Chapter Text
The night was quiet. The full moon shown brilliantly around the area, making everything glow with a soft luminescent hue. He slowly made his way across the grounds, his lantern held close by his side. It was at times like now that he mentally cursed himself for having such a level of curiosity. Yet he was too curious to actually care. He wanted to know the truth.
He'd heard a rumor of a ghost girl that haunted the cemetery. People had only gotten close enough to see a whitish blue glow. No one had actually see her up close. So naturally, he decided to dive in head first and come out to the old graveyard for a gander. And old was right. It looked like something from years and years ago. However, the rumor was that the ghost was that of a girl that had been buried there just the year before. She'd died young, according to what he could find. That was mostly it. He didn't know anything else. Couldn't find anything else.
So here he was. He looked around, seeing the old tombstones lining the grounds. The sound of a crow made him stop and whip around. The black bird sat perched on the branch of an old tree that looked like it hadn't had leaves in ages.
"Ya old buzzard..." he muttered to himself before turning to continue on his way. He recalled what he'd heard regarding the ghost. That sometimes you could hear soft, harmonious singing. "Alright, now where are ya?" He looked around, seeing nothing.
But he heard something.
In the distance. A soft voice. A beautiful voice. His eyes widened. Forgetting the fact that the rumor was seemingly true, he ran toward the ghost. He criss crossed around the trees until he came to a view of a hill. On the hill was a lone headstone. And perched on it, he could see the whitish blue silhouette.
Curiosity taking over and all logical and common sense aside, he made his way slowly up the hill. As he drew closer, her features became more clear. Suddenly she looked at him. He stopped, expecting her to let out a wail or screech or something. But the exact opposite happened. She gasped. She gasped and tensed up, then suddenly disappeared. As if frightened.
He blinked. Something wrong here. She's the ghost yet she's afraid. "Uh... H-Hello? M-Miss? I, uh... I'm sorry I scared ya." He looked around. "Ya don't hafta be afraid. I won't hurt ya. Honest!" Turning back toward the grave, he was suddenly face to face with the ghost.
To his surprise, she was a mouse like him. And she wasn't scary in the slightest. Gosh darn it if she wasn't kind of cute. Her whitish blue silhouette floated in front of him. He saw the outlines of her blue eyes in the paler blue areas, her little blue nose and blue ears. They stared into each other's eyes, and he wondered if she was staring into his soul.
"Boo."
"Yiee!" He stumbled back, landing on his tush in the grass.
She giggled, a hand covering her mouth. "Sorry. I couldn't resist."
She spoke! And she had a cute voice to match.
He picked himself up, dusting off his brown pants. Her voice caught his ears again.
"But I am a ghost, after all." She rose up in the air slightly, her body giving a gentle twirl, her body turning upside down then back right side up and gently lowering her altitude. "So I guess I'm supposed to do that."
"So yer the ghost that people have been seein'?"
She gave a light shrug. "Seems so. Though they always run before they actually get close to me." She floated close to him, her body going upside down as she hovered in front of his face. "You're the first person to actually get this close to me." She smiled. "It's nice to finally be able to see someone. It gets lonely around here."
"Shouldn't ya move on? Y'know, cross over?" he suggested.
She turned back around as the edge of her lips twitched, almost sadly. "I don't see a light."
He lifted his hand to his chin. "So that means ya have some unfinished business here."
"It feels like something is keeping me here. But I don't know what."
He scratched his head. "Hmm. So ya are stuck here..." He snapped his fingers, remembering why he was here. "I can help ya! I'm trained in this sorta thing."
She grinned. "You mean being spooked by a ghost?"
"Hey!" His face reddened a little.
She giggled.
"Anyway, I can help ya. So can ya tell me about how ya died?"
She grinned, eyes half lidded as she hovered close to him. "Sorry, but I don't even know your name yet."
He blinked. "Oh! Right!" He jetted a thumb to his chest. "Name's Mickey. Mickey Mouse." He bowed. "Mickey the Medium is what the call me."
She giggled and then her ghostly tail materialized into a set of legs and feet, which touched down softly on the grass. She curtsied. "Minnie. Minnie Mouse."
He noticed she was slightly shorter than him, and now with the rest of her in full view, she just got 50% cuter. The first 50% being the other half of her he first saw.
