A Familial Spirit
Flash Fiction inspired by Blades in the Dark
“Will you stop that!” Jane snapped as another of her books flew past her and landed on the floor with a loud thunk. “Some of those are really old and really fragile.”
“Forgive me, lass, if I’m not quite so concerned with the wellbeing of your bundles of paper.”
Jane sighed, crouching down to pick up the book and ensure it hadn’t been damaged. She didn’t deign to turn around and face the wispy figure hanging out by her shelves and barely made any attempt to keep the annoyance out of her voice. “I told you I would find a way to free you from this plane, and I meant it. Tossing my stuff around will not make the process go any faster.”
“Well, then what will make it go faster? I’m not getting any younger here.”
“You’re not getting any older either, Bones. You’re a ghost.” She sat down, opened the book she now held in her hands and began to leaf through the pages. Delivery method notwithstanding, her surprise houseguest had at least pulled one of the more useful books from her shelf. “And this might go faster if you’d stop making a mess of my house and interrupting my research.”
Silence fell between the two of them for the time being and Jane gave a subtle, appreciative nod before tearing her vision back from the ghost field. This routine had become standard ever since she’d brought that damned Leviathan bone dagger home with her. Just her luck it had a spirit attached to it, and worse it happened to be one of her own ancestors which thus made her obliged to help them. She’d never hear the end of it if her parents found out she turned her family away, even if said family had been dead for decades. Bones wasn’t the worst temporary roommate either, even if they were impatient and had no respect for her library. Shame, her collection of occult texts would likely serve them both well in this situation, if they’d just let her get enough research time in.
Of course, no sooner had she thought that than another book sailed through Jane’s field of vision.
“Bones!” She snapped, her tone harsher as she looked towards the shelves and the invisible figure she knew was still there. Though she wasn’t tuned in to see them at the moment, she could swear she heard them laughing at her.
The things she’d put up with for family…
About the Creator
Kelsey Clarey
She/Her/Fae/Faer. I live in Nova Scotia, Canada. I mostly write poetry and flash fiction currently, a lot of it fantasy/folklore/fairy tale inspired. I also like to do a lot of fiber arts and design TTRPGs.
https://linktr.ee/islanderscaper
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Do You Remember?
”Do you remember?” “Remember, what?” “Do you remember how we met?” “Of course I remember when we met.” “But do you remember HOW we met?” “How? How. Well, yes.. what exactly are you goin’ on about, Vera?” “It’s been decades since I’ve thought about it” “Go on.” “Well, don’t you remember, Oscar? We were two very lost souls. So lost in the rubble we couldn’t find our own feet. “Ah, yes.” “Our hearts were shredded into the finest confetti, it’s a miracle they could even hold a beat!” “Mm, It’s coming back to me.” “Meddling on lonesome blues and cheap whiskey.” “Merely kids, we were.” “Down by that old river, some nights so misty!” “Oh, yes. That sure was a mighty beautiful river.” “and the bands would play until sunrise for all our lonesome souls to vanquish into spiritless nothingness.” “They knew we needed sleep at some point, just to wake up the next evening to do it all over again.” “A small light in the darkness.” “Hm, I am still not understanding why this faint memory has arised in you, Vera, are you okay?” “Do you remember when you looked at me? From across the dock?” “Well, yes. I saw a sad girl sitting on shore, digging her toes in the sand, curly dark locks drifting with the wind.” “Yes, and I looked up at that exact moment.” “A picturesque moment, a sight to be seen.” “That was the first time I smiled in months.” “Truly?” “Truly.” “Hm. Why is that?” “Well, I saw a handsome young man staring right back at me, with a hungered look in his eyes, a look I couldn’t quite read.” “and that made you smile?” “No one had ever looked at me like that in all my young years, if they ever even looked at me..” “You were… dauntingly beautiful, Vera. I couldn’t look away.” “I was not!” “You were! I saw a lost soul, like mine, toes so deep in the sand you couldn’t see them. An aching heart so shredded it was like fire works going off around you.” “and that made me beautiful?” “It made you real. It meant you could feel, deeply. And when you can feel, deeply - well, that’s the purest of beauty.” “and you saw all that just by looking at me?” “I felt you in my soul, and it made me feel.. not so lost anymore.” “Oh… Oscar.” “What is this all about, Vera?” “Well, to be honest, I was beginning to feel a little bit lost again.” “Oh, Vera..” “When you looked at me from that rickety ol’ dock, something in my soul ignited.” “You felt it too?” “Very much so.” “Hm, you never made a mention of that.” “Well, growing up crushed by the weight of endless trauma, you learn to hide such feelings.” “Fair.” “I just… I just needed that reminder, of what ignited my soul in the first place.” “You mean.. by giving you this look?” “Yes! Oh.. Yes, that look!” “You will always be the girl of my wildest imagination, Vera. Without you, there would only be darkness.”
By Kendra J. Anthony5 days ago in Fiction
Comments (5)
This is such a fun story!! Nicely done, Kelsey.
Lol, if I was Jane, I wouldn't care if they were my ancestor. I would call an exorcist hahahahahaha
What a fun, lighthearted look at the challenges of dealing with a ghostly family member! I can totally see her struggle between being annoyed and feeling a bit responsible for Bones' situation—classic family dynamics!
You got me! 👻 📚
Family. You can’t live them living or dead. This is a promising start to a longer tale, Kelsey. Is more coming? 🤞