Unfinished business
Ghosts are supposed to be lingering on earth because of an unfinished business. This story looks at a ghost personal issues with life, death and family.
Barry Island is supposed to have a great fair, which is why George and Nina decided that a change of scenery would be good to the bereaved household. Since Mitchell death and with Wyndham Damocles sword over their head, the Hawaiian dream was turning stale. Ghosts are not renowned to lift the gloom of any household, but Annie grief was really over the top. When she was not found in the Irishman room brooding over his suitcase, she was in the attic pacing all night through thus preventing the werewolves any sleep as the boards were creaky!
So funfair it was and what is best for a funfair but hotdogs! The queue was lengthy and not helped by the tourists flocking the showground. A mini Babel of sounds, colours and nationalities. The couple who finally had reached the seller well ahead of them was struggling to be understood; finally the woman got her hotdog, paid and left. An odd couple, the woman in her mid-fifties, the young man in his 20s. At close range, all was explained by a distinct resemblance, mother and son likely. Classic mother garb, with something foreign about it, son being a lot more avant-garde, the equestrian boots with the mock regency waistcoat and white linen open shirt.
A quick enquiring look at the young English couple and they were gone. George fine lupine ears picked up an un-explained French quick speech. They were speaking about Nina and Annie and knew them for what they were. Why would those tourists be interested in him? He stayed in line waiting for the hotdogs. Annie was looking in the distance, mind miles away from the attractions while Nina was more interested in avoiding the queue jumpers.
Three noisy teenagers shoved a bit on the side the older woman, and went through the young man. What was next was surprising. She actually hectored the youths as she had seen the ghost being shoved, while said ghost was clearly amused by her Gallic ranting. Furthermore she was seen telling off the spirit. This very human person could see, speak to a ghost, more bewildering she could touch a ghost!
George was astonished. Next he was worried, what sort of humans as in human, human normal were they who could see ghosts? What next then? Could humans know about him? A vision of torches and pitchforks followed. He had to know more. A lot more when he saw that the young man who was holding his mother hand was showing him in the distance. The fear he could read in the woman was unmistakable and the quick pace was the telltale. They had been recognized as werewolves. Humanity knew now about them. Annie and Nina looks showed they also understood something was very wrong.
The trio started running after the couple who by now had reached the car park. Where were they? A sport car engine was turned on with a French license plate. At the steering wheel, the scared woman. They had about succeeded in their escape when huffing and puffing Nina planted herself in front of the car. Which had no choice but stop.
Annie was first talking to the woman whose gaze was focused on Nina.
- "Desolee, je ne peux pas! Marius…"
- "Speak in English, Child."
- "Sorry, I am sorry. I, we were just visiting Wales. We are touring the UK. We mean no harm, we will say nothing. Just let us go, please."
- "Why don't you speak to me?"
Annie was getting offended; this woman who could see her was speaking to the other ghost, to George, to Nina, to everybody but her. She had met quite a few characters, but so far the humans who had seen her had been polite. To meet rudeness was a new thing. She stood square in front of this impolite lady but the woman could not pay more inattention than she could have done. She was not seeing her. Not seeing her at all.
The young man then touched his relative shoulder; finally she took notice of Annie.
- "Were you saying something, dear?"
Posh English is one thing; surprised Posh English with a French accent is actually funny.
- "You did not see me?"
- "No. If Grand-pere does not touch me, I can't see you"
- " So when he touches you, you can see us for what we are"
The how was clear, the why was a mystery. The woman clearly wanted to leave and put as much distance between the werewolves and her. Not satisfied with the exchange, Annie carried on questioning.
- "Why, I mean it, why can you see me only when he touches you. Why can you see him permanently?"
The answer came as a duo. They were family, they had common genetics. They were related. That made sense in some weird way.
- "So you can see him always"
- " When he touches you, you see the supernatural world for what it is"
- " "HE" has a name, mademoiselle"
" Why do you call him grandpa?"
- "Please, let us go, we mean no harm, please".
