FanStory.com - Was It A Joke?by Begin Again

Ten-year-old Taylor settled on the bed as she prepared herself for her little brother's nightly story time. It was something she'd done every night since she'd learned to read. The fun had worn off lately because she'd rather be on the phone with her friends. That's the reason her best friend, Carrie, and she had devised a plan to add some fun to tonight's story.

As Taylor reached for the book, she thought she heard a faint creak from the hallway. She paused, but after a moment of silence, she shrugged it off and began to read the ghost story, adding sound effects as she read.

As the story ended, Carrie, hidden in the closet, loosened a string, and a ghostly figure dropped from the ceiling. Her muffled laughter added the perfect spooky sound effects.

Already shaken by the story, Dylan's eyes bulged when he saw the ghost. He scrambled under the covers, screaming for Taylor to make it go away. At first, Taylor laughed, proud that the ghostly figure looked so real, looming in the dark. But Dylan's reaction gave her second thoughts.

"Dylan, just breathe. There's nothing there."

His cries echoed in her ears, and she felt a pang of guilt. Maybe she'd taken it too far this time. Pranks were supposed to be fun, but this didn't feel fun anymore. She'd have to make it up to him tomorrow.

A set of brown eyes peered from beneath the covers. "It was right there!" His voice was still trembling with fear.

She stood and kicked the doll under the bed, removing any trace of a ghost. "Come out from under the covers, Dylan. Whatever you thought you saw is gone." She patted his shoulder and tried to reassure him.

He cautiously poked his head out from under his blankets, scanning the room with wide-eyed fear. A wave of relief washed over him, and he let out a shaky sigh. Turning to his sister, he started to relax. He even attempted a laugh. "Your story kind of scared me, I guess."

Feeling guilty at the trick she'd played on him, she moved closer and gave him a hug. "You know ghosts aren't real, don't you? They're just something people have made up to scare other people."

Dylan looked at his sister. "So, there's no such thing as a ghost?"

"No, they're pretend." She was about to let him in on the joke and let Carrie out of the closet when Dylan's hand shot forward.

"Then, what's that?" Dylan whispered, pointing at the foot of the bed.

Taylor turned her head and froze. Her heart pounded against her chest. She gulped as she saw someone standing near the doorway. Suddenly, the room felt cold, and shadows stretched across the bedroom floor. A tree branch scraped against the window, sending a chill down her spine.

A ghastly face leered at her twisted in a grotesque expression of malice. Its eyes seemed to glow in the darkness, sending another wave of chills down Taylor's spine. She let out a blood-curdling scream. The sound echoed through the room.

Her brother's eyes widened in terror as he saw the horrifying figure that had appeared behind his sister. He scrambled away, pushing himself against the headboard of the bed. The ghostly presence loomed over Taylor. Her breath caught in her throat as the ghost's eyes locked onto hers.

"Wha — what do you want?" she stammered, her voice shaking with fear. The ghostly figure just grinned, its twisted mouth gaping open in a silent scream. It raised a hand, reaching out towards her.

With a sudden burst of energy, Taylor leaped up from the bed, pulling her brother with her. They sprinted out of the room, their hearts pounding in their chests. As they raced down the hallway, a figure seemed to follow them. A trembling Carrie had been close behind.

They finally reached the safety of the living room, where their parents were watching TV. Gasping for breath, Taylor tried to explain what had happened, but her words came out as panicked gibberish. Her brother clung to her side, his eyes wide with terror. Carrie ran toward the door, yelling, "Goodbye!"

Their parents exchanged worried glances, sensing the genuine fear in their children's voices. They quickly rushed to check the room, but there was nothing there. No ghost, no doll, nothing out of the ordinary.

Outside Taylor's bedroom window, on the rooftop, the moon dimly lit a figure. It was an eerie sight to behold.

Carrie's older brother slipped out of the costume, satisfied he'd taught his sister and Taylor a lesson they'd not soon forget. He climbed off the roof and stopped. He'd thought he'd heard someone. He shrugged, muttering, "Now I'm scaring myself."

The trees along the path swayed ominously in the wind, their branches casting long, twisted shadows across the ground. As he neared his house, the sound of his own hurried footsteps and a shadow made him turn and look behind him. He couldn't shake the feeling that someone — or something — was watching him from the darkness.

As he slammed the door behind him, the house suddenly felt too quiet. In the silence, he swore he heard a soft, distant laugh — one that didn't belong to him.

At the back of the house, Carrie crawled through the window and into her bed.