From the Desk of L.D. Smith: Shi

Do you know what the most difficult thing us for a novel writer to do? Go back to the basics and (literally) write a short story for a contest!

The Logansport-Cass County Library is having their annual McTaggart Writing Competition, which ends Friday, and the grand prize is $500 out of a total of $2,400 in cash prizes between the adult and children divisions. I thought about submitting the bonus chapter from Angelic Guardians: The Awakening since none of the main characters have a demon battle to face, but there was a catch to it.

All entries had to be no more than 10 pages... DOUBLED-SPACED!

Okay, there is no way my eight single-spaced pages will meet the requirements. So, unfortunately, I have to step down from this contest and kiss $500 goodbye.

But here's the revised (and censored) version of "A Haunted Sleepover", which will be at the end of The Awakening as soon as I get it published. For some of you, this is a favorite.

And, yes, Robu Tsuchino is still out of character in this story.
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Angelic Guardians Special Act

A Haunted Sleepover!

Emeri Sousei shook her head in disproval as she propped herself against the threshold of the living room and crossed her arms over her chest. “I can’t believe your parents agreed to this, Erizabesu,” she said.

Erizabesu “Rizu” Hikarino sat on the floor between her two friends Robu Tsuchino and Deibiddo Fushimawashino, all of whom wore feigned oblivious expressions on their faces. Robu had invited her to a sleepover at his grandmother’s house for the evening, but because he feared Emeri would get the wrong impression about Rizu sharing a room with him, he also extended the invitation to Deibiddo to help ease her worries.

Adding another male presence into the house only made things worse. Emeri was now more concerned about Rizu’s safety as well as her personal reputation with her senior employee’s family. She lifted a bushy eyebrow and looked at Rizu straight in the eye to see if there was any deceit lying within the young woman’s brown orbs. “You didn’t tell them about this, did you?” she asked sharply.

“I did too!” replied Rizu. “They already know that you were going to be coming home as soon as you were done at the popcorn stand!”

“And your mama still allowed this to happen, knowing that you’re going to be sleeping in the same room tonight with my grandson and another boy?”

“Yes!”

“Believe it, Grandmama,” snorted Robu. “Rizu’s not a kid anymore. She can make decisions for herself.”

“But this is Sherona Hikarino’s daughter we’re talking about, Robato,” said Emeri. “I don’t want to be responsible for anything that could happen to her while I’m sleeping.”

“I promise nothing is gonna happen to Rizu. We’ve got Deibiddo here to make sure of that!”

That’s exactly what I’m afraid of, thought Emeri.

With a heavy sigh, she added dejectedly, “Very well, Robato. I won’t bother your little sleepover any longer, but there are some ground rules that will be followed.”

The trio let out a loud groan, but Emeri ignored them and continued with her lecture. “No loud noises except for the surround sound on the television, and, Robato, please make sure it does not go past medium. Your grandpapa might be deaf, but he gets up extremely early for his shift at the main office! Let the man have his sleep!”

“Yes, Grandmama,” grumbled Robu.

“When you’re done using a room, turn off the lights, and I want the living room lights off when you do decide to go to bed—no excuses. No running around, no roughhousing, and no constant trips outside. And if you use the kitchen for snacking, clean up after yourselves. I may be the boss and grandmama to two of you, but I’m not your personal maid. Do I make myself clear?”

“Crystal,” grunted the trio.

“Good. Now, if you three don’t mind, I’m heading upstairs for the night,” announced Emeri. “And, Robato, make sure you turn off the kitchen light before you go to bed.”

“Will do,” replied Robu.

When he heard the door to the master bedroom click shut, he grabbed his sleeping bag and punched it to release his inner frustration. “Man, I hate it when she takes away all the fun out of a party!” he whined.

“Well, she is your grandmama, and this is her house,” reminded Deibiddo.

“I know,” muttered Robu. “It just irks me she had to lay down the rules. It’s like she can’t trust us!”

“If anything, she can’t trust you,” retorted Rizu.

Robu narrowed his eyes at her and spat, “And I bet you your parents still do after you lied to them about this sleepover!”

“I didn’t lie to them,” said Rizu. “I just withheld some crucial information.”

