Why Ghosts Haunt by Wayne Mansfield

Author:Wayne Mansfield [Mansfield, Wayne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: JMS Books LLC
Published: 2018-10-08T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 4

Time quickly became a meaningless concept to Charlie and Ellis. The only non-electric clock they owned had stopped working, and only God and the devil could say how many hours, days, or weeks passed while they slept. Half the time, they didn’t even know what season it was, for there were the occasional storms at the end of summer, as well as the many that winter and autumn brought.

Over time, the house began to fall apart. On the outside walls, the paint had begun to peel and flake. Some of the floorboards on the porch had warped and a few curved up from the floor as though greeting the sun. The garden had become a wild tangle of grass, shrubs, weeds, and litter. And every now and again, a homeless person would take shelter in a corner on the porch, leaving it reeking of urine. Among other things.

Inside, the curtains had become faded, dusty, and tatty. A thick coat of dust covered everything and the slightest movement sent grey clouds erupting into the air. Rats were frequent visitors, along with a host of other critters. There were mice in the kitchen and pigeons roosting in the space below the roof. There might have also been a possum or two, though the culprit causing the heavy shuffling noises was never actually located.

Charlie and Ellis spent most of their time between the lounge room and their bedroom. When they felt weary, they went upstairs and laid down. When they woke, they came downstairs. Once, they even attempted to go for a walk around the block.

“Why not?” asked Ellis.

Outside, slate-coloured clouds threatened rain. Thunder rolled in the distance, but the men remained undeterred. They left the house and walked to the footpath, hand in hand. Charlie couldn’t hide his excitement at finally being able to do something away from the house. The curious thing was, they had taken no more than two dozen steps when they found they could go no further.

“What’s happening?” asked Ellis.

Charlie had no answers. “Let’s try going the other way.”

And so they started walking in the opposite direction. They hadn’t gone much further than Mrs. Andersson’s garden gate when again they found they were stopped in their tracks. The same thing happened when they tried to cross the road, coming to a dead stop halfway across.

“Very strange,” said Charlie. “What do you think?”

Ellis shook his head. “Maybe we’re tied to the house in some way.”

“You could be right. Looks like we’ve found a second disadvantage to being dead.”

Ellis hugged Charlie and kissed him on the lips.

Charlie enjoyed the sensation of their kisses. The tingling. The little trace of electricity that coursed through his entire body, making him shudder and shake with delight. And since they knew no one could see them, they continued kissing and hugging, their erections tenting their pants until Charlie pressed his hips against Ellis’s.

“I love you so much,” he whispered.

“Will you still love me in fifty years? After we’ve been cooped up in that little house together all those long decades?”

Charlie nodded.

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