Ghosts ⚔️ Blackbeard's Treasure

Chapter 19.

I breathe a sigh of relief when I see Dylan and Paco, round the hallway. "Dylan, I locked myself out." Seeing that I'm dressed only in a blanket, the Super quickly excuses himself. He must think I'm a deranged redheaded nymphomaniac.

Inside, Dylan eyes the bottle of rum on the table. "Have you been drinking?"

"No." I say, pulling the throw tighter around my shoulders. What does he think I am? An alcoholic?

I head for what I deem is a ghost-free zone and sit on the navy blue couch. Pulling a cushion onto my lap, I take a deep breath. "I didn't want to say anything in front of Paco, but there's a ghost in this apartment. I had a run-in with it in the upstairs hallway." I shudder under the blanket. "It was in our bedroom." I hold up the gold doubloon. "It left this in a puddle of seawater on the bathroom floor. I think it was Blackbeard's spirit." I exhale, knowing Dylan would believe me even if I didn't have this piece of gold treasure. We met each other because he discovered I was psychic and asked me to communicate with his murdered sister.

The look on his face is priceless as he reverently holds the dubloon in his hand. A combination of delight and mischievous disbelief. "Is this real gold?" It reminds me of the ecstatic look he had the first time we made love. "How could this appear on the bathroom floor? I didn't think ghosts could manifest physical matter in this world."

"As far as I know, they can't. Blair said that under the right circumstances, a ringing bell can create a rift in the fabric of the universe. I heard one right before the haunting. Maybe that's how it was brought here. For some reason this ghost's presence is strong in this location. It's tied here. I wonder why?"

Dylan places the doubloon on the coffee table. "What should we do?"

"I hate to admit it, but Blair's right. We need to hold a sceance. She said the spirit led me here for a reason. Maybe if we ask it what it wants, we can satisfy it and convince it to leave."

"You mean like Satan?"

I scowl at him. "I was frightened by its sudden appearance, but I don't think it wanted to hurt me."

He nods, "What about this doubloon?" He hefts it in his hand. "Do you think there's more of them?"

"Blair told me she had a vision of a Pirate's hoard of gold and precious gems. She was practically drooling."

Dylan gently pulls the pillow out of my lap and takes my hands in his. "I'm sorry I wasn't here tonight. This must have been terrifying for you." He pulls me into a hug. "If this apartment puts you in danger, we don't have to stay here, Lizzie."

"I don't care if this thing haunts us like the ghost of Jacob Marley. We're not leaving our new home." I look over at the empty staircase, expecting to see Blackbeard brandishing a cutlass in his ghostly hand. "I'm going to get dressed and call Blair. Come upstairs with me in case he reappears."

Dylan surprises me by asking if we could invite the Building Superintendent to to the seance. "Paco's mentioned hearing some disturbing noises in the basement. Jack told him it was from the surrounding construction, ringing pipes and banging noises, but he didn't believe him. I told Paco that you're a psychic who can see ghosts."

"What did he say?"

Dylan smiles. "He said his grandmother had the same gift. She communicated with spirits, too."

"Blair said the more people the better." I nod, grimly. "Let's invite him."

Two hours later, Dylan, Blair, Paco and I have eaten the all the lasagna and discussed how to contact Blackbeard's ghost. The presence has been growing stronger in the apartment by the hour. I keep catching glimpses of a tall, shadowy figure out of the corner of my eyes.

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