Laura’s place

My Chinese class just recently returned from Fort Ross, an old 19th century Russian settlement. In 1812 Ivan Kuskov came by boat to California with a crew of Russian and Alaskan men, built a fort and called it Fort Ross (pronounced “Russ”). My class spent months preparing: embroidering our Russian names into bags, making little bead bracelets, painting boxes, etc. It took 2 1/2 hours to get there.

Three of my classmates, Dontell, Kyle and Michael, thought the Kuskov house was haunted because Kuskov died in there. My friends and I were like, “I’m going in!” And they were like, “no! It’s haunted! The ghosts will get you!” We’d go in and be like, “it’s not haunted. Watch.” Then we’d start screaming and clawing at the door and they’d run up and reach in carefully to try to close the door so the ghosts wouldn’t come out and we’d go “BOO!” We’d crack up watching them run away screaming!

We couldn’t sleep at night because Kyle and Eric wouldn’t stop complaining of the dark. Finally I threatened to tell ghost stories and they shut up.