The Angry Ghost

The Angry Ghost 

James wasn’t always a ghost, he was a 34-year-old married man with a lovely daughter called Suzi. James and his family had just moved to Horsham and bought a lovely three-bedroom detached house on the outskirts of the town. It was nice and quiet and had a huge garden. His wife was called Bella and she was a Primary Schoolteacher. She loved her work, she was put on this earth to look after children, she was so kind and generous with her time. 

James was a mortgage advisor, he enjoyed helping people, so did his best to get youngsters on the housing ladder. He was a good husband, a decent provider, and a great cook. He loved taking his time and making interesting exotic dishes and watching guests enjoy and devour them. 

Little Suzi was just five years old, a beautiful little brunette, she had long curly hair and was a cheeky confident child. She loved to play and dance, she would try and sing but it was never going to be her million-pound ticket. It didn’t matter, they loved just watching her little face light up when she was performing was all we needed. 

They had everything going for them. There were plenty of jobs to do around the new house, the walls needed a lick of paint, there was a leaky outdoor tap and the garden was a huge bundle of prickly brambles. 

The first job was to tackle the electrics as they were a mess. Certain plug sockets didn’t work, and every now and again the power would cut out. 

Job number one was a difficult task and needed an expert. Luckily for James, his good friend and best man was a jack of all trades and said he could help out. They had a quote from a few qualified electricians and they were asking for thousands, but with everything else they wanted, they couldn’t really afford it and didn’t want to get a loan.

Harry came over one weekend with his tool belt which impressed them, especially Suzi, she said he looked like a cowboy, James just called him Woody, from the Toy Story movie. They were joking about buying him a cowboy hat to finish off the look. Harry took the jokes well and after a cup of coffee and a catch-up, he went around the house with James to check out the dodgy electrics and made some notes. He wasn’t going to charge for his time but there were some materials needed to complete the job. James was really impressed with how much Harry knew and after they’d finished the examination they went off to the DIY shop to pick a few things up. Suzi went with them and loved being swung around on the trolley, she was laughing and screaming, she got on so well with her Uncle Harry. 

When they got back, they placed all of the new material in the garage and made a plan for the following weekend to complete the job. Harry guesstimated that it would take around three hours. James didn’t have a clue so just agreed and said he’d buy him some beers and a takeaway for afterwards, the deal was done. 

The next weekend came around and Harry was at the front door at 10 am. Bella was getting Suzi ready for her dance class, Suzi wanted to stay and help but was told that it was too dangerous for her, as electricity can kill if you’re not careful. The girls left the boys to it and James was just following Harry about the house trying to be helpful, he was best used for making tea and moving things out of the way. At one stage Harry asked James to drill a small hole, which he managed to muck up. His drill bit was too large, so he had to go and get some filler. 

They stopped for lunch and by now the girls had got home. It was sunny so they all sat outside and ate sandwiches and crisps and had a few beers. Around 1 pm, Bella took Suzi out to her mothers as they were getting in the way and the boys just needed some space. Harry had rewired certain rooms and had changed fuses in the fuse box, it was all quite complicated but he was a fast worker. 

Just before he screwed the wall sockets back into place, Harry wanted to make sure everything worked ok, otherwise, he’d had to take them all off again. Harry asked James to go into the garage and flip the switch on the fuse box. James was pleased he was being trusted with something so off he went into the garage and walked over to the nice new shiny fuse box. It looked great, Harry had done a terrific job. It was a little high for James so he pulled over a little stool to get a better reach. 

He set up his camera phone to film the big occasion so he could show Suzi and Bella later in the evening. He stood on the stool, opened the see-through plastic case and reached in to switch the large red button from down to up. He turned to the camera as he clicked the switch and the electricity came on. The garage light automatically turned on for the first time and the excited James went back inside the house to tell his clever friend, Harry. 

