GHOSTS in my stories

Hi everyone,

I've decided that we need a complete change today, so I'm going to write about the supernatural. This is something that I seem to keep writing about. Some of you may remember a short story of mine called 'A Horse Called Sciolto' which was serialised in Aquila Childrens' Magazine. I'm posting an extract from it here:

'Are you sure you want to come?' whispered Abika.
Zoe hoped her friend wouldn't notice she was trembling. 'Of course I do.'
Just as she spoke the sound of hooves began to echo in the little room, coming closer and closer. Immediately they picked up their riding helmets and began to tiptoe down the stairs to the front door; then they let themselves out.
Sciolto was there; rearing up with his hooves, striking at the empty air. He whinnied loudly when he saw them. Zoe was amazed it didn't wake Abika's parents but they didn't seem to hear a thing.
Suddenly Sciolto stopped and stood quite still. Abika went to stroke him then let out a shout of astonishment. 'He feels quite solid!'
Zoe moved to touch him too. His coat was soft and warm.
'I think he wants us to climb on,' said Abika.
Sciolto blew emphatically through his nostrils as if to say, 'Of course I do.' Next minute they were riding away, with Abika clinging to his mane and Zoe's arms tightly round Abika's waist.
Sciolto moved very fast but it was the smoothest ride that the girls had ever had. Sometimes they wondered if his feet were actually touching the ground.
When they had covered a few miles Sciolto slowed. He began to trot deeper and deeper into the woods, lifting his feet carefully to avoid the tangles of undergrowth.
In a clearing he stopped and whinnied loudly.
'That sounded like an order,' said Abika.
'Shall we get down?'
Sciolto whinnied again, as if telling them to stop messing about. 'Where do you think we are?' asked Abika as she swung herself down.
'I haven't a clue. We must have come miles!'
Zoe turned to see that Sciolto was pawing at the ground, pulling the earth away, as if looking for something. She nudged Abika and pointed at him quietly. He seemed quite agitated and was digging his hooves in deeper and deeper.
'What on earth is he doing?!' whispered Abika.
Just at that moment they both saw what he was doing. The ground was littered with bones, hidden just below the surface. Sciolto was uncovering them.
'What are they?' Zoe saw that Abika was shaking now. 'Whose bones can they be?'


Dara! That was the end of the first part and readers had to wait a whole month for the next part. What you may be interested to know is that I am psychic, as are many people in my family. I have never seen a ghost horse, but I have seen ghosts, or spirits as I prefer to think of them. Maybe one day I'll tell you a story about something that happened to me.

'Investigation: Haunted House', the play and novel are pure imagination, but we did have an old house by our sports' field when I was at junior school, and everybody said it was haunted. I never saw a ghost, but then I didn't go in with a science kit like Jenny and Ben did in the play! (See earlier blogs for information about this... It's touring schools at present). If there are any children reading this let me know if you like ghost stories, so I know whether I should write any more. :)

Another thing that interests me is whether people who are in love can usually read each others' minds. I'd like to write lots of stories about things like this.

Pippa