Chapter 2 - Summer of 2019

Ohh, time jump. Really got em with that one.

The kitchen window was usually left open just a crack, so that Lucien could be let in and out as he pleased. Marco was asleep in the living room when the ghost swept by, early in the morning. Even in death, Lucien was a clumsy fellow. When he tripped over the cable to a box fan wedged in the window, it came clamoring to the floor, creating enough noise to awaken the man, sound asleep.

“Goodness gracious, what time is it?” grogged Marco as he arose from his “nap”. 

“About fifteen after.”

”Fifteen after what?”

”Seven.”

”Really?” Marco rubbed his face and glanced at the clock. “I told myself I would only doze for an hour or two yesterday evening.”

”I thought about waking you up, but you looked so peaceful. I had to leave you be.” Lucien tugged hard at the curtains and managed to move them a few inches, just enough to let a sliver of golden rays through. 

“Dude I’m starving,” Marco noted while he started the coffee machine up. “I definitely never ate dinner yesterday.”

”It’s a shame you didn’t wake up for that phone call you got an hour ago.”

”It always suprises me when you know what a phone call is. Didn’t you die like, a billion years ago?”

”It’s only been a few hundred years, and considering other advancements that technology has made, it isn’t surprising that long-distance communication like that have evolved. Anyway, you missed the ringing.”

”Yeah, I’ve always been a heavy sleeper. Who was it, Lexi?”

”No. It was a number I couldn’t recognize. Though it did appear to be from this area.”

”Likely a scam caller. They try to fool you into giving them money or personal information. Gotta be wary about that kind of thing,” Marco warned. As he let the water for his oatmeal boil, he checked his phone, just to be certain. To his surprise, he found a voicemail waiting for him. 

There were several seconds of background noise, then the caller began to speak. “Um, hello. Sorry to bug you at such an hour.” The voice sounded to be very young, and likely female. “But yeah. Hi. It’s been a minute. I was just wondering if, because you’re always saying how I can come by to visit whenever. I was hoping that I could now. Like, today maybe. If not, it’s cool. But yeah, um. Mom is kinda mad at me right now. So if I could stay ‘round yours for a while. That would be… ideal.” There was a moment more of background noise. “If you couldn’t tell, I’m not that good at calls and stuff. But yeah. Thanks. Uh, bye.”

Hudson and Lucien leaned over either of Marco’s shoulders. 

“Who on earth was that?” Lucien asked.

“Yikes, she talks just like you,”

”Oh her? That’s my daughter Juniper.”

The ghosts stared blankly at Marco. 

“No wonder you sound alike. Since when have you had a kid?” Quizzed Hudson. 

Just then, a third ghost emerged from the void: Clive. Today, he was clad in a loud buttonup, Mardi Gras beads in an assortment of colors, and very shiny pants that looked uncomfortable to wear. He and Lucien walked into Marco’s life around the same time several months ago, which was ironic because they were complete opposites. Lucien dressed in a modest cloak that well reflected his reserved nature. Clive had a lot of opinions.

“Well?” He prompted. “What’s the hold-up? Call her back.”

“I need to plan it out first, cause if I just started talking, I would surely say something regrettable.”

“Very true.” Hudson nodded.

Marco glared, then he said, “I would start with something like “hi, I’m glad you reached out. Of course you can come by, that’s why I offer.” How’s that?” 

“Ehh.” Clive tilted his head. ”It’s a little formal,  don’t you think?”

“It could use just a bit of polish,” said Lucien.

“A lot of polish,” Clive corrected. 

“I can’t think before I’ve had something to eat. I’ll make breakfast and call her back in a minute.”

“Maybe calling isn’t her preferred method of communication,” Lucien pointed out. “She seemed awfully uncomfortable.”

“That is an issue for me in fifteen minutes,”

“I understand.” Lucien tapped his fingers on the table. “I’m just saying, she might prefer SMS.”

