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Lily:
The new store was well underway, the grand opening was in a week. Donning a black sweatshirt dress, my hand rested on my noticeable bump. Matty danced in, his arms wrapping around my shoulders. His chin rested on my head, two tickets fluttered in his hand. Sliding his hands down to my bump, he rocked us back and forth.
“I got us tickets to a haunted house.” He announced with his million dollar smile, a tender blush rising to my cheeks. “Remember how we go to one every year. This time, we get to go as husband and wife. That is so nice to say. You are my wife.” Spinning me around to face him, our foreheads pressed together. Being his wife was everything I asked for, his strong arms picking me up. Sitting me on the counter, his lips kissed mine feverishly. The bell ringing stole our attention, a throat clearing stole our attention. Jumping off the counter, a chill ran up my spine. A translucent woman hovered in the center of the store, her hair had been swept into a bun. Her Victorian dress spoke of the years she lived, her tear soaked eyes meeting mine.
“I need your help protecting my home. I have a nasty spirit that can enter on the night I was murdered.” She wept brokenly, her hands shaking. “You two can see me and I don’t know where else to turn.” Walking up to her, my hand cupped hers. Her wet eyes met my kind gaze, our date night would have to wait. Matty stepped up behind me, his arm curling around my bump.
“I would love to help you out.” I promised her calmly, a bright smile illuminating her features. “Do you still remember where the home is? I am not familiar with the area unfortunately.” Floating over to the window, she pointed to the decaying home across the street. Scratching my head, that was no way for a ghost to haunt.
“What if you stayed here instead?” I offered sincerely, a curious look coming across her dainty features. “I do have a couple of rules. I expect you not to harm my family and possess me. Deal?” Turning towards Matty, he shot her a thumbs up. Tears of sadness and joy streamed down her cheeks, her icy hands shaking in mine.
“If you would have me.” She returned politely, her good energy bathing the store. “This place used to be my father's. I am Victoria and the dastardly bastard I have to hide from is named Albert. Whatever do we do?” Tapping my chin, my fingers curled around the various salt dough ornaments I had planned to sell. Hanging them up over every point of entry, more warm energy filled the air.
“We wait with you until the night is over.” I chirped shakily, scared about what was going to occur. “You aren’t alone anymore, Miss Victoria. I vow to protect you as long as you protect my store when I am not here.” Shaking my hand, we had a deal. Setting up the rest of my store, night soon fell. Dread bubbled in my gut, the floorboards creaked with every pace back and forth. An eerie fog crept onto the street, my color drained from my face at a pair of black dress shoes glinted in the pale moonlight. One, his footfalls echoed in the air. Two, his dark evil eyes falling on me. Three, my heart was pounding out of my chest at his finger pointing to the trembling Victoria. Keep counting to keep calm. My mother’s trick of counting wasn’t helping. Four, his rotting hand lifted the lantern to his face. His cold voice stole me from my attempt at pieces, the power cutting out. Well, at least we didn’t have any food in the fridge yet. Thump! Thump! My heart began to pound harder and harder, The handle rattled violently, a wicked grin curling on his rotting face.
“You killed your parents, Lily.” He taunted cruelly, stroking the glass. “Your aunt is right. You should be on the other side with me. Hell, I would have made you jump. I can’t stand those damn salt dough ornaments. Let me in!” Every pain of ancient glass shook wildly, items crashing to the floor. Panic twisted my features the moment glass shattered across the floor. Matty dragged me behind the counter, his hand covering my mouth. One by one my ornaments crashed to the floor, each one shattering to pieces. Victoria sat inches from us, her knees were pressed to her chest. Silent tears stained my cheeks, Matty not holding up much better. The counter creaked, our heads looking up slowly. A scream burst from my lips at an ax swinging towards my head. Paralyzed with fear, Victoria caught it with her hands.
“Go away, Albert!” She cried out with a determined but nervous smile, her eyes falling on us. “Go to your storage room and lock the d–” Struggling to my feet, I shook my head. Standing next to her, my palms pressed together. Taking a deep breath, my new friend needed me.
“White light, bathe this shop with your warmth. I call upon the spirits of the light to come forth and drive the darkness out. Thank you, God.” I prayed desperately, making a cross four times. Screeching in pain, he backed out slowly. A wave of relief crashed over me, all of it dissolving to a pile of nerves. All I did was piss him off, the witching hour would be the final ground. The power wasn’t back on, and all of the salt dough ornaments were destroyed. Sage would be fruitless, my mind sinking further into my planning. Crunching through the glass, there was one way to drive him away. Unfortunately for me, it meant traveling to where I didn’t want to go. Picking up a caffeine loaded green tea from one of the pallets, Matty yelled out in protest as I downed it. Swaying slightly, his arms caught me. Exhaustion weighed heavily on my eyelids, sweet slumber stealing me away.
