Finding inspiration has been difficult lately – that goes for the whole pandemic, if I’m honest. So, when pressed for this one, I went to the (haunted) well that I usually use in October – ghosts. In April. Why not? Long after the fake skeletons are put away, and the fake spider webs are taken down, what happens when you’re still sharing your house with a ghost?

A popup reminder about her next Zoom therapy appointment boinged onto Aileen’s screen and she sighed deeply. She took a deep drink off the cold coffee next to her laptop, cleared her throat, set her features in her practiced Professional Therapist face and clicked the button to join the meeting.

Her picture, of course, and two others appeared on the screen. One, a woman in a lavender sweatshirt, her hair in messy bun, and the other… nothing.

“Hello, Sarah. Good to see you.”

“Hi Doctor,” the woman replied.

“And, Emma, I trust you’re there?”

“Oh, she’s there…” Sarah rolled her eyes.

“Will you let me answer for myself?” came the voice of an old woman. “Do you see what I put up with, doc? Do you see this?”

“What you put up with!” Sarah yelled back.

“Ladies, ladies, please,” Aileen calmed. “Emma,” she addressed the blank window, “How are you doing today?”

“Oh, glorious!” she said sarcastically. “This nimrod keeps pressing my buttons and will not get out of my house!”

“Hard to get out of your house when it doesn’t belong to you anymore. Besides, how can I go out with this pandemic still going on?”

“You don’t have to remind me about the pandemic, missy,” Emma’s voice retorted. “I’d still be living in this place if it weren’t for that stupid Covid…”

“Let’s talk about that,” Aileen tried to steer the conversation. “You’ve been dead, what, six months?”

“October 21^st,” the voice said bitterly but got melancholier as she continued, “Alone. In the hospital…”

“Should have haunted there…” Sarah mumbled under her breath.

“I heard that!” Emma boomed. “You see, Doc? You see?”

“Sarah,” Aileen started, “Was that constructive?”

“It’s not constructive for the previous owner to haunt your dream apartment! It’s been six months, Doctor. A ghost is spooky in October, you know? You move in, things go bump, then she shows up and starts criticizing your breakfast, your clothes choice… everything!”

“It’s not my fault she’s a mess!” Emma’s voice commented.

“I tried to be understanding,” she turned her head to look where Emma ostensibly sat. “You died in a horrible way, and I’m really sorry about that. But this…,” she waved at Emma, “you need to cross over already!”

“How am I supposed to do that when you’re hear 24-7?” Emma said.

“It’s a pandemic! Where am I going to go? I have to work from home. Home! My home!”

“It’s still my home, too, missy.”

“Ugh!” Sarah gritted her teeth in frustration and blew a stray hair out of her face. “You’re a doctor of paranormal psychology. Why am I sharing my apartment rent-free? Still?!”

“I understand the frustration on both sides,” Aileen said calmly. “Emma, I’m guessing you’d prefer to move on instead of haunting this place that’s clearly no longer yours.”

“Darn right, toots.”

“Emma’s energy is understandably tied to this place you lived for, what? Twenty years?”

“Twenty-three,” the voice corrected.

“And, Sarah, it’s understandable that you’d want your own space without criticism.”

“I don’t think I’m asking too much…”

“No, but here we are six months after Emma died and she’s still here. You both understand that in October as you near Halloween the veil between this realm and the spirit realm thins… becomes more… permeable.”

“Okay,” Sarah said.

“When Emma passed in the hospital, without anchor, her energy…”

“My ghost.”

“Energy, ghost, spirit, whatever you want to call it, came back to this apartment.”

“Sure,” Sarah said, “That makes sense. But it’s April. Why is she still here?”

Aileen nodded thoughtfully for long moments. “I believe she’s basically… trapped on this side.”

“Trapped?” Emma and Sarah said in unison.

“So, you mean I’m stuck with Miss Sweatpants and sourdough until October?!”

“And I’ve got to put up with this biddy all up in my business?”

“Oh, as if you had any business to get up into! Maybe you’d be nicer if someone got up in your business!”

