Shattered Wig 28 Sneak Preview #9 - "Ghost" by Amelia Gray

          "I'm of two minds," the man said, neatly bisecting a strawberry with a knife. "I'd be happy if you left, and happy if you stayed here, but you can't leave and stay at the same time."

           The ghost of his wife seemed unhappy. She glossed over a steaming cup of coffee, disrupting the bubbles.

          "I can't tell you which would make me more happy," he said. "For one, I haven't truly experienced either state. You keep shimmering and not saying anything." He glanced at her for confirmation. One edge of her gave off an extra shine. "Coy," he said. "Furthermore, you haven't tried truly leaving yet. We both always know you'll be back."

          He finished cutting the strawberries and placed them in a bowl, sprinkling sugar over top. The ghost shivered and dropped into his coffee cup, navigating the escaping steam to bolt into the scalding liquid. The cup jostled and was still. He put a piece of bread in the toaster. Outside, the birds were flapping so loud it sounded like a man slapping his thigh.

          "In the end it's about what makes you more happy," he said to the cup. "You don't seem particularly happy in this moment." A ripple in the coffee caressed the ceramic. He thought about how his wife would hold a mug with both hands.

          He tapped the mug with his fingernail. "Get out of there. Quit messing around." The coffee swirled and she emerged again, settling around his shoulders like a scarf. She smelled like nothing.



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Amelia Gray is the author of AM/PM (Featherproof Books) and Museum of the Weird (FC2).

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