Why Ghosts Haunt

by Wayne Mansfield

  He spun around with his arms out, laughing gleefully.

  Seeing Ellis so happy made Charlie happy. So happy that he stopped Ellis mid-spin and hugged him tight. “I love you so much, you handsome bugger.”

  They kissed, more passionately than they had in long time. Charlie squeezed Ellis’s buttocks, then ran his hands up his lover’s back, hugging him ever closer as their lips and tongues produced a kiss that neither would forget in a long time.

  “Ah! You boys are up,” came a voice from the hallway.

  Wide-eyed, Charlie and Ellis turned in unison to stare at the old lady, who was looking directly at them.

  “You can see us?” asked Ellis.

  She laughed. “Of course, I can see you. I may be old, but I’m not blind.”

  Chapter 5

  Charlie and Ellis looked at each other in stunned disbelief.

  “How is it possible?” asked Ellis. “No one else has ever been able to see us.”

  The old lady walked into the lounge room and sat in a large, well-stuffed armchair.

  “Please, have a seat,” she said, indicating the couch next to her. “I mean, this is your house, too.”

  Ellis sat nearest the woman and Charlie took his place beside him.

  “First of all, I think introductions are in order. My name’s Faye Morgan. I moved in about two months ago.”

  “I’m Ellis Parker and this is my partner, Charlie Thorne.”

  Grace smiled warmly. “And what a lovely couple you make. Do you realise that you’re part of the reason I bought this house? When I saw you sleeping upstairs on that well-used double bed, I thought how sweet you looked, lying side by side. I also thought how wonderful it would be to have not one, but two men around the house. It’s been many years since my husband passed on. His name was Charlie, too.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” said Charlie. “Were you able to communicate with him after he…passed on?”

  Faye shook her head. “Sadly not. He crossed over almost immediately. I felt it when he left. I wasn’t sad. We’d had a good life together.”

  “So how are you able to see us?” asked Ellis again, slightly more insistently.

  Faye laughed. “I’m a psychic medium. Have been all my life. As far as I know, I was born with it. My grandmother had the same gift, although it skipped my own mother. She was glad, I can tell you. Though her having a mother with psychic powers meant she was more understanding when I started exhibiting them.”

  “Can you see other ghosts?” asked Charlie. “Apart from us?”

  “I don’t call them ghosts. I call them spirits, as in people in spirit. And yes, I see them all the time. I try not to engage. It takes too much out of me.”

  “You say your husband crossed over straight away,” said Ellis. “Why haven’t we?”

  “Good question,” said Charlie. “You see, Faye, at the beginning we thought it was wonderful. We got to do everything we used to do and not have any of the hassles, like going to work. And paying bills.”

  “Then it got a bit boring,” said Ellis.

  “We found we couldn’t leave the property.”

  “Yes,” said Ellis. “Why is that?”

  Faye held up her hands for them to stop. “Fellas. Fellas. One question at a time. First question first. Most people remain on this plane if they have unfinished business, or if they died in a traumatic way. Some don’t even realise they’re dead and go about their daily life as if nothing has happened.”

  “What?” Ellis wore an incredulous expression. “How can they not know? We were a bit bewildered at the beginning, but it didn’t take us long to work it out.”

  Faye cocked her head. “I don’t know why. All I know is that it’s quite a shock when I tell them. I have to be very careful about how I do it.”

  “How do we cross over then?” asked Ellis.

  “And what do we cross over to?” added Charlie, resting a hand on Ellis’s thigh.

  “The first question is easy to answer,” said Faye. “You just need to find out what’s keeping you here and resolve it. I can help you if you want me to.” Both men nodded. “As for the second question. Let me put it this way. The soul is on a journey. It’s a seeker of knowledge. Not the type of knowledge in history books, necessarily, but knowledge of the self and of the whole. Knowledge of life and our part in the scheme of things. Those who haven’t yet learned all they need to learn, reincarnate. They choose a life that will teach them those things they need to learn.

  “Many people can’t believe that life is a choice. I hear a lot of folks ask why, if they have the ability to choose when and where they return on this plane, they didn’t choose wealthy parents.” Her smile widened momentarily. “First of all, wealthy people have problems, too. Secondly, the lessons they need to learn may not be available to learn in an existence of wealth and privilege.

  “And so, when you learn all that you are here to learn, you ascend. You become a being of light and love.”

  “An angel?” asked Ellis.

  “Something like that.”

  Charlie had been so intrigued by their conversation, he hadn’t realised the storm had arrived. It wasn’t a big storm, mainly wind and rain. The odd bit of lightning. But he’d been listening and he’d been thinking. He’d been wondering how other people in spirit faired if they lived in an area that didn’t have as much electrical activity as their part of the country. He wanted to ask Faye about this, about why they were only active when there were storms about, but despite her friendly smile, she was looking a little tired and he decided to leave the question for another day.

  * * * *

  When Faye retired to her room later that night—the spare bedroom across the hall from the master bedroom—Charlie and Ellis sat on the couch. Charlie turned to Ellis and kissed him.

  “Happy birthday, my darling.”

