by Sky, Carman
Time moved around us as it always did, neither slow or fast, but it was moving just the same. No one entered the barn while we were there. The sun got to a point where it no longer showed through the windows and we got up. I looked at him. Some of the rotted flesh on his face had mended itself. His skin was less gray and more a pinkish color. I looked down at my hands and saw that my skin hand turned more pinkish too.
He, Sam, I had the impression that his name was Sam, grunted when he looked at me and backed up. His blond hair was long enough to cover his bright blue eyes. I moved close to him and brushed his hair out of his eyes. Looking up at him I could see the slow progression of his skin knitting itself back together. He grunted again and this time his grunt sounded like, "Hannah". Hannah was my name. I could remember my name.
"Sam," I said. My voice was rough and gravelly, but I could talk.
"Hannah," Sam repeated.
"Hungry, Sam," I said.
Sam moved from me and to the back of the barn where there had been a room with old canning jars. He broke one open and took a taste. "Mmmm," He groaned with approval.
He broke open another jar and handed it to me. I tasted it and the mushy mixture tasted like pears. They had been here a long time, but it still tasted good. "Yummy," I said and my voice was a little less gravelly. I ate the mushy pears fast, almost greedily. I looked at Sam again when I was finished with the pears. His skin was almost healed and free from rot. Mine must have been the same.
"Hannah.....," Sam said. He looked kind of scared.
"It must have been the magic in the blood of that man last night. It tasted different," I replied.
Sam came and hugged me. Then he said, "Let’s find some new clothes."
I glanced down at my tattered clothes and said, "Yes. New clothes would be good."
Sam and I left the barn and saw an abandoned house next to it. It sagged with age and had almost no paint left on its walls. The windows were broken and had just jagged pieces of glass in some spots. We opened the front door and Sam went in first. There was no one in there, but we saw faded old furniture that were stained and ripped. We went up the stairs and found an old bed that almost touched the floor in the middle and a tired old dresser. The dresser had out of style clothes in it, but they fit okay. The jeans were dusty and the color almost gone from the pale shirts, but it was better than the tattered clothes we had on.
"Hannah, let's stay here. We can rebuild this house and make it ours. I remember how to tend the land and we can use it for food. We can live here happily," Sam said softly.
I looked at Sam and how alive he looked now compared to last night. He was handsome, tall, and sincere. We may not have known each other before we had died, but he had looked out for me and taken care of me when I was undead. We had shuffled along together sharing food and hiding places.
"Okay, Sam. We can stay here. I don't think anyone would believe us if we said we came back to life anyway," I replied.
Sam hugged me again. He kissed the top of my head gently. "I love you, Hannah," He whispered.
Haunted House
I stood on the porch afraid to enter my home. The creaking rocking chair kept moving eerily in the living room. It had been moving on and off for three days now. The cupboard doors in the kitchen kept opening on their own. The last straw was my coffee pot. The spirit had made coffee right in front of me. The can of coffee sat on the counter and I saw the scoop moving the coffee from the can to the coffee maker seemingly on its own. The pot filled with water and dumped into the maker and then it switched on to start brewing. Then the rocking chair started creaking again.
I spotted headlight coming up the drive. I breathed a sigh of relief. The Ghost Hunters number had been listed in the yellow pages and I gave them a ring. I didn’t know what else to do. I needed to get some peace of mind, and some sleep too.
The car settled to a stop in front of the steps and two people stepped out of it. The man was tall, with shoulders like a football player and short spiky hair. The woman was about as tall as me with long blonde hair pulled back into a pony tail. She was built like a runner, lean muscled.
“Thank goodness you came!” I said.
“You the one who called about a ghost problem?” the woman asked.
“Yes, I’m Brenda. If you come up on the porch you can hear the rocking chair moving,” I replied and wrapped my arms around me.
“I’m Chris. This is Veronica,” the man said coming up the porch steps and held out his hand. I shook it.
Veronica followed and listened at the door. “I hear it,” she said.
“Veronica’s all about business.”
“Shh... It stopped.”
I opened the door to let them in. They went on ahead.
“In here, Chris,” I heard Veronica call from the kitchen.
I followed Chris and saw the coffee preparing itself again.
“Well that’s thoughtful,” Veronica said looking toward the coffee pot.
“Veronica can see them,” Chris said quietly.
Veronica turned to me, “The woman who owned this house is here. Her name is Dana. She didn’t mean to frighten you. She just wanted you to feel welcome by making you a cup of coffee.”
“Oh… kay… Thank… you…” I said in shock.
“Coffee does sound good,” Chris said with a smile.
“How can you see… her?” I asked.
“It’s a family gift. Now, Dana hopes you aren’t afraid of her. She says that she hopes you like the house and that you keep her old rocking chair. It belongs with the house she said,” Veronica said.
“I love it! I wasn’t planning on getting rid of it. And this house is gorgeous! I don’t plan on changing a thing!” I replied.
“Dana says don’t be afraid to make this house your own,” Veronica said.
“Of course, I will, but that will be later on when it is filled with a family and not a single person,” I said.
