Indecision

Fiction | Ittoril

"I- I am so terribly sorry — I didn't mean to scare you, I promise!" the stranger floating in front of Abigail stammered.

"It's... It's alright, I just..." Abigail muttered while trying to stand up.

"Are- Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I just... hit my head." The man helped her up. His skin was cold.

"I, Uh..." She looked around and stepped back. "Gosh, I'm sorry, I- I shouldn't even be here. I'm- I'm sorry for intruding on your property. Sir."

"No! No," He smiled tightly. "It's- it's alright, I just, I wasn't, uh... expecting anyone to... come in... haha..."

"I, uh... Okay, then." Abigail breathed. Her heart was calming down, but her instincts still told her that she should get out of here — that she should just go back outside and do what she was supposed to be doing.

But then there was also a nagging curiosity in her chest, begging her to stay and find out who this man was. She was torn. She changed her mind. She would stay.

"Um. Why were you hiding in that box?"

"Oh! I... Well, to be honest, I shouldn't really be here either... And- And when I heard footsteps downstairs, I didn't know who it was, so I, uh, hid... in this box." He fidgeted with his fingers.

There was a long pause as Abigail, again, had second thoughts. Then, awkwardly, the man stuck out his hand. "I- I'm Wilfred."

"Abigail." She shook it. "Um. I'm sorry, but I- I think I should go." She began to step back. "I've got stuff to do and..."

"Oh, uh, that's okay! I- I just uh... yeah."

She stood there awkwardly.

The ghost looked at her.

"I changed my mind."

"Oh."

"Are you a ghost?"

"Hmmm. Maybe? I think. I... I don't really know."

"Huh."

"I think I was alive once. Maybe. I- I can't remember..."

"How long have you been here?"

"Oh! A couple months, I think? Time is hard. It was lonely..."

"Oh."

"But then- and- and then this man came along! And he told me that he wanted to-" He suddenly stopped talking and glanced around.

Abigail tilted her head to the side.

Wilfred looked back at her, failing to conceal an expression of panic. "Ah- and, well... uh, th- this person, uh, he-"

The ghost was interrupted by a groan coming from somewhere else in the room. He went silent, eyes wide and lips pursed. A couple moments later, a voice from nowhere said, "It's okay, Wilfred."

Coming out from behind a stack of boxes in the corner was a woman. She wore a very dark cloak, almost black with a tinge of purple. Her hair was long and fluffy and pink, and as it came out into the light, Abigail found herself reminded of the way that clouds looked at sunset. The woman smiled at Abigail — in that sort of polite and slightly patronising way that Abigail was used to seeing from other adults. But, for some reason, Abigail didn't find it nearly as insincere on her.

The woman spoke. "It's alright, Wilfred. She doesn't mean any harm."

"But I wasn't meant to say- and- and- oh gods, I- I messed it all up and- and now-" the ghost went on.

The woman looked back at her. "Your name was Abigail? I'm Belle."

Abigail stepped back, looking at the woman. "I- uh, wow. How long have you been there?"

She chuckled. "Well, you'd have to think it'd been since before you got here, or else you would've noticed me arrive."

"Oh. Um. Hi... Belle."

Another voice came from somewhere in the room behind Abigail, and she found herself, for the third time that day, startled to discover that yet another person had been in the room this whole time. He stepped out from behind the sheet of corrugated metal, dressed much more formally with a vest and shirt. He wore small circular eyeglasses, and had a moustache.

As he came out, he addressed the woman. "That was distinctly not a good move, Miss Hart."

She sighed. "Why, Jan? Wilfred had already given us away."

"He had not. We may have still been fine, if not for you barging out and revealing yourself."

"She's just a kid. She's not gonna report us."

"You don't know that," the man replied, stiffly. "She may very well tell the whole Caravan about us. You know how the Bejuk are with rumours."

"Oh, for heaven's sake. You are insufferable, Jan. It'll be fine. She doesn't mean any harm." She looked back towards Abigail with a polite, almost apologising smile.

Abigail was, however, too busy to notice, as she was now finding blood rushing to her face. Too much was happening all at once. She felt she had stumbled across something here that she wasn't supposed to.

The man sighed. "When Astrophel gets back, he is going to be very angry with you, Miss Hart."

Abigail jutted in. "I- I don't think I should be here, I- I- I'm sorry, sir, I'll..." She backed away towards the stairwell.

The woman looked back at her. "No-no! It's alright, Abigail. Ignore Jan; you're free to stay."

Abigail looked back to the woman's smiling face. She seemed so friendly.

She decided to stay.

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