Halloween Story ~ “The Witch’s Ghost”

Faye was born on halloween, and now, eighty years later, she was celebrating eight whole decades of being alive. The elder lady had never married or had children, as love was not in the cards for her. Instead, she dove herself into the world of witchcraft. Strengthening her gift of divination and communication with spirits, Faye used her abilities to help others find love.

Faye’s intuitive powers were so magnificent that it became her full-time job. Many, many people came to her in desperate need of figuring out their love lives. She used her tarot cards, her crystal ball, her runes, and knowledge of astrology, numerology, and palmistry in order to guide lost souls and assist them on their spiritual journeys.

Faye would also cast spells, craft potions and tinctures, harness the magic of herbs and crystals, and commune with otherworldly spirits for her costumers. And she could also act as a medium in order to connect with their loved ones who’d passed away, delivering specific messages or answering their questions.

Now that she was much older, earning a sufficient amount of money for herself, Faye stepped back from her psychic career. Still wanting to help others out, she now offered readings for a select few, free of charge.

On a rainy, Sunday evening, a girl named Jessica knocked on Faye’s door for a free reading. Jessica was a friend of Faye’s grandniece. The twenty two-year old was bright-eyed, bubbly, and overly eager to learn about her future.

“Thanks so much for doing this!” Jessica beamed, “I’m so excited!”

“Oh, of course, honey,” Faye graciously stroked her shoulder, “do you have any specific concerns?”

“Yes!” Jessica nodded without hesitation, her eyes growing wider, “I’d really like to know when I’m gonna get married. And when I’ll have kids, too!”

“Sure thing,” Faye calmly nodded as the two of them sat down on her couch.

Faye examined her palm for about a minute, jotted down some words in her notepad, pulled out a few cards from her deck, and then gazed deeply into her crystal ball.

“What is it, what do you see?!” Jessica prodded impatiently.

Faye remained silent for a moment, before responding, “twenty eight.”

“Twenty eight, I’ll get married?”

“And you’ll get pregnant on the night of your honeymoon.”

“Wow!” Jessica clasped her hands together, “that’s crazy!”

Faye smiled. She loved delivering news her clients wanted to hear, although that wasn’t always the case.

“So, your grandniece tells me you never married or had children.”

“That’s right,” Faye confirmed.

“I hate to inquire, but… are you happy about it? Do you ever have regrets?”

“It simply wasn’t in my destiny. And how can you have regrets over destiny? Many things happen to us, or don’t happen to us, in life. We classify them as ‘good’ or ‘bad,’ maybe even ‘tragic.’ For example, the death of a loved one is tragic, but when you look at the bigger picture and understand that death is not the end, you can see that certain things are designed to happen in order to propel our highest spiritual growth. I was a full-time psychic in my prime years, and if I had been too occupied with children or a husband, I wouldn’t have been able to help nearly as many people as I did.”

She continued, “Now, look at my sister — she went on to have five children, followed by several grandchildren. If she hadn’t, you and I never would have met! And look at my brother — it didn’t work out with his first wife, but it wasn’t a waste, they still had beautiful children together, and now he’s having more beautiful children with his second wife. I mean, we’re all following different paths. Who’s to judge what’s ‘good’ or ‘bad’? That’s why I say, there’s no such thing as regret.”

“Wow!” Jessica was blown away, “I never thought of it that way.”

“The only time we get hung up in ‘regret’ is when we compare our lives to others. Now, that’s just silly. Everyone is unique. Imagine how boring life would be if we were all the same.”

Faye brewed a cup of tea for her and Jessica, as they sat by the fire and discussed more about her future and the nature of reality. It brought Faye deep fulfillment, sharing her wisdom with the youth.

That night, Faye heard a voice saying, “hello, lovely.” Faye was used to hearing voices all the time, as she could talk to the invisible spirits as if they were old friends, but this voice in particular sounded different.

“May I ask who’s speaking?” Faye replied, lighting a candle in the dark.

No response.

“Please,” Faye asked again, “can you tell me who you are?”

After a short pause, he answered, “I’m a ghost, and I’ve been painstakingly watching you for decades…”

“I’ve talked to many ghosts for many decades,” she said, unfazed.

“I know, and it’s disheartening to witness.”

“Now, why’s that?”

“Because I’d much rather you talk to me.”

“Then why haven’t you spoken til now?”

“Because… I have an insufferable crush on you!” he cried, “I’m always flickering lights, slamming doors, blowing out candles… and you never notice!”

“Oh, my!” Faye was astounded, “you do?”

“Yes! And it’s taken me this long to finally say it! I just can’t take it anymore!”

Out of all her years doing psychic work, she never experienced anything like this before. She could’ve sworn her loving days were over — and now a ghost was beside her confessing his admiration, still refusing to show himself.

The ghost went on, “that girl who was here today, Jessica — something about her energy just triggered me — such a confident, young woman — I think her confidence is contagious, as I couldn’t hold back any longer! But now I’m afraid that self-assurance has already worn off, and I must go back into hiding… goodbye now…”

“Wait!” Faye called out, “don’t leave! Don’t be intimidated by an old lady like me! I lost my beauty decades ago!”

