A Romantic Ghost Story, Page 5

  He knelt down and picked it up.

  The inscription was labeled Lucy.

  ***

  Chapter 6

  In the dawn’s gentle glow, Ryan entered the lobby of the hotel and stood there with two guitars in his hand, still dazed but oddly calm. Who was that Nancy girl? And why had she left so suddenly?

  He found himself humming her haunting lyrics softly.

  What do you do when you’re sad?

  What do you do when you’re blue?

  Fly with me to the clouds

  And I’ll be sad with you.

  “Back from work?” a voice asked from behind the counter.

  Ryan looked up. It was Kimberly, the hotel receptionist.

  “Nah,” he replied. “I couldn’t sleep. I went for a walk and met this girl.”

  “Oh la la, Mr. Ladies’ Man,” she teased, getting up and walking toward him. “Who is this girl?”

  “She was playing music out in the woods. She left this guitar.”

  He gave Kimberly the guitar to inspect.

  She immediately dropped it.

  Her skin went white as her eyes widened. She pointed up to the wall.

  Ryan looked at the wall. There was a painting there. The subject was a girl, no older than 18. She was easily the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes on, with her big brown eyes, long, sleek raven-black hair, full pink lips and sharp cheekbones, and wearing a silky black dress. But those were not her most striking features. Her most attractive quality was the expression on her face.

  She looked at him morosely, as though she were doomed and looking for a hero to save her. Yet, at the same time, her melancholy expression hinted at something else: hope. Hope shone through her eyes, hope as bright as the stars.

  She was standing on the beach holding a guitar, a gigantic moon and a clear sky in the background. There was something about her posture and the way she carried herself that was particularly attractive to Ryan. This was a girl who knew what she wanted, but was unable to get it, for whatever reason.

  When Ryan finally realized who she was, his entire body chilled, as though an Arctic wind was sinking deep into his soul. It was Nancy, the girl he had just met.

  Kimberley spoke, her voice shaky. “Years ago, the body of a young girl washed up on shore here in Sunrise Beach. No one knew who she was or what she was doing here. Autopsy results couldn’t identify her. All they found was a guitar with the inscription Lucy on it. The townspeople felt sorry for the young girl, so they buried her.”

  Ryan felt his body tremble. “Why is there a picture of her here?”

  “To honor her. She seemed like a poor girl who never had a chance to live her life. The police ruled it an accidental drowning.”

  She then lowered her voice, as though scared of being overheard. “Anyway, after they found the body, hey returned the next day to have a funeral for her, but her guitar was gone. No one had been allowed to enter the church, so it was funny how it just disappeared like that.”

  She took a deep breath. “That’s not the weirdest part. Her entire body was gone too.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

  Ryan raised an eyebrow.

  Kimberly bit her bottom lip. “I could understand the guitar, but why steal the body too? It just doesn’t make any sense.”

  A chill ran through Ryan’s muscular body as the information sank in.

  She pointed out the window. The wind was battering an old, abandoned cottage.

  “That used to belong to an old fisherman, but legend has it that he came home one day to find his wife cheating on him with some young fisherman. So, he killed both of them and dumped their bodies into the water. Then, he wanted to take revenge on all handsome young fishermen, so he made a pact with the Devil. If the Devil would transform him into a powerful Lord of the Ocean, then he would trade his soul. The deal was made.”

  “You think that’s tied to all the recent drownings?” asked Ryan.

  The Asian girl shrugged. “Could be. There have been a lot of sightings of the female ghost lately. She wanders the highway at night, playing her guitar.”

  The phone rang.

  They both jumped.

  “I have to get that,” Kimberley said, her face still spooked. “You try to have a good night.” She glanced out the window at the sunrise. “Or, a good morning.”

  Ryan picked up the guitar and stepped inside the elevator. So Nancy was dead? She was a ghost, a spirit? He didn’t want to show the receptionist that he was scared, but the truth was that he petrified. But he saw her. Touched her. Listened to her. Smelled her. And even almost kissed her.

  Before, he wasn’t sure whether he believed in the paranormal. He was now.

  He looked at the guitar.

