One little boy and three bad ghosts

Have you ever had that feeling while you were sleeping and you felt like you were falling? You are falling fast into a deep pit with no boundaries and no light. You are screaming for help but you can't even hear your own voice. You feel light. You feel helpless. And, just when you have given up all the struggle you fall hard and your head smashes with full force on the ground. This is about the time when you wake up. You check to see if your head is still in one piece. You look around and make sure everything is normal. In the end, you smile thinking that it was just a bad dream. I am sorry to tell you that you are wrong.

This is the story of a little boy called Olaf. Olaf was a lean, tall and strong boy of eight years. He worked in the farms with his Papa and two elder brothers. He had a little sister and an elder sister who stayed at the house with his Mamma. Olaf looked after the cattle and fed the chickens. He ran around the farm and helped his brothers with endless things. One evening, Olaf was returning home with his pet dog Jojo. Jojo loved to play with him. Olaf had a ball which he kept throwing so that Jojo could fetch it back to him. During their game, Olaf once threw the ball a long way. Jojo ran to fetch the ball. But, he did not return. Instead, Jojo started barking at something. Jojo was looking towards a big old Oak tree and barking. Olaf came to Jojo and looked around to see why he was barking. But he could not see anything. Jojo kept barking at the tree and did not move from his place.

Suddenly there was a big gush of wind and the Oak Tree started shaking menacingly. The little dog got scared badly and ran away back to the farm leaving little Olaf alone. An eerie sound was coming from inside the tree. Suddenly, three spirits emerged out of the tree and started to hover in circles over little Olaf's head. One of the spirits was wearing a bright red coat with big buttons. On its head, this spirit wore a big blue hat. The other spirit was completely white. The only thing Olaf was able to make out was its big head, small eyes, a little mouth and a big tail. The third spirit was a lady's spirit. She wore a black dress and a big black colored hat. Poor Olaf was scared to see all the ghosts and asked what they wanted of him.

The lady's spirit stopped circling around him and stood in front of him. The spirit was very tall and when she opened her mouth to speak Olaf could see her rotten golden colored teeth shining inside her big mouth. "Little boy, we are the spirits of this tree. You and your dog have disturbed our sleep. Now, you will have to pay up for it with your life", saying this she brought both her hands forward menacingly and took them to Olaf's neck to strangle and choke him to death. Olaf got really scared and screamed,"Spirit, I am really sorry. Please don't kill me. Tell me what I can do so you can spare my life?". The spirit laughed wickedly. It was as if she had been waiting to hear these words from the little boy.

"We have been caught on this tree since two hundred years, you will need to free us if you want us to spare your life." Olaf replied,"Tell me spirit, how can I do that?". The spirit smirked and replied, "You will need to find three other people who are ready to die and take our place on this tree. You have three days until the next full Moon to complete this task. If you fail to bring three people then we will come and take you with us." Saying this, the spirits started laughing and started circling around the little kid and finally disappeared again.

Little Olaf was scared and walked back home. He kept thinking where he would find three people who were ready to die for him. He was sad and was quiet during the dinner. His Mamma Jenny saw that her little boy was very quiet that day. After the dinner, Jenny called him aside and asked him what the matter was. Olaf never hid anything from his mother, so he told her the entire incident and how he had to find three people who were ready to die for him in three days time.

His Mamma listened to him and assured him,"Go to sleep, my little boy. Let me take care of this problem. Pretend nothing happened to you and do not tell about this incident to anyone else." Olaf promised his Mamma that he would keep this incident a secret and he would not tell his brothers, sisters or Father about this incident.

The next day Jenny got up early in the morning. She took a large Axe and headed straight to the tree Olaf had described to her. She took Jojo with her so that he could point out the right tree to her. Jojo accompanied her and as soon as they approached the tree he became scared and started whining with fear. So, Jenny told him to leave. Jojo ran back to the house. Jenny went straight to the Oak Tree and started chopping it with the large Axe. As soon as the first blow of the Axe landed on the Tree the spirits arose and let out an eerie cry. Any other person would have got scared and run away from the place. But, not Jenny. She was prepared to do anything to save her child. So, she kept chopping the Tree. The spirits of the Tree got very angry and attacked Jenny. Jenny was not scared and she kept chopping the Tree. Finally, the lady's Spirit requested her to stop. But, Jenny would not listen. So, the lady's spirit begged her,"Please don't chop this tree. If you cut this Tree we will never be freed from our curse. We would keep haunting people for eternity." Jenny stopped finally. She told her,"I'll stop. If you promise not to hurt my child." The lady's spirit told her that it was beyond her power to save the child. The deal Olaf had made to them was now approved by the Devil himself. So, Olaf had to keep his promise or else the Devil would come to take his soul.

Jenny asked her if there was no other way to save her child. So, the lady's spirit replied that if she agreed to take her place on the Tree then her child would be spared. Jenny agreed. The lady's spirit entered Jenny's body and Jenny's soul was now bound to the Tree. The lady's spirit was called Diana before she has become trapped in the Tree. Diana was very happy to get a new body after two hundred years. She headed to the farm to her new family.

Meanwhile, Jenny came to know about the other two spirits. One of the spirits was a French Naval Doctor called Abraham Petit. The other spirit was of an unborn child. The lady Diana was his wife. The Doctor had been hanged on the tree two hundred years back for murdering another man during a drunken brawl. Two days later his pregnant wife had hanged herself from the same tree. Jenny said that she was sorry for what had happened to them. Abraham told her that Diana had lied to her. She would kill Olaf and her husband on the full moon night so that he and his unborn child would also be freed from their curse. Jenny was very angry when she learned this. She tried to fly back to the farm. But, her spirit was caught in the branches of the tree. Invisible chains bound her to the Tree. She could not escape these chains. So, she wept for her child and husband.

