It was something Ezra didn’t see often; his father was disappointed in himself. “It’s not your fault,” he assured him. “You helped people as much as you could. That’s why you missed the signs. You did so much good while you were here.” He paused. “How are you here now then?” His father was being so casual about everything, it was incredibly unsettling, and it was starting to rub off on him.
“How do you think?” he snapped. “I’m a ghost here to warn you because you keep making the stupidest mistakes.”
Any disappointment his father had in himself was directed at Ezra with a force strong enough to make him stumble back and regret trying to reassure him. This was the father he knew. Not exactly the kind of person he wanted to come back in the form of a spirit. He thought he should be grateful to see him again, but he wanted him out. The fact he was a ghost was the least of his worries.
“You know, I left you that money because I hoped you’d use it to make something of yourself,” he continued. “I worried you never would, but I hoped you would make me proud. You have a wife to care for now. You’re old enough to start thinking about children and raising a family of your own. You could’ve used that money to make sure you had a decent footing to start off with. You could’ve ripped up the mess you’ve piled up so far and built a new, sturdier foundation. This was your chance at redemption.
“Instead, you squandered it on a bed and breakfast of all things.” He scoffed and Ezra felt like a child again, wilting under his father’s disapproval. He wanted to run and hide under his bed, though he knew his father would expect him to take it like a man. “An old one at that, in the mountains like some poetic soul. You bought a house people were murdered in. What were you thinking?”
“It’s Clara’s dream,” Ezra replied. “She’s always wanted to own something like this, and I love the freedom it gives me to cook. We love it here. We’re building the kind of life we want. The kind of life that’ll make us happy, even if it won’t make you proud.”
He wanted his father to be proud of him more than anything, but he had given up on that dream long ago. Now he simply wanted him to leave him alone. He needed him to keep his judgements to himself.
“You don’t always have to give into your wife,” his father argued. “Sure, you love her and that’s fine. You should give her the best in life, and you should do what you can to make her dreams come true. It’s your duty as a husband to provide for her in every way possible.
“However, it’s also your duty to keep a good head on your shoulders. You shouldn’t give into her every whim. Especially if it’s something as stupid and careless as this. Sometimes you must say no for the good of your family. I know you have a backbone; you could’ve used it.”
“I’ve learned to,” Ezra said, keeping Clara’s insight in mind. “In fact, I’m standing up to you now and putting up a boundary. We’re going to live our lives how we see fit. I appreciate the money you left me, but you left it to me. It’s up to me and my wife to decide how to use it, and this is an investment I’m proud of. It’s one that’s going to give us the kind of future we want. It’s already adding happiness to our lives. Everything’s going just as planned, and I couldn’t be more certain that we made the right decision.”
“For now,” his father said. “It brings you happiness and all those warm feelings for now. But you don’t know what’s really here, Ezra. You can’t see the darkness in these walls like I can. I’m afraid you won’t until it’s too late.”
He genuinely looked afraid, and that was most unsettling of all. His father didn’t show emotions often. Ever since his wife died, when he did show an emotion it was always anger or frustration. Fear wasn’t something he’d seen in his father for years now. He’d already faced his greatest fear and turned to stone because of it.
“You’ve awakened something dangerous in this house,” his father warned. “You’ve been messing with things you don’t understand. You’re so careless, so ignorant. Hell, I don’t even fully know what’s going on right now. But I do know you’re in trouble. You and Clara are in danger, and it’s up to you as her husband to keep her safe. It’s up to you to get your family out of this mess.”
“What do you mean?” Ezra asked. He was frantic now. He’d had that sense of danger for the last couple of days. What if his father was right? What if they made a mistake? What if he put Clara in danger?
If his father could come back as a ghost, that meant ghosts had to be real. It meant there could be ghosts living in the house with them. It meant there could be ghosts turning off lights, turning up burners. Watching. Waiting. For what?
“I don’t think I can say it any clearer. Someone’s after you, and you’re locked in this battle now. You shouldn’t have come here in the first place, but I don’t think fleeing will help anymore.
“Arm yourself, be vigilant, keep Clara safe, and don’t trust anyone but her. As disappointed as I am in you, I don’t want to see anything bad happen to you or Clara. I want to think I raised you right
