Ghost Story – Thanks for the Flowers
Image by Martin Hirtreiter
His dull eyes peered into my own. His shoulders were round and thick and his abdomen appeared thick but did not really hang over his belt. Instead his upper torso looked more like a wall. He looked so miserable, I remember when I first opened the door, his body quivered as rain soaked his crooked hat and raincoat. He did not sit, instead he stood next to my chair. I was seated on the sofa, directly across from my chair.
”I’d offer you some dry clothes,” I started, as I studied the tensing of the mountain of a man’s jaw. ”But I’m afraid none of my clothes would fit you”
The man did not blink. His face appeared void of color. ”You were telling me earlier that you had been the caretaker of Fairlawn Cemetery for quite sometime: how long has that been anyway?”
”The last fifteen years, why?”
The man hesitated for a minute. His gray eyes caught the light and they seemed somehow transparent. He began to speak out of the corner of his mouth. ”Ya know, I Wanna thank you,”
”Thank me? For what?”
”The flowers, on my grave.”
I shook my head. ”What flowers, on your what?”
”Tonight, before you went home, you set a lovely bouquet of yellow sunflowers on Michael Sanders’ grave, correct?”
”Uh huh.”
”Well my boy, I’m he. I’m Michael Sanders.”
A chill ran up my spine. ”Your not Michael Sanders, he’s dead.”
”I’m afraid so, yes.”
”You some kind of comedian or something?”
”I dare say, my humor would be most peculair if I found any part of what I’m saying humorous.”
I folded my arms across my chest. ”Prove you’re a ghost.”
”How do you propose I go about proving this to you?”
”I don’t know, make something levitate.” My eyes narrowed.
”Alright, I’ll prove I’m a ghost. May I trouble you for a glass of ice water?”
I sniggered. ”Ghosts don’t drink water.”
”Please, dear boy, fetch me a glass of water and I’ll prove I’m a spectral citizen.”
I shrugged and fetched that glass of water. When I returned, the man was gone but in his place I f0und a single yellow flower lying in his chair.
__END__
