Fiction: Living with ghosts

This month's Words for Wednesday prompts are provided by Alex J. Cavanaugh which is hosted at Elephant's Child's blog over here. This weeks prompts are: cobwebs, tiger, japan, black, cobblestones, hurt and/or atlantis, pyromania, guacamole, energetic, slither and slice. I didn't use tiger, japan, atlantis, slither, slice.

First part over here.

Fiction: Living with ghosts
"You again!"
    The ghost pushed up his black-rimmed eyeglasses with a bended finger. "This is an emergency! My wife is dying! Quick! You have to go save her!"
    "No. I don't." Seventeen kept walking. It was after ten at night. If she didn't need to pick up her pills at the hospital, she wouldn't be out at all. A few people were about. If anyone noticed she was talking to the air, they didn't give any indications.
    "My wife is in trouble. Someone is trying to kill her." The pyromaniac danced around her.
    "Then call the police." The freezing wind struck her like slaps on her face but she just sank her head lower into the collar of her black coat and kept walking.
    "Look, I know I was... sort of rude yesterday but this is really an emergency!" The ghost stepped in front of her.
    She paused. "Stop bothering me." She walked around him and ran toward the bus stop.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Back home, Seventeen was frying some pancake mix when the ghost appeared again. "I'm very sorry for yesterday. I was rude and... dumb but don't you think saving a life is important?"
    "Not really." Seventeen turned the gas off and dumped the pancake onto a plate and sat down by the table. She cut the pancake with a fork and took a bite. It tasted stale. Maybe she should have checked the date on the box.
    "How can you be so... callous? I'm talking about a very dear human being who never did anything wrong. She deserves to live."
    "Oh? Then why did you try to kill her?" She raised her eyebrows.
    "That— that was my fourth wife. I'm talking about my first wife, Doris. She was and is still the only woman I ever loved. The one that got away. The one and only..."
    She rolled her eyes.
    "For goodness sake. Help me help her! Or else I'll really set this place on fire!" He held up a matchbox.
     She threw the fork at the ghost. It went right through him and to the floor. He screamed and jumped up and down for a few moments. "Okay, okay! I'm sorry. I shouldn't have threatened you. I'm really sorry but it's a dire situation. Please! Help me!" He pushed back his limp thinning hair from his face.
    She turned away from the man and toward the corner of the kitchen window where the cobwebs created by the spiders were gathered like dust bunnies. No matter how many times she searched, she could not find the spiders.
    "Miss Won, are you listening?"
    She turned to the ghost. "No. Why should I listen to a pyromaniac who threatened to burn my home down?"
    "That was just words. I wasn't really going to do that." He chuckled and shook his head. "I'm not asking you to do something for nothing. I can get you money. I'm a— I was a professor of archeology and I had many treasures that I've buried over the years and you can get them and sell them. They are worth millions."
    "Sounds like a lot of work. And even if it's legal, I don't think I have the patience for that." She picked up the last bit of pancake and dropped into her mouth.
    "Right. I know, my wife can give you money. She's a generous lady."
    "You keep saying 'my wife' but she's not your wife anymore, is she?"
    "No but I've always thought of her as my wife. So you're going to save her, right? You have to go now. They are about to bury her."
    "Tell me where she is and I'll call the cops and tell them to find her."
    "No, it will be too late. You've got to go to her now."
    "I don't see what I can do. I'm just a penniless girl with bad eyesight. What exactly do you believe I can do?"
    He walked closer toward her. "I-I- there's no time. They are about to bury her. No, I think they are burying her now. You can dig her out. I know their plan is to bury her and then leave."
    "Dig her out? Do I look like I can dig?"
    "Oh for goodness sake. I don't know anyone who can help me. You're the only one who can see me besides other ghosts. Please. A life is at stake here. At least try." He stared at her, eyes wide like a child.
    "And if I get there and she's dead? Won't I get in trouble?"
    "I'll make sure you don't."
    "You can't give me a guarantee. You're dead."
    "Please. I'm desperate. Can't you just go to her now and then worry about later... later? If Doris dies, it's your fault."
    Seventeen bended her head and squeezed her eyes shut. How was it her fault? She opened her eyes and picked up the plate. "My fault? Am I the one who buried her? Did I tell someone to do it?" She threw the plate at the ghost. He stepped aside and the plate crashed to the floor still in one place.
    "If you don't go save Doris, I'll become a permanent guest here. You'll never get rid of me." He crossed his arms over his chest and grinned.
    "Then I'll use you as target practice." She picked up the potted cactus.
    He held out his hands. "Hold on. Help me now and I promise if there's someone else who can see me, I'll leave you alone. I promise. You will go now?"
    "Fine. I'll go but you have better keep your promise." Seventeen put down the cactus and picked up the frying pan.
    
