Raven's Heir | ONC 2021 honourable mention

15 - The ghost guard

It rained buckets and had for several days. Grey clouds shrouded the landscape, hanging low over the leaden water of the lake. I stood at the window of the library and imagined how the rivulets running down the slopes filled the basin below fast, obliterating the signs of the drought. Soon, the cottage by the lake would be submerged in its watery grave again.

With a shrug, I returned to my laptop and continued to register the books I'd stacked on the coffee table. The castle's library contained treasure beyond my imagination. Lou had offered to stick to the original contract and allowed me ten days to see where I got with that catalogue.

Now, near the end of that period, I still had to decide if I wanted to ask the boss for an extension, or if I preferred to pack up and head home to Celine and my mundane life of job hunting. With a suppressed sigh, I leaned back against the creaky sofa upholstery and got rewarded with an unreadable stare out of Mister Mortimer's amber eyes. The cat spent most days next to me, either sleeping, his nose buried in his bushy tail, or, like now, on his back, all four paws curled in and his tummy offered for a scrawl.

I took the nonverbal prompt and rubbed the soft belly fur. "What do you say, should I talk to the boss? It would be a pity to interrupt the work, now." A knock announced a visitor and deprived me of the chance to investigate the cat's opinion. "Come in, the door is open."

Matt hadn't changed a bit. His tousled hair and tan slacks were damp from the rain, but his smile brought a bit of sunlight into the rainy afternoon. "Hey, San, Lou suggested I'd find you here."

"Matt, I didn't know you were back." We hadn't seen each other for almost a week. I smiled, recalling the day after Theo's reunion with Lorraine. Matt and I had been enjoying a late breakfast when he got a call from his mother, telling him his father needed heart surgery and asking for his support. "How did it go? Is your dad alright?"

"Yes, everything went well. He is back home, almost good as new but with a reason to boss everyone around and being more annoying than ever." He moved a stack of my books aside to clear an armchair. "I was glad to have a reason to leave. And you? Almost finished with the library?"

"I'd say another week until I'm done. If Lou is happy to keep me as his private bookworm."

"Are you kidding? The guy fell head over heels for you." His grin almost reached his ears. "But I came to ask what your plans are for the mid-term future."

"Hm, don't remind me of that. Back to the apartment and job hunting, I guess, working on a long-term solution for my financial troubles." My mood darkened with the mere thought.

"Well, about that. I had a crazy idea during these endless hours spent twiddling thumbs at the hospital. What do you think about joining forces in a professional paranormal business?"

"Ghost hunting? I don't think it's my thing. Last time, I fell in love with the ghost, remember?"

He chuckled. "So did I, but that's why I wouldn't call it ghost hunting but ghost whispering. We could use your sensitivity and my technology to help ghosts finish their earthly business and keep out of the way of the living."

"Ghost whispering sounds wacky. Is there a market for this stuff?"

He leaned forward, eyes bright, and pulled up a list on his phone. "Of course there is, and I found at least five promising projects we might start on. Let's see. What about a haunted hay barn or a school ghost dripping ink over the pupils' assignments? There are also ghosts ringing door bells in an apartment house and a spectral dog barking in an empty parking lot at five in the morning. And a wailing maiden in a wine cellar. All cases waiting for a team like us, and all less than an hour's drive from here."