“Who are you?” he growled, seeing the woman in bed. “Now Harold, what a thing to say to your wife,” she said, “now come to bed, it is getting late.” “Get out of my bed woman!” he bellowed, “get out, get out!! I am going to throw you out!” He went over to grab her arm, but she disappeared. The boys were at his door now and saw their mom lying in bed. “Mom is here too, they are all haunting us!” exclaimed Willie.

“I am scared dad,” said Kenny, “this is just way too spooky!” “Will you two shut up and let me think!” he yelled, “this is just tricks they are playing on us!” “How would they know about our real mom?” said Willie, “not even Carrie knew anything about her. How did they know what she looked like? And that was the same nightie she always liked to wear, how did they know that? I say our two moms met and decided to come back and haunt us!”

“That is plain stupid!” yelled Menton. Then they heard their moms voice in the hallway. They all went out and saw her standing at the top of the stairs with her hands up as if trying to protect herself. “Harold! What are you doing?” she screamed, “that would be murder, don’t do it Harold, please, do not do it!” “I will do it!” he bellowed loud enough to be heard outside, “down you go woman!” He then ran over and pushed just as she went backward tumbling down the stairs to the bottom, lying there motionless.

Menton almost fell down the stairs himself but managed to grab the handrail in time. “Be careful Menton,” I said, “we do not want you to die just yet. You need to stand before Painter first.” Good thing he cannot hear me. “You are dead now,” bellowed Menton, “I told you I would kill you and I did it!” He then went downstairs to check on her but she disappeared by the time he reached the bottom.

The boys followed slowly and well behind Menton. “See, she is a ghost,” said Kenny, “she was even wearing her favorite dress, the one she was wearing when you pushed her down the stairs the first time. How would those people know about that?” “Well, well, I do not know!” he yelled at them. He was really sweating and his face was amazingly red. I imagine his blood pressure must flying high by this time. “Hi dad, is it time for bed now?” asked Carrie.

“You! Come here you, I want to beat you harder than I ever have before!” he yelled loudly. Carrie ran off and down the basement stairs. When Menton got there she was lying in her bed screaming for him to stop beating her and that it hurt so much. Menton grabbed the paddle he used off the hook, tearing the hook off the wall. Then downstairs he went, nearly falling down again.

“Now I will kill you like I killed your mother and my first wife!” he yelled. But with his first blow of the paddle Carrie disappeared again. Menton was running around the basement calling for Carrie and yelling he was going to kill her. “He seems to have lost it completely,” said Sky. “He is falling apart quicker than I imagined,” said Galyna, “he is a very cold man with no conscience whatever it seems. He only thinks of himself.”

“I would like to go to my room now, if I may?” asked Carrie. We have a 3 bedroom suite, Carrie and Tracy are staying in one of the bedrooms. So Carrie, Tracy and Sky went together. It was obviously getting hard for Carrie to watch this and that is understandable. She did very well with her whole part in this ghostly encounter.

“What are we going to do dad?” asked Willie, “we do not want to stay here any longer. Let us move to California tomorrow, we have enough money now and Painter will not find us there and neither will these people, whoever they are.” “I am beginning to think that this is all Painter’s idea,” said Menton, “just sounds like something he would do. He is trying to get rid of us, that is what I think. But we will have to pay this guy off first, or he will never let us leave. Then we go.”

Just then there was a knock at the back door. “Hey guys,” I said to John, “someone is knocking at the back door.” “Must have walked over from the next street,” he answered, “probably a buyer come to get his goods.” “Stop him when he leaves,” I said, “compliments of Menton.” “Good idea,” said Mac, “I like it.” Menton answered the door.

“Hi Roger,” he said, “come in.” “You got my stuff?” he asked. “Yep, show me your money first,” said Menton. “Why you 3 sweating so bad, not that warm in here,” he said bringing out his money. “It’s ghosts!” exclaimed Kenny. “Shut up you two and get to bed,” he bellowed. He then moved a cabinet by the stairs which opened a door revealing another, much larger, safe. He took out the man’s drugs, they made their deal and the man left…

To Be Continued.

©2023 Steve McLeod.