Jane Crocker descended down the stairs, alone.
Jane never minded having to live her afterlife on a spiral staircase. She quite enjoyed it, actually. There was something about being able to see the face of the people that climbed the stairs day in and day out. On occasions, she would see the flash of a camera going off, reminding her that times were changing, and she no longer lived in the time or corsets and dresses and a time of proper mannerism.
Jane watched as the world changed. The clothing became strange, in a good way, and she on occasion felt excluded from the world in her long light blue dress that dragged along the ground and clung to her figure in a pleasing manner. She wanted to wear skirts and trousers. Jane wanted to wear shirts and have the long flowing locks that hadn't been chopped off before she was murdered many years ago on the bottom of the staircase.
How she yearned, and this is when the sadness began to set it. For a long time, Jane yearned for contact with a human being. Of course, when she attempted, the other person would leave quickly and with a frightened look in their eyes. They feared her, and she knew. They feared her because she was unknown. Alien. True, the existence of ghosts was widely believed, and thousands have sought out to create contact with the deceased. When they do though, they usually run. At least, this is what they seemed to do in Jane's experience.
For a long time, this concept of the living fleeting from her sadden Jane to a great extent. To want human contact, that was a normal thing, right? So why did it seem like the possibility eluded her. Humans ran; animals growled; and Jane was left all alone.
Jane was alone, until the day Dirk Strider fell from the top of the staircase. He couldn't have been any older than seventeen, Jane had noted when she first saw him climbing the stairs. He had passed her without paying any mind to her, because when she didn't want to be seen, she was not seen. Usually, when a tourist would climb the stairs, she'd idly watch them for a few moments before going back about her normal business. Although, as he passed she felt a cold chill run through her, and her eyes trained on him, never one leaving him. She knew then, that something terrible was about to transpire.
He leaned just a bit too forward while trying to capture a picture with his phone, and he lost his balance; and then he just fell. As he tumbled down, Jane watched in horror and let out a gasp. She knew the feeling. Those few seconds before death. You remembered everything at once. Your mistakes, all the times you laughed at someone's antics, your loved ones, all of this came rushing back in one moment; and then those moments where gone, and everything felt cold. Jane cried for the boy when she heard the thud of his body and the cries of other tourists.
During the hours that followed, Jane wrapped herself into a fetal position and cried at the top of the stairs, not wanting to look down to see the body of the poor boy who had departed from the world too soon, just as she had. Jane truly had hoped that unlike her, he would pass on and live in the afterlife, happy and carefree. She certainly hoped he didn't end up stuck like her.
In the days that followed the death of the blond boy, whose name she had not known at the time, the staircase, which belonged to an old home that was now used as a museum, was closed from the public as the blood was cleaned up and the body removed, among other things. Jane was hopeful for those days because the boy failed to make an appearance, and she had truly believed that he had passed on, unlike her.
Jane listened in to the conversations of passing people who spoke of the boy. His name was Dirk Strider. He was a seventeen year old boy visiting from America, who had just slipped. Apparently, according to what Jane heard, his body was shipped back to his home so he could have a proper burial with his family. Jane smiled because that meant he was loved. To be loved was something Jane had always wanted, even in life.
Weeks passed without incident. The staircase reopened, rules had been put into place about leaning over the railing, and the tourists poured in. Jane still mulled over Dirk, wondering what kind of afterlife he was living. She assumed it was a good one, because he had seemed to love a good life. On occasion she had a yearning sensation to reverse time and make contact with the boy, try to stop his death, or at least, attempt to comfort him in his last moments.
Then one day, without warning, a young blond boy, about seventeen, appeared at the bottom of the staircase. Jane recognized him in an instant, and she choked back sobs. He hadn't passed on, as it turned out. She cried for him, even though she didn't know him, she cried for him.
Of course, it had never occurred to her that he could now hear her. His head snapped up to look at her, and his eyes shone of confusion. Blood was splattered over his shirt and pants, she noticed as she looked at him through her tears, She was the same in the fact the her blood stained her dress.
