#Billy would fit perfectly into gravity falls he really would | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

phoenixcatch7 · 8 months

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In love with the idea of captain marvel being Billy's imaginary friend. Like, it'd be so easy. Early depictions had them as almost fully separate people sometimes, like one soul with two minds, rather than just two filters like we mostly see now.

But imagine a Billy down on his luck, hurt and hiding from police and criminals alike, daydreaming the hours away as children do, taking inspiration from all the superheroes rising to fame, making little stories to play out his dreams of saving the world with a generic action doll he found while dumpster diving once. Most of the paint's rubbed off.

Red's his favourite colour, his comfiest jumper is a bright ruby even after all the grime and washes. Gold, too, it's shiny and warmer than silver! A hero cape is a must, big and eye catching! And he can fly, of course, like superman, and in his daydreams, when he's sore and frustrated after a long day's grind, his superhero is smart enough and knows all the right words to get the bullies to stop without resorting to fighting.

His superhero fantasy is one he spends a lot of time on, the first one he goes for when struggling to sleep at night, and he can picture it so clearly. Captain marvel is big and bright and kind, strong enough to lift the boxes for the old lady up the road who's moving all by himself, fast enough to catch Jamie who fell out of the tree on Saturday and broke his leg and couldn't come to class for weeks. He appears at the entrance to alleys when Billy is cornered, he steps up behind to cover for him when he gets caught shoplifting, he sits at the bus stop with him when it's pouring rain and the right bus doesn't seem to be coming.

And then the wizard comes, or rather whisks him away, and like a magician from a fairytale breathes life into his imaginary friend until Billy feels thrice his size and a million times more invincible.

From then on, captain marvel is a real hero, just like Billy is a real boy, and as one they save the whole city, and then the whole world, and get cats down from trees and help Mrs Victoria move the last of her boxes and she gives them a pinch in the cheek and cookies for the road and sometimes it hurts but it's so much better than he imagined.

#dc comics #captain marvel #dc captain marvel #shazam #billy batson #imaginary friend #imaginary friend au #Billy's great because you can give him the most buck wild adventures with the most self indulgent plots and it makes perfect sense #Batman and superman are out here having mental health crisis no.528 and marvels away having dance offs with gnomes #Billy would fit perfectly into gravity falls he really would #Anyway imaginary friend au is near and dear because it encapsulates that sort of safe fantasy for change and companion ship #And a protective imaginary friend brought to life is going to be just a fascinating character no matter what #And it's the perfect cover for non imaginary cap anyway. Why does he prioritise this kid over everything despite having never mentioned him #Imaginary friends always have to care for their creator! But you can't expect an imaginary friend to do your taxes!#Why is cap so eternally kind and bubbly and a bit childish? That's because his creator is a kid! Duh!#This particular imaginary friend just so happens to have encountered magic and is now real enough to play basketball with asteroids.#He's strong enough to match superman but it's fine he's got a child's heart and an unending protectiveness for humanity.#Just don't try anything with the kid or you're toast.#I love the jl needing to save/help Billy in some way and cap; who's practically the jls puppy mascot at this point #Is just shamelessly and unrepentantly possessive of Billy while being openly wrapped around his finger. Number one fan #Like 'he's the specialist boy and if you don't clap for him I'm going to blow this whole building up' type #Have you read Split on ao3 it's like that. Cap is the most unaffiliated person on the team and then bam Billy is number 1 priority 100%#Go read split if you haven't 10/10 #Like it never crosses caps mind to hinder or harm Billy he is Devoted. Platonic God/worshipper except the deity in question is an 11yo #And the worshipper is the closest thing to a deity without being one you can get in dc.#But like a healthy relationship lmao.#It's a soul deep claim with total freedom on both sides and they teach each other love and they're the same person #AUGH

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fandomfluffandfuck · 7 months

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i know imagining animatics/fanvids set to songs is a time-tested fandom tradition, and i vaguely remember that you talked about having playlists dedicated to characters, so i wanted to ask: do you have any songs in particular that inspires you to translate it into a different medium? (not necessarily for fic purposes)

like for example i recently listened to gravity by john mayer (the lyrics is so stucky-coded, which you know, ouch) and i'm vividly imagining making a stopmotion thing with paperdolls that have movable joints flat on the table, a snowy sky as the background, the bucky doll falling in slow motion (as the background streaks red) while we see the form of a chair slowly becoming visible at the bottom of the screen... and then it switches to a parallel scene where the steve doll's falling with the pieces of the triskelion floating in midair. then as he crashes into the river we see the bottom of it is the waterlogged version of the room he wakes up in the future, and as he lands on the bed it freezes him ❄ the frost spreads and spreads, until it reaches the other doll being held in its own cold prison, serving as a tomb where he slumbers ❄

