MYSTICAL GIFT IN MAINE

MYSTICAL GIFT IN MAINE

“Don’t be silly, Evie. There’s no such thing as a haunted house. What I am concerned about and what you should be concerned about is whether we can afford a cabin in the Maine woods for the summer. Even at these pre-season rates.”

“And whether they’ll rent to us as a lesbian couple?”

“Jeez, it’s 2025, Evie, we just had Pride week. The world has moved on. At least I think so. The broker Lucy whatshername didn’t even blink at my biker tattoos. Anyway, this is a kind of free trial week, we poke around and spend a night or two and get the feel of the place. “

“Bitzy, not Lucy, that’s what she said to call her. The broker. And remember what she said about the former tenants? She said they died in mysterious circumstances on the night that apparently, they exchanged engagement rings. At least those were their last words to friends on the outside. Spooky!”

“Maybe that explains something, Sam. Don’t laugh at me. I saw something this morning in that room that you thought could be your boxing slash art studio, I saw something eerie that flitted by like a…..”

“Like a ghost? “

“Sort of… it seemed to float up out of the...”

“Out of the sink basin? That old relic? Girl, there’s nothing much down there except maybe some mold. Hopefully not rusty pipes. It was probably mist, or steam…”

“I didn’t seem like steam. It seemed more …….otherworldly”.

“Evie, you know, maybe I’ll decide not to marry you after all, if you are certifiable.”

“Ok, ok, maybe I just imagined it. Maybe I’m overtired. It was a long ride up here.”

“Well, let me know next time Casper the ghost appears in my studio to-be. We’ll put some ghost chaser down the drain.”

“ It’s that time of day in Maine, you know, when the light is fading….”

“And ghostly things spin around and come up out of sink basins?. I keep forgetting you are the one who gets her aura read and does the Tarot. I hope if we have ever have kids, they take after me! To change the subject, what do you think about this room for the master bedroom? It gets the cool northern light…and it’s got that quirky skylight so you can star gaze and plot your horoscope or whatever.”…”

“Sure, ok, I was thinking the same thing about this room. Look what I bought us, some real goose down pillows at that little shop in the village, COZY. The one run by Marv and Evan. The gay couple.”

“Good. Something cozy for the ghosts to rest their supernatural heads on of an evening.

Let’s go through the house again when I get back. Gonna do my lumberjack thing-- chop some wood outside. I know we don’t need it in April. Just exercise. Let me know if something jumps out of the drain and says boo while I’m gone.”

“Ok, Sam. I need to measure your studio for floor covering….. Be careful with that ax. ”

“I’ll be fine. Hickory trees, here comes Pauline Bunyan. “

“Sam thinks I am crazy, but I know what I saw. And speaking of mold, maybe I should get some drain detergent and clean up that sink. I am not afraid of ghosts. Even if there is one in the drain. It must be a small ghost if it lives in the drain anyway.

“Let me check again. Maybe it is just vapor or steam wafting up from there. It’s just an ordinary kitchen sink, right? Let me poke down there with this brush, Omigod, there’s something shining up at me. It’s some kind of talisman, a totem….some kind of sacred gem or stone with magical powers. I know it.

“That must be where the spirit in the sink came from! That’s its resting place. That’s it. There is some kind of spirit that lives in our sink! Awesome.

“I wonder if I should make a wish, if it’s friendly. Why wouldn't it be friendly? Maybe the spirit has been waiting for someone to move into this house for company. Maybe it is trying to welcome us. Maybe it has a message for us. It couldn't hurt to make a wish, could it?

“ No one can hear me and it’s our spirit now, isn't it, if it’s our house now, or almost our house, for a while anyway.? I won’t tell Sam yet.

“Sam, how is the firewood coming along?”

“ Great, look out the window, babe! Pretty impressive, huh? Bet your big slugger brother couldn’t do better! God, I’m thirsty. I need a tall glass of country water!”

“Oh, no, Sam. Not that tap. I’m cleaning it. Use the sink in the kitchen.”

“Feeling all housewifey are you? Why do you have the drain covered? Hey, are you really using elbow grease to clean the damn thing? Oh well, water is water, whichever sink.”

“Yes, use the other sink. It’s probably cleaner. And speaking of cleaner, take those boots off, honey. I’ll clean those, too.”

“Great, I’m gonna grab a snooze. Are you sure that you’ll be ok with the ghosts while I’m napping. You want my baseball bat for self-defense?”

“Sam, don’t make fun of me. “

"Come on E, where’s your sense of humor, what are you going to do when a bear comes to the door?”

“Are there bears here?”

“I sure hope so. It’s the Maine woods, Maybe a passing moose or a bobcat, too. Just to frighten you, scaredy cat city girls. Wake me up in an hour.”

“Sam doesn’t believe in anything she can’t grab with both hands. No wonder she laughs at the supernatural. Well, life is more than that. It is filled with mystery and surprises. Like this spirit nesting in our drain. It showed itself to me, not to Sam. I wonder if I can reach down and touch its aura. Maybe it would grant me a wish.”

“What would I wish for?

“I know. I could wish that Sam and I could get married …. Maybe it would offer me a sign that we should be together for life. Sam says we don’t even have the money for a ring.

“I’m going to take another look. Yes, it’s still there. And it’s still shining. I’ll have to get Sam.

“Sam,, come see our ghost. Or rather, something that the ghost left us. Look, right down at the bottom of the drain.”

“I’ll be damned. Well, it’s not a ghost, or mold or rust. It’s something a helluva lot better, Evie! It’s…..”

“You reach down and get it, Sam, I’m too nervous. “

“OK, you just sit tight and chant a few Oms while I…..

“Evie, you won’t believe this. What the shiny thing was? Not one but two engagement rings. With diamonds, the honest to Tiffany real thing. Talk about crazy good luck”.

“Sam, that couple who died here? They left their rings behind for us. That’s what it is. It’s a sign. I think I’m going to cry. ”

“Thank you, spirit of the sink! Wait, before you bawl, give me your hand, Evie. Yes, that one. And that finger…”

“ Don’t even say it, Sam, because I have the answer. I do. I do, I do.”

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