The decaying version of my shop surrounded me, a single candle in my hand lighting the way. Thick fog covered the floor, trapped souls wandered around aimlessly. Clammy sweat drenched my skin, my goal was to find Albert in this mess and trap him in one of the many doors in this realm. Stepping out of my store, three dark souls hissed in my direction. Cursing under my breath, they were going to get my soul if I didn’t move. Sprinting into the crowd, the gravity of my mistake sank in real quick. Every pair of eyes bore into my wet eyes, every breath growing shorter.
“One, the feather falls for you.” I sang with a shaky tone while pushing through the crowd. “Two, always find the light.” Skidding into the perfect version home across the street, his darkness bathed the realm. Several women darted behind them, all of them telling me to run. The last one yanked me into the closet, nausea wracking my body at his rotting skin hitting the floor. Crushing the living maggots with his heel, a wicked fit of laughter burst from his lips. Shivering in the arms of the mystery woman, her silky dress tickled my cheeks.
“Find the door to Hell and push him through.” She whispered sweetly in my ear, her kind eyes watching me shake my head. “The portal to Hell is in one of these doors. Good luck.” Pushing me out, my eyes scanned the long hallways of doors. How the hell does one find Hell? Wouldn’t it give off a certain type of energy? Creeping down the hall, random spirits screamed in my face. Pushing through the fear, my friend needed help. Sniffing the air, the smell of sulfur had me staring at the door at the end of the hall. Flames roared out from underneath the door, a grimace plastering my face at the next step. Stepping out from my hiding spot, I was going to really hate myself.
“Hey, maggot face!” I called out with gritted teeth, preparing for a hellish experience..”Come get me, you rotting bastard!” Sprinting towards the door, ax after ax flew past my head. Slipping on a maggot, wooden boards creaked with every roll towards the door. Struggling to my feet, his rotting body towered over me. Fighting the urge to vomit, his maggots kept raining down on me. Rolling to avoid his ax, the heel of my boot met his chest. Sending him into the wall, maggots plopped onto the floor the moment I stood up. Running into the door, hot flames licked my feet. Ripping open the door, screams and howls caused my ears to bleed. Struggling to hold the door open, my foot kicked a full vase in front of the door. Sliding on the water, his hand grabbed my ankle. A scream burst from my lips, my clammy fingers struggling to hold on. Attempting to climb over me, my boot kept knocking him back down.
“Go to Hell already, you bastard!” I shouted darkly, kicking him into the fiery pit. Watching him fall did little to ease my worry, my fingers slipping. White feathers floated in the air, two pairs of hands pulled me back up. Turning to thank them, the angels who helped me out were gone. Slamming the door shut, my palm resting against the door sealed the portal to Hell shut. Sliding down the wall, a wave of exhaustion crashed over me. Unable to move, angry spirits began to float down the hall. Wake up! I needed to wake up. One, their shrill shrieks were getting closer. Raw fear twisted my features, the desire to go back home kept my fright at bay. Two, their hands were touching my face. Three, the memory of Matty smiling in the early morning sun pushed them back. Four, his hand reached out for me. Smiling softly to myself, a bright light blinded me.
Taking in a deep breath, Matty clutched me close to his chest. The witching hour was upon us, but Alfred was nowhere to be seen. Victoria crouched down to my level, her gracious smile met my exhausted expression. Cupping my face with her icy hands, Matty seemed too pissed to talk to me. Pulling a tissue from the counter, Matty held it underneath my bleeding nose.
“How many times have I told you not to travel to the other side? You almost didn’t come back all those other times.” He reprimanded me sternly, his tears plopping onto my face. “What did you do with Alfred anyways?” My lips parted to speak, orange flames devouring the decaying home stealing our attention. A nervous smile twitched on my lips as the bad spirits walked into the dark forest
“I kind of sent him to Hell.” I chuckled nervously with an even bigger smile. “Then I sealed the portal shut, hence the flames.” Fire trucks blared into place, the endless stream of water dousing them into blackened ash. Turning towards Victoria, happy tears streamed down her cheeks.
“You rid me of all my problems.” She sobbed joyfully, sinking to her knees, her hands cupping mine. “I will always protect your store. I have no desire to move on, my dear ancestor.” Shock rounded my eyes, the floorboards creaked as I scurried back. Mumbling under my breath, none of this made sense. Getting on my hands and the knees, the light of the flames coloring her translucent form.