”In a minute,” grumbled Marco while he ate. 

The three ghosts all drifted away. They had a tendency to do that when nothing interesting was happening. There was only so much a cloud of water vapor could do in this mortal realm anyway. Some ghosts were better at doing things than others. It was a skill. 

As Marco was getting himself ready for the day, the doorbell sounded. It suddenly occurred to the man that he never did call Juniper back. Lo and behold, standing on his porch was a girl with a bag slung around her chest, arms crossed. 

“Sup,” she said. 

“Uh, hey. You can come in if you want. Are you alright?”

”Yeah,” she said. 

“It’s cool what you’ve done with your hair. I like it.” 

Juniper had two symmetrical raccoon tails that framed her thick, swoopy bangs. The back of her head was short, with chunks of faded dye.

”Thanks,” she said. 

While Marco continued getting ready for work, Juniper sat at the kitchen table. She appeared to be deep in thought, or maybe spaced out completely. 

“Have you eaten anything yet today?”

”Yup.”

”Well if you are ever hungry, anything is fair game. When does school start for you guys?”

”August.”

“Alright, good to know. If you leave the house, just drop me a note of where you’ve gone.” Marco pointed to a stack of post-its. 

“Shouldn’t the house be locked though?”

“Not really an issue.” Marco shrugged. “There isn’t a ton of crime going on around here. How did you get here anyway?”

“Bus.”

”Gotcha.”

”I also walked for a while. I walk a lot. It’s a shame that most rural cities are so spread out. Can’t do anything without a ride there,” she grumbled. 

“Yeah, I feel that. I don’t have car, so getting around can be an issue sometimes.”

”Darn. Why not?”

Marco shrugged. “Expensive. I can take the bus around anyway, and I carpool to work with my girlfriend.”

“What do you do for work again?” 

“Sound engineer for the local radio company.”

”Ok nerd. What does that even entail?”

”I do a variety of things, but most of the time, in some way shape or form, I’m making sure that sound comes out clearly. In the fall, you’ll be going into seventh grade?” Marco asked unsurely 

”Yup.”

“Do you enjoy school?”

”Sure, it’s alright. I’m really only there for my friends, but learning stuff is cool too I guess. It’s all just very boring and easy.”

”Hm. Well that’s a good problem to have, isn’t it? You could probably ask for harder classes.”

”Yeah, but then I wouldn’t be with my friends.”

”I’m just saying, you could.”

Juniper crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair.

“I’ve gotta take off soon,” Marco said while putting on his coat. “See ya ‘round.”

”‘Kay, bye.”

Juniper’s eyes explored the room. It was boring. There was a droopy yellow plant that lived on the center of the table, clearly overwatered. A large fan lay motionless on the ground. The room hosted an odd collection of scents, like cinnamon, cats, and a hint of mildew that likely went along with the splotches of water damage on the ceiling. There was absolutely nothing to do inside, so Juniper figured that if she would have to be bored all day, she might as well be bored outside. She jotted a quick note on the table for her father, and left the house to go wander around. 

Reviews

[RomaJ]

I enjoyed this chapter -- it blends the unusual with the everyday in such a natural, funny way. Lucien’s clumsiness made me laugh -- for any normal person it’d look like poltergeist activity, but he’s just as clumsy in death as he was in life!

I also love how the ghosts seem drawn to Marco out of sheer curiosity -- like nosy spirits who enjoy being around someone who can actually see them.

The introduction of Juniper was a bit confusing at first, since the time jump came suddenly, but it does make me curious to see how everything connects.

[Carrie]

Confusing. You moved into your new house and meet a ghost. Now months later, their are 3 ghosts and a daughter.

[LH Weiss]

Sorry, I guess in my head it makes more sense. The story jumps between two different time periods. I guess i should make better indication of that within the story and not just in the title of each chapter. Thanks for letting me know.

[Carrie]

The first chapter is a good start. But you left out finding a job?