- "Clo, this is not the full moon, they can't hurt you. Plus, those holidays are finally getting interesting. You insisted that I should visit Britain and give my blessings; well, now I am having fun"
Later on sitting side by side in the B&B, looking out of place, the French duettists wer partly amused, partly worried. Opposite to them the supernatural trio was sharing the feeling. A normal not supernatural seeing ghosts, and able to know they were wolves, plus a foreign chatty ghost. That needed a long explanation.
Matter of fact Nina started the 3rd degree showdown.
- "You are?"
- " Clothilde Larmoyer"
- "Colonel Marius Larmoyer, 1st Battalion de hussards, Imperial Guard."
- "When did you… die?"
- "1815, ever heard of Quatre-Bras?"
The loathing was obvious. The man or rather the ghost still had a beef with Arthur Wellesley almost 200years later.
It turned about that mortally wounded at Waterloo, the young Colonel had managed to reach his home and die with his dutiful wife and infant son attending his death bed. The very young and very rich widow has been quickly hunted by all the gazette fortune hunters of the era. At the time, Marius could not be seen. Distraught by the sight of his beloved wife pursued by shady characters, his rage was at being unable to help her. Upon seen her literally mauled by one suitor, the outraged, jealous none withstanding dead husband was quick on action.
He smashed said suitor head with the next available flower pot. The problem was not in knocking the air off the man, it was that the bemused wife had seen the travelling flower pot floating into air and ending up on her assaulter. Clothilde Larmoyer (her 21st century descendant still carried the name) discovering her late husband was still alive in some sort, had been quite happy. To be married to a ghost caused her no problem. Fact was they sort of had lived happily ever after.
The orphaned boy had had also no problem with his ghostly father. Yet as the years, decades went on, the unfinished business matter had never been resolved. The poor ghost buried his wife, thinking she would become herself a ghost and they would cross the afterlife. She did cross… without him, then his son crossed also the afterlife and his grand- son, the son of his grand-son... Seen, spoken at, and heard he was by his kin, but Death did not call him. Mysteriously though, all the first borns of his bloodline were able to connect with Grand pere.
Now, this Clo was his great-wzzzz (mimicking the sound of a fast forward tape recorder)-wzzzz-grand daughter. Son of said grandchild was living in London out of all places. The worse was to come; said heir was planning to marry…an English girl.
- "An English woman, Clo!"
- " You have no problem with your WW1 friends"
- "They are soldiers, our countries are allies. Ghosts they are , possibly but they do not plan to marry Guillaume!"
- " Give him a break, Grandpa"
Annie interjected at that point as she was learning so much about the ghost world.
- "You have many ghosts friends?"
Nina picked up that ghosts can travel far when accompanying family as Marius casually mentioned a visit to Arlington cimetary with his dead mates.
- "Yes we do"
- "Do you have information about …werewolves?"
- "As in pregnant werewolves, afraid I don't, sorry."
- "How come you speak a better English than your…granddaughter?"
George clearly had a problem in accepting at face-value that the young man was way older than his middle-aged great-wzzzz-grand daughter.
- "The manor is not far from Calais and Belgium. Between WW1 and D-DAY, that and being a hospital for the Allied troops, the house has been literally a ghost haven for soldiers of about every available nationality. I even speak 10 languages that plus classic latin, greek and hebrew. We, ghosts, have an impressive academic CV. Too bad, we cannot work, otherwise some live people would be on the dole!"
- "And vampires?"
- "Not welcomed"
- "I make it a point to protect my family. Vamps are not stupid; they give us a wide berth".
- "And auras?"
- "Young lady, I became a ghost in 1815, learning about auras was a done thing in 1865! Auras, what next, reading, `ritting, and `rithmetics? Auras…pff"
- "There are more things than auras? Or radio waves transmission?"
- "Yes, GSCES, A levels and Uni, with all sorts of diplomas. Same for ghosts."
- "Could you teach me?"
- "Possible, not sure."
The pretty girl face broke down.
