Fiction by Harper Reese
AHS Prom night to be 100% ghost-free zone, teachers say.
Coverage from Asheville, NC, BUNCOMBE COUNTY— The city of Asheville is known throughout WNC for its vibrant tourist economy, unique local culture, and exclusive daytime haunts. But one part of the city regularly experiences a different sort of haunt. Asheville High School, just south of downtown, is home to a slew of bizarre activity— paranormal and otherwise. The school’s upcoming prom, scheduled for Saturday, May 31th, is likely to have “at least one ghost,” according to Ceramics teacher and Prom co-coordinator Shannon Davis. “It’s hard to say, really. Hopefully zero ghosts, but we’ve put up warding stones and signs that say ‘no ghosts please!’ just in case,” says Davis from her office in the ceramics studio.
Ever since the school’s founding in 1920, strange things have been afoot at Asheville High. Current Junior, Alion Brevan, comments on the school’s reputation: “I’d be the first to admit that strange things happen here, but my friends, most people, I think, just ignore it.” Brevan manages to maintain consistent eye-contact during our interview, while keeping a firm grasp on her AP Biology textbook, which is chewing some sort of rodent.
Most AHS students seem to be of a similar mind, though very few deny the existence of strange happenings. “It’s a little hard to focus on midterms when there’s a blood-oath ceremony going on across the hall,” declares sophomore Eliot Stein. “Or when the scantron becomes sentient and goes on a rampage. That happened in my English class.”
In the midst of all this, the big season ending football game between Asheville High and AC Reynolds is set for May 31st. “Come out and see the game!” says Ted Duncan, Associate Principal of Asheville High. “The band will be performing Bohemian Rhapsody and the Vending Machine will be retrieved from the Counseling Center to deliver a special prophecy! Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for adults.” The football game, which has been scheduled since 1144 CE, is sure to be fun for the whole family.
Current senior Grace Saracova reflects on the last season-ending playoff: “It was a complete disaster. Whoever put the bonobos in charge of concessions—I don’t know why they thought that was a good idea.”
“It could have been worse,” adds her classmate Ida Eikleheimer, “the year before that the Theatre department was doing She Kills Monsters and Ms. Breland thought it’d be a good idea for realism to summon actual monsters. We were gonna call upon Tiamat herself for the last scene, but I think everyone is glad we stopped after the bugbears got loose.”
This year’s festivities, however, are sure to be just as interesting—the big game has been prophesied to be host to a number of otherworldly entities who have been RSVPed to the event for a millennia. “Even the nameless deity that lives at the end of the endless hallway on the SILSA floor is planning to make an appearance,” says Joshua Keever, student president of the Endless Hallway Appreciation Club. “Also, stop by our joint bakesale with GSA on Thursday. We’re fundraising for… items.” Keever declined to answer any questions concerning the nature of the items or the location of the bake sale. When pressed for comment, Keever hummed a perfect middle C and slid slowly backwards into the infinite hallway.
Amid the excitement, there is still some skepticism about whether or not the week will be successful. Amanda Scoonover, science teacher and faculty co-coordinator of the prom committee, is worried about the potential for paranormal interruption of this year’s prom. “Ms. Davis might not have mentioned it, but the theme this year is the 1920s in honor of the hundredth anniversary of the founding of Asheville High. Because of that, there is a small chance that we might attract confused spirits, overcrowding the courtyard,” Scoonover says as she staples a piece of meat to the wall. “Prom is something juniors and seniors can look forward to towards the end of the year, not something for nostalgic alums who have long since shuffled off this mortal coil.” When asked about the meat, Scoonover explains: “It’s for science!” The physics teacher then swiftly brings two exposed wires together and vanishes in a blast of green sparks.
“Ms. Scoonover has been co-coordinator of the Prom Committee for as long as anyone can remember,” says Alion Brevan, holding the other end of the wire. “She’s got a lot of experience and I think everyone is looking forward to a fantastic prom this year.”
Harper Reese is a type of large bird native to the Blue Ridge Mountains. Their main experience with literature is feeding rolled up scraps of paper to their young and watching them gulp down the words. Their feathers are rose brown, like cocoa powder in a strawberry smoothie. If you stand perfectly still around Guilford College, you might be able to catch a glimpse of them picking apart a herring with their incredibly long beak.