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Message-ID: <35149asstr$1013202609@assm.asstr-mirror.org>
From: "empath :{)" <empath69@hotmail.com>
Subject: {ASSM} {ASSD} "A Ghost's Story" [Empath] (MF rom magic) [3/5]
Date: Fri,  8 Feb 2002 16:10:09 -0500
Path: assm.asstr-mirror.org!not-for-mail
Approved: <assm@asstr-mirror.org>
Newsgroups: alt.sex.stories.moderated,alt.sex.stories
Followup-To: alt.sex.stories.d


Warnings:  Splitting your attention between driving and ANYTHING else 
(especially -AHEM- :) is dangerous.   Smoking rots your lungs and makes you 
stink - and cannabis is no better than tobacco in this respect, Captain 
Herbal-Life.  Alcohol lets your inner asshole out.  And reading these sorts 
of stories too much makes you go blind.

{What?  OH, *that* type of warning - right.}

Don't read/download this if you're not able to vote; it's not worth the 
trouble you could get into.

And attempting to use the stories I post here to make money of your own is 
a) illegal, and b) ludicrous - if I thought I could get anything for this 
stuff, do you think I'd post it here for FREE?:)

{Happy now?  Good.}



_________________________________________________________________
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<1st attachment, "ghost3.txt" begin>

{ASSD} "A Ghost's Story" [Empath] (MF rom magic) [3/5]


=============

"A Ghost's Story"
Copyright 2001...er 200*2* (dang changeover:)
by empath


Chapter 3
=========


If David was anything like Sue, he'd be a welcome guest in my
home.  She left a small footprint, so to speak.  She didn't use
much of the house - just her bedroom, the bathroom next to it,
the kitchen (her favourite room) and the sitting room, or
'living room' as she called it.  She left the rest of the house
untouched.

We settled into a comfortable routine.  On weekdays she would go
to work and administer to the dietary needs of the County
Hospital.  Meanwhile I would keep up my education of the 20th
century that I'd missed out on - did you know that America has
been directly involved in ten conflicts since I had done my bit
in the "War to end all wars"?  Makes me feel a little foolish
and impotent.

In the evening she would make dinner for herself and eat in the
kitchen with me helping and using the small TV I cajoled her
into buying as a 'Ouija board.'  After that, she would watch her
few shows, and chat with me some more about her day and mine.

Then Sue would bathe and get ready for bed. I'd tuck her in then
go study with the TV some more, or practice.  I get better at
the manipulating of material objects all the time.  As stated I
pull the covers up for my friend every night, and I've been able
to carry a pencil for a full five minutes in any kind of mood -
I don't have to be excited or angry or whatever anymore.  Soon
I'll be able to write more permanent notes for when Sue is away.

Saturday is Sue's shopping day; she goes out and gets groceries
and other things for a few hours in the morning.  More my
insistence she have some kind of life outside the house than any
desire to get away from her shut-in friend with the REALLY pale
z z complexion.  Saturday afternoons are spent playing games; I
discovered Sue's quite a competent chess player, and she hardly
ever cheats now that I can move my own pieces.

Saturday night is spent watching a movie together; usually Sue
would order a pay-per-view, but sometimes check out a video
store for something older that she'd think I'd like - usually
her taste is impeccable.  Her performance evaluation is how few
popcorn kernels I've thrown at her during the showing.

Sunday is like Saturday except Sue goes to church in the morning
instead of shopping.  What - you thought someone who would
believe in ghosts and even strike up a friendship with one would
be like these 'fashionable atheists' that always seem to be the
focus of television and the movies?  Sue and David met at a
social at their Lutheran church.  I don't hold it against them;
I used to be a churchgoing Catholic, and now I just can't attend
services.

I imagine that God has given me this time as a sort of purgatory
- a chance to dwell on my mistakes in life and perhaps repent
for them.  It's just a pity it took me so long to come to that
realisation.

Anyway, routine is hardly interesting - the notable events of
the next few weeks are what I'll focus on.

Two days after I showed Sue how I could communicate with her,
she bought that second TV for the kitchen.  She also scheduled
an appointment for the Phone Company to come out and upgrade the
house to these new 'clippy' connections that would allow her to
use an answering machine.

The next week the phone technician was out.  He was happy to
report that he would only have to replace the actual outlet -
the lines themselves were in fine condition.  Again, my home was
spared drastic changes.  The tech was done in a half-hour.  Sue
had already bought an answering machine at my insistence.  My
coaxing paid off the very next day.

This interesting new device had taken two hang-ups, one obvious
telemarketer, and a call from Sue's mother checking up on her.
Then there was a message I just KNEW she'd want to hear.