Then she hovered over the tombstone and sat down on it, her translucent legs crossing. "Welcome to my final resting place."
He cocked his head, then moved closer and around to see the name on the tombstone. Yep. It was hers. She'd died young, just like the rumors said. Actually, she was around the same age as him. He looked up to her, it dawning on him. "So this is where ya mostly stay, huh?"
She nodded, see-through hands resting on the top of the marble stone. "I also like it here. During the day I can see the valleys and mountains in the distance, and at night, I can see the moon and the stars."
"Have ya made peace with everyone?" he asked.
Her head tilted back as her lips twitched in thought. "Everyone I wanted to."
"How didja..." He swallowed. "Kick the bucket?"
"Oh, I just woke up dead one day," she said, chuckling afterward.
He tilted his head unable to stop from grinning himself. "I need a little more t' go on here."
"What's the rush?" she asked with a playful smile. "I don't need to move on right now, do I?"
He sighed, leaning back. "Well, if ya stay too long ya risk turning into a evil spirit."
Her head tilted. "You mean like the one I've seen around here?"
He back straightened into a stiff board, eyes going wide. "Wha? Ya mean there's one around here?" He looked around frantically.
"Oh, it's not here now. But I have seen one before. I saw it near this larger tomb, up closer to the northern side of the cemetery."
He relaxed somewhat, sinking back down. "Pheeww... Thought we were in trouble fer a second."
"I always hide out when I know it comes out. It gives me the creeps." She shivered.
"Yer a ghost, an' yer afraid of a ghost?" he deadpanned.
"Hey, there's no rule that says ghosts can't be scared of other ghosts," she huffed, her cheeks puffing out as she crossed her arms and turning her head. They looked at each other, then both burst into laughter.
"To be honest, I wouldn't mind staying just a little longer," she said.
"Ya really should go into the light."
"I told you. I don't see one."
He exhaled sharply. "Well, then I guess I hafta help ya to see it."
Her eyes seemed to sparkle with the idea. "Ha ha! So that means I can stay a little longer then."
"I 'spose." He held up a finger. "But just 'till ya see the light. When ya see it, ya go into it. Deal?"
She nodded. "Deal. So what do we do until then?"
"Well, I just try an' figure out how t' help ya."
She leaned forward a little. giving a coy smile. "Okay. Shoot."
"So how didja die?"
She titles her head upward slightly, recalling the memory. "I was hit by a car. I saw a friend walking across the street and she didn't notice the car coming. I pushed her and well..." She leaned back slightly. "You can guess the rest."
"So is there anything else between you and her? Anythin' ya'd like her to know?"
The ghost hummed softly in thought. "Well, her boyfriend has a temper, but I told her that. And she knew it anyway." She giggled. "Nope. I saw her at my funeral and I could tell she was going to be fine."
He quirked a brow. "So ya went t' yer own funeral?"
She nodded. "Yep. It was nice, but waayy too boring. No fun at all."
He couldn't help but laugh as she giggled. "Ya know it's not supposed t' be a party, right?"
"Yeah, but I mean, c'mon! I know I'm pushing up daisies but jeez. Lighten up a little!"
"So what about yer folks?"
"Nope. Nothing there either. We were fine the day I bit the dust. No hard feelings or anything."
He placed his chin in his palm as he sat cross legged on the grass. "Everythin' seems fine... Any other relatives?"
"Just the usual aunt, uncle, cousin... Nothing I wanted to say to anyone."
He shifted a bit uncomfortably. "Any, uh..." He cleared his throat. "Boyfriend, husband?"
The edge of her lips curled upwards. She could sense an emotion coming from him. "Nope. No one." She was still working it out, being that wasn't often around the living. But from what she could tell, it was unease she felt from him.
His eyes widened slightly. "Really?"
She shook her head. Now she sensed what she believed to be happiness. This boy was definitely worth hanging... scratch that. Floating around. She'd never haunted before but maybe now was a good time to start. Maybe he could be her first haunt. In a calm sense. "Nope. Single. Well, I was when I died. Still am now." She grinned. "Ghosts don't usually hook up."
He scratched the top of his head. This was going to be a bit tougher than he thought. She seemed to have no unfinished business on earth, yet she couldn't see a way of crossing into the light. There had to be something else. Something he was missing. "Any negative feelings toward anyone? Anything ya left behind?"
