The Haunted Lady

Someone was knocking at the door and I wondered whom it might be. The old brick Victorian house across the street commanded the block, dwarfing the smaller bungalows. When I first moved into the Spring Hill neighborhood, I admired the beautiful old home. However, I began to hear the stories from almost the first day. When Marge, my freckle-faced neighbor, brought over a plate of home-baked cookies to welcome me to my new home, she cast a glance or two at the house across the street. Then she bent her carrot colored head closer to whisper,
"They say that old place is haunted. All the kids around here say there is a ghost and stay away."
"Has anyone seen the ghost?"
"Oh, yes." Marge said. "Justin saw her walking in the yard and then vanished and other people have seen her in the window."
"Doesn't anyone live there?" I asked.
"Well, there is one man. We hardly ever see him but he doesn't get out much and I haven't seen much of him."
I thanked her for the cookies and promised to come over for coffee soon. Then I got busy settling in and adjusting to my new home. I lost my job in a big company layoff in my home city and it was a struggle to find a new job so I ended up relocating to find one. I had been an office manager and now I was a secretary at the local school.
Woodville had a rich history and the Spring Hill district boasted most of the older homes. The Lady - as I dubbed the brick house across the street - was one of them. I decided that after I settled in that I would find the local library and look up the history of the town. While I was doing it, I might just learn something about the Lady's history
I learned my new job duties easily enough and settled in, finding a church where I could worship on Sundays, a dry cleaners who would take good care of my best clothes, and a mid-sized family owned supermarket where I could buy groceries. One bright October afternoon, I found my way to the library, signed up for a card, and learned about the history of my new hometown.
I learned that one of the town's founding families had built the Lady around 1900 but that they had all moved away long ago. And, I found out that Marge wasn't the only person who believed the house was haunted. The librarian told me the same thing and I even ran across a town history that mentioned the ghost.
When it began to get dark earlier, I did notice that there were few lights on inside the Lady most evenings. I kept hearing the ghost stories, though.
Then one night I saw a flickering light, like a candle in one of the front windows. For a moment, I thought it might be a ghost and then I realized the house might be on fire. Without any thought for ghosts, I ran across the street and knocked on the door.
The door opened and the man I had seen before stood there, smiling.
"Good evening. If you're looking for the ghost, I'm afraid that there isn't one to be seen, just me."
In the soft light of a lamp, I saw a young man who introduced himself as Tom. I told him about the flickering and my fear of fire. He laughed, inviting me in to see the lava lamp he brought home from a flea market. We chatted for a few minutes and he graciously gave me a tour of the Lady. The large rooms were even lovelier than I imagined and Tom told me he was restoring the house, one room at a time, I was glad.
"It will be beautiful when you're finished." I said.
He nodded. "I agree. Maybe I could have a housewarming and meet some people. You're the first neighbor to ever be friendly."
I told him about the ghost stories and he laughed until he wiped away tears.
"No ghosts, here." He said, grinning. "Sorry to disappoint them. You'll have to come back and watch my restoration progress."
Delight made me smile back at him. He was cute and I would like to get to know him and the Lady both a little better.
"I'd like that."
"Good. I make a mean pot of chili and I'm whipping one up tomorrow if you'd like to come back."
"I would." I said with a smile. "I'll even bring the crackers."
"Great. See you about six, then."
I smiled. I had an invitation to supper plus the chance to be better acquainted with the Lady - and with Tom.