“Dana says ‘good’! Now she will leave you be. She just wanted you to keep the rocking chair,” Veronica said.
“That’s it? That’s what all this was about?” I asked.
“Yes. Sometimes it’s just that simple. Dana has gone and you will have your peace and quiet now,” Veronica replied.
“Can we stay for coffee?” Chris asked as the pot finished brewing.
We laughed and I poured the coffee. Chris and Veronica stayed to finish the pot.
Her Chosen One
He walked in to the room. The grand ball room was brightly lit and the music was loud. The dancing was well under way. He sighed softly. He didn’t want to come. It was always the same. His father was on his case about being 30 and still not having a wife. They were all the same; the women were always spoiled brats. He wanted a sweet, charming woman who had never known a life of wealth. He wouldn’t find one her. All the women here came from wealthy families. He walked slowly around the room, staying close to the wall, taking everything in.
She saw him as soon as he came in the door. She could smell his distaste from across the room. He didn’t want to be here. This intrigued her greatly. Most everyone wanted to be here. They enjoyed the lights, and music, and mingling. She moved with him, keeping him directly across the room from her. When he stopped so did she. She studied him from all the angles he gave her.
He was very handsome, dark chestnut brown hair, neatly trimmed, deep dark blue eyes, strong cheek and jaw bones, and full lips with a dimple that played hide and seek. There was a small cleft in his chin too. She wanted him.
As he walked along some women tried engaging him in conversation, but he brushed them off not wanting to hear how much money their daddies had. Soon he was aware he was being watched. He recognized that prickling sensation immediately. Someone was studying him very closely, yet no one close enough was giving him that much attention.
All too soon he found the pair of eyes watching him. The golden brown eyes that watched him were set into a dainty face. The button nose was slightly upturne
d and the perfect, red, cupid bow lips were set above a rounded, dimpled chin. A mass of rose red curls sat upon her head with trailing curls hanging past her shoulders too. She looked away shyly when their gazes met.
Something in him stirred. A feeling never before to happen in him that he couldn’t name made him straighten up and march over to that stunning face. As he approached she flushed, thinking he was going to accuse her of staring, the red overpowering the paleness of her skin. The feeling flared through his heart stronger this time.
When he reached her his heart was pounding in his chest. He could barely get the words out of his mouth and yet they poured out too fast, “Would you like to dance?” At least his voice held steady.
Her long red lashes fluttered against her cheeks as she grasped for the words to respond with, “Why thank you kind sir.”
He took her arm gently as he quietly prayed he could manage not to set on her feet. They both hesitantly took the proper stance and with his lead glided around the room. She could feel his pulse thudding through his whole body, and yet he kept his composure well. They stared into each other’s eyes.
After a few moments she said, “I don’t know your name.”
“You can guess,” He replied softy. “You get three tries.”
“Jerome?” She asked in her softly accented voice.
He smiled and shook his head in response.
“Jean Claude?” She asked again.
“No,” He whispered.
“How about Gerard?” She whispered.
“Third times the charm,” He smiled, this time flashing dimples at her.
“Now you guess my name?” She asked a strange light glinting in her eyes.
“Alright let’s see. Charlotte?” Gerard asked.
She rolled her eyes and snorted softly.
“Abigail?”
She shook her head and smiled enigmatically at him.
“Melody?”
“Three strikes and you’re out!” She chided softly.
“Okay, so what is your name?” Gerard asked.
“Yvette.” She replied and something sad tinged that one word. The light dimmed in her eyes and she looked away.
“What’s wrong? Did I step on your toe? Did I say or do anything to upset you?” The questions of concern poured from his perfect mouth.
“No, no. It’s nothing like that. It’s just that…..” Her cheeks turned red again and she looked away. They had stopped in the middle of the dance floor and neither noticed.
“Just what?” He asked turning her face toward him gently with a finger under her chin.
“No one has said my name in a very long time,” She whispered and then bit her red lip.
“Yvette? You have the most beautiful name, Yvette,” He whispered lovingly, wanting to wipe the pain from her eyes.
A single red tear slipped from the corner of her right eye. She hastily wiped at it before he could notice the odd color.
“Yvette, you are so mysterious. I want to know your secrets,” He said plainly.
She gave him a weak smile. “Do you really?”
“Yes. You are the only woman I’ve met that pains me to see cry,” He replied.
She looked away again and nodded. She sighed, tried to smile again. “Alright, after the ball we can…”
“Let’s go now. There is nothing here for either of us,” Gerard said taking her arm gently and leading her from the dance floor weaving their way from the dancers.
Once outside Gerard lead her to a nearby gazebo that was empty. Yvette was looking worriedly at the horizon. Gerard took her hands and said, “I know I just met you, but I feel like we have known each other for many lifetimes, Yvette. I want to be with you forever.”
“Do you know what you are asking? Do you know what you will be giving up? My existence isn’t an easy one. I have been alone for far too long. That is why I risked coming here tonight. Are you sure?”
“I think I knew what you were from the moment we touched and that red tear was a definite sign. I am surer of this than of anything else in my life. I want to be with you. Forever,” Gerard said firmly, holding tight to her hands.
