I smell a secret and get a scare

Last night, I had another new friend over. Ran is his name. Interesting name, I thought. Sexy guy, too. I wanted to touch his beard to see whether it was soft or wiry, but I didn't. We'll see where the friendship goes on its own. It might be nice to have a guy that I'm just friends with, for a change. If I can withstand his sex appeal and cute smile. Knowing me, ... I'd better not finish that thought. We chatted and watched TV until after midnight. I was just getting the munchies when he said he needed to go home.

While I was making some sushi (It was anchovy roll; I think it would have been better if I'd used tuna) I thought I heard a weird noise outside the kitchen window, and I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. Now, I know I watch too much TV, but I swear what I saw looked like ... well, like a ghost.

Leaving my plate on the table, I went outside to snoop. There were lights on in the house across the street, in the middle of the block: that really run-down looking one. The one that looks like a mobile home. Some more new people must have moved in on the block. Cool.

I ran across the street as stealthily as I could (ever try to run stealthily?) and peeked in the window. My heart jumped up in my throat in guilty shock. There was a young woman about my age standing just inside the window, looking out. If I hadn't bit my tongue to stifle the scream, I could have landed a juicy lead part in a horror movie right then and there. Move over, Jamie Lee "scream queen" Curtis.

I heard voices from inside, and the door opened. Before I could figure out how to react, the woman was outside, shooing me away from her window. I'm so naturally nosey, I had to remind myself that I was the one acting like a dork and she had a perfect right to shoo me away. I'm such a mess sometimes.

I thought the wisest course was to simply make myself scarce, and leave the apologies for daylight, when we were all a little less on edge. Okay, when I was a little less on edge. As I was turning away, I saw it again. Inside.

I swear to God it was a ghost. It looked like a thin, slightly stooped old woman with white hair, but she wasn't ... well .... she wasn't all there. She was translucent and, okay, I'll just say it, she was glowing pink. I had the uncanny feeling that she knew I was looking at her, though her back was to the window.

I was unnerved enough to sprint back across the street and straight into my nice warm bed. You'll never get me to admit that the covers found their way up over my head. The maid can clean up my dinner remains tomorrow. 

Even in my haste, I saw Wayne peering in the Alvi's window! Either somebody inside woke up, or he heard all the racket I was making, because he scooted out of there like a jackrabbit. Two Peeping Toms in the same night! I wonder if it's a full moon. There's definitely something going on in my neighborhood. What are my new neighbors hiding?