Ghosts Next Door

Ghosts Next Door
by Lopaka Kapanui

Sep 14, 2022

Malihini 2022

 Our kids were driving my wife crazy.

She needed to pay attention to her homework for a night class she was taking. Once she completed the course and became certified, it would increase her wage, and she'd get a promotion. So I did my part and piled the kids in the van and took them down to the park to let them run around and scream and yell as much as they wanted. Sitting there watching our children frolicking about, I could not help but feel fortunate that we got our Kapahulu home at such a good price. Finally, we had a place our kids could return to when they were all grown up and on their own. Not many families today can say the same, so yes, we were fortunate. By the time I looked at my watch, it had already been three hours. I called the kids together and piled them back in the van. We hit a drive-thru before heading home, and the kids were conscientious about being quiet while having their food at the table. Afterward, they were allowed to have their free time in our room, watching tv until it was time to shower and head off to bed. My wife worked fastidiously on the computer, completely focused on what she needed to do. I went to the kitchen and made a plate of her favorite stuffed mushrooms and a cup of jasmine tea. The kitchen door opened, and my wife walked in with an armload of groceries.

 "Sorry I'm so late," she sighed. "The line was so long at the store; are the kids awake, or did they go to sleep already?" I stood there dumbfounded. "I wasn't getting anywhere with my homework, so I went to the store and got some stuff. I forgot to text you; sorry, here's some salami for your sandwiches. They didn't have provolone, so I got you cheddar but not the spicy one,"

With her bag of chips in her mouth and an energy drink in her hand, she returned to work on her computer. Then, in the living room, she let out a blood-curdling scream. I joined her soon after. Sitting in her chair was her exact double, doing the work on the computer that she was supposed to be doing. It turned and regarded the two of us stoically and then slowly vanished. The kids woke up and came walking out of their rooms, rubbing their eyes and asking us what was wrong? We sat them on the couch and calmed them down until they fell asleep right where they sat. Then from the hallway, we saw our children walking out of their bedrooms, bleary-eyed, asking my wife and me what the matter was? The children sleeping on the couch faded into nothing. We ended up selling the house by the end of the month and told no one about what we encountered. We're living in Vegas now.


Credit: Saachi Art


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