“Why are we doing this again?” I asked, my voice tired from the hike as the rest of group stopped in front of the cabin on top of the hill. My head hung as I bent down, my hands on my knees. My backpack weighing on me did not help matters.

“Why else? We’re staying at my grandpa’s old cabin!” Monica said, hands proudly on her hips. Clearly she had no trouble with this little adventure.

I straighten myself, nearly stumbling a little.

“Heeeey! Wait up!” A girl was running towards Monica and I, her shouts causing every bird in a mile radius to take flight, flailing as she tried to keep up.

“Sheesh, Cora. Keep it down a little, will ya?” a handsome guy with dark hair and a tanned, toned body emerged just behind her, plodding along steadily. “Keep that up and we won’t see a single deer while we’re here.”

“Ehehehe… sorry, Kaito.” she smiled brightly, showing perfect pearly whites as she scratched the back of her head, ruffling her coral colored hair.

I smile, thinking back to the time when she first got it dyed that color. She said something about it seeming “fitting” or something… She seemed so proud of it, though.

I’m snapped out of my memory by the loud call, not five feet away from me.

“Hey, are you two coming?” Monica called to them, adjusting the backpack on her back. The two perked up, sprinting towards the two of us. We all fall in step, approaching the very, um… rustic looking house.

I took my first good look at the thing, adjusting my glasses. Despite the decrepit look, the cabin actually looked pretty safe. The structure was solid, the windows seemed secure, and by golly, did it smell good.

Monica was the first up the stairs, her shoes barely touching the few stairs to the porch before reaching the top of it, standing happily at the front door. In a haste, from her back pocket, she produced a jagged key.

With a quick unlocking and a turn of the handle, Monica pushed open the front door. The door groaned in complaint from having to move from its previous station.

“Come in, come in!” she encourages us. “Mi casa, su casa!”

She seemed like she was in a great mood. I exchange looks with the others.

With barely a moment’s hesitation, Cora bounded up the steps. “Whee! I’m getting excited already!” she cheerfully proclaimed, running into the house, seemingly completely unbothered by her own luggage on her back.

I walked in next, with the still smiling Monica following right behind me. I did not hesitate to lay my burden down against the dark, paneled wall directly to the right of the door. Monica followed suit.

“Feel free to make yourselves at home!” Monica calls out. Cora was already checking out all the furniture, like the sofa, to make sure there were no hidden creepy-crawlies.

“Hey, it’s a bit cold in here… oh, right, there was wood on the porch. Is it okay if I got some?” I asked Monica. She gives me a cheerful “Mhm~!” and I run back out to the porch.

“Hey, Kaito! Why don’t you drop your stuff?” I ask him. I noticed he hadn’t entered the cabin just yet, still standing out on the porch.

“Huh? Oh, sorry! I was just admiring the view.” he tells me. “It’s like a labyrinth of life…” he observes quietly.

No joke… because of how high the cabin is situated, you could get a great view of the seemingly endless forest all around us. The sky was darkening as the time approached twilight.

“Yeah… it’s beautiful.” I say. “Hey, can I get some help with the firewood?”

“Huh? Oh, I didn’t even notice! Lemme get some of that for ya, dude.” he says with a smile, hefting the tiny logs with me as we walk back into the house.

We walk back in, and I notice Monica is standing in place as I walk by her. “Uh… Monica? You in there?”

She jumped a little. “Ahahaha, sorry… I just got this crazy wave of nostalgia, being back here. Oh, you brought the firewood! Kaito too! Thanks, you guys!” she noted.

I carefully placed the logs in the fireplace as Kaito went back towards the still-ajar door, carefully shutting it and starting to take off his backpack, much more careful than any of the rest of us with it.

“Hey, everyone?” Monica says. Cora, Kaito and I all turn our attention towards her. “There is one more thing I need to mention about this place.”

“Huh? What is it?” Cora asked, walking up to Monica from the living room. I stand at attention too, and Kaito pauses what he was doing. This seemed important.

“Uhh… this cabin may or may not have a very minor case of severe haunting.” she says, fiddling with her fingers.

“Haunting? Like, ghosts and stuff?” I ask. Monica nods.

Cora shrugs. “That’s okay~! The more the merrier! Ghosts can be friends! Ooh, like in my old house, we had this one ghost who haunted the machine that cooled our living room named Ruby!”

“Are you sure it wasn’t just that piece of crap swamp cooler?” I ask her. She pouts at the suggestion.

“It was a real ghost! I’m telling you!” she responds angrily, pouting.

“I don’t mean to interrupt, but you guys are okay with that, right?” Monica asks us both. We look at each other and shrug.

“Yeah, sure.” we say in unison. “I don’t really believe in ghosts.” I add.

“That’s okay.” Cora said, in a gentle, sweet voice. “They still believe in you.”

Aww. That’s kind of cute.

Monica’s attention turns towards Kaito. “And is that oka-” she begins.

“H-H-Haunted…?” Kaito asks unsteadily. He’s shaking like a leaf, frozen in place.

“Um… ahaha, yeah…”

“Uh-uh. No way. Not saying here. Nuh-uh, nope.” Kaito says, stepping back slowly. “Not stayin’ in some creepy, spirit infested house. No way. Nuh-uh.”

“Where are you gonna stay, then?” I ask him.

“I-I’ll sleep outside! Th-That’s fine with me!” he says, twitching a little as he backs up, stepping back into the recently closed door, letting out a very un-manly scream when he did, turning around faster than I ever thought possible.

“What are you so afraid of anyway?” Monica asks, a nervous and sympathetic smile on her face for her friend.

“Du-Dude! Think of all the reasons someone would come back from that dead! That just isn’t right! S-Screw spirits!” Kaito was just about out of the door by this point.

“Oh, quit being such a baby! It’ll be fun! The ghosts can watch over us while we sleep!” Cora announced cheerfully.

“That is NOT HELPING!” Kaito yelled back.

“Dude, this is dumb, there’s no reason to be afraid of ghosts.” I tell him.

“The hell there isn’t! They’ll suck all my blood out of me! I’ll be bloodless!”

Just what kind of ghost is he even talking about!?

“Man, fine, look at it this way. If a ghost can’t hurt you, then the best they can do is the occasional scare. And worst case scenario, if they CAN hurt you, then you’re a ghost too, and it’s on.” I tell him.

I knew Kaito wouldn’t back away so easily from a challenge.

“Yeah!” Monica said, clasping her hands together. “We’ll protect you! I know plenty of exorcisms!”

Cora and I just kind of stare at her from that last comment. She looks back, offended. “What!? A girl can’t read something a little different every once in a while?”

I decided to let the subject drop.

“Dude, just come in.” I tell Kaito. He wasn’t backing up any more, at least. So that’s a start.

“F-Fine. But if I see even ONE ghost, I’m out of here. I’ll sleep in a tree if I hafta.” he says, carefully trudging back into the cabin.

“Yayyyy~! Kaito’s back!” Cora celebrates.

“Now that we’re all here…” Monica began. “Tell me, who’s ready for their week at ‘La cabina di Monica’?”

We all cheered in unison.

Thus marks the night we began the best vacation ever.