The Bizarre Tale Of Delphine

Lavan Villa

Delphine's lips quivered, sweat broke out from her brow and furiously drenched the front of her night dress. Her nails dug into her skin trying to claw away everything she experienced in her dark room. Curling into her embrace, she shrunk herself into a tiny ball.

Why her? Why did she need to suffer like that for the rest of her family to be happy? Why couldn't her betrothed just end the engagement and love her sister? Why lock her in a room when she did nothing to warrant a house arrest? If they told her they wanted to be together, if her stepmother had told her to abandon the heir position, she would've stepped away.

Why did they need to hurt her?

Delphine gripped her body to stop herself from shaking. Her fingers trembled and fear ran through her veins. She didn't want to be so suspicious of those around her, she didn't want to assume the worst of everyone but how was she supposed to trust again? She didn't want to be cynical and pessimistic. How could she smile and pretend like everything was going to be okay?

When she wasn't okay with herself?

Her fiancé hated her guts, her father despised her very existence and her stepmother wanted her dead.

She was a nuisance and an eyesore to everyone in her life.

She just wanted to be loved.

A lump formed in her throat, it swallowed her up and crept into her eyes. She refused to let it take over her body, crying would only show weakness and desperation. She clenched her jaw and bit down on her lip. Her breathing became ragged and her chest tightened as if someone was tying a noose around her neck. She threw her head back and gasped for air, her eyes shimmering with tears.

"You can cry,"

Delphine snapped her head to the side and came face to face with the ghost. The girl's wide green eyes glistened with tears, her messy brown curls resembled a lion's mane and her pouty lips trembled. She patted Delphine's back with a sympathetic expression on her face. Delphine straightened her back when she felt the warmth of the ghost's hand seep into her bones. Her jaw dropped open, she didn't expect to be comforted by a ghost in the middle of the afternoon.

"What are you doing out of the closet?" Delphine stuttered, slack-jawed at the fact she could make physical contact with ghosts.

The ghost blinked up at her and pointed at herself, "Me? Oh, well I sensed your gloomy and agonizing aura. I thought it was another ghost since it was so strong," The ghost offered a lopsided smile, "I'm Urisa, I died around 20 years ago when my parents sold me off to a ugly rich count as his fifth wife. He beat me to death because I didn't want to bed him and his tiny dick,"

Bug-eyed, Delphine dropped her head to the side and pursed her lips, "That's quite a gruesome way to introduce yourself-" She cleared her throat and turned her head away, "- I'm not depressed."

Urisa tilted her head, "What's wrong with it? Most ghosts introduce themselves like that. What's wrong with depression I mean most ghosts are depressed." Urisa mumbled in a perplexed tone, harrumphing as she turned her head to the side with a pout.

"It's just that most people don't talk about their dead husband's tiny dicks or tell them how they died in their first meeting," Delphine slowly pointed out with a sympathetic smile, "Plus, most humans aren't depressed."

"Oh, I completely forgot you and the others are alive!" Urisa boisterously laughed, her eyes sparkling with warmth. "Hmmm......what can I do to make you feel better? Well, you'll have to pardon me."

Before Delphine could say anything, Urisa crawled under the blankets and snuggled in next to her. Delphine gawked at the closet and bed, she pinched her eyebrows and shook her head.