“Rizu, let’s face it: your parents already know that you weren’t being completely honest with them,” said Deibiddo dryly. “The only reason why they didn’t stop you is because you’re an adult, and if something does happen to you tonight, it’ll be your fault that you disrespected their wishes.”

“You guys know that if I told them the truth, Mama would have locked me in my room until I was in my thirties! Besides, her definition of a sleepover that involves me and two men is a prelude to a ménage à trois.”

“A whadda?” asked Robu.

“A ménage à trois. It’s French for a household of three, and it occasionally alludes to a threesome,” explained Deibiddo sheepishly.

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”

Reaching over the coffee table, Robu grabbed a clear DVD case from the video store down the street and climbed over to his game console next to the television to play the disc. “I say it’s time for a midnight movie,” he remarked.

“What did you rent?” asked Deibiddo.

“Tokyo and Third 2,” replied Robu.

“Tokyo and Third 2? I’ve been wanting to see that movie since last year!”

“It was named one of the best horror films of the twenty-first century.”

“After seeing the first movie, I can see why,” agreed Deibiddo. “Hey, does Emeri have some popcorn in the kitchen or does she get tired of it after so long?”

“Grandmama getting tired of popcorn? Bah! She loves it too much!” answered Robu. “I’m pretty sure we’ve still got a package or two in the cabinet. Do you need me to go with you?”

“You better. The last thing I need to do is to set your microwave on fire.”

Rizi looked at the compact disc inside the case and pouted when she saw the film’s restricted rating. “Seriously, you guys, a horror movie?” she asked.

Robu stopped in the middle of the doorway and slowly turned on his heels with a disdainful look on his face. “You know, Rizu, you could go home right now and not watch this, or you could stay here and try to get over your fears of scary movies!” he snapped. “I, for one, don’t have an interest in cheesy comedy or romantic chick flicks, and Deibiddo probably doesn’t care for them either.”

“I don’t!” called Deibiddo from the kitchen.

“So, go home or get over it. Make up your mind because I won’t do it for you.”

“I’ll stay here,” mumbled Rizu, “but if I get nightmares tonight, I’m blaming you!”

“Whatever,” scoffed Robu before he stormed out of the living room and into the kitchen.

Robu and Deibiddo kept their eyes glued to the television screen as they thoughtlessly devoured their bowl of popcorn one piece at a time, but whenever the scene shifted from suspense to gory, Robu would turn to the cowering girl next to him with her face against his left shoulder. He had to bite down on his tongue several times to keep himself from blowing up, but his patience was starting to become thin.

Sighing heavily, he handed the bowl over to Deibiddo, who let out a groan of disappointment when he saw there was nothing left but a handful of kernels, and he yanked Rizu’s head off of him. “You said you’d stay if you were willing to get over your fear!” he barked. “Hiding your face against me doesn’t cut it!”

“I can’t help it!” cried Rizu. “Scary movies give me nightmares if I watch them! I don’t want to have a nightmare tonight!”

“Rizu, it’s only a movie,” said Deibiddo. “There’s nothing to be worried about.”

Rizu looked up at the television and watched a female character walking slowly through an empty corridor. The scene then cut to an image of a white door as the camera drew closer, and the girl reached out to take hold of the brass knob. The background music sped up to create a feeling of suspense as the girl’s fingers wrapped around the doorknob. She pulled the door back and let out a blood-curdling scream while the scene shifted to a pale hand plunging a sharp knife into the girl.

Rizu shielded her eyes behind her hands and wailed, “Make it stop! Make it stop!”

“Fine!” groaned Robu as he reached over Deibiddo for the television remote.

“But we were almost to the end!” whined Deibiddo. “Thanks a lot, Rizu!”

“Sorry,” grimaced Rizu. “I didn’t mean to ruin all the fun. I just have a weak stomach, and the sight of blood just makes me want to faint.”

“And you call yourself an Angelic Guardian?” snorted Robu.

“Killing demons is one thing! Seeing a person being killed is another!”

“But you didn’t have to get so hysterical about it! Deibiddo and I were enjoying the movie!”

“And I wasn’t!”

“Rizu, this movie is nothing compared to the real stuff that’s out there,” said Deibiddo. “There’s no reason to be a scaredy cat.”

