Eastern Pennsylvania boasted several small towns considered perfect enough for families to settle down away from the presence that was the big cities. There were the towns of Oak Ridge, Pine Valley and Rolling Hills, as well as sleepy little communities like Arbutus and Danvers, but among the almost perfect was Grandview nestled along the woods around where Interstate 13 met with Interstate 1 with Highway 18 to the north. Highway 18 turned into Grandview Avenue where it ran past the town square, the center of town where parents brought kids to play while they could rest. Everything here was close by. Storeowners could rush across the square to get anything to eat from the sandwich place to the hamburger place. Locals peeked into the pet store, the electronics store and the antique place where the attractive young brunette with the shapely figure was sometimes talking out loud to herself. It was a mild eccentricity when compared to other locals. People liked Melinda not because she was attractive but because she had a big heart. If she had conversations with herself, it was nothing to be concerned with at the present.

"If she buys that ugly thing, I'm haunting her." Gracie Walker spoke out loud.

"Oh, uh…" Melinda tried to dissuade Gracie's daughter, Abby, from buying a loud, extremely decorative clock with cherubs and animals carved into it. "I've got an ideal.... if you want a conversation piece, how about this?" Melinda turned round to a grandfather clock with a glass case. "It would fit perfectly with the wood planning in your dining room."

"How did you know I had wood paneling?" Abby asked. She did not know her dearly departed mother's ghost was near her.

"Oh, uh…" Melinda looked over to her friend, Delia, and looked again. She was starting to get to be an expert in improvisation as she concealed her ability to see ghosts. "I knew the old owners of your house… I recall the paneling."

"Oh..." Abby accepted that response and looked the clock over. "Well, yeah… I guess I like it… I think it will work out great." She started fishing for her credit card as Delia moved over to check out the young bride. Melinda shined with a big grin and a light breath and then turned to the spirit of the dearly departed Mrs. Walker.

"You know…" She spoke secretly to the mother's ghost. "I can help you to cross over."

"Oh, I'm okay…" Gracie grinned to Melinda. "I will in a few days. I just want to see my daughter and her new husband get settled." She faded away and Melinda turned round to adjust some antique dolls on display and some more bric-a-brac. Abby seemed happy with her purchase, and Delia made the arrangement for her so to deliver on time after school. A light breath, Delia turned on to her left leg, looked to Melinda with her soft chocolate-colored eyes and gave her a look.

"Let me guess…" Delia started. "She's got a ghost."

"Yeah," Melinda spoke. "But she's already planned to cross over. She just wants to see her daughter off before going."

"Why can't they all be that easy?"

"Well, they can…" Melinda spoke. "But I like the harder ones for being more interesting."

"To each his own…" Delia lightly looked away and stepped back to check the receipts for the day and then take them in back to file them. Melinda picked up her feather duster to keep the objects clean and looking good enough to sell to her customers. She started with an antique baby cradle, over some collectible wood toys and some old vinyl records from the Thirties and Forties, but as she moved round to the front of the store, she was surprised by someone she was not expecting.

"Can you see me?" It was the apparition of an old codger with no hair, a large waddle of skin under his chin and fatherly brown eyes wearing an old shirt with suspenders, old pants and old shoes. "My kids got rid of all my old clothes. I can't find them."

"Your kids or your clothes."

"My clothes." The old man seemed upset. "They tossed out my old Air Force Uniform and the uniform my father wore. I wanted them to keep that stuff."

"I'm afraid I don't have anything like that here." Melinda wanted to help him. "Have you checked the used clothes store down the block?"

"If I find them, will you help me?"

"Of course…" Melinda watched as the old timer turned away into nothingness. She composed herself with her hand up to her violet long-sleeved shirt, a deep relaxing breath and turned to adjust a display of turn of the century kettle pots and old kitchen utensils around an old bed-warmer. She picked up some boxes she had been intending to move and turned round to swordplay coming through the wall from the hardware store next door. One of them was Union Army Colonel Josiah L. Daniels of the 18th Regimental Area Corp. who lost his life to consumption in the area around 1863 while defending Grandview. The other was Confederate Infantry Commander Matthew A. Lincoln of the 23rd Battalion who was trampled by a horse outside of town three months after the Civil War ended. They were supposed to be haunting the old Montgomery House eight blocks away, a former Union hospital now known as a museum. Daniels slashed at Lincoln, and Daniels parried with his own rival still fighting about the war.

"Guys, guys, guys… please!" Melinda was tired of them fighting through town. "You're supposed to stay to the Montgomery House."

"We got anxious…" Lincoln pushed off Daniels. "No true animosity, Miss Gordon, but we came into town and decided to test our swordplay skills with each other."

"We barely see anyone at the museum except children…" Daniels spoke as he checked his sword. "And they really don't care about the stories we left behind. Not that the curators there get the stories right."

"Well," Melinda thought a second with her hand to her head. "I don't condone this, but haunted landmarks do very well. If you can spur some attention to the place…"

"Maybe we can get those TAPS guys to come for a visit…" Daniels turned to Lincoln. "My dear, lady…" They both bowed in old-fashioned respect to Melinda.

"If anything, I really believe you both should be crossing over…." Melinda added as they sheathed their weapons and vanished through the back of the store. A frustrated but innocent light shake of her head, Melinda lifted one of the boxes at her feet and placed it atop another. As she started lifting the two together, she heard the bell on the doors and was grateful to have a human customer of the corporeal variety. She turned round and recognized someone she knew. Her eyes recognized that good-looking face. Dark hair, big brown jolly eyes with a square jaw atop a black sweater, and blue jeans. His face was just lightly different than the last time she had seen him… maybe a bit fuller…

"William…" Melinda's personality alighted to see him again.

"What's a little girl doing with all those boxes…" He mused excitedly to be seeing her. He was William Collins, a paranormal researcher known more by the horror novels based on his research of the paranormal, and the scion of one of New England's most wealthy families. His ancestor had founded a town, his family owned property and were friends with Kennedys and Carringtons. Despite the money and prestige, he was one of the most accessible minor celebrities of the East Coast. Melinda fretted and fussed with her hands unsure to hug him or give him a peck to the cheek.

"It's been a long time!" A light came to Melinda's eyes to see him again. "So… what are you doing in Grandview? How are you doing?"

"I'm doing okay…" William looked intently upon her and recalled once being in love with her. It was a secret he had kept from her out of insecurity. "I'm married now."

"You got married?" Melinda stopped behind the counter. "You should have told me. I would liked to have been there." She paused a moment. "To be truthful, I'm married now too."

"I hope he's treating you right."

"Yes, he is…" Melinda glowed like a woman in love with her husband. "His name is Jim, and he's a EMT. So what about your wife? Is she with you?"

"Ally?" William responded distractedly. "Well, that's sort of why I'm here, you see…"

"Melinda…" Delia interrupted coming out. "I was thinking. Maybe now is a good time to finally display this china cabinet. We could put it in the window display with the porcelain dishes in it."

"That's sounds great. Delia…" Melinda looked from her to William. "Remember I told you I knew the author of that book I gave you on your birthday, well, this is him. My old friend, William Collins from Collinwood…" She gestured to William. Delia looked over and around through the shop. She felt a light chill dancing down her back.

"Oh, honey… I'm so sorry…" Delia couldn't see him. Melinda dropped her excited demeanor and looked back with mourning sadness in her heart.

"Did I forget to mention I died?" William looked back upon her.