A Christmas Ghost Read online

  Kimberly Grell

  A Christmas Ghost

  Copyright © 2017 by Kimberly Grell

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

  This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

  Kimberly Grell asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

  First edition

  This book was professionally typeset on Reedsy

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  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  About the Author

  Also by Kimberly Grell

  One

  Chapter One

  December initially began a frigid winter for Stacey McBride. This winter had to of been the coldest she has ever experienced. She waited outside in the enormous driveway that seemed like a mile long in front of a colonial style home. She put an offer on this home and sure enough, they accepted her offer. She had moved to the new town to start fresh. Back in California, several years prior, she suffered a great misfortune. The man she knew and loved passed on.

  To escape the misery she harbored, she needed to move. She found this home quickly with a notice stating it had to be sold immediately. The reasons were obscure, even the real estate agent was vague on why. Nonetheless, she scored this beautiful home for an amazing price.

  She looked in her rearview mirror and saw her agent pull up.

  “Finally!” She spoke in a frustrated tone.

  She exited her vehicle and met up with the agent. They shook hands and strolled along the paved walkway to the front door of the home. Once at the door, the agent slipped Stacey the house keys into her hand.

  “Congratulations, Stacey. Welcome to your new home.” Vanessa, the real estate agent smiled.

  Stacey pranced and inserted the key into the doorknob. She turned the key and slowly opened the door. Although the outside had been restored to its natural colonial finish, the inside was completely refurbished. The original blueprints showed a different setup before the remodel, yet now it was a new layout.

  “I’m glad I could get this house. Even better, it’s move in ready, so I don’t have to do anything to it.” Stacey admired her new home.

  “There is another matter I’d like to discuss with you before I leave.” Vanessa stated in a serious manner.

  “Oh?” Stacey became intrigued.

  “If you experience anything… out of the ordinary, call me. Okay?”

  Stacey found it rather odd for anyone to react this way. What could go wrong?

  “Out of the ordinary? What do you mean? Is the house haunted?” Stacey chuckled playfully.

  By the expression on Vanessa’s face, that was precisely the reason.

  “Ahhh, so it finally comes to light why the homeowners wanted to sell so fast.” She glanced around her and nothing seemed to fly off the walls or opening doors. “I think it’s highly unlikely this home is haunted, plus, I don’t believe in ghosts. It’s just a fairy tale to scare kids.” She disregarded it.

  “All right, suit yourself. The offer still stands. If you experience anything, call me.”

  “Will do.” Stacey responded just to pacify her.

  Vanessa spun around on her heels and quickly left as she felt uneasy inside the house. Stacey has seen no one move that fast before just to get out of a house.

  “I’m beginning to see the people here are weird.”

  Again, she shrugged her shoulders and pieced everything together as far as what purpose each room would serve. From the outside, it looks like it would be a huge house on the inside. But once inside, you’d be proven wrong. It’s a cozy three bedroom, two bathroom home. It’s a standard home, especially for a single person.

  Stacey checked her phone for the time. Her furniture would arrive soon. Her goal, seeing how late in the day it already was, was to get her bed setup, so she had a place to sleep. Tomorrow would be busy for her.

  A few moments went by and a knock at the door resounded through the vast entryway. Stacey rushed to the door and two men waited to confirm that they delivered to the right home.

  “Sign here, please.” One man handed her a clipboard with a delivery sheet attached.

  She took the pen the other man gave her and signed her name at the bottom, confirming she received her furniture. She sent them on their way with a delightful grin and watched as the two men hauled her furniture into each room. Furniture was everywhere, and this troubled her. Stacey, to sum her up quickly, was a neat freak. Everything had to be in its spot and neatly at that too. Being in complete shambles threw her OCD into high gear.

  She shook her head, attempting to occupy her mind with something else. She breathed deeply with her eyes closed. In the distance, two truck doors closed and a truck engine started. When everything silenced, she opened her eyes and planned everything accordingly.

  “Okay, first things first. My bedroom. I have to at least setup my bed so I have a place to sleep tonight.”

  She glided to her bedroom and moved things around to make room for her bed. She grunted and growled while moving things into place. This struggle was getting on her last nerve.

  When she placed all the bedroom furniture neatly in its new home, Stacey relaxed and threw herself onto the bed. She was exhausted, cold and wondering when the hell the heat would kick on.

  It had been such a long day for her, that once she became comfortable in bed, her eyes grew heavy and she soon fell asleep. Not without a ton of blankets though. It sure was cold that night.

  Amidst the night, Stacey woke up to strange clamors going on in the other rooms. She was too tired to get up making it impossible to find out the cause of these noises. They happened throughout the night, however before long, she credited everything to an old house possibly settling into its new look.

  She tossed the pillow and blankets over her head to muffle all the sounds happening around her. She needed sleep to be energized for more moving of furniture.

