Warning: contains sexual assault. I apologise if it offends. You have been warned.
The first thing Judith saw when she entered the front room at eleven AM was the vacuum cleaner stood to attention, awaiting usage. She noticed the carpet did look a bit messy, (in her terms. If Jersey could speak they would say it looked like debris from an explosion).
"Coffee first, if you don't mind," Judith said aloud. As soon as her sentence finished she heard the familiar sound of the kettle switch coming from the kitchen.
"Message received," Judith mocked a subtle salute and proceeded to plug in the appliance. She grumbled inaudibly to herself as she vacuumed.
"I hope that will do, I need coffee," Judith muttered as she put the cleaner away. She walked to the kitchen and saw no sign of her dead host having been there.
"Are you here?" She called with no response. I wonder where he does go? He's trapped inside this house, I'm sure of it.
Judith poured her coffee and returned to the front room to sit on the sofa to watch TV. She wanted to call out to the spirit but somehow it felt inappropriate. Jersey certainly was not a pet, nor were they Judith's tenant. If Jersey wanted to do their own thing then it was not Judith's place to say otherwise.
The phone ping'd and Rose's name shone into view. Judith opened the message a little too eagerly.
Hi, babe. I was thinking about you last night. Are you ok?
Judith thought about her response before replying.
Sounds erotic lol. I'm doing great, thank you.
Not like that, this time haha. I was worried about you. Was the reply.
This time? Judith thought nervously. She replied:
Nothing to worry about. I'm doing great.
How's that ghost of yours? Rose had typed.
Judith went into a deep thought, If anything, I probably belong to the ghost rather than calling it mine. What an odd question from Rose.
Constantly touching me up, Judith typed before deleting it again and typing, Harmless.
Call it intuition but I had a bad feeling last night over you. You better call me if you ever need anything, babe.
Thank you, I will, Judith replied gratefully. "What a strange woman," she spoke aloud. She wondered why Rose would worry about her over something she had no belief in. They continued texting for a while before Rose disappeared back into her office duties.
Judith still had a few more days before starting her new job and was beginning to regret making the decision to have two weeks to settle into her new life.
Jersey had not made themselves present since boiling the kettle in response to Judith trying to avoid vacuuming and the lonely woman was starting to get bored.
She decided she would be productive and had intended on rearranging the bedroom ready for her new bed. However, it appeared her boredom was starting to show.
As if sensing her frustration, the familiar drop in temperature surrounded Judith and a gentle breath fell onto the nape of her neck.
"Jersey," Judith whispered softly. The spirit began to massage her shoulders through her clothes. Jersey pressed thumbs into her neck while expertly working her shoulders into submission.
"Not now, Jersey. I want to-" Judith began to tell Jersey that she was in no mood for any form of intimacy and just wanted to get her room ready, but Jersey cut her off by gripping down on her shoulders as a playful warning not to move.
Judith relaxed and allowed it to continue for a few minutes before attempting to get up again. "Let's do this later, please." She managed to lift herself off the sofa a few inches.
The spirit did not like her desire to leave and gave her nudge just strong enough to keep her in place.
"Jersey," Judith whispered again.
The ghost responded only by touch as it attempted to caress Judith's breasts through her clothes. Jersey was usually caring and delicate but this time they used some aggression to get what they wanted.
"I'm not a toy." Judith said with desperate frustration. She attempted to guard herself with her hands but her arms were quickly raised above her head. Her shirt followed soon after leaving only her bra for protection.
Judith felt helpless as she felt the invisible hands tugging at the last piece of fabric. "What's got into you? Please stop," she pleaded.
The assault continued and Judith knew it would be down to herself to halt Jersey's unprovoked attack. She stared into the wooden owl's eyes as if silently calling for help.
Judith cried out as her last line of defence was ripped from her body. She felt kisses on her neck and shoulders as a hand kneeded the soft flesh of her boob.
Suddenly she felt some of the heaviness lift off of her and she found she was able to move more freely, despite Jersey's ongoing assault.
With determination and adrenaline-induced strength Judith broke free from the spirit's grip and leapt to her feet. She turned to face the vacant sofa.
"You're a monster! That was horrible! Leave me alone from now on and do not dare follow me!" With tears filling her seyes, Judith ran out of the room and sprinted upstairs. She slammed her bedroom door as she closed herself inside.
Judith took several deep breaths and wrapped herself in her dressing gown. She grabbed Flops from his shelf and lay on the bed cuddling him. A flood of emotions overtook her and she began to cry.
She hoped Jersey would not follow her and come in. What could she do anyway if they did? It was being powerless that affected her more. If Jersey wanted to do that again she would be worn down eventually and would only be able to lie there and be the spirit's play toy whenever it felt like it.
That was not the normal Jersey though. They were so gentle with Judith, made her feel loved and wanted. Whatever happened, Judith hoped it would not happen again. She was not ready to find out yet and hoped, no prayed, Jersey would not come near her or touch her again that day.
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Word count- 11225