  Ellis smiled. “How do you know it’s my birthday? I don’t even know when my birthday is anymore.”

  Charlie shrugged. “I don’t, but you haven’t celebrated one in such a long time, I reckon you’re owed a birthday.” He kissed Ellis again. “And I have something wonderful for you.”

  He cupped Ellis’s face with his hands, then closed his eyes. He thought about their first holiday together, in Phuket, Thailand, knowing the images would be transmitted to Ellis. He thought about the elephant ride through the jungle, the delicious, spicy food, and the feel of the warm sun on their naked, tanned flesh. He thought about the beach they had frequented and the time they’d found a little grotto. They’d gone skinny dipping and had made love on a rock with the waves gently crashing about them. He thought about the romantic walks along the beach in the evenings, and the cool breeze that blew in from the ocean and cooled their hot and sweaty bodies. He thought of the time he’d placed a hibiscus flower behind Ellis’s ear and took a photo of it for their Facebook page.

  When he opened his eyes again, Ellis was weeping. There were no actual tears, though neither was there any denying he was indeed weeping.

  “Thank you, darling,” he said softly before kissing Charlie.

  “I love you so much. I want you to know that.”

  Ellis nodded. “I do know that. And I love you, too.”

  They held each other in silence for a long while, content to be together with no need for words. Charlie knew there was going to be a difficult decision to make sooner or later, about crossing over, and so he wanted to make the most of his time with Ellis. For while crossing over meant a new beginning, it was still unknown territory. Without Faye ever having said so, he knew it would mean leaving Ellis. They would never see each other again. At least as themselves. The thought terrified Charlie, and made him more miserable than he’d ever been in his life. Or death.

  * * * *

  The storm had been brief. It had come and gone in the space of a few hours. It had been all show and no punch, dissipating and leaving Charlie and Ellis listless and weak in its wake. As usual, they went to bed together. This time, Charlie he
ld Ellis’s hand.

  * * * *

  When they woke, a more considerable storm raged outside. In fact, Charlie had a feeling it had been the thunder that had roused him.

  They dressed and went downstairs to find Faye sitting at the kitchen table with her laptop.

  “Ah, my two favourite men,” she said, her face beaming with delight. “I knew the storm would draw you out.”

  Charlie and Ellis each kissed her on the cheek before sitting at the table on either side of her.

  “I have some news.” She turned the laptop around to show them what she’d been reading. It was a newspaper article. “It’s about you, Charlie. About your escape from prison. I’ll let you read it for yourselves.”

  Charlie wasn’t sure he wanted to be reminded of the day he’d lost his life. And the life of his soulmate. But both Ellis and Faye looked at him, waiting, and he felt compelled to see what the article said.

  The article mentioned his escape and the ensuing chase. It talked about the shooting. “A tragic accident that shouldn’t have happened.” Then it went on to talk about how Charlie had been exonerated of the crime, and his needless death. An overwhelming sense of sadness gripped Charlie as he learned, had he waited only a week longer, he would have been found innocent and freed. None of what had followed would have happened.

  He shook his head in disbelief.

  Finally, the article mentioned he had been given a full pardon, and his family—his mother, father, and brother—had been given a formal apology and eight hundred thousand dollars compensation.

  Having finished the article, Charlie rested his head in his hands. He heard Ellis get up and walk to where he sat, felt him rubbing his back, doing his best to comfort him.

  “Such a waste,” he said, shaking his head again.

  Nobody said anything. What could they say? There was no coming back from the dead. And the money, no matter what the amount, could never relieve the grief his family must have gone through, and probably still were.

  “I suppose,” he said at last, raising his head, “I should be grateful my name has been cleared.”

  Faye placed her hand on his. “More than that, I think the obstacle to your crossing over has been removed.”

  Charlie nodded. “And Ellis?”

  “The strong bond you share is what has been keeping him here. He didn’t want to leave you here alone. This article has released you both.”

  “What happens now?” asked Charlie.

  “Now, you have some decisions to make.”

  “Do we have to move on?” asked Ellis.

  Faye’s smile grew, wrinkling the flesh around her kind, blue eyes. “No, you don’t have to move on. And as far as little ol’ me is concerned, you’re more than welcome to stay for as long as you want. I’m just thrilled to have you around.”

  Charlie got up from the table. “Do you mind if Ellis and I go outside?”

  Faye shook her head. “Of course not. You don’t have to ask me for permission to do anything. But it’s pretty wet and wild out there. Be careful.”

  “We will,” said Charlie.

  On the porch, only somewhat protected from the weather, Charlie took one of Ellis’s hands in his. At first they simply looked into each other’s eyes and smiled lovingly.

  “What do you want to do?” asked Charlie at last.

  “Ever since we had that first conversation with Faye, I’ve been thinking about what I want to do. Do we cross over, whatever that means? And to where? We don’t know what lies on the other side. I mean, Faye has told us what she thinks, but how can she know for sure?”

  “She’s a psychic medium. If anyone knows, she’d know. I mean she talks to the dead, doesn’t she?”