  Then, he dropped it onto the floor.

  It made a loud clang in the elevator.

  ***

  That morning, he tried to get some sleep, but for the third time, he could not.

  He couldn’t get over the fact that he had almost kissed a ghost. A girl ghost. A beautiful girl ghost.

  Sure, he was terrified, but at the same time, he wanted to help her. He was drawn to her helpless state. He didn’t know her story completely, but he wanted to do everything he could to help her. She was a damsel in distress. And he could never resist a beautiful girl in need.

  He gripped her guitar in his hand as her haunting lyrics echoed in his mind.

  What do you do when you’re sad?

  What do you do when you’re blue?

  Fly with me to the clouds

  And I’ll be sad with you.

  He never had a chance to find out why she was so sad. And he never got to kiss her. He wondered what those ghostly lips would have tasted like. But she didn’t really seem like a ghost. He had held her hand and it was solid, albeit a tad cold.

  All that aside, he loved how they had jammed together. Their beautiful music was complementary. One tune sad, the other happy – it made him feel better about life and about Cindy. He had come to the island to heal and forget and their music was helping him do just that.

  When he finally drifted off to sleep, he had a dream. He dreamt that he was alone with Nancy in the woods and she was leaning her head on his shoulder. He had his arms around her, feeling the warmth of her head on him. He was leaning down to kiss her and she looked up at him, her face contorted and ghastly. The scariest part was that her eye sockets were empty.

  Ryan woke up in a sweat. The late afternoon late filtered in through the blinds. He was surprised that he had slept. For a minute, he thought that he had imagined the whole thing. The phantom ghost Nancy and her guitar.

  He turned around.

  Nope.

  The guitar was right there on the bed beside him, gleaming in the dying light.

  ***

  That evening, Ryan played his guitar in the classy hotel restaurant, Chez Louis. He had arranged it with the hotel manager. The hotel would allow him to provide evening entertainment in its dining establishment, and he would be allowed to solicit tips from the audience.

  Unfortunately, he received the wrong kind of tip. In the middle of playing a lively tune, a well-dressed gentleman came up to Ryan and paid him five dollars to stop playing.

  “This is a nice restaurant,” the gentleman had said, handing over the five-dollar bill. “Your kind of music cheapens the mood.”

  Ryan accepted the money, because he needed it. But still, a nagging feeling gnawed inside him.

  Maybe I’m not meant to be a professional musician, he thought,

  After a failed evening playing his guitar for the customers in the hotel restaurant, Ryan considered leaving town. He now had enough money for a ferry ride across the Strait of Georgia, back to Vancouver. But, he decided against it.

  He wanted to see Nancy again, to find out more about her. What was her story? And he had to return her guitar. She couldn’t make her beautiful music with it. But he knew it was just an excuse to see her again, no matter how much he rationa
lized it.

  So, his heart beating wildly at the thought of seeing the lovely young lady again, he stepped out of the hotel with both guitars, only to run into Larry, the barfly he had met a few days earlier.

  “Ryan,” said Larry. “Where are you going?”

  When he saw the guitar in Ryan’s hand, Larry backed away.

  Ryan held up Lucy. “You know about the legend?”

  Larry nodded, his face turning a ghostly white. “It’s not a legend. I’m going to let you in on a little secret here. Demons and ghosts exist in this town. Humans have learned to co-exist peacefully with the supernatural by offering sacrifices. As long as we don’t bother them, they won’t bother us.”

  He turned around and was about to flee when he turned back toward Ryan. “Let me give you some advice. Don’t bother them. Don’t go looking for the girl. It’ll only anger the Ocean King. Get out of here while you can.”

  Larry fled before Ryan had a chance to ask him more questions.

  Ryan looked up. The moon was full, shining in the black midnight sky, illuminating the forest in front of him. It was as big as a gigantic golf course.

  Up ahead, an owl hooted.

  Ryan swallowed but a lump was forming in his throat. Sure, he was a tad scared, but he wanted to see Nancy. Really badly. He had her guitar. He had to return it to her. It was his duty as a gentleman. But he knew he just wanted to hear her play some more.

