The move is official — the new house.
We’ll be there in one more minute.
It’s late noon and sunny. I’m covered in cookie crumbs, sitting in the middle row of our old yellow car — my spot, my mess.
My basketball bounces all over the floor as Mom brakes hard. We all lurch forward even with our seatbelts on.
“MOM!” I yell, hurt.
“Destiny, don’t yell at me! This new town and everything is super different!”
I groan until the car makes the same sound as me.
“Mom, the car can make the same groan sound as me!”
Mom slaps her forehead with her hand — her way of saying Oh man.
Creeeeeeaak.
The old yellow car creaks as Mom stops in front of a brown wooden house.
As soon as Mom unlocks the door, I’m out. I unbuckle the tight seatbelt I’ve been trapped in for five hours, throw on my sneakers, and bolt out with my eyes closed — straight to the front door.
Oh.
It looks just like Gru’s house from Minions.
The uncut brown grass is covered with Halloween decorations — even though it’s still summer?!
Mom and Stepdad slowly unbuckle at their old-parents pace.
This whole thing is… not giving fun. But I guess the neighborhood looks decent.
Still, the house gives me weird vibes.
It’s creepy.
Stepdad says, “The weirdest worlds combine in this house.”
Yeah, no kidding.
I take a few boxes upstairs. Out of the three rooms, the biggest one’s obviously Mom and Stepdad’s.
One room has a loft bed attached to the wall.
“I CALL THIS ROOM!” I shout — though no one seems to hear.
At least, that’s what I thought!?
“Oh no, no, no,” a voice says.
I turn around, no one’s there but it sounds like an old man.
“Hello?” I say.
“I’m Mickey Mourn,” the voice replies, “and no one takes this room.”
The bathroom faucet turns on. Drip drop. Goosebumps.
I don’t wanna be in a haunted house. My head spins — and suddenly, everything goes dark.
“Destiny! Destiny!”
I open my eyes slowly. Apparently, I passed out. Mom’s kneeling beside me.
“There’s a ghost!” I told her.
She doesn’t believe me.
“MOM, it’s real! There’s one right here! We have to move out!”
“Destiny Amilia Hollister, go take a walk!” Mom snaps.
Guess I pushed all her buttons.
I get up and leave, grumbling, “She didn’t say there’s no ghost…”
“Oh, child,” says an old granny sitting on a beach chair outside.
I walk closer.
“I know about the ghost,” she says, “there’s also a spell.”
“Whoa! I knew it!”
“You’re very right, Destiny.”
“How do you know my name?”
“I know a lot of things. And I know you have a gift.”
We keep talking. She tells me only I can see the ghost. Then she invites me in and helps me make a potion — a little troll booger, moon dust, ginger, and grease tomato. It fizzes and makes weird sounds.
The bottle looks magical — definitely not from any store. She says it took her years just to get the grease tomato.
I check the time — 6:47.
Mom’s gonna kill me!
I rush home clutching the potion bottle.
Mom’s standing by the door, tapping her foot and glaring at her watch.
“Hi, Mom,” I say sheepishly.
“Destiny, I was worried sick! There’s an old granny scam around here — I was about to call the police!”
Welp. Guess I’m not mentioning that part.
I dash upstairs before she can open the Hollister Family Rule Book: From Love and Laws of Safety to Writing Details and Also Five Stars.
Bump. Bump. I stomp up the stairs.
“You know the potion won’t work,” the ghost whispers in my ear.
I can’t see him — but I can hear him.
“AHHHHHHHH!” Mom screams from downstairs.
I sprint down.
“Mom, are you okay?”
She’s surrounded by broken glass, shaking.
“I… I… ghost… see… me thinking…” she stammers.
“I know, Mom,” I say, helping her sit down.
Stepdad runs in, confused but worried.
While he helps her, I dig through boxes until I find a spray bottle.
I pour in the potion and spray it everywhere.
“No! Please!”
“You’ll banish us away!”
“You can’t make Mickey Mourn leave!”
Voices fill the room — high, low, all at once.
But Mickey Mourn’s voice… it doesn’t fade.
I spray again. And again. Still nothing.
I rush back downstairs.
“Mom, Stepdad — we have a problem.”
TO BE CONTINUED…
– Anisha Pradeep