She shook her head. "Never really had negative thoughts toward anyone. Not anymore than anyone else. And there's nothing I left behind worth mentioning to anyone."
He huffed, placing his hands on his knees. "Welp... With yer permission, I need t' do some looking into yer life."
She gave a half grin. "You're asking me?"
He swallowed meekly. "Well, I-I don't want t' pry int' yer life without ya wantin' me to."
She chuckled softly. "Be my guest."
He pulled himself to his feet, dusting off the back of his pants. "I need t' check with people that knew ya and see what I can find."
She shrugged slightly. "Have at it. I don't mind." Then she realized he'd have to leave, and she didn't want him to. "So... You have to go?"
He stopped and looked up at the moon before looking to her again. "Well, I can't exactly spend th' night here."
She grinned. "I won't bite. I'm a ghost, not a vampire or werewolf, heh heh."
He cocked his gaze with a grin. "It's a graveyard. Don't think I'd get any sleep here."
"I'll watch over you," she assured.
He crossed his arms. "An' what of the evil spirit? Ya said ya were afraid of it?"
She grinned with half lidded eyes. "Oh, phooey." Then she stuck out her blue tongue. "I'm serious. I can protect you."
"Thanks fer th' offer, but I think I'll pass on the cemetery sleepover. I can find ya here tomorrow, right?"
She found herself feeling sad. "...Yeah..." She didn't want him to leave. She really enjoyed having him near. He was real. A person she could talk to. Her head lowered. Then her gaze lifted, her spirits lifting as she thought of something. She could follow him! "Yeah. I'll be here," she said.
"Great! I'll do some diggin' an' let ya know what I find," he said, picking up his lantern.
"M'kay," she replied, giving a coy grin. "So same time tomorrow night?"
"Same time." He gave her a wink and she felt her spectral form shiver. Yep. She was so following him home. "Bye."
"See ya." She watched as he headed off across the grounds. She waited for the right moment then floated off the top of the tombstone. With a half grin, she floated through the air after him. She moved around the trees following him slowly. She remembered that, being a ghost, she could turn invisible. She already had a sort of see through appearance, but she could go fully invisible. She used it a couple of times to stay out of sight of the evil ghost she'd seen wandering about before. She made a mental note to keep an eye out for it, and kept watch as she followed the cute mouse.
She floated silently through the air, keeping enough of a distance behind him so as not to be noticed, but close enough to see him. She followed him to the front gate of the cemetery, and saw him use his small form to fit between the bars of the tall iron gate. She grinned. Clever fella. She stopped at the gate, an idea hitting her. Was she bound to the graveyard? She never tried leaving like this before. She moved a hand forward and it went right through the gate. Quirking a brow, she leaned forward, passing through the gate with ease.
She smiled, mentally squealing with excitement at the knowledge that she wasn't bound and could travel freely. She turned back to the mouse, who was still moving down the pathway. She grinned after him. This was going to be fun. She continued tailing him, pausing when she saw an old car parked on the dirt pathway. She watched as he got his keys from his pocket and opened the front door. He stopped and suddenly turned back. Nobody there. He shrugged and opened the door.
She exhaled and moved from her hiding place next to the stone wall. It was now or never. She quickly moved to the car and floated right into the trunk. She was a ghost. Not like she needed to breathe anyway. She materialized herself just enough so she wouldn't fall through and listened as she heard the car start. She felt the body jerk, and heard the car accelerate softly down the road.
Mickey parked the car on the driveway, shut it off and unbuckled himself. He stepped out of the car and closed the door. He looked back down the road toward the old cemetery, thinking about the ghost girl he'd met just twenty minutes ago. She certainly wasn't like other ghosts he'd seen. She was far nicer, and cuter, than any he'd met before. He shook his head briefly. Can't go getting attached to a dead girl. He sighed and walked around the front of the car.
Meanwhile, a pair of soft blue eyes had been watching him from the backseat. Minnie floated through the car and glanced up to the simple house before her. It was quaint, cute, and simple. She gave a slight half smile before hovering forward, following him. She dove into a bush as he unlocked the door and stepped inside. She flew toward the door only to have it close in her face. She narrowed an eye as she gave a huff. Then she smirked. She floated right through the door. "Heh. Ghost perks. Gotta love 'em." She realized she was right behind him and went poof on instinct, quickly poofing behind a nearby chair.
