The Ghost - 1. Chapter 1

Jim and Randy had been friends since the 8th grade. At 18, they became lovers. Graduation would be in June of the coming year, and plans were made to go to the same university. As in every year since they became friends, Halloween was a holiday for them. At first, they would dress in costumes and do the door to door trick or treat. In the last four years, they joined a group of kids that would patrol the streets, protecting those scary monsters with their bags of candy. They remembered those kids who got a perverse pleasure from stealing candy from the younger kids.

“Jim, are you ready for our camp out tonight?”

“Do we have to camp out in the cemetery? That’s spooky.”

“Come on, it’ll be just the two of us, and no one will see or hear us,” as Randy wiggled his eyebrows.

Jim knew that being with Randy, he would share his bedroll and create a lot of heat. He’d do anything to be in Randy’s arms. The love they shared could only be conveyed in the close embrace of their arms after making love.

“I remember the first time we camped out. I was so scared, not of camping out but of being with you. I wanted so badly to share your bedroll, and when you suggested we do that, I became so excited I almost came in my shorts. Of all the times we’ve camped out and made love, I’ll never forget that first time.”

Jim looked around and didn’t see anyone; he grabbed Randy in his arms and gave him a kiss with the promise of more tonight. If Randy had any thoughts about not going, they were gone with that kiss and the promise it held.

Returning home after all the kids had vacated the streets, they packed some snack food and water to take with them to the cemetery. Saying good night to his parents, Randy reluctantly picked up his bedroll and bag of snacks and headed to Jim’s home. Jim saw him coming and met him at the corner before Randy turned into Jim’s driveway. Walking silently toward the town’s cemetery, Jim tried to lighten the mood.

“Do you how many dead people are buried here?”

“No, how many?”

Jim started to laugh, “All of them.” For that, he got a punch on the arm, but Randy did smile.

As they entered the cemetery, Jim took his flashlight and led the way. He flashed the light on several graves, making comments about those whom he had known. “I don’t know where we’ll set up.”

“How about the new area? I don’t think there are many graves there, so we should have a lot of room to set up.”

“Great idea,” as they walked on the cemetery road to the new section. “Maybe we can find a secluded spot to have some fun.”

Randy knew what fun Jim had in mind and was all for it. There were a few graves there, but the area was mostly just grass.

“Jim, let’s set up over there under that oak tree.” Jim agreed, and so they set up their bedrolls, combining the two so they could sleep together.

“Do you think we’ll be able to have the same dorm when we go to college?”

“I don’t see why not, but just in case, let’s make some memories now to take with us.”

It started as light kissing but quickly moved past that into a passionate kiss that required them to open the bedroll to cool off. They were both erect and ready for the consummation of their love. Randy generally was the bottom, but this night Jim took the bottom role. It didn’t matter as they both enjoyed changing positions. As their love cooled, they decided to go to sleep. It wasn’t long before Jim was sound asleep in Randy’s arms. Randy couldn’t fall asleep. Something was at the back of his mind and wouldn’t let him relax.

Moving around, he woke Jim. “What’s the matter?”

“I don’t know. I’m having a hard time falling asleep.”

“Come here; let me hold you for a while. I love you; think about that.”

Being in Jim’s arms helped, and soon, Randy drifted off to sleep. Sometime during the night, he was awoken by someone tapping him on his shoulder. Sleepily he opened his eyes and saw his grandfather. At first, he was confused, he knew his grandfather died when he was eight years old, but the man was there, indicating he was to follow him.

Randy got up and took his grandfather’s hand and found himself being led to the barn on his grandfather’s farm. He knew that the farm now belonged to his uncle, but it looked deserted. Following his grandfather to the barn, they walked to the stalls that once held the farm’s horses. When Randy looked into a stall, he saw his grandfather’s horse, but he knew that the horse was dead. As he reached to pet the horse, his hand passed through the horse as if there was nothing there. Randy was confused; this can’t be. His grandfather pointed to a corner of the stall. Randy went and moved the old straw away and noticed some loose boards. He lifted the boards and saw a metal box, which he removed. The next thing he noticed, he was back at the cemetery looking at himself and Jim.

When morning came, Jim nudged Randy awake. Noticing the metal box, “Randy, where did that metal box come from?”

Randy rubbing the sleep from his eyes and leaning toward Jim for a morning kiss, turned, and looked at the box. “I don’t know, but I had the weirdest dream last night. I dreamt that my grandfather was here and took me to his farm. He showed me where he had hidden a box. But it was a dream; I don’t know how that box got here.”