I take a deep breath. “Well, let’s do this.”
“Are you sure you're ready?” Erik asks, leaning forward to kiss my cheek.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I answer, straightening his tie. “Come on, this is bad luck. If my mom sees you gawking at me like this she will cry. She’s actually quite superstitious.”
“Ok, if you’re sure,” he teases. “But you can’t keep eating poptarts and throwing the wrappers under the bed. It’s a deal breaker.”
“You had a ghost haunting you forever, and then she took over my body, and if that wasn’t a deal breaker for me, then you need to just deal with the occasional wrapper, plate or shriveled piece of food in random places,” I tell him, poking him in the chest. Ah, what a fox. He looks unbelievably dashing in his fancy suit. He might even give Ian a run for his money. Might .
“It was YOUR great grandmother. Don’t blame that crap on me,” he laughs.
“OK, OK,” I tell him. “Shut up already. I can’t marry myself, so commit or don’t.”
“Oh, I commit,” he tells me. “I do. I commit so hard.”
“Let's do it,” I yell out, pushing him away towards the aisle, where we are due to start at any moment.
He kisses me one last time before winking. “See you at the altar.”
I look at my bridesmaids with a wide smile. “Alright, you vixens, do me proud and strut down that aisle.”
Juniper leans forward to kiss my cheek and I help navigate her way. “Thank you for coming back.”
“My very great pleasure,” I say, grabbing her hands meaningfully.
I listen as Pachelbel’s Canon in D starts and take a deep breath, watching as the girls pair up with the groomsmen, and I cannot believe my luck.
My father grabs my arm with a kindly smile and I nod us on. Looking forward where there is only blue skies, and never again behind. Just straight to Erik, where I’ve always belonged.
The End
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thank you for reading this re-imagining of my favorite childhood campfire tale. With it I kick off a series of stand alone urban legend tales. While it won’t be necessary to read them in particular order—or even read them all to follow along—the universe is shared and you can expect characters like Ian Everly to show up here and there like the bookish, blogging ninja he is. If you’d like Mary to show up, then you know what to do. Go into the bathroom, close the door, turn off the lights, grab your candle and get to chanting...
Thank you to my darling and dear friend Ashley. You are an incredible confidante, excellent cheerleader and all around positive force in my life. Your keen observations about people inspire my writing.
In memory of Angie, a joy of a person, taken too soon. You are loved, cherished and remembered. You will live on in the memories of your children and all those you graced in your short time here.
A special thanks to OC Ghosts and Legends for their incredibly informative ghost tours and Facebook live Q&A sessions with Cris and Dixie.
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https://www.amazon.com/Witchery-Belle-Zimet-ebook/dp/B084M7NQS3/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=belle+zimet&qid=1597358046&sr=8-1
