A Holiday Haunting Ch. 01

Jack sighed; he knew he had to deal with this. A simple apology wasn't going to be enough.

"I'm so sorry about that. It's just that for a long time, there was this small voice in the back of my mind, saying that you weren't real and I was having a psychotic episode. When you saw me and Lucy, it was just an extension of that. I doubt it will ever happen again. But I did all this research so I can help you."

"Help me?"

"Yeah. I want to help you deal with whatever unfinished business you have. Lucy as well. That's why she's here. So, please don't be angry with her."

"Unfinished business?" Erin/Lucy then went quiet.

She leaned in and kissed Jack on the cheek. Lucy's body went limp and she nearly collapsed. Jack reached out and slid his arms under her. He yelled out 'Erin' then 'Lucy' but got no answer. He dragged the unconscious blonde to the sofa. Carefully dropping her down, Jack then prodded her cheek, trying to wake her up. She groaned and opened her eyes.

"So, what are we going to do?" Lucy said immediately.

***

Jack looked at his phone as he walked through the front door. It was another email from his bosses in Boston. He had way too many people questioning his work. Being a cloud support engineer, he should be focused on the job. But since talking to Lucy about the séance, Jack had been doing the bare minimum, and people were noticing. He figured that after he got closure with Erin, he could move on.

Dumping the sage and wormwood on the coffee table, he saw her. Erin had been appearing more and more. Jack could actually count the times that she wasn't haunting the house. But he didn't get why; it was never this frequent back before. And she wasn't just haunting if you could call it, Jack's room. He had found her in the living room, kitchen and even the bathroom.

Right now, Erin was floating near the Christmas tree. It was completely bare, left alone as Jack focused on work and the séance preparations. There was some judgment he felt he was getting from Erin, like she still hadn't forgiven. Jack needed to remediate that, though he didn't really know how to regain trust with a ghost.

He hunted for the Christmas decorations, taking longer than he hoped. Jack was desperate not to call his parents and deal with an endless conversation about how things were going in Springfield. Losing an hour to find them, Jack started decorating the tree, hoping that this will help him get back on Erin's good side.

She carefully observed him as he decorated the tree, coating it in tinsel, lights and baubles. It appeared okay to Jack, the colors matched, and the string lights were all working. But looking at Erin, he was sure he had done something wrong. She wasn't that impressed.

Jack first thought that she was still pissed at him, but then something hit him. While he saw her a lot during December, it was never on Christmas. This could be her first experience of Christmas in over a hundred years. With that, Jack opened his laptop and googled '19th century Christmas trees'. Getting an idea of what Christmas looked like in Erin's time, Jack grabbed his keys and told her that he will be back soon.

Two hours later, Jack returned, and Erin looked like she was happy to see him. That's a positive sign, Jack said to himself as he emptied out his shopping bags. He bounced around a couple of stores before finding them, candle-like tree lights. Using real candles was a fire waiting to happen. And Jack didn't want to explain to his parents that he burnt the house down to impress a ghost.

He then pulled out a ready-made popcorn and cranberry garland he got from a pop-up Christmas store. Looking at Erin, she approved by smiling back at him. He then added tinsel and icicle-like ornaments with Erin guiding him, pointing which branch needed something or if it was too much. Taking a step back, Jack admired his work. It looked old fashioned but still good. Seeing that Erin was happy was enough for him.

He grabbed a beer from the kitchen and toasted, "That's one good-looking tree," he said, smiling at Erin.

She rolled her eyes at him but then disappeared. That was getting Jack scared, her fading away just as they were bonding. It didn't look voluntary, like Erin really wanted to go to her void. She had this horrified look whenever it happened. Jack would then find her somewhere else in the house, an hour or two later.

This time it was in the kitchen. He opened and closed the refrigerator door and found her there. Taking a moment to recover, Jack went back to making himself dinner. Erin hovered around him, curious at what he was doing. Jack guessed that she must have been shocked, that not many men cooked back in her time. He was also making pork chow-mein, and Jack wasn't sure how widespread Chinese food was in the 19th century.

His phone began to buzz, and it was Lucy. Jack could see Erin's face turn.

"She's probably asking about you," Jack said, putting his phone on speaker, "Hey Lucy."