...wish i knew how to outline things properly and break tasks down into manageable chunks lol, but it is very fun to think about making art! (but actually following thru ambitious projects is 😭)

I think you'll enjoy this post

Also, this post

I 👏🏻 LOVE 👏🏻 THIS 👏🏻 QUESTION 👏🏻

As far as imagining fics based on songs, you can very much see that I do that to some degree with the amount of fics I have that use song lyrics as titles, lol. But when that happens, it's not so much about hearing a song and then coming up with a fic concept based on the song, usually, I have the fic written, then a song comes on shuffle and I go Oh! Oh, This Is The Exact Vibe! This Song Has To Be The Title Now!

Your idea for the John Mayer song sounds beautiful and haunting, by the way! It perfectly fits that song! It would be truly, truly breathtaking. Just the idea in my imagination is breathtaking.

I have a vivid imagination, so usually when songs remind me of stucky and inspire me, I imagine fan edit type videos in my head. I don't know how to edit, though, and I have too many things going on to teach myself right now, so... they'll stay in my mind.

This got longer than I intended, lol

"What Was I Made For?" by Billie Eilish

I used to float, now I just fall down

I used to know but I'm not sure now

What I was made for

What was I made for?

Takin' a drive, I was an ideal

Looked so alive, turns out I'm not real

Just something you paid for

What was I made for?

'Cause I, I

I don't know how to feel

But I wanna try

I don't know how to feel

But someday, I might

Someday, I might

When did it end? All the enjoyment

I'm sad again, don't tell my boyfriend

It's not what he's made for

What was I made for?

That song vividly, vividly shows me Steve--Steve before he encounters the Winter Soldier and really begins to make a life for himself in the 21st century. Aimlessly wandering around Brookyln. Staring out into space. Frowning. Wringing his hands. Trying to figure out how he feels and who he is now that he's woken again to a new world. There isn't a war. There aren't any people he knows. What does he do? Who is he?

I mean...

"In Over My Head" by Grandson

When I was nine, I'd make believe

The good guy always caught the thief

The room went dark and I couldn't sleep

I was in over my head

At 15, I would look around

And all my friends had it figured out

They all thought it, but they never said out loud

I was in over my head

Oh, I feel this vertigo

Sick of being an optimist

I'm trying, I'm trying

But I'm in over my head

I'm in over my head

...

I thought I'd make change happen overnight

I was 20, thought I had a good hold on life

Didn't know it at the time, I was not alright

I was in over my head

Now I'm pretty sure at 26

That it isn't gonna be some little fix

The game wasn't rigged by accident

I'm in over my head

This is another Steve song. I hear this song and I see an edit showing us Steve from the playground, squaring up with bullies twice his size, Steve as a teenager, getting in trouble with Sarah, giving her gray hairs, Steve as a young adult, getting in fights in alleys, enlisting illegally, Steve in the military, standing up to his superiors, then Steve post-serum, post-war, entangled in his Captain America suit--watching the news after a mission, wading through the scene of a protest, frowning at his phone, opened to angry discussions on social media... he doesn't know what to do. He feels paralyzed.

(Also, "Left Behind" by Grandson also gives me MAJOR Steve vibes. He's stubborn. He cares so deeply about topics. All of that. I see Steve getting angry in that song, I see Steve crying with that song. <3)

"Black Vultures" by Halestorm

Black vultures circling the sky

Feels like the end of the world

But it's only the beginning of it all

Forget the things that you've heard

Been a survivor since I began to crawl

I'm falling down but I'm not out

The devils at my door

I don't give in, I don't give up

I won't ever let it break me

I'm on fire, I'm a fighter

I'll forever be the last one standing

Black vultures circling the sky

Pick at the pieces

Scavengers wait for me to die

But I'm not defeated

I'm on the edge of the war

I'm holding on and hanging by a thread

I am the eye of the storm

And you haven't seen the last of me just yet

This feeds my brain the idea of Bucky lying on his back on the ground, in the middle of fucking nowhere, a meadow that's muted and dulled. The sky is overcast. There are vultures and ravens flying overhead, circling, but also perched in trees at the outside of the meadow. He's exhausted. Worn thing. Greasy. Gritty. Bloody. He gets up, turning over to crawl, and eventually finds the strength to walk. To stagger. It cuts to black. And then there's a montage of destruction in the most beautiful way as he tears through HYDRA bases. Ending them.

