“It was a dark and stormy night. . .” I say in a low, raspy whisper. Three pairs of eyeballs stare unblinking at me. I almost laugh.
Emma Two shivers. “That flashlight under your chin makes you look so creepy, Zoe!”
Emma Three says, “Yeah, super creepy.”
There are three Emmas in our class. Emma One is a genius and, fortunately, helps us with our homework— if we bring her chocolate-frosted brownies.
“You Emmas are a bunch of scaredy-cats,” says Jade.
“Do you want to hear the story or not?” I shine the light into each of their eyes.
The Emmas squeal and cover their faces.
Jade sighs. “Just get it over with, Zoe. You promised us s’mores.”
“Lightning crackled and thunder boomed,” I continue in the same scary voice. “Two girls huddled under a small umbrella as they made their way through the pouring rain.”
“This isn’t going to be a super scary story, is it?” says Emma Three.
“It can be a little scary,” says Emma Two.
Jade rolls her eyes. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”
I shine the flashlight in Jade’s face. She crosses her eyes and sticks out her tongue.
“Don’t make me laugh,” I say. “I am trying to tell a super, scary story.”
The Emmas squish closer together in the already cramped tent.
“In-between the cracks of thunder, they heard a soft squash-squishy sound coming from behind them. But every time they stopped and whirled around for a look, all they saw was shadows flickering in time to the flashes of lightning.”
Emma Two screeches. “Something pinched me!”
Emma Three shrieks. “Something super-pinched me!”
“I was just having some fun.” Jade snickers.
The Emmas glare at her. I lower my flashlight so they can’t see me grinning.
“The girls walked faster as the squashy sound got squishy-er. Then a grumbling, gurgly, grunting joined the squish, squash, squishing. The wind suddenly howled down and blew them to the ground. Their umbrella flew up into the air and out of sight.”
“This is super, super-scary!” says Emma Three.
“Yeah!” says Emma Two.
“Do you want me to stop?” I say.
“No!” say the Emmas.
“Please.” Jade yawns. “Stop.”
“They huddled together as a gigantic shadow— dark, cold, deadly— loomed over them. They tried to escape, but they were frozen to the spot. Their screams died in their throats as the monster . . .”
“Cut it out,” says Jade.
“What?” say the Emmas.
“You pinched me.”
The Emmas shake their heads.
“Don’t look at me,” I say.
“Ow!” says Emma Two.
“Ow!” says Emma Three.
“Ow!” says Jade.
“Ow!” says me.
“If you didn’t pinch me. . .” Jade says to Emma Two.
“And you didn’t pinch me. . .” Emma Two says to Emma Three.
“And you didn’t pinch me. . .” Emma Three says to me.
“AAAAAHHHHH!”
We tear open the tent and charge into my house.
“Backyard too scary?” says my dad as we tumble into the kitchen.
“Go on up to my room, girls,” I say breathlessly. “I’ll be up with some treats. I think we earned them!”
They huddle together in a clump and don’t move.
“It’s okay,” I say as I lock the door. “We’re safe now.”
They shuffle out of the kitchen, still in a clump.
“What the heck happened, Zoe?” says my dad.
“Oh. . .” I put a pair of pliers back into the junk drawer. “Just a little ghost story. . .”