"Smee" by A. M. Burrage

Throughout our lifetime most of us will read many stories. Some of these stories can be adventurous, romantic or horrifying. Some of these stories are good to read while some are very predictable and boring. Although some stories that are predicable tend to be boring, it is a not a case for 'Smee', a ghost story, where it's predictability builds suspense; thus making the story interesting and frightening.

In the beginning the author sets the scene by telling us a story within a story. A. M. Burrage takes us back in time explaining the death of a young girl. This young girl dies playing the game of hide-and-seek. The author then transcent you into the second story where much of the information is parallel to the first story. The setting in the second story is in the same house where the girl in the first story died. It was Christmas eve and Smee a game similar to hide-and-seek is played. Jackson, who is the narrator went to a party at the house. He was late for Christmas eve dinner so at the dinner table he was not able to be formally introduce to everyone. He see one of the girl who he wanted to get to know but didn't. After dinner they all decided to played Smee. The rules of the game are simple. 'Every player is presented with a sheet of paper. All the sheets are blank except one, on which is written 'Smee'. Nobody knows who is 'Smee' except 'Smee' himself-or herself, as the case may be. The lights are then turned out and 'Smee' slips from the room and goes off to hide, and after an interval the other players go off in search, without knowing whom they are actually in search of. One player meeting another challenges with the word 'Smee' and the other player, if not the once concerned, answers ....The real Smee make no answer when challenged, and the second player remains quietly by him.' P. 378

By this time the author have used her tools of writing by presenting the background information and tying it up with the present story. It appeals to the senses because part of it is foreshadowing and part of it allowed us to predict what will happen next. You could call it role playing because you act if you were the narrator. But the narrator doesn't know as much as you do. He doesn't know that a girl died in this house playing a similar game. As a reader you see what's going on, but your action is in the narrator.

So the people at the party played the game. The lights are then turned off. By having the lights off, it bring in the element of the unknown. We are usually afraid when things are invisible to us. At the end of the first game, they counted 13 people. There were only 12, so someone suggested that the counter counted himself twice. In the second game Jackson went to hide in the room. Next to him was a girl. Since it was dark he couldn't really make out who the girl is. He thought that it could be the girl at the dinner table. He asked her if she was Smee and she didn't answered. She must be Smee. Then Mrs. Gorman finds Jackson. She sat next to him thinking that she too found Smee. Later on