Hesitantly, I said, “Ooh … kay, what did you see?
“I told you. I saw a ghost!”
I didn’t really know how to respond; I didn’t believe in ghosts and I wondered if all this time alone had finally got to her. “Let me try that again. What happened when you saw this ghost?”
She looked at me like she was trying to size me up and said, “It turned on the light.”
I could tell getting her to tell me was going to take some doing; she didn’t seem inclined to elucidate much and I’d have to ask her step-by-step. “Which light was that?”
“My bedroom light! Scared the bejesus out of me.”
“Can you tell me what happened? What did this ghost do?”
“Young man, you keep asking me the same darn questions, we’ll never get anywhere. He turned on my bedroom light!”
I smiled at her and tried again. “What did it do after it turned on the light?”
She hesitated but finally said, “It stuck its tongue out at me and disappeared.”
“It … stuck its tongue out at you?” I stammered out.
“That’s what I said.”
I thought for a moment and added, “Well, at least it wasn’t a mean one.”
“Doesn’t matter! I don’t like ghosts. I want it gone!”
“You don’t like…? You’ve seen one before?”
Now it was her turn to smile and she answered back, “Of course I have. That’s how I knew it was a darn ghost! Come on boy, git yer wits about you.”
I threw up my hands and asked in desperation, “What would you like me to do?”
“You just git your fanny back home and get to sleep. I’ll be fine.”
I left shaking my head but I had a big smile on my face as I crossed the yards and went home. I took her advice and went to bed and actually slept quite well. I woke up with a smile and felt happy all day. I even got a bunch of yardwork done that I’d been putting off for weeks. It was going to be a great weekend.
In fact, when I was pulling some weeds, I heard her fussing around in her kitchen. She always opened her windows on nice days and this was no different. What was different was the cussword I heard; at least it was a cussword for her that I’d never heard her say before.
“Dammit!”
I figured she messed up something she was cooking and good naturedly I called over, “Doris, everything OK?”
She stuck her head by the kitchen window screen and said, “Leave me alone, boy. Go about your business!”
I chuckled at her calling me ‘boy.’ I was forty-two but I guess to her I was a boy. I smiled and pulling weeds had never been so fun.
Later that night I heard that same scream again. No matter how much she didn’t want me in her business, this was just too weird. I hustled over again and knocked on her door.
“Go away!”
“Doris, open the door! What’s happening in there?”
She opened the door a crack and I could see one side of her face and her glaring eye. “Just go home and be about your own business!”
“Doris, you can’t keep doing this. If whatever it is keeps making you scream, we gotta stop it.”
“I told you, it’s a ghost and I’ll take care of it.”
I crossed my arms and tapped my feet. “You told me last night you didn’t like ghosts and wanted it gone. How are you going to get rid of it?” I asked to humor her.
“I have someone coming. Now get home.” And with that said the door closed and I stood there feeling like a fool, but at the same time was a little worried for her, and thought about calling someone to check up on her. I didn’t know anyone in her family and calling in about an older person in trouble to one of the agencies could cause all kinds of trouble so I decided to wait and see who showed up to help her.
I didn’t sleep well that night or the next; I kept waiting to hear another scream. I was glad she hadn’t but I was tired and had to go to work. Then it dawned on me, if I was gone how would I know who came over to help her and what they did? It was a dilemma and I had no quick answer. Maybe I could call in sick, but I never did that and wasn’t comfortable with that unless I really was sick. But I had to know what happened next door. I ran over to her house and after some hesitant ‘him haws,’ she finally told me that “they” were coming over tonight. That solved my problem and I headed off to work.
It had been a busy, tiring day made all the more so by my lack of sleep and I didn’t even think of what was happening that night until I pulled into my driveway. When I did, I figured I’d grab a quick bite and go over and see if she’d let me in to watch. I was curious as hell to see what this person, or persons, were going to do. Was it real, or did they just prey on those who just didn’t seem to quite get it. I was of no doubt that there were no ghosts and I wanted to see what was done in case Doris was being taken advantage of.
I was just finishing my coffee when I heard a car pull up outside by the house. I glanced through the window and saw it must be the company my neighbor was waiting for. It was only one woman and she was dressed like a fortune teller. Oh great! Now Doris was reaching pretty far if she had someone like that coming over.
I headed over to her house not knowing what to expect and surprisingly, she let me in without a word. I followed her into the front room where the woman was sitting and looking into