“I don’t know, Deibiddo,” began Robu warily. “A scary movie might not be the only thing that will terrify her tonight.”

Rizu shuddered at his chilling voice, and she looked up to see a serious gleam in his eyes. “What are you talking about?” she asked.

“Grandmama didn’t tell you about the family that lived here before her, did she?”

“No.”

“Robu, I don’t think this is a good idea,” warned Deibiddo.

“But she has to hear this story,” insisted Robu. “You see, Rizu, this house was built in the early twentieth century when Japan was starting to become inventive and slightly modern shortly after the industrial revolution in America. A man built it for his family—a loving wife and three young sons. But what the man didn’t know was that this land was possessed by the ghosts of those who were buried beneath the foundation.”

Rizu quickly huddled next to Deibiddo for protection, but Robu ignored her reaction and continued on with his story. “For whatever reason, their graves had been left unmarked, and the local townsfolk forgot about the bodies with the exception of a few neighbors. Soon, the neighbors had all died in their old age, and the younger generation was unaware about the story behind that particular graveyard. But those that do know dread to tell it. I heard of a rumor from several historians that these ghosts were the evil spirits of witches, warlocks, and the likes from centuries ago who were executed for their wickedness and that they had their graves unmarked for the sake of the townsfolk.

“The man who built this house had no idea about the legend when he laid down the foundation, and the ghosts waited in the shadows until it was time for them to strike. One night, the man woke up to a strange noise outside and got up to inspect it. He found nothing until he walked by the cellar, and when he unlocked the doors, the ghosts reached up and pulled him down into the cellar with them!

“They took over his body and used it to do away with his sleeping family. He grabbed an axe in the shed and entered the house without disturbing anyone, but when the ghosts released their control over him, it was too late. The man had butchered his wife and children in their beds, and he was too ashamed of himself to call for help. He went back into the shed, took the noose that was hanging on the wall, and flung himself over the stairs.

“After hearing of the man’s suicide, no one dared to take one step into this place until Grandpapa bought the house long before Mama was born, and every now and then, I hear a sad cry within these walls. Perhaps the man’s ghost has taken residence here, or perhaps it’s one of the evil spirits that still haunt this land. Either way, I am reminded of this story every time I hear it, and I know it’s a warning to those who seek shelter here.”

Rizu curled up into a ball inside her sleeping bag and asked, “Do you think he’ll come out tonight?”

“I don’t know,” replied Robu. “He comes and goes whenever he pleases.”

“I hope not!” muttered Rizu into the cotton lining.

“Really, Robu! Do you think that was necessary?” admonished Deibiddo.

“I had to teach her a lesson somehow,” said Robu with a shrug.

Shortly after two o’clock, Robu woke up to a loud noise that came from somewhere in the basement. He had just grabbed his glasses on the coffee table when he heard a muffled cry below him. “What in Shinmei’s name is going on?” he mumbled groggily.

Carefully stepping over Rizu and Deibiddo, he trudged through the kitchen and opened the basement door to find out what was causing a great ruckus in the middle of the night. He started to walk down the wooden steps, but he paused to grab the flashlight on the wall after discovering that the overhead light had burned out. I’m gonna have to tell Grandpapa to fix that, he said to himself.

Rizu and Deibiddo were soon roused from their sleep not a minute too soon when Robu’s high-pitched scream jolted them awake, and through sleepy eyes, they saw Robu diving head first into his sleeping bag. They exchanged glances for a moment and then looked back at him in confusion. “What just happened?” asked Deibiddo.

“THERE’S A GHOST IN MY HOUSE!” screamed Robu as he poked his head out.

“A ghost?” snorted Rizu. “Come on, Robu! Don’t you think your little ghost story was enough to get me all riled up?”

“I don’t think Robu’s joking this time, Rizu,” said Deibiddo as he observed Robu’s skin for a close second. He knew the young man was pale, but he had never seen him look as white as a dry erase board.

Throwing the flashlight onto Rizu’s sleeping bag, Robu huffed, “If you don’t believe me, why don’t you check it out yourself!”

“Don’t mind if I do,” sneered Rizu. “Where is it?”

“In the basement! It’s big, white, and scary! You can’t miss it!”

“Fine. Come on, Deibiddo.”

