“Stop it” Her raspy voice, dangerously low, leaves no doubt: This is an order. The blond boy ignores her and continues to jump up and down in front of her house. He looks at her while doing so. She takes off her glasses. “One more time and I'll call the water ghost.” 

The boy stops, surprised. He fumbles at the cord of his yellow sweatshirt full of earth stains. “Why?” he asks, watching her meticulously. “Because I am becoming dizzy from your movement, and the water ghost is my friend. He might think that you are a sailor boy, used to a ship's hiccups, and take you with him.” 

The sentences leave her mouth like snakes, and her eyes rest on him. He stares back, then kicks away a blue plastic cap from a water bottle lying in front of him. She frowns. “Prove it!”, he shouts. “I don't believe you!”

“Well, well..”, she smirks. “Okay then, here we go.”She starts to mumble something in a language he cannot recognize. It sounds like spit waves circling in her mouth. He freezes. 

A second later, he runs away as fast as he can. She laughs hoarsely, then spits on the pavement and walks through her door, leaving the water ghost a tiny dose of human fluid as an offer.