October 28

I found myself sitting in the mansion, my eyes fixated on my pale hands. My thoughts had been swarmed the past day, as I was estimating Harry was surely disturbed about me being a ghost. I had a feeling he was only hiding his feelings so he wouldn't hurt mine.

I glanced up, looking around the vacant mansion. Even I couldn't necessarily count myself as a life form inside of it. I was dead, after all.

The sound of wind whistling through the mansion chilled me, and I was left thinking of Grannie once again, wondering if she would have approved of what I had become. Most likely not...but what would it matter anyway?

I started to become nervous, wondering if perhaps Harry would tell his mothers, his friends. If that happened, I'd be banished for sure! I took a deep breath, reminding myself that I trusted Harry. I loved Harry. He would accept me for whoever I was.

I knew we'd never get married or anything along the lines of that. I was a ghost, and that was just something i had to accept. Still, I could continue to care for him. So far, he'd been the only one who had brought me joy since death.

I swallowed, feeling the saliva go down my lumpy throat. Harry had called me only ten minutes prior to suggest walking around the garden. He knew how much I liked flowers and assumed it would be a fun date. The only thing that worried me though were the dark clouds forming in the distance. A big thunderstorm was surely on its way.

I grabbed my purse and slipped the phone inside. The mansion only made my thoughts worse, so I decided it would be best just to leave now. I walked out of the mansion and made my descent into town.

As I crossed the horrifying forest, I was chilled by leaves rustling through the air. The wind blowing through the trees made terrifying sounds, and I suddenly wished Harry were here to bring me company.

The first flash of lightning and crack of thunder came before I made it into town. Rain began to pour down, and I began to run, no longer wanting to be caught in the ghastly weather. I kept running until I came across the garden...right beside my mother's recycling facility.

"Harry!" I yelled as I reached the place, desperately looking for him.

"I'm right here," he called.

I glanced up and noticed him sitting under an overhang, trying desperately to get out of the rain. Relieved, I sat down beside him in silence.

"Sorry. I didn't realize the recycling center was right here," he murmured.

"That's all right," I replied, though the desperation to visit my mother was great. "Sorry it took me so long. The weather."

"That's all right," he replied, glancing up at the darkened sky.

My body was soaked from the rain, and I began to shiver, disappointed my clothes were now soaked with rain. Harry quickly noticed and immediately pulled his jacket off to lay it on me.

"Thanks," I replied, truly grateful as I pulled his warm jacket closer to my body.

He smiled warmly and put his arm around me, holding me close and warming me up from the harsh weather.

"So no garden then?" he assumed.

I giggled. "Well, not in this weather."

Our plan from that point was to stay situated until the storm passed, but after twenty minutes, it was soon on its way.

We got off the bench and stood on the sidewalk, watching clouds roll across the sky. Harry grabbed my hand and glanced at me, smiling. "Want me to walk you home?" he offered.

"That would be nice," I replied happily, grateful for his company.

Harry laughed and edged forward to kiss me. I did the same, and at the moment our lips touched, a giant flash lit up the sky, and Harry fell to the ground in shocked.

For a moment, I only stood there, listening to another large rumble of thunder. The storm had not passed like we had hoped.

I glanced down, realizing Harry had just been struck by lightning--or rather, we'd been struck by lightning, but since I was a ghost, it wasn't like I could be injured.

Quickly grabbing my phone and advising Harry to stay down, I called the ambulance. It showed up moments later, and soon, his mother was informed of the situation. As they loaded Harry into the ambulance, I began to worry. I couldn't exactly drive to the hospital, and so I ran, following the ambulance.

Though the ambulance was much faster than me, I ran a good five miles quickly, knowing I had to reach Harry to make sure he was safe.

By the time I reached the hospital, I was exhausted and found his mother in the waiting room of the E.R. Harry had already been placed in his room and was being examined. We both entered the room together.

Seeing Harry condemned to a hospital bed made me fear for his life. I was suddenly swarmed with memories of my own death, and I wondered if perhaps this would be Harry's too.

"Is he all right?" Harry's mother asked desperately, tears stinging in her eyes.

The doctor looked at her, but not so much with concern. "Yes, he is all right. Pretty lucky, actually. He wasn't badly electrocuted and suffers from no paralyzations or any other health problems. Be very thankful."

Then, in a moment of horror, the doctor turned his attention to me.

"And you were a witness?"

I nodded weakly. "Um, yes. I was standing next to him."

"Standing next to him? How far? If you were close, you should've been struck too," the doctor replied, confused.

Harry's mom turned to me with a suspicious look. "That's an interesting concept," she murmured.

This was not good. Would they discover I was a ghost? Of course, it was impossible, but with the advanced technology, maybe they could.

Knowing it was best for me to leave, I relayed the event, trying to explain I was farther from where I originally said. After that, I left the hospital to return back to the mansion. Though this time, Harry could offer me no company.

Sick of walking, I took a bus near the woods, which allowed me to fortunately only walk a mile or so to the mansion.

The entire bus ride, I was thinking of Harry, wondering if he blamed me or would be mad at me. I was so preoccupied with these thoughts, I nearly missed my stop.

Remembering just in time to get off, i began to walk home. As soon as I stepped inside, I laid down on the couch and began to cry. I knew it was entirely my fault Harry had been struck. Everything that had happened to him had been my fault. Why had I even gotten involved with him in the first place?

My tears subsided as I knock came on the door.

Curious, I wiped the tears from my eyes and tried my best to appear calm. Then, I opened the door to find the entire Monster Council looking at me curiously.

"May we come in?" Count wondered.

I nodded, allowing them inside. As soon as they walked in, Werewolf exclaimed, "It's so big in here!"

"Please, take a seat," I offered, watching as they sat down on the couch. "May I offer you anything?"

Count shook his head, as if this gesture was meant for everyone.

"We actually came here to ask something of you," Pharaoh explained.

"What is it?" I asked, suddenly frightened that they too would yell at me for Harry.

Swamp Monster opened his mouth to speak, but Count stopped him before he could begin.

"Swampy, it's probably best I do the talking," Count informed him. Swampy didn't seem taken aback and allowed Count to continue. The vampire glanced at me in all sincerity and said. "Cece, your grandmother was a wonderful caretaker, and now that she is gone, we are in desperate need of another."

"What are you saying?" I asked.

"We were wondering if you would be our caretaker," Wolfy offered.

"I-I don't know," I muttered. "I'm really busy..."

"Please!" Count begged in desperation. "She was of so much help, and we know she would've wanted you to continue her legacy."

It was hard not to laugh. Yes, Grannie's legacy was being a good caretaker.

I began to feel bad for the Council, and for Grannie's sake, I knew I had to agree. Yet, another thought crossed my mind. Perhaps getting involved with Monster Council business would strengthen my relationship with the Ghost Council. And if that happened, perhaps they would not intend to banish me.

"All right. I'll do it," I announced after a moment's pause.

The Monster Council cheered in glee, glad to have a caretaker.

Then, Pharaoh turned towards me. "Cece, my dear, did you see anyone come through these woods. We thought we heard someone in our room the other day, but by the time we entered, whoever was there had gone."

I froze, realizing they had noticed Harry and I. I tried to remain calm and claimed they were overexaggerating.

"I'm sorry, but perhaps it was just a rat. There are lots of awful swamp creatures. I'll keep my eye out for anyone who comes by."

"All right, then," Count said, rising from the couch. "Thank you again, Cecelia. We are much obliged."

I smiled weakly, issuing them a good-bye as they exited the mansion. How in the world would I pull off being their caretaker?