“Why do you need me?” asked Deibiddo.

“Because I don’t want to go down to the basement by myself!” snapped Rizu. “And since Robu’s being a chicken, you have to come with me!”

“Absolutely not!” said Deibiddo firmly. “I refuse to partake in this nonsense!”

Rizu arched her right eyebrow and asked, “Does this mean that you’re a chicken too?”

Feeling hurt by her insult, Deibiddo shot her a cold look and immediately rose to his feet. He reached down and grabbed Robu’s right ear as he pulled the young man out of the safety of his sleeping bag. “Hey, come on, man! I don’t want to face it again!” protested Robu.

“This is your house, right?” asked Deibiddo.

“In a way, yes.”

“Then, you get to help take care of the ghost too! Now, let’s go!”

Robu opened the utility cabinet next to the basement door and handed two spare flashlights to Rizu and Deibiddo. “You’ll need these for your own protection,” he said. “It’s pretty dark down there.”

“Robu, I think we’ll be fine. I’ve been in your grandmama’s basement before,” said Rizu.

“But have you been down there when the ghost of a psychopath is haunting it?” asked Robu as he turned on his flashlight and pointed it up his face to create a scary image.

“Robu, drop the act,” sighed Deibiddo. “I don’t think Rizu is gonna fall for your trick again.”

“But there is a ghost!”

“Whatever you say, Robu, but we’ll check it out and see if you were wrong,” said Rizu.

“And if I’m right?”

Rizu’s right hand hovered above the doorknob, and her face paled as her thoughts lingered toward the ghost in Robu’s story. What if he was telling the truth after all? What if there had been a crazed man who axed his family into pieces because of some evil spirits that he accidentally disturbed from their slumber?

Swallowing hard, she turned the knob and replied hesitantly, “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”

The door swung open with a high-pitched creak, and the trio looked down the dark stairwell for a moment and then exchanged glances to determine who was going to go down into the basement first. “Don’t look at me,” said Robu.

“You’re the one woke me and Rizu up because of this ghost,” reminded Deibiddo. He gave Robu a small push and added, “I’m sure it’s dying to see you again.”

Grumbling something incoherent under his breath, Robu slowly descended down the staircase one step at a time. He realized that Rizu and Deibiddo had not moved from their spots in the doorway, and he turned around and motioned them to follow close behind him. “I’m not coming down here by myself, you know,” he said scathingly.

They flashed their lights in many directions as they walked around the laundry room at the foot of the stairs. To their right was an adjoining room full of Christmas decorations and old household knickknacks that Emeri had planned to put into the next yard sale. There were even boxes of personal belongings that once belonged to Robu’s mother and her siblings.

“Interesting,” murmured Rizu. “Emeri sure has a lot of things down here.”

“She’s a pack rat,” explained Robu as he came across a stack of boxes that he had found in a corner. He shone his light over them until one in particular caught his eye. The box was labeled “Robu’s Toys,” and he was wondering what exactly he had left behind after many trips to Roganu over the years.

He ripped the top open with a strong tug on the packing tape, and he peered down to see what was inside. “After all this time, I can’t believe I left it here!” he exclaimed.

“What is it?” asked Rizu and Deibiddo in unison.

“My first Pōwā Senshi Megadroid!” cried Robu excitedly, pulling out the action mecha figure from the box to show his friends. “I thought I lost it at home, but I guess I left it here after I was told I would be helping Grandmama out in the summertime until I was old enough to work the counter at Roganu Beach.”

“Sounds to me that she did some spring cleaning while you were away,” commented Deibiddo. “You always did strike me as a Pōwā Senshi fanatic. Old school?”

“For the win! The Green Senshi was badass! He totally reminded me of Darth Vader when he was first introduced as the villain! And who can forget the Dragondroid?”

“I personally liked the Pink Senshi,” said Rizu.

“Of course, you would!” snorted Robu. “You’re a girl!”

“So what if I’m a girl and I liked the Pink Senshi? The Americans made the Yellow Senshi a girl too, you know? I just happened to like the Pink Senshi because she was the better one of the two! Not to mention, her and the Green Senshi made the ultimate couple!”

“And so, the fangirl comes out,” groaned Deibiddo.

