A Halloween Carol in Texas

[For Lindy]

Greetings and welcome to my Halloween 2022 submission. Because of time constraints, I was unable to get this finished in time for the 2021 Halloween contest. This is a slow burn so be patient if you are reading for the dirty stuff. The idea for this little ghost story came from a challenge to enter the 2021 contest issued to me by another author on here who uses the pseudonym shakna. Over the past two and a half years, we have become steadfast pen pals. Personally, I consider him to be a really good friend. I enjoy all of his writings (even though he seems slightly obsessive with his Neko genre) and he has given me positive responses and praise for any of my work that I have shared with him.

For clarity's sake, as you are reading and encounter sentences within quotation marks, those are generally, but not always conversation spoken aloud. Sentences within apostrophes are generally, but not exclusively thoughts of a character NOT spoken aloud. With the exception of this preface words in italics, bold type, or both are meant to be read as emphasized without exclamation unless so punctuated. The location for this story is set in the Houston Metropolitan Area without any specific spot in that city in mind. It was just easier to do it that way if I needed a random restaurant or store for the story.

As always, constructive criticism is very welcome. It will help me be a better writer in the future. However, be aware that I have no issues with deleting negative comments posted by anonymous users . If you cannot be honourable enough to stand behind your words publicly, then your opinion is irrelevant. If you post something negative under your own pseudonym, then I will not delete it unless it enters into the realm of abuse. I hope that this helps you, the reader, to more fully enjoy my tale.

[Legal Disclaimer] All characters engaging in sexual congress within this story are at least 18 years old or older at the time that it happens. I have been careful about not writing anything sexual in the flashbacks, however in the past I have had the moderators at Literotica object to innocent kissing between tenth grade students in a flashback scene that I once wrote. Rewriting that ruined the entire story and was extremely frustrating besides.

This is an original work of fiction, Copyright 2022 ^© by Scottish Texan. Any references to actual people living, dead, or undead is purely coincidental. Literotica.com is granted limited license to publish this work under their own rules and guidelines that are available for viewing on their website.

[Statement of Humane Treatment] No Ghosts, Mummies, Witches, Warlocks, Liches, Zombies, Ghouls, or Goblins were injured or abused in the course of writing of this story.

[Public Service Announcement] To all witches on this and every Halloween: Please do not ride your broomstick whenever you are angry. We would certainly hate to see you fly off of the handle! :-)

***Trigger Warning*** This story contains descriptions of polyamory and the supernatural. Certain religious views expressed in this story do not follow scripture. Please do not assume that the religious context used in this story follows my own personal spiritual beliefs. Again, this is a work of fiction and a certain amount of writer's privilege and literary license was exercised to create a believable scenario. If these subjects bother you or cause you distress, then now is the time to hit the abort button or pull your ejection seat handles.

++++++++++Chapter One++++++++++

The girl contemplated the Cypress tree for a moment. It was really quite beautiful when you thought about it. Nature itself had created a wonderful work of art. She was perched upon one of the bottom branches, but as her eyes followed the trunk upwards all of the other branches circled the tree creating a natural staircase spiraling up to the top. She could easily climb up the tree simply by walking around it and following the limbs. Everything here was beautiful. The sounds of the wind gently blowing through the limbs of the Cypress and the cheerful chirping of the birds in the limbs provided the perfect background for the scene she was observing. She was reminded of the Walt Disney Classic Snow White by the setting. And then she giggled as she remembered the bluebird exploding in a puff of feathers from a scene in the first Shrek movie.

Her reverie was broken by the sound of an approaching automobile, the motor purring so gently that it was almost inaudible. Its tires crunched the gravel of the pink, decomposed granite driveway. She turned her gaze in the direction of the sounds and immediately recognized the blue 2018 Dodge Charger SXT owned by her best friend Amanda Pierce. The four door sedan rolled slowly through the cemetery before coming to rest about 50 feet away. The motor went silent just before both front doors swung open in nearly perfect synchronization.