“Okay, but we haven’t much time. Sunrise is approaching. Let’s go somewhere more secluded. I know of a place close to here that no one ventures to. We can go there,” Yvette replied almost breathlessly. If she had a heartbeat it would have been thudding in her chest for joy. Her heart felt warmer than it ever had though.
Gerard let her lead him away. There was nothing keeping him here. They ran into the woods and to an old run down mausoleum. “What is this place?” Gerard asked.
“It is where my long dead husband once buried me thinking I was dead. It is where I sleep during the day,” Yvette said slightly mournfully. It had been an eternity since then. “We must hurry.”
Gerard offered his neck to Yvette. She latched on gently and began to feed. She felt drunk with the taste of Gerard’s blood. She forced herself away and caught the breath she didn’t need. Yvette lifted the skirt of her dress and pulled a sharp knife from the thigh sheath she had there and slit her wrist. She held her arm to Gerard’s lips. “You must drink, and quickly,” She whispered.
Gerard wrapped his lips around the wound and drew the blood into his mouth. She gasped at the first suck. The warmth that had started in her dead heart flowed through her withered veins.
She took her arm away and said, “Our time is almost up. Come.” She took him into the mausoleum and slid the lid on her coffin closed just as the first rays of the sun started to warm the earth. Finally she was no longer alone.
The Silent Watcher
I stood gazing out into the night. I was at the window every night waiting for him to come home from work. The snow on the ground always made him late. I smiled at the memory of our first winter in this house. The snow was high and the wind blew fiercely. My husband, Benjamin, was two hours late coming home. I had stood at this window in the front window waiting for him. I was so worried I was frozen to the spot. As soon as I saw Ben pull in the drive I ran out the door just to hold him and the fear lessened.
By our fifth year hear I knew the routine. I would read, or sew, or even watch a little TV to keep myself occupied, but the same worry would come back. Not like it did that first night, but it was still there in the background.
Tonight felt like that first night. The snow wasn’t as bad, or the wind as fierce. But something was still wrong. Suddenly I saw headlights sweep across the drive and I raced out into the cold to wrap my arms around him again.
I jumped at him, but he passed right through me. I had a tendency to forget that I died a year ago. It had been a terrible winter that year. I had been walking down the driveway to get the mail. The ice was hidden underneath the snow. My feet slid out from under me and I smacked my head hard. Needless to say I died on the way to the hospital.
Ben had taken it hard, so I stayed and tried to let him know in small ways I was there. Soon he was moving on and dating again. He would bring them home and the ones I didn’t like I scared away. The girls were all blondes and brunettes. He avoided redheads, because they reminded him of me.
Tonight was different though. When she stepped from Ben’s car my eyes went wide. Not only was she a redhead, but she had the same shade of blue eyes as I did. Ben went around the car and helped her through the snow. Soon after they entered he started to prepare her dinner. Ben was making my favorite, his stir fry chicken.
I listened to them talk all the while circling her, sizing her up. Her name was Zoe and she had just started at the coffee house Ben frequented. I sat next to her on the stool at the breakfast bar. She had really nice skin and perfect teeth. Her nails were sensibly manicured.
I jerked up suddenly when I heard ben say my name. He hadn’t said Sheila in a long time. He talked about me with this Zoe, and he NEVER said anything to anyone about me. Ever.
I moved over to him and caressed his cheek. He shuddered at my touch and look at where I was standing, but his eyes d
idn’t find me standing there.
“She must have loved you very much,” Zoe commented after a moment.
“She did. And I loved her. Still do,” Ben replied.
“I know. That kind of love never goes away. I don’t want to replace, Sheila. I just hope that you can find room for me in your heart,” Zoe said quietly.
Oh boy did I like this one! All of the others wanted to replace me. I went over to her and touched her hand where it rested on the bar. She jumped as if I’d zapped her.
“I think you just got Sheila’s blessing,” Ben said laughing.
That she did. I finally felt that if I left, Ben would be in good hands and Zoe would take care of him. But I decided to stick around to see what happened.
A few years later I stood off to the side crying, if ghosts can cry that is. I felt joy and pride as Ben said his vows to Zoe. I swallowed hard. They had become man and wife.
At the reception I made a silent toast that that one would not leave this world without the other. Ben could not handle loosing another wife. And Zoe deserved to not have to go through that pain as well.
It was finally time for me to go. I kissed Ben and Zoe goodbye and walked into the light.
The Meeting
She drifted through the night, flitting from shadow to shadow. She had been summoned, as they all had been summoned, for the treaty talks. This was the fifth time they had met. Each member of the Fey council represented each type of Fey creature. The Wolf Pack was encroaching on Fairy territory, and the Phookas were moving in on the Elves. It had become one large mess and if it wasn't straightened out there would be war. This war would be the end of all things.
She knew she had to be open minded at the talks, maybe even offering more than she wanted to bargain with. She would do what she had to do to keep her people safe. She had an ace-in-the-hole, so to speak to bargain with if need be. An artifact that was believed to be lost, but her family had hid it for just this reason.
