quote: "be kind. for everyone you meet is fighting a battle, you know nothing about,"
— unknown

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I GRIN IN THE way you tilt your head with a large grin and oddly for me the smile wasn't forced but I couldn't help but feel like an intruder as I was now living in Casper's rightful home. "Thank you very much, Casper. I'm sorry that I'm here. I'm really sorry that I am. The town threatened to knock this place down if someone didn't buy it. So my mum brought it because she loves old things and she's lived in Friendship her whole life. I suppose this place is apart of her and the town."

"So you're born and bred here then?" He asks as I sit on the sort of dusty bed. As much as I begged my body to relax and allow myself to trust Casper my body didn't allow me too and unfortunately the goosebumps wouldn't go away either. "Yeah, I've lived here my whole life," I say with a small swell of pride as I met the bright and clear blue eyes of the friendly ghost. "Well most kids my age, want to finish school and be able to get out of here. I never want to leave it's my home." Then I looked away from Casper's ocean blue eyes suddenly saddened by what happened to him, Casper didn't deserve to have gotten sick from pneumonia and pass away but I managed to choke out the words. "Casper, I'm sorry what happened to you. I really am."

"Why are you so sorry? It wasn't your fault, it was mine." The friendly ghost says in his scratchy, childlike voice trying not to show his sudden confusion, but as he spoke the words his answer was rather distant, in some sort of haze and I could swear I saw a hint of what I thought was regret in his eyes. Yep, lots of regret for sure, but in a way, I could tell that he also sort of wasn't that something good must have happed to him after he died. "Casper, I've lived in this town my whole life. I know what happened to you, I was taught about you and in history class for crying out loud! Every year, parents and I, even the rest of the town would lite lanterns from our house for you... Casper, I know what death does to people. I know how it affects them, I know what happens when you lose someone you love."

Blue eyes widen and Casper looks at me rather confused and unsettled. "Why are you so kind to me? Nice? Understanding? You don't even know me, no matter what you were told! You shouldn't care!" Casper says raw with emotion and frustration. Who exactly let the dogs out? "Please just don't drag yourself into this." Now he was begging me, and it was that moment that I knew someone or something had hurt him so deeply that he hadn't healed. I wanted to reach out and comfort him because I never wanted to see someone so hurt like I was when my father passed away. "Yeah. Fine. Whatever... you know what? I was actually thinking about being your friend Casper. My dad died two years ago. He's gone, Casper. I know when you lose someone, how you cry, scream, how you want them back, how you go insane but there gone nevertheless and there is nothing you could possibly do about it. I know what it's like to feel the unbearable pain." I spit, my voice a little raised.

Casper's eyes soften, growing gentle and apologetic and makes out as his childlike voice trembles, "I'm sorry, about your father. I'm sorry about what I said. I just haven't had a friend for a very long time."

"Casper I know we have just met and all but I would be happy to call you my friend. I mean anyone would be lucky to call you their friend." I say as I look at my feet, shifting my position on the bed. "I'd like that." He blurts, a massive grin plasters on my face. "I mean friends." He repeats fixing himself. "My mums gonna freak out about this, she's gonna think I'm seeing things. She'll think that I'm Delusional, Insane even."

"It's okay it's better that she meets me first, my uncles aren't very good at first impressions." He says thinking deeply. "I hate scaring people, it makes me sick."

"Okay." I give a small smile, "I sorry I am trying to calm down, but my body's tense." He smiles in a way of apologising. I follow Casper, down a dusted passageway and the floorboards beneath the carpet creak and moan under my weight. Then I continue to follow the hovering Casper down a couple of stairs and another couple. "Mum!" I yell walking towards her, "We need to talk. You won't like it but, it's important and all and—" I say reaching the last step. "I'm in the kitchen." She yells her voice muffled due to distance. "Where's that?" I ask looking around effortlessly kind of lost.