As the driver stepped out of the car, she wasn't surprised to see Mandy's long straight naturally blonde hair. The girl had always envied the fact that Mandy could grow out her hair so that it reached beyond her ass all the way to her thighs. The best that she had ever successfully achieved with the length of her own hair was the middle of her back. Mandy had chosen a light green dress to wear on her 70 inch tall frame today. It complemented her golden tresses very well. She also cradled two bundles of peppermint-colored carnations in her arms, hiding her well proportioned 36-B breasts.

The gentleman that exited the passenger side of the Charger was very familiar to the girl in the Cypress tree too. They had been very close to each other for most of their lives. He was her beloved husband Roger Preston. He looked absolutely handsome, standing six inches taller than six feet. His 230 pound frame was the perfect match for his height. Roger had coined the phrase 'Nerd Chic' for his casual attire. The autumn air was cool, but not chilly, so his clothing choice was certainly appropriate.

Roger was wearing his khaki cargo slacks as he usually did. His shoes were the same slip-on camo colored deck style tennis shoes that he had purchased nearly two years ago. His favorite long sleeve flannel shirt was a forest green plaid that he wore unbuttoned and untucked. Beneath the flannel shirt, Roger wore a Jimmy Buffett concert Tee that had been a gift from his late father in law. Even though it was covered in the back by the flannel shirt, the girl in the Cypress tree knew that the phrase "I used to rule my world from a payphone..." was stenciled across the rear shoulders. Her father had purchased it during a concert at 'The Summit' in Houston, Texas during the 'One Particular Harbour' tour. It was one of Roger's most prized possessions and he had no doubt worn it to honor her father who was buried only a few feet away.

The couple approached a large polished headstone of pink granite. Roger went to his knees and pulled out a runner of crab grass near the headstone that the landscaping crew had missed. Mandy set the two dozen peppermint carnations on the top of the headstone then stepped back to regard the writing etched on its face. The girl drifted down from her tree limb seat to stand beside her best friend.

The top line of the headstone was emblazoned with "PRESTON" in large letters. It was a larger headstone designed to carry the names of two people, usually a husband and wife. The left side read 'Roger William' and beneath the name was the date 'May 19, 1995 - '. The right side read 'Carol Anne', 'Beloved Wife', 'April 17, 1996 - November 21, 2016'. Tears streamed down Mandy's cheeks as she reverently stood beside the grave of her best friend Carol. Her blue eyes were moistened by her tears. Today was November 21, 2018 marking the second anniversary of the day that an armed felon had shot and killed her best friend in a botched attempt to rob a liquor store. Carol had been simply walking across the parking lot returning to her car when she was struck by the stray bullet that killed her instantly. She never knew what hit her and felt no pain as she passed away.

Carol had been shopping next door at a bakery, buying her husband's favorite sugar cookies for their third Thanksgiving together as husband and wife. She had married her childhood sweetheart on April 21, 2014, just mere days after her 18th birthday. Roger had approached her roughly six months after their engagement because he had realized that Carol had never revealed any specific date for her wedding.

"I don't care," Carol said. "Actually, I haven't given any thought to it. You go ahead and pick a day."

Roger raised both hands out in front of himself, palms outward and rocked them back and forth. "Oh no, no, no. You're putting way too much power in my hands, darling!"

"No! I'm serious! You pick it!"

Without any hesitation whatsoever, Roger blurted out, "April 21st!"

"April 21st? Sweetheart, that's not my birthday," Carol giggled!

"No. I'm well aware that the 17th is your birthday honey," Roger replied. "But you know how much I love Texas, almost as much as I love you! I just thought that it would be great to celebrate our anniversary every year on San Jacinto day!"

