Here is my effort to this challenge. Hope you like it. I think it has 490 words, but not sure as I don't have a word processor on this machine and notpad & wordpad do not have spell checkers or word count funtions, so sorry for any errors. * * * * * * * * * * Can't be Real It is a dark, warm, cloudy, blustery night,... [OK, OK. So it's a cliche of an opening sentence, but I am not in control of the weather here. OK?! Now let me continue.] ...on Thursday 31st of October 2002. Standing in front of me was this ghost. Now, bing in Australia, the majority of us don't celebrate Halloween. Over the past few years though, the celebrating it with the "knock knock... TRICK or TREAT" has been creeping into our neighbourhoods. You should see their little faces when I open the door and have to tell them that this household doesn't celebrate Halloween. Sad to say the least. Back to the blustery night... My husband is at work. He left after midday but won't be back until just before midnight. It is almost 10 pm and has been dark for just over four hours. I am lying on the lounge, watching old time horror movies (so much better than some of the ones made today) in the light of three candles. The only other light on in the house is the kitchen light but it was mostly obscured that I could still enjoy the candles. My cat suddenly jumped up onto the coffee table. I ruffled his head. Thankfully, he is not exactly a quiet cat, so his sudden presence didn't scare me. Suddenly, this kid, a young boy of about 14, walks into my lounge room from my kitchen. With a sqeaky kitchen door, I didn't hear it open and close. I was about to go mad at him for coming into my home uninvited, but I just laid there staring at him with my mouth open when he came towards me through the coffee table. I just stared at him standing there, on the floor, in the middle of my coffee table. I didn't scream. I'm not the screaming type. Now, I don't know if I believe in ghosts or not, but here was one standing right in front of me. He didn't look all that menacing. "Why are you here?" I softly asked. Not so much that I didn't want to scare him away, but because I could't speak any louder if I wanted to. "Looking for you." He said with a sweet smile. My eyes widen in fear "Me?" I croaked out. I don't know this boy. I couldn't think properly. "Of course you, silly. I have been searching for you for a while now." He replied, still smiling. "Me? Why?" I asked in a sqeaky voice, my eyes almost popping out of my head in fear. "To take you back home." He responded as he held out his hand. I just stared at it. He was a ghost. I couldn't take hold of it. "Home? But I am home." My head was starting to hurt. I was becoming confused. "He doesn't come here any more." The boy responded softly as his smile started to fade to a look of sadness. "Who doesn't?!" I demanded. "Your Husband." He responded sadly. "That's it! I have had enough. Get out of my house!" I stood up, then bent over to grab the book that fell off my lap when I stood. Only, I lost balance due to a dizzy spell, like the one I had a few months ago, and went right through the coffee table. The same way the young boy did earlier. "NOOOOOOOOO!! This can't be real!"