Bewitching Monsters

Ghost - Part 1

When I first moved into this simple cabin in the forest, I hadn't realized how much work it was going to take to transform it into the home I needed. It was simple adding in a loft for my sleeping quarters. The kitchen was already sufficient; eventually I'd like to add a second fireplace, but that could wait. Turning the field around the place into a proper garden would take time too. But I was prepared for all those things.

The real issue I had with settling in was dealing with the ghost.

The town court had warned me the house was haunted before I bought it. I brushed it off as a simple task. Restless ghosts were nothing new to me. Most just need to vent their unresolved issues and they can move on. This one however... they were being a real pain in the ass.

To start, they were completely impolite. They refused to tell me their name, or say anything at all. They mostly stayed hidden, but enjoyed lurking in the corners of my vision, appearing as an amorphic haze with pitch black eyes. Every morning, a number of my belongings were moved and at least one thing was thrown outside.

I started calling the pest Shade.

"I'm not moving out, Shade. This is my home now and you really need to start calming the fuck down," I growled after retrieving all my left shoes from outside. It was raining today. I was sopping wet and had zero patients—and it was only the morning.

Caffeine. It was becoming my crutch more and more with each day I lived here. After three weeks, I was already up to needing four strong cups of black tea a day.

I started a fire to warm the house then lit the stove to boil water. With that all set, I stripped off my nightshirt and panties, wrung them out into the sink then hung them near the fireplace to dry. Just as I was crossing the room to change, the door slammed open and a gust of wind whipped around me. I yelped and wrapped my arms around myself, instinctively crouching to try to keep warm. However, it was autumn and had been raining since the middle of the night, making the air absolutely freezing. Goosebumps covered my bare body and I shivered and glared at the vanishing mist in the doorway.

"Do you want me to kill you with an exorcism? Because that's how you get killed by an exorcism, Shade." I took a deep breath, stood up, marched to the door and slammed it shut. Shade seemed more active than usual. Was the rain making them stronger? I didn't really want to know. I just wanted to get warm.

I went up into my loft and opened up my wardrobe. Or tried to at least. By the third firm, unsuccessful tug, I was sure that it was Shade's doing. Were they determined to make me freeze to death? Either that or they were a massive perv and just enjoyed me running around naked. Maybe both. I banged my head against the wardrobe door and groaned. I hadn't even been awake for an hour and I was ready for the day to be over.

"Fine. Fine!" I grumbled to myself. No clothes today. I grabbed a fur blanket and a knitted throw off the top of my bed and went back down to the fireplace. I laid out the fur on the floor to sit on and wrapped the other blanket around myself. I would not be defeated by a damn ghost. I could manage being inconvenienced, but defeated?—never.

Hours into my day, the rain had finally stopped and blessed sunlight filled my windows. Between the sun and the roaring fireplace, the chill in the air had vanished. And on the plus side: no more tricks from Shade.

Just as I finished wrapping a bundle of herbs to hang, a knock came at the door. "Just a moment," I called. I tied one final knot then cut the cording before hurrying to answer. "Sorry for the wait," I greeted.

Outside stood a tall elf with pastel yellow skin, silver hair, and a cute smile that made his sky eyes shine like sunrise. On his vambraces was the official Mailer seal. That would make the cloth wrapped rectangle in his hands my new spirit board. He cleared his throat and I met his eyes. He gave me a quick once over and raised his eyebrows at me. That was when I remembered I was only wearing a throw blanket over my shoulders like a shawl. No wonder he had been smiling so much when I opened the door. I quickly wrapped the blanket around myself properly and tried to hide my blush.

"Wait here. I'll get your payment." When I returned, I gave him a sharp glare.

"No tip?" he mused after he counted it out.

"The free show is your tip," I snapped. I snatched my package from him. "Thank you. Bye now."

I had ordered the spirit board after I realized Shade wasn't going to talk to me. I figured they had enough strength to move objects, but not enough to manifest a voice to commune. I didn't specialize in deathcraft during my studies, so I never saw the need to keep my school-issued spirit board around. I preferred working with the living—much easier to earn a living that way.

Originally I was planning on using the board on the night it arrived. After this morning, though, it might be better to wait until the next rainfall. I didn't enjoy the thought of waiting. Shade seemed determined to up the ante on their mischief every day.

"What do you say, Shade? Move something if you're up for it tonight. Stay silent is you want to wait until it rains again." After a minute of silence as I unwrapped the board, I took their answer for the latter. "Rain it is."