Southern Blues

The mirror shone for the last time, before it was struck twice, in quick succession, with a plastic hammer.

“I'm sorry, Auntie L,” the young boy exclaimed.

“It's alright, Reggie. It's not your fault.” Lilith let out an audible sigh.

Lilith Grant’s entire life was dictated by that of her sister, Cora and her psychotic offspring, Reginald. Assuming her status as a modern spinster, Miss Grant decided to escape her responsibilities at home. She was preparing to move to Arizona. All she wanted was a change of scenery, and a significant distance between herself and Cora.

The only thing remaining of her belongings was the (now broken) mirror. It was difficult to be mad at Reggie, because Lilith knows that Cora is afraid for him to grow up. This is simply how he retaliates. She feels a certain camaraderie. They were both trapped under the rule of a woman, who was unsure of how to properly raise her son.

As Lillith approached Scottsdale, she decided to stop at a run-down diner. It was morning, and the place was sparsely filled. It was just Lillith, a couple of employees, and a young woman chugging iced coffee.

She left the establishment with a bag of sugar donuts, and a sidelong glance from the young woman. She was now on her fourth coffee.

Lilith’s new home was at the precipice of town, surrounded by nothing but cactus, and desolate land. The paint was peeling off, revealing a red brick pattern. She had no visible neighbors, but there was one other house beside hers. However, it was seemingly abandoned.

She laid her duffle bag on the worn-out leather couch that she was sure to decorate with colorless pillows. The room was nothing special, just popcorn ceilings, and creaky hardwood floors. The kitchen is where she would shine. Lilith decided that she would slowly take on her mother’s old recipe book. She knew this would mean butchering all of the desserts. But she was the only one eating them.

As she had arrived at around 5 p.m., Lilith decided to cook herself a simple penne vodka. After, she ate the remaining pasta from the pot. It clung to the metal, giving it a strange aftertaste.

As Lillith did the dishes, she noticed a figure appear outside the window. It was so fleeting that she must have imagined it. It was accompanied by a strange whoosh, that she decided passively, to ignore.

As soon as Lilith arrived in the bedroom, she collapsed onto the mattress. All she could see were the stars painted on the ceiling. It must have once been a child’s room. She folded her arms against her stomach, attempting to shield herself from the presence that she saw earlier in the kitchen.

The house was crowding her in, encircling her in its deathly trap. She heard two quick knocks, accompanied by a rattle of the doorknob. The bedside mirror crashed, and Lilith let out a shocked gasp, pulling the covers more tightly to her chest.

A young girl appeared, all blue eyes and dark hair, looking shockingly similar to Reggie.

The girl stood in front of the broken mirror, and held a red plastic hammer, opposite to the green one that Reggie held. Her fingers passed through the broken glass, pulling up a sharp piece of it. She just held it, no signs of blood present.

“What are you?” Lilith shrieked. The who no longer seemed relevant.

The girl ran onto her bed, hopping out of the window, seemingly unharmed. Lilith knew that this simply could not be real. So, she threw on a jacket, and followed the girl out into the desert.

She jumped as thunder shook the ground, forming wrinkles in the rocky land. A strike of lightning destroyed a nearby cactus. The rain continued to fall, and when it finally came to a halt, Lilith sprang at the girl, gently removing the hammer from her grip.

“How did you get this?” Lilith asked, gently, deciding to change her tactic with the girl.

“My sister gave it to me. I thought you knew who I was. Most people coming to this house do.” She looked puzzled.

Upon closer inspection, the girl was older than Lilith once thought, possibly 11 or 12.

Lilith sighed, rubbing her face as she turned away from the girl. She mentally scolded herself. She now recalls reading an online article, detailing that the home she now resides in is possibly haunted. A young girl (Jane) was killed in a deadly storm. Lilith decided to ignore this, never thinking that she would be faced with the supernatural force presented in the young girl before her.

“You name is Jane, right? I’m sorry if I frightened you. You must know that seeing a ghost is surprising.” Lilith let out a hearty laugh.

“Yes. My name is Jane, and the story you've heard is true. However, I don't think of my presence as haunting. I simply want to have a companion. Anyway, I know that you are Lilith. I heard the realtor people talking earlier. It's nice to meet you.” Jane held out her hand, which Lilith hesitantly gave a shake, ignoring how their palms never actually made contact.

Lilith felt a sudden instinct to protect Jane, but also felt guilty for invading her home. A girl who had her childhood teared from her, and feared ever leaving her home. She looked like Reggie, but acted entirely opposite to him. Maybe it was just because they were the only two children she's ever interacted with, maybe that's why she likens them so.

“Jane,” Lilith hesitated. “Is there anything you would like to do?” She paused, expecting an extravagant answer.

“Um, I guess baking.” Jane took a sharp intake of breath. “It’s something my Mom promised we would do together. Before the storm.” A tear fell from her eyes, and Lilith was quick to pull the girl into a warm embrace, comforting her as best she could. One of them was alive, and the other dead. A difficult barrier to cross. But, the two of them crossed it on the simple basis of shared loneliness.