“Oh, no! You only become more beautiful with age! The lines in your face tell a story, most especially your laugh lines. And the glow in your eyes reminds me of a newborn child.”

Faye blushed, not used to being flattered like this, “you’re sweet.”

“I must be going, goodbye!”

“Hold on!” Faye called out again, but he was gone.

The ghost left the witch with so many questions… what do you look like? Where do you hide? Will you ever come back and talk to me again? Is it possible that I still have a chance at love before I die?

The witch consulted all of her divination tools to figure out this mystery. And from what she gathered… she couldn’t believe it… but somehow, her destiny had shifted, and she still indeed had a chance at finding true love.

It turns out, Faye was never meant to fall in love in this lifetime. In several of her past lives, she had used her witchy powers for evil. Many of her spells threw humanity off of its course and went against God’s will. She was vengeful, and used voodoo dolls to indict both mental and physical harm upon her enemies.

In one specific life, she was a bitter witch, who turned any man who crossed her path into a frog. In another specific life, she was the leader of a coven that practiced black magic, destroying many innocent lives. And in her most wicked life, she worshipped Satan, and converted thousands of others to do the same.

Faye was shocked and appalled to see what kind of person she was in her former lives. “Past lives” was a concept she tended to avoid, insisting that the only life that matters is your current one. But now, after delving deep into everything, she understood her destiny so much more clearly.

The spirits informed her that she used this life, as well as many other recent past lives, to clear out all her negative karma. She had to endure an immense amount of unbearable suffering to make up for all the hurt she caused. She made a lot of progress in this lifetime, helping so many people. And now, she was finally being rewarded with a chance at love.

For some odd reason, Faye found herself constantly thinking about this mystery ghost — even though she had no idea who he was. She was determined to bring him back.

Faye tried complimenting the ghost — “your voice is so charming… I’m sure you’re very handsome… your energy is glorious…” But to her dismay, her compliments only angered the ghost. He felt like she was lying, using shallow manipulation tactics to lure him back.

So then, Faye tried giving offerings to the ghost. She offered him her rarest crystals. She cooked him delicious meals and left them out overnight. She even went to an antique shop and spent a great amount of money on gifts she thought he’d enjoy. And in return, the ghost became even angrier, once again insisting that she was merely manipulating him.

Faye devoured every single “love magic” book she could get her hands on and used the poems, spells, charms, recipes, and other magic tools in order to bring him back. And still, nothing worked.

Finally, exhausted and incredibly frustrated, Faye crafted a toxic potion for herself.

She announced, “wherever you are, my love, I’m going to find you. After I drink this, I’ll be dead, and I’ll see you on the other side.”

Just as she opened her mouth, the ghost cried out, “STOP!”

She paused, “is it you? Are you back?” Tears of relief streamed down her face.

“Don’t kill yourself! Don’t do it for me!”

“This is the only way I can see you. I must.”

“NO!”

“Then, will you show yourself?”

“I can’t…”

“Then I’m coming to the other side!”

“NO, WAIT!”

But it was too late. Faye chugged the potion, and instantaneously, her body collapsed to the ground as her spirit ascended above.

And now, the witch had become a ghost. Faye was on the other side, and now all the ghosts who surrounded her were completely visible. She wondered where her man was.

Faye heard crying. She floated to the corner of her bedroom to see a figure curled up in a ball, covering his face, bawling his eyes out.

“Don’t cry,” Faye said gently.

“You cannot see me,” he whimpered.

“Please,” she whispered, “don’t be so self-conscious.”

With reluctance, the ghost-man slowly lifted his head and turned to look at Faye. She gasped when she saw that he wasn’t human at all — but an alien — with grey skin, lanky limbs, and a round belly that stuck out.

“You hate me, I knew it!” he pouted, tears flowing, lips quivering.

“No!” Faye panicked, “I was just surprised! You never told me you weren’t human!”

“I’m sorry I let you down,” he sighed, “with my ugliness.”

“HEY!” Faye stomped her foot. In her older age, she had lost her passion, but now it was coming out like never before. “Listen up! You STOP being so cruel to yourself, okay? How dare you disrespect yourself like that! You are NOT ugly! And I will tell you that again, and again, and again, until you get it through that thick skull of yours!”

He looked at her, speechless and taken aback.

“After all, look at me! I’m not perfect!” she threw her arms in the air, “I’m a shriveled up, pruny little thing! And even in my younger days, I still had plenty of flaws! If you’re ugly, then I must be atrocious! Now, you’re telling me, you think I’m so superficial that I couldn’t be in love with a grey-skinned alien? How dare you!”

Still speechless, still terrified, he was able to let out a half-smile.

“I want your energy,” she said, holding out her hands.

He paused with hesitance… and then, finally, took her hands with grace.

Holding one another, their ghost-bodies disintegrated as their spirits entered a higher plane of pure love, where bodies cease, and all that exists is energy. They were ageless, skinless, bodiless. Together, they were one.