I was trapped in the cottage and its environs, I was earth bound because I shut myself away to wallow in self-pity after the death of my wife Rose.
So, I had come to the
conclusion that I must help another person in order to “move on” and re-join my
Rose.
It would have been
easier if I had done it while I was still alive I could have gone off and
sought out someone to help, but as I was dead I had to wait for someone to come
to me.
But then if I had
lived out my last months in the world in the same way as I lived the rest of my
life I wouldn’t have been in the mess I was in.
Or maybe this was how
it was meant to be, it was my destiny to help someone, which is where Julie
came in, she had come to the cottage to escape the world.
At that moment I
didn’t know why, and I would need to know that before I could help her, and I
was determined to help her whether she liked it or not.
But to find out what I
needed to know I needed to be on good terms with her, which was not helped by
my clumsy handling of the situation.
So, it was with some
trepidation, after our angry exchange, that I went into the sitting room later
in the day.
I feared she might
take out the anger she felt towards me and channel it at the innocent
revellers.
To be on the safe side
I remained invisible until I had assessed the lay of the land, I half expect to
see Julie sitting in a rocking chair swigging from a whisky bottle and catapulting
sweets at the trick or treaters heads, but she was humming, I hadn’t witnessed
her humming before, she did impatient tapping of her fingers, she did grinding
her teeth, but I had never witnessed humming.
Despite the fact that
the humming was a little unnerving, I took a gamble that it was safe, so I
materialized.
“You’re humming” I said,
and she jumped, I had startled her, and she was clearly flustered, then her
face went scarlet.
“No, I’m not” she said
indignantly.
“You were humming, I
heard you”
“What you heard was me
clearing my throat” Julie said without conviction, so she changed the subject.
“Anyway, where have
you been, have you been keeping out of my way?”
“I thought it advisable”
I said.
Before she had chance
to comment she was alerted to approach of trick or treaters coming down the
long winding path.
At this time of the
day Julie would normally have to employ her stick to move with any kind of
speed around the house but I noticed it was leant discretely against the wall
behind the door out of sight of anyone who might be standing on the step if the
door was open.
She pulled the curtain
back a couple of inches and peered out.
“They’re coming, what
do I do?” she asked urgently
“Well” I began.
“Oh, come on, you got
me into this mess”
“Calm down you’ll have
a stroke” I said
Julie took a deep
breath and waited for me to speak.
“All the children will
have a bag for their sweets” I told her.
“Yes, yes” she said
impatiently.
“Well you put a small
handful of sweets into each bag but don’t be too generous to early or you won’t
have enough to go around everyone”
“Ok” she said and
nodded.
“But first you have to
open the door” I said inclining my head towards the closed door.
“Oh God yes” she said
and laughed nervously “that would help”
Julie opened the door
and was met with a chorus of “TRICK OR TREAT” from a small group of excited
witches, warlocks, ghosts and ghouls.
“Wow look at you all”
she said “What brilliant costumes”
“Ok who’s first?” she
asked as she picked up one of the sweet tubs and scooped up a handful.
At the back of the
group keeping order was a tall dark-haired man, wearing a flat cap and leather
jacket, Julie caught his eye briefly and smiled and he smiled back, then
carried on with the sweets, but she kept glancing in his direction, and she estimated
he was in his thirties.
Soon she had deposited
a handful of sweets into every bag and the group moved back up the path.
“Goodbye Miss
Molesworth” the tall man said and smiled, and she smiled back and then looked self-consciously
in my direction.
Despite herself she
was still smiling as she shut the door.
“You didn’t smile at
the children did you” I asked
“You’ll scar them for
life”
“Oh! and which poor
child was it that you made cry” she retorted
“Or was it someone
else you were smiling at?” I said, and Julie blushed deeply just as the doorbell
rang.
“Saved by the bell” I
said
Julie opened the door
and repeated the exercise, and then another three times until the sweet tubs
were empty and all the village children had had their share, then she closed
the door and reached for her cane.
“I’m exhausted”
“You enjoyed it
though?”
She gave me a stern
sideways glance and I could see pain in her features.
“Ask me later after
I’ve had a drink” she said and then with a bottle of wine and a glass she
hobbled towards her armchair.
“Will you join me?”
She asked smiling “Oh I forgot you can’t”
“Oh, that’s cruel”
After her first glass
of wine she began to relax and after the second she had lowered her guard.
“You had a good time,
didn’t you?” I ventured.
“Ok yes I enjoyed, it
though I’ll deny it tomorrow”
“And the smile?”
“I admit he was very
handsome, for a yokel”
“His name is Paul
Warwick and he’s not so much a yokel more a country squire”
“Really” She said with
disinterest
“So, which of the
little darlings were his children?”
“None of them” I
answered “He’s not married”
“Oh!” she exclaimed
then replaced it with a rather muted “oh”
After another glass I
thought it was safe to raise the subject of this afternoon’s exchange of views.
“Am I forgiven?” I
asked.
“What for?” She
slurred
It became apparent I
had left it one glass too late for a sensible conversation, I had forgotten to
take into account that she hadn’t eaten since lunch.
“This afternoon”
“Of course, you spoke
very wisdomous words”
“Wisdomous?”
