Ghosts

Win gone wrong.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Sam, Cassie, and the ghosts had been watching Thor, who was sitting on the grass outside on the grass, staring out to the horizon, in a sympathy "Look at the poor brute." Hetty said.

"This is all my fault." Sam murmured.

"Don't worry, he'll get over it in like 50 years." Sassapis reassured. "He might mention a Norse curse, but we don't think that's real."

"I mean, you know why we did it, right? It's not like Jay, Cassie, and I had a choice. Right?"

"Sure, sure." Hetty agreed. "Although part of me did wonder if in finally getting his funeral, we might see the big oaf get sucked off." Hetty continued, causing Trevor and Cassie to snicker.

"Excuse me?" Sam asked in deep shock.

"Sometimes, very rare occasions where a ghost is able to resolve a long standing issue, the heavens open up and Whooosh! They get sucked off." Hetty explained, as Trevor and Cassie broke and started laughing once again at the phrase.

"Yeah, we all dream of getting sucked off." Sassapis agreed, causing the youngest ghost and teenager to grab onto each other as they struggled for breath.

"And that's the term that you guys decided?"

"Don't tell them! Please?" Trevor begged. "This is all I have."

"Let me get this straight." Sam said, briskly changing the subject. "So, if we had the funeral, there's a chance that Thor might...go up?"

"Get sucked off? Mm- hmm." Hetty responded. "But again, rarely happens. I've seen it maybe once."

"But if it did, we'd never see him again. Like, ever." Flower said softly. Cassie realised why Flower was overcome with emotion and placed a reassuring hand on Flower's shoulder.

"He deserves it, though. Would love to see the big guy get sucked off." Sassapis commented.

"It would be lovely." Hetty agreed, as Trevor and Cassie once again started chuckling.

**************

"Hey Thor!" Sam greeted as she and Jay walked into the TV room a while later. "Just came in to see how you're doing?" Thor let out a low, short grunt in response. "He grunted." Sam translated for Jay, who was looking around the room. "Thor, I'm really sorry about the funeral." Jay began to apologise before Sam gently directed his attention to the couch that Thor was perched on. "But, listen, Uh, we're kinda stretched financially right now. We literally owe thousands of penningares." Jay continued. "I looked up Viking money." He whispered to Sam.

"Do what you must. But know this. Jörmungandr, the Midgard serpent will be visiting you when your night sleeps, and your second born child will have head of cabbage!" Thor cursed, causing Sam to look mortified whilst Jay held a smile on his face, blissfully unaware of the curse Thor had just declared.

"Okay, are we good? What's he saying?" Jay questioned.

"It's not great."

"Do you want to know the real reason why I did not get Viking funeral? Why shipmates did not find Thorfinn?" Thor asked. "Thor never tell anyone this. The reason why I was wandering here alone was because I was left behind." Thor admitted, the pain of the memory surging back to him.

*******Flashback******

Thor had entered the camp to find it had been cleared out. Fires extinguished, weaponry and food gone. Nothing left but a few simple structures that were used for weapons to stand against. Thor saw the ship heading away from shore and ran up to the end of the terrain, yelling in a desperate attempt to get the ship to turn around. "Kom þú aptr! Hví?! Pórr er eigi á skipi! Gunnarr! Ivarr! Annar Ivarr!" Then yelled at the gods for this cruel twist of fate. (What he said: "Come back! Why?! Thor not on ship! Gunnarr! Ivarr! Other Ivarr!")

*********End******

"They...abandon me! For reasons unknown." Thor scowled.

"Oh, Thor." Sam said in sympathy, covering her mouth in surprise at the sad news.

"Sam, stay strong, woman!" Jay whispered/ yelled at her.

"And now you have abandoned me too." Thor frowned as he stood from the couch and walked out of the room.

"His shipmates abandoned him!" Sam told Jay once Thor had left. "Jay, the ghosts told me that if we help, then there's a small chance that he could get s... he could move onto the afterlife."

"Sam, we really need the money!" Jay argued.

"Yes, we could use the money, but we would survive without it. He's been here a thousand years. Look, I know he's a ghost, but if we don't help him, aren't we the real monsters?" Sam asked.

"Babe, that was so poetic." Jay admitted.

"I know, right?" Sam shrugged as Jay kissed her forehead and gave her a hug.

"Oh, alright. Fine, fine! The funeral's back on." Jay folded. "Hey Thor! Buddy, funeral's back on."

"Oh no, he left the room." Sam told him.

"Okay, this is getting really confusing, we gotta work on this. Thor! Thor!"

"Thor! The funeral's on!" Sam called.

"Yes! By the fangs of Fenrir, I thank you." Thor smiled as he attempted to give Jay a hug. However, his arms kept phasing through Jay. "He happy?" Jay questioned.

"Yay! Ha, ha! Hey, so about that curse?"

"Can't be undone." Thor told Sam. "Sorry."

"What curse?" Jay asked warily.

****************

"It gives me great pleasure to cast the deciding vote for Alberta!!" Hetty exclaimed. Sassapis, Flower, Trevor, Pete, and Cassie all clapped for the new ghost representative while Isacc stood at the doorway, a sly smirk on his face "Who made me realise that women should vote." Hetty continued. "Although I'm still against them going to college."

"C'mon!" Cassie muttered as she averted her gaze from Hetty. On the couch behind her, Trevor chuckled as he knew she was starting college in the fall. "Well, at least you think women should vote. So that's good." Cassie praised Hetty.

"Baby steps." Alberta said, smiling at Hetty. "Isacc, you ran a good campaign. Just not as good as mine."

"Point of order. I believe not all the votes have been counted." Isacc announced as the basement ghosts entered the room, causing everyone to jump at the sudden appearance of the cholera infected spirits. "Oh God!" Trevor exclaimed in disgust.

"Y'know it's bad when Trevor's not exclaiming in Hebrew!" Cassie attempted to joke as she crawled to the opposite side of the room and hid behind Hetty's skirt. "You thought your upstairs votes were all that mattered, but true democracy leaves no one behind!" Isacc declared whilst Pete gagged as more cholera ghosts filed into the room. "And they stand with me! But not too close. Not too close." Isacc told a woman who had stood right beside him.

"Well, this seems a little underhanded." Pete commented, staring in disbelief at the group that stood beside Isacc.

"Let the coronation proceed." Isacc grinned.

"Oh yeah. We're all voting for Creepy Dirk." One informed Isacc, causing Hetty and Alberta to gasp.

"Creepy Dirk? That can't be real! Oh my God!" Cassie exclaimed as a cholera ghost stepped out from behind the group. He looked sickly and frail and had dishevelled blonde hair with a few scars on him.

"But - but that would make him the winner!" Isacc whined.

"So, when do I get to talk to the ladies that smell good?" Creepy Dirk asked. Isacc froze before saying, "Yeah, democracy's broken. It's a flawed system, everyone." He walked away from the group of basement ghosts, mulling over his loss.

"Are you one?" Creepy Dirk asked Cassie, only just noticing her from behind Hetty's skirt.

"Hmm? Oh no. I'm a ghost. Just expired." Cassie lied, now standing up but still remaining behind her. "Drank some poisoned water." The upstairs ghosts nodded at this lie. Just then, Damien entered the room.

"Hey Cass, have you seen Ugh!!" He exclaimed as he looked up from his phone and saw the group of cholera ghosts. "Y'know what wrong room." He said as he quickly exited.