Ghost of a Hero

Miss Ghost Lady

I don't know how long I sat there, miserable, in the middle of the explosion. Marcus was long gone by the time I convinced myself that I needed to live.

"Excuse me, miss?" A small voice called. I looked up, slowly. Moping was the only luxury this body gave me anymore. Groaning, I slowly came out, floating from my circle of misery.

"Miss ghost lady? Can you help me, please?" A small boy stood, looking at the destruction of his playground.

"Aren't you afraid of me?" I asked carefully, not getting close to him. He turned and gave me a giant grin.

"No, miss! You destroyed the playground! We can finally get a new one now!" He laughed. He waddled to me, reaching out to grab my hand. I condensed mine, trying to make it as stable as possible. I could only imagine how cold it must be as he grabbed it with glee.

"Miss ghost lady, can you help me?" He smiled up at me. "Mommy wanted me to find Tom's house and sleep there for the night."

"Why does your mommy want you to find Tom?" I knelt, trying to shield this child from the chilling wind. His breath was crystal clear in the night.

"She said daddy has been drinking again. She told me to go to Tom's house before daddy got home. I know the way, but it's dark, and I can't get in." He shivered slightly.

"Oh." It was the only thing I could think of saying. "Do you know where Tom lives?"

The little boy nodded his head. "I can't get in."

A long silence passed between us. I couldn't take him home, could I? If he knew the way to Tom's house, I could get him inside.

I was unusually good at making bad choices. Was this a bad choice?

"Miss ghost lady, you're lost too. Maybe we can help each other." He grinned at me, shivering.

"Why do you say that?" I pulled his hat further over his ears.

He tilted his head to the side. "Mommy says that ghosts are spirits of people. The white spirits belong to black people who lost their way to heaven. The black spirits belong to white people who lost their way to hell; that's why they're known as demons. That's how I know I can trust you. You were once black, so you're the same as me!"

A smile pulled to my lips. Children were cutely innocent. "What's your name, little Mister?"

"Moses. What is your name, miss ghost lady?" He pulled on my hand, leading me away from the park. "Before you lost your way to the spirit world, I mean."

"Ahsper," my voice was barely a whisper. It only reminded me of everything I did wrong.

"That doesn't sound like a black lady name, miss ghost. You must've had some strange parents!" He continued to tug on my hand, pulling me onto the sidewalk.

"Yeah, something like that." This time a full smile pulled at my lips. It almost made me want to laugh a real, complete laugh.

He pulled me toward a housing complex. A tall pink fence guarded the house. "Tom lives in there. I can't climb the fence."

If I could develop a wall of air, technically I could create stairsteps, right? I focused, creating steps leading above the wall. I added a bit of sulfur to them, allowing the boy to see them.

"Think of it as a slide. Climb up this side and slide down the other," I lead the boy up the steps. He grinned, laughing as he took each step.

"You're so cool, Miss ghost lady!" He laughed. We paused at the top of the fence. On the other side was a slide I'd made with the air. Hopefully, it wasn't too steep.