The boy begins to tell Charlotte his story of the trouble his friends dragged him into over Halloween

Note: I just want to give the usual health warning that for some mad reason I've decided to write some of the dialogue in dialect, so some of the spellings mistakes and bad grammar (although probably not all) are deliberate. Again apologies if it gets irritating.

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The boy was shocked when he felt a hand gently touch him, for a second he thought it was IT, but it was obviously not given the care of the touch. Looking up he answered the woman’s touch with a sniffled “Sorry, you startled me.”

“You’re the late comer I saw sneak in, aren’t you?”

He took a few moments to compose himself before nodding and adding “Yes Professor Knight.”

“Charlotte, please. I thought you left?”

“I couldn’t get out.” Seeing the puzzled look on her face he quickly added “Sorry, it doesn’t matter.”

“Don’t say that, I think it does. Do you want to tell me what’s the matter? What’s your name by the way?”

“Everyone calls me Jamie” he responded, which was true everyone did call him that now, even his passport and driving licence, he hated it! It made him sound like he was 5 again, or a girl, although the later was obviously the point. He much preferred Jim, but given the way he now looked that wasn’t very realistic, even he couldn’t think of himself as Jim anymore; it worried him it meant the girl was winning. He’d seen the same thing before.

“So Jamie, what’s going on?”

“You won’t believe me, there’s no point”

Charlotte looked at the upset girl and decided she really did want to help her, so said with what she hoped was a kindly smile “You could always give me a try; I’m fairly trusting and a unlike most academics a good listener.”

He sadly shook his head. Seeing this was going nowhere fast Charlotte changed tack.

“Look Jamie, you don’t have to talk to me. Can I get one of your friends, a boyfriend?” Seeing the tear stained girl flinch at that led Charlotte to her next question “Is everything alright between you and your boyfriend?”

“Sorry, hi, that’s not it; it’s just strange that’s all.” Seeing that the professor didn’t seem convinced he added “Look, boyfriend troubles are the least of my worries”, he couldn’t believe that he would ever be saying something like that and then added “actually Mark’s quite sweet” or that! That last part shocked him, what had possessed him? Well actually he knew sort of, and he also knew he wasn’t possessed.

“Ok so some friends then? You do go to uni here?”

The boy shook his head and then added “I drove over from Sunderland.”

“Why? To see me?”

The boy nodded, then added, “I thought you could help.”

Everything suddenly clicked “You think you’ve got a ghost don’t you?”

He nodded. “Hi, well sort of, but then well, you obviously don’t believe, I’m sorry Professor, it was a waste of time, I shouldn’t have come” and then with a sniffle “and now I’m stuck here.”

“Stuck? And please call me Charlotte”

“It’s dark now; I can’t be alone in the dark. IT’s always around in the dark.”

Charlotte realised the strange girl seemed serious about this, it piqued her curiosity “Look as you know I don’t believe in this stuff being literarily true, but I know a lot about the theories and beliefs and you obviously believe and are upset by it. Come on let’s go to the bar and you can tell me all about it.”

“Erm”, he looked at the professor she seemed to be concerned he decided to risk it. “Um, ok I suppose, but only if you promise to listen and not jump to conclusions”, he still had worries about been sent to a shrink like had been threatened to Chris, not that anyone but he and his friends remembered that now.

Taking a moment to compose himself he stood and followed her out of the lecture theatre. IT was still here but lurking like the coward IT was. They headed for the bar, although not the nearest as he had been insistent that it had to be bright, so Paul took them to one on the edge of campus.

Once there Charlotte dragged him numbly into the loos to fix his makeup, he did it without really thinking about it, which scared him like it had this morning and every morning since he’d started doing it. The first time when he’d caught himself doing it he was disgusted and stopped himself, that hadn’t stalled the girl that haunted him for long though. He’d been more surprised than he should have been when he went downstairs and his Mam commented on how nice his makeup was. He thought it would have been more bearable if she hadn’t been so understanding about it! Of course since then his parents perception of him had continued to change, now if he tried to go out dressed like he wanted to he got sent back to his room and told that ‘no daughter of mine’s ganin owt dressed like she’s been dragged through a hedge backwards!’ It was easier to go with the flow than deal with the arguments on top of everything else.

With everything fixed they headed to the bar where he accepted the offer of a drink and ordered a pint. Resting her G&T on the table in front of her Charlotte felt she had to ask “Why are you wearing summer clothes? Aren’t they freezing when you go out?”