"I apologize." She gave him a broken smile. "You must be so confused, and yet here I am crying like a silly child when I could be helping you."
Jane stood and flowed down the stairs, levitating off the ground and flowing down the spiral staircase with ease. She reached him, and took his hand, and there it was. The human contact she had been craving for years. More tears escaped her, tears of both joy and sorrow. The contact was lovely, and Jane felt complete. Although she didn't want the contact because of the death of a boy. Not like this, never like this.
"Who are you?" he asked, glancing down at their hands with a skeptical gaze, but not quite pulling away yet.
"Oh, right. My name is Jane Crocker, and I am assuming you know you are deceased, correct?" She didn't mean to be quite so blunt about it, but there was no other way to explain it. Dirk nodded mutely, and Jane continued. "I was murdered in the 1800s, I'm afraid, so I am a tad outdated on the outside world. I apologize in advance if I am a nuisance for any reason."
That was when Dirk stopped her. "Murdered? By who, if I may ask?"
Jane smiled softly. "Well, long ago I fell in love. He didn't love me like I did though. I believe he simply wanted me for my wealth, and when I suggested we run away together and leave everything behind, involving my family's fortune, well he didn't agree much with me. He murdered me, right at the base of this staircase."
Dirk was silent. His mouth opened and closed until his lips settled into a small, bashful smile. "Well then my death seems pretty pointless if I based it on yours."
Jane shook her head. She gestured to one of the stairs. "No, no, you needn't compare anything between the two of us, especially our deaths. Here sit, let's talk. We have all the time in the world, after all. Tell me about yourself..."
"Dirk. Dirk Strider." Dirk answered, running a hand through his blond hair, which was caked with a few specks of blood. His hands ran down to his neck, which had been bruised badly from when he had broken it when he fell. Dirk pressed his fingers into his neck, never batting an eyelash. Well of course not, since ghosts couldn't feel pain unless they were death echoes, entities that relived their death constantly. He looked back at Jane, who was watching him curiously. "Tell me more about yourself, Jane."
"Well there isn't much to tell. I was born into a wealthy family, and I was murdered on the eve of my seventeenth birthday. On that day, I remembered pain, and then a tranquil peace. All my life had flashed before my eyes," Jane glanced up at Dirk, her blue eyes glinting with unshed tears. "it really did. After that flash, I felt nothing. I was cold, and I was floating. I don't exactly remember how much time had passed while I was in that state of limbo. I just remember being pulled somewhere, and then I woke up there, right at the base of the steps. Alone."
"Was your family still alive?" Dirk hesitated to ask the question, since it seemed very deep and personal. Jane smiled behind the tears.
"Yes, at the time, they were. I saw them constantly. My father in particular. He used to sit on the steps and cry, and I would cry with him of course, but he would never see me. After they passed on, and the generation after them passed on, my home was transferred into a museum." Jane explained. "They even have a section on my family, and my murder as well!"
"You can move to other parts of the museum?" Dirk asked, tilting his head at Jane.
"I've been dead for many years Mr. Strider, and I've learned a trick or two. I think given enough practice, you could accomplish the same!" Jane nodded, mostly to herself. It was nice to have someone to talk to. She felt, complete in a sense.
Dirk smiled softly. "We'll work on it then. Hey, Jane, why didn't I pass on? I mean, tons of people do it, otherwise your family would still be here too. So, why didn't we go?" Dirk was full of questions.
Jane mulled over the question for a second. "Well, I suppose it was because I left this world unsatisfied. The man who killed me, I loved him. I believe that is why I'm still here. I am looking for someone to love, and someone who will love me back. I've never been able to find someone though, seeing as no one would dare fall for me. I am deceased after all."
"I think," Dirk started, resting his palm on his cheek. "that I always went about thinking that something in my life was missing. I never knew what it was though. Like, there was just a whole there that needed to be filled. Nothing could fill it though."
"So, you never did find the true reason for remaining then. That is a very morose thought, Mr. Strider. To never know such an important thing. But don't you fret, I am here to help you realize this missing piece!"
