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fredbassettTitle : The Unquiet Dead
Author : fredbassett
Original Fic : Otherworld Investigations Series
Rating : 12
Characters : Briana Wakelin, Karen McLaughlin, Ellie, Bobby
Copyright Notice : These characters are mine, all mine.
Spoilers : None
Word Count : 925
Summary : Written for the original fic challenge, The Unquiet Dead
A/N : I am aiming to write a series of drabbles or ficlets set in my original fic ‘verse for weekly prompts. I’m trying for something longer than drabbles this month to see if I can extend my word count in this ‘verse a bit.
The woman who opened the door gave me a slightly tired smile and pushed a strand of hair back from her face. She was in her mid-40s, with streaks of blue in her hair that didn’t look like they were intentional. She was clutching a paintbrush in one hand and a toddler in the other.
“Miss Wakelin? Thanks for coming, sorry I can’t shake hands. I’m Karen, this is Ellie. Come in, sorry about the mess, we’re decorating.” The words tumbled out in a rush and she shot me an infectious smile.
I followed her into the hall, stepping over a large toy rabbit and an open can of paint. Even if the call out sheet hadn’t specified I was going to be dealing with a ghost, I’d have known as soon as I stepped through the door. The usual prickle up the inside of my fingers told me immediately that Karen McLaughlin and her daughter weren’t the only occupants of the house.
Before I had a chance to do or say anything, a large, exceedingly hairy dog came bounding down the stairs. I put my hands out to ward him off and realised a moment later that the animal had just run straight through the paint can without spilling it. He plonked himself down at my feet and held up a paw in greeting.
It looked solid enough so I bent down and shook it. It felt a lot less solid than it looked but I could feel the brush of his hair on my palm like a spider’s web touching my skin. The dog panted happily and looked up at me.
Ellie fisted one hand in the dog’s hair and declared, “Bobby.”
“Take Bobby outside in the garden, sweetheart, and mind the paint,” Ellie’s mother said, as though the appearance of a ghost in her hallway was perfectly normal.
The little girl obligingly grabbed hold of the dog’s red collar and towed him into the kitchen and out through a pair of patio doors. I was starting to get a sinking feeling about this job. If Karen McLaughlin was going to ask me to re-home the dog, her daughter wasn’t going to be happy.
She must have caught the look on my face because she promptly shook her head. “God, no, it’s not that. Ellie adores him and he’s no trouble… well, apart from the barking, which is what I wanted to talk to you about.” She waved a paint-stained hand at the kitchen. “Can I make you a drink?”
“Tea would be lovely, thanks.” I followed her into the kitchen, wondering how she thought I could help with a ghost dog’s barking and who the hell could hear him apart from her and her daughter.
“It’s the neighbours,” she said by way of explanation. “He’s been barking when we’re out of the house and they’re not happy about it.”
“How long have you had him?” I asked, thinking the conversation was starting to get surreal even for my line of work.
“He turned up about a month ago. Only Ellie could see him at first, then I started to catch glimpses of him, just out of the corner of my eye, you know the sort of thing?” I nodded and she carried on, “According to Mrs Bethany, he belonged to the people who lived here before us. He got out one day and got knocked down by a car. They emigrated to Australia and the house was rented out for a while. We’ve been here three months.” She sighed and offered me a biscuit. “We had a survey done when we moved in. It came up clear.”
“That happens sometimes,” I said tactfully, even though the most likely explanation was that whoever had done the supernatural survey hadn’t been very thorough about it. Either that or they weren’t very good at their job. “So what would you like me to do?”
She waved a hand vaguely at the kitchen wall. “Is there any way you could maybe sound-proof the house so that the neighbours won’t hear him? I rang the Guild for advice and the person I spoke to said you could maybe do something called Warding. Is that right?”
I nodded. “I can, but Wards need to be renewed fairly frequently, and I’m afraid that would get expensive pretty quickly.” She looked crestfallen and I smiled. “There might be an easier way. Maybe all he needs is some company.”
“You mean get another dog?”
“I mean get another ghost. One that’ll keep him company when you’re out. There are some lovely dogs down at the SPOC rescue centre. The Society for the Protection of Otherworld Creatures,” I clarified when her expression turned puzzled. “I often get asked to re-home dogs and other animals.”
“People adopt ghosts from rescue centres?”
“There’s even a ghost ferret you can adopt, if you want,” I told her. I knew that because I’d taken it down there the previous day after it had nearly frightened someone to death by popping up out of their shopping basket when they got on the bus. I still hadn’t worked out how it had got there.
She laughed. “We’ll stick to dogs, I think. Although my dad did have a ferret when I was about Ellie’s age…”
I grinned and accepted a chocolate biscuit. As long as I was right about Bobby just needing company, peace would soon be restored to the McLaughlin household. And I might even manage to find a home for the ferret at the same time.
