Ghost
A woman haunts the house she lived in while she was alive.
She walked through the house, tears streaming down her face, as silent as her feet on the wooden floor. She knew it was cold, knew it should be cold, but couldn't feel it. She hadn't been able to feel anything for so long.
Her life was barely even a memory now. A few impressions of light and warmth, smiling faces and open, welcoming arms. She had been happy, that much she knew. Happy with the man who was her husband; happy with their baby son. One of her clearest memories was of him happily gurgling up at her from safe within her arms. She had been happy and she had been loved, but that was all in the past now.
Now she simply wandered, lost but not. Trapped in her own house for decades past her time, doomed to haunt the hallways forever. Doomed to terrify generation after generation of children when they saw her sleek shining figure in the moonlight, tears streaming down her face and blood streaming down her dress.
For it was only children who could see her. Something in their innocent and care-free nature resonated at odds with her own guilt and condemnation making her visible to them at night.
She was still there during the daylight hours, still wandering, they halls they ran through happily playing their games of chase or sobbing at some small problem which to them was the end of the world.
She was unable to deny that she longed to be able to gather them up and comfort them at those times. Longed to be able to touch them even, a gentle hand on their shoulder to reassure them that everything would be fine by tomorrow. To do all the things, she never had a chance to with her own child.
But that was all her own fault, and neither had she been able to deny that fact. She knew that this was her punishment for her actions. Forever to see and crave, but never to experience. For who was she to deserve that luxury? She was nobody. She was nothing.
***********************************************************
Maddy lay on her belly, idly doodling flowers in the afternoon sunlight. Her granny had given her new pencils to color with and she had experimented with all the colors now and picked out her very favorites.
Hearing a slight creak behind her, she looked over her should expecting to see her older brother waiting to torment her, but there was no one there. Maddy was very happy about this. She hated Luke and often wished he would leave her alone.
Focusing on her pretty flowers once again, Lucia began thinking about this big, old house that they had moved into just days before. Luke had tried to tell her it was haunted, but she was big enough now to know that she was just tricking her and trying to make her be scared of the dark again like when she was little.
There was another creak behind her, but again no one was there.
"Luke, stop being annoying!" She yelled for good measure, just in case he was in the next room trying to scare her. She would show him that she knew it was him and not some stupid ghost that he'd made up.
A few minutes later, Maddy stood up and took her picture through down to the living room where her Mummy was feeding her new baby brother.
"Look at what I drew, Mummy!" Maddy exclaimed proudly. Her mother looked at the picture and Maddy's favorite smile light up her mother's face.
"That's lovely sweetie," she said sincerely before leaning over and kissing her on the forehead. Maddy felt a glow of pleasure. "Do you want to go pin it to the fridge, so Daddy can see it when he gets home?"
Maddy thought this was a wonderful idea, instantly running into the kitchen and sticking her picture to the fridge with her very favorite magnet. It was a rainbow of all the color with a happy sunshine peeking out from behind it. She stuck it up as high as she could reach, standing on her very tiptoes to put it high up before running back out of the kitchen.
"Done!" She cried out as she ran back into the living room. Her mother smiled lovingly at her.
"Turn the television on for a sweetie," her mother said, standing up with the baby. "I'm just going to put James to sleep."
***********************************************************
James.
The name rang through her head.
James.
That was his name. Forgotten for so long and brought to the fore again now as she stood in the living room watching mother and child interact.
James.
Love swelled in her chest.
James.
Her little darling, the beloved of her heart, created from the love between herself and her husband.
James.
She stretched out her hand ask the woman walked past, holding the drowsy child close to her chest protectively.
James.
***********************************************************
Maddy woke up later that night thirsty. She crept out of her bedroom and down to the kitchen to get the glass of water waiting for her in the fridge. As she opened the door, she saw her picture again.
Her Daddy had loved her picture, picking her up and spinning her around and around in the air above him as she giggled manically. She was so very happy. Glugging down the water, she set the half empty glass back into the fridge.
She began to make her way back to her bedroom when she saw a woman in a dress standing and looking at James' half-open door. It wasn't her Mummy. Her Mummy had blonde hair, not blackest black like this lady.
"Hello?" She said quietly, confused as to who this strange person was in her house.
The lady looked back over her shoulder at Maddy and smiled a small, sad smile. Maddy saw that she was crying, tears streaking her pale white cheeks. She looked away for a second, a little embarrassed that the lady was so upset. When she looked back the lady had gone.
She could only have gone into James' room. Maddy wanted to make sure the lady was okay, so she walked through the door herself and saw the lady standing between the window and the crib. She had her hands up to her throat and was looking at the baby like Mummy did.