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Central Park? Are you kidding me? Do you know how far that is from here?" Seventeen looked up at the bus schedule through the glass panel. It was nearly 10:30. The bus stop was empty. Cold air seeped through her coat.
     "Can you go in a taxi?" said Guacamole. She had chosen to call him that because he reminded her of the minty green stuff which she had always hated.
    "If you can give me money right now, I can take a taxi." Seventeen glared at the ghost.
    "Then you should have gotten money from home before you came out," said Guacamole.
    "Don't you listen when I talked? I'm penniless. Besides, I need my money for useless things like food, water and a roof over my head. Aren't you're a professor? Don't you understand words that are being said to you?"
    "Sorry. I get dumb when I'm panicking." He smiled looking like an overgrown teenager with premature balding. "Did you have to bring that? Didn't you have something better?"
    She held up the frying pan. "This? Do you want me to dig with my fingers in this weather? It's okay for you. You don't feel the cold but I do."
    She dug into her shoulder bag and took out her wallet and counted the change. Not much. She glanced at the schedule again. There was no time to wait for the bus. She sighed. It was going to be a long night.
    
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
    
The taxi dropped Seventeen off at 59th street and 5th avenue. The backseat ghost talked a lot and Guacamole was doing a lot of replying. Seventeen had to restrain herself from throwing the frying pan at both of them.
    Seventeen looked up at the nearly bare trees. Cold wind air bit into her skin and swept her hair about. At least her cap kept her head warm. The park was a place Seventeen hadn't been to since she was a child. "Which direction? If you say you don't know, I'll hit you with this." She held up the frying pan.
    The ghost laughed. "Just follow me." Guacamole turned toward the pathway.
    Seventeen walked down the winding path surrounded by trees. "Where the hell are we?"  There were a lot of ghosts about but they didn't even pay attention to her. The only source of light were the lamps stationed here and there. When Guacamole went off into the more wooded areas, she had paused to look around her. If she was younger, she might have enjoyed wandering about in this forest-like wonderland but at the moment, she wished she was home even if there was no heating.
    Guacamole stopped and turned around. "Don't you know? It's the Ramble. One of the most well-know woodland areas of the park."
    More twisting paths encouraged not-so-good thoughts and being there was no one about was beginning to creep Seventeen out and yet the most frightening thing was her own shadow. Thank the spirits there were no cobblestone grounds or else she would be tripping every two steps.
    "So where are you going following a strange ghost at this hour?"
    Seventeen turned to her brother. "Tofu! What are you doing here?"
    "Don't call me that! My name is Phoenix!" Tofu screwed up his face.
    "I'm going keep calling you Tofu. What are going to do about it?" Seventeen didn't remember when or why she had called her brother Tofu but he always reminded her of that soft food and he was a softie.
    "Fine! Call me whatever. Don't you think following a ghost into this empty park a bad idea?" Tofu pointed in front of them at the ghost.
    "Yeah, so?" Seventeen didn't like him showing up like this. He was her brother but there was nothing he could do for her now.
    "What do you mean 'so'? Ghosts are like people. They can lie and trap you. Listen, Sis, this is not the place for you."
    "Say that when you can stop me." It was exhausting just trying to avoid trees and rocks. She wasn't sure how long they had walked but she never was too energetic at night. The few ghosts weren't looking her way.
    "That pyromaniac is dangerous. He—"
    She stopped and turned around to face her brother. "Either you shut up or leave." She turned back and started walking.
    "This is it. I saw them bringing her here. The exact spot should be somewhere here." Guacamole turned about looking every which way. It was darker here. The only lamp was a bit too far to light all the dark areas.
    "Should? You're not sure?" She glared at the ghost.
    "I— Stop!" Guacamole's words echoed in the air.
    She paused. In front of her were shimmering lights reflected on the surface of the lake. If she had not stopped, she would have been swimming in the cold waters. She turned around and walked toward the ghost. "You!"
    Tofu chuckled. "He's in so much trouble."
    Seventeen turned to her brother. "You, shut it." She turned her focus back to Guacamole. "You—Guacamole!"