Aileen felt a blush as Sarah stared agog to the side of the screen where Emma would be sitting. “Ladies,” she said suppressing a smile, “Ladies, let’s get back on track. There’s not a lot of ghost business in April because it’s when the veil is the strongest. I suspect that if Emma were left alone in her house she might find a way to cross over on her own…”

“So, this is my fault?” Sarah asked accusingly.

“No,” Aileen interjected quickly, “It’s no one’s fault. It’s just the situation we’re in. Sarah, do you have an appointment for the vaccine yet?”

“I don’t.”

“She hasn’t even tried!” Emma said.

“Sarah?”

“For your information, Emma, I have been trying. And, in fact, I have an appointment on Friday.”

“Well, hallelujah!” Emma’s voice said. “I’ve only been prodding you since they released it!”

“That’s great news, Sarah,” Aileen said. “That’s a positive note that we’re going to have to leave this session on. I’ll see you both – well, I’ll speak with you both next week the same time?”

“Thanks Doc,” Emma said.

“That works for me,” Sarah said.

A week passed and the popup reminder boinged onto Aileen’s screen. She clicked on the link to join the Zoom meeting and was surprised to see just Sarah sitting there.

“Sarah? Is Emma not joining us today?”

“No, doctor. Emma is gone,” Sarah said and Aileen heard a distinct note of sadness in her voice.

“Gone? When?”

“After I got my shot. I came home and she said, ‘Took you long enough,’” she imitated Emma. “’Glad you’re not going to die like I did’, she said and then… faded away.” Tears welled up in Sarah’s eyes. “Doctor, do you think she was sticking around just to make sure I got the vaccine?”

“I think…” Aileen started but was cut off by a disembodied voice coming from the speakers.

“Nah, I was just there to watch that bum get voted out of office.”

“Well, that tracks,” Sarah said smiling.

“Of course, hon, I wanted you to get the shot,” Emma’s voice said. “Enjoy the place like I did. No, enjoy it more. Also, that guy in 309 has a thing for you. And you should take him up on it – I spied on him and, hubba-hubba, girl!”

“Emma!” Sarah said blushing deeply. But Emma had gone again.

“Well,” Aileen said after a prolonged silence. “I think we’re settled here.”

A popup reminder about her next Zoom therapy appointment boinged onto Aileen’s screen and she sighed deeply. She took a deep drink off the cold coffee next to her laptop, cleared her throat, set her features in her practiced Professional Therapist face and clicked the button to join the meeting.

Her picture, of course, and two others appeared on the screen. One, a woman in a lavender sweatshirt, her hair in messy bun, and the other… nothing.

“Hello, Sarah. Good to see you.”

“Hi Doctor,” the woman replied.

“And, Emma, I trust you’re there?”

“Oh, she’s there…” Sarah rolled her eyes.

“Will you let me answer for myself?” came the voice of an old woman. “Do you see what I put up with, doc? Do you see this?”

“What you put up with!” Sarah yelled back.

“Ladies, ladies, please,” Aileen calmed. “Emma,” she addressed the blank window, “How are you doing today?”

“Oh, glorious!” she said sarcastically. “This nimrod keeps pressing my buttons and will not get out of my house!”

“Hard to get out of your house when it doesn’t belong to you anymore. Besides, how can I go out with this pandemic still going on?”

“You don’t have to remind me about the pandemic, missy,” Emma’s voice retorted. “I’d still be living in this place if it weren’t for that stupid Covid…”

“Let’s talk about that,” Aileen tried to steer the conversation. “You’ve been dead, what, six months?”

“October 21^st,” the voice said bitterly but got melancholier as she continued, “Alone. In the hospital…”

“Should have haunted there…” Sarah mumbled under her breath.

“I heard that!” Emma boomed. “You see, Doc? You see?”

“Sarah,” Aileen started, “Was that constructive?”

“It’s not constructive for the previous owner to haunt your dream apartment! It’s been six months, Doctor. A ghost is spooky in October, you know? You move in, things go bump, then she shows up and starts criticizing your breakfast, your clothes choice… everything!”

“It’s not my fault she’s a mess!” Emma’s voice commented.

