Once again it’s time for a fun adventure. Enjoy my story below, then follow the links to other stories of participating authors in the blog hop. Leave us comments. We love hearing from you!
The Ghost Fight
Harold arrived at his new home—a small fixer-upper on ten acres. After a disastrous marriage he yearned for the peace and quiet this abandoned house promised.
It had sat empty for several years so he spent the first day removing dead animals, sweeping broken glass, and tearing out moldy sheetrock. He showered then collapsed on his bed. The open windows allowed a light breeze to cool the house after a day of baking in the early summer heat.
Harold smiled, satisfied from a hard day’s work. He was content and happy.
Until he heard a voice.
“Look,” the ghost started, “I knew it was too good to be true when I had this place all to myself. But if I’m going to share it, the least you could do is keep it down during the day.”
Harold bolted upright. “Who’s there?”
“My name’s Hew. You may be able to see a faint glow in the doorway.”
Harold squinted. He saw what looked like a round blob floating in the air.
“Who are you?”
“I just told you, my name’s Hew. I’ve lived here for seventy-two years. Now that you know me, how about that request to be quiet during the day?”
“Why?” Harold asked, confused.
“That’s when I sleep.” Hew answered.
Harold was shocked. “I didn’t know ghosts slept.”
“Many don’t. I don’t need sleep, but there isn’t much for a ghost to do during the day. It’s too painful to be in the light so I have to hide in the walls. I’ve become fond of my naps, so if we are going to get along you need to stay quiet during the days.”
“I don’t care what you want,” Harold retorted. “I have a lot of work to do so you’re going to have to adjust.”
The next few days they established a routine. Harold worked on the house all day and disturbed Hew and Hew kept Harold awake all night by singing horribly out of key.
Harold was soon exhausted. “Okay, I’ll wait until tonight to work if you’ll let me get some sleep today.”
“Deal!” Hew agreed excitedly then disappeared through the wall.
After several hours of undisturbed, blissful sleep, Harold woke and ate. It was well after dark so he went to work.
Harold had only been working a few minutes when Hew appeared. “It’s too bright in here. I can’t roam around the house.”
“Why not?” Harold asked without looking up.
“It’s the light. It burns.” Hew explained. “I need darkness, that’s why I stay in the walls during the day.”
“Well, I can’t work in the dark so you’re going to have to deal with it.”
“It’s obvious this isn’t working out,” Hew said. “Why don’t you just leave?”
“Now you sound like my ex-wife,” Harold quipped. “I’m not gong to be the one to leave this time. I own this house now. You leave.”
“I can’t,” Hew said.
“Why not?”
“I cannot go outside of the walls.” Hew explained.
“I thought ghosts could go through anything?” Harold asked.
“We can go through anything, but we can’t go outside.”
“Why not?” Harold asked.
“I don’t know!” Hew shouted. “Believe me, I’ve tried—every day since you’ve been here. I can’t leave the house. Besides, I’ve been here longer.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
The fight was on. The first night Hew hid under the bed and sung to Harold. The next day Harold hauled the bed away. The next day he hauled off all the furniture.
Harold worked during the day and left all the lights on at night. Hew made constant racket at night and Harold quickly became sleep deprived. When Hew sang all night from inside the walls, Harold ripped out the sheet rock and insulation.
The more sleep deprived Harold became the more drastic he got. He ripped out all of the walls, then he removed the ceiling. Soon the house was an empty shell. Harold tore holes on walls that didn’t have a window so every corner of the house was reached by sunlight.
One day Harold showed up with a truck load of panels. He replaced the roof with the panels and began attaching them to the inside walls.
“What are those?” Hew asked.
“These are solar sheets,” Harold said with a grin. “They will absorb the sunlight during the day and give off light when it’s dark. I want to make sure you have twenty-four hours of light after I’m gone.”
“You can’t do this!” Hew spat.
Harold ignored him and kept working.
A few days later he had solar sheets installed that helped keep the house lit up all day and all night.
As Harold packed his tools Hew said, “You no good rotten jerk! I hope for this you burn in…”
“I think the only one who will be burning will be you.” Harold couldn’t help but beam. He was heading to the nearest hotel to catch up on the sleep he’d missed the last two weeks.
Suddenly he felt a tightness in his chest and he collapsed. When he rose from the floor he couldn’t tell how much time had passed. His chest felt fine. In fact, he felt great, except for the heat. He had done a good job with the panels. It felt liked the house was on fire.
“Well, well, well,” Hew smirked. “I guess Karma can be a bitch, can’t it?”
“What are you talking about?” Harold asked. “I’m out of here.”
“I don’t think so,” Hew mocked.
Harold ignored him and reached down to pick up his tool chest, but when he grabbed the handle the chest didn’t move. That’s when he noticed the body lying on the floor. His body.
Harold had suffered a heart attack. He was now a ghost, trapped with Hew in a hell of his own making.
Hare, by Elizabeth McCleary
The Widow, by Vanessa Wells
A Snow White Morning, by Katharina Gerlach
The Letter, by Juneta Key
Trick or Treacle, by Angela Wooldridge
Sugar in the Raw, by Karen Lynn
Inferno, by Fanni Soto
Tae, by Barbara Lund
Interstellar Student Exchange, by Raven O’Fiernan
Pingback: Storytime Blog Hop April 2018 | Angela Wooldridge
Pingback: The Widow by Vanessa Wells Storytime Blog Hop April 25th - Juneta Key
This was lovely! I got a lot of laughs out of it!
Ha! Justice for both of them, since they couldn’t work together, now they’re stuck together. 🙂
Oopsy! I didn’t see that ending coming, but it’s an excellent ending. Very just deserts-y.
Darn ghosts! Nice story though.
The was a different kind of story around that theme. It held my attention and had me wanting to know what was going to happen.
lol — see that’s the reason you need diplomats between “species” 😀
Pingback: Hare–Blog Hop April 2018 — Elizabeth McCleary
Pingback: Raven's Scribblings – Interstellar Student Exchange
Pingback: Storytime Blog Hop April 25th, 2018 The Letter - Juneta Key