I was in denial at first, I’ll admit. Do you have any idea how much mental reconciliation you have to do to come to terms with the fact you are, indeed, living with a ghost? 198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzyGYnsaxOm
You probably don’t, so let me break it down for you. I’d been in this new one bedroom apartment for a few weeks and it was mostly great! It wasn’t in the worst part of town, my neighbors acted like I didn’t exist, and I even had a decent view from my balcony–the back of a Walgreens with the “W” that flickered off and on like in the movies.198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6CTm0LjlJW
I was on the 12th floor and truthfully, it was everything I’d ever hoped for. I was a city girl at heart, I’d realized and I absolutely loved it here. 198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVLVzeLJSi4
Now, the reason for the story. You didn’t come here to hear about my Walgreens that is perpetually out of Dr.Pepper. No, let’s talk about him.
I say he’s a ghost, but truthfully, I’m just guessing here. I didn’t notice anything abnormally unusual at first. One morning when I reached in my fridge for some eggs, I did see that my baguette fridge magnets were not in the way that I placed them–smallest to largest, as any rational person would. No, they were largest to smallest. 198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9f1sltXTpv
I would never do that. 198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXpECnnJLUx
But! I had just moved all by myself with my corgi, Brioche, and started a new remote job, so I was under a lot of new stress. It wasn’t worth more than a second thought, I’d told myself.198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcnbtOuRQmh
Another morning, I was at my desk catching up on work. Normal stuff. It was early, I was still in my pajamas, and my breakfast was a small bowl of black grapes I had in my owl mug next to my keyboard. 198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtOuDnbmCSR
Everyone goes on and on about even numbers, but odd numbers don’t get the love they deserve. Odd numbers signify realism. Life is asymmetrical and not everything has a mate–has a puzzle piece that will fit them seamlessly. I’ve always felt like the odd in a world of evens, so there’s a sense of camaraderie there.198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxLtWzlxHiL
Why am I talking about numbers?198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTnsuUkoeCe
Because I gravitate toward odd numbers in my everyday life, of course. I remember specifically pulling seventeen grapes from the vine after rinsing them and then dumping them into my fox mug, but then deciding it was definitely more of an owl mug kind of morning.198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqQuCv29a39
Anyway.198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAfGcBdeFLj
I was scrolling through emails, responding here and there and mentally counting my grapes as I was eating them. 198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0LGlMSJpC1
I was on grape sixteen, highly anticipating the last grape when my hand touched the bottom of the mug and I felt…nothing?198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN0bsemeRJS
That’s not right, I decided. So naturally I kept scrolling through my emails and moving my fingers around to find my hidden rotund fruit friend, only for me to keep clashing with ceramic. 198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVKYDZ3zBWB
At this point annoyed, I gave the mug my full attention and lifted it toward my face, shocked as I saw there was no last grape!198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡon2sFngkW2
That’s impossible. I didn’t miscount so don’t you dare suggest that.198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIheOytymqf
I leaned back in my chair, staring at my mug like there was some sort of secret compartment. 198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTtJLH7h9V5
Someone stole a grape from me.198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBImbcs1iQS
I immediately surveyed the room, looking for the perpetrator. Brioche was face up in my bed, his little potato legs kicking while most likely dreaming about bacon. By the looks of it, I could rule him out. 198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjzv5LrQdBR
I quietly stood and walked toward the hall, scanning every area as I did. I made my way back into the kitchen and nothing was out of the ordinary. 198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡffyAv5h6LR
Was I going crazy?198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡit6dsXnDux
Wait.198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPDvPWCziht
The fox mug I’d put in the sink an hour earlier was hanging back on my mug hook. 198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ54E8GOt0VJ
Clean.198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFQ7I4cCEZg
After checking the locks and every other area of my small apartment, I sat on my bed next to chunky Brioche, startling him out of his sleep. I’d always believed in ghosts, but even I was a heavy skeptic. My great grandmother always told me I had supernatural energy in my soul, whatever the hell that meant. She was also ninety-three and thought that the internet router was Jesus. 198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhi5VZanqIr
What did she know?198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0cm4OEfByS
The days kept passing and I was on high alert. There wasn’t another grape incident, but I could’ve sworn my baguette magnets were slightly off kilter…198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3A6sJh2bkI
Until last night.198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkrWoKEE3eM
I woke up with a jolt, my eyes trying to fixate on my current reality. They took a moment to focus on the brightly lit city right outside of my window, assessing exactly where I was in a literal and metaphysical sense.198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMTaqB0TQKF
Noting that the time read 1:37am on my phone, I placed it back on the charging station and sat up, wondering why I’d woken up so abruptly. Deciding that it was time for a snack, I lazily headed to my kitchen and opened my pantry, grabbing a few large croissants. I turned on my oven and rummaged through my fridge for the appropriate butter to fashion with my French snack.198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzNeF0qPRRA
My fingers landed on honey butter and that was the obvious choice. It wasn’t until I closed the fridge and turned around that my eyes really began to focus. I’d neglected to turn on the light because navigating my living space in darkness felt like a fun brain teaser. I’d loved doing that ever since I was a kid, while of course scaring the ever living shit out of my parents whenever they’d walk into the kitchen in the middle of the night and find me in there.198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaKnSYVuog2
I was being watched.198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnZvMJMB67v
A tall man was sitting on my countertop, eating my grapes and watching me. He was chewing with a smirk on his face, until it began to register that I was looking at him back.198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJgi5brN0cC
He slowly stopped chewing and moved his hand side to side, most likely to see if my eyes would track the motion.198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKraQ5sCwPB
I followed everything he did, including tracking the amount of times he blinked in that very moment–fourteen.198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJZV7e3CLf5
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2jUMeKhEA6
His voice was so deep and almost feral–it sounded like he hadn’t spoken in ages and was aggravated that I’d disturbed his peace.198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbGfaV0cfRT
I felt my lips part and I tried to speak, I really did. I wanted to say something profound, I wanted to scream. I wanted to panic. Instead…
198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXUjWwdN37X
“..Wait, ghosts can eat?”
198Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAtwOn85Pyj
