Ghost in the Storm

 Midge was laying on the end of her owners bed and drifting in and out of sleep as she listened to the thunder booming loud outside. Then came the lightening that would light up the room for a couple of seconds. In a few minutes she heard the rain beating against the window as the wind blew hard through the trees. She look over at her owner who was sound asleep hearing nothing that was going on outside. She rolled over and curled up again to try and sleep. Suddenly a loud boom of thunder and the flash of the lightening. She quickly sat up and stared at the window and she felt her little heart beating fast inside her chest.

“Hurry morning time,” thought Midge. “The darkness is scary.”

As the rain moved away, the thunder and the lightening disappeared. In a few minutes, her owner rolled over and climbed out of bed. Midge sat up and started her in the darkness of the room. Her owner leaned over and patted Midge on the head. “Go back to sleep Midge,” said her owner. “I'll be right back.” She crossed the room and Midge heard the closing of the bathroom door. She laid her head onto her legs that were stretched out before her.

“I guess the storm has passed now,” thought Midge.

In a few minutes, her owner returned to the room and crawled into the bed. She reached out and patted Midge on the head and laid down to go back to sleep.

In the morning, Midge woke up when her owner's alarm went off and got up to get ready for work. Midge stretched and leaped off the bed and hurried to the living room and leaped into the chair near Snappy's tank.

“Hi Snappy,” said Midge. “Are you awake?”

“Good morning, Midge,” said Snappy. “I am awake now.”

“Did you hear the storm last night?” asked Midge.

“I heard the loud booming of the thunder and the flashing of the bright lightening,” said Snappy. “Did it wake you up too?”

“it was scary,” said Midge. “Did you see the ghost?”

“What ghost?” asked Snappy. “Where did you see a ghost?”

“I saw it outside the bedroom window when the lightening flashed,” said Midge.

“How do you know it was a ghost?” asked Snappy.

“I just know it was,” said Midge. “I saw it floating in the air outside the window.”

“What did you do?” asked Snappy.

“Nothing,” said Midge. “I closed my eyes real tight so I couldn't see it.”

“Did it say anything to you?” asked Snappy.

“No,” said Midge. “I didn't hear it say anything. It was just floating in the air near the window.”

“Is it still out there?” asked Snappy.

“I don't know,” said Midge.

In a few minutes, their owner entered the room from the bedroom. “Midge,” she called. “Come on and we'll have some breakfast.”

Midge leaped from the chair. “I'm going to eat some breakfast,” said Midge.

“Peak outside and see if the ghost is out there,” said Snappy.

“Oh no,” said Midge. “I will peak out there when the sun comes up.”

“Are you scared?” asked Snappy.

“Yes,” said Midge as she followed her owner to the kitchen.

She stood beside her owner while she was filling her bowl with her breakfast. “Here you go Midge,” said her owner as she set the bowl on the mat next to her water dish and grabbed herself a cup of coffee and sat at the table for a few minutes before leaving for work.

Midge finished her breakfast and walked to the doggie door and stood for a moment staring at the door.

“It's okay girl,” said her owner. “You can go outside. The rain stopped.”

Midge stood and just stared at the door a moment longer. Slowly she walked toward the door and pushed her nose against it. She slowly stepped through the door and stood in the back yard looking around hoping the ghost was gone. She looked everywhere and saw no ghost. She ran to the back of the yard to do her business and back into the house.

“That was fast,” smiled her owner as she watched Midge hurry across the room.

Midge went back to the chair next to Snappy's tank. “Did you go outside?” asked Snappy.

“Yes,” said Midge.

“Did you see the ghost?” asked Snappy.

“No,” said Midge.

“Maybe you were dreaming last night,” suggested Snappy.

“I don't think so,” said Midge. “Maybe I was.”

“Sure,” said Snappy. “Sometimes I dream and it seems very real when I wake up.”

“What do you dream about?” asked Midge.

“I dream I grew up bigger and was swimming in a big lake in the warm sunshine,” smiled Snappy.

“Oh,” said Midge. “That sounds so nice.”

“Maybe the ghost was a dream,” said Snappy.

“Okay,” said Midge. “Maybe it was.”

“Hey Midge!” called Booker-T as he ran into the room where she and Snappy were.

“Hi Booker-T,” greeted Midge. “What are you doing this morning?”

“Wow,” said Booker-T. “Did you hear all the thunder last night?”

“It woke me up,” said Midge. “And the lightening was so bright. Almost like day light.”

“It was little scary the loud booming,” said Booker-T. “It made me jump.”

“Me too,” said Midge. “My owner slept through all of it.”

“So did mine,” laughed Booker-T. “I don't know how she sleeps through all that noise.”

“Did you see anything last night in the storm?” asked Midge.

“No,” said Booker-T. “What was I suppose to see? Did you see something?”

“She saw a ghost,” said Snappy.

“A ghost!” exclaimed Booker-T. “Where did you see a ghost?”

“It was outside the bedroom window,” said Midge. “I saw it in the fast light.”

“Did you look outside this morning?” asked Booker-T.

“I went outside but didn't see anything,” said Midge. “it disappeared.”

“What disappeared?” asked Jake as he entered the room.

“Hi Jake,” said Booker-T. “Midge saw a ghost last night in the storm.”

“A ghost?” asked Jake. “Where did you see a ghost?”

“It was outside,” said Midge. “I saw it when the lightening flashed fast.”

“Wow,” said Jake. “What did it look like?”

“Like a ghost,” said Midge.

“Did you go look this morning?” asked Jake.

“I was in back but didn't see anything,” said Midge.

“Lets go look outside,” said Jake.

“You go look,” said Midge. “I will wait here.”

Jake ran outside around to the side of the house. In a few minutes he was back inside and was laughing so hard.

“What is so funny?” asked Midge. “Did you find the ghost?”

“What you saw was a white plastic bag floating in the wind when it was storming,” said Jake. There is no ghost.”

“Oh,” said Midge. “We are safe from the ghost.”

“Only a ghostly bag,” laughed Snappy.

Midge raised her eyebrows and started laughing. “No ghost,” said Midge. “I feel better now.”