A Halloween Carol
Chapter 3
Ghost of Halloween Yet to Come
Sharon found herself back in her living room standing in the dark. She wasn't sure what time it was or what was going on. She remembered that she had never actually seen Rusty come in so she decided to go and peek in his room just to make sure. She quietly opened his bedroom and gasped when she found it virtually empty. The bed, desk, and dresser were still there but everything personal of Rusty's was gone. His clothes, his laptop, his chess set and all of his books.
'Rusty?" She called out in confusion.
"He moved out last year Sharon. After he graduated and got the job with that news website based in San Diego. "Sharon heard a voice she didn't' recognize from behind her and she turned to find a dark shadowy figure standing there. She didn't recognize it but it reminded her on something Ricky and his friends would have worn as teenagers at Halloween.
"The Ghost of Halloween Yet to Come, I guess?" She asked the figure approaching him as she would a suspect determined not to let him see her nerves.
"I am" it said.
"I don't know who you are supposed to be the other two I could easily place. Why is that?" She asked the figure.
"Because Sharon the future is unknown." It told her, "Isn't that what you are the most scared of the unknown future?"
"I am not scared of the future. I have everything under control." She countered.
"Ahhh, so that is what you are truly afraid of. Losing control and when you let someone in you risk losing part of that control." It countered back.
"I let people in, and if you are talking about Andy, I have let him in just fine. He knows everything that happened with Jack if that's what you mean." She went back at him crossing her arms over her chest.
"Does he? Then why doesn't he know why you hate Halloween so much?" The spirit leaned closer to her causing her to step backwards a bit.
"Because I just never thought to tell him. He knows the big picture maybe just not all the details." She said her frustration growing. The spirit stared at her waiting, "Fine, if it's that big of a deal I will call him and tell him that on Halloween Jack showed up drunk with another woman, having emptied our savings and I was desperate enough to take his gambling money. I will also tell him how after that I have made sure…" she stopped as a realization began to sink in.
"You made sure what Sharon?" The Spirit asked.
"That nobody would make me feel the way he did that night again." Sharon whispered. "I think I need to call Andy." She said walking towards the living room to find her phone.
She found her phone sitting on the counter and picked it up to dial his number only to find it went to a recording telling her that number was no longer in service. She looked at her phone and the spirit in confusion. 'What is going on?" She asked.
"You and Andy aren't together anymore." The Spirit told her.
"What I don't understand. I heard him say that he loves me and well, I love him too. What happened?" She asked the spirit desperately.
"He does love you. Even now a year after you broke up he still loves you. That's why he finally retired it was too painful to be around you every day."
"I don't understand, why did we break up?" she asked again.
"After that first Halloween when you shut him out you guys made up but you never really told him what happened and then the next time something reminded you of a painful time in your life came along you did the same thing, and the time after that and so on. Anytime you were reminded of pain you shut him out, eventually it created a wall between you and Andy couldn't take it anymore. He tried to break through for a few years but the harder he tried the thicker you built the wall." The Spirit explained to her.
Sharon sank down on her couch, "Spirit, how do I keep that from happening?"
"You have to trust him Sharon." The Spirit said softly.
"And if I do trust him, does it turn out all right? Are we happy? Do we stay together? Can I really trust him?" She asked tears beginning to form in her eyes.
"I can't tell you that Sharon. Like I said before the future is unknown. You have to be willing to risk that. Are you willing to risk that?" The Spirit asked before disappearing leaving her alone on her couch.
TBC