A Spooky Story

Here's a little ghostly tale about a place where I once lived....

I guess I was in my early 20's and my friend Marilyn and I were looking for an apartment to share. She really had her heart set on living in this one older complex that her sister had once rented an apartment in, and put us on the waiting list. I really wasn't exactly in love with the place; I think it had been built in the 1920's or earlier and it looked like something straight out of West Side Story. You know, those ancient brick buildings with the metal fire escapes outside. But it was in a really nice area and we were thrilled when we got the call from the landlord telling us there was a two bedroom available.

The rent was also surprisingly cheap for that neighborhood. And soon we would find out why.

Seems this apartment came with an extra roommate. And I use the word "she" because often there would be the heavy scent of some kind of old fashioned perfume drifting around the apartment. When we had friends over, "she" would briefly pay a visit to everyone in the room and they would catch a whiff of the perfume and ask us "What is THAT? And Marilyn and I would just laugh and say "That's our other roommate".

"She" seemed particularly fond of our gentlemen callers, but some of them were not really too fond of her. Some never called again after they "met" her. In fact one pointed out to me this strange looking symbol that had been nailed to our apartment door long ago. He told me it meant the apartment had once been blessed by a Rabbi and that someone had probably died in there.

Once "she" borrowed a pair of my earrings. I had them in my hand and they fell out and disappeared into the carpet. I combed the area with my fingers and they were nowhere to be found. However, they turned up a few months later in that exact spot. Those earrings had belonged to my late grandmother, so I'm thinking that maybe "she" was also of that era and wanted to wear them to a ghostly costume party.

Anyway, "she" really wasn't that much of a bother. Often the channels on our television would change by themselves and there was that strong perfume smell, but other than that "she" was pretty harmless. Until one night I came home and noticed that all the burners on our stove were lit. Perhaps "she" was expecting company and preparing a ghostly feast for them. That did scare me a bit and I told her so, and it didn't happen again.

I did move out shortly afterwards, mostly because Marilyn and I weren't getting along too well anymore. It was kind of a Felix and Oscar type situation. Guess which one I was.

Marilyn still lives in that apartment with her two children. She loves that place and I seriously doubt if she'll ever leave. In fact when the time comes, she will probably haunt it as well. And it is a two bedroom, so there's enough room. However, I think Marilyn's favorite Shalimar perfume will clash with "hers". They're going to have to work that one out.