Young Writers Society

Creepy old basements were not Kou’s favorite part of the job. Creaky stairs, darkness, cobwebs in the face, the knowledge that an angry spirit could attack at any moment? Not particularly appealing. No matter how many times he did it.

At present, Kou was staring down from the top of the steps, desperately wishing he had purchased a nicer lamp in the previous marketplace. He’d had this stupid crappy oil lamp ever since his old one was smashed by a dead three-year-old during a temper tantrum, and for some odd reason Kou always forgot to replace it every time he came to a town. At least he could prop the door open and let some sunlight in, though somehow the added light only made the base of the steps look darker.

“Are you sure you’ll be alright? I have an axe in the shed if you want that,” the farmer, Rim, tittered behind Kou, wringing his hands.

“Nah, I should be fine.” Kou replied, swiping his dark hair out of his eyes. “Just so we’re clear, if I’m not back by noon or so, head back to the house and hang out there until I come get you.”

“Of course.” Kou was already facing away and didn’t see the man’s expression, but something cracked in his voice.

Kou took a few deep breaths and stared into the dark abyss. “Right, just wait here, and I should be back in a few minutes or so.”

Rim wrung his hands some more. “Be careful. She doesn’t much care for intruders.”

Kou didn’t reply as he began his descent. It was everything he’d imagined it would be. Creaky stairs, darkness, cobwebs in the face. Angry spirit waiting at the bottom. The light began to fade as he moved farther from the open door and the sunlight. Kou’s eyes adjusted to the dim illumination of his lamp as he went down. Dust was collecting all over his coat. He tried to brush it off but knew it would have to wait. It was such a nice new coat, too, a shade of green that set off his eyes.

At last Kou reached the base of the stairs. Peering into the dimness, he couldn’t see much of anything except the vague silhouettes of shelves and farm tools. And the dead woman in the pale blue dress. Standing in the middle of the room, staring.

“Uh, hi.” Kou said. For how often he did this, one would think he’d be better with greetings by now. “Are you Mrs. Greenwind?”

The woman hesitated before replying. “Yes.” She paused and glared critically at Kou. “Who are you and what are you doing in my basement?”

Well, at least she hadn’t attacked immediately. When Kou had heard the case he had worried about this soul’s state of mind, but she didn’t seem violent. Yet.

Kou took a moment to look around the room. Here was the ghost. She was quite beautiful actually, with a soft, heart-shaped face, a neat plait of hair over one shoulder, and a few cheerful wrinkles around her eyes. And she was taller than Kou, because everyone was taller than Kou, even dead people. And over there, at the base of the stairs, was the lovely lady’s corpse, a few days old now. Kou was surprised he hadn’t tripped over her on his way down.

Kou turned his attention back to the ghost. “Well, I’m Kou. And I’m here because you’re husband asked me to come down here and speak to you.”

The woman frowned at the mention of Rim. “Oh, of course he wants to apologize now. That idiot! Does he ever think to discuss things with me when he makes these decisions? No! He’s just concerned about himself, and now look what he’s done! Now I’m dead!” The woman gestured to the corpse at the base of the stairs.

“Well, I’m sorry to hear that, ma’am.” Kou said. Domestic issues. Another of Kou’s favorites, much like heights and dark hallways.

“Oh, no, not ‘ma’am’. Just call me Lisa.”

Kou breathed an inward sigh of relief. This spirit seemed rather nice, actually. Now, time to ruin it. “Well, Miss Lisa, this is going to sound rather personal, but why do you attack you husband every time he tries to come down and retrieve your corpse? And why do you refuse to move on to the afterlife?”

Thin lines appeared between Lisa’s brows and her lips pressed together. “You’re one of those death mages, aren’t you? I’ve heard about you. Heard a lot actually.”

Well, this was going downhill fast.

“Er, well, yes, Miss Lisa. I’m a necromancer.” Kou braced himself. Usually even the dead would freak out when they heard Kou’s occupation. He didn’t want to be hit by anything Mrs. Greenwind might throw, like one of the many garden tools lying around.

Her frown deepened, and Kou had to keep himself from flinching. After a tense moment, though, her expression faded into an exhausted sigh. “Well, I suppose it doesn’t really matter does it? I’m dead, so I suppose I’m in the same boat, demon and all. What was it you wanted to know? About Rim?”

Kou relaxed slightly. “Well, yes. He told me you’d been in an argument just before you… fell down the stairs.”

“Oh, it’s alright, dear, you can say ‘died’. And yes. He suggested that we should keep Brett, my son, from visiting this year like we had planned. He said something about the Holy Order or some such. Honestly, that man, he thinks my only son shouldn’t come home just because of the Order? I don’t understand why he’s so opposed to them anyways, when they’re doing such good work.”

Rim was opposed to the Order? Kou gave a silent cheer. He supposed it made sense. No follower of the Order would ever let a necromancer into their home.

Mrs. Greenwind seemed to realize it too. “Oh, I’m so sorry, dear. I didn’t even consider. Of course you wouldn’t be a friend of the Order.” She awkwardly rubbed her hands against her skirt. “I’m so sorry.”

“No it’s alright, Miss Lisa.” At least she apologized. “You were saying? About the fight with your husband?”

“Right yes.” She coughed into her hand. “I was just upset was all. This house used to belong to my parents, and I always hid in the basement when I was upset. I was angry, so I ran down here to cool my head. I was in a rush, and I suppose I must have tripped. Next thing I knew, I was looking at my own corpse.”

“I see.” Kou said, even though he didn’t. This woman sounded like she had already forgiven her husband, so why was she still in this world? “But why don’t you just move on? The afterlife isn’t so far away.”

Mrs. Greenwind sighed again. “It’s rather childish actually. I wanted to hear him apologize.” The corners of her mouth lifted a little. “It figures he wouldn’t come down here himself, though. He always was such a coward.”

She looked at Kou for a long moment and smiled. “Maybe I should move on though. I know he’s sorry, no point in hearing him say it. Tell him he’s forgiven, would you?”

Kou grinned back. “I’ll let him know.”

“Alright. Well, off I go then. Thank you for keeping me company.”

Kou’s lamp flickered, he felt a brief flash of cold, and Mrs. Greenwind had vanished. Kou glanced over at the dead body lying contorted at the base of the stairs. He’d need help bringing her back up, but for now he decided he should go let Rim know everything was alright.

As Kou began his ascent, he mulled over the strangeness of the situation. Mrs. Greenwind hadn’t seemed particularly wrathful or malevolent. In fact, she’d seemed to have already forgiven Rim. Someone like her should have gone straight to the afterlife instead of waiting around. It was pretty weird, but it happened sometimes. Kou shrugged and flicked off his lamp as he neared the top of the steps. By now the sun was setting. Kou paused to admire the shades of orange painting Rim's fields, then turned back to the house. Time to rest for the night.