And so it was that on that chosen day, the two lovers had been bound together in Holy Matrimony at Saint Andrew's Episcopal Church in The Heights. A year later on July 27, 2015, the happy couple had been blessed by the birth of their son Jeremy. Carol had been successful in getting pregnant a second time during the month of August in 2016 just before her murder. Her plan had been to give her husband a special gift by delivering their second child close to his birthday. The spirit of the little girl had crossed over peacefully, immediately after their death. But Carol had unfinished business on this side of eternity and she couldn't allow herself to rest peacefully until she knew for certain that her son and husband were properly cared for.

Over the last two years, Carol had been learning about the limitations of her new ghostly reality. After her father had died from a sudden heart failure, she had come here often to visit his grave. She just thought that it was her imagination when she had felt his presence during those visits. But his spirit was here waiting for her after she was buried. They hugged and kissed when they were reunited in this stage of the afterlife.

"I met Jesus," her father had said. "He suggested that I wait here for you because he knew that you wouldn't be ready to leave Earth anytime soon. Your daughter, my grand-baby is with him now. She's absolutely beautiful, Carol! It's so very obvious that you and Roger conceived her in love. That love just radiates out from her like sunbeams! Take your time and do what needs to be done here before you cross over. Be not afraid as all will be well."

"You met Jesus," Carol asked?

"Yeah," her father chuckled. "And get this! He sorta looks a little like Kenny Loggins!"

A tunnel of bright light appeared then and her father glanced briefly towards it. He gathered his daughter into his arms and kissed her warmly on her cheek. "I love you, puddin'! But can you see that light? It's my turn to cross over and that is the pathway that I have to follow." Then he walked directly into the light and was gone.

Carol learned through experimentation that her strongest source of power was here at her grave. She could feel the ectoplasmic energy flowing through her soul much like an adrenaline rush. She discovered that her power to travel was limited to teleporting to places relevant to her past life. It seemed like every minute lived at a certain location scored a power point for that area. She was nearly as strong at her parent's house as she was here beside her grave. Oddly enough, she was only a little less powerful at Roger's parents' home as well as the apartment where they had lived during their short but happy marriage. Her best guess was that because she and Roger were so closely bound in their love for each other that somehow his ethereal presence fed her with power when she was in those locations.

She had tried once to visit Mandy at her home and barely succeeded. Mandy was still living with her parents while going to graduate school. At 22 years old, she had recently received her bachelor's degree in business and started working on her master's. Mandy had dated a couple of times during college, but the two relationships that she had experienced never lasted long enough for her to want to leave home. The longest of the two had been 14 months and the other one was 11. Mandy and Carol had become best friends in Junior High School and Carol had spent a good deal of time at her home. They often alternated between the two houses with their monthly sleepovers, so Carol could travel to Mandy's easily enough. But she had run into difficulties trying to manifest there in order to make an appearance before Mandy. She could barely manage a glimmer because she felt like she was at less than half power.

Carol decided that right here beside her grave was her best chance to reach out to Mandy and try to communicate with her. She drew closer to her forever best friend and spoke into Mandy's ear, "Hey Blondie!"

Mandy jerked upright as if she had suddenly been called to attention by a drill sergeant. Her eyes opened as wide as saucers. She suddenly felt an ice cold chill run through her body causing her to suck in a huge breath of air in a gasp. She knew that voice extremely well and had recognized it immediately!

"Keep your pie hole shut and don't alert Honeybear. I can see by your reaction that you can hear me and if it weren't for the bright daylight, you'd be able to see me too. Please trust my voice, hun. You're not hallucinating. I may be dead, but I'm not gone. Not just yet. SHUT UP! Close your mouth and try to relax before Roger notices. I'm begging you to do this for me because it's really, really important! Breathe, Amanda! You're about to turn blue and pass out because you have forgotten to breathe!"

Mandy, hyperventilated for a couple of seconds but stood rock steady and managed to gather back some measure of composure. "Good," Carol continued. "That's my girl. Now listen carefully. I need you to come back here around midnight. I'm straining my guts out right now just so that you can hear me. For some reason, it's easier for me to manifest around midnight. It must be because of the old clichés about the witching hour. I love you, baby. It's great to see you and Roger here together. But come back tonight alone. Say nothing about this to Roger just yet. We'll bring him up to speed later. I promise."