"For such a gruesome death and a lonely afterlife, you sure are optimistic." Dirk spoke with a small bitterness leaking into his tone. Jane brushed it off. She knew he had to be going through a very difficult time, and he was beginning to realize the situation he had been placed in.
"That is the key. Never lose your hope, Dirk." Jane sighed. "I am going to give you some time to think."
Before Dirk could respond, Jane vanished from his sight. She reappeared at the bottom of the staircase, and waved at the teen before walking off into the desolate hallway. Jane tended to do this, when she needed to get away from that damned staircase. Most of the time, she stayed there because that was where it was easier to rest. Jane was always pulled to the staircase, no matter where she was, but she could fight the pull. It tired her out if she stayed away too long, so she was never away from the stairs for long periods of time. The first years after her death, she couldn't get as much as five feet away from the stairs without collapsing, although eventually she gained strength.
The museum, a place she used to call home, was dark, and velvet rope kept the living people at bay from the displays. Jane payed no mind to most of the displayed though, she headed straight for her old room, which had been turned into an exhibit dedicated completely for her. Everything she owned was still here, even the dress she wore in the afterlife. It brought back a pang of nostalgia, and Jane smiled sadly as a tear ran down her face.
History had written her down as a lovely girl that was brutally murdered by her lover at the base of the Tulip Staircase, as it had been named later after her death. According to the plaques and books written about her, which flattered Jane to no end, she was a lovely young woman with so much potential, who was loved dearly by her family. It also stated that her family mourned deeply, and Jane knew that they had, she had witnessed it first hand. All the crying and the sorrowful looks, she saw every one.
Jane never lied to herself. She hated being dead, but she was accustomed to it. Now, with Dirk, she wasn't sure how she would go about her usual business with him around. True, she felt sorry for what had happened to him, having him be there might complicate things. Jane could already tell.
With a sigh, Jane headed back to the staircase. The tugging sensation was beginning to become a nuisance that she did not have the energy to deal with at the moment.
As she walked back up to the staircase, she noticed Dirk was situated right at the center of the floor, where he landed when he fell. It would make sense that would be where he felt most at peace. Jane herself usually fixated herself at the base of the staircase, where she felt the most comfortable.
"I'm sorry I sort of snapped at you." Dirk said, bringing his knees up and wrapping his lanky arms around them.
"There is no need to apologize, Dirk. I understand that dying a traumatic experience. For you to lash out was a perfectly normal thing to do. This will take some getting used to, I'm afraid. Although, if you let me, I would like to help you make the transition as easily as possible." Jane walked over to Dirk, sitting down next to him.
"Yeah, I think that could work." He smiled sadly at her. Dirk truly need her help, Jane could see that clearly. And Jane needed his.
After all these years craving companionship, someone to talk with, a friend, she finally got what she had been asking for. Although, now that she had what she wanted, she had no idea what to do, or where to go. All she knew, was there was a young man who needed her just as much as she needed him. That, all in all, well that was good enough for Jane to know it was a shot worth taking.
It worked. By some magical force, it had worked. Over the months that followed that first night, Jane had formed a strong bond with Dirk. One she hadn't formed with anyone while she was living, not even the man she had fallen in love with, her murderer.
"Hey Dirk, why do you suppose that the living never see us?" Jane asked one day, roughly two years after Dirk had died.
Dirk glanced down at the people Jane was watching. They seemed happy, carefree. Dirk felt a pang of nostalgia. He remembered living, far better than Jane. "We're higher beings, Jane. They're eyes can perceive us unless we want to be seen."
"Is that the most logical answer you can come up with, Mr. Strider." Jane laughed and sent him a teasing grin.
Dirk grinned back, his mood lightening at the site of Jane Crocker grinning like a madman. "Let's see you come up with something better Janey."
Jane pouted and puffed out her cheeks. "I'm afraid I can't come up with anything."
"See I told you."
"Oh, be quiet."
