A young man with striped green hair rode his dappled gray horse into the suburbs of a nearby town. He dismounted in front of a familiar house, which already had a bicycle he didn't recognize locked to the porch. He knocked on the door.
Voices laughing could be heard from inside. After a beat, a black girl around the same age opened up. “Gadalik!” she greeted him happily with a tight hug. Before he had a chance to react, she eagerly invited him inside, where two other people were seated on the living room furniture. “This is Mikey,” she introduced a slim boy with black hair whose long bangs covered one of his brown eyes. “He's the one from my old gymnastics class. I've mentioned him before, remember?”
“Y-Yeah,” Gadalik replied. “Nice to meet you, Mikey. Gretel said that you and I have something in common.” Namely, anxiety.
“And this is Lila,” Gretel continued, gesturing to a heavier girl who was pulling her brown hair back into a bun. She immediately stood up to shake Gadalik's hand. “I only met her recently in theater class, but, man, is she a good actress!”
“Pleasure to meet you, Gado…Gadel…uh…” Lila rubbed the back of her head with embarrassment.
“Gad-uh-lick,” Gretel pronounced his name for her.
“Right! Gadalik! That's such a unique name. Where are you from?”
“I was born here in Arcritta, but my mother's from Karpritia. She's the one who named me,” he answered.
“Cool, cool! Are you also in one of Gretel’s classes?”
“Oh, no; I'm not really skilled in the arts, or gymnastics… I'm a spook by trade.”
That got Mikey’s attention.
“A spook? What's that?” Lila asked.
“I, uh, get rid of ghosts,” Gadalik explained, a nervous bead of sweat forming at his temple as he remembered his most recent encounter with a spirit at a restaurant. That incident reminded him of how the majority of people didn't even believe ghosts were real. I must sound crazy to them…
“Alright,” Gretel interrupted. “I'm going to have a quick word with Gadalik in my room, then we'll be right out. Okay?”
“In your room…?” Gadalik echoed.
“Well, yeah. Come on!” She practically dragged him to her bedroom and shut the door. “I'm glad you're here, and I'm glad you can meet my other friends,” she began. “But, I know you weren't expecting me to have company over. Is everything okay? Did you come here to tell me something they shouldn't hear?”
“Honestly, I just wanted to see if we could hang out. There's been a bit of drama at home with my sister, and I just wanted to get away from it for a little while…”
“Hey, it's alright; everyone here has some drama going on at home. This is kind of a safe place, I guess,” she laughed. “Are you okay? I mean, with my other friends hanging out, too?”
“Oh, uh, of course! Unless you'd rather I come back at a different time…? I didn't mean to interrupt anything…”
“No, no, you're perfectly okay here! But if you're not comfortable, we can work something out, alright? Let's come up with a safe word. How about… ‘juice’!”
“Juice?”
“Yeah! I have juice in the fridge. Just say the word if you're uncomfortable, at any time, and we can talk in private.”
He felt more relaxed to know there was an out if he ever needed one. “Thanks, Gretel. You're the best.”
She grinned. “I know. Now let's join the party, shall we?”
He followed her back into the living room and she pulled up a chair from the kitchen table for him to sit in.
“So, ghosts, huh?” Lila resumed their conversation. She seemed genuinely intrigued. “How do you get rid of them? I mean, aren't they intangible or something?”
“He probably has enchanted weapons,” Mikey spoke up for the first time.
That caught the spook off-guard. “You know about enchanted weapons?”
The younger male shied away from being addressed directly. He then withdrew a pocket knife, holding it out in an offering.
Gadalik flipped it open and inspected it. “A close-range weapon with a warding spell on it?” he recognized. “That's perfect for defending yourself. Great choice.”
Mikey took it back, and his pale cheeks reddened slightly. “What kind of weapons do you have?”
“I use a staff, mainly, but I only bring it when I'm on duty. In the meantime, I have this.” Gadalik retrieved a knife from a sheath on his belt.
