"Emily!" Emily's mother shouted from the front porch that was lit by the porch lights. "Come inside before the rain starts pouring heavily!"

Emily's mom was a tall and kind woman, wearing a long blue striped dress with pink slippers and a shrug. She had her eyes squinted and hands wrapped around herself, rubbing her arms as it was chilling outside.

"Coming mom!"

The three of them stood in front of Emily's house entrance gate. They said goodnight and Emily opened the door and went inside while Hannah and John strode across the road towards their home.

After a few minute's walk, more like a run, they were welcomed by their dad and a sweet aroma that filled the air.

John whiffed the aroma and went weak on his knees. He could guess for sure that it was his favorite Boston cream pie. If he had it his way, he could eat only this for the rest of his life. Hannah always joked hearing it, telling him every time that he would then become a round fat boy who would tumble and roll. John never believed her but imagining her brother like that always gave the whole family a laugh.

"Mom!" John yelled. He could not contain his excitement. "Where are you?"

"In the kitchen!"

John removed his shoes which were by now totally covered in dirt and mud and went towards the kitchen. Hannah removed her shoes and put the umbrellas in the mudroom to let them dry and then sat on the sofa with her father. While John and Mrs. Jackson were busy making the pie, Hannah and Mr. Jackson were watching the latest episode of paranormal adventures.

Watching the paranormal type of shows with her dad was their father-daughter moment. The two of them made it 'their thing' since Hannah was a baby. Mrs. Jackson never really understood the fun behind it and why would anyone want to stay up late till midnight to watch ghost shows. She would always say to sleep when the time was beyond 10 or 11 pm, but the two slept only when the show got over.

"Who's ready for dinner?" Mrs. Jackson said setting up the table while John was bringing his favorite dessert.

When the show ended, the father-daughter pair joined at the dinner table where John had already started.

"You couldn't just wait! Can you?" Hannah said taking a piece of pie from John's plate.

John grunted and told her to get her own as he refused to share his. Hannah stuck her tongue out making fun of him.

Tom was sitting in his usual spot eating his food and a piece of pie which John had given him. The Boston cream pie was not only John's favorite but thanks to him, it was now Tom's favorite too.

"So Guys, are you excited?" Mrs. Jackson said taking a bite of the enchiladas.

"I know I am, just like my stomach is to eat the food cooked by you." Mr. Jackson said and looked at his wife which caused Mrs. Jackson to smile.

"Excited about what?" Hannah asked looking at her mother trying to remember whether she is forgetting something her mother told them before or not.

"Your dad and I had planned this long before as a treat to John winning the championships."

"Why you waited so long though? " Hannah asked sounding enlivened guessing what it was.

There was silence for a few moments.

"Harry's death," John said, his face down. Suddenly, he didn't feel like eating as if his apatite had gone away.

"I'm sorry John." Hannah apologized wishing she should have never said that.

"We can postpone it if you want to," Mr. Jackson said looking over at his son.

"It's ok." John took a deep breath. " So, what have you guys planned out?"

"Remember how you two complained that it has been so long since we went somewhere fun?" Mrs. Jackson said as the rain continued to tap on the windowpane.

Both the kids nodded and waited in anticipation as to where they were going.

"Well, get ready then because tomorrow we'll be going to the amusement park!"

Hannah's and John's jaw dropped. They looked at each other and gave a big smile. Tom barked and wagged his tail as the kids cheered in joy!

----------

"Tom!" Hannah covered her face and turned to one side as Tom shook his wet body in order to get dried up.

The dark clouds were gone resulting in a clear blue sky with the roads remained still wet from the last night's rain and puddles on the streets.

John, Hannah, and Tom were playing and splashing water all over each other. Mr. Jackson was drinking pineapple juice in a fancy glass with a tiny blue umbrella with green leaves on top which was used for decoration while Mrs. Jackson was eating rainbow-colored cotton candy. Mr. and Mrs. Jackson were catching their breath under the shade as they had just ridden the Shoot the Chute.

Last time, they had gone to an amusement park where pets were not allowed which ended up in Emily dog-sitting Tom. Emily had always wanted a dog but since her parents told her, they can't right now, Emily was always more than delighted to look after Tom when the Jacksons had to go somewhere. This upset Hannah and John as their fun was not the same without Tom. So, that's why Mr. & Mrs. Jackson had planned this trip, but this time choosing only the dog-friendly amusement parks.

"Mom! Dad! Hannah! C'mon!" John exclaimed pointing towards the roller-coaster indicating them to come fast to ride the nerve daring ride.

"You three go on. We'll be right here." Mrs. Jackson said when the delicious cotton candy melted in her mouth as Tom moved in a circle before sitting beside her.

It wasn't that Mrs. Jackson was afraid of heights or anything. But last time, she got motion sickness and since then, she avoided the big rides.

"Good thing we found a dog-friendly amusement park. Isn't it? Bet you're having fun, Tom." Mrs. Jackson looked down at Tom who was panting.