Looking around to see if anyone was listening he saw that he was out of earshot of the other members of the society that had tagged along to the bar before answering “They’re the least girly clothes I own, now anyway”, which was true, his wardrobe at certainly gone on the girly girl side of things. He supposed he could have worn a pair of “his” jeans but he thought they’d require some uncomfortable procedures in the underwear department, which he suspected would be unwise for driving.

Charlotte was a bit perplexed then realised there was another questions she hadn’t asked “Your parents know you’re here right?”

The boy shook his head. Charlotte was annoyed, she wanted to slap the stupid girl, her parents were probably going up the wall with worry “Well give me their number I’m calling them.” The boy did as he was asked and the professor went outside to make her call, it lasted a while, Paul was called out to speak to them and so was the boy, repeatedly; fortunately there was always someone else there as he ventured out into the expanding gloom of night. The boy was surprised that his parents were so un-annoyed, more relieved that ‘she’ was ok. By the time the whole saga was over it was agreed that it was too late for ‘her’ parents to get ‘her’ tonight, instead ‘she’ would get a room in Charlotte’s hotel, which Paul arranged for ‘her’, and ‘her’ parents would come and collect ‘her’ tomorrow. It was also decided that the members of the society would go to dinner without their guest and that Charlotte would buy another pint to replace the one the boy had downed.

When that was done Charlotte sat and appraised the girl sitting opposite her; the conversation with her parents certainly shed some light on why she’d been upset, apparently someone had been running a hate campaign against her and her friends

“So are you going to tell me your story then?”

“Hi, I suppose” he was feeling a bit more relaxed now, he supposed it was the alcohol it seemed to have a bigger effect than it used to, one pint never had much of an effect previously. “It all started at Halloween when I went around to me best friends Kevin’s, to meet up with me mates.”

Charlotte interrupted there “Hang on your parents said something about your best friend being some girl called Karen, you’d been around hers just before you did your little vanishing act.”

The boy felt guilty again, Karen had probably been having a fit. He should call her, no the story had to be told.

“No, me best friend was Kevin, I’ve known him since I was a bairn.” Charlotte gave him a perplexed look, he sighed “Look it’ll make more sense once you’ve heard what I’ve had to say.”

Charlotte nodded for him to continue “As I was saying I went to Kev’s on Halloween. I got there just after dark. Lee, Craig and Drew were already there, so we were just waitin’ on Chris, who’s always late, but he turned up pretty soon too.

We’d planned to hang at Kev’s for a couple of hours and then gan down the town to meet Helen, she was me girlfriend, and her brother Mark.” He stopped as Charlotte was giving him a confused look, none of these people, except Helen and Mark, had been mentioned by Jamie’s parents. “Look I knaw. It’ll make sense in a bit, it’s all a bit complex that’s al, and it’s better to tell it from the start.” He paused nervously and licked his lips; he got a slight cherry taste from his lip balm, he decided to bite the bullet. “I suppose it might help if we get this out into the open now, though. I’m guessing my parent’s didn’t tell you about me? Or at least what they think they know about me.”

Charlotte was confused they’d told her a lot about Jamie, but she assumed that stuff wasn’t what she was getting at so she shook her head.

The boy continued “I guess it makes sense you are a stranger and al. Look there’s no easy way to say this like, um, well, I’m a boy alreet.” Seeing her expression he added “Na really, I am.” He really needed her to believe this, so he offered “Look I don’t want te, but if you insist I can prove it to ya” he added blushing.

Charlotte got the gist of the blush. “No that’s ok, it’s not necessary. I was just a bit surprised, that’s all. So what, you’re transsexual?”

“No, not really, well I suppose that might be what my parents would tell ya. But their view of me’s been changin’ a lot recently, a few days ago they’d probably have just said I was an average boy.”

Charlotte sat with a disbelieving expression on her face. Sure she could believe that the girl in front of her had been born a boy, if she said so, but surely it must have taken her more than a few days to become what was self evidently the pretty girl in front of her? There was hormones and stuff, but they’d take their time to act, and if she’d gone through all that trouble why was she now claiming to be a boy? And come to think of it what was this about a girlfriend? Wasn’t her boyfriend this Mark?

The boy was exasperated “Don’t look at me like that, I know how it sounds! It sounds mad, but it’s true! I knew you wouldn’t believe me!” he snapped at her.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude. Look it might be best if you just continue your story and as you said hopefully it will all make sense by the end” Charlotte said in an attempt to mollify the girl. She couldn’t think of her as a boy no matter what the girl said.

