There once was a girl, who quite predictably believed her life was boring and without adventure. She wished for more. What she wanted was what every little girl dreamed of. A life filled with grand adventures and a handsome prince to whisk her away from her humdrum life to live happily ever after.
That wasn't her fate. She spent her days roaming her home feeling alone and unappreciated. Those around her ignored her as if she didn't exist. If they did happen to catch a whiff of her presence, that feeling was quickly dismissed as a draft or the creaking of an old house settling. It was not the existence she wanted nor was it one she felt she deserved.
Yet, there was little she could do about it.
No one can cheat the fates.
Even pretty girls who believe they're princesses who deserve their fairy tale story.
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Leitis Ciarach drew the tips of her finger over the back of the sofa. She neither felt the fabric nor did the two occupants of the room seem to take notice of her presence. When the female released a squeal and hugged her husband, Lei took notice and paid attention to the words they spoke.
"Are you sure?"
The man grinned. "Yes, she offered the full asking price and she paid in cash! She wants to move in as soon as possible."
"Oh thank God! I never thought we'd sell this place. I should have listened to my gut when we looked at the house but I loved the space so much I ignored it." She rubbed her hands over her arms. "I've never felt comfortable here. I've always felt like we were being watched."
"You are," Lei muttered though neither heard her words. After nearly two hundred years she was sick of being overlooked. When you're a ghost, however, there is little choice left to you. Here she had died and here she would stay. If she could turn back time she'd do things differently. She wouldn't have spent so much time dreaming of the things she wanted. Instead, she would have left this house and gone out and done those things. She would have sought adventure. "Women don't do such things," she grumbled in a mocking tone. Those were words her very proper mother had spoken to her every day of her young life. She allowed herself a laugh. "If only you could see how things have changed, Mother. Women do what they wish when they wish and they no longer need a man by their side to survive. I was born much too soon."
The young couple was excitedly talking about packing and moving out of the house. She drifted from the room, no longer interested in their conversation.
***
Lei stood in the window and watched as the couple got into their car and pulled away from the house for the last time. "Good riddance." She left the window and wandered the house. It was quiet and empty and she wondered how long it would be before the new owner showed up. She'd enjoy the peace while she could.
She glided from the living room into the foyer and tipped her head back to stare up at the chandelier that hung there. Her mother had been proud of the ugly thing, she showed it off to every guest. It was hideous and Leitis wished someone would have the guts to remove the damn thing.