“That's the knife I gave you on your eighteenth birthday,” Gretel gasped. “You still have it after six years?!”
“Of course! I mean, I had to get a new belt since I outgrew the one it came with… But having it on me makes me feel safer…and more prepared.”
Mikey nodded. “I understand.”
“Have you ever encountered a ghost, Mikey?”
“I haven't… But I've heard stories when I was little. My older brother would call me a wimp for being scared… I just…didn't want to take any chances.”
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
“Ugh. Your brother's a grade A jerk,” Gretel snorted.
Mikey nodded ever so slightly, looking away.
“But don't worry. Gadalik, here, has a ghost sense. If any spirits come around, he'll let us know!”
Lila still seemed interested, but didn't question him farther.
“Alright. So, as I was saying… This new TV show is so good! It has action and adventure, and the script and acting are great! I even worked my butt off to get a VCR and record some episodes, if you guys want to watch some? Oh–but I didn't get every episode…it would be better if you saw them in order before I show you the ones I've recorded. Hmm…”
“Don’t worry, seeing an episode or two out of order will only make us want to watch the rest of the episodes at home, for context,” Lila chimed. “I'm down to watch it. How about you, Mikey? Gadalik?”
“Sure,” the black-haired boy agreed.
That'd be nice, except I don't have a TV to catch the rest of the episodes on, Gadalik thought, suddenly feeling out of place.
“Gadalik? Would you like something to drink?” Gretel prompted when he hadn't answered.
“Huh? Oh! N-No, I'm fine. Everything's fine,” the spook assured her.
Her pink irises remained on him a few seconds longer, skeptically, but she let it go. “This is one of my favorite episodes so far,” she went on, putting a tape in.
The four of them watched it on her TV, with Gretel occasionally pointing something out or briefly explaining a relevant plot point from a previous episode.
The main character was a man perhaps in his thirties, who wielded a pistol on either hip. He had a sheriff's badge and a cowboy hat. He was traveling on horseback with another, leaner man on foot, through a desert; the latter’s hands were tied with a rope led by the former.
“You see, Eugene is a wanted man, and our protagonist James caught him in the last episode. Now they're trying to make it back to town,” Gretel commentated.
“I'm tellin’ you, James… This desert gets awfully dangerous at night. If you don't let me go, I can't help you face…them,” Eugene warned the sheriff.
“Heh. You mean bandits? They're nothing I can't handle,” James dismissed him. “How's a thief s’pposed to help me, anyway?”
“You don't know what I stole, do you, sheriff?”
“‘Course I do. It was some custom-ordered silver. You took it and fled without paying.”
“It wasn't just any silver… If you don't make use of it tonight, why, we'll both be dead by dawn t’morrow.”
As the sun set, Eugene grew more desperate, but James was convinced he was merely trying to get the stolen silver and escape.
That was, until the full moon rose, and they heard a howl in the distance.
“Werewolves?” Mikey guessed in a hushed tone, completely engrossed in it as the screen faded to black and the credits rolled.
“Werewolves!” Gretel confirmed with an excited bounce.
Lila didn't seem very impressed, but was supportive of their enthusiasm nonetheless. “I’m more into romantic stuff,” she admitted.
“Oh, there's some romance in it,” she informed her. “Those two–Eugene and James–have the whole series focused on their relationship as they slowly learn to trust each other to survive.”
“What does that have to do with romance?”
Gretel and Mikey exchanged a knowing glance.
Gadalik caught on.
“What?” Lila asked, completely confused.
“N-Nothing,” Mikey stammered, blushing a little. “I'll definitely watch more at home. How about you, Gadalik? What did you think of it so far?”
“I thought it was great,” the spook confessed. “I wish I could watch more.”
“You mean you can't?” Lila inquired innocently.
“I, uh… I mean… I wish I could watch more here. As in, while I'm here.”
