The Ghostly Mystery

Chapter 1

Susan

I'm sitting on a bench in the park, trying to do my homework. I'm also trying to block out the crying and moaning going on around me.

"Ghosts," I thought to myself. I am very special, because I can see ghosts. You would probably say that it's an awesome gift, but it really isn't because it can get really annoying. I have been seeing them since I was little, when I saw a creepy lady in my room when I was finally able to talk. I tried to tell my parents, but they didn't believe me.

My ability is that I can talk to, hear, and see ghosts. They aren't usually very hard to ignore, until today.

"Would you please leave me alone?" I asked them, as loud as I could without receiving stares from other people in the park. That is one of the things I hate about my ability-when I talk to them, I'm pretty much talking to thin air while everyone is staring at me like I'm crazy.

When I finally looked up, there was a certain ghost staring at me. It was a little girl, around 6 years old.

"What's your name?" I asked her.

"It's Maia," she answered. Her voice was so quiet though, so I had to lean in to hear what she said. When I heard her voice, I also heard a country accent. I leaned back again to get a good look at her. She was wearing a bonnet, her hair was in low pigtails, and she looked like the saddest girl ever.

"What's wrong?" I asked her.

"I can't find my momma," she told me, her voice getting louder as if she was finally getting used to using her voice. "They told me that you could help me."

"Who is this 'they' you're talking about?"

"I don't know, they wouldn't show me their faces."

"How did you die?" I wondered to myself.

I only noticed that I had said it out loud when she yelled out, "I'm dead?"

I asked her something else, "What is your family like?"

"Well, I have a 14 year old brother who has really green eyes, my momma has brown hair with blue eyes, and my daddy had black hair with brown eyes that changed colors."

"What's your last name?"

"Gladstone."

"Do you know where your family lived?"

"I think we lived in something called Misery."

"Missouri?"

"Mmmhmm."

"Where in Missouri?"

"I don't know, we were on a wagon."

The Oregon Trail? I asked myself in my head. This was not looking good.

"Can you help me?" she asked me. It took me a while to remember what she had asked me for.

"Do you know what year it is?" I asked her, trying to avoid the question. But Maia was as smart as she was cute.

"Stop trying to avoid my question!" she yelled. "I guess that means that you can't help me!" Then she disappeared, leaving me wondering what I had said to make her mad.