  So, he ignored Larry’s advice. He crept through the forest and arrived at the highway, the same place where he had seen her the night before.

  A lone red car passed, but no Nancy.

  He waited a while but only silence greeted him. He fiddled with her guitar. Ten minutes passed. Just when he was about to leave, he had the idea of playing with her guitar.

  He stroked the smooth strings and plucked a few notes, which became an upbeat tune.

  The melody vibrated in the chilly night air.

  A sound in the road made Ryan look up. Someone was coming down the highway, lit by the honey orange lights of the freeway.

  Like the night before, ghostly green lights twinkled around the lady with the hourglass figure.

  Ryan’s heart beat uncontrollably.

  What am I doing here? He wondered. Am I really meeting a ghost? Should I do what Larry told me to do and get out of there?

  His gut told him to turn around and flee, but he bravely stayed rooted in place. He had to return her guitar.

  Is she really a ghost? He wondered.

  As she approached, he held out the guitar to her. The delighted expression on her face made him decide that if she really was a ghost, then she was the most beautiful ghost in the world.

  She exclaimed, “Lucy!”

  She was wearing the same black dress, made of the most luxurious silk. Gracefully, she glided toward him and took her guitar.

  “Oh, I’ve missed you so much!” she cried, cradling her guitar like a baby.

  She looked at Ryan. “Thank you.” Her voice was light and faint, like light perfume.

  A silent moment passed, punctured only by the whistling of the wind in the leaves of the forest behind them.

  “Are you….” Ryan began. “I saw a painting of you in the lobby of the Sunrise Beach Hotel.”

  She nodded, her dark hair cascading about her shoulders. “Yeah, I am. I guess they felt sorry for me and painted a picture of me as a memorial.”

  Her expression changed from happy and relieved to sad and ruminative.

  So she really was a ghost. Ryan was filled with a mix of apprehension and curiosity. He wasn’t scared of her though. Not all ghosts harmed people. This one seemed very harmless.

  He took a step toward her, mindful of their near kiss. “What happened to you? Why are you so sad?”

  She grinned wryly. “Because life is sad.” She played a melancholic tune on her guitar. She thought that Ryan was really sweet to return her guitar and then ask about her life when she was alive. No boy had ever been so good to her before. Too bad she was engaged.

  The infectiously gloomy tune seeped through Ryan’s skin. For a moment, he could feel how she felt. Her poignant perspective crawled into his body. The sad tune was so overwhelming that he felt like crying. It took every ounce of will power not to.

  “Not when we play together,” countered Ryan, holding up his own guitar. “This is Serena.”

  In spite of herself, Nancy smiled. Ryan was just so blissfully naïve. He thought that all they have to do to be happy was to play music. Once, she was really that naïve too. Once, she had lost herself in her music. But that was eons ago. Now, she was all grown up, rather forcefully. She had duties and obligations. She was no longer allowed to play music. She was getting married soon.

  Ryan started strumming his instrument. “Come on. Play with me. Like last night.”

  Nancy held up her guitar awkwardly, unsure of whether to join him. Her finance the Ocean King had explicitly forbidden her from playing her guitar, let alone playing it with a strange guy. His jealous nature was known to everyone. Who knew what he would do if he found out?

  But maybe it was her desire to unwind after a long day of cooking and cleaning for the demon, or maybe she wanted to disobey him on purpose, to spite him. In either case, Nancy found herself drawn to the intoxicating notes of Ryan’s guitar and to the handsome Ryan himself.

  She raised her guitar. “This is Lucy.”

  Why not? She thought. Jamming with him is fun. It’d only be for a little while.

  With a shy smile, she started to play her guitar. They began to jam. The music allowed her to let loose. For just a brief second, she was not a demon’s unwilling bride with no hope of getting to Heaven or Hollywood, but a carefree Macedonian village girl, with vivid dreams of making it big in the music world.

  As they played, she imagined that she was on stage in front of millions of adoring fans. That thought was like sweet wine to her, inebriating her with its fantastical image.