That settled the boy somewhat and after taking a second to compose his thoughts he continued. “As I said we were hanging at Kev’s before heading out and with it being Halloween Kev decided to have some fun, he’d bought a Ouija board to play with. I doubt his parents would have agreed but they were out, so there’s nowt they could do about it really. Now, like you now I thought it was just a toy, but having seen enough movies I wasn’t havin’ anythin’ to do with it so I sat on the sofa and watched a movie as they goofed around with it.”

A wistful smile came over the boys face “They were al sat around the coffee table, with them touchin’ the board and then they started actin’ al solemn and stuff, it was canny funny at first as they asked, al serious like, if there was ‘anybody there?’ But then you could see one of them pushin’ the pointer around trying to pass on messages “they” had and stuff, it started to p, um, irritate me after about half an hour though. I think I told them to knock it off. They didn’t though. They kept on at it for another ten minutes or so, that’s when things went a bit weird.”

“I’m assuming this is where the thing that’s stopping you going out in the dark appears?”

“That?” He said pointing at the dark that was now outside the bars windows, “No that’s a bit later. This al started with Drew turning pale and asking ‘Did you hear that?’ the others nodded, I was quite impressed, I never had them down as good actors. Kev then shot up shouting something about ‘who said that?!’, and knocked the table they were sitting around, the Ouija board went flying off it.

I think it’s then that I told them in me most bored tone that if they thought I was fallin’ for their crap actin’ they were sadly deluded. That got them shoutin’ stuff like ‘what you can’t hear her? Why can’t you hear her?’ Along with ‘throw that bloody board out’, and a fair bit of swearin’ I suppose.

This got me a touch worried, I mean as I said they’d never struck me as particularly good actors, and here they were all shackin’ and shoutin’ and cowerin’ away from this cheap toy. So I decided the best idea was for me to end it all by grabbin’ the board and hoyin’ it out the back door.” The boy paused and took a sip of his pint.

“It didn’t quite go to plan! As I grabbed the board I heard a girl say in a sort of soft, echo like way ‘Great another boy! Why’s it always boys?!’ I don’t think my response was particularly dignified, the others seemed happy though that I’d heard it. Still, I quickly realised that this had to be some kinda trick and told them so, they were fairly peed at that and told me not te be ‘such a bloody muppet’.

We al sort of panicked for a bit then and al the time there was this bloomin’ girl ganin on about how she ‘wasn’t going to talk to any more boys’, how it’s ‘always boys’ that contact her. I think we soon got the gist that she wasn’t too keen on the fact we were boys. It was reet creepin’ us out. So I went with me first plan of grabbin’ the board, runnin’ through the kitchen and chuckin’ it out the back door.

That worked, she shut up as soon as it left the house. I didn’t really think too much at the time of the disappointed sigh I heard just as I was about to hoy it.”

Charlotte interrupted there “Had you and your friends been drinking by any chance?”

“Hi, maybe a can or two, look I knaw what you’re ganin to suggest. That it was some sort of mass psychosis or somethin’, I do A-level psychology, I knaw about these type of things. It’s what I told the others as we calmed down a bit over a beer and we did all agree a temporary bout of group madness sounded like the best idea. We also agreed that getting ratted down town was a good idea and so decided to heed off early.

Of course, Kev had te decide that we couldn’t just leave the board out there, ‘just in case, like.’ They all seemed to think this was a great idea, and as I was the one who chucked it out there it was agreed, on a four to one basis I should add, that I should be the one to get it. I was none too chuffed about this! Still I was itchin’ to get this whole think over with and forgotten about, so I went along with them.

So after grabbin’ a bin bag from the kitchen I went out put the thing in the bag without touchin’ it and brought it back in. I half expected that girl te start up again as soon as I brought it back in the house, but nowt happened. I think everyone was a touch happy about that! Anyway I gave the bag to Kev, tellin’ him he was ‘as soft as clarts’ for not gettin’ it himself. He’d soon had it hidden in his room, until he cad get rid of it on bin day and we heeded on off owt.

The rest of the nite went ok, although Hels seemed narked that we were already slightly merry by the time she and Mark showed up. It then all gets somewhat hazy beyond ten.” The boy paused and took another sip of his pint.

“Anyway, I got ham somehow and woke up around eight the next day with Jake, he’s my annoying tit of a younger brother by the way, bangin’ on me door telling us I’d be late for college. I told him in my best Anglo Saxon te ga away. Mam didn’t seem impressed! And shouted for me to ‘get up you lazy sod’. On reflection I decided it was best to get up, although I felt more like dying.