    "Guacamole?" Guacamole started walking backward.
    "Yeah, that's your name." Seventeen grinned.
    "Okay, I'm fine with that. Listen, I just saved you from going for a swim. We're even, aren't we?" Guacamole smiled.
    "Watch out!" Tofu shouted.
    Something tripped her and she pressed a hand on a tree trunk to steady herself. Her brother shrugged. "Sorry. Maybe you should have brought a flashlight?"
    "You could've said that sooner!" Seventeen wished she had thought it out more before she rushed out the door.
    "There! Dig there! I'm sure she's there. The ground had been disturbed." Guacamole pointed at an area beside a tree with a trunk triple the ghost's size.
    "If you're wrong, you're getting a whole lot of pain." Seventeen bended down and started digging using the pan.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Guacamole was wrong twice and Seventeen punished him by striking him with the pan twice.
    "Is Doris hurt? Does she need a doctor? Is she breathing?" He stood looking as Seventeen dragged the woman out of the hole.
    "They did a half-ass job. Nothing like lazy criminals to make things easier," said Tofu.
    Seventeen glared at her brother and balled her hands. "Can you please stop with the commentary?"
    Tofu nodded.
    "She's fine. Still alive. Now what?" She looked at Guacamole.
    Guacamole looked from side to side.
    How the hell did he become a professor? "You don't have a plan after this? You get me out here in the cold in the middle of the night and you don't have a plan? Do you think if I hit you again, you can get an idea of what to do next? I can't drag this woman around. I don't have the strength and I certainly have no money to get her home. So tell me, professor, do you have a suggestion?" Seventeen dug her hands into her coat pocket. Her gloves were too thin for this weather. "If you don't have any ideas soon, I'll just leave your ex-wife here and let coyotes eat her while she sleeps on the dirty ground."
    The ghost adjusted his coat and shirt. "Hold on. Please, give me a moment."
    The moment took about ten minutes. "Call Dan, he will get Doris to a safe place. He had always had a crush on her but don't tell him you know me. He's still mad at me for stealing her away."
    Seventeen looked away from Guacamole and down at the woman. It was probably the woman's best decision when she divorced the guy. "How would I make a phone call?" She glanced up at the ghost. Tofu chuckled.
    "With... your phone?" Guacamole smiled.
    "You mean my invisible phone that doesn't work?" Seventeen had her phone service cut off because she couldn't pay the monthly fee so she chose not to carry the device with her.
    "Wait. I know. Use one of the call boxes. Tell them someone is injured. They will send people out here." Guacamole smiled as if pleased with himself.
    "And where are those call boxes located?" Seventeen had not seen one on her way here. Not that she had paid too much attention.
    "I know! I know!" said Tofu and raised his hand. "I saw one on the way."
    "Lead the way." Seventeen had no choice. It was certainly better to be moving than to stand around in the cold.
    "No! Don't go that way! The phone over there is broken. This way," said the girl with the bowl haircut from yesterday.
    "Sis, are you going to listen to that girl over your own brother?" Tofu glanced at the girl and then at Seventeen. "She's a ghost."
    Seventeen sighed. "And what are you?"
    Tofu lowered his glance at the ground. "Can't argue with that."
    It took a while for them to reach one of those call boxes. Seventeen tried not to give Guacamole dirty looks with the presence of the two paramedics. One of the taller men appeared to have a lot of questions for Seventeen but she avoided his eyes. It was a good thing the ambulance's siren made enough noises to fill the silence inside the van.
    Seventeen sat beside the tall paramedic. His name tag on his dark blue uniform said S. C. Black. Doris had an oxygen mask on and was strapped to the gurney. Guacamole was kneeling beside her. Tofu was hovering about. It was way too crowded. Seventeen wished she had not gotten into the van when the man rushed her in. A sudden jolt made her jumped.
    "Jackson, what the hell is happening?" said Black.
    "Some jerk is having too much fun on the road. Hold on!" replied Jackson.
    A ghost, looking like an older version of Black appeared beside the man. "Bro, you have better hold tight. It's going to be a— You... can see me?" said the new ghost. His eyes were on Seventeen.
    She shrugged. Black's eyes widened. "You can see him?"  He pointed at the new ghost. His thumb had a long scar on the top. The van flipped over and Seventeen's last view was of Black's face.