Page 32 of The Ghost of Ellwood

Though his head was still turned toward the window, his eyes peered at me from the side. “Well, if that’s the case, then you should know I’m very fond of chocolate. Harvey used to sneak me truffles before supper. His mother said it would ruin my appetite, but it never did.”

Not expecting his response, I chuckled. “I’ll keep that in mind. Can ghosts even—er, I mean, can you eat real food?”

“I can eat it, but it’s mostly tasteless on my tongue,” he answered sadly. “The only day of the year when I can enjoy such delights is All Hallows Eve.”

“Halloween?”

He nodded. “It’s when the veil between the spirit world and this one is at its thinnest. For that one day, I can almost believe I’m alive again. I can go anywhere I wish.”

“You can go anywhere? So, unless it’s Halloween, you can’t leave the property, can you?”

“Correct. If I try to cross the barrier, it’s like trying to walk through a wall of glass. I see where I wish to go, but there’s no possible way to get there.”

“Where do you want to go?”

“Anywhere but here, Ben.” Theo sighed and moved a piece on the board. “Checkmate.”

“What?” I looked down in shock. That had only been like seven moves total. Sure enough, my king was in jeopardy no matter where I moved him. “I didn’t even notice. Impressive.”

Theo smiled and began moving the pieces back where they belonged. “Would you like to play another?”

“Hell yeah. I’ll win next time.”

That never happened. Theo kicked my ass three times in a row. It was okay, though. We were able to talk more, and I learned he not only had a sweet tooth, but he loved coffee too. That made two of us.

“For Halloween, I’m taking you out,” I said, as we set the board for a fifth game. “Anywhere you want to go, anything you want to do, we’ll do it.”

“Are you serious?” The hope on his face made my heart grow wings. If I wasn’t careful, the damn thing would fly away.

“I am.” Another question came to mind, though I was more hesitant in asking it. “When I grabbed your hand earlier in the kitchen, I felt you.”

“I felt you too.”

“Is that…normal? I mean, can you always touch? Don’t laugh but I’ve always thought ghosts were more like gas than a solid. Like if I touched you, my hand would go right through you like smoke.”

“I’ve not met other ghosts, so I’m not certain if it’s normal,” he answered, looking down at his hands. He glided his thumb on the inside of his opposite palm. “I can be seen when I want to be seen, and I can touch when I want to touch.” His gaze lifted. “That’s the only answer I can give you.”

“There aren’t any other ghosts here?” I motioned around me.

“No.”

“Carter said five people died on the property.”

“Six, including me.”

Heaviness pushed on my chest. “Um, is that something you’d like to talk about?”

“No.” Theo stood from the table and walked over to the unlit fireplace. He rested an arm on the mantel. “And I would implore you not to ask, Ben.”

“Why?” I moved toward him. “Maybe I can help you.”

“Help me?” Theo’s nostrils flared. “How can you possibly help me, Mr. Cross? I’m a goddamned ghost and there’s nothing either of us can do about it.”

The doorbell rang.

Theo snapped his head toward the entryway and then vanished.

“Ben?” Carter called from outside. “You home?”