Mickey looked around, suddenly feeling cold. "Need to turn th' heat up." He took off his coat and walked over, turning on a lamp on the table next to the sofa. He made his way upstairs, taking his coat off as he went.
Minnie floated around from behind the chair, making herself just a bit translucent as she looked around. She had to admit his living room was quite homey. It was nice and calming. She followed him quietly upstairs and saw him enter a room. She poked her head around the corner and was met with him taking off his shirt, revealing his bare back to her. Cheeks flushing dark blue, she quickly moved back around the doorway. Her little ghostly heart was going crazy. She felt the smile stuck on her face.
One part of her wanted to give him his privacy. On the other hand... She slowly grinned, her head moving slowly toward the door again. On the other hand, she was dead. So what's the harm in one more peek. Or a stare. Or an ogle. Screw her first thought. She peeked her head around again and her eyes widened, even more so than before. At that moment, he was changing his pants, and he was turned halfway to her. She saw a quick glimpse of the front of his chest, his lightly ripped body, and then his white boxers. His shirt was over his head so he couldn't see her.
"Eek!" she squeaked, half in surprise and half in excited surprise as she whipped her head back around, hand covering her mouth, cheeks as blue as the ocean. Her heart now felt like it wanted to explode out of her chest. Now she bore a full on wide, uncontrollable smile.
Mickey had heard the sound, but looked around and shrugged. "Hm. Must be a mouse..."
She giggled softly. Oh, it was a mouse alright. A dead one. Jeez, she just met him and already she'd seen his gorgeous, beautiful body. She shook her head, trying to get the thoughts from her mind. Then they traveled to his cute white boxers. She bit her lip, and made herself invisible to the degree he couldn't hear her. Then she giggled wildly.
Biting her lip again, she decided, this time, she'd let him change. Resolving to calm down from her peek show, she waited. Just then she saw him come around the corner. She realized she was still near and quickly zipped down the hall so he wouldn't feel the cold spot. She drew a little closer and realized he wasn't wearing a shirt. Good heavens, this boy was going to be the death of her.
Oh, wait.
She watched as he went down the stairs and floated slowly after him. She watched him go into the kitchen and hovered into the room with him. She watched as he pulled a wedge of cheese from the fridge, grabbed a soda and made his way into the living room. She peeked her head through the refrigerator and stuck her tongue to one side. He really needed more healthy food. She pulled her head out as she rubbed her chin, a grin coming to her face. Perhaps he needed a woman's touch. Then her mind wandered.
Touch. I wonder if I could touch him... She shook her head. She wasn't sure he could feel her or her him, but it was definitely something she'd keep in mind and experiment with later. Then her tail twitched as she wondered something. A woman's touch. She quickly made her way up the stairs into his bedroom and looked around. To her surprising relief, there were no pictures of any girls that might be very important to him. So he was a bachelor. And the food in his fridge helped to affirm that. She smiled, feeling a mental victory. She took the time to look around his bedroom, noting the quaint, simple look it held. Comfy. She looked at his bed. Big enough for two.
She blinked. Why on earth did that matter? She was ghost. Wasn't like anything could happen.
Or could it...?
She stopped. Was it possible? Might there be a chance she could actually stay? She sighed. Right now, she'd didn't know. Maybe she could find out if she hung around... haunted him. She grinned. Eh, who knew. Might be fun to haunt him for a bit. She giggled and then realized she had the power to peek through his dresser drawers. Cheeks flushing, she decided she'd been enough of a perv for the night and made her way downstairs.
Though the thought did still linger on her mind.
She made her way downstairs and found him looking at his laptop screen. Floating nearby, she watched him. The intent stare, the typing, the glancing back and forth between files. She could tell he was clearly dedicated to his profession. Something she had to admire. She smiled softly and landed on the couch next to him. Suddenly he swung his arm onto the back of the couch, which passed right through her. Whoa, that was an interesting feeling. She actually felt it. Didn't exactly feel like a touch in the normal sense, but she definitely felt it. Maybe she could do something to make it feel real...
To be continued...