“We can definitely do that. I just happen to have brought my own mother’s cookbook along with me. Her specialty was desserts.” Lilith smiled, as they pulled apart.

Despite it being well after midnight, Lilith headed inside, gathering all the ingredients for her mother’s famous molten brownies. Jane sat on a nearby stool, running her fingers along the back of a book that lay on the coffee table.

Once everything was gathered, Lilith called Jane over, instructing her to sift the flour. Jane looked at her, confused. Lilith chuckled. She guided Jane’s hand while explaining what sifting was.

“So, you want to shake this metal-like pan a couple times, to get out the big clumps of flour. It’s like a strainer you would use to drain pasta. Then, you dump it back into this bowl, and pour in the rest of the dry ingredients.” Jane looked on with concentration, as Lilith cracked two eggs into a single custard cup.

Lilith gave Jane the honor of dusting extra cocoa powder atop the batter. She did a final smoothing out with a spatula. She then allowed Jane to put the pan into the oven, watching as the girl cautiously slid it further onto the rack.

As the brownies baked, Lilith and Jane sat in silence. Lilith was mostly shocked that she found herself in this predicament. She shuddered to consider how much Cora would dismiss her, if she were to tell her that she met a ghost. But, her opinion no longer mattered. The purpose of moving was to escape from her rule. Much like Jane must battle the limbo between dead and living.

They watched The Wizard Of Oz on a tiny screen, the only television in the entire downstairs. It was a movie that reminded Lilith so much of her youth, and she presumed that Jane felt this too.

Once the brownies were done, the timer went off. It beeped in an odd pattern. Lilith slowly removed them, sticking a toothpick in, to ensure that they were done.

“I think I added too much cocoa powder.” Jane stated, sounded somewhat frightened.

Lilith simply chuckled. “That’s nothing to worry about. It makes them taste far better.”

As they grew tired, Lilith tucked Jane into her (old) bed, and decided that she would take the couch. She wasn’t going to sleep anyway.

The next morning, Lilith planned for the two of them to go to a local arcade. Jane had mentioned that she never went to one before.

They mutually knew that there was a risk, but Jane confirmed that she was positive she couldn’t be seen. So, they headed out in Lilith’s beat-up Toyota.

The arcade was much different than what Lilith was used to. It was surrounded by nothing but a barbeque joint, and a group of cacti.

As Lilith presumed, Jane immediately went for the claw machine. Lilith fished a few dollars out of her purse, and watched as Jane strategized to get the exact stuffed toy she wanted.

Once she got it, she jumped up in joy, mindful of their surroundings. Luckily, it seemed that none was able to see Jane, and Lilith was eternally grateful for that.

Lilith sent Jane off with an arcade card, and went to a coin pusher. She wasn’t sure what its theme was, but it had something to do with superheroes. She sat, isolated from Jane, momentarily stuck in her own world. These were always her favorite arcade games, and she often treated it as seriously as Poker. She won several cards, and used those tickets to get Jane some small prizes.

As Jane waited in the car, Lilith returned with a sticky hand, 2 lollipops, and a unicorn eraser. They all fit in the palm of her hand, and Jane eagerly grabbed at them. Happy at the simple prospect of sugar.

“Thank you for today, Miss Grant. Everything around here is so much more different than I imagined. But, I’m glad I got to spend that time with you.” Lilith tried her best not to get emotional.

“Thank you, Jane. But, to you it's just Lilith, as I presume we will be spending much more time together.” Lilith laughed, in spite of herself. After Reggie, she never wanted children of her own. But, the child ghost before her had her questioning everything.

Once they arrived back at home, Lilith declared, “I am going to make us some lemonade. I am not used to this hot weather. Why don’t you finish the movie, and I’ll let you know when it’s ready?”

“Alright. Miss- Lilith. Lilith. But, not too much lemon. I don't like when it's really sour.”

Lilith chuckled. “I will keep that in mind.”

Lilith pulled a jug out of the pantry, and quickly washed it with a blue and green sponge. She squeezed only half a lemon, instead of a full one, mindful of Jane’s request. All they had left in terms of sugar was Splenda. She poured in roughly five packets, ensuring that the drink was much more sweet than sour.

Once the drink was complete, she called Jane into the kitchen, just as she stirred each of their glasses. A paper straw was placed in each. This reminded Lilith of summer nights at her grandmother’s.

As they enjoyed the lemonade, Jane said, “You know, I think you're the only person who can see me.” She finished off her drink, removing the straw to get to the extra sugar at the bottom.

Lilith looked at the girl with surprise. Surely, as others came to the house over the years, at least one of them must’ve been able to see Jane. Right? She added the other lemon half to her drink, as she came to terms with this ability. She could see ghosts, or rather one ghost in particular.

Nostalgia was a dangerous thing, Lilith thought, as she sipped on her sour lemon drink.

This was something both she and Jane would agree upon.