Total pages in book: 55
Estimated words: 52976 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 265(@200wpm)___ 212(@250wpm)___ 177(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 52976 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 265(@200wpm)___ 212(@250wpm)___ 177(@300wpm)
Until this week, I thought West was some kind of special anomaly. But there are countless of restless dead who haven’t found their way to wherever the dead go. They’re stumbling around like I just was, wandering the halls aimlessly, looking for the damned bathroom.
Maybe, like me, they just got lost on the way and ended up in a dark, empty boardroom filled with stacks of chairs and empty tables. Their only company is their thoughts, their unanswered questions, their curiosities.
Their regrets.
“Well, that’s one way to ruin Halloween.”
I turn at the unique sound of Mrs. Shaheen’s voice, who stands at the doorway. “So you found me.”
With a playful click of her tongue, she enters the room and slowly saunters through the dark. “It smells a bit like sage in here.”
“Does it?”
“Or a dead rodent.” She stops halfway and leans on her cane, observing me with a little distance. “I wonder if you could use a friend right about now.” She tilts her head. “A real one. A person with whom you can spill any thought. Even a terrible one.”
“A terrible one …?”
“Sure, sure, terrible, horrible … guilty.” She purses her lips as she studies me through the semidarkness. “If you have any questions. Reactions. Resentments. Fears. I realize, all things considered with your husband and his peculiar pair of fathers, I may be the only person on Earth with whom you can share your absolute truths.”
I look away, casting my gaze back out the window.
“I … may not be able to answer the real questions,” she admits with a sigh. “Such as whether your ghost pal is okay. Whether you’ll ever see him again. Whether the hotel restaurant serves lobster bisque after midnight for newlyweds.” She joins me by the window. “But of these concerns, I can assure you of one thing with the whole of my heart.” She leans in. “West is likely just fine.”
I glance at her.
She nods. “I think if there’s anything we know, a ghost hates unfinished business. It’s why they linger in this world like loitering concertgoers at a sold-out show. Maybe I don’t know much firsthand, but …” She clicks her tongue and shrugs. “I don’t suspect you’ve seen the last of your friend.”
I turn back to the window. “I don’t know.”
“Don’t know …?”
“It seemed pretty ‘final’ to me. It was this bright, angry tunnel of light. It felt like it was eating us alive. I felt Westley’s anguish as the soul was ripped out of him and given back to me. Every bit of connection I had with him, it felt severed in that moment.” I shake my head. “Somehow, I just know I’ll never see him again. Whatever Byron’s dads did, they sent Westley away. I wish they’d just given me a little more time.” I frown. “Assuming I had a little more to give.”
Mrs. Shaheen places a hand on my shoulder, which startles me. She gives it a squeeze. “Don’t judge your husband’s fathers too harshly. After some thought, I … find I actually agree with what they did.”
I lift my eyebrows in surprise. “Really?”
“There comes a time when even compassion goes too far, and you must remember that we are all merely fragile mortal beings on a vicious, bloodsucking planet. Your soul didn’t belong with Westley any more than he belonged here, trapped in apartment 313.” She touches my cheek suddenly. “You’re so much more than I first expected that fateful day you showed up on my stoop. You’re not just courageous. You’re also kind.” Her eyes wander. “A bit foolish, maybe. Reckless, most certainly. But kind.” Her eyes snap to mine. “And I challenge you to remember that. Courage and kindness is all you need. Maybe even just a pinch of both. They can quash out the worst of evils.” She drops her hand. “I think while this sentimental mood arrests me so, I may give my brother Haasim a call. Time to put an end to our thirteen-year silence. Maybe I’ll start with a whisper and ask if he still adores Halloween as much as I do.”
With that, Mrs. Shaheen quietly sees herself out of the room, leaving the door open behind her, almost like an invitation. I smile after her, touched by her words.
Courage and kindness. Just a pinch of both.
Maybe there’s something to that, after all.
The night is nothing short of fucking magical. My talk with Mrs. Shaheen lifts my mood to new heights, and at once, I feel like I can let go of just about all of my doubts. I am gracious to Douglas and Mortimer, my heart opening to them like it couldn’t before. Mom and Dad keep me laughing as they venture onto the dance floor and make happy fools of themselves. Byron and I even join the costumed masses as we get down, shake our asses, and laugh until there are tears in our eyes.