“TALES OF GHOSTS”
about Love and Death from the Land of Mists
a collection of short stories
in the “Playing Another Reality” series
"LOVE ME NOW!"
0. A GUEST
It was raining cats and dogs outside. A girl in a dark cloak with a huge hood was standing at the door to my neighbor’s flat. Her long black curls hid her profile from me.
“He won’t open the door for you,” I said.
The girl shuddered and turned around. She was beautiful. In particular, I remembered the black-night eyes that stood out against her snow-white skin.
“My neighbor died yesterday,” I continued. “Poor old man… You must be his granddaughter! He said he had been waiting for his granddaughter. What a pity you’re late! He loved you very much, he was proud of and constantly talking about you. You know, it’s important for old people to feel that someone needs them…”
The girl sighed, but said nothing in response.
“Come to my place, you’ve got wet,” I suggested, and she followed me into the kitchen.
“No, thank you,” the girl refused my tea, “I’ll just warm up a bit and then I’ll go…”
“What’s your name? Do you have someone else here, besides grandfather?”
“No, I don’t have anyone,” she sighed sadly, “even friends.”
“You are so young and beautiful! You still have a lot ahead of you! The main thing is not to make enemies!”
“Enemies…” my interlocutor said thoughtfully. “I’m not as young as you think. You can’t imagine how tired I am of my life! I work seven days a week, not a minute to rest. Here, for once, I allowed myself to come to you, but then… People make up stories about me, they try in every possible way to avoid me, bypassing, while I’m not at all what they think of me…”
“What do you do?”
“I help people. However, Good in this world is often mistaken for Evil, so I am doomed to human hatred. If they only knew how much I envy them!”
“Why?”
“At least because their life is varied and interesting, it’s tasty, you know! They can feel it with every fiber of their souls and enjoy earthly pleasures to the fullest! I can’t do that. I’m not fit… There’s no person on Earth who is so lonely! I’m tired of life. I feel like a restless ghost who can’t die.”
“Listen to me, my dear! We often curse life and wish we were dead. But when Death suddenly appears on our doorstep, we realize that life is short, and it must be appreciated, because sooner or later Death will surely come for you too…”
“For me?” the girl asked thoughtfully.
The dog began howling in the flat of the deceased neighbor.
“Poor dog!” I sighed. “His devoted friend!”
“I have to go!” my guest exclaimed and got up. “I’m already late!”
“Where are you going now?” I wondered, following her to the corridor.
The girl looked at the door of the neighbor’s flat.
“I was there yesterday,” she whispered, “but I forgot to take with me his devoted friend…”
September 30, 1997