"Devil In Me" by Halsey

I don't wanna wake it up

The devil in me

Gotta wake up, gotta wake up

Gotta wake up, come back to life

This is simple. At least, it feels that way to me, lol. It's purely Bucky. I see Bucky screaming, sweating, hair amess, after having a bad night, coming too close to horrifying memories through dreams, and trashing their [Steve's and his] bedroom. Thrusting the nightstand onto its side. Cracking the lamp. Ripping the sheets. Needing to do something. Squeezing his fists.

Finally, finally sinking down in the corner of the room to sob. Hands to his head, trembling. He sits there for who knows how long before Steve comes in and holds him. He tells him it's okay again and again and again. It is. They can replace everything. Sometimes you just need to get it out.

"Guilty (For Your Love)" by YONKA

You tripped on love, you got cut, you were bleeding

I carried you through the night, an emergency

I want to inhale your disease

I would do anything for you, I am guilty

I get goosebumps when you're near me

You're just like the movies

I am guilty for your love

...

I had monsters in my bedroom 'til you came along

You scared them off and kissed my head

Told me that they've all gone

You taught me how to stand up to my demons, that's real love

You been messed around so much, you forgot how to trust

Had the wool pulled over your eyes, but I ripped it off

I'm the pill you needed when you thought that you were all done

This is one million percent stucky in my head. I see so much with this song. I see them in war times, I see Steve getting up in a commanding officers face, throwing his own queerness in their face when the officer comes to deliver Bucky his blue slip. Yelling. Eyes lit with a challenge. They won't discharge Captain America. They couldn't. I see Bucky throwing himself in front of Steve. Blocking him from fire, from bullets, from danger and absolute death with his body. I see Steve taking the stand in Bucky's defense against the United Nations Court. They will only convict Bucky if it's over his dead body. I see Steve and Bucky lying in bed, sheets tangled, Steve's fingers tracing Bucky's jaw, his sharp cheekbones... yeah.

"Are You Really Okay?" by Sleep Token

Are you really okay?

You woke me up one night

Dripping crimson on the carpet

I saw it in your eyes

Cutting deeper than the scars could run

And don't you know

I can see it in you even now

And don't you know

I want to help you but I don't know how

And are you really okay? Yeah, yeah

Are you really okay?

And I, I cannot fix your wounds this time

But I, I don't believe you when you tell me you are fine

Please don't hurt yourself again

Just please don't hurt yourself again, oh

This song, depending on the mood I'm in when it comes on, flips back and forth between coming from Bucky's point of view, about Steve, or Steve's point of view about Bucky.

It's mostly the same either way, I see Bucky or Steve filling the role of the narrator in the song--waking up to see their partner bleeding, shaking, incoherent, and hurting. They're dazed. So hurt that they have a thousand yard stare and can't totally focus. The rest of the night is spent on the balcony of their apartment. Smoking a cigarette despite supposedly having quit, sharing it between them silently. When they slide back into bed at dawn, they're wrapped up so entirely in each other.

I hope you enjoyed my rambles, lol

#asks #Spotify #bucky barnes #steve rogers #stucky #au #fandomfluffandfuck

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cocoa-puffsy · 6 years

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Songs for Exes

If you have a song for your ex(es), make a list with an explanation! Here are mine (as of April, 2018):

1. Colin: “Want You Gone” from “Portal 2”

2. Brent: “Acapella” by Karmin, “Gravity” by Sara Bareilles

3. Brandon: “Lights” by Journey, “Gives You Hell” by All-American Rejects

4. Noah: None

5. Nick (1): “Die In A Fire” by The Living Tombstone

6. Nick (2): “Fools” by Lauren Aquilina

7. John: “Last Christmas” by Wham!, “Ain’t It Fun” by Paramore

8. Seth: “Ocean Eyes” by Billie Eilish

Colin was my first boyfriend at the ripe old age of 14. I had had a huge crush on him a few years earlier when we were both in a professional musical together. We finally got in contact with each other, and we dated for the summer after we got out of middle school, but broke up that August before high school. When we broke up, he began to be extremely rude to me and did a complete 180 from when we dated and talked. At the time, I was really into Portal, and especially more into Portal 2. I did not want anything bad to happen to his, as he was still my first love, but I just wanted him out of my life. I wanted him gone, and “Want You Gone” explained just that. I think the lyrics were the last words I ever said to him.

