Chapter Text
Morgan just stared slackjawed at the man. A million explanations crossed their minds, but none explained what was standing in front of them. Except for one.
Ghosts were real and there was one right in front of them.
“Hello? Do you need me to repeat myself? This is private property, I’ll have you know.” The ghost said, tossing the broom to the floor. Its thunk brought them back to their senses.
“Y-yeah, I know it’s private property, cause it’s my house,” Morgan mumbled.
“Your house? Are you bloody mad? This has been a Kenward family residence for years! How dare you break into my home and-” As the man spoke, he reached out a hand to grab Morgan’s arm. He stumbled as his arm went through theirs as if it wasn’t even there. Silence fell upon the room.
“What was that?” the man whispered as he looked at his hand. A sudden realization came upon his face followed by silent horror. “What… what year is it?”
“2023, although getting into this house felt like it lasted almost a year.” Morgan laughed, trying their best to make light of the situation. The ghost stood completely still, a faraway expression stuck on his face.
“Ah. I thought I’d have last at least until my 30s.” He said with the same expression. He dropped to the floor, his arms rested on his slack knees and his head bowed down. “It was just 1770. I was eating supper. Why? How…?”
“Listen, man.” They said, clearing their throat and rubbing the back of their neck. “I get that you’re going through a moment right now, but I can’t help but ask; why the hell did you throw your shit at me as I slept?”
“What did you want me to do?” He shouted back. “I thought some bum was sleeping in my bed! You didn’t wake up when I yelled, so I got your attention some other way.”
“Ok! Ok! It just seemed a bit excessive is all,” Morgan reached their hand down to him. “I think we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot. My name is Morgan. What’s yours?”
“Alex Kenward,” he answered as he rejected their hand, stood, and brushed himself off. “I’d say it was a pleasure, but under the current circumstances, I think we both know that would be a stretch of the truth.”
“I don’t think I have a ‘Kenward’ in my family. After you died, who did you give this house to if not your family?”
“I did not have any kin, and my family would’ve found no use in a house in the colonies. Instead, I must’ve given it to my closest friend, Cain Morgan.”
“Now that does ring a bell! I think he was my great-great-great-grandfather. Damn, that’s crazy!” Morgan smiled. “This is incredible! A ghost of someone from hundreds of years ago.” They seemed to be the only one who was enthusiastic about the situation. Alex gave them a hard stare.
“I’m glad you’re taking the news well.” He said as he turned away from them. “Now if you wouldn’t mind, I’d rather go sulk in the last piece of my life I have left than continue this headache of a conversation.” He stormed off to what Morgan could only assume was his room.
“Oh come on, you know that’s not what I-” they were cut off by the slamming of a door. After angrily sighing, they decided to finally unload their stuff from the car. There was no turning back, they had already sold their apartment in New York and it wasn’t like they hadn’t had a roommate before. At least now they could be in different rooms and wouldn’t have to plug their ears when the other brings a girl over.
Morgan’s stomach loudly rumbled as they placed the last box from the car onto the floor. Without any food on hand and assuming from the smell of the house that anything in the kitchen had gone bad hundreds of years ago, they decided to go get something to eat in town. Before they left, they walked to the bottom of the stairs and called out to Alex.
“I’m going into town to get a bite to eat, do you want me to get anything while I’m out?” They were met with silence. “Ok, yeah stupid question considering you’re dead. I’ll be back in about an hour!”
They walked out to the now-empty car and started the engine. They could feel a pair of beady eyes on them as they drove out of the dirt driveway, but decided not to look back to check. They’d rather not see a dead man staring at them.
The town was a small one. It was the kind of town you stopped in to go to the bathroom during a road trip and then drive out and never think of ever again. Morgan found a quaint diner called ‘By the Sea’. The name struck them as odd, they were nowhere near any large body of water, let alone a sea, but they didn’t care about a name.
They walked in and were greeted by the dinging of a bell signaling their arrival. They looked around the diner and found two other people in it, both old and sipping coffee while discussing recent events.
“Gimme a second!” An unenthused voice shouted out from the kitchen. After a minute or two, a feminine teenager wearing a grunged-up retro waitress’s outfit walked out of a steel door. She had short black hair with two long purple-zebra dyed strands that went to her shoulders. The foundation on her face was two shades paler than it was meant to be and she had eyeshadow eyebags under her eyes. “Welcome to By the Sea, where you are served like you’re on vacation. Table for one?” She said as she pulled a menu out from behind the hostess podium.
After a nod of approval, they followed her to a booth with a window peering out onto a large stone statue. As they sat down, she looked them up and down with a look of curiosity.
“You must be the kid that moved into the house up the road, huh? What do you call yourself?”
“Oh, yeah I am. I’m Morgan. My granddad gave me the house-”
“Everyone thinks that house is haunted,” She interrupted. “But not me. I know it is.”
Morgan was silent for a few seconds until they chuckled, “Well I’ll let you know if I see any ghosts.” They wiggled their fingers.
“Well I’m Annabelle, I’ll be your waitress. I’m supposed to tell you our special, but I don’t think anyone wants anything to do with a ‘Raven Omlete’. This whole place is supposed to be themed after some poems,” she gestured to the area around her. “I don’t think it shows. Anyways, can I get you something to drink?”