Harry was busy screwing the plastic wall fixtures back on and they were two extremely proud men. They completed the downstairs fittings and went upstairs to finish the job. They knew that in a few minutes, they would be finished and guzzling down some beers in celebration. Everything was working and looking great, other than the main light in the master bedroom. James grabbed a spare bulb and stood on a chair to reach the light fitting. This didn’t work either, there was some sort of glitch with it, so James went and made some tea, it helps men think! 

Harry took over and pulled out an electric tester pen, it looked similar to a screwdriver, however, it lights up if electricity is live. James had finished his cup of tea and wanted to help. Whilst Harry went back over to the light switch, James was trying to be helpful and stood on the chair, he pulled out his screwdriver and shoved it into the light fitting, just as Harry pressed the switch.

BANG

An almighty bang came from the light fitting along with a burst of electrical flames and the whole room was filled with smoke. The incident tripped the power, but not before a huge surge of electricity ran through the metal screwdriver and into James. Harry ran to open the window to clear the smoke, as the room cleared James was lying on the floor shaking. Harry just watched, he didn’t want to get too close as he’d heard that electricity can jump a few metres and he didn’t want to be electrocuted. The shock had stopped James’ heart and his blood had stopped circulating around his body. He was unconscious and sadly died on the bedroom floor within a couple of minutes. 

James was dead and Harry panicked, he waited for twenty minutes before he called an ambulance. He’d taken his tools and hid them in the boot of his car. Harry wasn’t qualified and was worried he could get arrested for manslaughter for the reckless behaviour. Obviously, he didn’t want to go to prison, so made the scene look like it was James who was at fault. The truth was, that they were both to blame, one had paid the price with his death and one was still alive.

After death.

Different cultures have various beliefs about what happens after death. Some people believe that a wronged soul can linger on earth to right a wrong. 

James died, but didn’t go to heaven or hell. His existence continued in a stream of consciousness after the death of his physical body. In short, his soul remained in the place where he died, his house. His soul was invisible and unable to communicate with the living. It took a while for James to get used to his transition, he was now a ghost. 

James found himself back in his bedroom, the place where he died. He didn’t remember much about that, other than a huge bang and a puff of smoke. However, here he was alone and didn’t know what he was supposed to do, he had to come to terms with his new position as a ghost. It was a metamorphosis he didn’t see coming. 

After his transformation, he was alone in the house for a long time. He didn’t understand where his wife and daughter were, but they weren’t living in the home. James tried to leave but couldn’t, he was trapped in the house like a prisoner. The house was pretty much how he left it before his demise.

It was like a bad dream. 

A few months later he was surprised when the front door opened. His wife and beautiful daughter Suzi walked in. They had a few bags with them and her father was carrying some boxes of food. Bella looked sad, she looked around the house and sat on a dining room chair. Suzi was running around exploring, she seemed ok, but Bella looked depressed, she’d lost weight and was so pale. Her father was fussing around moving things and unpacking. He said to his daughter, “Just remember Bella, even if a person dies, the relationship between you doesn’t die. Nobody will replace James, but only you can save yourself. I love you.” 

Bella didn’t say anything, she just held on to her father like she was a little child again. 

James just watched the girls, he loved seeing his little Suzi playing and running around. It was so hard for him; he couldn’t hug them or interact, he missed them so much, he just wanted to give them affection. To hold them and tell them he loved them was all he wanted to do, they meant everything to him. Death was cruel, and seeing Bella struggling with her newfound situation was even harder. She cried all of the time, her mother came and took Suzi out so Bella could grieve in peace. She was popping pills and drinking a lot of wine, and she hardly ate. 

The following week Bella had a visitor, it was Harry. Bella listened as Harry spoke, 

“Bella, I will always be here for you. I will finish the house off, so don’t worry about that.” 

He was consoling her and brought her a gift. It was a huge bunch of flowers, which dominated the dining room, the card read,

“Dear Bella, it’s a new start in life and time to move on, I will always be here for you. Love Harry”.

Harry’s visits became far too regular and as time went by he was looking more comfortable at the house. 

