Aisling had taken a shower and was brushing her hair. She looked at the clock and it was only around noon. It would be several hours until the party. So she thought she should check into the hospital and find the troublesome ghost.
She went to the living room to find her friends and saw Mari and Kaki on the couch watching TV. “Hey do you guys want to go to the hospital with me?” She asked them.
“The hospital? Why?” Mari asked.
“A ghost hunt, shouldn’t be too difficult since I know the ghost.”
Mari shrugged, “Yeah sure I like to deal with ghosts than demons any day.”
“I’ll go too,” Kaki said
“Fine,” Mari replied “So who’s taking us?”
“I am,” Aisling’s mother walked in. “I have volunteer work at the hospital today.”
They got into Mrs. Alvey’s car and Aisling saw Puck on the roof. “Puck! We’re leaving!” She called up to him. “Are you coming?” Puck jumped and flew over to Aisling’s side. Up close he looked exhausted and she wasn’t sure if it was her imagination but it looked like his color was changing to gray even his hair was turning gray before her eyes. “Puck what’s wrong?”
“Ah poor ween,” Mrs. Alvey said. “It’s not good for him to stay in the physical world for too long. He needs to go back into his card and rest or…”
“Or what?” Aisling said staring at her mother and then at Puck.
Mrs. Alvey shrugged, “Dunno.”
“Okay Puck,” Aisling said. “Get in your card and rest that’s an order.”
“But M’ Lady…” Puck said feebly and Aisling watched in horror as his wings began to shrivel and he wobbled in the air. Aisling caught him before he actually fell. “Now Puck,” she said severely. Puck nodded weakly and turned into a speck of light that went inside Aisling’s pocket. She got into the front seat and her mother drove off.
“I wonder what was wrong with Puck.” Aisling said aloud. She saw her mother glanced at the sky there were several dark birds flying over the trees.
“Something wicked this way comes,” she murmured quietly. Aisling stared at her, “What?”
Her mother looked at her and smiled lightly, “Nothing dear.”
They made it to the hospital within an hour. It was large white building that half it was renovated a few years ago and the other was over fifty years old. Aisling thought the recent renovations had caused the ghosts to become agitated. When she got out she looked up at the building and saw a shadowy figure with rabbit years. She continued to stare at him and the figure disappeared. “He’s back,” Aisling muttered under her breath.
“Was that him?” Mari said standing next to Aisling staring up at same window.
“Yes,” Aisling said.
“By the way dear Ian’s here,” Mrs. Alvey informed Aisling. Aisling almost tripped on the curb.
“Wha-what?”
“You know he visits his girlfriend regularly.” Her mother said matter-of-factly.
Aisling nodded silently and headed for the front doors.
“His girlfriend?” She heard Mari asked Mrs. Alvey.
“Yes Ian’s girlfriend Resa, she’s been in a coma for almost two years now.” Mrs. Alvey said sadly. “She was in a car accident and had been in a coma ever since. Aisling has been very helpful. Somehow her spirit energy has been waking Resa’s brain waves but she hasn’t come out of it yet but it gave Ian hope that she’ll wake up some day and it stopped everyone from suggesting to pull the plug.”
Aisling said nothing to the conversation that was being said behind her and stared straight ahead. When they were inside they were greeted by the hospital director Dr. Owen.
“Ah Aisling glad you came.” Dr. Owen said shaking her hand. He was a short plump man in his late fifties with graying hair and wore glasses. “How are you?”
“Fine thanks,” Aisling said and stared over his shoulder. She suddenly moved away quickly and Dr. Owen looked at her in confused, “What…?” He said and let out a surprised yelp as he was attached by a squirt of water made by a water gun. Aisling looked and saw three kids running down the hall. Two were patients of the hospital judging by the hospital pajamas and the other was the smallest one and wore a long white bath robe with bunny ears on the hood. The White Rabbit.
“Darn kids,” Dr. Owen said taking off his white medical coat and looking at the back where it took most of the damage. “I thought we confiscated those toys.” He looked and Aisling who gave him a grim and apologetic look. He sighed, “Of course…it was HIM.”
Aisling nodded, “Yes sir. Do you want me to start now?”
