Spooky And Spoony

Curious and a little panicked, I asked the conductor, "Excuse me, where are we right now?" He glanced at me and said, "Killiney/B1." I thanked him and went back to my seat. Then it hit me. I gasped, shouted, and almost jumped out of my skin. Liam had said we were going nearby, but Killiney was 140 kilometers away from home! (That's like 87 miles!!)

When the bus stopped at B1, I shook Liam awake, but he was still out cold. In a panic, I ended up doing something awkward with his lower body to wake him—let's just say it worked, but it was a little too weird! He jerked awake and said, "Who taught you that trick? My wife does that to me every morning. It gives me this amazing spine, that 'ahh' feeling! but... you're a guy! Not gay! That's just weird!"

I didn't care. I said, "It doesn't matter right now! Why didn't you tell me we were going all the way to Dublin?"

He grinned nervously, clearly caught off guard. Without thinking, I slapped him on the arm and said, "That was not a good joke!"

Liam rubbed his arm, still grinning sheepishly. "Trust Me!" he said, trying to laugh it off, but I wasn't having any of it.

I calmed myself down somehow, though I was Pepper as Sun. The Bus Stopped The girls, the bratty boy, Amo, and Veanne all left the bus. As Veanne stepped off, she whispered a soft, "Please," but my eyes stayed fixed on Amo. I couldn't shake the feeling that any sign of Amour could come from her.

They all walked away, but I couldn't tear my eyes off Amo. Right before the bus started moving, I pulled the curtain from the window for one last glance. They were walking away as usual, but then—Amo turned and winked at me! Just one blink. I froze, completely confused. What just happened?

A few miles down the road, we reached A6, and it was time for the grannies to leave. The sun had already set, casting a dim light through the bus windows. As they got up, they surprised us by giving us warm hugs before stepping off the bus. The taller one reached up to the deck above and pulled down a bag I hadn't even noticed before. To my shock, it was an electric guitar!

They handed us their visiting card, and I almost couldn't believe my eyes when I read it—"Rocking Maizels." Liam's eyes were wide, and he whispered in disbelief, "Age is just a number." As they stepped off, the shorter one turned and said, "My boyfriend's here to pick us up." We just stared as they walked off.

"Hey, are we really in Ireland?" I asked Liam, still feeling unsure of everything that had just happened. He just nodded as the bus began moving again.

I slumped back in my seat, feeling a mix of confusion and boredom. My thoughts drifted to Amour. If I hadn't come on this trip, maybe I would have seen her by now. Maybe she was waiting for me somewhere, I thought, trying to convince myself she was real. But how could I prove it? No one would believe me, and I didn't have a single shred of evidence.

I let out a heavy sigh, and just as I was about to sink deeper into my thoughts, Liam snapped me out of it. "Pack up. We're here. Let's go."

"Where will we go now?" I asked, feeling a bit annoyed. "You just played me with a knife!"

"We're going to my uncle first. The priority is your health!" Liam said confidently.

"Alright, let's go," I sighed, as we stepped off the bus and started walking.

"If you had told me it would take this long, or that we'd be staying overnight, I would've packed a change of clothes... and underwear! I can't stay in the same underwear for more than a day!" I grumbled.

"Ah, that's not a problem," said Liam with a grin, "you can go a day without wearing any underwear!"

"Are you mad?!" I exclaimed, shocked at his suggestion.

"No, I'm not! Take my example, I go more than half the month without underwear. Today too!" Liam admitted, looking down sheepishly.

"Yup, I know. Remember how I woke you up earlier?" I said, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah!" he said, realizing what I meant, claiming it proudly.

"There's nothing to be proud of," I said, shaking my head.

"What's wrong with that? It's totally fine to give ourselves some freedom!" he said with a casual shrug.

"It might be fine for you, but not for me!" I shot back.

Just then, Liam pointed ahead. "We're here," he said, motioning to a large building in front of us.

The sky was completely dark as we walked into the building. Liam went straight to the reception and grabbed a form for me to fill out. I scribbled my name and other details and handed it back. We then took the elevator up to the second floor. When we walked into the room, it was kind of spooky. The lights were really dim, and there were all kinds of clinical stuff lying around, like machines and tubes. In the corner, there was a man sitting quietly, but as soon as he saw us, he stood up.

THE MAN, WAS HE A GHOST?