James took great offence to what Harry was doing, and quite rightly. James was gone and Harry wanted to fill the vacant space. After a year of this cuckooing, Harry eventually moved in and they became a couple. James had forgiven Bella because she had fallen apart and needed support but Harry was not going to get an easy ride. This behaviour was unacceptable and would not be tolerated. 

James was so angry at having to watch what was happening that he wanted revenge, he lashed out and hit a glass and it moved one centimetre. This might sound pathetic but it was incredibly significant. It drew the attention of Harry, he turned and looked around, but there was no one there. 

Not only did Harry play a part in his death, he had now taken over his life. He had completely replaced him. Fortunately, he was kind and caring to Suzi and Bella, they were smiling again and Bella was back at work. She looked healthy and was able to function again. Suzi was too young to really understand what had happened and by the age of six, she was looking at Harry like a father figure. This destroyed James. It was as though his heart was in a vice and was gradually being squeezed to breaking point. 

James was hell-bent on revenge and had convinced himself that he should torment Harry. James needed to work out a plan to scare Harry off. He was unable to communicate, to touch or to move anything further than a few centimetres, he knew it was going to be difficult. 

He started his haunting at a low level, causing disturbances, manipulating objects and appearing in visions. This went on for months and was freaking Harry out. Harry was working hard on the house, decorating, fixing leaks and tidying the garden. 

Harry would put something down like a spanner and when he went to pick it back up it had moved. This might sound like a trivial act but when this type of activity was happening twenty times a day, you would start to question your own sanity. He tried to discuss it with Bella but she didn’t believe him. 

Over time James was pushing the boundaries and was able to impose a psychological torment, he was able to manipulate the mind of Harry. He was having nightmares, disturbing thoughts and feelings of paranoia from his part in James’ death. Even though James had made a stupid error, in the back of Harry’s mind he knew he could have prevented it. He also knew that pursuing a relationship with James’ vulnerable wife Bella was morally wrong. He had already lost friends over it. 

James became obsessed with Harry, his hatred fed his motivation, he became vindictive and dangerous. James moved his revenge up a gear by causing physical harm to Harry. He had attacked Harry’s sanity, now he wanted to cause injuries. 

James would push glassware off the table when Harry was barefooted. He would fiddle with the settings of his power tools, but most dangerously he would turn the gas hob on, in an attempt to cause an explosion. He would only do this if the girls were at school and out of the house, his love for them was for eternity. 

So many years went by observing his family, seeing them grow, watching them laugh and loving each other, it was a double-edged sword. James loved to see Bella and Suzi happy but couldn’t forgive Harry. Watching the man who could have prevented his death weasel his way into his wife’s life, watching that bastard live his life, whilst James was trapped in this miserable after-death existence. 

Eventually, after years of being haunted by the spirit of James, Harry became a shell of his former self. He was paranoid and on medication for his mental health. His guilt played a huge role in his demise and Harry moved out. James just watched the relationship dissipate and continued his aggressive psychological and physical attack, it resulted in Harry giving up after offering everything he had to make Bella and Suzi happy. 

After Harry left, James watched Bella sink into depression again, she stopped working and began to blame herself for her own situation. Suzi was a strong child and kept her mother busy at home but deep down Bella was falling apart. 

James had broken her heart for the second time, he had caused this with his terrible besotted jealousy. His persistent pursuit of revenge had backfired and poor Bella was suffering at the hands of his stubborn stupidity for the last time. 

Bella had too many bad memories at the house and decided she couldn’t live there any longer. The house was put up for sale and within a few months, Bella and Suzi had gone. They had disappeared out of James’ death forever and he would no longer be able to watch them grow older. He’d lost everything all over again. 

The angry ghost had become bitter with rage. The new residents of his dream house had bought more than they bargained for. 

James was set for a long miserable death stuck in the home that was now his eternal prison. It could have been so different but his ego wouldn’t allow it. Hasty emotional decisions led to his downfall. James knew that he should’ve looked at the bigger picture, but his pride and anger didn’t allow it. 

Revenge and regretting,

will never outweigh,

forgiveness and forgetting. 

The End.