Free Ghost for Sale by Sandra Cox

sights on William, he didn’t have a chance. That girl was more stubborn than Homer Winslow’s prize mule.
    “William considered her one big pain in the arse.” He laughed and gave me a quick smile that invited me to share in the joke.
    My insides warmed. His smooth voice filled my head and mesmerized me like the lap of the water against the shore. The night air danced and played with his hair. I watched his lips as he continued his story.
    His beautiful voice deepened with sadness. “Then the war came and we enlisted. We weren’t able to get home for two years. Funny little Anna had turned into a beautiful young woman. William fell head over heels in love with her. Anna was wild to wed him, but William had a stubborn streak himself. He was afraid she might get pregnant and he wouldn’t make it back to take care of her. Still, he came to her at every opportunity.”
    In my mind, I could see the two young lovers clutched together in a desperate embrace, feel their pain of parting and fear of death.
    “We survived, William and I, and came back home. Still, the lad wouldn’t marry her.”
    “If he loved her, why wouldn’t he marry her? That doesn’t make sense.”
    “He wanted to get back on his feet. The war had ravaged the south, though we were luckier than many. Being on the Maryland border, our town had a lot of Union sympathizers, and we recovered quicker than most. Still, it wasn’t easy.
    “William got on his feet within a year. He’d built her a little house with a white picket fence. He even planted red and pink roses around it. They smelled as sweet as sin on a hot summer’s night. I’d never seen Anna so happy.” He paused and glanced in the direction of a splash close to shore.
    I shifted in the direction of the watery sound. My attention soon drew back to my ghost. “What happened?” I prompted.
    He drew a sigh from deep in his belly. “Southern boys went a little crazy after the war. Hunger will do that to you. A group rode into town the day of her wedding, wearing red bandanas around their faces, headed for the bank. Anna got in their way.”
    “Oh, Liam.” My heart sank, and ice seeped into my bones. I rubbed my arms.
    “She was in a hurry, not paying attention, and stepped off the sidewalk as they came thundering in. They rode right over her.” Tension like thunder bolts filled the night. Electricity leaped and crackled in the air. Apprehensive, I checked for rainclouds, but the night was clear. The feel of an approaching storm came from Liam.
    “I yanked the man closest to me off his horse and proceeded to beat the holy hell out of him. One thing led to another. I got shot.”
    A dark splotch appeared on his chest and grew in size, the edges ragged. My mouth dried and my stomach pitched. He glanced over, saw the horrified look on my face, and the stain disappeared.
    “I saw this beautiful light, and I swear there were angels beckoning me. I started toward it, then heard a wail. I turned and watched sweet Anna rise out of her body. I reached for her hand, but she pulled away from me and started running toward the church, calling William’s name.
    “I tore out after her. By the time I caught up with her, the light and the angels were gone. Then we both fell into this black void. Sometimes in the dark, I could hear Anna calling for William. In the background, I could see shadowy figures as if through a veil. It was as if we inhabited the same plane as the living only in different dimensions. Then poof, we got sucked into those tubes.
    “When Anna’s cracked, she slipped out, looked straight at me, and said ‘I have to find William’ and was gone. Once again, I saw a bright light and angels and once again, I had to stay put. I can’t very well move on without Anna. It just wouldn’t be right.”
    “That has to be one of the most selfless things I’ve ever heard.” My chest constricted and my eyes stung. “So if you weren’t determined to find Anna and put her soul to rest,