Muses

by Elizabeth Andre

  “Maybe I can do something about the ghosts,” she had said. She was half-joking at the time, but her aunt clearly took her seriously.

  “Oh, I hope you can,” she said as she left the house. There was a cut on her right cheek from a ghostly visit the night before. As she hurried away, she did not look back.

  Lily moved in soon after, and odd things started occurring almost immediately. The ghosts moved things. She’d experienced this before. It didn’t alarm her when it had happened while her uncle was still alive. She tried not to think about the fact the ghosts may have killed him. On New Year’s Day, things changed. She had made a plan of attack on cleaning the house and organizing Richard’s study. Many of the books there hadn’t been put back on the shelves since that fateful Halloween night. Once the police had deemed the study no longer a crime scene, the books had lain scattered on the floor or wherever they had landed when the ghosts had flung them around. Her aunt wouldn’t enter that room after Uncle Richard’s death. Lily decided to tackle the study first.

  As it turned out, her uncle had never organized any of his books except the Hemingway ones. She set about organizing them in alphabetical order by author. She’d been at it for about half an hour when she had a feeling she was being watched. She heard a whisper that was so quiet she convinced herself that it was a breeze coming through a drafty house. She looked up and glanced around. There was something or someone she could only see in the corner of her eye. Or at least she thought she could. She wasn’t even sure it was really there. She decided it was too quiet. She plugged her phone into her uncle’s stereo system to listen to music. She turned it up loud. She could no longer hear the quiet. She could no longer hear the whispers.

  She worked steadily, cataloguing the books on her laptop as she went in case her aunt decided she wanted to sell them. Her uncle had put the first editions he owned in a glass cabinet, but the ghosts had shattered the glass and strewn most of the books over the floor. The glass had been swept up and vacuumed away. The books had been stacked in front of the cabinet. Lily examined each of them carefully. Most of them had sustained damage, but there were a couple that still appeared to be in very good condition. If her aunt decided to sell them, she’d probably need to get them appraised.

  At lunch time with her stomach starting to rumble, she picked up her laptop, took it to the kitchen, and set it on the table. She rummaged through the refrigerator, settling on yesterday’s leftovers from a Thai restaurant. She also pulled out a bowl containing pizza dough. She was looking forward to making pizza for dinner later.

  Lunch, taken at the kitchen table with her laptop propped up in front of her, was uneventful until she realized she could no longer hear the stereo. She didn’t remember turning it off before lunch, but maybe she had. When she went to the living room, she saw that it had been turned off. She turned it on again

  The sisters. It had to be them or one them anyway, she thought.

  She wondered if they always traveled together, always worked together. Was it all three of them who had made a wreck of the living room and Richard’s study on Halloween? Which one had thrown the book that killed her uncle? Or was it all of them?

  Back in the kitchen with the music still playing, she sat down and took a deep breath. She picked up her chopsticks and speared a piece of chicken. A glance at her laptop monitor screen nearly made her flip over backwards in the chair. She dropped the chopsticks. They clattered on the kitchen floor. She blinked, but there it was still—a hazy figure reflected in the laptop’s screen. It looked vaguely female. It looked at once close by and at some distance behind her. She tried to steady her breathing. When she exhaled through her mouth, she saw her breath as it curled away. She shivered. Cold. The air around her was so cold. She still hadn’t dared to turn around. She kept her eyes on the screen, trying to figure out whether what she was seeing was real or a trick of the light or a smudge on the screen. With a napkin, she wiped at the area where she could see the hazy figure.

  Nope. Not a smudge, she thought.

  The figure moved. It looked as though it was reaching out to her. It seemed suddenly closer, right behind her. She turned around quickly. There was nothing there.

  Whatever it was had disappeared, but she knew she wasn’t completely by herself. The rest of the day was uneventful. She talked to a cousin and couple of friends via Skype while she fixed dinner. That made her feel less alone. She watched a few episodes of Person of Interest, a TV show her cousin had recommended. She did a little more work with the books in her uncle’s study before turning in for the night, but the feeling of constantly being watched kept her unsettled.

