Sunset Gardens

I won an honourable mention from Siobhan Muir's  Week-354

Sunset Gardens

           The woman held her granddaughter tenderly in her arms and smiled, it was so wonderful to be a grandmother. She kissed the new-born baby’s head and held her tight rocking her back and forth. She then took out a bottle holding it to the babe’s lift she fed the hungry baby.

How she loved this baby her heart was full. Time went by and the baby was toddler. She loved it when the parents brought the baby to her. She remembered when her daughter was this small and she had held her in her arms. Her daughter had brought so much joy and now little Emily had done the same.

     She watched as the baby toddled across the floor.

Across the hall a woman in scrubs asked, “What do you hear?”

“I hear a woman looking after a baby.”

“That’s correct a lot of dementia and mentally ill patients go back to a happier time in their minds. Amelia is ninety years old and she lost her daughter, son-in law and young granddaughter about twenty five years ago to a drunk driver ; she hasn’t ever been able to face that so she lives her own world where they still live and she babysits her grandchild.”

“So what do we do?”

“We agree with her that her grandchild is beautiful when she asks and allow her to play with the doll and call it Emma.”

“I can do that,” the aide claimed.

“Good you’ll do well here at Sunset Gardens.”

©Sheilagh Lee  March 15 2019

Familiar

   Familiar

     The first day on my job as the head librarian I encountered him. It seems the library came with a ghost. The ghost, William Barkley had once owned the property that had been converted into a library.

William wanted my help to find his true love, Ginny. He said he only had until Christmas Eve and then he would disappear. I was a librarian we were taught to find the impossible so I’d try. With William’s help I’d been at it a week scouring records. We only had another three days. Who was this mysterious Ginny?

“Annie?”

William disappeared.

“Grandma Ferris, what are you doing here?”

“Looking for you, Gail. You said you’d come for supper.”

“I’m sorry. I was busy searching for something for a patron and lost time.”

“Ginny?” William asked reappearing.

“Where did you come from?” Grandma asked and then growing pale she said, “William? How dare you share the same space that’s it I’m leaving.”

Ginny was Grandma? Of course; why hadn’t I realized Ginny was short for Virginia?

“Ginny please, I can explain.”

“You have to be kidding.”

“Please, I needed to see you one last time and make clear what happened. I was murdered.”

“Nonsense. You’re standing in front of me.”

“I’m a ghost Ginny; stuck in limbo until you forgive me.”

I tried to touch his arm to show grandma he was telling the truth.

“You are a ghost!” Grandma said clutching her chest.

Grandma then fell to the floor and continued to clutch her chest. William tried to hug her or at least comfort her.

“I know that my murder kept me from meeting you.”

“I waited hours for you to come and when you didn’t…”

“I’m sorry Ginny.”

“You left me pregnant and alone. My daddy made me marry a hard man who drank and never made me forget I was soiled goods.”

“This man was daddy’s father?” I demanded to know.

“I have a son?”

“And a granddaughter, she standing right in front of you,” Grandma admitted.

I swear William smiled at me.

“Who did you marry?”

“Burton Parmeter.”

“Burton killed me. Where can I find the bastard? I want to haunt him.”

“He died last year.”

“I love you, Ginny.”

“I love you too William.”

With that the spirit seemed to leave Grandma’s body and when I looked up I saw her ghost a young woman standing beside a now young William.

“We love you, Gail. We have to go now but we will be around even if you can’t see us.”

With that they disappeared and I never saw them again but once in awhile I felt their presence and sometimes books would fly off the shelf at my feet sending me messages of love.

©Sheilagh Lee  March 13  2019