Seeing her, the lady spoke. "I just want James back. I just want him to look after." She looked Maddy right in the eyes. "You'd understand, wouldn't you? If I just took him to keep me company." Her voice was willowy soft and lilting, seeming like the whisper of the wind through the trees.
Maddy was confused. Her voice was soothing, but she was talking about taking James away and James was Mummy and Daddy's, and her and Luke's. "No," she said with a quaver. "He's ours. You can't take him. I'm going to get my Daddy." Maddy backed towards the door.
All softness fell away from the woman's face as she threw her hands out in front of her. The door slammed closed behind Maddy, who could now see the blood streaming down the lady's dress from a few narrow cuts in her chest. She turned, screaming, and tried to open it to no avail no matter how she tugged.
"Daddy! Daddy!" She screamed in pure terror. Her Daddy would rescue her. He loved her and he wouldn't let her down.
"I'll take him, and you can't stop me!" Shrieked the lady. Maddy turned to look at her once more, tears now also running down her face. The lady's face no longer made her sad. Instead it made her scared.
"Daddy!" She screamed once more when she saw the flash of metal in the hand of the scary lady.
"He's mine!" She whispered viciously before slashing down once with the blade.
Maddy screamed once more before her Daddy wrenched open the door and gathered her up in his arms, holding her safe and secure. She sobbed into his arms, clutching tightly too him in pure terror.
She risked one more glance at the lady, wondering why Daddy wasn't shouting at her. She saw the lady, but now she was holding James. "Daddy," she whimpered. "Daddy, don't let her take James."
"Who? Don't let who take James?" He asked.
"The lady. The nasty crying lady." "Why couldn't he see her? "She's standing there and she has James and she said she was going to take her away but I said, she couldn't because he was ours."
Her Daddy picked her up and carried her towards the crib. "Shh, sweetheart. It's okay, James is right..."
He trailed off as he reached the crib and looked down to see blood pooling around his infant son from a wound in his chest.
***********************************************************
She walked through the house, tears streaming down her face as silent as her feet on the wooden floor. She knew it was cold, knew it should be cold, but couldn't feel it. She hadn't been able to feel anything for so long.
She had been alone for so long. Her husband had killed her for killing their son. She hadn't meant to; it had been an accident. But he had killed her anyway. Her sorrow and horror dooming her to haunt the hallways of their house for decades past her time.
But she wasn't alone now. She had her son back in her arms. Someone to look after and to care for. Her tears were joyful now at having a little body to hold to her chest protectively.
Her life was barely even a memory now. A few impressions of light and warmth, smiling faces and open, welcoming arms. She had been happy, that much she knew. Happy with the man who was her husband; happy with their baby son. One of her clearest memories was of him happily gurgling up at her from safe within her arms. She had been happy and she had been loved, but that was all in the past now.
Now she simply wandered, lost but not. Trapped in her own house for decades past her time, doomed to haunt the hallways forever. Doomed to terrify generation after generation of children when they saw her sleek shining figure in the moonlight, tears streaming down her face and blood streaming down her dress.
For it was only children who could see her. Something in their innocent and care-free nature resonated at odds with her own guilt and condemnation making her visible to them at night.
She was still there during the daylight hours, still wandering, they halls they ran through happily playing their games of chase or sobbing at some small problem which to them was the end of the world.
She was unable to deny that she longed to be able to gather them up and comfort them at those times. Longed to be able to touch them even, a gentle hand on their shoulder to reassure them that everything would be fine by tomorrow. To do all the things, she never had a chance to with her own child.
But that was all her own fault, and neither had she been able to deny that fact. She knew that this was her punishment for her actions. Forever to see and crave, but never to experience. For who was she to deserve that luxury? She was nobody. She was nothing.
***********************************************************
Maddy lay on her belly, idly doodling flowers in the afternoon sunlight. Her granny had given her new pencils to color with and she had experimented with all the colors now and picked out her very favorites.
Hearing a slight creak behind her, she looked over her should expecting to see her older brother waiting to torment her, but there was no one there. Maddy was very happy about this. She hated Luke and often wished he would leave her alone.
Focusing on her pretty flowers once again, Lucia began thinking about this big, old house that they had moved into just days before. Luke had tried to tell her it was haunted, but she was big enough now to know that she was just tricking her and trying to make her be scared of the dark again like when she was little.
There was another creak behind her, but again no one was there.
"Luke, stop being annoying!" She yelled for good measure, just in case he was in the next room trying to scare her. She would show him that she knew it was him and not some stupid ghost that he'd made up.
A few minutes later, Maddy stood up and took her picture through down to the living room where her Mummy was feeding her new baby brother.
