For all the times he had peeped through the windows, he had never actually stepped foot inside her house. He swiveled his head from side to side taking in all the sights. It smelled very pleasant in there. Like apple cider brewing. Of course it did. She was perfect.754Please respect copyright.PENANARZZ4ck9n6b
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“Okay, Mr. Ghost,” she said, “The closet is over here.”754Please respect copyright.PENANATgerLnl1Cw
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Even though he knew exactly where it was he followed her as if he didn't. She opened the closet door and pointed to a large brown box on the top shelf. She pointed at it. “That's the one,” she said in her heavenly voice. 754Please respect copyright.PENANAj4g6lXkx4h
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He started to reach up and grab it, but his ghostly sheet kept sliding and blocking his vision. “Here, let me get that for you,” she said as she slid the sheet off of him.754Please respect copyright.PENANAbGJ7qdrCuE
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When the sheet was completely off she looked him over. “Well who would know that there was such a handsome man underneath that spooky old sheet,” she said.754Please respect copyright.PENANAcsbYsBippE
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He blushed a deep red and grabbed the box off the top of the shelf. She was right to have him grab it. It was very heavy. “If you would just plop it down on my kitchen table that would be fantastic,” she said. 754Please respect copyright.PENANAvwzCUEwOvt
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He followed her into the kitchen and gently lowered it onto her table. “Thank you so much,” she said. “Since you were kind enough to help a girl out,” she continued, “could I offer you a cup of warm apple cider?”754Please respect copyright.PENANAn6RvXthKFg
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He looked at her stove. A pan full of apple cider was brewing and steaming. The smell was intoxicating. He nodded. “Y.. yuh… yes,” he replied. “That would be delightful.”754Please respect copyright.PENANATOHivlSu1d
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“Great,” she said through a beaming smile. She opened up a cabinet and pulled out two mugs. She walked over to the steaming cider and used a ladle to fill them both up. Then she opened up a small ceramic canister that was sitting next to it. “My grandmother,” she said merrily, “always told me that the secret to any good cider is a pinch of brown sugar.”754Please respect copyright.PENANAdV27btK49Y
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She took a tiny pinch of the brown sugar that was in the ceramic container and put one in each of the ciders. Then she opened a glass jar and put a cinnamon stick in both mugs and gave them a small stir. She handed him the mug and smiled her infectious smile at him. He had no choice but to return the grin. It was too wonderful of a smile to not return. 754Please respect copyright.PENANAF5uHlGfDRw
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The mug was brown with a tan stripe at the top and the bottom. “I… I have this exact same cup,” he told her with a smile. It was another sign that they were meant to be together. 754Please respect copyright.PENANA4SzNoQsWph
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“Are you a Bed, Bath & Beyonder as well?” she asked in a playful voice. 754Please respect copyright.PENANA40YMYaiTtD
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He nodded and took a drink of his hot cider. It was as delicious as he imagined it would be. “This is wonderful,” he said. “Thank you so much for it.”754Please respect copyright.PENANATgBopu1q9W
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“No,” she replied, “thank you for being kind enough to help a girl out. Not many people would go out of their way to come into a stranger ’s home just to help them pull down a box that was too heavy for them.”754Please respect copyright.PENANAkxh5FcHc7L
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“We have to do what we can,” he said. As the warmth of the cider spread through his body he was becoming more relaxed around her. He wasn't even afraid to speak to her that time.754Please respect copyright.PENANAWK0kQ9SDrH
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That was a huge step for him. Since he was a small child he hadn't been able to speak to girls without fumbling for words. It was embarrassing and it was a big part of why he had been alone for so long. But she was perfect and maybe some of her perfection was spreading onto him. That would be miraculous and wonderful.754Please respect copyright.PENANAgRyaIArRAG
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After taking another sip of his cider, he noticed that the mug he was holding had a small chip at the bottom just like the one he had at home. He has set it down on his counter too hard and it had chipped a small speck off of it. It must be a flaw in the design he thought to himself. This was yet another sign that the universe was throwing at them telling them that it was their fate to be together.754Please respect copyright.PENANAUCwxeFbDB0
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“The mug I have has a small chip in it just like this one,” he said as he pointed it out to her. 754Please respect copyright.PENANAQti5liJtdO
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“Well isn't that something,” she said in return. “Maybe it's a sign that we were meant to have this cup of cider together,” she said with a wink. “Come sit and finish the drink.”754Please respect copyright.PENANApMWOaAmWjU
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She led him out to the living room that he had peeped into so many times. She sat on the love seat and gave it a pat, indicating that she wanted him to sit beside her. With a blush he did. 754Please respect copyright.PENANAISlVwa7V41