  As Ryan played, he kept staring at the gorgeous phantom girl. He didn’t know her story yet, but he didn’t care. He didn’t care she was a ghost either. She didn’t even seem like one at all. She wasn’t transparent or scary and she didn’t walk around in chains.

  She was just someone he was having fun with. He was losing himself in the music. He was jamming with the most beautiful girl in the world and for now, that was all that mattered.

  In a few minutes, their joyful music reached a crescendo, climaxing as the last notes resonated in the still air.

  Both Nancy and Ryan were breathing hard.

  They looked at each other fondly, still drunk over their music. They loved the way playing their music together made them feel. It was such a high.

  Ryan looked at Nancy’s full pink lips and wanted to kiss her again. He wondered what kissing a ghost would be like. Would her lips be soft and warm? Or hard and cold?

  Just beyond the forest, the waves began churning slowly at first, and then furiously.

  Nancy’s ears perked up. She knew what that meant. The Ocean King had discovered her absence.

  Ryan leaned in to kiss her. The scent of roses tickled his nose.

  Nancy pulled back. She had to get back to the Ocean King. He had threatened to destroy her corpse so that she could never get to Heaven. She didn’t want to make things worse.

  Without warning, she took to the air, her black dress flapping behind her. Ryan watched as she became a silhouette in front of the full moon.

  For a few seconds, she hung suspended in the air, long enough to make Ryan think that she had changed her mind and would return to him.

  She turned her head back, gazing at him remorsefully. How she wished she could stay with him and jam some more.

  Ryan caught the regretful expression on her face. Her eyes wide, she mouthed something to him, but he didn’t catch it.

  Then, she turned around and zoomed above the forest, disappearing back into the dark ocean, like a drop of water returning to its source. r />
  Disappointed, Ryan tried to calm himself down. Once again, he had almost kissed her. And once again, she had escaped before he could. Why had she escaped? Who was she afraid of? She had mentioned a family when they first met. Could it be them? There were so many questions and so few answers.

  The wind rustled the leaves of the trees.

  Disappointment filled Ryan. Was he really never going to see her again? But he had had such a great time with her. He had jammed with a lot of people before meeting her and no one else held a candle to her. She played so passionately, as though her whole life was dependent on producing wonderful music. He could tell music had been her life. He just wished he knew more about her life when she was alive. Where was she from? How had she died? What were her dreams?

  He glanced around once more. No Nancy.

  Clutching Serena, he was about to head back to the hotel when a piece of paper fluttered to the ground.

  Ryan bent down and picked it up. It was a note from the ghost girl.

  You’re a great guy, Ryan. You’ll make some girl really happy one day. But it won’t be me. Don’t try to find me again. Nancy

  ***

  Chapter 7

  Back in her room, Nancy thought about Ryan. She loved how they made beautiful music together. Even if she would never get to Hollywood, at least she had someone to jam with, to get the urge of playing music out of her system.

  She knew he wanted her. And she’d be lying if she said that she didn’t want him either. But this was the wrong time. For God’s sakes, she was getting married in a couple of days. To the Ocean King.

  The more she thought about her fate, the more distressed she got. She couldn’t imagine settling into a mundane life of serving her future husband. It would be exactly what her life would have had like had she married Steven. She’d be totally dependent on a man, never being able to go out into the world and pursue her dream of music.

  Ryan had good intentions, but she knew what the Ocean King was like. If he knew about Ryan, he would make it his mission to eat him. She pushed Ryan away for his own good.

  Her train of thought was interrupted by a loud squawking, outside her bedroom. She peaked out the window. Her night ocean view showed a seagull flying past, its wings spread out as the wind carried it higher and higher into freedom.

  Nancy felt a pang of envy. She was bound to the Ocean King. She couldn’t leave. Or could she?

  She thought about her current situation. Soon, she would marry the Ocean King. Then, she’d be stuck in a life of servitude. It was worse than a prison sentence. If she tried to escape now, there’d be a chance she could get away to Hollywood. Even if she couldn’t live the life that she dreamed of, she could at least be near the action. She had never tried to escape before, out of fear that her fiancé would turn her soul to dust. But she realized that she’s damned if she did and damned if she didn’t.