  That night, she did a little reading while sitting up in bed, but her mind felt divided between her book and wondering how long the ghosts would remain content with merely watching her. She would almost rather be confronted by them directly. Once she lay down to sleep, she tried meditating. She never knew if she was doing it right or how effective it was because she could never empty her mind completely as she thought she was supposed to. For one thing, the thought of her out-of-control email inbox intruded far too easily. She took four deep breaths and eventually began to relax. She drifted into a light sleep. At some point, maybe an hour or two later, she felt some pressure on the bed, like someone had sat on it. She cautiously opened her eyes but saw nothing at first. A moment later, a hazy, vaguely female figure appeared. It sat on the foot of the bed moving its arms. Lily watched, almost afraid to breathe. Gradually, she realized that the arm movements were the ghost brushing its hair.

  The figure became more distinct. It was definitely female and young. Lily figured she was in her late teens or early twenties. The ghostly figure appeared to be wearing a dressing gown. She looked like she was talking to someone. Or maybe she was counting brush strokes out loud? No, it really did seem like she was talking to someone. Whoever she was talking to must have said something funny because now she was laughing. Lily felt weird watching this. It felt intrusive, seeing this bit of domestic intimacy, but if this was a ghost, then whatever was being played out in front of her had played out long ago.

  The ghost stopped brushing her hair, stood, and disappeared. She flickered out as though a switch had been flipped. It took several more moments before Lily realized that she was a gripping her blanket so tightly that her fingers hurt. She let go and grabbed her phone from the nightstand. She tapped out notes about what she’d just seen. If she’d had the presence of mind and could have done it quietly, she could have taken pictures of the apparition. But then she remembered that it might not have shown up in the picture. Once she was done taking notes, she lay back down and tried to keep her eyes open. She wanted to see more of the ghosts, but exhaustion overtook her. She slept dreamlessly for several hours.

  Lily saw the ghost several times over the next few days. She would visit each night, sitting on the foot of the bed while brushing her hair. She also saw a ghost coming down the stairs one morning. Lily had gotten almost to the bottom of the stairs herself when she remembered she’d forgotten something. When she turned to go back upstairs, she saw the ghost coming down only a few steps behind her. She didn’t seem to see Lily. The ghost sat in the study as Lily continued to catalog Richard’s books. She didn’t seem to notice Lily, but Lily still felt like she was being watched. The ghost seemed harmless, but Lily was unnerved. Her beloved uncle was dead, most likely at the sisters’ hands.

  This ghost was harmless at the moment, but Lily knew something had to be done about the ghosts. She checked out several books about ghosts from the local library. She researched the topic online.

  Then she called the Paranormal Grievance Committee, and Maya and Julie had showed up.

  Chapter Eight

  Enter the full team

  The Paranormal Grievance Committee arrived at the Vinettes’ just after 6 o’clock at night. The sun had already set, and the dark night had taken hold. Although the winter solstice was a couple of weeks ago, it would be a few weeks more before the days wo
uld be noticeably longer.

  Maya entered first, shaking Lily’s hand and introducing the crew. She’d already met Julie, who nodded at her as she walked in and asked how she was doing. Lily said she was fine, but she didn’t look any better rested than the day before.

  Penny followed with a video camera in her hand. She would be documenting their activities to upload to the internet. Their fan base was growing and demanding to see more.

  The guys were next. Jason had a new EDI meter with which he was trying to impress Steve, Maya’s mentor and founder of the Paranormal Grievance Committee. Steve wasn’t that interested and kept responding with quips about not needing to replace something that wasn’t broken and how the tools he had were just fine, thank you very much. He took off his jacket, a sweater and a long sleeve shirt until he got to his tank top. He’d told Maya once that he worked best in tank tops.

  Eddie, Steve’s husband and reluctant spell-caster, finished off the crew. Maya once asked Steve if his husband was some kind of witch or warlock, but he just wordlessly stroked his beard. Steve wouldn’t discuss the spells Maya had seen Eddie cast, either. Eddie was equally tight-lipped and very good at changing the subject.

