Little Lies

Chapter 9: Ghosts Come and Go

It was a hot summer morning when Alice and I looked out the window to see if the grownups were up to anything.

"Alice, everyone's staying inside. Let's do something else."

"No, I want to stay here."

"Why? What's so interesting?"

Alice sighed. "Nothing much."

"It must be an interesting nothing much, 'cause you keep looking at it. Do you want to take a walk in the cemetery?”

"No."

I played with my lower lip. "Really, what's bothering you?"

Alice looked at me, tears filling her eyes.

"Tell me, Alice, what's wrong?"

She pointed to the middle of the garden. "Do you see that glow?"

"I don't see anything."

"You're not looking the right way. You're trying too hard."

I closed my eyes, then opened them again. "That soft light?"

She nodded her head.

"What does it mean?"

"It's time for me to go."

"Go? Where?"

"Heaven."

"Why do you have to leave?" Alice blurred through my tears.

"I finished what I had to do." Her lips trembled.

"But you're my only friend! You can't leave me here alone!"

"And you're my best only friend." Alice cried, too.

Aunt Fran walked into my room. "What's wrong with you two?"

"Alice has to leave now."

Tears rolled down Aunt Fran's cheeks. "My goodness. I didn't expect this to happen."

"Can we go to the garden with you and say goodbye?" I asked.

Alice nodded.

Aunt Fran and I walked on either side of Alice as she floated between us.

"So, this is it," Aunt Fran said, looking at the glowing light.

Alice smiled at me. "I love you, Clara." She looked up into Aunt Fran's eyes, and said, "I love you."

"I love you too, Alice," Aunt Fran said.

Alice walked into the light. The light disappeared.

Aunt Fran pulled out a hanky, wiped the tears from her cheeks, and blew her nose. "Clara, can I tell you a story?"

I nodded.

"Good. Take a walk with me." She held out her hand, and we walked to the cemetery.

"I've never been to this part before." I looked around. "It looks…worn out."

"This is the original cemetery. Phil's family gave this land to the town a century or so ago." She led me to a mausoleum and opened the door with a skeleton key. We walked inside.

"At least it's cool in here," I said.

"Several years before your mama and papa met each other, Uncle Phil and I got married. We loved each other very much. And we had a child. But when she was about your age, she got sick." Aunt Fran clenched her hands into fists, then released them. "And she died."

"What was her name?"

"Go look." She pointed to a little nook that housed an ornate urn. I read the inscription.

"Alice? My Alice?"

Aunt Fran nodded. "I always thought you two could have been best friends. And you were, weren't you?"

I sighed. "We were. The best friends ever." I returned to Aunt Fran and laid my head on her shoulder. "Tell me about your ghosts, Aunt Fran."

She smiled a sad smile. "I met my first ghost, Katherine, when your mama and I were about five years old. We moved from the country into a house in town."

"I don't remember that house," I said.

"Jo and I sold it before you were born." Aunt Fran closed her eyes. "I loved that house. And so did Katherine. She was there long before we moved in.”"

"Could Mama see Katherine?"

"Your mama and I aren't like most identical twins. We look the same, but that's about as far as it goes with us. So no, I don't think she could see ghosts."

"How long did Katherine stay with you?"

Aunt Fran shook her head. "I thought she was going to stay with me forever."

I wiped a tear from the corner of my eye. "That's what I thought about Alice. What happened to Katherine?"

"What happened was my fault. I accidentally told Jo about Katherine. And she couldn't wait to tell mom. Mom was very upset, and she invited a medium to come over."

"What's a medium?"

"Someone who could communicate with ghosts. This medium was as round as the crystal ball she carried in her leather bag. And you would have laughed to see how she was dressed, in purple velvet and a couple of lace shawls. The woman wore at least three rings on each finger, and about four long necklaces. She had two silver hoops in each ear, and a diamond in her nose. Jo thought she escaped from our mom's jewelry box."

I giggled.

"What I didn't understand was that she specialized in getting rid of ghosts. She waved her hands around and chanted some strange words. Suddenly, Katherine was sucked into a glowing light, and she disappeared, just like that. I never saw her again."

I covered my mouth with my hands

.

Aunt Fran's eyes misted over. "I screamed and ran out of the house. I ran until I couldn't breathe. The only person I could run to was my grandma. She lived far away, but I didn't care. People gave me rides, or I walked, or I ran. Somehow I made it to her house."

I held my breath.

"My grandma was surprised when she opened the door and found me there."

"Did she take you back home?"

"No."

"No?"

"Not right away. She wasn't happy when she found out mom got rid of Katherine. You have to understand, my grandma could see ghosts, too. So, when my parents came over, she hid me in the closet under the stairs."

"Did you ever go back home?"

"Eventually. With a new ghost friend, Camilla, that my grandma found for me. A friend I never told my family about. But Camilla wasn't as nice as Katherine. When she threw temper tantrums, which was often, she broke dishes, emptied drawers, blew out electrical circuits, and opened locked doors and windows. She even locked Jo out in the rain a couple of times."

"I like Camilla."

"My family didn't. So, I left her with them when I married Uncle Phil."

I laughed.

"And my grandma sent that medium a family of ghosts. They weren't very nice, either. I heard that medium left town."