aware that ghosts were real.
Anne’s face suddenly
brightened. “I recognize you. You were upset the night I last saw
you. I did not mean to spy on you but the curtain was open. I do
hope you are better.”
“ Hardly,” I answered,
regretting my tone but unable to stop the harshness. “I died. I
wouldn’t call that better.”
“ No, you are quite right.
That is not better.”
Anne got up and glided
over to the window. She stared outside, her expression appeared
wistful. Night birds squawked and I shuddered. Not from cold but
from life’s echoes clutching at me. The wind blew outside and
rattled the windows and door. Anne’s eyes widened in terror and
Audrey’s words immediately rushed to mind – poltergeist, malevolent
spirit, demon!
I spun to see a young man
standing in the doorway. He was so opaque he had to be a ghost. His
face was soft and pale, gentle and kind, and somehow I knew he was
ancient, like Anne. He had dark hair that fell to his shoulders. He
wore old fashioned riding boots and a long coat.
He’s too gorgeous to be a
demon, I thought, which in keeping with my recent string of bad
luck meant he probably was.
The stranger didn’t pay me
any attention. His gaze was locked onto Anne’s. “My
love.”
“ No, you mustn’t,” Anne
cried. She took a step toward him and stopped; as if struck by an
invisible wall.
The ghost leaned deeper
into the cabin. “But I must.”
His hand reached toward
her, she reached toward him, and I was fascinated by the
voyeuristic thrill of a romantic interlude.
Then the front door
slammed shut in his face with a loud bang .
“ Is that William?” I
asked.
“ Yes.”
The shine in her eyes
glistened like crystals, however, no tears spilled. I wondered why
I was able to cry and she was not.
“ So is he your lover, your
boyfriend, your husband?”
I was rewarded with a
gentle smile. “William is my fiancé.”
She returned to the
armchair and sat so primly I almost felt guilty for indulging in my
favorite pastime of slouching. But death couldn’t change everything
about me. “You two obviously died a long time ago. I don’t get why
the door slammed on him, though.”
“ I cannot leave this cabin
and William cannot enter.”
I sat up. “Are you telling
me you two are cursed?”
“ It appears
so.”
“ How long ago did you two
die?”
She stood up abruptly.
“I’d rather not dwell on the past.”
William’s voice seeped in
through the walls. “Please tell her, Anne. If only to listen to
your voice one more time.”
At least William knew his
beloved existed, I thought ruefully. I wished I had the ability to
connect with Leo the way these two ghosts were
connecting.
Anne hovered by the window
and I settled into the couch to listen to her tale. Pressing her
forehead against the cabin wall, and stroking a hand against the
spot on the wall where William sat on the other side, she said,
“William and I have known one another for a long time. During our
courtship, not a day went by where we did not talk about marriage,
children, a lovely cottage in the woods.”
From outside, William’s
deep baritone voice barked. “Horses to groom, fields to grow corn,
orchards to grow fruit to make pies.”
Anne tossed back her head
and laughed. “I have never baked a pie. Or planted a crop. Or
groomed a horse. Growing up, I had cooks and maids and stable hands
to do these chores. But I would gladly have done these things if I
could have had this wonderful life William painted for
me.”
I was beginning to
understand their situation. “I take it you were wealthy and William
was poor, and your folks weren’t too happy about your
relationship.”
William’s woeful sigh,
clearly audible through the planks of wood, added proof to my
statement.
“ My father only ever
wanted me to be happy. My step-mother was a different story.” A
hard edge crept into Anne’s voice. “She forbade any arrangement
that was not her own. William and I decided to
Anne’s face suddenly
brightened. “I recognize you. You were upset the night I last saw
you. I did not mean to spy on you but the curtain was open. I do
hope you are better.”
“ Hardly,” I answered,
regretting my tone but unable to stop the harshness. “I died. I
wouldn’t call that better.”
“ No, you are quite right.
That is not better.”
Anne got up and glided
over to the window. She stared outside, her expression appeared
wistful. Night birds squawked and I shuddered. Not from cold but
from life’s echoes clutching at me. The wind blew outside and
rattled the windows and door. Anne’s eyes widened in terror and
Audrey’s words immediately rushed to mind – poltergeist, malevolent
spirit, demon!
I spun to see a young man
standing in the doorway. He was so opaque he had to be a ghost. His
face was soft and pale, gentle and kind, and somehow I knew he was
ancient, like Anne. He had dark hair that fell to his shoulders. He
wore old fashioned riding boots and a long coat.
He’s too gorgeous to be a
demon, I thought, which in keeping with my recent string of bad
luck meant he probably was.
The stranger didn’t pay me
any attention. His gaze was locked onto Anne’s. “My
love.”
“ No, you mustn’t,” Anne
cried. She took a step toward him and stopped; as if struck by an
invisible wall.
The ghost leaned deeper
into the cabin. “But I must.”
His hand reached toward
her, she reached toward him, and I was fascinated by the
voyeuristic thrill of a romantic interlude.
Then the front door
slammed shut in his face with a loud bang .
“ Is that William?” I
asked.
“ Yes.”
The shine in her eyes
glistened like crystals, however, no tears spilled. I wondered why
I was able to cry and she was not.
“ So is he your lover, your
boyfriend, your husband?”
I was rewarded with a
gentle smile. “William is my fiancé.”
She returned to the
armchair and sat so primly I almost felt guilty for indulging in my
favorite pastime of slouching. But death couldn’t change everything
about me. “You two obviously died a long time ago. I don’t get why
the door slammed on him, though.”
“ I cannot leave this cabin
and William cannot enter.”
I sat up. “Are you telling
me you two are cursed?”
“ It appears
so.”
“ How long ago did you two
die?”
She stood up abruptly.
“I’d rather not dwell on the past.”
William’s voice seeped in
through the walls. “Please tell her, Anne. If only to listen to
your voice one more time.”
At least William knew his
beloved existed, I thought ruefully. I wished I had the ability to
connect with Leo the way these two ghosts were
connecting.
Anne hovered by the window
and I settled into the couch to listen to her tale. Pressing her
forehead against the cabin wall, and stroking a hand against the
spot on the wall where William sat on the other side, she said,
“William and I have known one another for a long time. During our
courtship, not a day went by where we did not talk about marriage,
children, a lovely cottage in the woods.”
From outside, William’s
deep baritone voice barked. “Horses to groom, fields to grow corn,
orchards to grow fruit to make pies.”
Anne tossed back her head
and laughed. “I have never baked a pie. Or planted a crop. Or
groomed a horse. Growing up, I had cooks and maids and stable hands
to do these chores. But I would gladly have done these things if I
could have had this wonderful life William painted for
me.”
I was beginning to
understand their situation. “I take it you were wealthy and William
was poor, and your folks weren’t too happy about your
relationship.”
William’s woeful sigh,
clearly audible through the planks of wood, added proof to my
statement.
“ My father only ever
wanted me to be happy. My step-mother was a different story.” A
hard edge crept into Anne’s voice. “She forbade any arrangement
that was not her own. William and I decided to
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