Unfinished Ghost Story

>Your name is Anon, and honestly? Fuck everything.
>This day hasn’t just gone to shit, it’s gone to shit that was flushed down the toilet and into the sewage system, festering in a nasty sea of combined feces.
>It was minor things that pissed you off at first, late to work, boss giving you shit, coffee’s bad.
>After lunch was a lot worse, but not as bad as what you discovered when you got home.
>Your girlfriend (hard to believe, I know, but stay with me, here) of two months went and dumped you over TEXT MESSAGE.
>It took all your self-control to not go over there and give her a piece of your mind.
>Because God knows you’re too weak to fight anyone.
>Still, the last thing you want to give her is the satisfaction of seeing your reaction.
>Instead, you’re just going to do what you always do when you’re upset.
>You’re going for a walk.

>It’s a clear night, nary a cloud in the sky.
>You happen to live in a rather rural area, near the Mississippi river.
>The sound of rushing water calms you down.
>The crisp scent of Fall is in the air.
>You stroll down by the bank, trying not to think about your shitty day.
>What you need is something distracting.
>Something to throw your train of thought off track, like that huge riverboat a ways ahead.
>Wait, what?
>Yep, it’s a big-ass riverboat floating not a few yards away.
>The strange thing about it is that this part of the river has a strong current, but the boat’s completely still.
>Reminds you of that legend from your hometown about the river.
>Something about a riverboat that crashed or blew up or something.
>It was actually supposed to be near this…spot…
>Holy shit.

>As you get closer, the boat seems less…well, corporeal.
>Well, this has been one hell of a day.
>Shitty start, girlfriend dumps you, and now you find a phantom fucking riverboat.
>You wish it was abandoned rather than ghost-like.
>That way you could upload a video of yourself exploring it and get decent views on Youtube.
>Can you even walk on it as it is?
>Doesn’t seem to be a door anywhere.
>You reach out to touch the boat out of curiosity, and surprisingly, it’s solid.
>You could probably climb it if you tried.
>There’s always the risk of getting killed by a poltergeist, the boat vanishing with you inside it into an inescapable second dimension, or the boat suddenly becoming incorporeal and you drown in the river after falling through.
>Fuck it, you’re too pissed off and curious to care about death.
>You manage to scale the side of the boat and hop onto the deck.
>It feels cold all over, and the wood looks wet, like it’s been soaked in water for God knows how many years.
>You tread carefully.
>The creaking wood under you isn’t helping your wariness any.
>You press on, however, and make your way inside.

>A dining room, by the looks of it.
>Must have been a party boat or something.
>Tables strewn about the room, some turned over with the table cloths missing.
>This place gives you a ton of bad vibes.
>You can almost picture a lively party taking place here.
>Then everything crashed and burned.
>Well, drowned.
>Still, maybe it’s time to go.
>For a supposedly abandoned ghost ship, you feel like you’ve overstayed your welcome.

>CRASH

>You freeze.
>You didn’t do that.
>You turn and see that a few wine glasses had been knocked over.
>Against your better judgement, you take a step closer to investigate.
>A slightly damp rat scurries into view before running off.
>You sigh in relief.
>Well, you officially hate rats now.
>Moving on.
>You take one last look out the large, ornate windows at the far end of the room.
>The full moon can be seen shining in.
>It’s kind of pretty, especially when it reflects off that ghost.
>…Wait.

>You freeze again.
>Looking out the window is the form of a young woman.
>Her clothing suggests, oh…1800’s?
>Instead of legs, her (rather wide) hips thin out as they go down until they end in a ghostly tail.
>Purple locks unfurl out from her bonnet, or whatever they call it.
>You don’t know whether to run or stare in a mix of horror and intrigue.

>”Oh, mercy me…”
>She speaks with a heavy ‘Southern Belle’ accent.
>Kinda hot, to be honest.
>”Everyone’s gone and left me all alone. I wish someone would come and stay awhile. I got a well lot of swell stories to tell.”
>She sighs, turning around to face away from the window.
>Her violet hair falls over her face, obscuring her eyes.
>Which doesn’t add up, given the moment her head’s facing your direction, her face lights up.
>She smiles big, her two front teeth more prominent than the others.
>You’d think it was cute if you weren’t so terrified.
>”Lord almighty, my prayers have been answered! A MAN!”
>Well.
>You needed a change of pants, anyway.