  They gathered in the living room and started unpacking their equipment. Eddie gave Steve a quick peck on his cheek before he went into the study. Maya was delighted by the brief smile that animated Steve’s features at Eddie’s kiss.

  Maya saw that Lily looked restless but eager. She hid fear and exhaustion under a weak smile. “Something’s happened. Tell me,” Maya said, gently.

  Lily looked like she would burst, but she parceled her words out slowly, as if she was afraid she might inadvertently trigger catastrophe. “One of them visited me last night,” she said and nodded at Maya and Julie. “After you left, one of the ghosts brushed her hair on my bed.”

  Jason said, “Now that’s something we need to hear more about.”

  Lily told them how one of the ghosts had made an appearance as she lay in bed that night, how the ghost had just sat on the end of her bed brushing her hair.

  “She was talking. I wasn’t sure if she was counting strokes or talking to someone, but it wasn’t the first time I’d seen her.”

  “No?” Julie said.

  “You didn’t tell us that before,” Maya said. “You need to tell us everything.” Julie had been right. She had been holding back. Maya hadn’t wanted to push Lily too hard. She’d been through so much.

  Steve was unpacking some audio equipment. “We can’t help you if you hold back.”

  Lily looked properly scolded. “I know. It’s just been such a lot to take in. It’s all so overwhelming. I still have a hard time even believing they’re real. I never believed in ghosts before.”

  That triggered guffaws from Steve who batted at one of the pull cords that hung from the ceiling fan.

  Maya stood directly in front of Lily. “All right. Just tell us the rest. We’re here to help you.”

  So she told them about her previous sightings of the female ghost who brushed her hair. She told them about seeing the ghosts out of the corner of her eye and in the occasional reflection. “Sometimes it feels like I’m looking in a funhouse mirror. Does any of what I said help you?” She glanced at Maya.

  Eddie had come back into the living room while Lily was recounting her ghostly encounters. “Oh, sure. It could all be helpful at some point,” he said.

  Jason and Steve had their EDI meters out. Jason went into the hallway and was most likely on his way to the kitchen and the other rooms on the first floor. Eddie stood still in the middle of the living room with his eyes closed. One of the cats, Athena, the white one, wandered into the living room and sniffed at Julie, Steve, and Eddie. When she came near Lily, she picked her up and placed the animal on her lap. Athena seemed a little perturbed at first, but then settled in once Lily began stroking her back.

  “She seems to like you,” Maya said.

  “Yeah, I feed them. What’s not to like?” Lily chuckled.

  “Oh, I’m sure there’s more to it than that.” Maya hadn’t meant to say that out loud. She hardly knew Lily, after all, and she was a client.

  Lily looked amused. “Really? Tell me more.”

  Flustered, Maya’s mind raced to come up with something that didn’t sound flirty. “You just seem like a really nice person. Really kind. I think cats like that,” she stammered.

  Lordy. Such bumbling nonsense. Maya flexed her fingers and tried to compose herself.

  “Well, anyway. Thanks for telling us more about what’s been happening here.” That sounded much better, more professional.

  Lily still looked like this was all so entertaining. “You’re welcome.”

  Penny gave Maya a curious look and sat down on the sofa near Lily. Penny let Athena sniff her fingers before scratching the cat behind her ears. The other cat, Abner, mostly black but with a small white marking on its belly, lounged on the bay window ledge, occasionally flicking its tail from left to right.

  “How were the cats the nights when you saw the ghost?” Penny asked.

  Lily shrugged. “Don’t know. They prefer sleeping in my aunt and uncle’s old room.”

  “You getting anything, Eddie?” Maya asked. She was a little disturbed the ghosts hadn’t tried to communicate with her. Most ghosts had something to say, that was usually why they hung around. They usually knew that Maya could help them vocalize what they needed to get out.

  “Nothing that we don’t already know,” Eddie said. “Something went down here. They’re still here. Lily, you said you had the feeling that you were being watched the other day. Well, you were. I can feel the echoes. They’re recent.”