Brent I considered to be my first “official” boyfriend, since I had made a promise to myself not to date before high school. He was so alike to my father (sharing both interests and the same first name) it was almost a little scary. This young man has two songs for him because I dated him almost 3 times. He was a fairly good boyfriend when we dated freshman year, but he broke it off after a couple months. I was upset for about two hours, but the only song that was ringing in my head at the time was “Acapella” by Karmin. After a while being away from him, “Gravity” by Sara Bareilles replaced it. I still wanted him, and it was frustrating. In senior year, he cheated on one of my best friends with his best friend’s then recently ex-girlfriend. He was shamed by all of his friends, and as far as I know, they have broken up since.

Brandon was the guy I spent the most time with, and the one I hooked on. He was like a drug, I swear. It was the summer after freshman year, and we met during a pool party. “Gives You Hell” by All-American Rejects was the song that made him fall for me at that party, but it was surprisingly fitting when we broke up. He adored me, and I adored him. But I was clingy. I still did not understand how being boyfriend and girlfriend worked, so I clung onto him like he was my last hope. He broke up with me that early October, and I was devastated. Our song at the time was “Lights” by Journey, and to this day I cannot hear that song without thinking of him. We met up again later and caught up, and jeez he’s changed but still just as charming.

Noah was my best guy friend, and our group knew we would get together at some point. I think we were together for a month until I was honest with him and said that I was there because I felt bad for him complaining all the time about being lonely and not having a girlfriend (he still does that now, but that’s not the point). He and I never really had a song, especially with how short of a time we were together. To this day, it doesn’t even feel like we were together, and we still don’t talk about it.

I dated two Nicks when I was younger. The first one I dated for two weeks in December, not fully realizing how popular he was in the school. I knew something was up with him, and how quickly he said “I love you” and his plans for our future and things like that. At one point, I was crying during PE from stress and confusion in the relationship. I got back home, and I was immediately questioned by him about it even though he wasn’t there. I broke it off, saying I just wasn’t comfortable in the relationship anymore. He then pulled a complete 180 and immediately told his friends to not talk to me or be near me because I was weird and psycho and the like. I later found out that he had dated other friends of mine, forcing one of them to come to church with him (because he claimed he was a “Christian”) and only wanted me and my friends for sex. “Die In A Fire” came out about a year later after we dated, but I knew exactly who this song was for.

The second Nick was the one I was with for the longest time. We met through a mutual friend, both whom we hated. Since he was my first boyfriend after the previous Nick, and shared the same name, I almost always called him a nickname or pet name as the name Nick had left a bad taste in my mouth. But still, we were a very happy couple. We actually lost our virginities to one another. We dated for a year and a half, until the May before our high school graduations. Throughout the time we were together, he began pushing me more and more to go to his church with him for he was worried that when he died and would go to Heaven, he wouldn’t be there with me. I finally had had enough and broke it off. We later thought it was probably for the best, since we didn’t have too much in common and I was always being mooched off of since I was the only one who could drive in the relationship. “Fools” explains two friends wanting to be in a relationship, but worried that it would ruin the friendship they have now. Nick and I did just that, for our friendship was almost crushed after I left.

Johnny was a good kid. He was in the army, tall, sweet; basically me but if I willingly went into the army. I should have taken that as a warning for who he was: he willingly went into the army. He was the first boyfriend I technically ever slept with (I had had sex previously, but I had never slept over). We dated for a month, sharing Christmas music - the reason for “Last Christmas” by Wham! - and teaching each other different things, along with getting a car towed on the first date. He broke it off saying it wasn’t going well. I understood and was mature about my feelings, but the song that was immediately ringing in my ears as he broke up with me was “Ain’t It Fun” by Paramore.

