If you get votes from this doll, they come from Lady0filia!

 "Hello!"

 But if you'd rather vote for SarahSpells, then go ahead, I don't mind.

Loft (Bedroom/Study)

Verdanda (Fantasy Realm)

Elite Villa (Elite Daycare)

Rainbow Room (Enchanted Nook)

Cloud Room (Flying Ship)

Enchanted Forest (Snow White & Friends)

Dirigible (Steampunk)

Haunted Castle (Haunted Manor, of course)

Submarine Room (Fancy Hotel)

Forest (Lovely Wood)

Christmas Room (North Pole)

Sarah's Room (Chocolate Ball.)

Cake Shop (Pastry Shoppe)

English Cottage (Cute Cottage)

Hotel (Ramdom scene)

Vet (Outdoor Fun)

Mexico (South American ruins)

Black Forest (Haunted Fairgrounds)

VIP (storage)

Who is SarahSpells? No, she may be good at spelling but that's not what the name means. It's actually short for Sarah Spellding, who is a book character of mine. Her favorite color is green, but she loves all the colors of the rainbow. Her last name, Spellding, is a nod towards the Archie comic book character Sabrina the Witch.

This doll belongs to:

~Ghostbuster with a Bat~

by Elizabeth Wilde

Chapter 1:

When Night Met Cherry

     Tom Nightrider lived alone in a small house, average and boring on the outside; quite neat and impressive on the inside. Everyone in town knew him as quiet, sleepy, and lazy – seeing as how he appeared to have no job. He was a bum. Obviously his parents paid for the house – which was barely being kept up by outward appearance.

     But Tom had a secret. He was a ghostbuster, sending wandering spirits to the afterlife. That was his job. And his weapon? Was a bat. Not just your ordinary bat you play baseball with, but a magic bat that glowed blue.

     Some days he'd have several ghosts to bust, while other times there were days with no requests. Hence the idea that he lazed about. Which actually wasn't that far from the truth. In fact, Tom lazed about even when he worked. Or, he at least had the talent that he looked like his actions were lazy and his job boring.

Maybe it was.

Maybe it wasn't.

Maybe we should see...

     There was a knock at Tom's door late at night. It was pouring down rain, so golden-hearted Tom got out of his cozy bed to answer the door.

      “Hello,” said a little girl with short brown hair. She shivered on the man's porch.

     “Hello,” Tom sleepily returned. He didn't take the time to ask who she was or why she had come. She'd tell him soon enough.

     “Um, I'm Cherry. Are you Mr. Tom Nightrider?” The girl was informed that he was a bleary-eyed detective of the paranormal department. A person who was cool, calm, collected, and an aloof attitude. This guy definitely fit the picture.

     "Yeah, I am.” Tom stepped aside for the girl to enter.

     Cherry hesitated, not too sure it was wise to enter a strange man's home. But she didn't come all this way in the rain and dark to hesitate about her actions. A few seconds later she boldly stepped inside and the rain and cold became a comforting pitter-patter.

      The young man – Cherry guessed he was only around 24 – led the way to a living room. He quietly started a crackling fire in the fireplace and made hot cocoa for Cherry. He drank nothing, but sat in a overstuffed chair to Cherry's right.

      Cherry sat on the couch and sipped her cocoa. When she was warm and cozy, she said, “I need your help, I think, Mr. Nightrider. Uh...that sounds weird. Nightrider. Wasn't that an old TV show?”

      “It was actually 'Knightrider', as in a soldier of medieval times. And yes, the name is fake. My real last name is too long and difficult to say. I have a feeling 'Cherry' is fake, too...”

      “Er...well...yes, it is. It's a nickname my Mom used to call me.”

     “Used to...?”

     “Um, that's why I'm here. You investigate ghost stories, right?”

     Tom stared at the girl. She looked about ten, maybe twelve years of age. The whole detective thing was a cover up of sorts, because calling yourself a ghostbuster was not what sane people would do to attract business. And so those who truly knew him knew the real job that Tom did.

     However, he wasn't sure this girl did.

     “Your mother is a ghost?” he asked. “You wish me to investigate...what, exactly?”

      “Um...” Cherry twiddled her thumbs. She didn't want the man to think she was crazy. The way he talked sounded like he was tired and bored and didn't care a less.

     But, that's how Tom Nightrider always talked. Poor Cherry didn't know that.