  The following morning arrived and Stacey awoke to a wonderful aroma that filled the house. At first, she thought nothing of it. But when it kicked in that she was the only person living in this house, her eyes grew wide. She shot out of bed like a bat out of hell and rushed out of her bedroom. She flew down the hall and passed several rooms on the way. She ceased mid-stride and slid across the hardwood floor. She backed up slightly and looked in one room.

  The furniture in the room was put in appealing places. She cocked her head and raised an eyebrow.

  “I don’t remember doing this yesterday. Did I?” Stacey wondered aloud.

  Stacey heard rustling around in the kitchen and proceeded on to investigate. Each room she passed the furniture was setup. She couldn’t believe her eyes. She discretely rounded the corner to the kitchen and saw a man making breakfast. Her heart pounded and her mind raced. What was this man doing in her home? She snuck inside the kitchen and grabbed a knife for defense.

  “What are you doing in my house?” Her voice was unsteady as she held the knife up.

  The man turned around to face her. He had gentle looking eyes and a wide smile.

  “That’s not a proper way to greet the host of the house, now is it?”

  “What? Host?” She shook her
head. “No, I bought this house. This is my house. What are you doing here?”

  Her hands shook, and the man inched closer to her. He laid his masculine fingers on her tiny hand and slowly pushed it down.

  “There’s no need to be defensive. I’m harmless.”

  “You never answered my question. What are you doing here? How did you get in here?” She spoke quickly.

  “That’s more than one question. That’s two.” The man had sarcasm his tone.

  “Just answer me!” Her body vibrated.

  “I live here.” He replied.

  “What? NO! I’m calling the police!”

  She turned her back to him and ran for the house phone. By the time she reached it, he was already there.

  “What the hell!? How did you get here so fast!?”

  She tried to reach around him to grab the phone, but he pivoted his body to prevent her.

  “Okay, who the hell are you and why are you here, honestly. Is it money you want?” She backed up to the adjacent wall.

  “I told you, I live here. My name is Samuel.”

  “Are you a squatter?” Stacey blurted.

  “No. Let me slow it down for you. I. Live. Here.” He brought his hands up to display his surroundings.

  “Stop lying!”

  Samuel rolled his eyes at how difficult the situation had become.

  “We got off on the wrong foot. Let’s try it again.” He extended his hand out to Stacey. “My name is Samuel Woodrow. I am currently… haunting this house.”

  “What? This is unbelievable.” She shook her head. “You expect me to believe YOU are the ghost that’s haunting this place?”

  “Instead of me trying to prove it to you, let me show you.”

  Samuel walked towards the front door and turned to face her once again.

  “Now you see me…” He jumped backwards and suddenly disappeared without a trace.

  “What. The. Hell…?” Stacey whispered with her upper lip raised.

  “Neat, right?” He spoke behind her.

  This spooked Stacey. She spun around quickly, yelped and ended up tripping on her own feet and falling.

  “Oooooh. That had to hurt.” Samuel stated after he heard her bottom hit the hardwood floor with a thud.

  He extended his arm out to assist her to her feet. She hesitated for a few moments, but took a chance.

  “So let me get this straight.” She began. “YOU’RE the reason this house is haunted?”

  “Didn’t we already established that?” Samuel answered.

  “I’m just having a hard time understanding this.” Her eyes drifted to the floor.

  A ding went off in the kitchen and Samuel looked back. His eyes travelled to Stacey again.

  “The biscuits are done.” He smiled.

  He walked away and disappeared into the kitchen to retrieve the biscuits from the oven. Stacey scratched her head, trying to grasp what was going on here.

  “I can’t believe I’m living with a ghost…”

  Samuel poked his head around and waved her into the kitchen.

  “Are you coming? It’s getting cold.”

  “Uhhh, yeah…?” She wasn’t sure how to handle this situation.

  He retreated into the kitchen and Stacey put one foot in front of the other, slowly.

  “But he seems so real.” She wondered to herself. “How is this possible?”

  There was one way to find out. Get him to reveal his story.

  Two

  Chapter Two

  It had been a few days since Stacey moved into her new home. It took the same time to get over living with a ghost. The uneasiness diminished after she found out how Samuel became a ghost.

  He owned the house a few years prior when it had its original layout. Sadly, Samuel fell victim to a horrible car accident and never survived. He was an only child in his family and he was also single, so he had no next of kin. The house was auctioned off and year after year it went through several owners.

  Samuel wasn’t your typical ghost, however. Because his soul became accustomed to the original layout, he can walk through walls that once contained a doorway, giving the appearance he can walk through anything when he can only walk through certain parts to the house. Another strange occurrence to his ghost form is that he is particularly human. Samuel can be touched and feel just like a human. He even contains all his recollections from his life when he was alive.

