Family Home

This was originally for a flash fiction contest so no more than 600 words this is 570. 

Alicia Bennett liked being a ghost the majority of the time. She never aged, and she got to see the tiny town of Blackburn go through so many changes. She did hate that she never got to go dancing and often wondered what it would be like to haunt a dance hall forever dressed in a fancy ballroom dress getting twirled around by a tall handsome stranger. She hated always being alone in the drafty old house. And although she never told the other spirits that she met occasionally, the lucky ones that got to walk around outside, she sometimes missed the sun's warmth on her cheek and the smell of flowers that she used to keep in her yard. Everything changed though when the Olsens moved into her home.

Mrs. Olsen was pregnant and Alicia could see that her and Mr. Olsen were very young and very much in love. She promised herself that she would help them and make her home their home. She cringed when the agent told them about her suicide. She knew for sure that the agent's story would scare them away and ruin all her plans. she almost clapped her hands in glee when the Olsens came back after a few minutes of talking time to take the house.

The Olsens came back the very next day and began working on the house. They painted the rooms, fixed the doors and cleaned the attic. They set mouse traps and cut the lawn. They fixed that annoying faucet and the insulation so the house was cozy and warm for the upcoming winter. Alicia helped the best she could; she held boards down so Mr. Olsen, Jay, could saw them and then she helped put them in just the right spot; she helped Mrs. Olsen, Amy, paint and decorate the nursery putting the letters in order for the baby's name and a beautiful poem above the crib. The Olsens occasionally talked about how things were working perfectly almost like the had an extra pair of hands; Alicia listened and laughed quietly.

When the finally brought little Eva home, Alicia fell in love with the pudgy little girl. She felt like she finally had a family and knew what love and happiness meant. She would stare for hours at this precious gift and occasionally Eva would make eye contact with her then gurgle and coo seeming to Alicia that Eva loved her as much as she loved that precious green eyed babe. She felt bad for Jay and Amy though the baby cried all through the night and her two friends never seemed to get any sleep.

One night she decided to help out and turned off the baby monitor and every time little Eva cried she would hold her, rocking and singing her back to sleep. She was doing exactly that when she heard the scream. She turned holding little Eva close to her bosom and saw Amy in the doorway.

“Get away from my daughter!” the crazed woman screamed.

Alicia was heartbroken and Amy grabbed the child from her limp grip. That night they left. Movers came and got the furniture. Leaving Alicia all alone again.

The other ghosts laughed about how she must have really scared them and clapped her congratulatory on the back. She smiled thinly and nodded and never told them that she wished ghosts could still cry.