Chapter Four

After a series of fervent pleadings, Geneva felt herself being pulled up as easily as plucking a flower. She couldn't help but scowl at that.

What a demonic ghost with malicious intentions!

She bent with her right hand placed on her knee and the other clutching her chest, heaving and trying to calm her dear heart as she tried to get over the shock of seeing her life flash before her eyes.

"Go back into the house."

Geneva stood properly and looked around. The ghost was gone and in its place was a dense concentration of dark smoke that sent chilly waves down her spine, making her shiver.

Upon receiving an order from mere air, she immediately started heading back.

Her steps were steady but her heart was running a marathon. She panicked at the ambiguity of those words and tried to come up with a solution.

Her brain failed her at a moment its function was dearly needed.

She suddenly began to regret her life's choices. She wished that she had not picked out that lonely cottage-like building to pack into in her quest for peace of mind.

How she wished she'd dragged that devil's spouse, Sharon with her, someone to hold onto in a dire situation like this. But the girl had opened her big mouth to say, "I ain't going no boring place with ya. I'm perfectly fine with the stable life here."

With the subtle chilly sensation surrounding her, Geneva opened the door. She refused to spare the bedroom a glance. Sitting rigidly on the sofa, she awaited her fate.

"Let's get married now," the straightforward ghost said without a change in his features.

"Nooooo. No, no, no, noooo!" She shouted, jumping from the sofa. She shook her hands and head to solidify her non-compliance.

She wondered when the ghost had change back to his human form to intimidate her the more.

With just the slow raising of a brow on that wall into a perfect arch, he successfully reminded her of her own words during her near death experience a few minutes ago.

How can one be so void of emotion? This is more than being stoic, this is being an ice block!

"Yesss." She cleared her throat, "I mean yes. Eh? I mean... I mean, mean, mean that we would do that but don't you think I should have some time to organise myself before it?"

Without waiting for his answer, she continued, "you should know that there is something known as planning a wedding, buying a wedding dress, choosing a cake, inviting people! Bridal shower!! Wedding reception!!!'"

As she said all these, her voice kept increasing by an octave before finally heaving a sigh of regret saying in a tiny voice, "but I gave them all up for you, oh mighty one, so please can I have today, just this night to sulk in peace?"

"..."

Silence

Another deafening round of silence.

"As you wish." Then he turned into smoke and dissipated.

Just like that? Really?

A cool breeze slithered in through the open curtains but because of the recent departure of a certain ice block, it felt warm.

Geneva didn't let her eyes close even for a microsecond for the love of her dear life.

She kept wondering if this mysterious ghost –whose name she didn't know of– had anything up his sleeve with the way he accepted her request.

So, she sat rigidly with eyes wandering about and hands clutching her chest.

Surprisingly, the ghost did not reappear. There was no trace of it in the house as if it hadn't been there some minutes ago.

But she dared not try any foolish move like calling the police or anyone else for that matter for fear of the ghost popping out of nowhere. Not like she had any idea who to call that would actually be of immediate help in this crazy situation.

Would the police even believe her words if she dared to call? They'd immediately take her for a lunatic.

Speaking of calling someone, Geneva's eyes landed on her phone before looking away in case the ghost was watching her through the walls.

Her disassembled phone lay helplessly on the floor with a cracked screen.

She swallowed hard and nervously sat there with her whole body at alert.

By 7:00am the next morning, sitting in the same position as yesterday was a very distraught statue of Geneva.

Her afro hair stood up, all over her head on tangles, an evidence of how much she'd pulled and strangled it the whole night in search of what next to do.

Her eye bag could carry ten drops of water and her mental state was a complete mess.

She stood up with her eyes scrutinizing everywhere. There was still no one. She guessed she would try her luck now.

Hurriedly, she took her brush to brush her teeth. As she started, she wondered if the ghost might realize what she wanted to do. So she started humming.

She hummed and hummed and hum... Eh?

I want to take my bath now. I took my bath yesterday. There is a mysterious ghost lurking around. Did he... did he see my...nakedness?

At this moment, she wanted to wail. She really did wish to but could not in fear of attracting the ghost.

All she could do was to suppress her wails and hastily wipe her limbs with a wet towel while still humming.

She wondered if ghosts could read minds, she hoped not.

Changing her clothes, Geneva picked her handbag which contained all she'd be needing, stealthily picked her phone then hurried out.

She kept on walking until she had gone past the small bridge then she ran, ran like there was no tomorrow, ignoring the stares of passersby.

The breeze slapped locks of hair against her face. That was when she realized that her hair was like tangled knots of a wool but she would attend to it once she caught a taxi to the airport. If escaping that scary man meant sleeping at the airport, she would happily do just that.

She checked her phone to know if she needed a new one. It was still functioning so she called Sharon.

"Hello? Geneva is that you? You alright?"

"Yes, yes. I'm alright," she said still looking back as the taxi neared it's destination.

"You sure? You gave me quite the scare yesterday." Concern was evident in her voice until she continued, "I thought you had been kidnapped or something with the way you screamed off my ears. Girl, I thought you were being killed. I ain't going no where to invite no death. But you're alive, wonderful!"

Geneva could not believe the words her friend was spurting out from her mouth. But her head was a mess filled with garbage that was trying to thinker out a solution to this misfortune so she didn't pay heed to it.

"I'm booking a flight back to Cuba."

"What?!"