Page 100 of Ghost of a Chance
“Let me go and grab it.I put it upstairs hoping we could have a quiet evening,” Jasper said.
Dan was in the hallway with a can of beer, looking relaxed.“What’s up?”
“I’m bringing the book down for my mom.”
Jasper left him to it and continued upstairs to his bedroom but the book wasn’t where he’d left it.Frustrated at first then sort of relieved—maybe the book had left the house.Lights flickered on and off in Kirsty’s room and he went up the stairs to the attic room.
The book was on the floor in front of the dormer window where Kirsty had done her last séance with it.
“Trying to communicate with her again?”he asked it as he picked it up.
The lights flickered.But that was it.Back downstairs he heard his mom and Kirsty laughing.Staying in the hallway he listened to the two of them.It was a nice sound.He figured his mom would like Kirsty, she liked everyone, but Kirsty was so reserved and usually kept everyone at arm’s length.
Turning the corner he entered the room.
“Surprise!”
His mom had a large chocolate cake with the wordsHappy 26th Birthday, Jazon it.Lit candles were burning and as he entered the room they all started singing “Happy Birthday.”
He put the book on the coffee table, smiling.His family had always been small and he’d kept his circle of friends even tighter until this autumn in Burlington.Dan and Gia had become friends and Kirsty had become his girlfriend.Someone he loved.
“Make a wish,” his mom said.
“Wish that we find out the identity of our ghost already,” Kirsty said sardonically.
Winking at her, he said, “Let me find out who it is, please.”
Then he blew the candles out on the cake.They were all extinguished.As bits of smoke lingered, each candle suddenly reignited.
“Mom…really?Relighters?”
“That’s not me.These are the cheap ones,” she said.
Dan’s eyes were wide.“Yeah, there’s crazy energy around your cake.”
Everyone stared at it and Jasper had no idea what to do next.
“Blow them out again,” Kirsty said.
He did and this time they stayed out.Everyone looked uncomfortable.Jasper had no idea how to fix that.
“What was that?”
“The ghost.Jasper’s textbook ghost,” Kirsty said.
“Did you get the book?”
“Yeah, here it is,” he handed it to his mom.
She sank down on the couch, holding it on her lap.Her hands began to shake as she flipped it open, landing on the page with the sketch of the tree.“Where did you get this?”
“I told you it follows me.Why are you asking?”
Tears began to form in his mom’s eyes.“It was your dad’s.Your dad got an old physics book from a professor who was staying at the hotel.He promised it would be a good basis for your dad to use for his research.High school physics isn’t as in-depth as the college level.”
* * *
Everyone stared at Tina in disbelief.