Sue actually had the nerve to get home from work LATE that day.
I was bouncing around the foyer, waiting for her.  When I heard
the porch door open, I peeked through the window, and whipped
open the front door.  "You're late," I intoned with as normal
and un-ghost-like a voice as I could manage.

She dropped the soda bottle she had been drinking from.  "Brad -
you spoke!  Oh. My. God. Brad, I can SEE you; not just head and
shoulders, either - I can even see you're smiling!"  Sue rushed
up to me and we hugged.  "What happened?  You've never looked
so...so...HERE!"

She was right about my 'vitality' - I could inhale and expel air
and modulate it enough to speak.  That had happened only once
before, and we both knew about that occasion.  I had prepared
for this moment by going to the unused bedrooms and rolling
around on the dusty beds, taking special effort to grind my face
in good and hard to have my expression visible.

"Good news.  For you."  She looked expectantly at me.  I just
pointed into the living room and said "Check your messages."

She walked into the room with a pleasantly confused expression.
She saw the winking light, and hit play on the machine.  After
one of the hang-ups and the telemarketer, I just gestured for
her to continue; it pleased me that she could see it.

When her mother's message played, I put a hand on Sue's shoulder
and said, "Call her tomorrow; we can skip the chess game."

And finally she got to it.

BEEP!

"Hi honey.  It's me - I'm glad you finally got a machine; this
is the third time I've tried to call.  I know you're working,
but you also know I can't do jack with this company's computers
while THEY'RE busy using them - that means I work outside
business hours.

"Anywho, I've got good news - we've broken the back of this
problem already.  That means we shouldn't need that last month
for implementation and testing.  That means only another two
weeks - yes, two weeks before I get back to you Suzy, darling!
Love you, and I can't wait to check out this house you've found.
The ghost sounds interesting.  Love you lots and miss you more,
bye."

BEEP!

Now Sue was as excited as I was; she danced around the room,
swept me into her embrace and forced me into a fast polka around
the coffee table.  We knocked over a chair, but we were both too
busy to care.

When she stumbled, I hugged her to me and hoisted her up in the
air.  Sue yelped with surprise and delight.  Then I set us both
down on the couch, panting with the exertion.

"You were strong 'back in tha day' homey."

I shook my head.  "I was a scrawny guy when I was alive, Sue.
This is pure excitement unfiltered by flesh and bone.  But
enough about me - let's talk about DAVID."

Sue squeezed my arm, then stroked my face.  "I'm happy for you,
Brad - this is so wonderful."

I took her hands in mine.  "Sue - I'm like this because I'm
happy - happy for YOU.  And I like David's voice by the by."

She giggled.  "He sounds tired but happy - I'm so happy he's
coming home so soon."

"So how do you think..." [...he'll react to me?]  But Sue didn't
respond.  [Sue?]  Her face began to frown.

"Brad?  You're fading.  Are you okay?"

I held my hands up and looked at them; we could both see the
dust falling through my dematerialising body.  [Oh well,] I
sighed, shrugging.  I turned the TV on and went back to our
usual medium of communication.

TIRED MYSELF OUT I GUESS
OH WELL FUN WHILE IT
LASTED  WHERE WERE WE

Sue put her hand where my knee was - I only barely felt the
contact.  "I think you were asking me something, but I couldn't
make out the question."

OH YEAH  HOW DO YOU
THINK DAVID WILL REACT
TO ME

My friend thought before answering.  "I don't know, Brad.  He
always used to be more open minded than I was.  This has been an
enlightening week or two, but I'd like to think he'll take to
you as easily as I did, if not better."

SERIOUSLY  DONT TRY TO
SUGARCOAT IT FOR ME  IF
HES GONNA BE UPSET OR
FREAKED I WANNA KNOW NOW
AND BE READY  WE CAN
EASE HIM INTO IT IF NEED
BE

"No - that won't be necessary, and would only backfire, anyways.
If there's one thing that David can't abide, it's bullshit; be
up front with him and you're better off."

HA  SO I SHOULD HELP HIM
IN WITH HIS BAGS THEN

Sue had to laugh for a little before answering.  "Okay, maybe
'easing' is a relative term.  Just give him a little while to
rest after bringing his stuff in, then you can serve him a
drink?"

YES MAAM RIGHT AWAY MAAM

"Ha - we could always hide the picture and say you were black!"
I was laughing too much to type out a reply properly, so I just
leaned over and tickled Sue's ribs.

"AHH!  All right - no games or pranks.  How about we leave our
plans fluid for now.  David will have a long plane ride back
here; that's in addition to more than a month of sixteen-hour
days.  He may be too wiped out to do anything more than sleep."