Seth technically is not an ex. He’s a good guy whose girlfriend is letting him experiment with other girls while they still are young and unmarried. He and I had gotten close, and were really good friends. We thought it was a good idea to try and mess around a bit, just to get the experience. I fell for him, and I fell hard. I didn’t mean to, and I knew he was basically engaged to his girlfriend, but I still fell for him. I was ruining myself because of it, and so I broke it off. I stopped all messing around and messaging between us for about 2 weeks. Our friends knew I was falling into this madness from him, but refused to stop either of us. He and I are friends again, but to this day I still have not completely healed. “Ocean Eyes” by Billie Eilish perfectly describes my fall in love with him and beautiful blue eyes, which even he has been quoted as calling them “ocean blue.”

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thegnasticious · 4 years

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Skeleton Shift

Some people in life love their jobs. Some people loathe them. Some people are born to do certain jobs sometimes well, other’s not so much so. It’s a fine line in labor of what you can and can’t do, what you can and can’t mentally handle and so forth. Few jobs in my life I loved as much as what I would call the ‘Skeleton Shift’.

It all started working a dead-end job at a local restaurant. I got the position from my Uncle, he believed I’d be perfect for it. My first shift was cleaning the urinal and toilets. Then I had to broom up some broken glass from an accident in the bar area outside the restroom, I cut myself in the process. I tried to cover it up but I was bleeding through the rag I balled up. I hid the rag in the kitchen, they then had me move some oversized tray, I’m talking huge, like two of me sized without a cart or nothing. The cut was really festering as I neared the table and I lost my balance. Some 50$ or so of food went tumbling to the floor.

This being my third or so job that year, it was another horrible mess up. The manager saw the mess I had made and because of how long everything took me, they said they wouldn’t want me coming back there again.

Late the next night I stayed up looking for opportunities in the local area. The prospers were horrible unless I wanted to try to own a car dealership or work up at the local Wendy’s. It felt like being in a black hole. What about museum jobs, Libraries, old buildings etc.? The only things I could find were devoid of any historical pertinence and most likely LLC. That was until about the 13th page of internet results. I found a weird locally brewn and hosted site offering positions at a local graveyard called TInley Grounds. The main posting on the page read:

Now Hiring! Late-Night Graveyard Guard

Minimal experience required, people skills preferred, hours from midnight until 7 a.m., pay can be discussed as while as specific responsibilities in interview

Contact Bob Neyer at 17089723633

I called early the next day. It wrung a few times then went out quicker then most calls. An automated text came back, “Sorry! Bob is not here right now. If you are calling about an interview please hold on the line”.

I held on, then heard something I could only describe as a either a 90′s dial up tone or a horribly recorded river feeding through a broken mixer. A sharp ring seemed to pick up in my ears, I had to hold the phone away for a few seconds,

“Hello?”, A voice sounded, I picked the phone back up.

“This is Bob”, It said.

“Did you call for an interview?”, he continued.

“Yes, my name is Graham. That’s all I like to go by if it’s alright”, I said.

“Ok Graham, to start the interview I have a few questions, some obscure some not I would like you to answer honestly and to the best of you ability”, Bob said.

“Alright”, I said.

“Do you have a fear of unexpected door knocks?”, Bob asked.

“It depends on if I know who’s knocking”, I said.

“Do you take late night calls from strangers?”, Bob asked.

“It depends on who’s calling”, I responded.

“Do you have experience managing a team of 5 or more people without the help of a lead and/or leader”, Bob asked.

“Yes”, I responded.

“If I came to you right now and told you that this would be the last job you’d have to work in your life, would you be afraid or accepting of me?”

“It depends on who you are”, I said.

“Alright, 4 down 3 to go. Most people never make it this far. I will say if you were wrong this phone call would of ended much more sooner. Do you have a fear of strangers?”

“Yes”, I said.

“Would you help a hitchhiker off the road late at night, middle of nowhere?”

“No”, I said.

“The last question, do you have experience with firearms?”

“Yes”, I said.

A brief pause happened and another noise sounded, this time more piercing then the last.

Another voice chimed in this one was robotic and feminine unlike Bob’s deep and strangely familiar voice.

“Your results are in, we will contact you shortly about the position! Goodbye!”, it said, then cut the call.

The next day I didn’t tell a soul about the odd interview I had. Some little voice in the back of my head told me if I really wanted the position to keep it to myself and that call would finally come. Being silent about it was a part of the test. Living alone and single, it wouldn't be much of a test at all. I was perfect for the position, but not having set foot on the grounds yet, I found myself intimidated. I did some research on the place and found it was considered ‘the most haunted cemetery in America’ with reports of spooks and spectors, as well as murders & suicides dating back to the 1800′s. People believed the area to be cursed by Native Americans forming a portal still active in modern times. Commonly associated with inducing feeling of out-of-time proportions the place was believed to be a river of energy of sorts, flowing time either slower or faster with it’s energy. From the rumors I read, this was believed to cause ‘fake’ ghosts as well as ‘real’ ones in the area.

