Apparition: 6: Ghost camp pt 1
by Timan
Xander leaned against the stone wall as he looked out over the vast scenery in amazement. Behind him Beth stood happily and soaked up the atmosphere. Xander turned to her in amazement.
“So . . . where did you say we were again?” he asked
“Scotland,” she replied confidently, “somewhere in the highlands not exactly sure where. This was the castle of the Fergus McNamara. Sorry I’m a bit of a history geek.”
Xander looked at Beth closely. If he understood her correctly she had just popped them both to a completely different continent.
“Okay now for my next question why are we in Scotland?” Xander asked
Beth smiled and walked up next to him. She looked out over the vast view they got from the top of the tower she popped them on to.
“Because it’s quiet. See, nobody’s ever found this castle. It’s the perfect place if you want to be . . . Alone.”
“Wow, so you can go all around the word huh?”
“We can do much more then that Alex.”
Xander looked over to the female ghost in interest.
“Like what?”
“Oh no,” she replied playfully, “No advance stuff for you until you master the basics pal.”
Beth took Xander by the hand and walked him to the center of the tower. When they arrived there she took his other hand and looked excitedly into his eyes.
“Are you ready?”
“Just so I’m clear,” Xander asked, “this isn’t gonna involve a pottery wheel and a lonely widow is it?”
Beth laughed again. She smiled at him sweetly.
“No.” she replied, “We’ll start small see that rock over there . . .”
She pointed to a smallish rock lying on the ground a few meters away from him.
“ . . . I want you to pick it up and bring it back to me.”
Xander looked at the rock carefully. He’d had limited success at holding things for long periods. Beth let go of his hand and waited patiently. Nervously Xander walked over to the rock. Reaching down he slowly picked it up off the ground. A few seconds later it past through his hand and fell back onto the ground. Beth giggled to herself as he watched his repeated attempts. She always enjoyed watching the new ones trying to hold things for the first time. After about ten failed attempts Xander stood up feeling a little depressed about is failure.
“What went wrong?” she asked
“I think the lack of a body was the first thing.” Xander replied
Beth walked over to the rock and picked it up. She playfully tossed it from hand to hand and examined.
“I don’t see anything wrong with not having a body.” she commented
“You’ve had longer to do this stuff. I only found out three days ago I was dead.”
“You’re not going to be a whiner are you? I can’t be with another one.”
Xander rolled his eyes. He folded his arms and looked at the rock
“Alright smarty ghost where was I going wrong?”
“It’s not in the arms doofus in your head! What were you thinking when you tried to pick up the rock?”
Xander thought about this. The main thing that crossed his mind was the sheer impossibility of someone who can’t touch anything able to hold something.
“I was thinking how I was going to do it.”
“And that’s where you went wrong. The more you think about it Alex the less it’ll happen. It’s got something to do with residual sub-conscious or some crap like that. Just drive the car, don’t worry about the engine.”
Xander looked confused. Beth sighed and folded her arms.
“Okay let me put it this way. What goes through your head when you want a cup of coffee?”
“I am way to calm today?” Xander replied expectantly
Beth gave him a look.
“What I’m saying is you don’t sit there and thing ‘Gee I better use my legs so I can walk into the kitchen then extend my arm so I can use my fingers to grab the handle on the cupboard door then I can used my second hand to grab the coffee jar and place it on the counter then use my legs to go over to the urn so I can use my hands to switch it on to boil the water then put one foot in front of the other to go to another cupboard and use my hand to grab the handle and pull it open so I can use my other hand to grab a coffee mug and also place it on the counter then walk over to the spoons draw so I can use my first hand to pull open the draw so I can use my other hand to get a teaspoon and put it near the cup so when the waters boiled I can use my spoon hand with my jar hand and shovel some coffee into the mug then put those things down so I can grab the mug and move it over to the urn then I can use my other hand to press the button to fill the mug and stir the drink’ right? You just thing ‘gee I want a cup of coffee.”
“Sorry what was the first part again?” Xander asked amazed
Beth pouted and hit him playfully.
“You’re over thinking the whole deal. Just go over and there and pick up the rock. That night you killed that vampire to save the girl you weren’t worried about how you were gonna hold the creep you just did it.”
“So no thinking then. I got that covered.”
Beth walked a few meters away from him and placed the rock on the ground. She returned and looked into his eyes.
“Ready?”
Xander looked at the rock like it was his worst enemy. Which was a strange sensation because at that point his worst enemy was math. Walking slowly with purpose he trudged up to the rock and reached down. Taking a deep breath he grasped the rock in his hand. Slowly he lifted it off the ground. A few seconds later it passed through his hand and fell back onto the ground. He closed his eyes and dropped his head in frustration.
“Try again,” Beth called out
Staring at the rock intensely he reached out and grabbed it.
“I think you’re hot!” Beth yelled.
Stunned but the comment Xander stumbled over. He looked at the girl in shock
“What?” Xander asked
“I think you are hot Alex”
“Okay. . . Is this part of the thing?”
“No. What you don’t like me?
Xander, noticing a window of opportunity closing fast quickly, but awkwardly, scrambled to his feet.
“Kinda.”
Beth folded her arms and glared.
“Kinda? I give you hot you give me maybe?”
“I like you Beth it’s just . . . well . . . we’ve only just met.”
Beths glare quickly switched to a smirk.
“You like me?”
Xander shrugged. This game of twenty questions has taken an interesting turn.
“Yeah.” he replied hesitantly just in case that was the wrong answer.
“What do you like about me the most?”
Xander stood nervously. Still smirking Beth walked up close to him. Lightly she touched his arms with her finger and moved it down to Xanders hand. When she got there she took the rock out of Xanders hand and showed it to him. Xander looked completely stunned at his hand
“See,” she said smugly, “You weren’t even thinking about the rock were you?”
Xander shook his head.
“What were you thinking about?”
“I really don’t think you want to know.”
Beth turned and walked back the other way. For the longest moment Xander kept looking at his hand. He had done it, like he did when he dusted that vamp, he held something longer then a few seconds. This was thanks to Beth for making him think . . .
“So what you said was to distract me right?” he called out to her, “This was just part of the lesson?”
Beth stopped walking. She turned back around and smiled suggestively at him.
“Kinda.” She replied, “C’mon I’ll show you some more advance stuff now.”
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