right as Tess interfered with him and told him "Hey, hurry up, slowpoke!"
"Alright, alright, fine! It says to knock three times and say "Is anyone there?" Three times...over." Jake answered slowly.
"What, you knock thrice and say it once, or knock nince and say it thrice!?" Tess impatiently rattled back, while I unquestioningly followed the instruction Jake read out, upon the front door of the old shack we three stood in front of.
"What the heck does "nince" mean, Tess-"
"Is anyone there?" I knock and ask.
"Nine times? Like how "thrice" is three, slowpoke?"
"Is anyone there?" I knock and ask again, unbothered by the banter my two friends are having right now.
"Have you at least read a dictionary yet? I thought you liked reading books, Tess! Come on!"
"Is anyone there?" I knock and ask, one more time, because for me, there's more important things right now than keeping my friends calm.
"Hey, have you read one before, huh? Do you even know what comes after "thrice"-"
And finally, the door creaked open.
"..."
"...oh no, I'm not ready to see a ghost yet! I'm scared!"
"Jake, don't worry. Just stay out if you don't like it."
I remembered what to do now that the door has opened.
And so I take the blindfold off, ready to witness a ghost with my own eyes.
"Hello?" I ask and wait.
"..."
"...the...the-"
"Shhh!" Tess shushed Jake while they were both behind me.
"Hello?" I ask again, feeling impatient.
"...maybe the...the ghost isn't real?" I heard Jake mutter quietly behind me.
"We can't be...sure of that, Jake. The ghost probably hasn't shown themself yet." I reflexively answer without even looking back, checking how many minutes have passed since 1 AM briefly on my watch...
...which is making me feel immensely tired, all of a sudden.
"Hel...hel..."
"HELL?" Tess yelped, mistakenly assuming that was what I said...or...was it? I couldn't tell.
"WHAT!?" Was all I heard from Jake, given that I'm starting to feel way too sleepy to keep looking for any ghosts inside this shack.
I...think...
"...hell...o?..."
I need to rest.
"...Luca? Did the ghost show up?"
"Oh my gosh, Tess! Luca fell onto the ground!"
"Oh what the heck!? Come on, idiot! Don't do that in the middle of this ritual! Ugh!"
...
I feel like I'm laying down, from the feeling of dirt in front of me. On my hands, face, and...legs?
...wait, hold on a second, something's not right. I guess I gotta get up, somehow.
...this is...this is the same old shack I reside in. So...it seems that not much has happened.
Sighing, I feel myself around for anything that had happened...and...
Hold on, this is...uh...what is this again?
It feels warm...solid...and bouncy, huh? Oh, right, I remember! It's a body!
...
Wait, what the hell? Whose body am I in? I'll feel around and look around this body. Hopefully whoever was here before has answers for me-
"Hey, Stranger! Hellooooooo!"
"Luca, can you answer us? Uh...are you alright?"
"M-My name's...not...Luca?"
"OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD OH MY GOD YOU'RE POSSESSED!"
"WHAT!? TESS!? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN!?"
Oh crap, that was a big mistake! I should've asked who was that "Luca" guy instead! Crap!
"Uhm-" cough "Wh-who's...who's Luca..."
Geez, why does this body's throat hurt when I try to speak? Have I forgotten how to talk or something? That's gotta be nonsense! I talk to my friends a lot! Okay, I mean a bit, but whatever.
"SILENCE, YOU FREAK!"
What!? Why did that girl taped up my mouth! Argh! I can't talk! Please, just give me answers! Who's "Luca"?
"Hey, can you find anything in that book that can I dunno...exorcise the ghost from him?"
"Hold on a second, Tess - What's an exorcism?"
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN "WHAT'S AN EXORCISM"!? HOW HAVE YOU NOT HEARD IT YOUR WHOLE LIFE!?"
Oh, she's yelling at him. That doesn't sound nice of her. I'm gonna take off the tape she put over my mouth and see if I can help him.
"-I'm trying, okay! Whoever wrote this book about ghosts probably wrote something about how to take one out of someone, right? Please be patient, Tess!"
"Okay maybe patience can wait for a second, because HE'S BACK WITH A KNIFE!!!"
"OH GOSH, WHAT!? THAT'S FROM LUCA'S RITUAL, RIGHT?"
"G-guys...calm...down..."
I put my hands up to show them that I just want to know them, only to suddenly notice a knife right at my hand.
"WH-WHAT'S WITH THIS...KNIFE!?" I screamed out as I let go of the knife that apparently was still in this body's grip all this time.
"SILENCE AND BEGONE, YOU GHOST!"
What is she screaming this time?-
"Wh-why did you knock him out?"
"Welllll, you couldn't find the exorcism method fast enough, did you!? Frickin' slowpoke!"
"Well, I probably could've found it, if maybe, you didn't rush me with yelling for like...every other time."
"Eh, whatever. We gotta go home now. I'm not meeting a ghost like THIS if I were him! Let's take him back too."
"Haaaah, fine..."
...hello?
Uhm, are you awake?
Oh, damn it, you're not.
If you were awake, I'd want to say sorry for causing the mess that got you knocked out.
I'd really like to meet you again.
So for now, If this is your name, then...
Goodbye, Luca.