When Diana returned home, Jojo saw her and immediately recognized that she was the evil spirit. But, when he saw the large Axe in her hand and saw that she was heading straight to him he realized that she was coming to kill him. So, he ran with top speed and disappeared. Diana was happy that no one could recognize her now. She prepared a great meal that night and came to know about everyone in the family. She waited for the full moon night two days later because her husband had been hanged on a full moon night. Their curse would be released only on the Full Moon night.

That night, when Olaf was sleeping he saw a dream. In the dream, he saw that he was standing in front of the Oak Tree. He saw his mother was trapped in the Tree and she was calling him for help. He climbed the tree to talk to his mother. His mother told him of what had happened to her and told him to go back. Suddenly, the other two spirits attacked him and he lost his balance and fell from the tree. As he fell he screamed. But, he could not hear his own voice. He fell with a big thud as his head smashed against the earth. The next instant, Olaf woke up from his dream. He turned around and saw that he was lying in his own bed. He went to his parent's room and saw that his mother was sleeping peacefully. He smiled thinking that it was just a bad dream. So, he went back to sleep.

The next day, Olaf was sad because he could not find Jojo anywhere. He searched for him everywhere. But, he could not find him. That night, Olaf saw the same dream again. This time he saw that Jojo was sitting near the tree. To his surprise, Jojo was speaking to him in human tongue. Jojo warned him that Diana had captured his mom's body deceitfully. He warned that tomorrow night she would kill him and his father. Before he could tell him any further. The other two spirits of the Tree attacked him and once again he fell down with full force from the tree and smashed his head. Once again, Olaf woke up in his bed drenched in his sweat. This time he was convinced that what he had seen was not a dream.

The next morning, he ran to the Oak Tree and saw Jojo sitting next to it. Jojo ran to him and licked him with great joy. Olaf understood that their lives were in danger. So, he called his mother's spirit for help. Jenny appeared from the Tree and told him,"My dear child. The wicked Diana will try to kill you and your father tonight. However, if you can find her grave and place a water lily on it before the night she and her family will be released from this curse. She will no longer trouble us and I will return to you. Go soon my child for we have very little time left."

Olaf ran back to his home. He went back to Diana and pretended that he did not the truth about her. After sometime Olaf noticed that Diana got up silently and started going out of the house. He followed her precariously keeping a good distance from her so that she could not see him following her. He saw that Diana went to an old abandoned French house. She disappeared in this house for some time. Olaf waited for her to return. After some time, he saw her coming out of the house wearing a blue hat and carrying a rattle. She was smiling and talking to herself. Suddenly, she burst into a loud laugh and started singing a lullaby in a hoarse voice. Olaf had never heard of this lullaby before. But, he was very scared seeing Diana singing the lullaby to herself. Olaf waited till she had gone out of sight. He then sneaked into the abandoned old house. As he walked into the house, the old wooden floor creaked beneath his feet and produced a blood-curdling sound. Olaf was scared. But, he had to save his parents. So he searched the house looking for some clues.

Olaf saw an old painting hanging on the wall of the bedroom. The painting showed Diana and her husband standing in front of their house. It seemed like their wedding painting. Diana was wearing a blue lily in her hair. Olaf searched the whole house but he could not find any clue where to find the grave. So, disappointed he came out of the house. As he opened the door, to his shock he found Diana standing outside. "Why you little brat, you thought you could sneak up on me," saying this she pounced on the little kid. Olaf ran back inside the house scared. He ran up to the first-floor bedroom and locked himself inside. Diana started banging the door violently. The scared child saw a window and an Oak Tree adjacent to it. So, he opened the glass window and climbed the nearest branch. Just then, Diana opened the door and burst into the room. When she saw Olaf climbing the Tree she went to the branch and shook it with full force. Olaf lost his balance and fell down.

As Olaf fell he remembered his dreams. But, he knew that now he was not dreaming and he was sure to die. So, he just gave up and closed his eyes. But, as he fell he landed straight into a pond. He swam to the top to see Water lilies growing all around him. He looked up to see Diana staring at him angrily and cursing. She disappeared from the window screaming loudly. He knew she was coming to get him. He jumped out of the pond and plucked a water lily. Olaf ran and turned behind to see Diana running behind him. As he ran, he heard the bell of an old church. He had never before come to this part of the village and did not know if any church existed there.

Olaf ran with all his energy towards the church. He was surprised to find the church abandoned. He wondered who had rung the church's bell. He suddenly heard his mother's voice,"The grave is in the church's backyard. Hurry my child." Olaf ran towards the door but he saw that Diana was blocking it. He ran towards her hoping he could slip below her. But, Diana flung her arm towards him to catch him. Just then, Jojo appeared out of nowhere and flung at her and bit her hand. She writhed in pain and started cursing loudly. She attacked Jojo and tried to throw him down. Meanwhile, little Olaf ran out and searched for the graves. In the backyard of the church, he saw a graveyard. He searched frantically for Diana's grave. He finally found her grave in a corner. Just then, Diana emerged out and ran towards him with great menace. Olaf placed the water lily on the grave. Just as he did this, he heard a loud scream from Diana,"No." She fell down and he saw a dark spirit leaving his mother's body.

He ran to his mother. Jojo came and licked her face. Soon, Jenny regained her consciousness. She was very happy to see that her son was alright. She said that Diana would never trouble her family again. The next day, Jenny accompanied her husband and burnt the Tree. A Pastor was called to offer prayers at the spot. Diana and her family were released from their curse and they were free to be reborn as humans again. As for Olaf, he now knew that if someone fell down in a dream it was a warning of a bad thing about to happen in real life.

The End