"Hey," she replied, "I got some news. We have to move the date of the séance to the 12th. There's a full moon and it will go well with Hecate."

"Hecate?"

"Don't worry about it. Have you seen Erin since the other day?" Lucy asked,

"Well, she is right here," Jack grinned at Erin, "She's in the room with me."

"Whoa," she said, "How's that going? Wait shit, can she hear me?"

Erin nodded.

"Yeah."

"Fuck. I mean shit. I mean I'm sorry," Lucy said, sounding like she was getting out of breath, "Anyway, I also need you to get some bundles of ash to burn. And candles, preferably black."

"What is actually going to happen during the séance?"

"Hopefully, we can summon Erin properly and you guys can talk. Then maybe work out why is she here and if we can help her, somehow."

Jack looked at Erin again. Her eyes were elsewhere. Jack started to doubt himself; was this something that she wanted him to do.

"I will talk to you later, Lucy," Jack said, ending the call. Looking up from his phone, he saw that Erin had disappeared again.

If the séance actually works, Jack needed to ask where she goes whenever she vanishes. It didn't feel like a good place for her. Opening another beer, Jack sat down to eat and tried not to think about Erin. It was really hard. She still looked so sexy, and Jack was back replaying his eighteenth birthday present. Jack admitted to himself that with Erin randomly appearing in the house, he was feeling pent up.

***

It was close to two in the morning when Jack knew what he had to do. He had been rolling around his bed, got up twice and tried to dull his brain by checking the news on his phone. He still couldn't sleep. The only prescription that always worked for him was either whiskey or porn. As he couldn't be bothered to go all the way downstairs, Jack powered on his laptop and went straight to Pornhub.

Jack checked out the video thumbnails, hovering over them as he tried to guess what he was in the mood for. Sometimes, he'd be craving blondes with double D-cups, getting plowed by massive dicks. Other times, it would be two lesbians slowly seducing each other. MILFs would be a good choice, but Jack felt that the algorithm would always then suggest stepmom porn, which he wasn't in to.

He searched for amateur porn with Eastern Europeans, preferring their slender body shapes and lack of bad boob jobs. Jack sat up in his bed and pulled down his shorts, slowly stroking his dick to full, rigid life. He skipped the initial setup and forwarded it to the redhead pulling the guy's dick out. She grinned at the camera then kissed the man's purple head. Her tongue swirled around the tip before she quickly swallowed the man's cock.

Jack shifted his weight as the redhead stripped off her top, revealing her decent-size breasts. As the action turned to straight fucking with the twenty-something waitress bent over a park bench, Jack pumped his cock. He imagined himself there, in Prague, having hot, passionate sex in public. But then he felt cold. Looking up, there she was.

Erin just appeared by the wall. She was confused and pressed the back of her head. It looked as if someone had just woken up, but in a different room than they were in before. She rolled her head around before stopping and stared at Jack, her mouth agape. He was illuminated by his laptop, so he knew that she could see what he was doing to himself.

"Oh, fuck," Jack groaned, but he didn't stop stroking his cock.

He thought she would float away or scream or do something, but Erin just stood there and watched. She even moved closer, standing at the edge of the bed. Her eyes focusing on his throbbing cock.

Jack's heart was thumping as he frantically stroked his dick. His eyes darted back and forth from Erin to his laptop; the redhead had been replaced by a different model. She said that her name is Petra and is a med student, but what really turned Jack on was how Petra resembled Erin. Reddish-brown hair, slim body with perky breasts, though she had tattoos and pierced nipples.

His eyes bounced from Petra being fucked in a stall to Erin's eager look. It was getting too much for him. His imagination then brought him to Prague again but with Erin this time. He fucked her from behind, his cock pumping her hot, wet pussy, cupping her tits and making Erin groan in deep pleasure. Jack's balls were aching, then suddenly stopped, and he intensely climaxed. His tip exploded, and shot after shot of cum raced from his cock. Jack struggled to catch all his flying cum with a tissue.

After cleaning himself, Jack and Erin exchanged looks. She was embarrassed, he could tell, staring at the ground and doing her most not to make eye contact. He wanted to say something, but Erin left the room. She didn't fade through the wall or vanish into anything, just walked away slowly. Jack then instantly fell asleep, not knowing what else to do.