  The day Samuel died, the one regret was never being able to find love. When he passed away, he always thought one would move on. However, for his situation, he was stuck here. He can’t leave the house, if he does, or if he tries to, he teleports back inside.

  “Have you ever tried resolving any issues you had when you were alive? Perhaps there is something that is holding you back from crossing over?” Stacey spoke while sipping coffee.

  “I have considered that. I had no issues with anyone here. No matter how much I think about it, I can never find out the reason I’m here.” Samuel replied.

  “Perhaps one day you’ll make sense of it.” Stacey patted him on the back. “I have to go find my tree now. It’s somewhere in this house.”

  Stacey excused herself from the kitchen table to hunt for her tree. As she rounded the corner, Samuel stood waiting for her.

  “Ah!” She howled. “I’ll never get used to that.”

  “I put the tree in the attic the night you moved in.” He pointed up with his index finger. “I’ll go get the tree for you.”

  Stacey nodded and waited for him to return with her tree.

  “Where do you want it?” He spoke as he returned with the tree.

  “I was thinking possibly in here?” She pointed to the front room with the giant bay window. “As people drive down, they’ll see the tree lit at night.”

  “Perfect. I’ll set it up for you.” He volunteered.

  Stacey directed him to the spot she wanted the tree and even helped him position it to her liking.

  “You’re particular, huh?” Samuel added.

  “What gave it away?”

  He remained silent as his response might offend her. He fluffed out the artificial branches and soon the tree looked full.

  “Your turn.” He stated.

  Because Stacey is a neat freak, he knew if he decorated the tree, it wouldn’t be to her liking.

  “Do you think you’re stuck here because you never found love?” She asked while pulling out decorations from an unmarked box.

  “Well, if it is, then I’ll be stuck here for a long time.” Samuel answered.

  “I suppose, that can’t be it. It has to be something. And you’re sure you’ve considered everything?”

  “Positive. I’m not… or I wasn’t that sort of person to cause trouble.”

  “Perhaps you knew something that could have prevented an outcome?”

  “Unlikely.” Samuel shook his head.

  “We’ll make sense of this.” Stacey comforted.

  “What makes you so sure about that? Does my presence bother you that much?” He seemed annoyed.

  “Sometimes I wonder exactly where in the house you are.” She played with her hair from nervousness.

  “You mean, if I’m spying on you?” He lifted a brow.

  “Are you?” Stacey became curious.

  “No. If I was, you’d know it.”

  “Comforting.” Stacey’s tone became distinctly wry.

  She placed the last ornament on the tree and stepped back to admire it. All the ornaments had an even amount of space between each other and everything lined up in a pattern.

  “Very nice.” Samuel remarked.

  “Yes, everything has to be perfect.” Stacey responded.

  “So how did you get like this?” He wondered.

  “Like what?”

  “Look around. Everything has to be in a particular spot or else it’s not right. How did you get to be like that?”

  “That’s a story for another time.” She chuckled.

  Samuel d
ragged the rest of her Christmas decorations out of the attic. He was proving himself useful to Stacey in the new home. He left all the decorating to her and before long Stacey had the main part of the house decked out in Christmas décor. Stacey contemplated on decorating the outside of the house, but it seemed too blustery for that.

  Day turned to night and Stacey was exhausted.

  “I wish I could help.” Samuel offered. “But I’m afraid you’d just redo everything.”

  “It’s fine. I’ve been on my own long enough to take care of things.” She assured him.

  “Grab yourself a quick bite to eat. I believe there are leftovers from lunch in the fridge.” Samuel added.

  “Great, thanks.”

  Stacey dragged her tired body to the kitchen and pulled out the leftovers. She quickly munched down and headed for bed. On her way, she waved to Samuel.

  “Goodnight.” She whispered.

  It was the middle of the night and Stacey awoke to glass shattering. She sprang out of bed and rushed to investigate what had happened. When she reached the room with the broken glass, she became shocked to see that someone had broken her window.

  She strolled closer to the window and accidentally stepped on glass, cutting the bottom of her foot.

  “Ouch!” She jumped in place from the stinging pain.

  She lifted her foot to examine it and gently pulled a sliver of glass out. While doing so, she heard footsteps. Her eyes widened and her heart raced.

  “Samuel, is that you? If it’s you, this is not funny.” She became terrified.

  Not a single voice penetrated the air in response. Her breathing became sporadic, and she felt lightheaded. Footsteps surrounded her, and she swore someone touched her shoulder. She screamed loud, waking the sleeping dogs in her neighborhood.

  “What?!” Samuel appeared in front of her shortly after the lights came on.

  She beat his chest repeatedly, shouting profanities left and right.

  “That was not funny!”

  “What? What are you talking about?” Samuel expressed worry toward her.

  “That was a cruel joke!” She shouted.