Maggie
The rest of the day was spent busily cleaning the two wings, and, to her surprise, she succeeded in achieving her goals. The entire ground floor now gleamed, and she sat back wearily on a padded bench and gazed around her domain. Maggie felt at home here, safe, welcomed. She’d finally found the place she’d been looking for. She wished her parents could have seen this, especially her mother. Katherine would have loved the inn.
“Told you to leave,” a voice spoke, and Maggie leapt to her feet.
“Where are you?” she demanded.
“Where I always am,” the guy said, and Maggie yelped as a figure appeared in front of her. He wore much the same as yesterday, except his blue coat was now black and embroidered with gold, and his hair hung loosely around his shoulder. Maggie instantly reacted and struck out and punched him straight in the face.
“Damnation, woman! You’re a menace to society!” the Lucian lookalike roared, stepping back and holding his nose.
“How are you doing this? Why are you doing this?” Maggie demanded, her hands on her hips. That’s right, mister, this little girl has taken self-defence lessons, Maggie thought angrily.
“How? I’m a ghost, you foolish wench. Why? Because the inn belongs to me!” Lucian roared.
“I got a piece of paper saying hell no to that claim. I own this inn!” Maggie yelled, leaning forward. The Lucian lookalike’s eyes flared, and he muttered something under his breath.
“Lady, I don’t know who you are or care. I know you’re wakening the evil I’ve spent centuries locking down. Either leave under your own steam, or I shall make you,” he threatened, and Maggie stiffened.
He didn’t just say that! Maggie smiled sweetly and stepped forward.
“Go hang yourself!” Maggie hissed and slammed her foot down on his boot, then brought her knee up and punched him a second time. Lucian roared loudly and dissipated right in front of her eyes.
“Am I drugged?” Maggie wondered, eyeing her coffee flask suspiciously. A shriek echoed around the bar, and Maggie screamed as the ghost of Lucian flew straight at her. A cold chill swamped her body as he passed through her and disappeared. Maggie jumped as her phone rang and yanked it from her pocket.
“My inn’s freaking haunted,” Mariah screeched at her.
“So is mine!” Maggie yelled. “I punched him in the nose and kneed him in the privates.” Mariah fell silent.
“You did what?” she asked quietly.
“He appeared in front of me from nowhere! I thought someone was playing a trick, so I hit him on the snout. Then he threatened me, told me to get out, so I kneed him and then jabbed him again after stamping on his foot!”
“My God, only you’d punch a ghost!” Mariah replied, laughing.
“I didn’t believe in them and reacted. He mentioned something about a great evil at the Jekyll and Hyde,” Maggie recalled.
“Mine keeps yelling, but I’ve not seen him. He’s also moved things right before my eyes,” Mariah revealed.
“Is he frightening you?” Maggie asked curiously. She wasn’t sure whether to be frightened of Lucian.
“Not really, although he loves making me jump.”
“Mine dismantled the hoover after I sucked him up, and then he annihilated the parts,” Maggie admitted, sinking onto the bench.
“You what?” Mariah said slowly as if doubting what Maggie had just told her.
“Yup, thought he was a hologram and sucked that sucker straight up!”
Mariah let out a shriek of laughter and took several minutes to control herself while Maggie elaborated further.
“He kept spinning round and round, and his face was all elongated and stuff. It was hysterical,” Maggie said, finally giggling too. Her heartbeat returned to normal, and she could see the funny side.
“Maggie!” Mariah snickered.
“I can’t believe I sucked a ghost up and punched him twice! I thought ghosts were see-through! But I connected with his nose!”
“Get out!” a voice roared from Mariah’s end.