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? 277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOj5IYhHT5w
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.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0X7rMXa03M
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. 277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhuWcGSlhCZ
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. 277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8wqdBSPdEY
I would never do that. 277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDXrIAFeeHK
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.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhQavrmhjke
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. 277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1hmnj74CGV
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.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYlyaYnF1ui
Why am I talking about numbers?277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWTtgLvKdN5
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.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ87tdsumpPb
Anyway.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcyYx7LFIDs
I was scrolling through emails, responding here and there and mentally counting my grapes as I was eating them. 277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiltwvb9VgB
I was on grape sixteen, highly anticipating the last grape when my hand touched the bottom of the mug and I felt…nothing?277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbAEFUFnzR2
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. 277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmH9xJQJItl
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!277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDGDWb3cgnq
That’s impossible. I didn’t miscount so don’t you dare suggest that.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdL8yK0aehg
I leaned back in my chair, staring at my mug like there was some sort of secret compartment. 277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgEnkZxxI9y
Someone stole a grape from me.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh67qn2zqB9
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. 277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKwF48HtGji
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. 277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡccggdmhe86
Was I going crazy?277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡodsxu7iXM1
Wait.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7UfozmsEcl
The fox mug I’d put in the sink an hour earlier was hanging back on my mug hook. 277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡieh1WV2lex
Clean.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGMT2QnyhYQ
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. 277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1E7l8qF8y5
What did she know?277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3a7n0p1VEW
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…277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUaFtKVC9xl
Until last night.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAEtxUqSSIH
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.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjll999FEEm
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.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzhlnl9iBGk
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.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc10JaLPzKf
I was being watched.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJxKW08QXwa
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.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLsITB9K8Wy
He slowly stopped chewing and moved his hand side to side, most likely to see if my eyes would track the motion.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv3QaDbOqxO
I followed everything he did, including tracking the amount of times he blinked in that very moment–fourteen.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡisIfatAeyL
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoozCjymJWq
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.277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEG777Q3Zxj
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…
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu3v5fLp0AL
“..Wait, ghosts can eat?”
277Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4QDEkmbCzN