“Yes since he’s not only active at night but during the day too. Please hurry and send him, move him on or whatever. Some of my staff members are thinking about quitting.”
“Okay sir,” She introduced the doctor to her friends Mari and Kaki, “Do you mind if they tag along? They’re ghost hunters like me.”
“Fine fine, I’ll pay you all double just please get the job done.”
Aisling and her friends were about to ascend the elevator when Dr. Owen stopped them. “By the way I hired another ghost hunter earlier I hope you don’t mind.”
Aisling remember what Ian had told her that morning, sighed but forced a smile on her face, “Not at all.” And then they went inside the elevator.
“You have a business rival?” Her mother asked Aisling.
“…not really,” replied Aisling punching the button that took them to the Children’s ward. When the elevator moved up Kaki jumped and clutched Mari’s arm.
“It’s alright sweetie.” Mari told him soothingly. But Kaki still held onto Mari until they got off the elevator. “Okay Kaki and its fine now you can let go.” Kaki nodded and stared around at the lobby they entered. There were colorful murals on the walls of famous scenes from story books most of them from the book Alice in Wonderland.
“Look Aisling,” Mrs. Alvey pointed at the wall where the Queen of Hearts was playing crochet while using a pink flamingo as a bat. There was a section of the wall where there was a large white space. The space was shaped like a rabbit.
“It’s still there?” Aisling said staring at it in surprised. “I thought they painted over it again.”
“Yes put he pulled this off again.” Said a nurse. She walked over to them. “He does this to make the kids believe that he’s the actual White Rabbit from the story.”
Aisling shook her head, “Bad kid. I just saw him on the first floor with two boys.”
“I thought were missing a few Lost Boys. That would be Donny and Chris he plays with them a lot and makes them pull pranks with him.”
Just then two boys came out of the second elevator. Aisling recognized them from earlier and they were both carrying water guns. “There you are!” The nurse said sharply walking over to them.
The two boys jumped and then the nurse took the water guns away from them. “You know these things are not allowed in the hospital and you’re in big trouble for wondering off without a nurse to look after you.” The boys looked down guiltily and followed the nurse. One of the boys stopped in front of Aisling and handed her a piece of paper. Aisling blinked and took the paper.
She unfolded it and inside was a written note wrote by someone around six years old.
Hey do you want to play a game? Let’s play scavenger hunt. You solve this clue and come and find me.
‘There’s a face that has no eyes, nose or mouth.
It has hands but it can’t hold things.
It faces the rising sun and here I sit fishing for treasure.’
Where am I?
~ The White Rabbit
“What is it?” Mari asked. Aisling handed the note to and her and she read it.
“This was from the ghost?”
“Yes and that’s a really bad riddle. It doesn’t even rhythm.”
“So do you know where he is?” Mari asked.
“Yes I do,” She turned to Mrs. Alvey. “Got work to do mum see you later.”
“Happy hunting,” Mrs. Alvey said and walked away.
Aisling headed for the elevator but was struck with someone’s strong emotions of fear. She looked over her shoulder and saw Kaki looked fearfully at the elevator. “Uh we’ll take the stairs.”
They went to stairs and Mari asked, “So where is the ghost?”
“At a lobby on the east wing. The first lines of the riddle said ‘a face with no eyes, nose or mouth and hands that can’t hold things.’ That’s a clock and there’s a giant clock that faces the east where the sun rises and the part that says, ‘fishing for treasure’ was easy. In the lobby there’s a water fountain where people throw their coins in.”
Aisling led them to the first floor and they went to the east wing. When Aisling turned a corner she saw someone ran by and almost run into her. The person stopped and looked at her and she saw the plastic bunny mask. “You…” said Aisling but the ghost laughed and ran down the hall.
“Hey come back here!” Someone shouted. She turned around and saw a boy around sixteen running after the ghost.
“Wait!” Aisling ran after them.
***
Okay that’s it I can’t go on anymore. I’m going out with my family. Sorry about the crappy riddle I wasn’t into making up rhythms today -_-…
I wanted to do an Alice in Wonderland theme because I saw the Tim Burton movie. It was great! :D but I didn’t like the ending much.
Look Aiba found the hospital! XD
