My Little Haunting chapter 4 by Emerson Van Wie

Chapter 4 - 

Seth visited the cemetery at noon because he had heard that ghosts were weaker in sunlight.

He did not remember where he had heard this, it might have been a book, a film, or something a stranger had told him. He had begun collecting facts about the dead without checking whether they were facts at all.

The cemetery, however, was disappointingly ordinary.

Children ran along the path between the headstones. A groundskeeper pushed a mower through the grass. Somewhere beyond the wall, a dog barked.

His wife's grave was beneath a young tree.

The inscription was simple. Her name, “Asmi”, the dates of her life and death, and a sentence she had chosen years earlier, back when she had been asked what she wanted people to remember her for.

There was always something worth seeing.

He stood over it for several minutes.

“You could have chosen something more serious,” he said.

He could almost hear an answer. She had never liked the idea that death required people to become solemn.

He placed a bunch of flowers against the stone.

The wind lifted one of the petals, he looked around, nothing moved except the branches.

The groundskeeper of the cemetery approached a little slowly, Seth didn’t notice.

“Come here often?” the groundskeeper had said, definitely as a joke, but Seth was visually disturbed by this. 

“More often than I’d like to these days.” Before the groundskeeper could either respond with another quip or leave to do his job, Seth quickly interrupted the brief silence “Do you believe in ghosts?” 

The groundskeeper furrowed his brow, but at least seemed pretty amused. “Well that’s a complicated question.” He took a seat on a nearby bench and pondered for a bit. “I don’t think ghosts are real, no. At least, I like to think so, helps me sleep at night.” 

Seth looked around for something he couldn’t see. He checked around both shoulders a few times before speaking again. “Well, I think my wife, ex-wife.. Um, deceased, wife, might be watching me, pestering me.” 

The graveskeeper laughed, but then saw he must’ve been serious. “Oh, well I’m around these headstones eight hours a day and I can safely say none of them followed me home.” 

“But have you done anything that would..make them, follow you home?” His eyes couldn’t stay still. He must’ve been so afraid. 

“Can’t say I have.” he seemed much more serious. 

Seth returned to his car in a hurry. In the passenger seat lay the amulet..He was certain he had left it at home. He spoke to himself. “I need to go somewhere she might like. Maybe she’ll find something she needs and..” 

He picked the amulet back up and held it against the sunlight. The inscription remained almost illegible.He put it in the glove compartment and drove away in a hurry.

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check out more creativity by Emerson at @evwphotos