Liam's Ghost Story

Liam's Ghost Story (Chapter 8)

It was late in the evening by the time Liam knocked on the front door of the antique shop. The weather was the same as it had been yesterday when he had done this same thing. The dark sky overhead had already forgotten the grisly addition Mr. Barnbies had given it this morning, mercilessly ignoring the pathetic mortals that played games underneath its magnificence. The street was silent and cold, newly wrapped under another white blanket of silence and chill. Wind blew as it usually did, but Liam could make out the mocking titter of the amused city, taunting him and daring him to try to resist the cold release of death.

Maybe that was why Mr. Barnbies had died by fire, Liam reflected with a shiver. Maybe that was the only way to stay warm in this damn city.

The wind laughed at Liam, and Liam chuckled along with it.

Of course that was not why Mr. Barnbies had gone out in a blaze. Mr. Barnbies had some help with his final fate, and it was something that even this damned uncaring cold city had not helped him with. The blame could only be laid at the feet of a long dead girl.

Gretty's head appeared three stories up again, and Liam craned his neck to look up at her. He grinned and waved up to her. Gretty did not seem much reassured by the gesture, her face pinched in a look of concern, but her head pulled back and Liam heard the window rasp shut again.

Moments later, Gretty opened the door for Liam, and he strolled in with a smile on his face.

"Hello again Gran!" Liam said, giving her a warm hug before walking past her into the antique shop.

"Why hello again dear," Gretty said, some confusion evident on her face. "What brings you back here again?"

"Oh Gran, I have solved your problem and I thought I should let you know." Liam pulled his hoodie off of his head again and spun around to face the old lady arms outstretched extravagantly. "And I was hoping that maybe I could still talk to you about renting this place," he continued with a grin.

"What, already? You found a way to put that poor girls soul to rest?"

Liam chuckled a little and glanced up mischievously at Gretty, "Well not exactly, Gran."

"What then? If you have not been able to put her to rest she will keep haunting this place, won't she?"

"No Gran, she will not be haunting anyone anymore."

"I don't understand."

Liam sighed and collapsed into the big wing backed chair Gretty had sat in the night before when relaying the ghost story for the first time. "It's not quite as simple as you and I thought Gran," Liam began, "This girl of ours, the one who died in the fire, she is not looking for justice. She is not even looking for revenge. She is looking for company."

"What? What do you mean she is looking for company?" Gretty stuttered, leaning on her cane and staring down at Liam.

"What I mean Gran, is that we do not have the spirit of a poor little girl who needs help here. Or at least not help in moving on to the other side, into the afterlife. What the spirit of that little girl wants is to inflict pain and suffering on those still living.

"I didn't know at first when I was here looking at that burned face and listening to your story of her haunting. Then I did some research, and that seemed to support your story and my feeling. She did die in a fire long ago. And she was probably a sweet innocent little girl then. But for whatever reason, she stuck around afterwards, watching people live and love. So I thought she wanted to find out maybe someone who started the fire, or maybe someone who profited by her death. But that was not it, not it at all.

"Maybe she was jealous. Maybe she was confused at first, she might not have known what happened to her, might not have known why she was still around. However it happened, eventually she changed, twisted. She decided she hated the living, decided she wanted them to suffer how she had suffered." Liam looked around, and raised his voice, "That's right, isn't it? You wanted them to hurt like you hurt? And you decided to start with those who were closest.