It has been brought to my attention (*cough*Akilah*cough) that I might be skewing towards more scary-style ghost stories so far this year and less quirky or funny ghost stories. I had every intention of adding a quirky or funny ghost story tonight… but I also really want to get to bed before midnight tonight. So, you’re getting a short and scary story tonight. Sorry/not sorry.

As the credits rolled for the second episode of season two of “Loki” Davis was feeling pretty proud of himself. After all, this was the first time his parents had left him alone for any period of time at night without a babysitter. To be fair, it was last-minute circumstances – Davis’s mom had to work late, and his dad had his weekly poker game with his friends. Sure, there was some hemming and hawing, but Davis felt confident that his sole point of evidence that “I’m twelve! That’s practically an adult” had won the argument for him.

There were a lot of “no’s” he had to abide by (no sugary snacks, no scary movies, no friends over, no, no, no) but overall it wasn’t bad. He made himself Easy Mac and then played Fortnite until he got bored and turned on “Loki.” Overall, it was a completely uneventful Friday night. He didn’t know what his parents were concerned about.

He was about to start Percy Jackson and the Olympians for the thirtieth time, when he heard his dad’s car pull into the driveway and pull to the back detached garage. A few moments later he heard a knock at the front door.

“That’s weird,” he thought, going to the front door.

“Do not open the front door for anyone” was the commandment that echoed through his head as he leaned in to look through the peep hole. It was his dad. He stared straight at the door, raised his hand and knocked again.

What the…?

“Dad, why did you come to the front door?” he called through the closed door.

No answer. Another series of knocks.

“Seriously, Dad, just let yourself in.”

Another series of knocks.

Davis looked through the peep hole again. His dad still stood there staring straight at the door, no emotion on his face. Davis thought it looked like his eyes were all black, but he wasn’t sure if that was just a trick of the porch light or the peep hole lens.

The knocking came again.

“That’s not funny, Dad!” Davis called through the door.

No answer.

The knocks came again.

Now Davis was concerned. Maybe his dad was hurt or something – the knocks were getting pretty insistent. Maybe he should open the door.

“Do not open the front door for anyone,” his mom had said. He focused on the “anyone” part and wondered if his dad was testing him.

The knocks came again, harder now.

“You can stop now, Dad!” he called.

More knocks.

“Dad, stop!”

More knocking.

“Dad!” Davis yelled.

“Davis?! What’s up?” his dad’s voice came from behind him.

Davis spun at the sound and his terror evaporated as he saw his dad as he knew him.

“Dad! You were out on the porch knocking and you had these dead eyes and I wouldn’t let you in and you kept knocking and I remember mom said not to open the door and I didn’t but you kept knocking and–”

“Whoa, slow down Davis. Who’s outside?”

“You are! Well, not you-you. But something that looked like you!”

Davis’s dad’s face went pale, “Oh no,” he said and fished his phone out of his pocket.

“Dad? What’s going on? Dad?”

Davis’s dad dialed a number and held the phone to his ear. “Honey?” he said into the phone. “Yeah, I’m home. Davis is fine, but… they’re back.”