Ghostly, Yours

October 30th

"Did you really have to make me out to be such a sour prick? Why couldn't you have just told the truth?" Chris whined beside me as I pulled my coat closer to my body.

"The truth?" I laughed, "and what is that?"

"That I'm a cool, charismatic ladies man," he said with a wistful smile on his face, looking off into the distance, striking a pose as he floated beside me. I couldn't help myself, I bursted out into laughter. I wanted to stop because the snow that I was inhaling was burning my nose and throat, but I couldn't control it. I almost started rolling on the ground when I looked up to see his confused expression. "What?" he asked innocently.

"You? A ladies man? Maybe in the 1950s," I joked, smiling at him. He looked back at me, holding a hand to his chest as if he were offended. He looked like he was about to say something, but I let out another burst of laughter and accidentally snorted. Immediately, I stopped laughing and covered my mouth, an intense blush creeping across my face. Chris took a moment to process what I'd just done before he started laughing. It wasn't like last time where his laughter held malice and malintent, this time, it was full of joy and genuine happiness. Without realizing it, a smile slid onto my lips and my blush faded away.

When he noticed me staring, he immediately stopped laughing and said, "what?"

I shrugged, "nothing." We were just outside the coffee shop, making me realize how close we were to my apartment. The time had passed surprisingly quickly while I was talking to Chris.

He was still glaring at me as we crossed the road, but then he surprised me by asking, "what are you doing for Halloween?"

"I don't know yet, it's not for a while yet anyway, right?" I stated as we reached the front door to the apartment complex. He paused, making me turn back to face him. He looked at me with a disbelieving expression and I quirked an eyebrow at him. "What?"

"Amelia, it's tomorrow," he revealed, looking down at me with a judgmental glint in his eye. I didn't even acknowledge the fact that he called me by my name as my eyes widened.

"IT IS?" I exclaimed loudly, "Since when!"

"Uh... since the Celts started celebrating All Hallow's Eve so... I'd say the eighth century give or take," he responded sarcastically. I didn't even acknowledge his statement, I just went straight into panic mode.

"We need to go to Dollarama. Wait, no it won't be open. Crap!" I started pacing back and forth, the cold wind hardly affecting me anymore. "Walmart!" I exclaimed, walking in the direction of the nearest Walmart with my backpack still on my shoulders. Chris caught up to me and rolled his eyes. "How did you know my name?"

"I've been hearing people call you that all day. Just because I'm 87 doesn't mean I'm deaf," he muttered with an unimpressed look on his face. I rolled my eyes as I continued speed-walking down the sidewalk. Thankfully, there was a Walmart less than a kilometer away. I was glad I'd given my tuque to Vern, but I was really missing it right about now. Looking to my right, I caught Chris looking up at the sky with a reminiscent smile on his face. I decided to take this time to formulate my question of the day.

"So... what have you been doing during your afterlife? Wait, how long have you been a ghost?" I asked, pulling my jacket tighter against my skin.

"That's two questions, pick one," he replied in a detached tone, shoving his hands into his pockets. He looked so real and for a moment, I forgot he was a ghost.

Either way, I rolled my eyes and picked the first one. "What have you been doing during your afterlife?" While Chris thought it over, I appreciated the scenery. Sure, it was a sketchy neighborhood, but now that the storm had died down, the snow fell rather peacefully against the asphalt. The lights flickered against the night sky, making the frost on the barren trees shimmer. It felt like an early winter wonderland. While I was waiting for Chris to respond, I spread my arms, my right forearm going through him. I caught him grimace before I started spinning around. I tilted my head up towards the sky and stuck my tongue out as I twirled forward.

"What are you doing?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow at me. My hair blew in the wind, whipping me in the face, but I smiled anyway.

"Waiting for you, duh," I responded with a big grin across my face. He looked like he was judging me, but I didn't really care. I stopped twirling thought because I was starting to get a little dizzy.

"I don't do much. Just mess around, play pranks on people... " he trailed off, thinking. "It's not like I can do much. You're the first person who has seen me in sixty-one years." I guess he answered both of my questions.

"What do you mean? Can't you possess people, lift objects, make ghost sounds..? You know, the works?" I questioned, tilting my head so that I could look up at him while we were walking.

"That's another question," he argued, a sad smirk on his face. I frowned, looking down at my feet. I noticed we were getting close to Walmart and didn't say anything else. It's pretty hard to have a conversation with someone who won't answer any questions. As we turned a corner, the bright lights of Walmart came into view. The parking lot was basically empty except for the vehicles of the employees. As we walked in, I dashed to the Halloween decorations and bought a few paper pumpkins, streamers, and tape. I then went over to the snacks and bought some bite-sized chocolate bars. I didn't really have much money, but since all I ate was pickles and some other random cheap foods, I could afford it. As I brought my load to the checkout counter, I made eye contact with the cashier who seemed to be half asleep.

I smiled at her and she gave me a weird look. As the smile slid off my face, I pulled out my debit card and slid it through the machine. Thankfully, it didn't decline and I grabbed my bags. "Have a nice night," I said cheerfully though the only response I got was an eye roll. As I exited the store, I realized that Chris had disappeared somewhere. The wind had picked up again and I sighed, preparing for my trek back to the orphanage.