      “Okay, um...you see...b-both my parents died in a car accident. But, er, t-they have stayed to take c-care of me, so I would be all right.” Cherry cringed, hugging her mug of cocoa; imaging the man's annoyed face ready to laugh and kick her out. “B-but, some other ghosts have come to take my parents away, to the Afterlife. They're mean and violent. So, uh, I-I don't want you to investigate so much as get rid of the mean ghosts?” She finally glanced up. The man didn't look annoyed, although he kept that same sleepy-bored look. Maybe it was because he truly was tired...

      “Interesting,” Tom finally said. “So you want me to bust up some ghosts, huh? I can do that.”

     Cherry lit up. “Really!? Oh, thank you, Mr., um, Night. Do you mind if I call you Night?”

     Tom shrugged. “No 'Mister', though.” He up and left the room, leaving Cherry to drink her cocoa. When she was done, he came back, properly dressed and carrying a blue-glowing bat.

     Cherry stared and began to panic.

      “Hm? Oh, this?” Tom lifted the bat up, it was actually more like a club. “This isn't for you. Are you ready?”

      “R-ready for w-what?”

      “Ghostbusting, of course.”

      “NOW? In the middle of the night?”

     “That's the perfect time. Come on, show me the way.”

***

      In the rain they went. And Cherry quickly understood why Tom chose the name 'Nightrider', because he rode at night on a motorcycle of pitch black.

     “This is it? Your house?”

     Cherry nodded.

       “And your parents?”

      “They usually stay inside.”

     Tom and the little girl approached the house; the bat glowed so much, now, that it looked like it was nothing more than light.

     From outside the two heard a racket going on inside.

      “Oh no! They're hara.ss.ing my Mom and Dad again!”

     Tom kicked the door open.

     In all honestly, he expected Angels of Death, trying to guide Cherry's parents to Heaven. But the ones he saw were the Undertakers of Hell. Demon ghosts.

     The job suddenly became easier, now that Tom didn't have to break Cherry's heart.

      “Hey!” The ghostbuster sounded very different from his quiet self. “I'm the one who will be doing the busting around here!”

     Cherry ducked as the demon ghosts threw plates their way. Tom dodged and sprinted forward – Cherry couldn't believe he could be so agile – and struck the first Undertaker with his bat, it exploded into black smoke. And once that one was gone, the second soon followed.

     “Hmph! Low level Undertakers. Pssh!” Tom lowered the bat, looking back at a stunned Cherry. “All done. I usually get paid for this sort of thing, but for today it was free of charge.”

     Cherry was utterly grateful.

     Tom made to leave, however...

      “Wait,” Cherry's ghostly mother spoke. “You...you have the ability to send ghosts away, to the Afterlife. Correct, young man?”

     Tom slowly turned, that sleepy look back on his face. “Yeah.”

     Cherry's ghostly father floated forward. “Can you...send us as well?”

     “What!? No, Mom and Dad! No!” Cherry wanted to hug her parents, hold on to them.

     “Don't you want to take care of your daughter?” Tom asked.

      “We do,” the mother said. “But it is too painfully obvious that...we simply cannot. We're dead. Just ghosts. Our dear daughter needs a real, live person to protect her.”

     “We ask that you take care of her, as guardian,” the father said. “And send my wife and I to Heaven. Please?”

     Cherry was beyond being angst.

     “Well...it is what I do...but...Are you absolutely sure?”

     Cherry's parents nodded.

     Tom gazed at Cherry, a touch of sorrow in his relatively plain, dazed face. It seems he'd be breaking her heart after all. “If you're ready to go, you don't need my help.” He told the ghosts.

       “Yes, but we want to stay more than go,” the mother said, the father nodding. “We must be forced to leave – to better our daughter's future.”

     “All right.” Tom raised his bat.

     Cherry grabbed his arm. “No. I won't let you, you weren't supposed to send them off!”

     Tom shook her off. “Sorry, Cherry, this is what I do.”

***

The next day...

     Tom woke up, stumbled out of bed, tried not to step on the objects on the floor as he made his way to the bathroom, then eventually made his way into the kitchen. 

     Cherry was there, with a bowl of cereal.

     Without saying so much as “Good morning”, he went to making his own breakfast: eggs, toast, bacon, and orange juice. “Want any?”

     Cherry glanced at the food, then pointed at the juice. Tom nodded and got her a gl.a.ss.

     It was the start of an odd relationship...

