Ghosts

Flooreo & Farnsby

Sam and Cassie entered the kitchen one morning to speak with Jay. "Hey! I notice someone ate all the Oreos I brought, which is crazy because I've had them in the house for less than 24 hours." Sam told Jay, holding up the empty tray. Jay, whose face was riddled with guilt, closely resembling a toddler who had been caught, said, "I didn't want to say anything, but I think the contractor ate them."

"Liar! He is a liar!" Trevor yelled, his voice louder than the rest. "I watched him eat the whole thing!" Everyone else agreed and informed the Arondekar girls about how they saw Jay demolish the entire tray of Oreos. "Cookie bogarter!" Flower yelled at Jay, causing Cassie to smirk and Sam to ask, "Really? The contractor?"

"Yeah." Jay nodded. "And if you want to blow up the renovations cos of some cookies, I got your back 100%. But I think that might be short-sighted."

"I witnessed the glutinous feast! It was unseamly." Hetty informed the livings.

"There was shame in the man's eyes!" Alberta said.

"Wait, what are you looking at?" Jay asked his wife and daughter, turning in his chair to see any sign of what they could possibly be staring at. Then it hit him. "Is it the ghost?" He asked, turning back to the two.

"Crumbs everywhere!" Thor announced. "Why not use plate?!"

"They're telling on me, aren't they?"

"Oh yeah." Cassie grinned.

"You're so busted!" Sam said.

"This isn't fair." Jay sighed. "You got a whole team of spies watching my every move."

"I mean, they don't tell me everything." Sam tried to assure him.

"One of the cookies fell to the floor, after which, he ate it." Isacc told the girls, purely disgusted.

"Ugh! You ate a floor oreo?" Sam grimaced.

"Not cool, guys!" Jay scolded the ghosts, rising from his seat. "Not cool!" He exclaimed before storming out of the kitchen.

"I know people say 'waste not, want not', but I don't think it applies to floor oreos." Cassie said.

"I would've called it a Flooreo." Pete chuckled. "That's just my improve training kicking in. Flooreo. I wish I possessed the ability to write that down."

"Why so it can serve as a constant reminder of why you ended up as a scout trooper instead of a comedian?" Cassie inquired, causing the others to laugh.

"Shut up." Pete grumbled.

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

A little while later, Sam and Jay were standing outside, watching over the ongoing renovations. "Y'know, every time I talk to the contractor, it's like he adds another two weeks to the timeline or five grand to the budget." Sam complained.

"Easy don't talk to him." Damien said as he walked up the driveway.

"Well, you know what, here's an idea. Next time you see him, let's just run away." Jay inputted.

"Oh, even better!"

"She's inside Damien." Sam told him, knowing that the was the only reason he was still stood there was cos he didn't know where her daughter was.

"Okay, thank you." He sadi as he rushed to the house.

"Or next time we see that kid, we run away."

"Bulletproof plan, babe." She said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Hi there!" An elderly male voice rang out.

"Whos this?" Jay questioned.

"Henry and Margaret Farnsby. Wealthy next-door neighbours. Total squares." Flower informed Sam.

"Henry and Margaret Farnsby. Wealthy next-door neighbours. Total squares." Sam repeated to Jay.

"Did you just say 'total squares'?"

"Ghost word. I guess they're uptight."

"Yeah, man, they're all like 'Rules! Yay!" Flower told Sam before running to chase a little critter. "Oh Butterfly!" She exclaimed.

"I'm Margaret Farnsby. This is my husband: Henry." Margaret introduced themselves as the four adults shook hands with one another. "We've been dying to swing by. Say welcome! Drop off some of my award winning cupcakes." She chirped as she handed Sam a basket.

"First place at the St. Annsebury Bake Sale seven years running." Henry grinned, clearly proud of his wife. "Not that we like to brag."

"He's lying. We love to brag." Margaret said before the elderly couple chuckled.

"You are so sweet. I'm Samantha. This is Jay. We have a daughter inside called Cassie. And fair warning, he's a pretty talented chef himself." Sam smiled.

"Yeah. Might give your cupcakes a run for their money this year, Margaret." Jay attempted to joke. However, the Farnsbys took it personally.

"Well, I certainly don't think that will be appreciated." Henry said.

"Oh no, I was kidding." Jay assured them.

"Oh!" Henry and Margaret exclaimed, finally catching on to the attempted humour. The four adults laughed. "Our new neighbours are funny." Henry said to his wife.

"Love it!" The adults continued laughing until Sam sneezed.

"Bless you." Jay said.

"Pardon, Uh, allergies."

*Upstairs with the teens, Hetty, Pete, and Thor*

"Sneezing in public? So unlady like." Hetty grumbled. The ghosts and teenagers were currently crowding around a window upstairs, watching the interaction unfolding outside. "I told her a nip of c**caine would wipe that Hayfever right out, but does she listen?"

"I'm sorry. Did you say c**caine?" Pete asked Hetty.

"Mm- hmm. Everyone knows c**caine is excellent for allergies."

"Okay, well, in the 1980s, it was a schedule two narcotic."

"Still is." Damien added. "I think."

"Well, Peter, Damien, in the 1880s, it was a medical wonder dr*g." Hetty argued. "From headache to hysteria, four out of five barbers prefer c**caine."

"That explains so much about your generation." Cassie said.

"I don't get the barber thing, though." Damien said.

Cassie turned to him, saying, "They had barber surgeons back then cos...no. Y'know what, I'll need to teach you all about medicine through time, and that'll take a while, and I wanna see how this plays out."

"OK." Damien said, unsure of what happened before the ghosts and teenagers turned to the situation outside.

*Back Outside.*

"We heard you were doing some construction. Emphasis on the heard." Henry said, referring to the machines around them.

"Sorry. It'll just be a little while." Sam told the Farnsbys. "We're fixing the place up."

"Yeah, we're gonna turn I into a pretty sick Bed&Breakfast." Jay gleamed.

"Pretty sick?" Henry questioned.

"Oh, 'sick' is like, it's a good thing. It's like slang." Sam explained.

"Slang and earrings. That's fun." Margaret laughed.

"I don't love the idea of a 'pretty sick' business adjoining our property." Henry said.

"Well, y'know, I think - I think you're just getting caught up on that one phrase." Jay said.

"I don't know if you're aware, but the zoning rules of our Local Historical Reservation Board require you to seek a permit to operate as a B&B." Henry informed the younger couple.

"Oh, I'm aware. We've applied for all the permits." Sam told them proudly.

"Yeah, ecery single one." Jay added.

"Well, I - I don't see this getting approved." Henry spoke, causing Sam's face to fall.

"Well, with all due respect, it's not really up to you." Jay argued.

"Actually, it is. You see, I'm the head of the Reservation Board." Henry revealed, shocking Sam and Jay. "Enjoy those cupcakes." Henry smiled before walking off with Margaret.

* Upstairs *

"Oh, I loathe the Farnsbys." Hetty scowled. "They've been the Woodstone family rivals for generations." She finished, turning away from the window.

"Oh yeah. They're family we're also robber barens. Right?" Pete asked.

"Yes! But please don't put us in the same category. The children who worked in our factories were far happier."

"We're they, though?" Cassie questioned.

"Yes." Hetty answered before walking out the door. The others froze until Cassie broke the silence, once she knew Hetty was out of earshot. "We're they?" Cassie asked Thor.

"No." Thor answered.

"Thought not." Cassie mumbled before heading out the door herself, the trio of boys soon following.