Two days later, a strange call came to my phone.

I answered and that weird tone sounded, followed by the Woman’s voice,

“Your results are in! You are a perfect match for our position! The pay rate is 10.75$ You will need uniform which we will supply to you via shipping in the next week. We do not openly insist on the experience of firearms and we supply a local radio/phone as well as Billy club for emergencies. We are happy to have you here, at Tinley Grounds. Your first shift is scheduled for next Monday at Zero hour and/or Midnight til 7 A.M”, it said.

The next week seemed to go by in slow motion. I couldn’t describe it but with anything I did it seemed the clocks were constantly working against me. I checked the sky to see if the clouds moved the same. It was like an endless day. Finally the uniform showed, A Dark Navy Blue get-up embroidered “Tinley Grounds Night Guard”, in Gold stitching. The uniform lacked conventional tags or identifiers of size, I also didn’t even send my size, but it fit perfectly. Something about it, the opportunity, the uniform, the call, felt homebrewn but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Not until the first couple of shifts I worked.

The first week I took it was to be a sort of test. When I showed up to the Ground’s little guard hut, I was scheduled every day as per a little piece of paper stamped to a bulletin board. I took it that there was no other guard on duty.

I found most nights, I didn’t want to leave the hut. It was frigid cold outside this time of year, being January and short of a shotgun blast level noise, I wasn’t gonna check on something I didn’t have to.

It was on the 3rd night, that a strange knocking started at the hut’s door. Faint at first, I attempted to ignore it. With each attempt the knocks grew louder and louder constantly fixing my attention back to the door. By my faith and family, I refused to believe in ghosts up until that moment, when I finally opened the door.

Outside was what looked to be a little girl. She smelled sweet of lilacs and dirt seemed to be scattered about as if she had been playing in the mud. This dirt was falling off her as she looked at me, almost generating from a nervousness she more had of me than I had of her.

“Little girl, what are you doing in a cemetery this late at night? Haven’t you a Mother or some sort of caretaker?”, I asked.

She just stared at me, two little blue pearls gazing. As we met eyes she vanished into thin air. All that remained was the strange soot she left at the door.

I for some reason did not feel afraid of her. The next day a call came through saying my pay would be raised up 30 cents with little to no explanation of why.

I returned to the cemetery that night with a new found curiosity of who that girl might of been. Most of the 16 gravestones left had no mention of someone aged like her, could she of been one of the graves that had been vandalized?

I thought deeply about it the next night. Those familiar knocks sounded right around 3:00 a.m. I opened the door and this time she was crying. The mud smeared around her eyes and she would not even look at me, she reached out her hand, and held mine. Her hand was very cold, she smelled sweet like candy, but followed with a strange rotten bitterness. She led me to the back of the cemetery towards a gathering of trees, at one point she began to speak, light emulating from her eyes and mouth with each syllable. Her eyes and mouth, etc. seemed to have vanished forming a mass of flesh more or less. The mass shot lights in all directions and began sucking everything around it in. I clung to a tree branch, but the well of gravity broke the branch and sucked me into it’s endless darkness.

A loud knock sounded and I awoke in the guard hut. Apparently I had dozed off, I checked to see what the knock was and nothing was there. I decided to walk back to that spot the little girl had shown me to see if anything was there. To my surprise there was six new plots, unmarked.

The rest of the night proceeded as usual. Something told me again not to call about those plots, but it didn’t ask me in words or out right. Any time I thought about the sorts of things it didn’t seem to want me to, it would turn my stomach like a metal handle. This thing first started stalking me when my Mother and Father passed in a car crash years ago. I never told many people but I felt they were killed by this phantom, there was no other car found or sighted around their completely totaled, bashed up car. It used to bother me when they’d leave me alone because I felt like they were feeding me to it, intentionally, but I tried to think they didn't mean to when he would finally show up. The night of their crash was one of the few times this spirit was nice to me.

