Ghosts Don't Exist

Chapter 12: Kids Will Be Kids

Danny was never meant to end up in the hospital crying his eyes out and bleeding from basically everywhere in a tattered and burned dress. His shoes were gone and his hair was as messy as ever.

The parents were to blame in this situation. A Ghost Portal that opened a different perception of reality? The perception that ghosts live in?

Maddie and Jack had done their research on ghosts and had become obsessive over where they were and where to look for them. Amity Park was known for its weird occurrences in the paranormal. Legends, stories, and old myths dwelled in the small city's history as well as its community's. It wasn't odd for there to be a couple with a liking in the paranormal.

Maddie and Jack had learned about different perception in a number of various genres such as: Religion, fiction, history, etc. There were three that stuck in most religious books, three perceptions.

In a universe of light and dark, where perception is reality.

Paradiso, Purgatorio, and Inferno.

Paradiso having the same rules of Heaven and Inferno of Hell, but Purgatorio. What a strange place, a place that was known for leading some to madness. Both the soul and mind could get lost there and never leave, and those that entered sought to find more than just solitude. It was also a perception in which had the closest rules to that of the ghost perception. The one they wanted to open.

Danny had grown to adore his parents and what they did, but it was more for their science and it's beliefs. Danny loved space and so would go off to borrow their astrology books. It wasn't abnormal to find him sneaking into the lab to get his hands on one of their books.

Which leads us to our current situation. The machine used to enter this 'Purgatorio' was assumed to be busted. Danny had gotten hurt after accidentally finding what was wrong with it and getting severely hurt. The machine worked for what it was built for, but Danny was very hurt and was rushed to the ER where he was checked and wrapped in a number bandages and given strong, questionable, pain killers.

"How do you know how to be a doctor?"

Jasmine was never a fidgety person because she was always able to find something to do, so it was both strange and awkward to find her bored and tapping her foot at dinner. Her school book had lost its touch as she knew most of what was in it.

"Of course I know how to be a doctor!" No she didn't.

Jasmine may have been smart but the knowledge of specific doctoral types was not something she knew. Her constant refusal to Danny was rather amusing to the adults in the household and they couldn't help but stand outside and listen to such blabbery. Stifling laughs was a bit harder than expected.

Danny honestly didn't mind playing doctor with Jasmine, but the irony of his situation had him in denial to play. He could not play the doctor in his situation. A broken and burned left leg, a severely burned left arm, a burn on his left cheek, and the right side cut up, bruised, and almost burned left his playable options limited. To his dismay not to Jazz's.

"What are you going to do?"

"So you do want to play Doctor?"

"...yes."

Doctor was not an unknown game to them to be honest. Having scientists for parents left a fascination for the doctoral career. Though, Danny would prefer the astronomical career. The labeled and specifically placed constellations on the ceiling stated so. We aren't even going to talk about the multiple recorded tapes of shuttle launches.

"Open your mouth patient."

A popsicle stick would not be used in this situation because the only popsicle sticks in this household were one of two places: the freezer or the trashcan. Instead, a flashlight would be used. That would suffice.

"Now your ears."

She would never shine the flashlight in his eyes, not in this state. She was a doctor with standards... but Danny wasn't.

"Hey don't blind me give that back!"

When dinner came around, Danny could not have been happier to see food. Depression had settled in when his parents told him no dresses while he was recovering. The majority of Danny's dresses had layers of fabric and with his burns still fresh they didn't want him to pull the skin off or scratch it while it was still agitated. More so, his boy clothes were limited to baggy t-shirts and boxers. No pants. Not that he could get any on with his cast, so that was more for that than a rule.

Nothing was stopping Jasmine from bringing in singular dress shoes, hats, headbands, decorated bandaids, etc. The best day was when they decorated his cast with drawings, glitter glue, and stickers before their mother put a coat of varnish on it.

Danny was never lonely because Jasmine was always with him and he never liked the idea of being alone anyways. He stuck his banana flavored popsicle in his mouth (I love the banana ones) while Jasmine had a coconut one. Sam and Tucker had gone off to school and would bring Danny his schoolwork. Jasmine was waiting for her parents to pry her from her brother and drag her to school. Jack didn't have much trouble because Jasmine was exceptionally tiny compared to him.

School was never a subject Danny was fond of and Jasmine knew that. She had this way of making it fun for him, but now that he's home alone (your parents are in the living room) he was bored and discouraged from doing any work.

He heard his closet creak and the knob jangle. He looked up from his book about zodiac signs. "Mama?" He said. Granted, the thought of his mother in his closet seems impossible since she would have been seen by him whenst coming into his room. Also granted, that seemed dumb.

Danny didn't believe in the paranormal like his parents did but that wasn't to say he didn't believe. The door groaning ominously and the chipped wood only seemed to scare him more. He covered his face with his book peeking over its rim. A faintly cold green hand came out of his closet and Danny put the book down. Some part of him wasn't scare but annoyed.

"You gonna scare me yet?" He whispered.

Another hand gripped the top of his closet and pulled themselves out of the closet. A short child dressed as a pirate and with a parrot on his shoulder stared at Danny expectedly. He looked eager to see something, to be awarded. Danny clapping his hands and giggled. "You liked that!? I hoped you would! I saw you reading and thought that was boring. Thought I'd play with you!" This child was very loud. "Who are you? I'm Danny." Danny stated. " I'm a ghost and my name is Youngblood. What happened to you?" He asked floating over beside Danny. "I got hurt really badly, my Mama was so scared and crying. She thought I was going to die." Danny explained. Youngblood didn't know what it was like having parents so if comforting Danny was what he wanted he wasn't getting it in mature terms.

"How about we play a game? What can you play?" Youngblood asked. "We can play dress up... oh wait, I'm not allowed to put on dresses." Danny said sadly. Youngblood smiled and snapped his fingers and popped a ghostly transparent dress on Danny. He chuckled at Danny's face. "I don't know why you would want to wear a dress but we could be princess and the knight." He suggested. Danny gasped and nodded. "Oh wait," Danny grabbed his crutches and stumbled towards his dresser to put a plastic crown on. "now I'm a princess. I can get you a sword from the closet."

"I didn't see any 'swords' in your closet." Youngblood stated watching Danny. "That's fine we can make believe. I have lights sabers from Star Wars. Oh, space knight and princess!" He said excitedly. Youngblood squealed taking the saber and changing his clothes to a knights armor. His parrot changed to an opposing knights in black armor and grabbed Danny gently as to not hurt him. He pointed a saber at Youngblood who smirked. Danny giggled and said, "Help me! Help me brave knight!" Youngblood laughed and started fighting the black knight.

Youngblood pretended to stab the black knight who then pretended to die and let Danny go. "You saved me brave knight! You're my hero!" He said and hugged Youngblood. "That was fun. Usually Jazz plays make believe with me. Sam's mom doesn't like me and Tuckers only wants to play video games." Danny stated. Youngblood smiled widely and said, "When you're in need of a playmate you just call my name and I'll be there. I have to go though, I promised Ember I'd help her set up a concert. Bye Danny!"

"Bye Youngblood!"

"I'm home Danny. I brought donuts."

Danny laid back in his bed and marked his book as Jasmine was coming in. "Who were you talking to?" She asked. "No one, what donuts did you get?"