GOOD IDEA  WE LET HIM
SET THE PACE FOR HIS
INTRODUCTION TO THE
SUPERNATURAL

SO APART FROM THIS
HOWS YOUR DAY BEEN

                   *         *         *

There was one more notable event before David got back from his
distant project.  One night, six days after the phone message, I
was sitting watching some late night talk show - neither Leno
nor Letterman.  I was watching with only half my attention, and
I actually found myself waiting for the interruption of the
furnace turning on with a thump.

And then I realised I hadn't heard a thump for a while.

I got up and checked the thermostat.  It was set to a toasty
seventy degrees, but the actual temperature was down in the
forties!

Frowning at this, I figured I should check the furnace.  I
started for the basement stairs, stopped and smiled at my habit
of only forty years still overtaking eighty years of different
abilities, and just sank through the floor.

Once in the basement I moved over to the furnace.  Lifting the
boilerplate hatch, I was terrified to see the interior of the
device was dark - the burners weren't lit and the pilot light
had gone out.  And an audible hissing told me the burners were
getting plenty of gas.

GAS - ohmygod - SUE!  [I've got to shut the gas off!]  I thought
of the thermostat - no time for that and pilot light would still
be getting a small gas flow.  [There's a cut-off valve around
here, somewhere!  Where does Wentworth go first?]  I remembered
and grabbed the metal knob.  Even in my agitated state, I
couldn't move the valve.  And I recalled that even as a young
man, Wentworth used a wrench to turn it.

I cast around and found the very same tool - it'd be criminal to
leave a furnace like this with no means of shutting off the gas.
I struggled to calmly fit the mouth of the wrench onto the valve
knob.  Once set, I easily turned the gas off.  I was rewarded
with an end to the hissing.

That done I coiled my body and leapt two floors to the bedrooms.
Once I cleared the main floor, I concentrated myself into
solidity and grabbed the balcony railing.  I hauled myself over
and raced to Sue's room.

"SUE!  WAKE UP - get up, honey!  Come on, sorry to disturb you,
but you gotta get up right NOW, Sue!"  But she wasn't moving.  I
looked her over closely.  She was breathing, and her pulse was
strong and steady, but even slapping her wouldn't wake her.

I tried a trick I learned from "Life in the ER" about pinching
the skin over the collarbone and twisting - she didn't even
flinch.

I grabbed Sue under the arms and began to drag her out of the
bed, but I had overexerted myself, and my hands began to slip
through her body.

"NOOoooo..." [ooooo!]  I panted, looking at Sue's limp but live
form askew in the bed.  I had to get her out of the house and
breathing clear air, but how?  I'd used up my 'vitality'
already, and would have trouble lifting the sheets, let alone
her.

And it came to me.

I concentrated a moment, steeled myself, and jumped...

...and landed in Sue's body.  It was difficult trying to adjust
being in flesh and blood again.  It had been eighty years since
I had felt like this, and then I was a six-foot man, not a five-
foot, six-inch woman.  Nor one who had her lungs filled with
propane gas - the dizziness I felt must have been partly due to
that.

The most difficult task I had was not pushing Sue out of her
body.  Several times I felt a tingle or sensation that reminded
me of the night Sue and I had spent together - maybe that was
our souls 'touching.'

I struggled out of the bed, made my way on hands and knees to
the window, and pulled myself up the frame.  I slipped the
catch, and heaved at the window, getting it open about a foot.
I sank down and thrust my head and shoulders through the
opening, gasping deeply to rid my...friend's lungs of poison and
get oxygen into her body.

After a minute or two, the dizziness lessened, and I felt
stronger.  I stood, pushing the window up as I did it.  Holding
the pane open, I grabbed the stick on the sill and propped the
sash open.  Then I took a deep breath, and made my way out of
the house.

Getting out of the bedroom, I steered Sue's body down the
stairs, staggering a little.  The door handle presented a little
difficulty, but soon I was out on the front steps, falling to
hands and knees.

I felt sick - nausea is a horrible thing to feel at any time,
but after being free of it for almost a century made it that
much worse.  As I let Sue's body act on instinct, I focussed on
extricating myself from this vessel, and pulling Sue back into
the space that I was occupying.

It felt weird, as if she vomited me up.  My spirit tumbled down
to the walk, and I looked back - no one looks pretty when
they're throwing up, but under the circumstances, I found her
ability to continue with this action without my help beautiful.

As she finished regurgitating her the contents of her stomach,
she looked up, bewildered and haggard.  The first thing she said
was "I think that's the worst way in the world to wake someone
up."

I smiled an apology to her, then wondered how she knew where I
was.

"Oh...sorry for getting some on you," Sue said, pointing.  I
looked down and saw some fluid covering my knees.  I also
noticed a leaf had stuck to my shoulder.  My concern must have
been 'vitalising' again.

"So what happened?"

I tried speaking, but could only manage a tiny hiss.

