Here's a collection for those who love ghost stories. Whether you are ready or not, It doesn't matter how old you are or who you are. Life, death, love, regret - they all cause pain and emotions of loss, and they arrive as quickly and as scary as a spider. The folks in these stories are discovering ways to deal with their destiny. Because there is no other option.
Excerpt from AN ANGEL CRIES:
I can remember everything perfectly like it only happened last night, not over a month ago. Sure some of the details have blurred a bit, but just little stuff. The important things are clear as day; the sounds, the smells, the order of things. It’s not true what they say about painful memories fading, becoming less vivid as time goes on. It gets worse as every day passes, becomes more real every minute.
I was at a party – one of my friends had just graduated from university. I went with my two best friends and my boyfriend – we share a student house and we got really close – and we went in my old jeep. I was the driver so I couldn’t really drink and stuff, but I was glad ‘cos I get all antsy when some-one else drives my baby. Anyway, it was a really good night – great pumping music (bit too much dancey pop for my taste, I have to admit), really good atmosphere, all matey like, and nothing dodgy with drugs. I had been worried about drugs, being a twenty-something crowd, and I didn’t want to get involved in that whole scene. So, I didn’t drink the whole night and stuck to Diet Coke, well I had half a Bud (disgusting stuff, lager) but that was at the start of the evening so it was all out of my bloodstream by the time the party wound down. I had this old rock anthem pounding through my head when we left and I was still humming it when we got into the jeep and drove down the road. It’s just one of those songs that you hear once and never forget, but it’s been my fave since I was about five. And it’s got these blistering solos in – it one that you just belt out at the top of your lungs and play air guitar to. I remember feeling a bit annoyed that they didn’t play it at the party but I don’t suppose it’s everybody’s cup of tea.
So, anyway, I was humming this song quietly to myself, while the other three were talking around me. I can’t really remember what it was about – exams, most likely – but I wasn’t in a talking mood. More in a talk-to-me-and-I’ll-find-a-shotgun-to-blow-your-head-off mood, but in a nice way. Tony, my boyfriend, was laughing at some stupid joke or other, so I looked at him, then frowned and ignored him. I was still a bit hyped up from the party, but it had also depressed me for some inexplicable reason. I saw a pair of headlights on the main road so I slowed down a bit to let them past. We were about to head up Northwood Chase, which is a pretty narrow road but great to speed down. I go there sometimes, just to drive and be alone and think. I did my college art project here and I aced it so it’s got good memories. I’m distracting myself again but at least this gives you a mental picture. You shouldn’t use the road if you’re not a good driver because it’s edged by this hedge, then there’s a sixty foot drop down a cliff – one wrong move and you’re people jam. So I was roaring along the Chase – no speed cameras, see, and you can usually hear any other cars and things. You get a lot of teenage boys racing motorbikes up here – they aren’t worried about the cliff, can’t see it, don’t care about it.
The flashing disco lights at the party were going round my head as well but ignored them. Tony said something to me, asked me a question like ‘Are you sure you should be going this fast along here?’ I looked at him out of one eye and was about to reply when Kath and Jon burst out laughing on the back seat so any answer would be lost anyway. But I kept one eye on him and almost didn’t see the swerving headlights ahead. They belonged to a van which was being driven, probably, by a drunken hi-jacker. No-one really noticed it and I didn’t register the danger until it was too late. The vehicle came into view going double my speed and swerving madly across the width of the road.
The van ploughed into the jeep before I had time to scream.