“Yes, you are very
wisdomly” she said as she leant forward to raise her glass to me and slopped
half of it on the table
“I think you mean
wise”
“Well I was close” she
almost said slopping more wine this time down her blouse.
“Time to get you to
bed I think”
“You cheeky old ghost
you” She said trying to get out of the chair.
Once she managed to
get vertical her bad leg gave way and I had to catch her before she hit the
floor.
It was a good job I
had been practising otherwise I would never have been able to help her, it
would have appeared as a very comical scene as I had a firm hold on Julie yet
when she tried to hold onto me her hands kept going through me.
“You’re a difficult
man to get to grips with Harry” she remarked with a puzzled expression on her
face.
“Well you concentrate
on staying upright and I will propel you upstairs to bed”
“Ok”
So, with her tongue
sticking out the side of her mouth and one eye closed tight shut she managed to
adopt a stance which kept her more or less upright.
I then gave her
instructions “Left, Right, Left, Right” until we had made the journey up to her
room then I guided her onto her bed.
“I hope you’re going
to behave like a gentleman” she said and smiled, still with one eye shut tight.
“You’re quite safe,
I’m dead remember” I replied as I covered her.
“That’s the story of
my life” She said
“What is?”
“Trying to raise the
dead in the bedroom” this caused her to explode with a laugh so dirty it
wouldn’t have been out of place in a Carry On film, she was still chuckling
when I turned out the light.
“Good night Julie”
“Night Harry”
The next morning, I
was sat in the kitchen reading the local newspaper, when she walked in,
surprisingly bright though she was walking quite stiffly, and she was a little
shamefaced.
“Good morning Julie
and how are we this morning?”
“I’m fine” she said
shortly then she added.
“Was I very
embarrassing last night?”
“Not very” I replied.
“Oh God, I was
embarrassing though?”
“You were very funny
it was nice to see you happy”
“Thanks to you” She
said quietly.
“I beg your pardon?” I
said and looked up from the paper quite shocked, but she was already on her way
out the door for her physio appointment.
It was late afternoon
when she returned, and she was moving only a little more stiffly than she had
been when she left that morning.
“Didn’t you go to
physio?” I asked
“Yes, I did, and it
was the best session I’ve had” She replied “I think I’m turning the corner at
last”
“Excellent”
“Good news and bad
news from the doctor though”
“Oh?”
“The good news is he’s
changed my medication which is stronger, but I only need to take them as and
when needed”
“And the bad news?”
“Strictly no alcohol
with these ones” She said holding up an innocuous looking brown bottle.
“A small price to pay
though” I said encouragingly
“That’s easily said by
someone who can’t hold their drink” she said then laughed like a drain, but her
mirth was interrupted by a knock at the door.
“Quick hide” She said
“Ok” I said jumping
up.
“Wait a minute I don’t
have to hide I’m a ghost, I’m invisible”
Julie looked at me and
put one finger up to her lips indicating I should shut up even though she was
the only one who could hear me, then she opened the door.
When the door opened
it revealed a very wet Paul Warwick.
“Oh, look it’s the
yokel” I said
“Hello Miss
Molesworth” the yokel said
“Please call me Julie and
do come in out of the rain”
“Thank you”
He stepped in and
Julie closed the door.
“He’s dripping on your
carpet”
“I hope I’m not
disturbing you” Paul said.
“No not at all” She
replied
“Good, it’s just I
thought I could hear voices before”
“That was probably the
radio” She lied
“Good” he said unconvinced.
“Quick change the
subject” I suggested.
“Can I offer you a hot
drink?”
“No thank you I can’t
stop I’m afraid, I just called to see if you were aware of the November 5th
bonfire party?”
“No, I wasn’t” Julie
answered
“Well we run a coach from
the church hall over to Little Trotwood every year, they have an organised
display, would you be interested?”
“That’s very kind of
you but…”
“Go on say yes” I
urged
“…my leg isn’t really
up to it…”
“Liar”
“…. It’s not good in
the damp weather”
“That’s a shame” Paul
said sincerely “It’s always a very good display and they have the best hog
roast in the county”
“Thank you anyway”
Julie added
“If you change your
mind just give me a call” He said reaching into his coat and bringing out a
card which he handed to her.
“I will”
She opened the door
again and Paul stepped out into the rain again.
“No problem, bye”
“Good bye and thanks
again” Julie said closing the door.
“Coward” I said after
she had shut the door.
“I don’t like
fireworks that’s all” she said pulling a face.
“Coward”
“I’m not a coward” She
replied indignantly.
“What else do you call
it? He’s attracted to you and you to him”
“Nonsense” Julie said
clearly flustered
“And even if there
were any attraction I don’t need anyone in my life”
“Everyone needs
someone” I said
“Rubbish, in the end people
always let you down”
“You can’t tar
everyone with the same brush” I said
“I don’t need anyone
Harry, I’m perfectly happy on my own”
“Paul’s a good man” I
pointed out
“It doesn’t matter how
they start out in the end they always let you down, trust me”
I started to speak but
she interrupted
“Harry let’s just
agree to disagree, shall we?”
I knew I was fighting
a losing battle so meekly I said “Ok”
“Good now I’m off to
have a bath”
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