A Spirit's Touch

Twenty-Five. A Good Or Bad Haunting

Melissa was stood in the kitchen making tea while Sam watched TV in the front room. She picked up the kettle to pour the water but held it stationary in the air. She looked at her reflection in the stainless steel, then at the reflection of a young woman in flared jeans and a t-shirt with an indistinguishable image on it.

The curious wife spun on the spot and watched in surprise the other woman leave the room. Her hips swung to the side in an elaborate feminine fashion.

Mel followed and watched as the young woman walked straight past Sam. Her husband did not seem to notice the stranger in their house. The woman left the room and by the time Melissa crossed the room to reach the hallway the stranger had already disappeared.

Mel looked in the cupboard under the stairs before ascending the stairs to try and find the girl. She looked into the small room to confirm it as empty.

A giggle came from their bedroom and Mel immediately went to the door and opened it slowly. She stepped inside and saw the young woman laying on their bed staring up at her. She patted the mattress as an invitation to come over.

Curiosity tugged at Mel's feet and she approached the bed, she climbed under  the covers and lay down next to the stranger. The strange girl leaned in close to Mel, close enough to kiss.

Melissa reached up to connect their kiss, she closed her eyes and anticipated the connection. However, none came.

Mel opened her eyes but the stranger was not there. The room was darker as the morning light was just peeking through the curtains. Sam was still fast asleep next to her and she was still in her pyjamas, lying under the duvet.

It was a dream, she thought disappointingly. It felt so real, who was that girl?

Mel shook the thought of the near-kiss out of her mind and rolled over to place a loving arm around her husband. Mel never thought of herself as bisexual and she would never consider being disloyal to Sam, although it seems she would dream about it at least.

She closed her eyes again and managed to get another hour or two sleep. Mel did not return to the same dream, or any dream that she could recall. Frustrating but probably a good thing. Dreaming of a gay woman was not in her fantasy list. Or was it?

***

"Would you like tea?" Mel called to Sam as she stood against the kitchen counter reaching for two mugs.

"Sure, please!" Came Sam's reply from in front of the TV.

As the kettle finished boiling Mel stared into the stainless steel surface. She could see herself in the reflection and the refrigerator and cupboards behind her but nothing else.

What are you expecting to see? It was a dream, Mel told herself silently. She poured the water into the mugs, stirred them and turned to reach for the milk.

She froze suddenly with her hand almost reaching the handle. The girl from her dream stood in front of the refrigerator smiling back at her. Mel's stretched out hand was inches from the stranger's chest.

"H-hello," Mel stuttered.

The strange woman had dirty blonde hair, laying loose at her sides, deep gorgeous brown eyes, Mel thought. She wore the same flared jeans and t-shirt with a faded image. She looked the same age as herself but she would have guessed around twenty to twenty-two.

"Who are you talking to, hon?" Sam asked as he appeared in the doorway.

Mel turned her gaze towards him, when she looked back, the girl was gone.

"No one, Sam. Was just admiring the cream cakes we have for pudding later." Mel opened the fridge and grabbed the milk. "Go sit down, let me bring you tea. I won't be able to do it as much when you return to work tomorrow."

"Right'o then. I love you," Sam replied before returning to the sofa.

"Love you too," Mel replied softly. She took the two mugs into the front room and placed them on the coffee table before sitting next to her husband.

"Everything ok?" Sam asked.

"Can I tell you something?" Mel asked in an uneasy tone.

"Anything, honey," replied Sam.

"I think this house is haunted," Mel spoke without hesitation.

If Sam had started drinking his tea by now he would have spat it out. "What? Haunted?"

"Yes," Mel said firmly. "There have been strange noises, and things moving."

"What sort of noises?" Sam asked sceptically.

"Bangs and items moving."

"You thought our flat was haunted. Turned out to be the plumbing," Sam replied dismissively.

"I'm still convinced it was," Mel retorted. She slumped back in the sofa, she could tell her husband was not going to be persuaded today.

"It's just the house settling," was Sam's final cliché response.

Melissa ignored his last comment. She sat silently, sipping her tea while thinking about the girl in the kitchen, Who is she?

The evening came and passed with no further incident. The couple went to bed and still Mel had the girl on her mind. Is she the ghost?

Sam had fallen asleep first; with his arm wrapping around Mel as the big spoon, and his hand cupping her breast.

Mel lay comfortably pressed against him but she did not believe she would sleep, she stared at the starry sky through the small opening in the curtains.

The morning came and Mel awoke to an empty room. She knew Sam had left during the early hours; as a lorry driver he would be gone for a few days, leaving Mel to her own creativeness with their home. She was fortunate enough to be able to gain an extra week off from her sales job in order to get things completed.

She just hoped she was wrong about her own claims for the house being haunted and that she would not have any experiences while Sam was away.

***

Word count- 28749

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