Sanctuary Hill Cemetery - Afternoon
The old cemetery gates creaked open with a sound that would have been perfectly at home in a horror movie. Weathered tombstones stretched across the hillside, some leaning at odd angles, others covered in moss and faded flowers. The sky above was an unsettling shade of gray, not quite cloudy, not quite clear, just... wrong.
And in the middle of it all, five girls were setting up a picnic.
Alice spread out the mat with theatrical flair. "You guys are going to LOVE this! The atmosphere is so peaceful, so quiet! Plus, we get bonus ghost stories!"
Fatimah clutched her bag like it contained the secrets to survival. It did. She'd packed five bottles of holy water and a garlic necklace just in case. "I'm ready... for anything."
Wony checked her reflection in her compact mirror, fluffing her hair. "At least no one here will judge my outfit."
A sudden gust of wind swept through the cemetery, rattling the dead leaves and making the old trees groan. Chima shivered, pulling her jacket tighter.
"Alice, are you SURE this place is safe?" she demanded.
Naila was already sprawled across a flat gravestone, her eyes closed, looking more peaceful than anyone had a right to look in a cemetery. "So comfortable here," she murmured.
Fatimah stared at her. "Naila. That's someone's grave."
"Nice pillow," Naila replied without opening her eyes.
Chima grabbed Alice by the shoulders. "We're going to die here. We're going to die and become ghosts and haunt each other forever."
"That's the spirit!" Alice beamed.
"That's NOT the spirit I meant!"
***
The Cemetery - Afternoon continues
Their picnic activities quickly devolved into complete absurdity.
Alice posed for selfies in front of various tombstones, making peace signs and silly faces. She posted one with the caption: "Meet my new silent friends!"
Wony took a delicate bite of her cupcake, then suddenly screamed. "A ANT! THERE'S AN ANT IN MY—"
She froze mid-scream, staring at the tiny creature crawling across her dessert. Then she noticed where the ant had come from.
The grave beside her was covered in tiny ant trails.
Wony dropped the cupcake like it was on fire. "THAT'S A CEMETERY ANT! I ATE CEMETERY ANT CUPCAKE!"
"It's just sugar, Won," Fatimah said, flipping through her book, "How to Survive in Haunted Places". "They're attracted to sweets, not souls."
"You don't KNOW that!"
Fatimah bit her nails nervously, reading frantically. "Chapter 7: Recognizing Evil Spirits. If you see floating orbs, run. If you hear whispers, run faster. If something touches your shoulder and no one is there—"
"FATIMAH!" Chima screamed. "STOP READING THAT!"
Naila was completely unbothered, now sleeping among the plastic flowers someone had left on a grave. She'd somehow found the single patch of soft grass in the entire cemetery and made it her bed.
Chima was a nervous wreck. Every time a leaf rustled, she jumped. Every time a bird chirped, she gasped. "What was that?!"
"Calm down," Alice said. "It's just nature."
"Nature in a CEMETERY!"
Suddenly, a rustling sound came from behind the large oak tree near the back of the cemetery.
Alice's eyes lit up. "WOHOO! FINALLY! GHOSTS!"
She sprinted toward the sound, her phone ready to record.
Everyone held their breath.
Out from behind the tree emerged...
A mangy stray cat, proudly carrying a bone in its mouth. It looked at the girls with utter disdain, then trotted away, bone still dangling.
Alice deflated. "Oh. Just a cat."
"Just a cat with a HUMAN BONE?!" Chima shrieked.
"It's probably a chicken bone," Naila mumbled in her sleep.
"From where?! A CHICKEN GRAVE?!"
***
The Cemetery - Sunset
The sun was beginning to set, casting long, distorted shadows across the graveyard. The air grew cool and damp. Even Alice's endless enthusiasm was starting to wane.
Suddenly, Wony burst into tears. "I... I see a shadow! In white clothes! Behind that tombstone!"
Fatimah reacted instantly. She leaped to her feet, holy water in hand, spraying wildly into the air. "MANTA IN NOMINE PATRIS—"
"Excuse me?" A soft, elderly voice interrupted.
The shadow stepped forward, revealing a wizened old man in a white caretaker's uniform. He held a flashlight in one hand and a broom in the other. His expression was one of profound confusion.
"Children," he said gently, "the cemetery closes at 5 PM. You should be leaving now."
The girls froze.
Alice's phone dropped from her hands. Chima's face went bright red. Wony stopped crying mid-sob. Fatimah lowered her holy water bottle sheepishly. Even Naila cracked one eye open.
Chima leaned toward Alice, her voice barely a whisper. "I'm so embarrassed to be part of this group."
"We're in a cemetery," Alice whispered back. "We're already part of a group. The ghost group."
"THAT'S NOT HELPING!"
***
The Cemetery Gates - Evening
The caretaker had all but shoved them out, muttering about "kids with no sense of respect" and "too much internet." The gates creaked shut behind them with a final, ominous groan.
But Alice, predictably, was still bouncing with excitement. "That was SO close! We almost met a REAL ghost! We have to come back at NIGHT!"
Fatimah was already on her phone, ordering a ride. "No. Absolutely not. We're never coming back here. Ever."
"But Fat—"
"EVER, ALICE!"
Naila yawned, stretching her arms. "Huh? We're leaving already? I was having such a nice dream. An old lady gave me tea in a clay cup..." She looked down at her hands. "Oh. She gave me one to take home too."
Everyone stared.
In Naila's hands was a small, ancient-looking clay cup, covered in dirt and moss. Definitely not something they'd brought with them.
Chima screamed.
Fatimah threw holy water at Naila.
Alice started filming.
Wony fainted.
Naila looked at the cup, then at her friends, completely confused. "What? She seemed nice. She said I looked tired and needed to drink more water."
"NAILA!" Chima grabbed her shoulders. "THAT WAS A GHOST! YOU MET A GHOST! WHY AREN'T YOU SCARED?!"
Naila blinked slowly. "She was nice. The tea was warm. I don't see the problem."
"She gave you a CUP from a GRAVE!"
"Maybe she runs a pottery shop in the afterlife."
Alice was crying with laughter. "This is the BEST DAY EVER!"
Fatimah had given up. She sat on the curb, head in her hands, holy water bottle dangling uselessly. "I'm too young for this. I'm too young to be haunted by ghost tea cups and cemetery cats and—"
"Cat with a bone," Alice added helpfully.
"AND THAT!"
Their ride arrived. They piled into the car, still arguing. Naila fell asleep immediately, clutching the clay cup to her chest. Wony was still unconscious in the back seat. Alice was editing her video. Chima was having a crisis.
Fatimah stared out the window as the cemetery disappeared behind them.
She was going to need more holy water.
Much more holy water.116Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6omRL01eiK
and then Add to home screen.