Chapter 71 Ghost race
"Oh my goodness, Boo..." Alina said, half laughing, half shushing him, though she was secretly tickled pink at the thought of Dante’s hidden sweet tooth. "That’s our little secret, alright? You can’t tell anyone else."
"Promise!" Boo said. "But Teacher — if you ever want, Boo will steal chocolate from Principal’s box for you!" He looked so serious she had to bite back another laugh.
"No, no stealing," she said, booping his nose softly. "But thank you for telling me your precious secret, Boo. Teacher feels very special."
Boo puffed up proudly, spinning around in a happy little loop. "Boo’s teacher is best gossip friend ever!" he said, his giggles echoing softly under the evening sky.
"So, Boo..." Alina said softly, her voice barely louder than the rustling leaves nearby. She looked at him — his little semi-transparent body floating just inches from her knee. His tiny feet didn’t touch the ground, and his ghost tail curled like soft mist.
She hesitated. Should I really ask? But her curiosity got the better of her. She lifted her hand, palm open. Boo giggled and tried to grab it but his tiny smoky fingers slipped right through hers, like fog.
Her chest squeezed a little. "Boo," she asked gently, "how were you born? I mean... your parents...?"
Boo’s big ghost eyes blinked at her — so wide and dark they looked like shiny marbles. For a second, he seemed to think hard. Then he bobbed once, as if saying, Ah, Teacher really doesn’t know!
"Ohhh," he said, in his small, secretive voice. He turned his head, eyes looking at the sky, like he was trying to remember exactly how his elders had told him the story. Then he floated a bit closer, lowering his voice so only she could hear.
"Boo... Boo died when he was little," he whispered matter-of-factly, not sad at all — just honest, like a child telling her a bedtime story. "Elders said sometimes, when ghost babies die too early, they come back. Not like people — not reborn as baby again in belly. They come back as ghost babies."