September the first - the Day of Knowledge.

Slava stopped and took concerned look at neighbouring building while his little sister ran past him swinging around with a bouquet of asters.

"Five... six... seven... Seventh floor. Who lives there? Can I be familiar with that family by any chance..."

"Slava, are you coming?" - shouted Slava's mother holding the car door open.

All the ride long to the school Slava tried to remember anyone living in that building. The silhouette in the window didn't seem to belong to a full-grown person... so time after time he's been taking a look outside car window at students passing by on their way to school.

Fota met him at the school yard.

"Listen, do you remember that kid from..." - he started but was rudely interrupted by a classmate yelling from afar.

"Igor! Igor! Take a pic of me and Ira! Igor, please..."

Slava took the camera off from his neck and landed it to Igor. Tanya dragged her rather shy friend Ira holding her wrist towards the boys and took the most photogenic pose she was capable of.

"Oh... Hi, Ira!" - Slava greated a friend awkwardly.

"Hi..." - Ira blushed slightly.

Igor took the camera and started gesturing for the girls to get the best composition for the shot moving them left-to-right and right-to-left back again. After continuing this commotion for a while he suspended a long pause and finally spoke:

"Click!"

"What?... You didn't even make a photo!" - Tanya outraged, in response to which Igor just stretched a complacent smile.

"You're a jerk, Fota! Common, Ira, let's go out of here!" - Tanya said and dragged her friend along.

"Bye, Slava..." - Ira said leaving.

"Bye!.." - Slava's thoughts drifted away.

"Gosh... she looks even prettier than last year... I should have talked to her when I had a chance... but she was away with her relatives during all spring break... Maybe I can..." -

"So what's the deal?" - Fota inteveaned .

"Ask her... What?..."

"You've been asking me about something..."

"Ah... Yeah, certainly... Anyway, do you know the house nearsdide my own?"

"Ughm... yeah..."

"Do you know anybody living on the seventh floor of the first front door there? Maybe a student from our school... I remember there was a kid from that building, he used to play with me and other kids outside but..."

"Do, you mean the Ghost?"

'The Ghost?.."

"Yes, that weird guy from... former 9-B. Pale as chalk, never speaks to anyone, always keeps his hands in pockets of his jacket... Dudes call him the Ghost"

Suddenly Slava understood of whom Fota was talking about and slight shiver ran across his back. The silhouette in the window emerged in his mind once again and he looked around to see if he could find so called Ghost among other student's surrounding them.

Autumn wind rushed across the school yard muffling the chatter of parents and kids gathered in small groups all over the place. Several crows silently crossed the grey sky. Autumn was just about to begin.