❝All those people, all those lives,
where are they now?❞
— The Smiths, Cemetery Gates

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

LIKE EVERY INHABITANT of Button House – the derelict, stately manor tucked somewhere in the English countryside – Effie Connolly got here by losing her life. The exuberant flapper girl didn't ask to reside here for however long eternity is. Good grief, had she known she would be haunting this place for almost a century now, she might have dragged herself out of the garden gates with her dying breath!

In all her ninety-something years of death, all Effie wishes for is some excitement in Button House... and by that she means human excitement, from living beings. Not that of the other ghosts she's stuck in purgatory with — frankly she's sick to death of the same faces all the time. Although, she supposes, it's better company than nothing; even if it is made up of a melodramatic Regency poet, a regime-oriented WWII captain, a Boy Scout leader with a heart of gold, and a witch trial victim smelling vaguely of burnt toast... just to name a few.

Finally at some point in the 21st century, Effie presumes (she stopped counting some time in the 1940s), the elderly owner Lady Heather Button finally pops her clogs. And what's more, it looks like there might be hope for positive change when the young, fresh-faced Coopers inherit the estate (even if they are dressed rather oddly to her taste). But, to the horror of she and the other ghosts, Effie might get what she bargained for and more when they hear the couple's plans to turn the house into the most dreaded thing... a hotel.

There's only one thing for it: the ghosts will have to intervene. And ironically, they'll soon find it was the best decision they ever made, when Alison Cooper through a series of chaotic events gains the ability to see and hear them too...

C A S T . . .

Carey Mulligan stars as...
EFFIE CONNOLLY

— ❝Why are you all complaining? This is the most
excitement I've had in my ninety years of death!❞

& F E A T U R I N G . . .

faces from the long-gone past;
joseph quinn as frederick 'fred' pritchard
jonathan bailey as arthur hoskins
tom hughes as philip connolly
ellie kendrick as olive carter

residents (dead & alive) of button house;
charlotte ritchie as alison cooper
kiell smith-bynoe as mike cooper
rachel brosnahan & alden ehrenreich as linda & lloyd (the dandies)
jonathan sayer as norman rolfe
kit young as ralph elton
bbc ghosts cast as their respective ghosts

F O R E W O R D . . .

well, here we are! this book is a little bit different than the other fics i've done, since it's for a sitcom (and a bloody brilliant one at that). so it'll make a nice, lighthearted change to writing depressing hunger games stuff, and a good opportunity to test out my comedic writing skills, which i don't get to really show as often.

not sure how far this story is going to span since ghosts is ongoing, so who knows? maybe i'll see you in season 17! 😂 i've got stuff roughly planned for at least 2 seasons, and they just wrapped filming on season 3 very recently which i'm SUPER excited about. and speaking of planning, i usually plan my fics in lots of detail, but this one is going to be pretty relaxed in terms of when i update, because i just want to have fun with it — i suppose it's like a comfort fic. so expect slow updates, and hopefully a pretty chill atmosphere.

also i'm going to try and aim for historical accuracy where i can — i've been researching the 1920s as much as possible, but often google will show more about america in the '20s than britain... *sigh* oh well. all i'm saying is please don't be too hard on me if i get something wrong 🥺 i'm going to try my best...

... i think that's it? i'm aware this author's note is just me waffling a lot ("GET TO THE POINT, DAMN YOUR EYES!") but i just wanted to get those things out there. happy reading!

— imogen

D I S C L A I M E R S . . .

I. i do not own the plot or characters of ghosts, they belong to the wonderful creators of this show (the horrible histories gang), and this book is purely a work of fanfiction. i only own effie connolly, her story and the supporting characters from her past that are related to it, as well as the dandies (linda & lloyd) and their own storylines.

II. if you have watched ghosts, please refrain from commenting anything too spoilery! i want this book to be accessible for people who haven't seen the show, and i wouldn't want spoilers like that being flooded into the comments.

III. potential trigger warnings may include: depictions of death, mentions of death, alcoholism, mild language, potential violence, innuendos. honestly this book should be fairly light-hearted but if i think of anything else, i'll add a warning.

IV. this book is dedicated first to eufourias , who had to listen to all my ideas for this book and also let me rope them into the fandom... i'd also like to dedicate it to some other awesome users, who i appreciate very much: heartofhugs Iydiamartin stilestastic -hollandrodens ephemerality- kamalaskhan winchhester zcndayas nickburkhardts and finally anyone who loves ghosts as much as i do!

V. thank you to kamalaskhan for making the BEAUTIFUL intro gif!

BEST RANKINGS:
#1 laurencerickard – 09.05.21
#1 careymulligan – 10.05.21
#5 bbcghosts – 09.05.21
#7 hauntedmansion – 13.05.21
#2 sitcom – 28.08.21
#4 horriblehistories – 24.01.23

STARTED: 24th Dec, 2020
PUBLISHED: 8th May, 2021
ENDED: —

© starryeyedturtle 2021