You look like you've seen a ghost

By Gerard Gilroy

Oliver and Arthur met in primary school and became best friends in the summer of 2000 when they were seven years old. Oliver was a chubby baby-faced kid. Arthur was stringy, had crooked front teeth and was almost as tall as Oliver. But seeing the two side by side accentuated the size discrepancy. The friends quickly set a routine for themselves. On most weekends, the boys would have sleepovers and followed this pattern;

They got things going at 8pm by watching The Jungle Nation; their favourite film and waited for Harney's Hot Hot pizza to be delivered. Then they played the Switch-A-Roo card game for at least an hour while finishing off the pizza and then another film, usually one from the Old Watering Hole series or the He's on Patrol! Trilogy which finished around midnight. Then they climbed into their sleeping bags and looked at each other from either side of the living room excitedly and chatted for a while. Their conversation got less energetic as the night grew darker and later. They eventually nodded off to sleep, anticipating the arrival of their old friend Phil.

The first sleepover took place when the boys were about to go back to school that same summer. It was August and Arthur didn't talk to Oliver for at least a week afterwards, which is a long time for best friends. Oliver thought they could patch things up once the school term came around. But Arthur avoided him in the playground and in the corridors and wouldn't come to the phone when he called. Although they would talk again and everything would go back to normal, Arthur didn't stay in his house until Oliver’s birthday in December. Oliver convinced his apprehensive friend that Phil was a friendly ghost. He had been waking Oliver up for years and never once haunted him, rather they hung out together.

So, the years went by and Oliver and Arthur would fall asleep around 1 or 2 and later be greeted by Phil; a forty-something-year-old man with a speckled beard, brown, thick-rimmed glasses and a long coat with enough pockets to hold plenty of sweets and chocolate for the boys. He looked just like the living. It took Arthur at least five or six sleepovers to not feel on edge anymore. It helped that Oliver adored the mysterious man who claimed he was “a friendly ghost from the other side”. Phil explained that the ghosts from the TV and comic books were nothing like real ghosts who were cool and fun to be around.

By the time they were eleven, the boys were maturing and the started to watch different films like Ghoul Wars, Finney’s Adventures, Murder Afoot and M.A.2: The Moonscar Killers. They also found Phil to be a little boring and a bit childish. Arthur suggested to Oliver that they tell Phil to bring another ghost with him who was "cooler" as he put it. Oliver defended Phil at the time but after further discussion he came around to the idea. Phil arrived one foggy Saturday night in January 2003 and after they ate his Mercury Bars and packets of Zombie Crunch Arthur gave the reluctant friend a nudge to the arm. Oliver didn't want to hurt Phil 's feelings, but he went ahead and said,

"Phil, we think you're great, but…", Oliver stumbles through the sentence, eyes at his feet, "If you have other ghost friends, you should ask them over. Maybe someone...-" "-cooler, our age", Arthur finishes.

"Sure. Of course." Phil is almost speechless and stands up from the sofa.

Arthur; "You're cool, but we are older now Phil." Oliver finds the courage and adds; "We want someone like us."

Very little is said after that. Phil shrugs his shoulders and gives the boys a hug each. He hesitates to release Oliver when he lets go, but finally does. The ghost gives them a wave and smile and then leaves the house. It was nearly 4am and Oliver's sadness filled the living room, so without saying a word the boys went back to sleep. Before they did, Arthur could hear Oliver sobbing through his sleeping bag that he had cocooned himself in.

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The next morning the boys made their way into the hall on the way to the kitchen. Oliver turned to the front door as its lock began to rattle violently. The door swung open. Phil the ghost stormed into the hallway.

"Oliver! I love you with all of my heart!", he shouted out.

Oliver backed up towards the kitchen as his mother Leanne rushed into the room. She halted in her steps at the sight of her ex-husband. Before the shock let her get a word out of her mouth, Phil the ghost said, “Leanne, just let me hold him!"

"Paul...You can't come around here. Not in your state." She gestures Oliver and Arthur to back away.

"Oliver loves me!"

"He doesn't know you Paul...You're scaring the children... I have to call the police." She picks up the receiver in the hallway.

"Just give me a minute with him. He's our only baby." Paul falls to his knees and squeezes Oliver like it’s the last time.

Leanne drops the receiver and drags their stunned son away. "Oliver! Get yourself and Arthur up to your room now and lock it! How long have you had a key Paul?

"I love you both so dearly," Paul stays on his knees, weeping. "Can't you see that?"

"Paul you're like a ghost! Your eyes are hanging out of your head!"

"I can come back and we can be a family again."

"You're on that shit again aren't you. You'll never change!"

"That was Paul. I'm Phil now. Phil can change"

Oliver sits behind the railing at the bottom of the stairs with Arthur behind him.

"Get up them stairs! Go!

Oliver feels Arthur’s arm tugging at his jumper, they say nothing and walk up to his bedroom, overhearing the ongoing argument, "Leave us alone Paul--" "take me back Leanne, please!" Arthur locks it shut and Oliver lies in his bed facing the wall. The argument continues downstairs but is muffled behind the bedroom door now.

"Oliver..." Arthur doesn't know how to comfort his best friend. Oliver turns over to face him. They exchange a little, awkward glance before Arthur blurts out, "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Side Note ; As mentioned above this story was written by "that guy" Gerard Gilroy. If you enjoy it I will take all the credit, if you don't its his fault :)