Page 31 of Ghost in the Cupboard

I had no idea who the ghost had been in life. So, having an item to lure the ghost out into the open was an insane prospect. How to go about luring the ghost out swirled through my head, but the only resolution I landed on was reaching out to other mediums in our group chat online. Maybe one of them had recently trapped a ghost without knowing its name or having an item that once belonged to it.

As I was considering reaching out to the medium community, another thought occurred to me. I’d already agreed to reach out to somebody else—and I could possibly kill two birds with one stone. However, a long talk had to be had before I could even consider such a thing. Resolved and annoyed, I stomped out of the house and into the backyard. The sun was staring to sink beneath the horizon, so it was a good time to reach out.

“Chester?” I asked in a normal speaking voice.

I didn’t like to summon Chester unless forced. He always seemed to hang around nearby, so summoning him, or forcing his attention seemed rude. Besides, he was a family member and old friend. Summoning him seemed to go against everything. If forced, I would summon him, but it would be a last resort in a dire situation.

After a few moments, I saw a shimmer at the edge of the woods, which drew my attention. As the sun dipped below the horizon, Chester stepped out of the tree line and floated towards me, his transparent feet barely grazing the ground. His eyes were seeping a bit, but otherwise, he looked good.

“Sorry,” I said as he approached, “I should have waited until the sun fully set.”

Chester smiled.

“It’s fine. It has now set.”

In the purple rose of dusk, I took a deep breath and decided I had no choice but to do what I’d come out into the yard to do.

“Would you do a favor for me, Chester?” I asked.

His face brightened and the seeping at his eyes stopped.

“A favor? A task? A mission? What is it?”

I couldn’t help but grin at his excitement.

“Nothing all that dangerous or thrilling, I’m afraid,” I said, holding my hands up.

The seeping at his eyes didn’t restart, but I could see a visible change in his level of excitement. However, he seemed to shimmer with curiosity and hope. I don’t know what kind of existence ghosts live when I’m not observing them, but a lot of them seem to grow bored after many years of simply floating around. Even getting to do whatever you want whenever you want gets old after a while.

“There’s a missing woman in town,” I said. “Marcella. I don’t know her last name. I don’t know if anyone does. But she’s one of the homeless people from the camp down by the river? She’s come up missing and I promised the leader of the camp I’d see if any of the ghosts around here saw her leave town or…anything.”

Chester’s eyes lit up once more and the black ooze around his eyes disappeared completely.

“Could you ask around maybe?” I explained. “You don’t have to wear yourself out or anything, but if you happen to hear anything or know who to ask, it would be appreciated. If I could give them any information about where she—”

“A mission!” Chester jolted into the air a few feet, then back down, a grin splitting his face. “Consider it done, Silas!”

He shimmered and appeared about to zip away, but I stopped him.

“I have one more question,” I said.

“Of course, of course, of course!” Chester crowed.

I sighed. “A ghost has found its way into the house.”

Chester’s eyes grew wide.

“I know!” I threw my hands up.

“How could you let such a thing happen?” Chester gave a ghostly moan.

“It was trapped in a cupboard and a friend let it out,” I said, defensively. “It wasn’t my fault. I promise.”

Chester shook his head and made a “tsk” sound, but kept his thoughts to himself. Only an Erie would shame another Erie from the afterlife.

“Anyway,” I said, wondering if I wanted to ask the question now that Chester had shamed me, “I don’t know a name or anything. No idea who it is.”

Chester grimaced.