  “You can be sure there’s more to come,” Steve said and added, “but when is anyone’s guess.”

  Penny asked, “Do you feel anything, Maya?”

  Maya shook her head no. “It’s so weird. Usually ghosts are so eager to talk. Not these three.”

  “Really? Ghosts talk to you? Doesn’t that scare you?” Lily made a weird scary face and briefly held her hands up, bending her fingers like claws.

  “Sometimes it’s scary, and it’s usually easier than it has been this time. I just don’t know why I’m having a hard time getting a better feel for them. It’s like they don’t want me to get close to them. I’ve never had this problem before.”

  Maya pulled a tablet computer out of her backpack and found the research she’d saved on the sisters. She could only find one photo that depicted all three of them. It was taken when they were girls. Eleanor, the oldest, would probably have been about 13 or 14. Maya turned her tablet to Lily. “And here they are.”

  “That sort of looks like them, but the ghosts are all adults,” said Lily. Then she stood up, sending Athena bounding to the floor. “Would anyone like some coffee or tea or water or something stronger?”

  Eddie and Penny asked for coffee. Steve, Julie, and Jason opted for water. Maya went to the kitchen with Lily to help her and ask more questions. They needed to know so much more if they were going to help her.

  “Did your aunt tell you if there was any warning before that Halloween party?”

  “She didn’t say anything about specific warnings. She just said crazy stuff started happening during the party. About an hour before...”

  Lily went quiet as she filled the carafe for the drip coffee machine. The water ran until it was full and kept going until it was overflowing into the sink. Maya reached over Lily to turn off the tap. The two women stood in silence for a moment. Maya put her hand on Lily’s back. Lily sniffled and wiped away a tear.

  Lily began to laugh, each giggle seemed to drown a tear.

  “What’s so funny?” Jason yelled from the living room.

  “Tell us. I wanna laugh, too,” Julie yelled.

  “We’ll tell you all when the coffee’s ready. Hold on,” Maya yelled back. That quieted those in the living room and left Maya and Lily alone once more.

  “Are you okay?” Whenever Maya needed t
o comfort someone, she channeled her mother who was better at doling out comfort than anyone she’d ever known. She softened her voice but shaded it with a bit of urgency.

  Lily wiped away another tear and got the coffee started. She pulled down water glasses and passed them to Maya who filled them.

  The coffee started steaming and dripping into the carafe.

  Maya rubbed Lily’s back. She was wearing a blue sweater, but the fabric felt so much nicer than the sweaters Maya had sold at Zaxy-Mart, the discount retailer where she used to work before being able to ghost hunt full-time. The fabric was soft. Lily felt warm. Her auburn hair flowed gracefully around her shoulders.

  “Coffee’s done,” said Lily, suddenly turning toward Maya. “Let’s get these drinks out there and let them know what’s so funny.”

  “Okay. I know it’ll be hard not to laugh, but just remember, this happened to one of my aunt’s friends,” Lily said as she sat down in the living room and helped Maya distribute the drinks. “Early on, during the party before tragedy struck...” She paused for moment, briefly placing her hand on her heart before she continued. “One or all of the ghosts trapped one of Kate and Richard’s friends in the bathroom across the hall and gave her a swirly.”

  “You mean a swirly like seniors-hazing-a-freshman swirly?” Eddie asked, sounding doubtful. He swirled the coffee in his mug for added effect.

  Lily nodded. “That’s how Aunt Kate described it. The poor woman ran screaming from the house, apparently.”

  The giggles rippled through Maya and then, like a contagion, hit Julie and then Penny and then everyone else, even Lily. When the giggling subsided, Lily spoke again.

  “The night before I got here, Kate and Owen had a really bad time with the ghosts. They broke one of their bedroom windows and Kate ended up with a cut right here.” Lily pointed to a spot on her right cheek just above the jawline. “It’s about an inch long. It wasn’t deep, but it looked like it hurt. I wasn’t surprised when she and Owen left as soon as they could.”