Page 37 of Ghost in the Cupboard

He was bobbing up and down, sinking further into and then rising out of the table in front of me, as though on a short spring.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

Chester bobbled a moment before stopping.

“Oliphius has no memory,” Chester explained. “He can remember events, but places and time…”

The ooze at the corners of his mouth dribbled off, dropping to the ground, and disappeared before hitting the table.

“When did he see the body?” I asked the obvious question.

No one had reported a woman missing in Sage Grove in quite a while. The only person that I knew that was missing was Marcella, but that hadn’t exactly been “reported.” When an unhoused person—in general—is missing, it doesn’t get reported. Other unhoused people are reluctant to go to the cops and the general public doesn’t care enough to say anything.

It’s a sad, yet true, fact about unhoused people and how they are treated by society.

“Maybe,” Chester thought about the question, “a week ago. Or a month. Last Christmas?”

I wanted to roll my eyes at Chester, but knew better. He was trying his best, and only relaying what Oliphius had told him. Ghosts have no real sense of time. You don’t watch the calendar or count the days when time no longer means anything, after all.

“Oh.”

Chester’s head bobbled.

“Well, does he have any thoughts on where it might have been?” I asked the logical question.

“He does not,” Chester answered immediately.

“Crap.” I exhaled the word.

Chester nodded to the affirmative once more.

“I will ask more of my friends,” Chester declared. “I will not rest until I have found this woman for you.”

I did my best to give him a warm smile as he began bobbing up and down like a fishing bobber again.

“Rest tonight, Chester,” I said. “You’ve worked hard and found something to start. You’ve done well. Don’t overwork yourself.”

Chester considered what I said.

“I will begin my search tomorrow.”

“Sounds great,” I said. “Thank you. Go rest.”

He gave a bow, turned, and immediately breezed through the table and the atrium wall, back out to the woods. Even ghosts need to give their brains a rest. No. I don’t know how that works or why ghosts aren’t full of infinite energy. But everything needs to recharge from time to time.

I sighed, and watched Chester disappear into the woods. Then, with nothing else to do, I turned and went into the house.