“Okay, so I did have crush on the Pink Senshi, but the Green Senshi still owned all of them and even after he became the White Senshi!” continued Robu. “I mean, come on, he had a talking saber that could shoot lasers from its eyes! All the Pink Senshi could do was archery!”

“Do you have something against archers?” seethed Rizu.

“Not really, but at least swordfighters don’t have a strong possibility of missing their targets in one shot!”

“Excuse me!” barked Deibiddo. “We didn’t come down here to have a debate about the Pōwā Senshi! I believe Robu woke us up over a ghost, no?”

“And if the ghost is down here, he’s probably laughing at us and our immaturity,” muttered Robu. “Let’s go, you guys. I guess there wasn’t anything down here after all.”

“I’m starting to think that there wasn’t a ghost in the first place,” said Rizu.

“I know for a fact that there was a ghost, and we will find it!” said Robu defensively. “Make no mistake, that ghost will rue the night he chose to crash my sleepover!”

A soft groan coming from the other side of the laundry room startled the trio, and they instinctively huddled against each other into an empty corner for their safety. “What that the ghost?” cried Deibiddo.

“Uh-huh,” answered Robu through clattering teeth.

They watched a white figure step out from the shadows, and amidst their screaming for help, Rizu shone her light on it to see what the ghost was. Was it the ghost of the spirit-possessed man or was it another evil ghoul that decided to haunt the house?

She found out that it was not a ghost at all when she heard a familiar elderly voice screeched angrily, “Will you turn that blasted thing off, Erizabesu? You’re blinding me!”

“Grandmama? Is that you?” asked Robu.

Emeri struggled several times beneath the large, white linen sheet until she was finally able to pull the edging over her head. “Yes, Robato! It’s me!” she snapped.

“But why are you doing down here?”

“I forgot I had some laundry that was waiting in the dryer after I had gone to bed. Had I waited until morning, I would have had wrinkled sheets!”

“So, how did you get stuck under there?” asked Rizu, pointing to the rumpled sheet on the floor.

“I was carrying the load over to the worktable to fold, but I must have tripped over the sheet and got tangled underneath it,” replied Emeri.

“I guess that would explain the noise I heard,” said Robu.

“And speaking about hearing noises, what did I tell you kids about being so loud?” asked Emeri. “Goodness gracious, Robato! You probably woke up your grandpapa with all that screaming! And he has to be at the park early in the morning!”

“Sorry, Grandmama.”

“Sorry doesn’t cut it, young man! And what’s all this talk about ghosts?”

“Robu got upset with Rizu because she was freaking out over a scary movie he and I wanted to see, and he told her that this house was known for being haunted by the ghost of a lunatic psychopath,” explained Deibiddo. “Apparently, he was worried that his little ghost story might have gotten a little out of hand.”

“Well, let me just say that there are no ghosts in this house!” said Emeri firmly. “Mr. Sousei and I made sure that there were no urban legends before we bought it. I don’t know where exactly my grandson gets such notions, but I know it’s not from my family! Now, you three march right back up to the living room and get some sleep. And you better pray to Shinmei that Mr. Sousei won’t have your heads in the morning! Ghosts roaming around the house! Rubbish! Absolutely rubbish!”

One by one, Rizu, Robu, and Deibiddo walked into the kitchen the following morning where they saw Mr. Sousei sitting at the island counter with a cup of decaffeinated coffee in his right hand and the daily newspaper in the other. “Ohayo gozaimasu,” he greeted them kindly.

“Gozaimasu,” grunted the trio as they took the empty stools on the other side.

“Robato, why don’t you ask your grandpapa how he slept last night,” prodded Emeri from the stove.

“Yeah, how did you sleep, Grandpapa?” asked Robu nervously. He bit his lower lip and silently prayed that he would be spared from a severe punishment for causing so much trouble in the early morning hours.

But instead of giving the trio a lecture or taking his grandson out of the room, Mr. Sousei merely smiled at them and replied, “I slept like a baby all through the night! No disturbances, no loud noises, nothing! It was certainly the best sleep I’ve had for years!”

Hearing her husband’s surprise reply, Emeri caught herself from dropping her skillet of eggs and grimaced to herself. “Deaf men, I swear!” she grumbled.

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