Page 11 of The Neighborhood Ghost

“Mr. Dodds, please put down the statue. I assure you they will not hurt you while you are in my presence,” Thaddeus said.

Hugo never turned away from the ghouls before him. “Where am I? Who are these? Who are you? Where is Alice?”

“Huh, always the same questions right off the start,” Thaddeus answered. “No one ever asks, ‘How are you?’,or ‘What can I do for you?’,or‘What year is it?’It is enough to drive someone mad.” He laughed manically.

“I’m a vampire. I’ll bleed you dry,” Hugo threatened.

“Bleed what blood?” Thaddeus asked.

“Who are you? Tell me!”

Thaddeus shrugged his shoulders. “Fine. My name is Thaddeus Price. I am the warden of your house. I am here to guide you through this next phase of your afterlife.”

“What do you mean? What is this place?” Hugo asked.

Thaddeus turned his attention to the other four occupants. “Ghouls, you can leave. Go back to your master. This one is not harmful.”

They turned and shuffled out of the living room, limping forward as if they had no control over their balance.

“The box,” Thaddeus added. “Take it with you.”

They returned to lift the wooden casket, marched to the front door, and shut the door as they left.

Thaddeus retrieved his tea cup. “You can never find any good help, even in the afterlife. If you can call it help.”

He titled his head down, held the cup to his lips, and took a sip. “Please put the statue down. I assure you, you will not be able to do anything to me.”

“I’m not putting anything down until you tell me where I am.” Hugo held his attack pose.

“Fine.” Thaddeus glanced to Hugo, his head still tilted downward. He took an annoyed breath. “You are dead.”

“I’m aware.”

“You probably thought this was going to be sunshine and rainbows surrounded by former loved ones.” Thaddeus laughed. “I assure you it is not.”

Thaddeus set his cup down once again. He slapped his thick, pudgy hands together. “Or were you expecting fire and brimstone? A little fire and brimstone might improve the surroundings. No, this place is something much worse. I can assure you.”

“Then where am I?” Hugo lowered the statue. “Why is my house here?”

Thaddeus slapped his hands together once more. His eyes scanned around the room. “This truly was a wonderful house. So interesting. And there is tea. I thank you for the tea. It is hard to get good tea here.”

“Enough! Where am I?” Hugo growled.

“Well, this place has gone by many names. Purgatory. Nothingness. The Void. The Underworld. It used to be rather pleasant, actually.” His giddy voice lowered and slowed. “Until she arrived. Then it changed. She bent it to her will.”

“Why don’t you have one of those masks like those creatures?”

“Those creatures are people.They werepeople? It is so hard keeping it straight. They were not strong enough to survive. They were not strong-willed like myself. I have been here for a long . . . a long time.”

He smiled a Cheshirish grin and said, “Huh, funny. It seems like yesterday, but yet eons ago. I guess time has no meaning here. Sometimes it drives you mad. But I guess that is the point of all this. To go mad.”

Despair washed over Hugo’s face as his jaw slumped and head drooped. His fangs retreated up into his gums. He lowered the statue, but he kept hold of it by his side. In a soft voice, he asked, “Will that happen to me?”

Thaddeus shrugged his shoulders. “Depends. If you are strong like me, then you will survive. I am here to help you. Guide you. Protect you. You can trust me. You will have to listen.”

Hugo glanced at the memory shelf. The wooden box containing his wedding ring resided in its final resting place. His eyes shot up to the top of the bookcase, to Galahad. The hickory broomstick wasn’t there. “What . . . why is this like our house?”

“She thought it would help if everyone had a familiar location. You know . . . Make everything alright. Smoother.”

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