“I tried to be understanding,” she turned her head to look where Emma ostensibly sat. “You died in a horrible way, and I’m really sorry about that. But this…,” she waved at Emma, “you need to cross over already!”

“How am I supposed to do that when you’re hear 24-7?” Emma said.

“It’s a pandemic! Where am I going to go? I have to work from home. Home! My home!”

“It’s still my home, too, missy.”

“Ugh!” Sarah gritted her teeth in frustration and blew a stray hair out of her face. “You’re a doctor of paranormal psychology. Why am I sharing my apartment rent-free? Still?!”

“I understand the frustration on both sides,” Aileen said calmly. “Emma, I’m guessing you’d prefer to move on instead of haunting this place that’s clearly no longer yours.”

“Darn right, toots.”

“Emma’s energy is understandably tied to this place you lived for, what? Twenty years?”

“Twenty-three,” the voice corrected.

“And, Sarah, it’s understandable that you’d want your own space without criticism.”

“I don’t think I’m asking too much…”

“No, but here we are six months after Emma died and she’s still here. You both understand that in October as you near Halloween the veil between this realm and the spirit realm thins… becomes more… permeable.”

“Okay,” Sarah said.

“When Emma passed in the hospital, without anchor, her energy…”

“My ghost.”

“Energy, ghost, spirit, whatever you want to call it, came back to this apartment.”

“Sure,” Sarah said, “That makes sense. But it’s April. Why is she still here?”

Aileen nodded thoughtfully for long moments. “I believe she’s basically… trapped on this side.”

“Trapped?” Emma and Sarah said in unison.

“So, you mean I’m stuck with Miss Sweatpants and sourdough until October?!”

“And I’ve got to put up with this biddy all up in my business?”

“Oh, as if you had any business to get up into! Maybe you’d be nicer if someone got up in your business!”

Aileen felt a blush as Sarah stared agog to the side of the screen where Emma would be sitting. “Ladies,” she said suppressing a smile, “Ladies, let’s get back on track. There’s not a lot of ghost business in April because it’s when the veil is the strongest. I suspect that if Emma were left alone in her house she might find a way to cross over on her own…”

“So, this is my fault?” Sarah asked accusingly.

“No,” Aileen interjected quickly, “It’s no one’s fault. It’s just the situation we’re in. Sarah, do you have an appointment for the vaccine yet?”

“I don’t.”

“She hasn’t even tried!” Emma said.

“Sarah?”

“For your information, Emma, I have been trying. And, in fact, I have an appointment on Friday.”

“Well, hallelujah!” Emma’s voice said. “I’ve only been prodding you since they released it!”

“That’s great news, Sarah,” Aileen said. “That’s a positive note that we’re going to have to leave this session on. I’ll see you both – well, I’ll speak with you both next week the same time?”

“Thanks Doc,” Emma said.

“That works for me,” Sarah said.

A week passed and the popup reminder boinged onto Aileen’s screen. She clicked on the link to join the Zoom meeting and was surprised to see just Sarah sitting there.

“Sarah? Is Emma not joining us today?”

“No, doctor. Emma is gone,” Sarah said and Aileen heard a distinct note of sadness in her voice.

“Gone? When?”

“After I got my shot. I came home and she said, ‘Took you long enough,’” she imitated Emma. “’Glad you’re not going to die like I did’, she said and then… faded away.” Tears welled up in Sarah’s eyes. “Doctor, do you think she was sticking around just to make sure I got the vaccine?”

“I think…” Aileen started but was cut off by a disembodied voice coming from the speakers.

“Nah, I was just there to watch that bum get voted out of office.”

“Well, that tracks,” Sarah said smiling.

“Of course, hon, I wanted you to get the shot,” Emma’s voice said. “Enjoy the place like I did. No, enjoy it more. Also, that guy in 309 has a thing for you. And you should take him up on it – I spied on him and, hubba-hubba, girl!”

“Emma!” Sarah said blushing deeply. But Emma had gone again.

“Well,” Aileen said after a prolonged silence. “I think we’re settled here.”