- "I do not mean No. The thing is firstly you need to grow. I mean no disrespect; your own aura is not ready. You still have powers to learn about. You are powerful, that much I can say. But first you need to learn about those powers before I can take you through the other…qualities…"
- "The…men, the men with sticks..."
- "With sticks and batons, say it, girl, what about them?"
- "Did you ever?
- "Oh, the bogeymen. They prey on fear. They are horrible if you take them at face value. Once you take them for what they are really. They are a joke, a joke and a disgrace!"
Nina was listening fascinated. The dashing Colonel was oozing French charm. Well over 6 feet, dark haired, fair skinned and amazingly blue eyed, faint few freckles, an aristocratic moustache, lanky yet muscular , he would have been a dream to look at, that if he was not dead. To see his Nina falling for this…this very good looking ghost was too much to stomach. This…this Darcy was …too much.
- "Err, how long do you plan to stay in Cardiff?"
- " We shall leave for Scotland"
- " And some castles with an interesting cast"
All of a sudden, the outside door creaked as it slowly opened to 2 savagely looking vampires. Everyone jumped up. Marius ,standing protectively in front of his grand daughter, sneered at the blood suckers.
- " George, you are in the way"
George being the good boy they all knew, sort of moved not understanding why all of a sudden, he should have to make way for a French Regency Ghost and 2 vampires. Then everybody understood why. Taking hold of a broom , breaking it in a rather long length, he suddenly used it on the first available blood sucker . The fearless hussard who had been a keen swordsman was using the broom as his old sabre and was successful; in less time to say it, he had staked the 2 vampires.
- "Impressive"
- "Grandpa is modest, he is awesome"
"You should have seen me at Eylau; now that was fighting"
The pride was clear, and the smile the Larmoyers exchanged gave out how much a happy family it was. So what if one of them was a ghost. It was family!
- "Do you know about the Old…?"
- "Ones. Yes, pretentious bastards. They think because they are 1000years old and more, they can rule the world. Ghosts can be very old too. Big deal. Werewolves can't live as long as our 2 kinds. You are alive so you cannot have it both ways"
- "You know about the age of the vampires claim"
- "So Hammer movies style isn't it! What next: age of the ghosts? Age of the mermaids? Pff, vampires and their vanity"
Nina exchanged a quick glance with George.
- "Could you stay? To help us…?"
- "My family needs me!"
The tone was unequivocal. The older woman shook her head.
- "Lately, you have been restless. Guillaume and Emma, they are doing alright. I am doing alright. Ex-husband is, well, he has improved. I do…fine. You could stay with them…a while, if you wanted…"
- "How can I leave you? You are just a kid and Guillaume is a baby"
- "You know our bond is everlasting; in case of danger, we can always have you back in a jiffy"
- " Ghosts are not stuck? Haunting houses where they died?"
- "Naaah. Look at Annie, she died, where? …in Bristol. Doing OK in Barry. My home is with my family, her home is with her friends"
- "So you could stay?"
The French ghost looked at his grand-daughter. Clearly leaving now the family had not been on their agenda. The woman was not keen on seeing her dear ancestor part for the family and the ghost was not happy at leaving her.
- "What would you have done if the Emperor had requested you to do so?"
- " Would have said Yes, your Majesty"
- "Then do it. You are as old as Guillaume and a lot less manageable than a teenager. You need action. You are simply bored to tears with our quiet life. Who knows, that unfinished business of yours may be to win the battle against those power crazed vampires?"
- "I shall see you to the ferry, and I shall come back to Barry….Beside, this young lady could do with some protection"
Nina jumped outraged. The lady needing protection was not she; the handsome ghost was looking at Annie.
- "Do not worry, Madame Nina. I am a married man"
Nina jumped again. Was the ghost able to read in her mind? If so, this ghost was going to prove as much as difficult to manage in some odd sort of ways as the late Mitchell had been. Broody had been the vampire, but this ghost? As unreliable as his countrymen or as charming, and helpful when they want to be? Time would tell. One thing was sure Honolulu Heights was now really a supernatural hostel.