"Look at what I drew, Mummy!" Maddy exclaimed proudly. Her mother looked at the picture and Maddy's favorite smile light up her mother's face.
"That's lovely sweetie," she said sincerely before leaning over and kissing her on the forehead. Maddy felt a glow of pleasure. "Do you want to go pin it to the fridge, so Daddy can see it when he gets home?"
Maddy thought this was a wonderful idea, instantly running into the kitchen and sticking her picture to the fridge with her very favorite magnet. It was a rainbow of all the color with a happy sunshine peeking out from behind it. She stuck it up as high as she could reach, standing on her very tiptoes to put it high up before running back out of the kitchen.
"Done!" She cried out as she ran back into the living room. Her mother smiled lovingly at her.
"Turn the television on for a sweetie," her mother said, standing up with the baby. "I'm just going to put James to sleep."
***********************************************************
James.
The name rang through her head.
James.
That was his name. Forgotten for so long and brought to the fore again now as she stood in the living room watching mother and child interact.
James.
Love swelled in her chest.
James.
Her little darling, the beloved of her heart, created from the love between herself and her husband.
James.
She stretched out her hand ask the woman walked past, holding the drowsy child close to her chest protectively.
James.
***********************************************************
Maddy woke up later that night thirsty. She crept out of her bedroom and down to the kitchen to get the glass of water waiting for her in the fridge. As she opened the door, she saw her picture again.
Her Daddy had loved her picture, picking her up and spinning her around and around in the air above him as she giggled manically. She was so very happy. Glugging down the water, she set the half empty glass back into the fridge.
She began to make her way back to her bedroom when she saw a woman in a dress standing and looking at James' half-open door. It wasn't her Mummy. Her Mummy had blonde hair, not blackest black like this lady.
"Hello?" She said quietly, confused as to who this strange person was in her house.
The lady looked back over her shoulder at Maddy and smiled a small, sad smile. Maddy saw that she was crying, tears streaking her pale white cheeks. She looked away for a second, a little embarrassed that the lady was so upset. When she looked back the lady had gone.
She could only have gone into James' room. Maddy wanted to make sure the lady was okay, so she walked through the door herself and saw the lady standing between the window and the crib. She had her hands up to her throat and was looking at the baby like Mummy did.
Seeing her, the lady spoke. "I just want James back. I just want him to look after." She looked Maddy right in the eyes. "You'd understand, wouldn't you? If I just took him to keep me company." Her voice was willowy soft and lilting, seeming like the whisper of the wind through the trees.
Maddy was confused. Her voice was soothing, but she was talking about taking James away and James was Mummy and Daddy's, and her and Luke's. "No," she said with a quaver. "He's ours. You can't take him. I'm going to get my Daddy." Maddy backed towards the door.
All softness fell away from the woman's face as she threw her hands out in front of her. The door slammed closed behind Maddy, who could now see the blood streaming down the lady's dress from a few narrow cuts in her chest. She turned, screaming, and tried to open it to no avail no matter how she tugged.
"Daddy! Daddy!" She screamed in pure terror. Her Daddy would rescue her. He loved her and he wouldn't let her down.
"I'll take him, and you can't stop me!" Shrieked the lady. Maddy turned to look at her once more, tears now also running down her face. The lady's face no longer made her sad. Instead it made her scared.
"Daddy!" She screamed once more when she saw the flash of metal in the hand of the scary lady.
"He's mine!" She whispered viciously before slashing down once with the blade.
Maddy screamed once more before her Daddy wrenched open the door and gathered her up in his arms, holding her safe and secure. She sobbed into his arms, clutching tightly too him in pure terror.
She risked one more glance at the lady, wondering why Daddy wasn't shouting at her. She saw the lady, but now she was holding James. "Daddy," she whimpered. "Daddy, don't let her take James."
"Who? Don't let who take James?" He asked.
"The lady. The nasty crying lady." "Why couldn't he see her? "She's standing there and she has James and she said she was going to take her away but I said, she couldn't because he was ours."
Her Daddy picked her up and carried her towards the crib. "Shh, sweetheart. It's okay, James is right..."
He trailed off as he reached the crib and looked down to see blood pooling around his infant son from a wound in his chest.
***********************************************************
She walked through the house, tears streaming down her face as silent as her feet on the wooden floor. She knew it was cold, knew it should be cold, but couldn't feel it. She hadn't been able to feel anything for so long.
She had been alone for so long. Her husband had killed her for killing their son. She hadn't meant to; it had been an accident. But he had killed her anyway. Her sorrow and horror dooming her to haunt the hallways of their house for decades past her time.
But she wasn't alone now. She had her son back in her arms. Someone to look after and to care for. Her tears were joyful now at having a little body to hold to her chest protectively.
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