Jane was used to these sort of antics. It had been two years since Dirk died, and she had become accustomed to his company. Although she wasn't always fond of the trouble he was brewing up. Like pranking the living, for example. He liked to make the hair on the back of their necks stand, and he loved their reaction when he whispered something to them.
Jane had always been less than please about all this, but like always, Dirk dragged her into little games and competitions that she always wound up winning.
From the games and the meaningful midnight conversations though, something else sprouted. Jane wasn't sure what to call it, but it brought back painful memories of that face. That handsome face glaring down at her as he killed her.
Jane had felt love before, but this, this was so strong. She didn't know what to make of it, and she was scared. Falling in love with Dirk was never a part of her plans. Throughout this dilemma, she decided it was impossible for Dirk to return her feelings, so with all her power she bottled the emotions up and continued with the afterlife. Jane kept her feelings like this for years.
She did this until one particular night, several years later, in the dead of night, Dirk reached out and held Jane's hand. He never did that unless she was crying, and Jane was well aware that she wasn't crying. In fact, just moments ago she had been laughing at one of Dirk's jokes from an endless list of jokes.
"Jane, do you remember on that first night, when I told you I didn't know what I was searching for? When I told you there was a part of me missing?" Dirk held Jane's hand, intertwining his fingers in between hers. She blushed, glancing at their interlocked fingers.
"Yes, I remember. " Jane nodded. How could she forget? That was the beginning of their friendship, something she could never forget. That moment, on that first night, was something she held dear to her heart. It was the first sign that showed Dirk was opening up to her, because she understood what he was going through. "Why are you bringing this up now Dirk?"
Dirk smiled at her. "I think I found what I was missing."
This piqued Jane's interest greatly. This meant that Dirk could ascend to heaven! The excitement faded quickly, replaced a somber emptiness. That meant Jane would be along again. "Oh? Well don't just stay all tight lipped about it, tell me what you were missing."
"I was missing," Dirk's hand tightened around her own. "someone I could call my own. Another human being that I could honestly say understood me an accepted me for who I was. Jane, I found it. I found it in you."
Jane was shocked, but she managed to string together enough courage to let the words spill from her mouth. "I think I found it too, Dirk. What I was looking for. I wanted to find someone to love, someone that would want me not for my wealth. I wanted a soulmate. I used to believe my death would just stop me from finding that one person I wanted to be with for eons and eons, but I was wrong. My death, although it brought about sadness and sorrow for everyone around me, including myself, it helped me realize my missing piece. i found you Dirk. It took so many years, but I found you."
She didn't look at him, it was far too embarrassing. She had just confessed her emotions to possibly the only person she could call a friend now, and she was afraid. She was afraid until he pulled her chin up and was leaning into her, pressing his lips to hers in a gentle kiss.
She cried. She knew it was a foolish thing to do, but she cried; and then she threw her arms around Dirk and buried her face in the crook of his neck.
"Jane, if this is going to be the rest of my life as a spirit, then I don't mind as long as you're here, by my side. I love you." Dirk smiled, running his fingers through her short messy hair.
"I love you too, Dirk." She smiled, looking up at him.
If you would have asked her 100 hundred years ago, where she assumed she would see herself today, she would have said alone, and still searching. But here she was, with Dirk. Jane wasn't alone, and she was through with her searching. She had found him.
A bright light at the top of the staircase deterred their attention from each other, and they glanced up at it curiously. Jane smiled softly, having a fond idea about the origin of the light.
"Come on, Dirk, it's time to go." She placed a chaste kiss on his nose and stood.
Dirk followed her movements, his eyes never leaving the light. He glanced at Jane curiously. "Where are we going, Jane?"
Jane let out a small laugh, and grabbed Dirk's hand. "We're going home. After all these years, we're going home."
Hand in hand, the two ascended the staircase and walked into the white light.
A/N - A few days ago, I was looking into a haunted spiral staircase called The Tulip Staircase, located in the Queen's House in Greenwich, England. I have no idea how the idea for this story was born from a haunted staircase, but it was.
I wrote this all in one go, so sorry for any mistakes. I'd appreciate feedback.