It was a cloudy day, and we were off to visit Granny. Daddy pulled Mommy and my sisters in the waggon to where Granny lived at the edged of a forest. It was a boring ride. Inkie and Blinkie were having a nap in the back, and I was resting up front beside Mommy. I spent most of the trip looking at the shapes in the clouds. They looked like grey rocks.
I can't remember visiting Granny before this. I was really little, but I think she came to see us when I was even littler. I only knew what she looked like from an old photo. She looked like a nice pony to me, so I wasn't too nervous.
Rain started to come down when we arrived at Granny's. She was very happy to see us and took us out of the rain. It was really cozy in her home. She had a fireplace covered in brown pictures. In fact, almost everything was covered in something. Doilies, blankets and pillows covered everything. I guess she liked knitting. Beside the colourful yarn decorating the room, it was just as brown as home.
My sisters took their bags to their room to unpack and I sat with my Mommy by the fire with the other grownups. I looked at Granny. She looked a lot like the pictures at home; almost white, but a lot more wrinkly. Her hair was a little pink with streaks of white in it too. I thought it looked a bit like Daddy's tail.
Granny creaked forward in her rocking chair and peered at me. “Is that little Pinkamena?” Granny asked. Her voice sounded like her chair. Mommy passed me over to her. “Well, haven't you gotten bigger! You'll be moving mountains soon, won't you?”
“You look really old.” I said.
“Pinkamena!” Mommy snapped at me.
Granny just laughed. “It's alright, deary. I know I'm no spring chicken.” Granny turned her attention back at me. “Hoo, what a mouth on you. I bet you don't remember meeting me before.” I shook my head. “Didn't think so. You were only a month old when I last saw you. You were a real handful. Do you still try to eat rocks? What were you feeding this girl that she went after your rocks?”
My sisters came back, and Granny cooed over them too. After a bit, my parents and Granny started talking about boring stuff, so I wiggled away with my sisters. Inky was playing with a doll she had brought. I came over to play too. “No, Pinkie,” Inkie said, and climbed onto the bed. I went over to Blinky. She was flipping through a colouring book. She didn't have anything to colour with, so she just looked at the pictures. I sat by and looked at the pictures with her. I would ask Blinkie what they were pictures of. “What's that? And that?”
We gathered around the table later for supper. Granny had made a stew for us, the steam fogging her glasses as she brought it over. We said a prayer and ate in silence. The rain outside had become a storm and made the house creak and groan. Inkie looked at Granny. “Is this house haunted?”
“Ghosts aren't real,'” Daddy said.
“Oh, hush, Clyde. You haven't seen everything.” Granny chipped in. “Besides, you used to dress as one for Nightmare Night. You loved spooky stuff.”
“That was pretend, Mother. I was a colt then.”
“You'll always be a colt to me. But,” Granny turned to Inkie. “If you don't finish your turnips, you might see one.” Inkie gobbled up the rest of her meal and asked for more turnips.
Nopony said much else after that. We just ate our supper quietly. Granny would talk to my sisters and I, but I didn't have much to say. Inkie and Blinkie had just started school, but I wouldn't until next year. There was nopony around to play with, so I just helped move rocks until my sisters came home. Still, Granny would ask about me and what I liked.
After we helped clear the table, Granny called my sisters and I to our room to get ready for bed. It was hard to tell how late it was. The storm made it very dark outside. As we were unpacking our night stuff, Granny stopped us. “Here you go,” Granny whispered. “Keep it a secret.” With that, Granny pulled three flat biscuits from her apron and gave them to us. It sure didn't taste like a biscuit though! It was really sweet and had these delicious creamy bits in it. “I'm glad you like them! I haven't baked cookies for a while now. I'll wrap up the rest for you to bring home with you. Now, hurry up and I'll read you a story.”
Inkie, Blinkie and I scampered off to brush our teeth and hair. We were very happy about the cookies, and looked forward to having a snack for school and work. Granny tucked us into our bed, and read us a story like she said. I don't remember what it was about, something to do with the moon, but we fell asleep before it was over. I had a dream. It was filled with creaks and groans that grew into a moaning and then a wail until finally... Crash!
I woke up to a bright light. The rain was pounding against the window and flashes of light filled the room. I was cold. Blinkie had taken all of the blanket, and Inkie had curled up at the bottom of the mattress. There was another crash and I got scared. I looked around the dark room, the lightning my only light. Then I saw a face. A wicked face smiling from the shadows that seemed to get closer and closer. There was another flash and I saw the thing begin to reach out to me. I screamed, but the thunder covered it. I tried to hide under a pillow, but I knew it wouldn't help. I thought I was done for; that I was going to be snatched away into the darkness, when a soft light came through the door.
Granny came in with a candle in her mouth. She came over and placed it on the table by the bed. “I figured the storm would keep one of you up. Those two look like they could sleep through an earthquake though,” she motioned at my sisters. “Want me to stay here for a bit?” I nodded.
We sat in the glow of the candle for a while. The shadow monster had disappeared, but I knew it was just hiding. “Do you usually keep a candle in your room at home?” Granny asked me. “No,” I told her. “Do you get scared there too?” I just nodded. “What are you scared of?” I motioned Granny to lean closer, then whispered, “There's monsters in the shadows!”
“Oh, is there now?”
I nodded, glancing around in case the shadows heard.
“Well, you know what you have to do then, right?”
I didn't have a clue. Granny seemed to read that in my face.
“Well, I'll tell you!” Granny got up on her slippers and a smile pushed her wrinkles aside. “Pinkie, you've gotta stand up tall and learn to face your fears. You'll see that they can't hurt you. Just laugh and make them disappear!”
At that moment, a draft blew out the candle, and the shadow returned, it's fingers creeping up the bed. But Granny saw, and turned to face it. With a big grin, she giggled like a school filly. I was surprised at this weird scene, and looked back at the monster. The laughter rang in my ears, and I recognized the claws. I looked outside, and saw a breach swaying in the wind. I looked more closely at the shadowy face on the wall, and saw it was only the rain on the window making those shapes. I started to giggle myself.
Granny sat back down with me and we giggled at the ghosts together. We started to wake my sisters, though, so we had to calm ourselves down. As Granny got up to return to bed, she asked, “Would you like my candle?” I smiled and shook my head.
There wasn't a single cloud at Granny's funeral. Mommy sat with us while Daddy helped bury her. He didn't cry; he was trying hard to look strong, but he still looked very sad. Someone picked out a piece of pink marble for Granny. I thought it looked like her.
I didn't sleep well that night. I lit a candle and just lay there in it's glow, watching it melt away.
What a party that was! I can't remember ever seeing Mommy and Daddy smile. We danced long into the evening. Daddy didn't even mind not getting the south field done today. We had a light supper (we were all so full of cake) and settled in for the night.
I crawled on my bed and curled into my blanket. The candle on the table gave it's soft glow to the room,making shadows dance on the walls. But, one shadow didn't move.
Sitting up, I stared at this strange scene. I rubbed my eyes and squinted, thinking I was seeing things. But the shadow stayed put! The shadow stayed there for a minute, seeming to stare back. I knew what to do though. I put on a big smile and started laughing. I was feeling so good, I wasn't going to let this creepy thing get me down.
Then it laughed back.
I was shocked. The shadow wavered as it laughed. It sounded happy, so I laughed with it. We had a good moment together, and I was so full of joy I started crying. After I wiped away my tears, I looked back at this friend on my wall, but it had vanished.
I sat there for a minute, thinking things over. Then I blew out my candle and went to sleep.
