Matilda yawned, and took a sip of her black tea. It was delicious, a soft bitterness dancing along the edge of the sweetness of the sugar she’d added.

Matilda left Jen’s body.

“Thank you, dear,” Matilda said, “It was so lovely to get to enjoy tea again.”

“Of course,” said Jen, “I’ve got to head to work, but I’ll see you tonight. We’re having baked ziti for dinner.”

“Delicious!” Matilda floated Jen to the door, “Have a wonderful day.”

“Bye,” Jen closed her apartment’s door. The overwhelming smell of mildew and weed swamped her. Her neighbors were gross, and their elderly landlady, Eliza Kreple, not capable of keeping things maintained by herself. Mrs. Kreple also wouldn’t admit she couldn’t meet her obligations, and wouldn’t hire help. But that was why the rent was dirt cheap. Anyone with an option would live anywhere else.

At least Jen had found Matilda here. She was the sweetest spirit she’d ever been lucky enough to meet, and since Matilda kept other spirits from invading Jen’s apartment, she was happy to give the woman a little corporeal time. It was much better than a perverted ghoul moving in, which Jen had had to suffer before.

The air outside was cold, and Jen breathed it in. Her fellow pedestrians walked the streets with her, and so did a variety of spirits. A tiny puffball of a dog wagged its tail as she walked by, and Jen bent down to pet it, while pretending to tie her shoe.

She continued on, and saw old Ben, who looked very much alive. The only reason Jen knew he wasn’t was because she’d gotten strange looks the first time she’d spoken to him. Today she nodded and moved on. Ben waved.

“HEY, CAN YOU HEAR ME?” came a loud voice that broke off into sobs.

Jen froze, and scanned the street.

“PLEASE, I’M RIGHT HERE!”

A lady in business attire, eyes dripping tears and pale, stood in front of a man who didn’t react to her screams.

That must be a brand new ghost, Jen thought, shocked, which means she just died.

A chill crept down Jen’s back, while at the same time her heart tugged her to go acknowledge the woman. Just as Jen was about to walk over to her, Ben called out.

“Over here!” he said.

The woman turned her head, searching for the voice. Jen inched her way over to Ben with her phone out, pretending to be a passerby stopping to text or use the internet.

“Over here!” Ben called out again.

The woman walked over to him.

“You can see me? What’s going on?” She clasped his collar.

“Close your eyes. What’s the last thing you remember?”

“I-I,” the woman closed her eyes, “I was talking with Marlin, and he got angry at me,” her voice was a whisper, and Jen struggled to hear her.

“Then what happened?” Ben’s tone was soft.

“He grabbed me, and--” The woman hiccuped, “Am I dead? Marlin killed me?”

Ben gave Jen a sidelong glance, “Where’s your apartment?”

“501 Fairspring. Apartment 4B,” she sniffed, “Can you help me?”

“I can’t, but I know someone who can,” Ben said, “What’s your name?”

“Amelia,” the woman said.

Jen began walking and dialed the police.

“Hello? I just heard a fight in the apartment next door, and it sounded like it got violent, there was screaming and stuff breaking. The apartment is at 501 Fairspirn Ave, apartment 4B.”

“Ok, stay on the line for a minute--”

Jen hung up, and glanced at Ben and Amelia.

Amelia was still a wreck, and Ben was doing his best to calm her.

Jen waited for some time, until she saw a police car turn onto Fairspring.

“Phew,” she said.

The officer closed the car door with a thunk, and entered 501.

But Jen felt an uncertainty. Ben consoled Amelia, the cop was handling Marlin. Was there any reason for her to stick around except to see the case through?

Jen opened her text messages and messaged her boss there was an emergency she had to attend to. Even if she couldn’t help, she had to make sure Amle

The next thing that happened was an ambulance, lights flashings and sirens screeching, pulled up to 501.

Jen gagged as workers walked out with a stretcher covered with a white sheet. Amelia saw the workers, and pushed past Ben.

“No, no, no,” she shoved the sheet, and a ‘breeze’ lifted it. Amelia, the ghost, was face to face with Amelia, the corpse.

“AHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

Jen cried in silence at the sight.

As the emergency medical team wheeled Amelia’s body into the ambulance, the cop walked out the building, a man, Marlin, Jen assumed, handcuffed in front of him.

Amelia flew over to Marlin, screaming.

“HOW COULD YOU? HOW COULD YOU?” Amelia tried slapping him with her incorporeal hands, but they passed through his body., turning into wisps and then reforming.

Marlin shivered as the police loaded him into the back seat of the cruiser.

“YOU DOG!” Amelia screamed after the disappearing police car.

Jen approached Amelia, putting her phone to her ear, “Amelia, I can see that you’re upset,” Jen swallowed.

Amelia stopped crying and stared at Jen.

“You can stay at my place if you’d like, till this whole thing gets worked out.”

“Are...are you talking to me? Can you see me?”

“Yes, I did make that phone call on your behalf. We’ll make sure that dog pays for his actions.” Jen made eye contact with Amelia, “I’m going to head home, see you soon.”

Amelia trailed after Jen, half hopeful, half scared it was a bizarre coincidence.

“She can see us,” Ben called out to Amelia, “She can’t talk to you directly, since other people can’t see us.”

“Thank you,” Amelia said, and followed Jen back to her apartment.

They walked past the stench of the hallway, something that would never bother Amelia again in her state, and into Jen’s apartment.

“Matilda?” Jen closed the door behind her, “We have a guest.”

Matilda floated through the kitchen wall, “Is everything okay?”

Matilda saw Amelia, whose lost and pained face spoke for her, “Oh dear. Come here and tell me what happened. We’ll take care of you.”

“I,” Jen gazed at the two ghosts, “I need to get to work...Please take care of eachother.”

“I will, not to worry,” Matilda said.

“Thank you,” Amelia said.

“I’ll make sure that he pays for this,” Jen promised, and headed out.

“Everything okay on the homefront?” Jen’s boss, Mr. McCallum asked when she arrived at the office.

“There was a small flood in my apartment, and I had to clean it up before it set into the floors,” the lie fell like rain off Jen’s tongue. Natural. She’d had to lie often in her childhood when her ghost sight had gotten her into predicaments.

The work day blurred by, as flashbacks of the morning drama played out again and again in Jen’s head.

Poor Amelia. To leave the world of the living in such a sudden and violent manner.

She stopped at the grocery before going home to pick up the essentials needed after the morning catastrophe.

“I’m home!” she said when she walked through the door. The baked ziti she’d put in the crock pot at low filled the house with its wonderful aroma. Jen set the table for one and served herself a heaping plate of baked ziti.

“Matilda, Amelia, I’m having dinner if you’d like to join me!” Jen ate a spoonful of the noodles, when they floated through the walls.

“Hello, dear,” Matilda said, “I was just clearing up the house rules with Amleia here.”

“Want a bite?” Jen asked?

“Please.”

Jen closed her eyes and clasped Matilda’s dry, soft hand. She let Matilda in.

Matilda opened her eyes and inhaled the scent of the ziti, and the subtle smell of Jen's laundry. She felt her pulse beating, and so warm, so alive.

Matilda reished a few bites of the ziti, and when Jen nudged her, she left.

“Thank you dear,” Matilda said, “The ziti was excellent.”

Jen smiled, and ate some more.

When the plate was half empty, Jen spoke, “Amelia, I have an offer for you.”

“Yes?”

“After what you went through today, I think a stiff drink is a good idea.” Jen got up and pulled out the ‘essentials’ she’d picked up at the grocery store, “Pick your poison.”

Jen let Amelia possess her and they mellowed out with champagne and chocolate.