***

Jack opened the door, letting Lucy in. It was half two in the morning and he was getting scared. A small sliver of thought wondered if she would let him down, or at least ask for $500 to proceed. For the séance, Lucy had gone all gothic, wearing a black velvet dress and knee-high boots, also in black. She was carrying a large tote bag. There was panic in her eyes. She apologized for her lateness, saying that it took a while to get a cab.

Jack was instructed by her to get bundles of sage and wormwood for burning, plus ash. Lucy herself handled the weirder and harder to find items. She pulled out a knife that she called an athame, a ceremonial dagger Jack guessed. She also had a black bowl that she said is a water scry. It was going to help them talk to Erin.

Jack led her to the kitchen and they quickly got ready. While she cut the sage and wormwood with the athame, speaking in Latin, Jack got the idea that this wasn't a con. It was real for her. That gave him hope.

"So, where should we do this?" Jack asked, taking a steel bucket that she had handed him.

"Your room." Lucy said, pulling more stuff out of her bag. "I've been thinking. You said you're the only one who saw her. And you normally see her in your bedroom, right? I think that's where she was murdered. By you sleeping there, a psychic link was created between you and Erin."

Jack nodded. It made sense. They went to his bedroom and with Lucy's help, he pushed his bed and everything else to one side, giving them space for the ritual. As they're going to make a fire, he opened the windows. Jack looked at the smoke alarms; if they go off, will his parents get an alert?

Lucy got down on her knees and drew another circle on the floor, this time, a simple one without any other symbols. Jack lit the candles, twenty-four of them and placed them around the circle. Following her instructions, he then sat the bucket in the middle of the ring and lit the fire. Lucy took command of his bedside table and placed the porcelain bowl on top of it. She filled it with water from a special-looking bottle and dropped a crystal in it.

"Take this and put it in the fire. Also, say her name in your head." Lucy said, handing him the sage and wormwood.

Jack nodded and shuffled to the fire, trying not to drop the herbs. Erin, Erin, Erin, he chanted in his head. He threw the herbs into the fire and was immediately overwhelmed by the aroma. It tasted sickly sweet, unnatural like. He then retreated behind Lucy; she was kneeling on the floor and speaking into the bowl. It sounded like Latin; Jack could make out the occasional word. She was calling out for Erin.

The fire grew larger and smoke billowed from the bucket, looking like a volcano erupting. The smoke turned black, then blue and finally into grey. Jack took a step forward, in a trance, his mouth wide open and his hands trembling. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Lucy with her eyes clenched shut and was now calling Erin's name. Her fingers dug into the table and she frantically said 'Erin' over and over.

He saw the smoke begin to clear and a body appeared above the fire. Jack gasped. Erin. She looked stunned, her hand covering her face. He opened his mouth but couldn't say a word, shocked. Color poured into her clothing, turning the transparent household dress into black. Her skin returned to its ivory color, while her hair became reddish-brown just as he saw ten years ago.

Lucy had stopped chanting; she also was staring at Erin. She looked shocked, maybe a little scared. Lucy stood up and slowly shuffled towards Jack, resting a hand on his shoulder. But she kept her distance from Erin, using Jack as a possible human shield.

Erin was just as surprised as the two of them. She reached out her arm, amazed by it. This was real. Erin moved forward but awkwardly stumbled as if she missed a step going downstairs. She then took a couple of more steps and touched the floor, a new sensation for her. Taking a deep breath, Erin became dazed with the menthol-like odor of burning sage. Her eyes lit up and a smile beamed from her face; she could smell. She then turned her head, focusing on the two that had resurrected her.

Her clogs bang against the wooden floor as she walked to Lucy. The psychic was trembling in her presence. Lucy flinched as she touched her arm. "Thank you," Erin whispered. She then leaned in and kissed the surprised blonde.

Lucy moaned, instantly enjoying the kiss. Jack watched on, shocked. He didn't know if he should be terrified or turned on. Lucy wrapped her hands around Erin's waist and pushed herself against the resurrected maid. Overwhelmed by a sudden desire, Lucy slid her tongue deep into Erin's mouth. She felt good but so tired. Erin then released the medium and watched Lucy collapsed onto the floor in a deep sleep. She turned to Jack and grinned.

"Erin...?" Jack asked. His hands were trembling and he felt that he was going to sink into the floor. This is it, right? This was what he wanted, but he had no idea how to respond. "Is it really you?" He eventually spat out.