"Oh, sorry.  And we don't a TV or any mirrors out here."

I sat back, and shrugged.

Sue looked around, and grabbed a twig.  "Here, use this," she
directed, placing in front of me.  "I'll ask yes-or-no
questions; if the answer is yes, put the stick on your left
side.  To answer no, put it to your right."

I rolled the stick to indicate 'yes'.

"Good!  Oh, and just to cover all the bases - if I ask a
question that you can't answer properly 'yes' or 'no,' just spin
the stick in front of you.  Okay?"

I moved the stick to 'neutral', then back to 'yes.'

"Okay, then.  Let's see if I can work out what happened.  I was
asleep, and in some kind of danger - I got sick.  Right?"

Yes.

"You had to get me out of the house.  What would threaten me in
there - and it had to make me sick."  Sue looked panicked.
"Smoke?  Fire?"

No.

"Oh, good.  Um...gas?  The furnace went out!"

Yes.

"Oh.  How long?  Never mind - wrong question."  Sue looked in my
direction.  "So you dragged my unconscious body out here to
allow me to breathe fresh air?"

No.

"No?  So how did you get me out?"

I waggled the stick in 'neutral.'

"Aha.  Did you help me walk out, then?  I don't remember it."

Oops; there's a loophole.  'Neutral.'

"What?  So did you help me or not?  Either you did or you
didn't!"

I rolled the stick half-way to 'yes.'

"Sort of yes.  Hang on a second," Sue frowned and stared at
nothing.  "I *do* remember walking out...but...I...didn't -
YOU!"

I rolled the stick strongly to the left and let it roll down the
walk away from us.

"You were with me - IN me!  You did help me walk out.  I
was...not quite out, but I couldn't do anything, and you...took
the controls, so to speak."

We both sat quietly and contemplated the implications.  Sue
grabbed another stick, and placed it roughly where I was.  "So
have you ever done that before?"

No.

"Wow - I'm glad it worked."  She looked over her shoulder back
at the house.  "Do you think it's safe to go back in yet?"

I spun the stick, then moved it slowly to 'no.'

"Yeah - hasn't been long since you got me out."  Sue shivered.
"Brrr!  But the gas won't affect you, right?"

Yes.

"Um, do you think you could go in and drag out something to keep
me warm?"

An emphatic yes, followed by me picking up the stick and taking
it with me as I walked past Sue.

As she said, I had to drag it out, but I had an afghan from the
living room for her.  She wrapped it around her shoulders, and
curled her legs under herself to cover them with her night-
shirt.

We didn't do much while we waited for the gas to dissipate; at
one point Sue asked me "I miss your elaborate replies - do you
think we could wrangle some extension cords and drag a TV out
here for you?"  I didn't bother with the stick; I just tickled
my friend.

Soon enough, Sue insisted on the cold being more dangerous than
any gas that was left.  We entered the house, but I was
dependent upon her nose to tell if it was safe.  She shrugged
and said she didn't smell anything.  She shivered again, and
said "Brad?  Do you know how to restart the furnace?"

I realised I still had the stick in my hand, so I put it down
and rolled it to Sue's right, signifying 'yes.'  Then I went
into the living room and turned on the TV.

Sue followed me and I proceeded to type out specific
instructions on lighting the furnace safely...or at least what
Wentworth did after he was finished cleaning it.  She recited
the steps to my satisfaction, and then we made our way to the
basement.

I'm glad to say that Sue managed the task as ably as the regular
furnace repairman does.  We went back into the living room to
wait for the house to warm up.  Once there, I posed the
following statement to her:

YOU GET THE FURNACE
REPLACED SOON TOO

"Brad, what will all this do to you?  It's YOUR furnace!"

SUE IM ALREADY DEAD
IF I FADE AWAY SO BE IT
IVE HAD A DECENT LIFE
AND A GREAT AFTERLIFE
BUT IF ANYTHING HAPPENS
TO YOU

Sue sighed.  "I guess."

HEY LOOK AT IT LIKE THIS
I HELPED PUT THAT FURNAC
IN  MAYBE IF I HELP PUT
THIS NEW ONE IN

"Yeah; you install the new furnace, it'd still be YOUR furnace.
But how would you help?  This time you're lacking a little
something - no body.  Sorry."

TRUE BUT I KNOW SOMEONE
WHO DOES  MAYBE I COULD
BORROW HERS

Sue looked uneasy.  "Well...I don't know; we may want to test
this out first-"  Then she looked up at the screen again.

SUE  I WAS KIDDING
ID NEVER ASK YOU TO DO
THAT

"Oh!  Sorry - missed the joke.  But seriously, we may want to
try this out.  It might be interesting to be conscious next time
- to have a guy inside me in a completely different way!"

I tickled her for her joke.


fin de troiseme



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