31 Frights of October

Ghosts / October 25th

Marigold was new in town; her mother had recently purchased an older, cramped house that had once belonged to a father-daughter duo. According to the townsfolk, the daughter, Susie, had committed suicide a few months ago, and the father had been so shattered by the loss that he couldn't bear to live there any longer.

Marigold had always been anxious and closed off, weighed down by the relentless bullying she faced at school. With no friends to turn to, the idea of living in a house where a girl had died filled her with dread. It felt all too familiar—a place haunted by pain and loss. Yet her mother had gotten it for dirt cheap, and they had no other options until her father's job overseas was settled.

On her first day in the house, Marigold swore she heard whispers. She tried to brush it off as paranoia, but the cold spots and creaking floorboards only heightened her suspicions. Each small noise—a branch scraping against the window or the groan of the house settling—made her freeze in place, a knot of fear tightening in her stomach.

"Marigold!" her mother's voice called from downstairs, echoing up the narrow staircase. A chill crept down Marigold's spine as she stepped out of her bedroom, leaning against the tattered door frame.

Her hands shook as she peered down the hallway into her mother's bedroom, where boxes were stacked high around a short, stout woman. "Mom?" Marigold ventured, her voice barely rising above a whisper. Her mother shot her a distressed look.

"Marigold, would you mind helping me with this box? It's fragile and quite heavy." She spoke through tired breaths, struggling to lift a box on her own.

"Yeah... of course." Marigold made her way down the hallway. Her tightly knotted braids swayed with each step. But when she reached the top of the staircase, she froze. For a split second, a pale girl with splotchy greenish-yellow eyes seemed to be staring right through her.

Marigold's mouth fell agape as her face flushed hot and her stomach churned. A cold sweat washed over her, and she shook her head, running down the hallway toward her mother, who was now red in the face from straining against the boxes.

"Here, let me help." Marigold slid her arms beneath the box her mother was holding and lifted it effortlessly onto the floor.

"Ah shoot! Marigold, would you mind grabbing a box from downstairs for me? It has 'Dad's fragile' written in big red letters on it."

Dread washed over Marigold, replacing the brief relief she'd felt. "Are you sure it's down there? It could be upstairs somewhere," she suggested, glancing nervously toward the darkened staircase.

Her mother furrowed her brows before giving her a sharp glare. "Right... okay, I'll be right back." Marigold muttered as she slipped out into the hallway.

She stared over the banister, feeling the peeling white paint beneath her hands. Squinting, she searched for any sign that the girl she'd seen was real. Swallowing hard, she took a deep breath and carefully placed her weight on each step, trying to avoid making a sound.

By the time she reached the bottom of the staircase, she was drenched in cold sweat. Goosebumps spread across her skin as she shakily scanned the dark room.

"Marigold." A voice called from across the room, and she hesitated, not daring to turn on the lights. She didn't want to see who it was. She almost thought she already knew. Her heart raced, and she dug her nails into her palms.

"Su..." Her eyes glazed over as she fought back terrified tears. She knew who it was; she was sure of it. "Su..." Taking a deep breath, she relaxed her posture and finally let her hands fall to her sides. "Susie?"

The lights flicked on, illuminating the room and revealing an emaciated-looking schoolgirl. She was slightly transparent, her long black hair floating ever so slightly, and her greenish-yellow eyes cut right through Marigold.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised; you know who I am," the ghost spoke, floating through the kitchen counter as she approached Marigold. Marigold shrieked and tumbled backward onto the staircase, making the ghost pause and step onto the ground.

"Everything okay down there?" her mother called out.

The ghost narrowed her gaze.

"Y-yes, Mom!" Marigold managed to call out, scrambling for composure.

A small smile crept over Susie's face. She was intrigued; this was her first haunting, but she had never imagined she would be faced with someone so naive.

"Please just let my mother and me live peacefully. We've never had it easy, and I just need it to go well this once!" Marigold pleaded with the ghost, stepping up from the stairs before kneeling in a prayer position. "She really wants me to have a good life; that's why we moved so far from my old town. She couldn't bear it if something went wrong already."

The ghost leaned forward, appearing more interested in Marigold with every word. "I'm not here to make you miserable!" the ghost said.

Susie seemed to be... embarrassed? Marigold felt a strange sensation wash over her; she had always thought ghosts were supposed to be cruel and unforgiving.

"You're not going to harm us?" A puzzled expression painted Marigold's face. Susie jumped back at even the thought of that.

"What? Of course not!" she exclaimed, covering her mouth as if it were outrageous to even think that.

"But you were so creepy?"

"I got that when I was alive too... Look, if anything, I want to be friends with you guys!"

"You can't be serious?"

"Is that really so strange? I didn't have many friends when I was alive. I was bullied relentlessly, which led to me taking my own life to escape it all. I thought the afterlife would be an escape from my problems, but it hasn't fixed anything. I was better off before."

Marigold's expression softened; this ghost wasn't some poltergeist. She was the same as Marigold. Back in school, Marigold had been ridiculed for her weirdness and had even come close to taking her own life on multiple occasions. The hope of moving so far away wasn't just for a cheaper life but for a better one—one where she could make friends and not be ostracized.

"I know how you feel... well, in a way?"

The ghost smiled, tugging at her pleated skirt.

"I'm sorry I judged you. It was stupid of me. I'd be happy to be your friend." Marigold held out her hand as if awaiting a handshake, only to realize the ghost would float right through her. Embarrassed, she pulled her hand back.

"You mean it?"

"Yeah."

The two girls smiled at each other.

"Can you hurry up with that box, sweetheart?" Marigold's mother called from above.

"R-right! Sorry, Mom!" Marigold yelled back, flustered before making her way into the kitchen. Susie giggled slightly to herself whilst floating behind Marigold.

A brighter future had already begun here in town.


Written by pancakes0verwaffles