"It's over there." Casper whispers in my ear, "Thanks." I whisper back fighting the urge to run away from the ghost, Casper. It was slightly creepy that he was right behind me, barely even inches, I could feel his cold body, but I don't mind. I open the door for Casper, when I turn, he isn't there. I slap my hand on my forehead. No! Maybe I am imagining things. Maybe the Ghost guy I met isn't real.

Maybe, for once in two years I thought I'd have a friend again. But I was dreaming, maybe I was going delusional. "Mum, you won't believe what who I just met," I say with a small smile hoping that a smile would somehow help. "What?" She asks turning front the old stove stirring what I'm guessing to be pasta. I was gone that long? I had just noticed that this room was filled with dust clinging to almost everything. Spiderwebs hung over corners of the room, over chairs and objects."Mum, you know the McFadden boy that died? Well, I met him. He's a ghost." I state simply like we were discussing a sporting team. I was smiling, her eyes widen, okay maybe I shouldn't have said it like that. She definitely thinks I'm delusional and insane.

"Casper, where are you. I would like you to meet my mother." I yell out looking around the room. Casper appears five seconds later, going through the door in the kitchen. "Good afternoon Mrs Clarence, I'm Casper."

"Ahhhhhhhhhh." She screams, "It's a ghost, I can't believe it—its a Ghost?! Getaway ghost, go to heaven." I stand in front of Casper, "Mum it's okay he can't hurt us. He's that boy remember, the McFadden heir. Mum look there's not a mean bone— I mean in his body there's nothing mean in him." Casper peaks his head around my body and nods giving me back up. "Mum, it's okay," I say edging in between them, my hands held out like branches on a tree. Okay, I'm totally rocking Lollypop lady goals right now, get me a whistle and one of those sign things and I'm good. Also maybe one of those yellow fluro jackets.

She gasps, trying to be civil. Did it work? She turns around, and runs pulling me along."Wait! Mum, please, stop." I trying to wiggle out of her grasp. But she doesn't stop, she doesn't stop until she reaches the car. She reaches for her pocket and throws her hands up in frustration, she doesn't have her keys. I do. "Mum think of it this way if dad was a ghost would you be afraid?" I dangle the keys in the air. "No," she says bluntly. "Well, you're the one who wanted to stay here. So we're staying." I growl.

"Sweetheart..." she says softly, I knew exactly what she'd do sweet-talk me out of this, like when I and dad wanted mum to go on a roller-coaster together, she talked her way out of it. There were numerical other times too. "Okay then we can make a deal if in two weeks you don't like it here, we can leave. If not, we can stay. Deal." I dangle her keys, as she thinks. I hold out my pinkie, which she shakes a little reluctantly, "Deal." I hand her the keys and wait for her to follow. "Now Mum, be casual, don't faint or scream. Just chill." I hand her eyes over to her, my eyes serious. Her eyes wander effortlessly looking around suddenly afraid. Just I have that feeling in my gut too.

"What's that?" She asks it was coming from inside. I sort of had an idea of they were, Casper's uncles. Probably in the entrance room, the main room. My eyes scan the room until I see a ghost doing something. "Casper?" I ask moving towards the ghost who had his back to me. "Wrong!" He shouts appearing over me, screaming my face, "CASPER! WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT FLESHIES THEY BREAK YOUR LITTLE GHOSTLY HEART! THIS IS FOR YOUR PERSONAL WELLBEING!" He shouts and then I see poor Casper.

"Uncle Stretch, please, she has to live here now..." I look over to Casper who looks down, his eyes sad and apologetic and I noticed that if Casper could he would be crying. Casper was trying to get his uncle/s off my back and I noticed that he was so unbelievably kind and good. "What is so bad about me? People, who are alive? Not dead? Anyway, what's your problem!" I say, my eyes locking into his purple ones. "A girl had broken his heart, we warn him but he doesn't listen. He doesn't listen to his own family. One day she's gone with her father Docter Harvey, she never came back! And all along the little glow-worm knew she'd leave!" The ghost exclaims with anger. A shock runs through me, wasn't there a girl and her father who used to lived here like twenty years ago?