"Hi, Jack," Erin smiled.

"Fuck..." Jack said. He reached out and touched her hand with his. Wasn't this just supposed to be a séance?

"I can't believe I can touch you."

"Me too," Erin said.

"How are you?"

"Confused. It felt I was being called by an unknown force. Then it took me."

"I'm sorry, but I really wanted to talk to you."

"I understand. It feels good to be heard and to speak with my own voice."

"I need to tell you something," Jack said, "The reason we're talking is because I wanted to help you. But I never asked if you actually needed my help."

She went quiet, looking like she was working something over in her head.

"You said about unfinished business. But I have none. You have read Mrs. Franklin's words. I was never married. I was due to but the bastard died in a brawl in Boston. He lost all our money in a card game. I was told that I had become too old to marry and I had to work. The Franklins gave me a job and that was it, until I met Robert. You know the rest."

"All I want now, is to spend time with the boy whose room became less of my prison, but a comfort from death. He was the only one who saw me and talked to me. I couldn't speak to him, but I loved listening. Now he is here, turned into a handsome man, educated and employed umm I guess, and still unmarried strangely."

Jack smirked and opened his mouth, "I'm only twenty-eight. Times have changed. Men and women now get married later."

"How pleasant." She gave a rueful smile. "But I need to apologize."

"Why?"

"I feel I was being unfair to you. We are not to be married. When I saw you with her," Erin said, pointing to a knocked-out Lucy, "You were the only one I could reach and I felt jealous."

"That doesn't matter now. I really want you."

Jack leaned in and kissed her, a quick peck on the lips. She flinched as their mouths touched. Jack pulled back, watching her closely, terrified by a possible negative reaction. Erin's eyes widened and she smiled.

"Erin. I don't know how long we might have. Lucy just said that we had to do this during the Witching Hour. If this is it, I want you to experience something, anything that you never had."

There was wine downstairs. Food that Jack knew she would have never had back in the 1880s, fancy desserts, fruit from across the world and entirely new meals. He could make her dinner. Could she leave the house? If she can, Jack could take her around the city, show her what had changed.

"I've had bad Christmases since I was a child. I would welcome some pleasure."

Erin pushed her mouth back against his and parted her lips, allowing Jack's invading tongue in.

All the feelings the two of them felt, the romance, the lust, the fear of the future disappeared as their kisses became more passionate and intense. Jack slid his hand around Erin's waist, pulling her tightly in, groaning as her breasts crushed into his chest.

Erin then betrayed her Catholic upbringing and nineteenth-century values by running her hand and feeling up Jack's growing bulge. Her mother would have called her a whore, her priest would say she is a fallen woman, but it didn't matter to Erin anymore. His dick felt firm and large in her hand, and she craved to see it properly.

Jack took the lead, gently guiding Erin to his bed. He could feel the trepidation from her; Erin was covered in goosebumps and was stiff. He was worried that he was taking things too fast; she was from a different time and had different morals. As their legs hit the edge of his bed, Jack reluctantly pulled back and stared at her. She looked so nervous.

Erin blushed. Her lips were trembling and her hands were shaking. This was a sin to her. But that was long ago and she didn't care anymore. She broke away from his grip and slowly pulled off her stiff work shoes. She wanted to do this herself.

Erin remembered when Jack had turned 18, a deep concentration was required to strip away her clothing; it wasn't like this now. Erin slowly reached behind her and undid the clasp for her apron with her heart thundering in her chest. She had only been naked in front of one man before Jack. The apron fell to the floor and it was then followed by the bulky gray dress.

Erin carefully watched Jack's face change as she slipped out of her bloomers. She was scared by his confused face. Was she doing something wrong? As Erin revealed her naked breasts, she sighed, relieved that Jack was actually confused by her underwear than herself. Seconds later, Erin stood nude, her face going red with embarrassment and excitement.

"You..."

Jack launched at Erin before she could finish her sentence. He took her in his arms and drove his tongue deep down her mouth. His hands shot up to her chest and he cupped her perky tits. Breaking away from her, Jack stripped out of his clothes and then resumed his oral attack. He kissed down her neck, reaching her tits. With no hesitation, Jack wrapped his lips around the erect bud and sucked on them.