[ WP ] You are a little girl who recently lost her mother and moved to a new state and has no friends ... except the ghost .

Emily watched, fascinated, as Penny pointed at her dolls. They twitched and slowly started to dance on their own, curtsying towards her every now and then. 
 
 `` How do you do that?'' she asked the other little girl. Penny fixed her hazy grey eyes on Emily and smiled. 
 
 `` It's easy when you're like me,'' she answered in her thin, whispery voice that sometimes made Emily shiver a bit. 
 
 Penny grinned at her and did a few of her other tricks. Shimmering out of view to appear in another corner. Making the lights flicker. Putting her hand right through Emily's heart. She did n't tell Penny, because you should n't insult your only friend. But the hand trick made her feel sick and scared and longing to run to her daddy and tell him *everything*. But she never did, because what if Penny disappeared and she was all alone again? 
 
 Emily watched the tricks for a bit, then worked up the courage to ask her question. The big, important one. 
 
 `` Is it nice to be like you?'' she whispered. Penny stopped dancing, and stared at her. The smile had faded from her face and her grey eyes had gone all black, like the very bottom of the pond in their backyard. 
 
 `` Oh, yes. Afterwards. Not what it takes to become like me, but afterwards... it's lovely,'' Penny said. 
 
 `` Could I... try it? Would I be able to see mommy again?'' Emily asked. She managed to ignore the other little voice in her head, telling her she must n't ask. Daddy would n't like it. 
 
 Penny had darted to the bathroom before she finished asking the question. Emily trailed after her. The taps were unscrewing by themselves, water rapidly filling the tub. 
 
 `` Just go in there and sink,'' Penny whispered. `` And we can play here for a long time. We can have tea parties when we want and you'll never be alone again, because you'll always be here with me.'' 
 
 `` And mommy?'' Emily asked, as she clambered obediently into the tub. 
 
 `` Yes, maybe she'll come here to see you,'' Penny said. 
 
 The thought of her mother brought back the aching lump in Emily's throat. Her mom had always been here to love her and listen to her, unlike daddy. She took a deep breath before she could reconsider, and sunk. 
 
 A terrible force suddenly seemed to descend on her, keeping her under, even as she thought of her daddy and how angry he'd be at this game. Even as she struggled and tried to resurface when her lungs began to ache and her vision dimmed away to an awful greyness. Like Penny's eyes, that grey. Like Penny's eyes... 
 
 -- -- -- -- - 
 
 Penny stared at her in delight as she finally came up for air. But her gasp for breath brought no relief. It felt strangely empty. Somewhere in the house, her daddy was calling her name. She yelled back, getting out of the bath. 
 
 `` He wo n't hear you,'' Penny said, helping her out. `` Only I can hear you.'' 
 
 `` And mommy? Where's mommy?'' Emily asked. 
 
 Penny's eyes lost their grey and turned black again, but she was smiling. Emily felt a little comforted by that familiar smile. 
 
 `` She'll come back soon, I guess, now that you're like her,'' Penny shrugged. Her daddy's voice was coming closer. 
 
 `` Let's have a tea party while we wait!'' Penny said, as she pulled Emily after her, away from the bathroom. Away from her daddy, who seemed to be getting ever closer to the bathroom. Emily was glad. She felt suddenly certain that she did n't want to be in there when he arrived. 
 
 `` Ok!'' she said, giggling as Penny shimmered out of view and appeared at the end of the hall, pulling a silly face. 
 
 She could do that too, now. She would finally have fun in this great big empty house in this strange city. And soon, her mommy would return to play with her again.