“Sadly, that's all I have recorded so far,” Gretel sighed. “But I'll definitely have more next time you guys come over!”
All of the sudden there was a banging on her door. Mikey scrambled to his feet in a heartbeat, his visible eye fixated on the jiggling handle.
Gadalik instinctively sensed for a ghost, but the fact that there wasn't one didn't ease his mind.
Instead of opening up, Gretel went to the window and shouted, “Go away, Travis! You're not welcome here!”
“Shut it, toots; I'm not here for you,” sounded a gruff man’s voice from outside. “Micheal! Get your scrawny butt out here, now!”
Mikey retreated until his back hit the wall. Gretel gestured for him to hide in her bedroom, and he obliged.
“Michael!” Travis roared, beating on the door ever harder. “I know you're in there! Unlock your bike!”
“Gretel, he's gonna break in at this rate,” Gadalik warned his friend. “Get back–all of you. I'll handle this.” He opened the door just as Travis’s fist came down, and blocked it with his forearm. It hurt, but he didn't dare show it. “Can I help you?”
“And who are you supposed to be? Not another one of those sissy boys from Michael’s class, are you?”
Sissy boys?
“You don't have to answer. I can tell just by looking at you: your stupid ponytail gives it away.”
“Get off of my property or I'll get the police involved,” Gretel threatened, approaching the doorway with balled fists before Gadalik threw his hand back to keep her at a safe distance behind him. Lila was peering over her shoulder.
“Oh, I'm so scared,” the muscular man laughed. “Look, kid. I just want to have a chat with my brother, that's all. See, I wrecked my bike, and my mom said I can take his until she gets me a new one. Tell him to give me the key and I'll leave.”
His mother is letting him take his brother's bike? Just like that? What if he wrecks Mikey’s bike, too? “If he rode his bike here, how is he meant to go home without it?” Gadalik asked.
Travis laughed. “He can walk on those skinny legs of his. We don't live far away; it shouldn't be an issue. But I have other places I need to be.”
“You're the one who should be walking, pal!” Gretel defended her friend. “Mikey worked hard to get that bike. If you so much as touch it, I'll–”
“You'll what? Tell the cops? For all they know, Michael stole that bike from me and I'm just trying to get it back. My mom will back me up. Maybe I'll even press charges.”
Gretel’s fists clenched with frustration. She was seething, but didn't know how to help.
“Now, with that settled… Get outta my way.” He gave the young green-haired man a harsh shove in the chest.
Gadalik kept his stance blocking the doorway, feet firmly planted on the ground. The older man was strong; the spook would definitely see bruises after this.
“I…said…move!” Travis pushed at him again, but this time Gadalik ducked beneath his hands and head-butted his torso, knocking him backward where he teetered on the edge of the porch stairs. When he rebalanced, he seemed more impressed than mad. “You're tougher than you look. Maybe I got you all wrong.” He extended a hand. “My name's Travis.”
Gadalik didn't acknowledge the gesture, staring him down just in case this was some kind of trap. “...Gadalik.”
“Pfft! What kind of name is that?”
The spook’s striped blue eyes narrowed.
“Well, in any case…Gadalik… You should learn to mind your own business.”
“If you're targeting my friends, it is my business,” the spook pointed out.
“So you really are Michael’s friend?”
“Yeah.”
“...Huh. I thought he only hung out with sissies.”
Oh… He was the only boy here before I arrived…
“Maybe you can teach him a thing or two about defending himself, then.” Travis turned and walked off, leaving the bicycle unscathed.
Gadalik made sure he was gone before shutting the door and slumping into his chair. Lila went to the bedroom to let Mikey know it was over.
Gretel fussed over the spook. “Are you okay…?”
“Sore, but I'm fine,” he answered honestly. He turned his attention to Mikey as Lila brought him out. The poor guy seemed terrified. Gretel wasn't kidding about everyone here having drama at home… Suddenly my situation doesn't feel as bad.