Chapter 2:

When Cherry Ignores Night

   When Cherry's parents died, she stopped going to school, for fear that people would ask about her Mom and Dad; a teacher would eventually want to speak to them – and no one knew about the accident that took the lives of Cherry's parents. Their car had slid on a wet, oily road during a heavy storm and hydroplaned into a forest lake. Cherry barely managed to escape, and she still didn't remember how she got home; the entire ordeal was wiped from her memory. Who knows what would have happened if the ghosts of her parents had not appeared. They would take care of their daughter no matter what.

      Cherry's Mom taught her how to cook meals, while her Dad told her how to pay the bills. If something broke, they would teach her how to fix it.

      But the money would run out soon and someone would ask Cherry where her parents had suddenly gone to. So when Tom Nightrider came along to get rid of the demon undertakers trying to drag them to Hades, Cherry's parents made a decision to place their daughter in his hands. It was a reckless decision, but when you're ghosts you oftentimes don't think in a rational way.

***

     And so here was Cherry living in Mr. Night's home, brooding and feeling sorry for herself. She refused to talk to Tom Nightrider, he took her parents away – for good, using his Ghostbuster bat to send them to Heaven. Never mind that they asked it of him and it WAS his job. Cherry couldn't stand that lazy, distant look of his; how he went off to take ghost parents from other children (probably); and the noisy girlfriend that came over now and then.

      Speaking of which, his noisy girlfriend was over now, Cherry could hear her whining:

      “Come on, Tom, why not? We NEVER go out! What do you possibly do at night that we can't go on a date?”

      Cherry sat in the kitchen eating her lunch and Mr. Night's room was just across a short hallway; if she leaned forward a bit she could see into his room.

      The girlfriend – Cherry couldn't remember her name – sat on the man's desk while Mr. Night sat on his bed tying his shoelaces; he had slept in from working late busting up ghosts.

      “My job,” Tom answered the woman's question.

      The girlfriend snorted. “Your job is more important than me?”

      “No,” Tom simply said, “but my job IS important. And I have Cherry to provide for; her parents' wishes.”

      Cherry saw the woman wrinkle her nose as she rocked back and forth on the desk, knocking some little animal figures to the floor as a result. Tom casually picked the toys up and placed them back.

      “She's a cute kid,” the woman said about Cherry. “But aren't you too young to be a foster father?”

      Tom stared silently at his girlfriend. He stood. “I may be young, but I hope you aren't implying I should send her off somewhere.”

      The girlfriend crossed her arms and Cherry barely heard her reply of, “No...” She left, then, and Tom came out into the living room; where Cherry had gone to hide from the woman.

      With a mug of coffee, her guardian sat on the couch; Cherry immediately scooted away from him. “Halloween is next week,” he said. “Do you celebrate? Wear a costume?”

      Cherry didn't answer, but turned away from him. It was her response to most everything, or she pointed.

      “Hm...” Tom sipped his coffee, wondering when Cherry would start talking to him.

Chapter 3:

 Scream Fest

If Cherry was only going to answer him by pointing, then Tom Nightrider would have to take her somewhere where she could point to her heart's content: the Mall. Then he'd know for sure if she wanted to celebrate Halloween or not.

October was Tom's busiest time of year when it came to ghostbusting, he knew All Hollow's Eve wasn't the only night ghosts were allowed to wander. So he didn't care much for the holiday, even more so now that people have turned it into a horror fest.

But he didn't want to ruin any possible fun for Cherry. This was her home, now, whether she liked it or not, and Tom wanted to make sure she suffered as little as possible.

“We're going to the mall,” Tom told Cherry. “Get your shoes on.” He watched the girl give him a dirty look as she slipped into her tennis shoes. She definitely hated him.

But! Tom wouldn't let it get him down, it was something he knew would happen; there was no use fretting over it.

“Ready?”

Cherry answered by walking to the door and waiting for Mr. Night.

“All right, let's go.” He opened the door, planning to let Cherry go out first, when he found himself staring at Rachel, his girlfriend.

“Hey,” Rachel greeted “where are you two off to? Can I come?”

“The mall,” Tom said, “and sure, you can come.”

“Awesome!”

Nobody saw Cherry roll her eyes.

The mall was in walking distance and they were soon walking into a party store filled with Halloween décor and costumes galore.

“So Cherry, do you want to decorate for Halloween?” Tom asked. “Just point to whatever.”

Rachel snickered. “What if she points to everything?”

Cherry could tell that Rachel was a bit jealous of her, since her 'boyfriend' spent more time around Cherry. The woman's question was funny, though. What would Mr. Night do IF she pointed at everything? The wicked thought was pushed aside, though, since she had a strong inkling that the bleary-eyed man would barely show shock or anger or ANY kind of emotion.