From then on it became my sort of caretaker. I would get unmarked envelopes of money, presents at my doorstep, it was always there for me. I never thought that some day I might meet the thing or that it would go to such an extent to meet me. A dark hooded figure startled me shortly before the sun was to rise. It seemed to glide about as if carried by a cold, early morning wind. The darkness of his cloak entwined with the dark of the sky and fought the morning rays. It’s presence seemed to be the time fluctuation itself, a true darkness. The hut felt warm around me as I gazed, a light grey smoke seemed to teem from where the body would be, it floated to the graves and a body amassed within the hood. Something about the thing felt oddly familiar, like Bob’s voice. A strange familiarity more or less not a relative kind. I knew not to approach it and I watched it in silence. From the 6th grave it lifted a mass of dirt as if it was nothing, a light shone from the grave. The hooded figure held out long muscular arms, charging the light below, then vanished into the air.

Shocked from the spectacle I just saw, I didn’t know if I should leave the hut or not. I waited for the sun to begin to rise a little, then approached the grave.

I looked down into the dirt square to see the casket completely open. Inside was a fairly beautiful young woman looking as if she had never died. I leaned into the grave to check her pulse, she seemed to be breathing. As I reached out her eyes opened and she lunged out and grabbed me. Then she kissed me and exclaimed “Johnny I knew you’d come back for me, oh but I’m late, oh so late for Biology”, A set of books appeared in her hands and all of the dirt on her clothes lifted. She floated out of the casket weightless and flew into the morning sky.

I stood there baffled at the open grave and figured, I probably shouldn't tell anyone about what I had experienced.

Weirder yet was the day at Bremen High. Most of the discrepancy began with an estranged ‘transfer’ student, fairly undocumented, insisting a certain occupied locker was actually hers, this somehow led to a fistfight between two girls. The first punch being thrown by the ‘transfer’ student led to a school level dispute when the student mysteriously disappeared before an investigation could commence.

When I returned the next night, I found her back in the casket now sleeping. I closed the lid and as I did a cold hand grabbed my shoulder. I turned to see the Hooded man, he lifted his hood to unveil a very human appearance. I couldn’t place who he was but he was a perfect sort of distant familiar.

“I’m Bob”, he said in a voice I recognized as the one I had heard in my head quite frequently and on the phone.

“I am the true caretaker of this cemetery, most of your job is a front, besides this part”, he said pointing a bony skeleton arm to the Woman in the grave.

“You are to close her casket nightly, every shift, covering the casket in sleep, the three children buried beside only awake in the December and every so often to play, I’ll handle that, the other grave is an old Man he need not be disturbed and the last is a real bastard. I tried to warn you about him but I suspect he got to you already, that night you fell asleep on the job. No worries, you’re still here now so he couldn’t of taken you that far. But next time, there is a gun hidden beneath the cabin desk in a corner, if you want to make sure there’s not a next time, catch Old Skinny before he catches you and shoot that fucker in the head, that’s the only way he’ll go down, just the way he was hit by the mob some 40 or so years ago”, he paused, looked down in the grave and blew a cold mist about, “I couldn’t forgive myself if anything else bad happened to her, for your silence and efforts I’ll raise your pay incrementally”.

“Oh and you might need this”, he concluded, handing me a golden shovel. Then disappeared.

I recovered her grave with loose soil and the knocks subsided that night. Apparently she was the little girl as well. I don’t know if age or time for that matter makes sense to the dead. Early that morning, Bob appeared lifting the soil again, so she could again attempt to return to Bremen High.

Coincidentally the locker she had been haunting was vacated and she found it empty like she had seen it some 50 or so years ago. She followed her old class schedule and no one seemed to notice the peculiar new girl. At the time she passed she was aged about a Junior, so no one could tell that she was nearly 50 years older. She learned of the stars as they never were before and learned of new things she never thought possible. The tastes and smells of modern life was intoxicating to her. So much so she was not just a ghost of Bremen High but almost a living person. All until the bell rings and no one remembers the strange girl who one day sat in on their class for no reason.

Some people tried to make friends with her, whilst other’s quickly forgot. All inevitably forgot with passage of time, as her whole existence was nothing more than a constant vanishing act. It was sad to think that for her, this was eternity. At least they gave her a locker

The spooks and scares of Tinley kept the job alive for me for years. Nothing ever quite happened like the first time I met her. Bob stopped showing as he always does and even at a certain point the once seemingly infinite grounds of Tinley, began to again feel finite once again

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