[Morningstar Rising]: 113.MY BROTHER'S BED {A Halloween Story}

     I remember it well, that halloween when I was just a girl. My papa he worked from five a.m. until six p.m. He always woke me to lock the door. I had two younger brothers you see and my mama she was never well. My brother Danny he was eight, he always crawled into mama's bed when papa left to keep her company, cause mama was afraid you see, of things she did not speak.


I locked the door, padded barefoot back to the room I shared with my two brothers. My baby brother he was 3, he shared a bed with me. I found Victor sitting up on our bed, he was staring wide-eyed at our brother's bed. I did not want to look, for fear that I would see the things that mama would not speak of. Without glancing at my brother's bed, I quickly climbed into my bed and pushed my little brother over and told him, "Go to sleep".

     But being three, Victor asked me innocently "Who that Tiff", and pointed to my brother's bed.

     I looked into his eyes and there I saw his fear so clear, the fear that I had passed to him, cause he was only three. I was twelve you see much older then he and when I saw his tears start to fall down, I knew I had to look. I turned to my brother's bed and it was bathed in light. I think that I stopped breathing then, when a pair of eyes met mine. I could not feel my little brother who trembled by my side, as we were bathed in coldness when the figure rose up high.

     I could not stop myself from staring, as she glided across the floor. She was so tall and lean, dressed just like a ballerina that I saw once in a play. Her arms were long and lean, her fingers almost boney. Her nails were nicely trimmed, they were the color gold. Her hair was pulled back tightly, a bun atop her head. A halo of tiny flowers, seemed to float around her head. Her eyes were blue as a clear new sky, but I could see right through her, for her body was like smoke drifting slowly towards me.

     I quickly turned and pushed Victor down, pulled the covers over our heads and prayed that she would go away. I felt her at my back when she stopped by my bed, my hairs they stood on edge, with cold chills running through me. Poor little Victor how he trembled, he buried his head into my chest and cried "Make her go away."

     I knew that I had to be brave, cause my baby brother needed me right away. I held him tight and told him not to cry, but deep down inside I wanted to weep, but I knew that if I did my baby brother would surely freak. I spoke up in a voice that sounded strange to me, cause it did not tremble as the words poured out from me.

     "GO AWAY!!", I yelled at her, "CAN'T YOU SEE YOU'RE SCARING HIM, GO BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM, PLEASE, PLEASE GO BACK TO SLEEP." 

     As I spoke the last words, I felt the coldness leave. I peeked out from under the covers cause I needed to see. I watched her as she turned and glided across the room. I watched her stop at my brother's bed, then she turned around and looked at me. Her eyes they were so sad. Her smile was small and weak. I knew then she meant no harm, she was just as curious as me. 

     I sat up on my bed, as she laid back down on my brother's bed. She turned to face the wall, as though she were going to sleep. I watched the light that bathed her once again, slowly disappear like smoke. When it was done she too was gone, though her imprint still remained. I looked down at my baby brother and was amazed to see, that he was sound asleep. I covered him, kissed his forehead then padded across the cold tile floor.

     I stopped at the foot of my brother's bed. I reached out with trembling hands, to the space where she had laid. I felt nothing there but the cold icy air, even though I could see the indentation of a body laying there. I backed away and crawled back into my bed, but I kept my eyes on my brother's bed, afraid that she might rise again. I don't remember falling asleep, or dreaming after that. When I awoke the sun was up and my room was bathed in gold. I looked at my brother's bed, but the lady she was gone.

     I told mama what I had seen, but she only smiled at me. She told me that it must have been a dream, not to worry my head to much over it cause I probably would never dream of it again. Then she put her finger to my lips and whispered only to me. "Do not speak of things you fear, that way they will never come again to haunt your waking dreams."

     I did not understand what she meant, but mama was always right. I asked my baby brother what had he seen, but he could not recall you see. Night after night I waited for the lady to return, but to this day she never has. I will until the day I die, remember the look in her sad filled eyes. She was no dream to me. Not then! Not now! Not ever will she be! The years have flown by, I am now a woman grown. Still I think of that halloween day when I was only twelve and of the ghost lady in my brother's bed, and I wonder where is she now.


                                                              THE END