9
Raindrops speckled the windshield, so
he flipped on the wipers, then winced
in pain all the way home as they
flicked back and forth in time with the
pounding in his brain.
He barely made it home. The mi
graine he was suffering from was one
of his worst and now, as he sat smok
ing in his easy chair and staring at Sa
mantha and the strange landscape be
hind her, he was in no mood for jokes.
“Get Mike, ’’ Steve said. “The joke’s
over. ”
“He’s not here, ” Samantha replied.
“Where are you, exactly?” he
asked.
Samantha hesitated, then said,
“I’m here.”
“In my TV set, ” Steve said sarcasti
cally.
“Yes, ” she answered.
Steve winced as his head pulsed.
He’d had enough.
“Samantha you’ve given a great
performance, but I’m not buying this
and I need to get some rest, ” Steve
said as he got out of his chair. “Nice
meeting you, ” he added just before he
pulled the plug out of the wall socket.
The picture brightened slightly,
then collapsed into a small pinpoint of
light in the center of the screen. The
pinpoint slowly faded as Steve stum
bled back to his chair and sat down.
He lit another cigarette, took a deep
puff, closed his eyes and tried to rel^x.
A few seconds later, there was a
popping sound. Steve opened his
eyes and watched as the screen lit up.
He looked over at the wall socket. The
TV was still unplugged.
“I can help you, ” Samantha said.
Steve tried to get out of his chair,
but his headache had sapped his
strength. ‘Th/s has got to be a
dream. ” he thought as he tried to calm
down and collect his wits.
“I can help you,” Samantha re
peated.
She was in the same place, by the
lake with the dead trees, but now the
bright light of a setting sun was casting
deep shadows across the landscape.
“How can you help me?” Steve
asked, lost for anything else to say.
“I can get rid of your migraines for
ever,’’she replied.
Steve squinted at the screen. What
he was experiencing was too real to be
a dream, but too unreal to be really
happening. “I’m not dreaming,” he
thought, “I’m hallucinating. ”
“Do you want me to help you?”
Samantha asked.
Steve picked up the remote control
and tried to turn the set off, but that
didn’t work. Then he tried to change
the channel. Finally, he struggled to
get out of the chair to unplug the TV,
then slumped back when he remem
bered that he’d already unplugged it
His brain was tied up in painful knots,
pounding so hard that he began to
shake.
“So, do you want me to help you?”
Samantha asked again.
“If I let you help me, will you go
away?” Steve asked. He was scared
and tired and just wanted to be left
alone so he could get some sleep.
“I promise I’ll go away,” Samantha
answered.
“Well, as nice as you are,” Steve
said, “right now, I'd do just about any
thing to get rid of you. Let’s get it over
with. ”
"Believe me, ” she said with a smile,
“this will be all my pleasure. ”
Steve didn’t like the way she said
that He was trying to muster his
strength in an effort to make one last
attempt at an escape when the screen
dimmed.
He watched the picture fade, his
heart racing as he braced himself, but
nothing seemed to be happening. He
pushed himself up, then cried out as a
flash of light shot from the TV, knock
ing him back into the chair and engulf
ing him in cell of pure energy. Steve
closed his eyes against the bright light,
then blacked out as a loud ripping
sound pierced the air.
“You can open your eyes now,”
Samantha said.
Steve’s eyes opened slightly, then
quickly opened wide.
He was staring Samantha right in
the face. She smiled at him, then
asked, “How does your head feel?”
Steve barely noticed that his mi
graine was gone as he looked around
him. He gazed silently at the dark wa
ter and dead trees, unable to believe
he was there. He pinched himself.
“You’re not dreaming,” Samantha
said with a chuckle.
Steve turned his head back to her.
“How?” he asked.
“I don’t know,exactly,” she an
swered. “You kind of just get this
power after you’ve been here awhile,
then you go from there. ”
“What do you mean you don’t
know exactly!” Steve yelled. “I’m not
going to be here awhile! You’re going
to get me out,” he said, reaching to
grab Samantha’s arm.
His hand came up empty. He tried
again and watched as his hand drifted
right through her.
Samantha’s eyes twinkled as she
began to hum the theme song to
“Casper the Friendly Ghost. ”
“I never can remember the words
to that song, can you?” she asked.
“Listen, I’ll do anything, just get me
out of here. ” Steve said.
“I can’t help you now,” Samantha
said, “but I will be able to help you
soon,” she continued as she began to
walk into the black water of the lake.
“Where are you going?” Steve
asked, panicking at the thought of be
ing left alone with no way to get out of
the strange landscape and back into
his living room.
“I’m going to the other side, ” Sa
mantha answered. She was waist-
deep in the dark water and sinking fast
as she made her way further into the
lake.
“Wait!” Steve shouted, but she
continued walking. He clenched his
teeth, then stepped into the water. Sa
mantha stopped and turned back to
See “Ghost,” page 12