| Chapter 4 *I couldn�t believe this! The toilet was flooding with this oozy thick brown liquid and it smelt horrible! Oh my gawd it was horrible! This is so nasty! �Damnit. Freaking toilet! DAMNIT!� I yelled. But out in the other room I felt as if I could hear laughter. As if someone had purposely plugged the toilet waiting for someone to come along. This was so gross! Then I knew that I wasn�t hearing things. There was someone laughing at me. I stood with my flares soaked in the oozy brown gunk and ran into my room. There was no one, yet I could hear someone. This was getting a little frustrating. I know there�s someone here. �WHOEVER YOU ARE COULD YOU PLEASE LEAVE MY PLUMBING ALONE?� I yelled, apparently at nothing. The laughter-stopped right then. I waited a few seconds� turning my back I began to walk forward when it started again. The laughter seemed to be following me. It took all day to clean the mess that I made on the floor. It was horrible, and I was way too embarrassed to ask for help from my neighbors. After that I went to the drug store and bought a load of Lysol. However it seemed where ever I went bad luck followed. In the store right in the middle of an aisle I was trying to figure out what the freaking bottle was telling me, when all of the laundry detergent fell off it�s shelves and poured everywhere. I went to the grocery store and bought a few necessities when all the cash registers started going haywire and the collection of jelly jars fell at my feet. It was a conspiracy I tell you! Finally getting home I was exhausted yet again. I plopped down on my mattress as soon as I came to my room. I felt smelly and clean at the same time, I felt like I was going to vomit but not� what was going on? Were the stories true? NO! I refuse to believe them. �I can�t do this. I need to clean myself.� Standing I walked to my now �fixed and clean� bathroom. *I had so much fun today. I couldn�t believe I�d never thought of it before! It was fantastic! If only I could push rewind and do it all over again. But as she lay there I began feeling sort of bad. She looked so innocent, so delicate. Like a flower, but not ready to bloom. I watched her rise from her bed, but before I realized it I was following her. There was just something about her that grabbed me, made my stomach tie into knots! Then I realized we were in the bathroom and she was undressing. I turned to exit through the door when I smacked into it hitting my head. Startled after hearing the door she covered up. �No delicate bud show it!� I wanted to yell. But as I turned back to take another gander, she was brushing out her hair. How tired she looked. I began circling her looking at her front and back and she was gorgeous. Nothing so beautiful had met my eyes in over 100 years. I almost cried when she was finished with her bath and redressed. But she would never know what I saw. *I was once again practically asleep when I heard music. But for real this time� it was Madonna�s song �Don�t Cry for me Argentina.� That CD was in my CD player� Slowly I got up and walked into the main room. My box was on and the CD was playing. What is going on? �Hello?� I called. �Is any one in here?� I whispered. I slowly and cautiously walked back into my room. �Please stop?� I mumbled. SUDDENLY! All of the lights started flickering. Then stopped. My boom box was on, AGAIN! �Dang�it.� I grumbled climbing back out of bed. I ran into the main room and there standing in front of the box was the man. My heart stopped in fear. �Please! You want it take it! Everything�s in the other room just please don�t hurt me.� I begged. I�d never been so scared. I began backing into my room. �Wait! I won�t hurt you.� He held out his hand. I stopped. He had a soft English accent and a calming tone. �You can see me?� He asked quizzically. �Uh-yeah!� I retorted rather oddly. �Who are you? What do you want? No! Just leave!� I pointed to the door. �I can�t.� �Why not?� �Because you know why.� �Excuse me?� �I�m a ghost. You know that.� �I do?� I new coat of feelings came over me. I didn�t know what they were though. The fluttering in my stomach returned and my heart began to pound. �You-you were the one singing. On my balcony.� He nodded and smiled shyly. �Who are you?� I asked a little nervous. �Christian. And you are?� �Paula. What are you doing here?� �ME? What about you? This is my garret!� He challenged. �NO! I bought it. You just died!� I spat. �Boo that hurt my dear. And no I just died is the understatement of the past 104 years.� Then a new thought came to me. I grew furious! �It was you wasn�t it? You followed me around all day today and I bet you clogged the toilet! It was you laughing at me and it was you who was moving all of my things!� I shouted. �Paula relax. You can see me, so what�s it matter. I don�t care, you shouldn�t either.� �Yeah well I didn�t follow you around and haunt you all day.� There was a very long awkward silence. I sat on the floor leaning against the wall. Looking up I noticed the patching in the roof. �What�s that from?� *I looked up and almost laughed. It was the hole the Argentinean had fallen through. But now it had been mended. I began to explain to her what had happened there. I also somehow managed to tell her everything after that as well. �You�ve been here for 104 years haven�t you?� She whispered as if it were the worst thing in the world. Which it was. �Yes.� I answered hoarsely. �Why haven�t you let anyone live here?� �I wanted to be alone. I�m better when I�m alone.� �Well, Christian, I�m not leaving.� I smiled. �That�s ok. I don�t want you to.� I looked up at her and smiled. She was so pretty just sitting there and looking perfect. �Why?� �Because I�ve never had so much fun!� I smiled and laughed for the first time in her sight. She yawned widely. �Go to bed young one. You�ll need your rest.� I smiled to her. She just nodded. �Go on.� I hurried her and she finally walked to my tiny mattress. Tucking her in she fell asleep quickly. *The next morning I woke to the sound of bells. Bells? Oh no! CLASS! I jumped from the covers and pulled on my purple flares and a pink fake corset. I tugged on my boots and let my hair stay down. Running into my living room and grabbing my purse I remembered last night. Had it been a dream? �CHRISTIAN!� I yelled. He appeared suddenly at what seemed out of nowhere. �You�re really here.� I smiled. �Do you want me to go?� He gestured with his thumb. �NO! I wanted you to be here.� He smiled a boyish grin. �I�ve got to go. Bye.� Grabbing my messenger bag as I went out the door I rushed once again to class. |