“You can’t be serious.” I uttered sarcastically, Matty shooting me his calm down look. “I thought all of my ancestors hated me too.” Her eyebrow twitched with irritation, a mixture of rage and disappointment dawning on my face. Letting out a long sigh, she flipped my hand up. Tracing a symbol on my palm, silent tears stained our cheeks at a bond forming between us. A serene smile illuminated her features, bewilderment brightened my smile.
“I am your spirit guardian now. Call me when you need me. I am vehemently upset at the family that has abused you.” She promised me warmly, her loose hair floated up. “That being said, we need to figure out how to protect you from the dark spirits. You do know that your gift is as strong as mine was. Let me train you the right way.” Shooting her a shaking thumbs up, she floated into the attic. Stewing in what just happened, my lips pressed into a thin line. Poking my palm, it felt light. How odd? Wait, did everything feel a bit lighter?
“Are you okay?” Matty inquired serenely, throwing away the bloody tissue. My heart fluttered, his handsome face inches from mine. A knock interrupted the moment, a worn female called for us. Her wild gray curls bounced around her shoulders, her ocean blue eyes glittered with kindness. Struggling to my feet, her petite figure came into the light of the streetlight. Her light blue cotton dress blue in the breeze, soft material floated away from hip while hugging her small chest. Her ocean blue eyes twinkled in my direction, her hand hovering in front of her. How strange was she? She only seemed fifteen years older than me, her warm smile was a foreign thing for me.
“My name is Mary Marbow and I own the salon down the street.” She introduced herself kindly, my fingers curling around her fingers. “I was at my salon doing a load of office work and heard all of the commotion. I came to see if you were okay. You are that girl from the other town.” Ripping my hands from, I clutched it close to my chest. Stepping back, she waved her hands around.
“We don’t mean any harm. All of us here find your town’s behavior abhorrent.” She assured me desperately, my body trembling in my spot. “Oh man, did they treat you that badly? I am sorry on their behalf. The whole town and I welcome you with open arms.” Caution lingered in my eyes, salty tears staining the floor beneath my feet. Walking up to me, her fingers played with my split ends. Wiping away my tears, her arms pulled me into a bear hug. Feeling like the world’s biggest loser, the rest of the town came out of their hiding spot with tools and glass panes in their hands. Cleaning up the shop in front of me, the lights flickered back on. All of them gasped in wonder at my bump, happy whispers passing around the large space.
“We have a little bun in the oven.” Mary shouted out, everyone clapping. “Why don’t I give you a haircut and we can get you something to feed that little bun.” Dragging me to her salon, she turned on the lights. Guiding me to a chair, my eyes scanned the lavender walls with only a couple of stations. Placing one of those hair things over me, she took me over to the white sink. Shampooing my hair, she began to tell me all about her two kids and amazing husband who was living upstairs. Finishing up, she dried my hair off. Sitting me back down at her station, the pump hissed as the chair lowered. Brushing through my wet hair, her next question broke me.
“What do you want?” She asked cheerfully, her real smile never leaving her face. “Can I surprise you?” Too nervous to speak, my head nod was all she needed. Watching loads of my hair fall to my floor, dread bubbled in my stomach. Trembling in my chair, this was becoming too much. Violent sobs wracked my body, the dam breaking once more. My hair had been my curtain, my security blanket was all gone. Waving away her concerns, she worked on my bangs. Dusting everything off, she pressed her palms together. Joy mixed with uncertainty at my new hair style, the layered inverted bob looking great on me. Every layer emphasized my curls, my mile long split ends were gone. Unable to come up with any words, her smile grew wider.
“You look beautiful. I bet that husband of yours is going to love it.” She announced proudly, Matty knocking on the door. Ripping off the hair thing, she presented me with a couple of hand motions. Tucking a piece of hair behind my ear, a love filled lust came over his face. His compliments faded in and out, my eyes flitting between the two of them. Embracing her awkwardly, she stopped my hand from getting any money.
“Sweety, you won’t ever owe me a dime. You can just give me a sandwich every now and then.” She protested with a friendly smile, her thumb wiping away my tears. “I wouldn’t want my new friend to look horrible ever again. Weeping uncontrollably, she walked me over to Matty. Exchanging a few words, he clutched me close to his chest. This town felt safe which was rare for me. Every emotion soaked his shoulder, his hand gripping his shirt. Lifting me into his arms, she waved goodbye with a real smile. Walking into the store, a couple of men were replacing the window panes with new glass. Thanking them on the way in, we would have to make them all a sandwich when the food came in. Setting me down, the women all fawned over me. Such friendliness was weird, the urge to run swelling inside of me. Matty placed his hand on my shoulder, a kiss on the top of my head melting my nerves away.
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