Melinda, the School Ghoul

With my favorite holiday approaching (Halloween) I thought to share a story that took place long ago, in an alternate universe full of creeps that brought terror and nightmares to all: Vance Middle School.

In 7th grade, Veronica, Lori Gallimore and I were all on the "county" girl's basketball team. Don't ask me how fate planned this one out, as just the year before I had played for AAU girl's basketball in Tennessee, but I just see it as another nudge of divine intervention to allow me to further develop my relationship with what was then to be my new best friend, Veronica.

Verny, Lori and I were the cut-ups on the team. I think that part of why we were on that team in particular was that we couldn't take the game seriously. Where other girls would grit their teeth or stare intimidatingly, we would make funny faces or contain laughter until we exploded. It wasn't that we didn't put effort into it, of course we did, but we played for the fun of it and not for the competition.

I ever-so-faintly recall a rumor around Vance about some kid who died by falling off of the side where the upper basketball court was, which of course was probably a cheap rip-off of the legend of the chick who died in the Tennessee High bell tower, and we figured for sure we could one up that. We three thought it would be a novel idea to create a new legend, and we crafted a ghoul that went by the name of Melinda, who died in the girl's locker room by something really obnoxious, but unfortunately my memory fails me as to what that was. Was she allergic to participation? Did she drown in toilet water? No one knows, but we chose for her stomping grounds to be the showers, since they were dark and off to the corner, and no one used them anyways. Together, we came up with a theme that we would continue to recite for the rest of our time at Vance, and even occasionally thereafter:

Oh my Gosh! Melinda's right behind you!
Oh my Gosh! Melinda's gonna bite you! (repeat to no end)

Once in a blue moon we would tell our tale to a fellow locker roomer who would actually get spooked at our little theme song. Sometimes we even spooked ourselves a bit, but for the most part it was good fun and jolly nonsense, and always we would keep up the act when we were in the locker room. Did you hear that? I think it was her! Oh no, I just saw her face behind you! Where did my gym shorts go...Melinda stole them!

Many years have passed since that time, in fact it has been nearly a decade, but I kid you not that we never forgot Melinda, our School Ghoul, and even only this year Verny and I were driving in the car, discussing our ghost brain child and harassing the air around us with the bone-chilling lament of Melinda.