Drink a health whate'er befalls

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by Astra1928

by Astra1928

Based on the beautiful edit called Ghosts: The Parting Glass. I reccomend you watch it!

Boxing Day -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alison sighed. She was alone. And fed up. Mike had left to get some groceries, to restock after their huge Christmas banquet.

This month had been really hard. No-one had booked their little outside house as a B&B, and the debt from repairs was mounting steadily like a mountain rising up from the sea.

"Pat? Kitty?" Alison called. Nothing. It seemed the ghosts were otherwise engaged. "Julian? Robin? Thomas?" She stuck her head out of the window.

As usual, they were gathered in a tight circle on the gravel driveway and vehemently arguing about something. Thomas' "Damn your eyes!" were particularly audible, and Fanny was making wild and passionate hand gestures. Robin was grunting something inaudible and pointing to the sky. Pat was almost in tears, trying to get them all to "Chill out!", and the Captain's swagger stick hitting the ground for emphasis carried over to the window. Finally, Julian's cries of "Order, order, ordaaaaa!" mostly went unheard.

Again, she sighed deeply. The house felt so empty, so dead. As she walked down the wooden corridors, her footsteps echoing boomily, she reached the kitchen. She spied a flash of rich dark red colour. There was some wine left over from Christmas.

She did one lap of the kitchen, around the long table that was so full of life just yesterday. She ran her fingers along the top of the cupboards, brushing the dust away. Why was she so sad? In a house stuffed with talkative ghosts, silence was a rare and precious thing. But right here, right now, she didn't want silence.

She languidly reached up to the cupboard, opened the squeaking and faintly painted blue door, and drew out a wine glass. Polishing it with her sleeve, she set it down on the table. Again she rose to fetch the bottle, the glass cool and calming in her hands. She began to pour, smelling the luxurious aroma and hearing the wine gushing like elixir. She looked around one more time. The place was still so silent you could hear a pin drop. She stared at the wine glass, seeing her tired and forlorn reflection in its rounded surface. She put a strand of hair behind her ear. Then raised the glass to her lips.

Outside ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Well I didn't think -" "It's the right thing to do!" "Nobody puts milk in before the cereals!" "Balderdash sir!" "Positively sacrilege!" "Back in my day, we didn't even have - " "Moonah is round today." "Oh there's a balloon!" "Anyway there is no reason to do that!" "Family, family, family!" "Guys, just have an egg and bacon muffin instead!" "What be a muffin?"

Suddenly the argument stopped. Thomas jumped up as if electrocuted. His eyes glowed with hope. "Thomas?"

"Wait. That's Alison! Alison needs me!" he sprinted off to the house, practically jumping for joy.

The rest of the ghosts watched him go, rolling their eyes, then promptly fell back into carnage.

"I'm telling you, there's a huge balloon there!" "Guys, I'm on the roof and my body just walked past!" "Soon it's time for my run anyway, at 4 o'clock sharp." "Why are we arguing?" "Arguing was my profession, sir!" "Thomas, OFF THE LAWN!" "Moonah!"

Then Pat looked up. "Seriously, guys, wait. I think I heard our names too. I know Mike's out shopping, so Alison's alone. Maybe she needs our company. Shall we go in and see?"

"Oh alright then." Grumbling ensued, and the motley crew of mismatch phantoms shuffled back to the house.

Inside -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alison took one last look around the kitchen. Still alone. As the first drop of wine reached her tongue, she made a toast.

"To the ghosts." Then she thought. "For... for just being there. Without you, the house would be so empty. You are annoying sometimes, and you don't know when to stop talking, but I really appreciate your existence. I know you can't leave the house, but I hope you all never get "sucked up". You're like family to me, and I've loved getting to know you all. To the ghosts. Wherever you are."

Suddenly, she noticed some more reflections in her wine glass. The cold winter sun shining on her back was divided up. A chorus of voices uttered "To Alison. Then a voice she could only recognise as Thomas' - "Thank you so much for tolerating us. We hope you never leave the house, and that there are many more adventures ahead."

Smiling, Alison turned back, faced with all the Ghosts, even the Captain holding Humphrey's head, holding up one hand in a mock toast, eyes bright.

As they gazed at each other in silence, the one living person, and the whole group of ghosts, the room had never felt more alive.

"I'm not alone after all!" Alison grinned. "Thanks guys."

~~~~~~~~~~ The End ~~~~~~~~~~