The Attic
2012
There's a new owner to the house I'm residing in. It's a small family with one daughter, around the age of eight. They have this annoying dog the barks a lot and is coincidentally called Sir Barksalot. They seem nice enough, the last time I had a new family was over 50 years ago now. From what I've gathered the daughter is called Evangeline, she seems quite curious, which may not be good for her as she will probably end up in the dingy attic with me.
Speak of the devil, I hear someone shout "ready or not here I come" then the attic door opens for the first time since I was cursed to stay up here for all eternity. The little girl creeps in, her eyes scan the room. Until they hit me. I expect her to be scared. I mean, I am a ghost after all. But no, she cautiously steps towards, as if attempting to tame a dragon. "I'm Evangeline, what's your name?" Her wide eyes stare curiously at me, I was going to tell her to mind her own business, but I take pity on those meek eyes hiding behind a defiant shell. "Bella Boo," she starts to laugh and I regret not ignoring her existence. She apologises -it is nice to know some people still have manners these days. - "So how did you become a ghost?" She really is rather nosy. Evangeline sits down on the couch and a huge plume of dust columns up into the sky. Coughing with my not-there lungs, I mutter "I died."
I first became a ghost after dying from smallpox aged five. I guess I have unfinished business on earth, but I have no idea what it is and can never find out. It started after helping a ghost called Magnus save the love of his previous life Daniel from certain death got me cursed to stay up here forever. I do age, just incredibly slowly, I have already lived two hundred years and I only look about ten or eleven. If I die and still have unfinished business, then I will forever be stuck in The Middle. The Middle is an of sorts limbo between life and death. There is no heaven or hell, once you die you become a ghost if you have unfinished business, if not, then you lie rotting in a grave. In The Middle is the thing we were told of as a new ghost to get us quickly into bed. Just blank empty space for all of eternity.
I am pulled from my stupor with Evangeline shaking me, well, at least trying to, if an alive human tries to touch a ghost they feel no different as if they are trying to push through slightly denser than usual air. My eyes thrust open and am temporarily blinded by the light. Evangeline has her eyes wide open with worry and tinged with a bit of shock. She shouts, "Where did you go I thought you had died!" I get she's still quite young but surely, she knows I'm already dead. I roll my eyes "I am perfectly dead, I assure you." After I calm Evangeline down I figured it was my turn to ask a few questions, "So Evangeline"- "Evie, you're my friend so call me Evie"
2017
It is the fifth anniversary since Evie and I became 'best friends for all eternity.' About two years ago I began to think that maybe Evie may be my unfinished business, I am unsure how but as she is the only person who I have talked to in centuries I hold out hope that she is the key to me being finally able to die once and for all. Over the years we have become very close, she tells me absolutely everything and she always visits me every day without fail as soon as she gets home. I savour the precious few moments with her as I am worried that as she grows up she will forget all about me, but I trust her and I am pretty sure she would never do that to me.
For the first time in all the years I have known her Evie is late. Not just by a few minutes, but hours. I pace around the attic going stir-crazy waiting for her. After four hours, she finally knocks our secret knock on the trap door. After a few seconds she comes up through the small gap graceful as a drunk duck. In just a few years, Evie has gone from being tiny and cute, to her inevitable awkward phase, to now, aged fourteen she has become beautiful, slightly clumsy, but nobody is perfect. Her straight platinum hair falls around her as she flops onto the beanbag. "Why on earth are you so late!" I try to keep the anger out of my voice but fail miserably. She rolls her eyes "I'm not a little girl anymore, you have to except I am going to have other friends!" my voice softens "I except that, and I am happy for you, so happy, but you know how I worry, you could have at least sent me a text." She gives me a sort of hug (as best she can when hugging a ghost) "You're right, you always are-" She smiles her lopsided smile "-anyway I have great news, which explains why I'm so late!" Apprehensive, I raise my eyebrows. "I HAVE A BOYFRIEND!" I was not expecting that. "and I had my FIRST KISS!" Excited for her I exclaim "Ooh, do tell!"
2018
I have not seen Evie in months. it started when she got her first boyfriend Callum and it all went downhill from there. At first, she didn't come for a day, then a week, then a month. I have given up counting the days. Maybe in years to come when she is all grown up with a family and children she will come to visit me, but until then, I will wait for her, no matter how many days, months or years it takes. Maybe she wasn't my unfinished business, after all, maybe I was wrong all along, maybe I shall live out my days alone. But you see, I never forgot about Evie, but I guess Evie just forgot about me.
