Like Ghosts In The Snow

“You take care of this house while I’m gone, you fag.” My father seethed as he picked the last bag up off the ground. “I mean it.” He added, shoving the final bag into the small trunk space.

I nodded my head to his request, adding on a quiet “Yes, sir.” He seemed satisfied enough with my answer as he had replied to the slamming of his car door.

There was no goodbye or wave as he drove his car away and out of the site of the house. No I’ll miss and love you were shared. Just the yell of his favorite word and the frightened words of a teenaged boy. Just like our conversations had always been.

I walked up to the front of our house yet again; the giant house, taunting and aged had stood in front of me. The steps had still creaked as they attempted to support my weight yet again. This house was not worth much, yet it had looked like a mansion. It was old, yet it still had that new kind of luminous tint to it. It had lived through a lot, and it definitely had showed it.

As I made it up to my attic I had felt the nearing presence of Frank somewhere off in the house. He had felt close, yet he was not visible to me. I sat down on my mattress that had lain on the floor and pulled out my portable movie player as I put in Lord Of the Rings. It was one of Frank’s favorite movies, so I knew that he would be unable to stay away as the first minutes of the movie would blast into my room.

To be honest, I was quite excited that my father was going on yet another business trip. I would not have to deal with all of the name-calling and the chores that would be forced upon me. This time would be a lot better, for the simple fact that I would be alone. Well alone with Frank, anyway. My mother was off at a “friends” house, while Mikey was at Branden’s house. How it really worked out like that, that everyone would be gone at the same exact time, but it wasn’t that I was complaining. Now I was free to talk to Frank at anyplace and at anytime without needing to worry about who was listening.

“Do you really think that he’s going on another business trip?” Frank poked his head out of the nearest wall, making me scream and jump back on the bed, hitting my head onto the wall.

“Fuck, Frank!” I protested. “You cant do that, I could be concussed!” Frank waved me off with a little nasally laugh and pushed the rest of his body through the wall while dusting off his clothes as the dust had begun to collect.

“No your not, if anything I killed brain cells. Which in your case Gee would be worse than a concussion.” I scowled at him as he giggled his little schoolgirl laugh and put his hand on my shoulder. “Kidding, but really answer the question.”

“What do you mean?” I asked him. Frank sighed and scooted a little closer.

“I meant that your dad is just a store manager. Why would a store manager need to go on a business trip three times a month?” Frank explained.

“Yeah I guess. There’s always the chance that he has a girlfriend somewhere, or maybe another family that he needs to go see. You never know.” Frank sighed and shook his head, putting his head in his hands.

“Hey, it’ll be okay, why you so worried?” Frank shrugged his shoulders.

“Just worried Gee.” Frank paused for a second before continuing. “Do you think that he is up to anything?”

I watched Frank’s actions after that, just for a second or two. He sat with his head sat in one of his hands, the other slowly picking and prodding at the stray strands of his jean material. His face had the expression of worry, completed with the etching of worry lines onto his forehead. His face had just the simplest shade of red. It all made himself look years older, making his ghostly actions seem so much livelier. He had looked so uneasy, bouncing from foot to foot. He made me feel bad, I didn’t know what was wrong with him. I wanted to make him smile again.

“Lets get your mind off of things,” I attempted to comfort as he starred at his pants. “Lets get up,” I spoke to him as I walked over to his side of the bed. I grabbed his hands, and with a confused expression, he stood. He slumped like a rag doll in my arms, yet I had not cared much. He was as light as a feather. He groaned as I dragged him out of the room and into the library.

He looked at me, his face clouded with confusion as I pushed him through the two double doors. “Why are we in the library?” he questioned, looking around the library in a confused daze.

I couldn’t help but smile as I grabbed his hand and drug him to the opposite end of the library, where we came to a gap in the wall. “How would you feel about a proper burial?”

Franks mouth went agape as he looked at me, eyes full of unknowing confusion. “What?” he stuttered, a smile beginning to stretch across his worried face. I nodded my head, and that was what made him snap.

“Oh my god! Your not kidding me, are you?” Frank smiled disbelievingly. I nodded my head. He smiled and jumped at me, wrapping his arms around my neck as he pressed his face into my shoulder. The cloth was already moistening from his fresh tears.

“Thank you so much Gee,” He blubbered out as he pressed his lips to my cheek. I immediately went bright red, my heart skipping just a few beats. I wrapped my arms around his waist, pulling him closer.

“No problem, Frank.” I whispered into his long brown hair. He sniffled as he pulled away from me.

“ Really, it means so much to me that you would do that for Me.” he wiped some stray tears away from his cheeks. I smiled and brought him in for another hug. He hugged me back instantly.

“Tomorrow, okay? I’ll go into town and get a few things for it. I want it to be special for you.” Frank smiled as he reached up to plant another moisten kiss to my cheek. My heart raced faster and faster each time his lips touched my skin. His lips were chilled, yet made me fill with warmness.

“It will be special.” He whispered to me, his lips just slightly brushing up against my ear. “It’s going to be special because you’re doing it for me.”

I blushed madly at his comment and hid my face in his mop of hair. I smiled as I hugged him tighter, not wanting to say a word and ruin this moment that we were having together.

At that moment, I didn’t see him as the dead boy that I had once described him as. I didn’t believe that he was brutally murdered by his father, or that his soul was trapped in this house. I didn’t see him as some punk, over hyper and dead teenager. For the time being Frank was alive and well. And just for a minute there, I believed that I could actually be falling for him.