A Ghost Story

[Recording made in December 1983. 7-year old boy, improvising a ghost story. Recorded on an old cassette recorder with built-in mic]

[Audible background noise]

Father: "Start all over again, it's on...now."

Boy: "Well, I've got to do a different one"

Mom: "Start again, okay."

Boy: "Once upon a time there was a ghost, and his name was Charlie. He, um, he died and then came alive - no, he was alive and then he died, and he came up as a ghost. Everyone that, um, went there...Charlie always scared it away and um... so they um... so they started to um... So eberyone that went there got scared away from Charlie. Soon, Charlie moved out into a different haunted house, and a lot of scary things happened to that haunted house...but Charlie wasn't afraid, he just...

Mom: "Charlie wasn't afraid. Ghosts aren't supposed to be afraid.

Boy: "'Cause, um, he didn't...'cause he liked it! So, he lived there until he didn't want to live there anymore. Moved back into the place he lived before. That's the end."