Lookin’ around, me room was a reet tip, with me folders and books scattered all over the place, clothes throwan from their draws and the wardrobe ‘God I must have been hammered last nite’ I thought lookin’ at everythin’. I wasn’t lookin’ forward to the lecture I’d get from me Mam about this, but decided now was as good as time as any te get it over with, so I went downstairs to grab some brekkie.

Mam was sittin’ watchin’ the TV in the sittin’ room as I went in and sat down with me tea and sugar puffs, that’s when she surprised us with ‘I didn’t hear you get in last nite, what time was it?’ This was a new tactic from her, I looked at her, she was still watchin’ the telly. ‘About twelve I think’, I guessed tryin’ to answer her, and then she floored me with ‘Thanks for not wakin’ us, your Dad had an early start this mornin’. I was shocked, me Mam’s never that subtle when she’s annoyed and if I had made a lot of noise I would have known about it. It puzzled me how I could knock all that stuff around in me room and not make a sound I thought it was reet strange.

Anyway, Mam and Jake soon left and I went to get showered and dressed. Findin’ that me jeans were a bit pongy with spilt beer and what not, I decided to change them. But as I was emptyin’ me pockets for the wash is when I found the note.

I opened it and it said ‘Stay away from her! She’s mine!’” The boy took another sip; the professor seemed to be giving him her full attention so he continued in the passionate tone he’d developed.

“I was reet peed off at that. Some fuc, um, some bloomin’ coward sneekin’ up to us last nite as I was drunk and puttin’ a note in me pocket, trying to scare us away from Helen! If he wanted to ga owt with her he should bloody ask her, and then she could tell him to, er, tell him where to ga. It put me in a reet bad mood as I heeded to college. I think the guys caught onte it as I met up with them before me maths class, as they asked what was rang. I tald them and they thought it was well out of order as well. I also added that it didn’t help that I was well hung-over and seemed te have trashed me room last nite. I wish I hadn’t mentioned that, as it soon brought owt from them how they’d al dan the same. We al agreed that was weird.

Well the rest of the day went fine, I went round Hels after college and tald her about the note, she was a bit concerned but I tald her I’d look after her. I would have liked to have stayed longer but I’d had te gan ham te tidy up before Mam saw the mess.

Nothing much else happened till Friday apart from college and me work stackin’ shelves.” The boy paused and thought for a second “Although actually, thinkin’ about it, there was that one thing on that Thursday I suppose.”

“Yes?”

“Well on Thursdays we often gan owt in Newcastle, there’s some cheap drink offers on. Anyway, as we’re waitin’ for the Metro to heed off doon toon, we were all starin’ at this like light wall they’ve got in Sunderland station, with like projected shadows of people walkin’ behind it on it. It’s not bad, probably a waste of money though. So anyway there was just the usual six of us, Hels not been allowed owt on a school nite, Halloween aside, and a couple of Charvers I suppose hangin’ around at the end of the platform. That’s when we noticed that one of the shadows had stopped movin’ back and forth on the light wall. It was just sort of standin’ there like, reet in front of us. It was real strange, the other projections would walk up te it then pass through it and carry on but this one was just standin’ there, it seemed tw be starin’ at us. None of us liked it.

But then the Metro came and we got on and thought no more about it at the time. Come te think of it we probably should have, but na one believes in these type of things really, except maybe little bairns. Still, that was the last night before things got really creepy.” He paused and looked at his pint, he noted it was getting’ low whilst Charlotte seemed to have hardly touched her drink, as he took a second to think.

He gathered his thoughts and continued. “Friday was when it al started and it was bonfire night. Me, Mam and Dad and Trouble, went off te the councils display, it’s a family tradition we gan every year and it’s quite fun. Besides what else would I do but setoff some fireworks with me mates and make the city sound even more like Baghdad? So it was all ganin fine, the fireworks weren’t bad, lots of nice colars and combinations and stuff. Anyway, just as it was buildin’ te its crescendo that’s when I heard her agan, there was a giggle followed by ‘oh this is jolly!’

That freaked us out. I think I probably went a bit pale, as Dad asked if I was alreet, I just nodded to him. I wasn’t much fun for the rest of the nite and I think we left fairly early because of me.

I was still fairly shook up when I got ham so decided te gan te bed early; me mood wasn’t really helped by world war three ganin on outside either, so it took us awhile te get te sleep. But as things died down around midnight, I think, I nodded off, as the next I knew I woke up around three facin’ me alarm clock. I stretched a bit I think and then moved onte me other side te look at the window. But somethin’ was standin’ in front of it.” The boy paused seemingly apprehensive about what was to come next, as though discussing it might make things worse.