Cherry walked ahead a bit and pointed at battery-operated Jack O'lanterns, then a black cat hanging on a door wreath. That's all she pointed to: pumpkins and cats. Well, until she found a Nightmare Moon pony figure and more My Little Ponies themed for Halloween.

Tom eventually had to grab a cart. “What about a costume?”

“Ooh! She'd look ADORABLE in this candy corn witch outfit,” Rachel said.

Cherry agreed, but because the woman said it as if Cherry was a baby, she shook her head and walked to the anime-themed costumes. Cherry didn't care much for anime, as all the shows on TV were aimed at boys. There was a lot of pointless fighting that lasted several episodes. It was stupid. She did, however, like a Japanese movie called “Kiki's Delivery Service” and there was Kiki's costume with her cat familiar! Cherry pointed at it.

Tom picked it up.

“That's kinda boring,” Rachel said, “a plain black dress with a giant red bow? The cat is cute, though...”

“It's what she wants,” Tom said and put it in his cart.

Cherry started for the candy section next, when a mechanical monster screamed at her.

“Eek!” Cherry returned the scream.

“Gee, that's the first word she said since the 'incident',” Tom remarked.

Then Rachel screamed.

“You, too?” He turned to his girlfriend.

Rachel laughed. “Oops, sorry, I-I don't like zombies,” she indicated a life size one to her left and shuddered.

And just when you thought it was over, it sounded like the whole store screamed.

“What in the world...?” Tom looked back, people were running and screaming in chaos.

Rachel latched onto Tom. “Y-you don't think it's a zombie apocalypse, do you?”

Tom didn't even bother to give her an 'Oh brother' look. “Let me go see...”

Both Cherry and Rachel yelled “NO! Don't leave us!”

“Sigh~ then come with me.”

Rachel clung to Tom, Cherry hugged Rachel, and they slowly moved like a chain to the front of the store.

“OhMyGosh what are those!?” Rachel gasped at a cloud of wisps flying around upsetting people and making things fly off shelves.

“Trouble...” Tom quickly glanced around. He didn't have his blue bat with him, but the ghostbusting powers weren't in the bat – they were in whatever he touched. He grabbed a broom and Cherry's eyes grew wide as the everyday object gradually glowed a soft blue. Tom was about to sprint forward, when Rachel screamed anew and somehow hit the broom out of Tom's hand.

The man grunted, thinking: “This is why I don't have people come with me on a normal job run...”

The broom, back to its boring self, was too far away to retrieve. Tom grasped the next nearest item: a Star Wars lightsaber, incidentally blue. When it magically lit up, Rachel just a s sumed Tom had turned the toy's switch on.

“This is no time to PLAY,” Rachel said. “We should get out of here!” She screamed again when the cloud of wisps headed their way, and soon Cherry joined in on the scream fest as both girls flailed about trying to disperse the cloud.

Tom just stared at them for a minute; shaking his head, one hand on hip. Then he leaped and swung the ghostbusting lightsaber, sending the earthbound spirits to Heaven.

Someone turned the fire sprinklers on and a p i m p e-faced employee apologized. “Uh, er, I thought the water would evaporate the weird cloud thingie...Did it work?”  

Everyone was soaking wet now. Rachel groaned; Cherry whimpered a little; and Tom gave the boy a tired look. “Yeah, that's what did it.”

“Cool. Hey, those were some fancy lightsaber moves you had there. You gonna be a Jedi for Halloween?”

Tom handed the toy sword to Cherry. “No,” he flatly spoke.

Cherry stared at the lightsaber, thinking “Brooms are traditional for witches – not space laser swords.”

Chapter 4:

This is Halloween

     Cherry was out on the porch cutting out a design on her big pumpkin while listening to Rachel complain to Mr. Night about never spending any time with her. By now she was positive that if she had a boyfriend she would certainly want him to care enough to spend time together, but was thoughtful enough to know that nobody could be with somebody ALL THE TIME.

     Rachel was way too needy. “...I just don't see why I couldn't have gone to the pumpkin patch with you and Cherry.”

     There was some silence, then Cherry heard Mr. Night reply with: “I called you. You sent me a text message saying 'Ew, squash, I hate squash vegetables.' So I took that as a 'No' and we left.” The man spoke in such a dry way, it was hard to tell what he was thinking.

     “Well...I...Y-you weren't specific.”

     Cherry thought, “Actually, for once he was VERY specific.” How can you be anymore vague with 'We're going to the local pumpkin patch, over by Autumn's Farm.'?