*woof*

Tom woofed and moved his tail in joy but since he was sitting, it was like he was sweeping the cool concrete floor with his tail which caused Mrs. Jackson to giggle.

She looked around with the half-eaten cotton candy in one hand. It was a huge amusement park that had lots of rides - Alpine slides, breakdance, bumper boats, bumper cars, cliff-hanger, Ranger, Pirate ship, Carousel, the famous Ferris wheel to name a few. There were many snacks too to get your munching and hunger on ranging from popcorn, nachos, quadruple ice creams to hotdogs. In a nutshell, it was a perfect family time destination. The park was more stunning at night with all the lights that glowed covering every single corner of the park. From afar it looked like it had been wrapped up with the diamonds and jewels that sparkled under the moonlight.

"Wooo-Hooo! It never gets old!" John shouted raising both hands up in the air like a little baby. "It was so much fun!"

John was about to point to the Ferris wheel to go next, but Mr. Jackson told the kids that it was time to head home.

"Nooo" John began making sad faces. "Just a few more minutes dad!"

"Look at the time brother! It's 9:27 pm." Hannah looked at her Mom's watch.

"You guys have school remember? It's not the weekend. And besides, we can come anytime here." Mrs. Jackson ticked John - he was very ticklish - causing him to let out a laugh which lifted his mood up.

"Ok. Fine." John replied with his hands in the air.

----------

"Did you say something ?" John asked the same question to her sister during the ride home.

"For the millionth time John, NO!"

"John"

This time he was sure he heard someone calling his name.

"Strange. Did you guys say my name?" John shook his head and asked his parents moving forward towards the front seats.

"No honey. Maybe your ears are ringing with all the water." Mrs. Hannah looked at her son through the rear-view mirror.

Mr. Jackson parked the car in the garage. Mrs. Jackson unbuckled her seat belt and got out of the car first to unlock the door. After closing the shutter, everyone went inside the house.

"Don't forget to brush your teeth before you sleep." Mrs. Jackson reminded the two as Hannah and John raced towards their room.

After getting changed and having freshened up, they came downstairs and went towards the living room.

"What do you think you are doing?" Mr. Jackson stood at the living room entrance folding his hands, seeing John rolled up on the couch and Hannah switching on the T.V.

"Dad, only 30 min. are left for 'Behind You' to end. Come." Hannah gestured to her dad to sit on the sofa next to her.

"I think I'm gonna pass this time, princess. Your mom and I are tired and tomorrow I have to go to work early for a meeting. But don't stay up late. Ok?"

"Sure dad. We won't."

Mr. Jackson left the room as the show was about to start after the advertisement which was currently going on.

"What do you guys even like in these shows?" John wrapped a blanket around himself and got comfy.

"If you don't like 'em, then why are you watching it with me then? Huh? Admit it brother, you like these shows too." Hannah gave a one-sided smile and smirked.

*woof*

Tom woofed and jumped on the sofa and sat near John.

"See, even Tom agrees."

"Whatever. Shhh... It's gonna start." John helplessly tried to defend himself but couldn't hide it that somewhere, he began to like the shows too.

"John"

" Yeah?" John asked looking at Hannah in mid-way during the show.

"What?"

"Amm..nothing." He tried to shake it off thinking that he might be imagining stuff.

"JJJJoooohhhhnnnn" He heard someone whispering again.

"Cut it out, Hannah! It's not funny."

"What are you talking about?"

"Stop scaring me with all your whispering!"

Hannah looked perplexed, unsure of what her little brother was trying to do. She shook her head and then turned to face the screen.

"JJJJoooohhhhnnn"

With every passing second, he could confirm that the sound was getting more intense and started to get close.

Suddenly the room began to get cold.

"Do you feel a sudden cold?" Hannah asked John rubbing her arms and palms.

"Yeah. It's so odd. Let me check the other rooms." John got up and left.

"Nope. Only this room is freezing. Strange." John said after checking the other rooms.

"JJoooohhhnnnn" The whispers echoed through the walls and filled the entire room. This time they were louder.

"What was that?" Hannah asked shocked.

"You hear that too? That was what I had been asking you about since our way home from the amusement park."

Tom went abnormally silent and began staring at one particular corner of the room.

"Look at Tom!" Hannah pointed out.

"Tom? What's wrong, buddy?" John traced Tom's line of sight trying to see what made their dog suddenly quiet. But he saw only darkness. Nothing particular or odd.

Tom whined and tried to bury his face into the sofa. Confused by their dog's strange behavior, Hannah turned off the T.V. She thought that maybe seeing the paranormal activity on the show got him scared. But even after switching the television off, the behavior of Tom didn't change.

"JJJoooohhhnnn"

The whispering became louder and louder as the lights began to flicker.

The lights of the room abruptly went off with the room now illuminated by the moonlight from the windows.

Hannah's eyes grew wide and she put both her hands on her mouth and let out a silent scream when she saw a dark figure standing behind John which was slowly moving towards him.