The spirit ofThe Columbia Star

Illustration by Amanda Taylor By Amanda Taylor

Three ugly witches live in my closet. Werewolves are right outside my bedroom window. And boogiemen are under my bed, I swear. And if I’m not careful, they will all eat me, but only after they slow–cook me in a cauldron deep in the forest.

Such were the things I believed as a child. Now I know there are no witches, werewolves, or boogiemen. I’ve matured, and am far more reasonable; that is why what happened to me last Wednesday is so strange.

I suppose it was a day just like any other. It began with my usual two cups of coffee and a healthy toaster pastry breakfast. My commute into the office of The Columbia Star was normal, good even. Everything was normal, I thought.

Before I go any further, let me give you a little history. The office of The Columbia Star is an old house built in 1913 in the Shandon area. Many of my co–workers swear that a ghost lives there. They say she is a friendly ghost, and mostly just wanders up and down the stairs, looking for her son who died early in his youth. I never believed them. As I said before, I let go of any belief in the supernatural long ago.

Now, where was I? Oh yes, last Wednesday was transpiring without event. I had to work late that evening, as is often the case on Wednesdays. I was engrossed in proofreading when I felt a tap on my shoulder.

“Ahh! Give me a little warning Natasha! You know how jumpy I am,” I say to my co–worker.

“Sorry,” she says. “I just wanted to tell you that I am going to run grab some takeout. You want anything?”

“No thanks,” I said.

“Well, Mimi’s still upstairs if you need her. I’ll be back in a few minutes,” she said.

She wasn’t gone long before I started to feel a bit uneasy. All the muscles in my body were tensing up and my arm hairs were standing on end. Suddenly, I knew I did not want to be downstairs alone. But I wasn’t going to be a baby and ask Mimi to come downstairs.

I just need a Coke . Caffeine is just like duct tape; it fixes everything.

All of a sudden my whole body began to shiver, and I couldn’t move. In front of me walking down the stairs was a blurry image of a young woman. She wore a white blouse and a long grey skirt. I stared at the erie image, entranced. This can’t be real. If I just close my eyes this will all go away. I clenched my eyes shut for a moment. When I opened them she was gone, leaving only streaks of hazy white in the air.

I started to feel faint and leaned on the wall. In a daze, I staggered back to my chair and plopped down. I stared at my computer for what felt like an eternity.

I came back to myself when I heard the front door open. “I’m back,” called Natasha. She will never believe what happened.

I looked down at the page I was proofing, and my pen dropped from my hand. Scribbled on the top of the page in child–like handwriting was one word. Mommy.