Mandy felt the presence fade away. She was shell-shocked to say the least. She turned back towards her car on unsteady legs and began walking in that direction. Roger had taken the carnations and divided them up into two groups of one dozen each to place into the built in vases contained by the monument. He didn't notice Mandy's departure until he stood up and turned to speak with her. He spotted her just in time to see her fold over the hood of her car with a loud wail of grief and despair. She began slapping the hood of her car with the palm of her right hand, both of her arms bent at the elbow but still extended above her head. Her body shook in spasms as she continued to bawl her eyes out. Her luxurious blond hair was fanned out all around her body. For a split second, Roger thought of blurting out, "That's a pretty impressive impersonation of Cousin Itt from the Addams Family", but checked himself thinking, 'You insensitive bastard!'

Instead, Roger rushed to her side and gathered her into his arms. His own grief momentarily forgotten, he tried to console Mandy. This wasn't the first time that they had come here together, but even the funeral hadn't evoked this much emotion from his wife's best friend. "Honey, what's wrong? I've never seen you like this before!"

The only response from Mandy was shaking, crying, and babbling nonsense while pointing to Carol's headstone. At this point, Roger was seriously considering that he may have to take her to the emergency room and ask the doctor to give Mandy some Valium. He realized that she was no longer holding her keys in her hand. They were lying on the ground near the front tire where she had dropped them just before her collapse. Roger guided her to the passenger seat and settled her inside, seat belt connected. He gently closed her door. He gathered up the keys as he crossed over to the driver's side and got in.

As he drove to his apartment, he was thankful that Jeremy was currently visiting with his own parents so that they could get some grandparent time in to spoil him. He quickly decided that he wasn't going to take Mandy straight home for two reasons. First, they were in her car and she had picked him up from his apartment for the trip to the cemetery. Second, he wasn't about to leave her alone in this condition and third, she certainly was not in any shape to be driving a car. After he arrived back at his apartment complex and found a parking space nearby his residence, he turned off the car then helped her inside to his master bedroom. He guided her onto the bed before unbuckling her sandals and dropping them to the floor. Mandy was still crying profusely while uncontrollably whimpering, but she was no longer wracked with sobbing. Roger crossed over to the bathroom and soaked a clean washcloth in cold water. He wrung it out in the sink, then he folded it in half as he returned to the bedside and gently placed it on Mandy's eyes.

"I want you to stay here and rest while I go fix us some lunch." Roger gently closed the bedroom door as he made his way to the kitchen. He and Mandy both loved Campbell's^® Split Pea with Bacon soup, so he opened up two cans of that to start with. As it was warming up, he set about making Ham & Cheese sandwiches on Black Rye bread. Fresh squeezed lemonade on ice would round out the meal.

Calmer now, Mandy sat up about a half hour after Roger had put her down. She used the damp washcloth to clean her face then draped it over the edge of the sink to dry. Leaving her feet bare, she shuffled down the hallway to where it emptied into the combination Living and Dining Rooms then leaned against the jamb. Roger was just finishing up the preparation for lunch, putting the spread he had made onto the table. Looking up, he exclaimed, "Ah! What perfect timing. You look like you're feeling better. Come sit and eat."

Roger desperately wanted to know what had triggered Mandy at the cemetery. But he knew better than to bring it up right now. It was just too soon. Mandy would no doubt discuss it with him later. But if not, then he would wait for an opportune moment a few days from now. They ate and drank in silence until Mandy had finished her share. She thanked Roger commenting about how delicious it all was.

"Mandy, honey. Please don't go. Stay here for a little bit longer. We can watch a movie together to get our minds off of this morning. I don't think you should be driving while you're so emotional."

"You're not wrong," Mandy replied. "Okay, so what's playing at the Home Theater tonight?"

"Let It Ride staring Richard Dreyfus, David Johansen and Teri Garr with Robbie Coltrane as the Ticket Seller."