>You’re completely out of breath, but at least you managed to escape.
>Despite how cute she was, you didn’t like the way that ghost looked at you.
>Er, in your general direction.
>Again, you couldn’t see her eyes, but it seemed pretty clear she was looking at you.
>You’re just glad you’re rid of her.
>Legs still feel like shit, though.
>Painkillers might help.
>You make your way to the bathroom, opening up the mirror cabinet.
>Ah, Tylenol.
>That’ll work.
>You down a few pills and shut the cabinet.
>”Gotcha, sugar!”
>GAHFUCK!
>You spin around, and there she is.
>Smiling that big toothy smile, which is still kinda cute.
>Doesn’t make you any less terrified, though.
“H-how did you-“
>”Find ya? It was easy, darlin’! See, ah’m hauntin’ ya now!
>What.
>”Before, I was stuck on that high-falutin’ riverboat. But then, you came along, and ah could escape! And now that you’re mah new haunt, we’ll be together forever!”
>You don’t recall ever agreeing to his.
>You’re pretty sure you won’t any time in the future, either.
“I-I don’t know…”
>”Oh, don’t you worry. Ah promise, Ah’ll be good to ya. Ah’ll be the best gal this side of the Mississippi!”
>Wow, she’s deadset on this, isn’t she?
>Pun not intended.
“I mean…I just got out of a bad relationship, but…I guess I could give it a tr-“
>You don’t get a chance to finish before she chokes you in a loving embrace.
>”Oh, ah knew you’d come through! You’ve made me the happiest ghoul in the South! There’s just one little fix.”
“What’s that?
>”Well, we can’t do a whole lot of lovin’ if one of us is cold as a wagon tire, now can we?”
>You’re going to assume that means ‘dead.’
>You’ll look it up later.
>Either way, she has a point.
“I…guess not.”
>”Yeah…but if BOTH of us were…”
>She produces a giant wooden club from nowhere, holding it above her head.
>”Keep still, darlin’! This’ll be over like greased lightnin’!”
>Dammit, why are the cute ones ALWAYS crazy!?

>Welp.
>This night went from sucky, to freaky, to kinda weird, and right back to sucky.
>Except, this is sucky to the nth power.
>You’re currently holed up in your bedroom, clutching a frying pan you got from your kitchen.
>It’s the closest thing to a weapon you could find.
>Meanwhile, your new ‘ghoulfriend’ is roaming your house, looking to axe you.
>Er, club you?
>Either way, she wants you dead.
>Ironically, it’s not because she hates you.
>Still, you’re much happier being alive.
>You don’t have much time left, though.
>Your house isn’t very big; she’s bound to find you sometime.
>You’ve heard her calling you as she floated through the halls.
>”You can’t hide from me forever, darlin’…”
>She’s right, but like hell you’re not gonna try.
>The house is eerily quiet.
>You can’t even hear any crickets.
>Maybe you should take a peek, just to see if she’s nearby.
>Your hand reaches for the doorknob…
>”THERE you are!”
>GODDAMMIT!
>She stuck her head through the door, making you jump back and shriek.
>She phases the rest of the way through, still holding onto the giant club.
>She’s grinning ear to ear.
>”You sure are a slippery little critter, but Ah’ve got ya now!”
>She raises the club above her head again.
>”See ya on the other side!”
>You’re frozen, until you remember the frying pan in your hand.
>With a battle-cry, you get up and rush at her.
>You swing the pan with all your might at her head, and…
>…It phases right through her.
>God, you’re an idiot.
>What did you think was going to happen?
>You stand there, wide-eyed.
>The ghost…is frozen.
>She’s just floating there, still holding the club, but frowning now.
>Did…did you kill her somehow?
>“Wha…what’d ya do THAT fer?!”
>Apparently not.
>She sounds…kinda sad, actually.
“You were trying to kill me!”
>”Y-yeah, but…”
“Yeah, I know, you want us to be together forever, but killing me is seriously not cool!”
>She looks visibly upset.
“Look, I don’t mean to be a dick or anything, you seem really nice, but I’m not really down with the whole ‘death’ thing. We can hang out and stuff, but just…don’t kill me…okay?”
>She looks even more hurt now.
>No…
>She sniffles a bit.
>Oh, no…
>”Y-yeah…Ah get it…”
>Aw, nooooooo…
>”Ah-ah should get on back to the boat…s’gettin’ late…”
>She hangs her head and slowly turns to leave.
>You can’t believe you’re feeling bad for someone that tried to murder you.
>Maybe it’s because she’s genuinely cute?
>Either way, you feel like an ass.
“…Wait.”
>She stops, turning around to look at you.
“You don’t have to leave just yet…I, uh…got some old horror movies…we can watch…if you want…”
>God, movies?
>What’s wrong with you?
>The ghost…cracks a smile.
>”That sounds like a powerful swell time…”
>You smile back, but can’t help but look warily at the club she continued to hold.
“Uh…you mind…
>”Oh! Of course!”
>She tucks the weapon away.
>You smile, offering your arm.