Morning Ghosts

I looked out my kitchen window this morning and saw a huge blob high up in one of the oak trees. It was a turkey sitting high above her cohorts who picked at grass on the ground below. The tree turkey might have spent the night in the tree, but I don’t know for sure. The only visitors I saw were coyotes and raccoons. And that is it for the Wednesday wildlife report.

Along the back of the fence I could see the Ghost Mary walking along, wearing a rust colored mini shirt, a cropped white cardigan, brown work boots, with her hair tucked under a white fuzzy knit hat with a big rust colored pom pom on top. She laughed, and pranced like a gymnast on a balance beam, counting the turkeys who walked along below her.

Then Nigel, the Ghost, appeared and held out a hand to help her down. Since I mentioned what she was wearing, I’ll have to mention Nigel. He’d switched out his usual black suit and hand painted tie for jeans and one of those knitted fisherman sweaters. And of course he didn’t have to help Mary down from the fence (they’re ghosts) but he did. Then he kissed brought her hands to his lips and kissed them, then kissed her lips, and held her close.

I gave them some privacy and started water for coffee. Knowing the Ghosts would be in soon I put out three cups. Ghost always come in for coffee. Always.

There is no reason Nigel and Mary should be here. Neither one of them died here. They were both murdered. Nigel in 1986 died 16 miles from my house, and Mary died sometime around 1700 in England. How Nigel and Mary ended up together is a vague story from the Ghost world. Ghost do their own thing and they’re extremely private about it.

Most Ghosts aren’t the kind you see in horror movies, or TV shows about ghost hunters. Yes, many are confused. OK, most are somewhat confused, but they tend to figure things out in their own way.

As for Vampires…they don’t like Ghosts. They give them the creeps. Ghosts give almost everyone the creeps. Maybe it is that lingering sense that Ghosts covet our bodies, because they do. They do covet the bodies of anyone with a body. I know, that is an unsettling fact. It is quite unsettling.

I made coffee in the French press and waited a few minutes. As I poured the coffee Mary and Nigel materialized at my kitchen table, all nice and polite in their seats. Their hands skimmed the outside of the mugs as they breathed in deeply. No, as my long time readers all know, Ghosts don’t drink coffee, they just smell it.

After putting just a touch of half and half in my coffee I drank it.

We talked about many things. Nigel thanked me again for taking him to the museum a few weeks ago. He met another ghost who was an artist he’d admired. Mary asked about the California poppies I’d planted last week that were now coming up. I told her they’d bloom in the spring.

I didn’t ask them about the Ghost world. I didn’t ask them about the other Ghosts out there, like the sad gold miners, or other odd Ghost folk who wander in and out of the woods and trails around my home. I didn’t mention the fact that the anniversary of Nigel’s demise was coming up.

In turn, Nigel didn’t make his usual rude comments about Vampires and just about anything else. When Mary is around he is so besotted by her that he is delightful and absolutely charming. I wonder if he was like that when he was alive; charming when around the woman he was crazy about and caustic when he wasn’t. I’ll never know because I don’t seek out those who knew Nigel when he was alive. I’ve run into a few. They all say good things. They all express sadness that he is gone. I never told anyone that he is a Ghost and that I see him all the time.

Yes, this morning I had coffee with the Ghosts. It was nice. It happens so often that it has ceased to be weird. Considering the fact that I’m a Vampire it has ceased to be weird for them as well.

So stay safe everyone. Talk to your kids. Check in on those who might be alone, or need extra help. As always, if you get a chance, kiss a Vampire. You’ll thank me for it later.

~ Juliette aka Vampire Maman