A HAUNTING LIFE

 

Photo Copyright: Al Forbes

This story was written for Sunday Photo Fiction–January 24, 2017. Each week the host, Al Forbes, provides a picture prompt. The challenge for each member of the group is to write an original story or poem with no more than 200 words, not including the title and inspired by the prompt.

To read the other stories written by group members, just click on the link below, then on the little blue frog in the blue box.

The link to the other stories this week is as follows:

https://sundayphotofictioner.wordpress.com/2017/01/22/sunday-photo-fiction-january-22nd-2017/

Genre: Speculative Humor

Word Count: 200 Words

A HAUNTING LIFE by P.S. Joshi

Bradford Hillcamp III had gone to stay at the Quayside Hotel, Room #205, in 1899. He was in the city on important business. He never left.

Shortly, he lost something people find vital, his mortal body. Relations came and gathered it up, burying it in the village he came from, Hillcamp, Massachusetts. His family had founded it.

Brad often thought I wish I could have gone to the funeral.

Over the years the Quayside became famous for his ghost and he felt obligated to keep up his nightly wanderings. He was a celebrity but rather lonely.

Then in 1920, he fell in love. Muriel Babbit was hired as a maid. He watched her as she cleaned the rooms and Cupid struck.

In 1921, a jealous waiter she’d been dating strangled Muriel and Brad came to the aid of her confused spirit. He got down on one ghostly knee and proposed, “Let’s haunt together.” Muriel accepted with relief.

After that, they haunted upstairs and downstairs. Now the Quayside was famous for two ghosts. Business picked up and a couple more ghosts joined their merry band. Mr. Crumple died of old age and Mrs. Ripple of a heart attack. The Quayside flourished.