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“You look so familiar,” she said. “Do you live around here?”754Please respect copyright.PENANABEYu2HEhxW
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He nodded and said, “I guess I just have one of those faces that makes people think they have seen me.”754Please respect copyright.PENANARZl8CBobG6
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“No,” she replied. “I've definitely seen you before. Are you much of a reader?” she asked. 754Please respect copyright.PENANAhehxIYNcTi
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He nodded. “Yes I am,” he said. “I go to the bookstore once a week and pick up something new to read.”754Please respect copyright.PENANA3LPyWUMYX4
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She snapped her fingers and pointed at him. “I knew it!” she exclaimed. “I've seen you where I work. You go to Barnes & Nobles, right?”754Please respect copyright.PENANAEmFkPvm4BJ
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A grin like he hadn't had since he was a child spread across his face. She remembered him. She remembered him! No girl had ever given him so much as a second glance. This one remembered that he had bought books for her. It was meant to be. “Yes,” he replied. “Yes I do. You have a very good memory for faces.”754Please respect copyright.PENANASmppepVheL
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“I do,” she said. “It's one of my gifts.”754Please respect copyright.PENANAShkBsa2NQl
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“It's a wonderful gift to have,” he replied. 754Please respect copyright.PENANA3jVqicZ3Hc
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“Indeed it is.”754Please respect copyright.PENANAFgrpEbkVKB
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They drank a few more drinks of their cider and he was feeling great. Better than he ever had. He felt relaxed and giddy. He hated for the moment to end. And end it would soon. As soon as he got to the bottom of his cider that was in the mug that matched his exactly. 754Please respect copyright.PENANATRGFWPd8I7
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Looking at a cabinet that was out of the visual range of the window he normally peeked in he said, “I have that same figurine, too.” He pointed to a small clown figure that sat on the other side of it’s glass door. 754Please respect copyright.PENANAdMrbQE2hZ3
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“No kidding?” she asked. 754Please respect copyright.PENANAQDQoyLIU5Z
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“No kidding,” he replied. “My grandmother got it for me right before she died.”754Please respect copyright.PENANAGWuWQgvVGZ
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“What a coincidence,” she said. After a pause she said, “It's been wonderful getting to talk to you finally.”754Please respect copyright.PENANAlfA2LMbrrY
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He cocked his head to the side. Finally? What had she meant by that? Normally he would let it go, but he was feeling so relaxed that he felt it he had to follow up on it. 754Please respect copyright.PENANAdH72yULkOK
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“Finally?” he asked. “What do you mean by that? We've just met.”754Please respect copyright.PENANAoYE9OStFZV
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With a wink she said, “Oh come now. This isn't the first time we've met. You've been watching me for the last few months. Since I ran into you at Starbucks.”754Please respect copyright.PENANA7sYtL26VQV
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Sheer panic shot through his entire system. How did she know he had been watching her? He decided it was time for him to make his exit. He stood up and all at once his head started to spin. His body felt numb and out of his control. He slowly fell to his knees.754Please respect copyright.PENANA2ZN8GVgnJf
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At the bottom of his cup of cider he noticed some white powder. 754Please respect copyright.PENANA7I9wpLWgdL
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“What… what is happening?” he mumbled. 754Please respect copyright.PENANAYErxarXqIE
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She got down on her knees and took the mug from him and sat it on her coffee table. “I've drugged you, dear,” she said through that perfect smile. 754Please respect copyright.PENANAxOfkmMHCJx
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He tried to rise to his feet, but his legs wouldn't cooperate with him. He fell backwards until his back rested on the love seat. “Oh don't bother yourself with trying to get away,” she said as she sat her cider down on the table. “Your body won't be working correctly for four to six hours.”754Please respect copyright.PENANAFgQOtnJvCh
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He stared up at the ceiling in disbelief. Before he knew what was happening she put her arms around him and hoisted him back up onto the love seat. Oh how he wished he could feel any of his limbs, because her body was crushed right up against his. It was what he had been dreaming about for so long.754Please respect copyright.PENANA4bWfDXO1ym
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“You don't remember me, do you?” she asked.754Please respect copyright.PENANANK6tKx2OHW
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He couldn't do anything to indicate that he didn't. In fact he couldn't move at all. 754Please respect copyright.PENANApSyVXmMWBE
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“Well I remember you,” she said. “Before I worked at the bookstore I was a nurse. At Meyersworth. The institute where you took your ’vacation’ at a few years ago. I was one of your nurses.”754Please respect copyright.PENANARvlskbJ3um
