Kisses from the Grave - Chapter 5 (standard:Ghost stories, 2235 words) [5/8] show all parts
Author: kissofthehungry	Added: Jan 22 2005	Views/Reads: 2759/2047	Part vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Mark talks with Al and finds out what chased the family away. Then he learns the truth of what happened at that house.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

 I was afraid to tell you guys cause I didn't want to stress you out 
more than I already have," it was so nice to have someone else to share 
the horrors with. 

For the rest of their trip, they discussed their experiences.  His mom
had basically seen and heard as much as he had and didn't have any idea 
why.  When they got to town, he went to Al's, she went to the market. 

Al was with a customer so Mark looked at the pictures on the wall. His
heart lurched when he saw Al standing with Desiree, and three other 
people that had to be her family.  An older brother who was a masculine 
version of her, and her mother and father.  She had her dad's eyes but 
her mother's features.  She wore a light blue sweater and jeans.  
That's when Mark realized he'd never seen her wear anything other than 
the daisy dress.  Which was a little strange, girls loved to change 
clothes.  Michelle usually wore two outfits a day. 

Just then, Al caught his attention, "What can I do for you, young man?" 

"I heard you were the best person to find out about what happened at the
Stevens place.  Why they left," he couldn't take his eyes off the 
picture of Desiree, her smile was just as eye catching in the picture 
as it was in real life. 

"The Stevens, huh?" Al came and pointed at the picture, "They moved here
about two years ago, beautiful kids aren't they?  Beautiful family.  It 
was her sixteenth birthday, sweet child, her name was Desiree.  They 
found a letter in her room saying she'd ran away, apparently took her 
dog with her too.  It broke their hearts, they waited about five months 
for her to come back home, but she never did.  They started to go crazy 
with grief, were imagining things, and decided that they had to leave 
the house.  They didn't expect her to come back, in fact, the mom was 
convinced she was dead.  They never found any proof of foul play but 
she was still sure that she was dead." 

"They never found any proof that she ran away though, either?  I mean,
besides the letter?" he wanted to know, fighting the urge to throw up.  
It couldn't be true, his Desiree was a ghost?  She seemed so real, when 
they kissed, he could taste and feel her lips and mouth.  How could she 
be gone? 

"Well, she took the dog, Poka, with her and some of her clothes and
things were gone.  The police were sure it was just another teenage run 
away case.  She did want to see the city and get out of here, can't 
really blame her," Al looked at the picture again with sadness in his 
eyes.  So did Mark.  They were a beautiful family, all smiles and 
sparkling eyes.  Then there was Desiree, who looked exactly as she did 
back at his place. 

He thought of her emerging from the marsh, both when he was awake and
asleep.  Then the girl crying in the basement sounded in his head.  
Could she have been killed in the basement and her body disposed of in 
the marsh?  Did the killer also off her dog then made it look like she 
ran away? 

"Thanks very much, I've got to go," he smiled and walked out in a daze. 
How could she feel so solid?  Now that he knew she just vanished, he 
was sure that she had died and it was her ghost.  How could she be 
living in the marsh and no one knew about it?  It didn't make sense. 

His mom walked up to him and began, "I found out some of what happened
at the house.  The daughter, Desiree, disappeared on her sixteenth 
birthday.  The police decided that she ran away but it was rumored she 
was kidnapped.  At the time she disappeared, there was a pedifile on 
the loose.  He was taking girls from about thirteen to sixteen into the 
woods and well, raping them, then abandoning them to find their own 
ways back to town.  Three girls disappeared and after she vanished, the 
rapings stopped.  Whoever it was just quit.  It's suspected by everyone 
in the town that he picked up and left with her." 

"Mom, I've been hanging out with her.  I've been kissing her and falling
in love with her.  She seemed so... so alive.  I've pet her dog, Poka.  
He's tried licking me to death.  How can this be?" he was fighting 
tears, he didn't understand. 

"Oh sweetheart, I didn't know.  You didn't tell me," she was
flabbergasted and he could tell, she didn't know what to do.  Neither 
did he. 

When they got home, he went to the swing and waited for her to show up,
but she never did.  Then he saw Michelle's jeep pull up, he had 
completely forgotten she was coming out.  Confused about everything 
that was going on, he walked slowly over to her. 

"Oh Mark, I've missed you," she threw her arms around his neck and tried
to kiss him, but he dodged it onto his cheek.  Her face was pained but 
she didn't say anything.  They walked inside and his mom hugged her, 
smiling, but looking at him with sad eyes.  Life was way too 
complicated. 

He showed her to her room and she sat on the bed, patted the spot beside
her, "We really do need to talk.  Mark, I didn't mean to hurt you.  I 
was just upset and confused.  You can understand that, can't you?" 

For lack of anything else to do, he sat beside her, "Michelle, I've
changed.  I do understand because things are really confusing now and I 
don't know what to do." 

"You've met another girl, haven't you?  After our years together, it
took you only a couple months to meet someone else. I should have 
known," she opened her mouth in stunned shock, blinking back tears.  He 
didn't need this right now and he didn't understand why it bothered him 
so much that he had hurt her.  She was the one who had dumped him and 
yet, he was feeling guilty. 

"It's not what you think, it's really not," he started then paused.  How
did he exlain this to her?  He'd met a dead girl and fallen for her. . 
. but here was Michelle, flesh and blood, and he knew he still had 
feelings for her as well. 

"Oh really, how is it?  Do explain," she sarcastically laughed, pulling
at a thread hanging off her shirt.  Mark buried his face in his hands, 
he wanted to, he really did, but it was easier said than done. 

"Look, let's talk about it in the morning, when I've had time to think
things out.  I've got to sort my thoughts out, I just, I don't know 
what's going on right now.  You've got to believe me, and you need to 
understand, I'm confused," he wanted to reach out and touch her.  Hug 
her and let her know that everything was going to be okay, but he 
wasn't sure that it was.  Desiree was dead, had been dead, and god only 
knew how.  Yet he was head over heels for her and was apparently still 
for his ex as well, he didn't know what to do. 

"Whatever, I'm sure you are," she turned away from him, showing that he
was dismissed.  Shaking his head, he rose and left her room, trying to 
sort things out. 

Just as he had settled into bed and was about to drift off, a light
started glowing in the corner of his room.  Suddenly, Desiree was 
there, tears glittering on her cheeks, and still in the same white 
dress with the blue daisies. 

"Why didn't you tell me?  I asked you what happened and you told me that
you didn't know," he blurted, unable to contain the pain he felt. 

Her face was full of grief and she didn't bother to wipe off the tears,
just let them fall, "I didn't want you to know, I was enjoying being 
with you.  Come with me, be with me.  I don't want to be alone, I want 
you to be with me forever."  She cupped his face but he could barely 
feel her.  Once upon a time, he would have accepted her offer.  No, he 
would have embraced her offer, welcomed the step into the afterlife, 
but she had changed him.  She had shown him he could live again and 
Michelle had shown that forgiveness could occur. 

"I can't, not now.  I'm sorry," he looked down at her hand, shimmering
with an inner light that made her flesh glow.  He felt as if his heart 
were breaking into a thousand pieces. 

"I understand, but remember, you promised to follow me when I asked.  I
will ask, do not break your promise," with those words, she faded into 
nothing and he was left in a room that was way too dark.  Quickly, he 
turned on the light, wondering what she meant.  What would happen if he 
did break his promise? What would happen if he didn't?  What did he do 
now?  Somehow, he knew the night was not over, that tonight, she would 
ask him to follow her. 


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