Author : fredbassett
Original Fic : Otherworld Investigations Series
Rating : 12
Characters : Briana Wakelin, Karen McLaughlin, Ellie, Bobby
Copyright Notice : These characters are mine, all mine.
Spoilers : None
Word Count : 925
Summary : Written for the original fic challenge, The Unquiet Dead
A/N : I am aiming to write a series of drabbles or ficlets set in my original fic ‘verse for weekly prompts. I’m trying for something longer than drabbles this month to see if I can extend my word count in this ‘verse a bit.
The woman who opened the door gave me a slightly tired smile and pushed a strand of hair back from her face. She was in her mid-40s, with streaks of blue in her hair that didn’t look like they were intentional. She was clutching a paintbrush in one hand and a toddler in the other.
“Miss Wakelin? Thanks for coming, sorry I can’t shake hands. I’m Karen, this is Ellie. Come in, sorry about the mess, we’re decorating.” The words tumbled out in a rush and she shot me an infectious smile.
I followed her into the hall, stepping over a large toy rabbit and an open can of paint. Even if the call out sheet hadn’t specified I was going to be dealing with a ghost, I’d have known as soon as I stepped through the door. The usual prickle up the inside of my fingers told me immediately that Karen McLaughlin and her daughter weren’t the only occupants of the house.
Before I had a chance to do or say anything, a large, exceedingly hairy dog came bounding down the stairs. I put my hands out to ward him off and realised a moment later that the animal had just run straight through the paint can without spilling it. He plonked himself down at my feet and held up a paw in greeting.
It looked solid enough so I bent down and shook it. It felt a lot less solid than it looked but I could feel the brush of his hair on my palm like a spider’s web touching my skin. The dog panted happily and looked up at me.
Ellie fisted one hand in the dog’s hair and declared, “Bobby.”
“Take Bobby outside in the garden, sweetheart, and mind the paint,” Ellie’s mother said, as though the appearance of a ghost in her hallway was perfectly normal.
The little girl obligingly grabbed hold of the dog’s red collar and towed him into the kitchen and out through a pair of patio doors. I was starting to get a sinking feeling about this job. If Karen McLaughlin was going to ask me to re-home the dog, her daughter wasn’t going to be happy.
She must have caught the look on my face because she promptly shook her head. “God, no, it’s not that. Ellie adores him and he’s no trouble… well, apart from the barking, which is what I wanted to talk to you about.” She waved a paint-stained hand at the kitchen. “Can I make you a drink?”
“Tea would be lovely, thanks.” I followed her into the kitchen, wondering how she thought I could help with a ghost dog’s barking and who the hell could hear him apart from her and her daughter.
“It’s the neighbours,” she said by way of explanation. “He’s been barking when we’re out of the house and they’re not happy about it.”
“How long have you had him?” I asked, thinking the conversation was starting to get surreal even for my line of work.
“He turned up about a month ago. Only Ellie could see him at first, then I started to catch glimpses of him, just out of the corner of my eye, you know the sort of thing?” I nodded and she carried on, “According to Mrs Bethany, he belonged to the people who lived here before us. He got out one day and got knocked down by a car. They emigrated to Australia and the house was rented out for a while. We’ve been here three months.” She sighed and offered me a biscuit. “We had a survey done when we moved in. It came up clear.”
“That happens sometimes,” I said tactfully, even though the most likely explanation was that whoever had done the supernatural survey hadn’t been very thorough about it. Either that or they weren’t very good at their job. “So what would you like me to do?”
She waved a hand vaguely at the kitchen wall. “Is there any way you could maybe sound-proof the house so that the neighbours won’t hear him? I rang the Guild for advice and the person I spoke to said you could maybe do something called Warding. Is that right?”
I nodded. “I can, but Wards need to be renewed fairly frequently, and I’m afraid that would get expensive pretty quickly.” She looked crestfallen and I smiled. “There might be an easier way. Maybe all he needs is some company.”
“You mean get another dog?”
“I mean get another ghost. One that’ll keep him company when you’re out. There are some lovely dogs down at the SPOC rescue centre. The Society for the Protection of Otherworld Creatures,” I clarified when her expression turned puzzled. “I often get asked to re-home dogs and other animals.”
“People adopt ghosts from rescue centres?”
“There’s even a ghost ferret you can adopt, if you want,” I told her. I knew that because I’d taken it down there the previous day after it had nearly frightened someone to death by popping up out of their shopping basket when they got on the bus. I still hadn’t worked out how it had got there.
She laughed. “We’ll stick to dogs, I think. Although my dad did have a ferret when I was about Ellie’s age…”
I grinned and accepted a chocolate biscuit. As long as I was right about Bobby just needing company, peace would soon be restored to the McLaughlin household. And I might even manage to find a home for the ferret at the same time.