  “But has she ever talked to someone who’s crossed over? She hasn’t said she has. That worries me a bit. And if there’s no good reason to cross over, then why do it? We have everything we need here. And I have you—the most important thing I’ve ever had.”

  Charlie pulled Ellis to him, wrapping his arms around him. “And you’re the most important thing in my life.” He kissed Ellis lovingly, kisses that created lingering tingles. “I don’t want to live without you.” He paused. “Or even be dead without you.”

  They both chuckled.

  “Old habits die hard,” he said.

  “But ‘I don’t want to die without you’ just doesn’t have the same romantic ring to it.”

  “There’s our decision then. We won’t go. We’ll stay here. Besides, I have a feeling Faye has a lot more to teach us.”

  Ellis agreed. “She’s a very interesting woman.”

  “We’ll stay until it’s time to leave.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I think we’ll know when it’s time. One day we’ll look at one another and we’ll know. Take my word for it.”

  After more kisses, Charlie and Ellis returned to the kitchen where Faye was, once again, reading something on her laptop.

  “You two look rather pleased with yourselves.”

  “Relieved, more like it,” said Ellis.

  “We’ve decided to stay,” said Charlie. “At least for now.”

  Faye clapped her hands. “Wonderful.” She got up and drew Charlie and Ellis together for a group hug. “I’d open a bottle of champagne, only I don’t have one and you two wouldn’t be able to drink it if I did.”

  They laughed together.

  “And neither of us like champagne, anyway,” added Ellis.

  “Okay, we’ll forget about the champers then. I have some more news for you. I think you’ll find that, now you’ve resolved the issue keeping you here, you’ll notice some changes.” She returned to her seat and invited Charlie and Ellis to join her, which they did. “The first thing I know for sure is that you’ll be able to move further afield from now on. The problem you had was keeping you bound to the house, particularly since you also died here. That’s why you weren’t able to go more than a couple of metres from the property.”

  “Could this day get any better?” asked Charlie, reaching across the table to take Ellis’s hand in his.

  “Yes, it could,” said Faye. “Secondly, and this one I’m less sure about, you may be able to move about more freely whether there are storms or not.”

  “Why are we reliant on storms?” asked Ellis, interrupting.

  “The electricity recharges you, or rather, you draw your energy from the electricity produced in a storm. I guess that’s why a lot of horror stories begin with the words ‘It was a dark and stormy night.’ There’s a reason for that.”

  “And what has changed?” asked Charlie. “Surely, a problem being resolved doesn’t solve the energy question.”

  Faye nodded her head from side to side, indicating that the statement wasn’t entirely incorrect.

  “Yes and no. The best way I can explain it is that, before the problem was resolved, you were…incomplete. You weren’t functioning to your full potential and were therefore confined to the house and unable to draw on the natural electricity in the earth or even the electricity in the house, which I realise had been disconnected. It wouldn’t have made a difference anyway.”

  “So we’re pretty much free to go where we want, when we want?”

  Faye nodded. “As far as I know. I’m by no means an expert. But there’s only one way to find out—try it and see. Go for a walk. Take a look around the neighbourhood. It must have changed a little since you last saw it.”

  Charlie couldn’t wipe the smile from his face. “I’m glad we didn’t decide to cross over.” He squeezed Ellis’s hand. “We have so much to look forward to, I can hardly believe it’s true.”

  “Hey, don’t take my word for it,” said Faye, her warm, kind smile firmly in place. “Go for a walk. Go on. Get out of here.”

  Charlie and Ellis left the kitchen and walked to the front door, then went out onto the porch. It was wet and cold and windy, but the day couldn’t have been more wonderful in Charlie’s eyes. Together, they headed down the steps
and onto the garden path.

  “Are you ready?” asked Charlie.

  “Of course, I’m ready. What are we waiting for?”

  They confidently took the first few steps along the footpath, then slowed as they reached the edge of their property. They looked at each other and continued, waiting for the barrier that was no longer there. They successfully passed Number 38, Number 36, and Number 34. They came to Stewart Lane and turned into it, Charlie grinning like the Cheshire cat. They continued walking, undeterred by the wind and rain that passed through them, chilling them and sapping their energy slightly. None of that mattered, for now they knew their decision to stay had been the right one. Had they crossed over, they’d have missed out on so much, and never have known it was even possible.

  “Isn’t this fantastic?” shouted Ellis above the howling wind and driving rain.

  “It is.”

  “And you know what the best part is?”

  “What?”

  “Whenever we get bored, we’ll be able to haunt the neighbours.”

  They burst out laughing, then hugged each other, kissing as the rain pelted them.

  THE END

  ABOUT WAYNE MANSFIELD

  Wayne Mansfield is a Western Australian writer. He has been writing for nine years and has been published in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Additionally, he wrote a monthly erotic story for the German publications Macho and Dreamboys for two years. His novellas and stories usually have a horror, futuristic, or fantasy theme, although he does write contemporary stories such as The Hiding Place, which received Honorable Mention in the 2013 Rainbow Awards.

  For more information, visit mansfield82.wix.com/wayne-mansfield-.

  ABOUT JMS BOOKS LLC

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