"Okay," I look at his big nose, this particular uncle of Casper's was much bigger than Casper a lot longer, but with poison purple eyes that if looks could kill you, you'd be dead. "Okay Pinocchio, I get your point, just understand. That you shouldn't be screaming at me when I haven't done anything wrong. My mother brought this house because they were going to knock it down and I don't think you'd like to haunt a pile of rubble! Have some respect!" I say and I look over to my Mum who gasps, clearly shocked. She doesn't believe that I'm telling a ghost off. She almost looks pleased, well sorta proud.

"Yeah listen to the bone-bag Stretch, she has a point." A fat ghost says, no offence to him though he has stuck up for me. I'm guessing he's Fasto because he's fat, as he is a lot rounder in some areas. "Yeah Stretch, the fleshie's right and I like her better than Kat, she was a real disappointment." The ghost that I'm guessing to be Stinkie? Why is he called Stinkie, well maybe when he was a baby he farted and pooped his pants. I bite on my lip to stop myself from laughing. I was being disrespectful, but I find my own inner voice in my mind continuing – he probably couldn't help it if he pooped his pants when he was a little tiny baby. I had to close my eyes and focus from laughing.

Casper now decides to speak, "Don't talk about her like that! She was my friend." "She was," Fasto exclaims, folding his arms over his chest. "Leave Casper alone." I growl, "You're making it worse than it already is. Just chill." The three ghosts look at each other. They smile gleefully. "Yeah, we will leave him alone." They smile secretly and pounce on him. "Hey! Stop leave him alone and come after me. It can be more fun." I say and unable to stand and hated that Casper was in pain. The Ghosty Trio look at each other and smile, completely ignoring my mother's nervous protests and attempts to protect me. "Aww, she sticks up for the glow-worm!" Fatso yells holding his hands over his heart like a love-sick-school-girl, "How sweet."

Instantly I run, with the disadvantage of being on unfamiliar grounds. It would put me at a disadvantage. At least they had stopped bothering Casper. I was just scared that the floorboards would break like before. I end up running around in what ended up a library/study. I smile in awe, looking around. "This is so cool! It would take me my whole life to read all of these books, but I'll have to ask Casper first."

I hear a sort of howl, what in the world is that? A cold hand folds over my mouth, I was about to scream. "Don't scream, it's me, Casper." My body stiffens, but I force myself to relax, it's Casper. I gave a grim nod and he lets go, unwrapping his chilling hands around my face. "I thought they had caught me," I say rolling my eyes, this was a silly game."Don't let them treat you like that, you need to stand up for yourself." I say following him, as he leads me somewhere. "You sound like Kat." His says his voice full of sadness, but I knew from his voice he still cares for her. "Good way or a bad way?" I ask. Casper must have fallen in love with this 'Kat' girl or something. "Good." He whispers, letting out a deep sigh. "Are you okay though Casper? That body dive Fasto gave you, looked incredibly painful."

"It's nothing, it happens every day. It just makes you feel funny, it doesn't hurt." He says his eyes still sad, was he lying? Then I add a joke into the mix, "I suck at first impressions." I say it wasn't a joke it was serious. "Me too." It was two simple words, but it had so much meaning behind it. "Casper?" I start, "Thank you." A smile creeps up my lips, my eyes sparkling. "For what? I should be thanking you?" He says confused. "You offered to be my friend, stood up for me, calmed down almost instantly when I scared you, practically begged your mother to stay for what exactly? -- Only so I wouldn't be lonely and to have someone be there for me?"

"No Casper, I should be thanking you," I say myself on the verge of tears and I knew I had to keep it at that. I couldn't let him know about me. I'm a burden to him, I see it in his eyes. I see the pain in his eyes of someone who he cared deeply about that left him. Someone he loved. I know I have to help him. I have to be there.

— Edited: 22/08/2019