It happened one night as he trudged home from the movie theater.

Hesitating at the beginning of his street, Kerry looked at the signpost. It read ÒBurial Ground Corner.Ó His neighborhood had once been a graveyard.

Darkness and quiet embraced the houses, making his own home seem far, far away. Fresh big-screen images of ghosts emerging from coffins and vampires biting terrified victims flooded his mind.

I was a fool to ever go to that movie! he scolded himself. Now I'll have to pay. Tonight a ghost or vampire might catch me before I reach home.

Suddenly Kerry thought about Mrs. Rose, who had recently died. Long before he could reach the safety of his home, he'd have to pass her house. When alive, she'd been the picture of friendliness; kids loved the constant smile that lit up her face.

That doesn't fool me, Kerry thought. Everybody knows people morph when they die!

The hulks of rusted cars littering Mrs. Rose's yard seemed to agree with him. He could almost see her crouched behind a car in her present state: gray hair streaming backward, eyes red and evil, her mouth revealing two fangs. Kerry shuddered, planning his next move. ÒI'll wait here until someone else walks down the street,Ó he said to himself. ÒI'll let the other person walk a little ahead, and I'll follow without their knowing it.Ó

He waited and waited and waited. But no one came. Meanwhile the sky grew darker and darker, and the wind mourned through the trees.

ÒI've got to make a run for it,Ó he cried aloud, trying to boost his confidence. ÒIf I don't, Mrs. Rose will come and get me!Ó

In a flash Kerry was off. Lift those knees higher, he coached himself, gritting his teeth. Pump those arms! As the dreaded house loomed nearer and nearer, he glanced to ensure that nothing would suddenly dart from behind a parked car.

But just then Kerry seemed to feel an evil presence behind him.

ÒIt's M-Mrs. Rose!Ó he sputtered. Closer and closer the presence seemed to come, until he could almost feel its chilly breath on his neck.

ÒNooo!Ó Kerry cried, spurting beyond the clutches of the Òthing.Ó Houses, trees, garbage cans, fences, and swing sets passed in a blur as he increased the distance between himself and the ghostly presence. Faster, faster the boy's sneakers thumped on the street, bringing his safe haven closer.

ÒThe streetlight! The streetlight!Ó Kerry panted. ÒIf I can just reach it, the ghost will vanish!Ó

Straining every muscle, he burst through the darkness into the wonderful glow cast by the light. Immediately he felt the mysterious presence leave him. Taking a deep breath, he slowed to a jog. Yet he glanced back every now and then just to be sure the departed Mrs. Rose didn't try any evil tricks.

Another few steps found Kerry breathing easier inside his bedroom. But when he went to bed, he left every light on. And he prayed that morning in all its brilliance would come soon!

ÒI figured I'd be over my fear of the dark by now,Ó Kerry whispered to himself ashamedly. When he was younger, his mother's spooky ghost stories had often left him wide awake and sweating in bed, where he'd shield his entire body with the bedsheet and burrow his head beneath the pillow.

Nowadays Kerry had made progress on his fears. He had stopped hiding under the sheet and had started putting a Bible beneath the pillow. Smiling broadly, he'd quickly fall asleep, sure that the Bible's power would ward off any ghost! Still, at 13, Kerry wondered if he'd ever outgrow his fear.

* * *

Kerry endured three more years of darkness, fear, and ghosts. Then at last something happened. He started reading the Bible instead of just keeping it beneath his pillow. But the verses in Revelation about spirits, hell, and many-headed beasts scared him so much that soon he placed it back beneath his pillow!

About that time Kerry started visiting a church that met in a large tent. The church members were surprisingly energetic and kind. Ushers darted up and down the aisles. In a snap they seated visitors, handed out stationery and fans, awarded Bibles, and quieted babies. But it was the girls that the now-16-year-old boy liked most. They're way cool! he thought. He was especially captivated by their sweet personalities, although many of them were very pretty, too!

Kerry kept going back to the meetings night after night. With such great people surrounding him, Kerry accepted Jesus as his Savior when the preacher made his first appeal.

Then one night something happened that Kerry never forgot: the preacher talked about ghosts and the many-headed beasts of Revelation!

Kerry was relieved to learn that the beasts were only symbolic, representing nations and religious systems. However, he almost fell out of his folding chair when he heard the minister state, ÒThere are no such things as ghosts!Ó

He can't be serious, Kerry thought.

ÒWhen you die, you're truly dead and can no longer take part in the affairs of life,Ó the preacher continued. ÒBut don't take my word for it. See what the Bible says about it in Ecclesiastes chapter 9, verses 5 and 6.Ó

Kerry leafed through his Bible until he found the text. In wonder he read aloud with the congregation: Ò'For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten. Their love, their hate and their jealousy have long since vanished; never again will they have a part in anything that happens under the sun.'Ó

ÒNow, the devil is a master of impersonation,Ó the preacher continued. ÒRemember that in the Garden of Eden he made it sound as if a snake could talk. He did it so well that Eve fell for his deception and lost Paradise. Let's learn more from God's Word, the Bible.Ó

In a daze Kerry followed verse after verse, all of which led him to an undeniable fact: the dead can't come back as ghosts. What a relief!

The preacher went on to explain that Satan and his angels have been known to pretend to be ghosts. ÒHowever,Ó he continued, Òthe person who receives Jesus as Savior has nothing to fear about fallen angels masquerading as dead people. As 1 John 4:4 explains: 'You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.'Ó

A light flashed in Kerry's brain when he heard these words, and he smiled broadly at their full meaning.

No more fear of the dark! he thought. No more covering every inch of my body with a sheet! No more burying my head beneath a pillow!

ÒWhat's more,Ó he whispered, Òno more putting the Bible under the pillow.Ó Instead, he'd put it where it really belonged: in his mind.