Ghost

A Story by Amorelle

Death has always been a mystery to those who fear it.

He just sits there.

Day after day Quinn stands watching him sit in the window looking at the clouds just thinking. Often times making Quinn wonder what it is that captivates him so much that he would disregard all that is around. Make him leave the world in which he resides to fly away to another.

“Quinn,” is shouted from somewhere deep within the Victorian house bringing him out of his reverie. Quinn sighs and proceeds to head towards the one door leading out of the boy’s room.

Even though he didn’t need it he always felt it was more polite than materializing through someone’s wall unexpectedly. It had been thirteen years since his death and he still hadn’t quite gotten the hang of the whole “ghost” thing. Constantly reaching to touch things that his hand inevitably passed through and inadvertently speaking aloud to the new owner’s of his house when they startled him unexpectedly. The same house in which he had ended his own life those thirteen years ago.

Although at first after Quinn opened his eyes for the first time after the last of his blood ran out he thought that someone had saved him from death when he saw a portly old man crouched above him.

“Finally! I thought you were going to be asleep forever and then where would I be. S**t out of luck that’s where I’d be. Stuck with yet another dead body on my hands with no helpers and having to take care of all of the duties all over again. What is the world coming to that they would make one little old man have all of these responsibilities and give him no reprieve? NOT even a snack break to eat my yummy…” The man proceeded to mumble to himself as he moved away from Quinn’s body leaving him lying bewildered on the floor. Quinn lifted an alabaster arm from the floor far enough to see a mirror image of a bloody arm on the floor. At first he thought he was lying on a mirror until he pulled himself totally off of the floor and saw his own body staring up at him in its bloody glory. Thoroughly freaked Quinn leaped across the floor hoping to distance himself from the macabre sight only to be stopped by the old man who had been startled out of his musings by Quinn’s movements.

“It’s you lad,” the man stared at Quinn sadly in understanding for he had to go through the same process on the day of his death. He stood there with Quinn in an awkward embrace with Quinn towering a few feet over the four foot man. It took him a few moments of shivering until Quinn realized that he was slightly see through and his feet didn’t quite touch the floor adding a few more inches to his six foot frame. Quinn quickly pulled himself from the old man and started to “float” over to his body to inspect it more thoroughly wanting to see what death was truly like.

Seeing his lifeless body deathly pale against the blood around him was a terrifying sight. And one that no one would see until days later. He had made sure of that in his last few days making sure that everyone he knew would try and stop him thought he was upstate visiting his aunt. He had been planning to kill himself for sometime ever since that day… Quinn quickly shut off that line of thought and went back to examining his body on the floor. Trying not to think of what Delilah would think when she found out that he had finally gone through with his plan. Would she be crying for the friend she lost or would she be happy understanding that I would be happier, hopefully, where I ended up? Quinn hoped for the latter if only for her sake. He didn’t want Delilah to go through her life feeling guilty thinking that she could have stopped this because no one could’ve. Quinn had made up his mind and as many of the people who knew him would tell you once his mind was up there was nothing that could stop him. It was one quality that had gotten him in trouble and led up to that fatal incident.

“Ahem.” Brought out of his thoughts Quinn brought his mind back to the little man now standing next to him and straightened up looking at him.

“Well now lad you’re dead.” Quinn just continued to stare at him not understanding waiting for the so called “white light” to whisk him away to “heaven”. “And that means that you are now my property,” said the man continuing. Quinn just stared at him incredulously still not understanding what it was that the man was saying. The little man just reached up to grasp Quinn’s shoulder and started dragging him to the doorway of his attic. “This means that there are no “white lights” or “heaven” as many people think. Just me.” The man grinned cheekily at Quinn reveling in his joke while Quinn thought over his words.

“What do you mean I’m your property? Why aren’t I in heaven? Who are you?” The fast questions seemed to catch the little man off guard because he just stared wide-eyed at Quinn at first and the said, ”well I’m Death.”