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She took another drink of her cider as she crossed her legs and leaned back on the love seat that he had watched her on so many times. Her perfect smile never left her face all the while. 754Please respect copyright.PENANAwUNGkBFYfP
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“I don't reckon you would remember me though,” she said. “You were so drugged up all the time. And I looked a bit different then. While you were in there I read your files. You had stalked twelve different women. Starting when you were a teen. All of the women had brown hair. That's why I dyed mine. It used to be red, but I knew you wouldn't follow me if I had red hair. So brown it became. And, just for the record, reading those files is what got me fired. Well not just your files. I kept up on all the stalkers there.”754Please respect copyright.PENANA6sxgkR4Bp2
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“It was quite easy, really, to get you to follow me,” she continued. “All I had to do was show some manners and make eye contact. And just like that you were my own personal stalker. I made sure to wait and give you enough time to follow me. I had to make sure you took to me this time. I had tried three times before to get you to follow me, but it didn't work out. You were too busy or distracted or involved with your phone.”754Please respect copyright.PENANAxj4wlIx0D1
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Suddenly he remembered seeing her twice before. Once on a park bench she had asked him if he was having a nice day. He was following a potential lady friend and she had began jogging again, so he had to go without answering her. 754Please respect copyright.PENANA9z97X6pIqe
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The other time they were in Mucho Gusto and she had sat by him at bar. She had asked him to pass the salt. That time he was following a young lady who had made eye contact with him, but the girl he was following’s boyfriend came to meet her and he was really, really big. He didn't feel like competing with a body builder, so he moved on.754Please respect copyright.PENANAD8KX0MNyrM
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“I can see by the look on your face that you do remember me now,” she said. “They all remember me before the end.”754Please respect copyright.PENANAhyL2pmqM5r
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Panic oozed from every ounce of his being. He had to get out of there, but he had no way of doing so.754Please respect copyright.PENANA3YVxLuyNLI
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“Relax, sweetheart,” she whispered. “Don’t panic until I take you into the basement.” 754Please respect copyright.PENANApkSaLl91Hi
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He tried to move again, but got nothing. He merely slumped over on the love seat. It was soft and it smelled good. 754Please respect copyright.PENANAEVuoQODzKF
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“That coffee mug,” she said, “is yours. I took it from your apartment last month. And that figurine? It's yours, too. I took that last week. I'm surprised you didn't notice. I have lots of your stuff, actually. I've been into your apartment quite a few times. I like to take little prizes from my followers.” 754Please respect copyright.PENANA4mADRRFjrD
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She grabbed the nurse’s bag that was part of her Halloween costume and unzipped it. He was able to turn his eyes to see what was inside of the bag. There were clamps, handcuffs, what looked like a hand cranked drill, some needles and a very sharp looking scalpel. 754Please respect copyright.PENANAvHAOlUmAnT
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When she pulled the scalpel out of the bag it shined in the light. A single tear rolled down his cheek. She leaned over to him with the razor sharp scalpel and cut off a chunk of his hair. She then stuffed it into a small, plastic baggies and sealed it. 754Please respect copyright.PENANAgrAtVBRtrF
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“Your hair will go right next to Stalker Steve,” she said. “Do you remember Stalker Steve? You two talked several times at Meyersworth.”754Please respect copyright.PENANAQgUeLzGm6r
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He did remember Steve. They would have lunch together at the hospital. A few times they swapped stories of following the potential loves of their lives. Steve got out before he did and he didn't know what has become of him. Until now. 754Please respect copyright.PENANAcXyEwXx7o2
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“Steve liked to follow young girls,” she said. “I practically had to throw myself at him to get him to start following me. Had to flash my panties at him. You are much more of a gentleman than he was. And more of a gentleman than Larry, Sid, Murray and Emilio were. I'll remember that in the end. You won't suffer nearly as much as they did.”754Please respect copyright.PENANAaPaIcPnDgh
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Another tear rolled down his face. “Oh come now,” she said. “Be a man about it. This is what you wanted wasn't it?” she asked. “To spend some quality time with me? The most perfect girl in the world?”754Please respect copyright.PENANAVmcqip060a
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And spend time with her she did. Over the course of that Halloween night he spent some very painful, very horrible time with her. 754Please respect copyright.PENANAO19cJXaBLr
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He had often thought to himself that she was the kind of girl he could see himself growing old and dying with. 754Please respect copyright.PENANAJBxLFxXi6k
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He got half of it right. 754Please respect copyright.PENANAlvJwSmPacT
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