     “You weren't listening to me,” Mr. Night said; boldly, Cherry thought. “You were busy watching the TV – I heard Johnny Depp's voice before you hung up and sent the text message. 'Legend of Sleepy Hollow', right?”

     Cherry sneaked back into the house to see Rachel's reaction. She looked guilty, her face getting a little red.

     “It...it was a good movie.”

     Mr. Night shrugged, then continued to rub down his ghostbusting bat as he sat on his bed. “Too violent, if you ask me. How many cartons of fake blood did they use just for one decapitation? And how many feet did the blood shoot out before coming down? Ridiculous...”

     “I thought guys liked that kind of stuff,” said Rachel.

     “Not THIS guy.”

     And Cherry had a feeling why.

     Rachel snorted. “Honestly, what is with that bat of yours!? Always polishing it.” Before he could stop her, Rachel took the bat away and examined it. “Is it an heirloom? A memento from your dad or something?”

     Mr. Night showed the emotion of being annoyed, maybe even a little angry – a teeny-tiny bit.

     “Just before night falls,” Rachel continued, “and I come here asking if we could finally go on a real date, you're in here rubbing this blue bat – and why IS it blue? Sometimes it even glows...is it painted with glow-in-the-dark paint?”

     Mr. Night took the bat back. “Yes. Yes. And because it's magical.”

     “Huh?” Rachel looked confused.

     “I answered your questions.”

     “The bat glows...because it's magical?” Rachel sounded as if she didn't believe it and that her boyfriend was teasing her. She laughed. “Come on, Tom, let's go out tonight.” She tugged at him.

     “I can't. I told you, I'm working tonight.”

     Rachel yelled like a brat. “You always-ALWAYS give plenty of time to your newly-adopted sister! But me? Never!”

     Mr. Night sighed, looking like he wanted to run. “Rachel. I give you all of my daytime when you come over. The only time I don't give you is the night, and that can't be helped because that is when I work. That's all there is to it. If you don't like that arrangement, then you'll have to decide to accept me as I am and stay, or refuse to take me as I am and leave.”

     Rachel hopped off the desk she was seated on, scattering the small animal figures everywhere. “Fine! My friends told me you were a waste of time and they were right! I should've listened to them, but I had to get fooled by your handsome looks!” The woman stormed out, ignoring Cherry as she walked by.

     The front door slammed shut and Cherry dared a look at Mr. Night. He looked...sad. She tip-toed to his room. “Um...there are lots of nicer girls out there.”

     Mr. Night glanced up. “Oh? You're talking to me? I'm flattered.”

     Cherry blushed and hid her face.

     “Thanks,” the man said. “I...knew she wasn't the best girl out there; but my Mom had told me to always give someone a chance, for first impressions are oftentimes misleading.”

     Cherry felt a stab in her heart, as if he was speaking about her.

     “Giving me the silent treatment again?”

     “Ah...” Cherry hid even more.

     “It's okay, I'm used to it. Did you finish your Jack O'lantern?”

     Cherry's hand pointed to the porch.

     “Is that a yes or a no?” The man got up and had a look-see. “It meant 'yes', I see. Looks good.

     “All right, about Halloween.” Cherry wandered into the living room, Tom followed. “I can take you trick-or-treating from six to seven, or five to seven if you want to go out early. Then I have a long line of ghosts to seek and send off. You'll be here by yourself...since Rachel won't be looking after you. Will you be okay?”

     Cherry nodded.

     Mr. Night wasn't good at being a guardian, but he was trying.

     “If you get scared, you can go to my room and watch some DVDs, 'It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown'; 'Casper the Friendly Ghost'; Disney's 'Haunted House'...'Kiki's Delivery Service'.” He eyed Cherry to see if she'd react to the last suggestion. She did, as she glanced up at him. “Plus, as a bonus my room has talismans for soothing the soul – it helps me to sleep better.” He shrugged. “Of course, if you want, I can always put one in your own room.”

     Gee, maybe that was why Mr. Night looked so drowsy all the time, Cherry thought, the magical talismans keep him in a super relaxed mood.

     That's year's Halloween was better than Cherry feared. She had fun trick-or-treating, getting lots of candy to sort through; and when Mr. Night left on his midnight black motorcycle, Cherry went to his room to watch a marathon of Halloween specials and movies. When Tom got home he found her fast asleep in his bed; smiling, he left her in peace and plopped onto the couch.

~To be Continued~

Thank you Rheasilvia!

 This is really cute, Cook.iesez

Thank you, Witch2004!