Cover design by AriOwl
After that night the ghost seemed to be emboldened. As far as he was concerned no room was off limits. Mi casa was his casa.
He really pushed it. I couldn't go anywhere in the house without his eyes drilling into the back of my head. The dog went nuts, she could not get away from him. The kids couldn't sleep with all the noise. He went crazy with the garage door. He threw the kids' toys across the room every chance he got.
Taking a shower totally creeped me out.
One afternoon it came to a head. My son was in school, my 3 year old in preschool, and I'd just put the baby down for a nap - on my bed, of course. The dog lay next to her.
I propped some pillows on her other side so she couldn't roll off and I sat on the edge of the bed, my feet in the bathroom - because that's how damn small the room was - wondering what in the hell I was going to do.
Suddenly I heard this whisper. A man's voice said, "Nobody wants you around. Nobody wants you here. Why don't you just end it all? Go on, you should end it all."
The dog jumped to her feet. She stood over the baby and began howling like a banshee.
My head flew up and when my head flew up I caught my reflection in the bathroom mirror. Over my left shoulder I saw him. Tall man, white man, dark mustache, brown hat, evil expression... sitting right next to me, whispering in my ear.
Oh, the horror!
I flipped around and swung my fist at him with all my might. He might have been a ghost but he ducked reflexively.
"Get out of my room," I yelled. "Get the hell out of my room."
This time the dog snarled and she threw herself at him. I think Rosie had simply had it. She was finally fighting back.
I screamed - "Don't you ever, ever touch me again. Don't talk to me. Stay away from me."
The dog and I chased him down the hall and he vanished.
Suddenly I knew what to do. I'd known the answer all along, I just hadn't realized it.
Tomorrow: Winning the War.
