The Hauntch Shop
The next morning there was a neat little breakfast tray, sitting on the end table. The tray had been decorated with a pink rose. I had almost forgotten where I was, then Tabitha jumped up on the bed.
“You’ll need to eat all of that.” she nodded towards my breakfast. “There’s a big day ahead for you. I hope you don’t mind, but I called your old boss and told him you wouldn’t work for him anymore. Besides I know where all the hidden gold is.”
“What hidden gold?” I studied her.
“You really don’t know anything about your Great Aunt Gileda.” Tabitha sat and began to explain a long story of a pirate’s ghost.
I ate my breakfast as she poured on about every detail. Even the details of renting a small schooner, to sail off to some deserted island. The smell of dead fish in the air, the X on the map. The ten tortoises they had to fight, whom laid claim to the treasure as their home. Were it not coming from a talking cat, I never would have believed it. By the time I had finished my last bite of toast, I understood the whole story completely. And the short of it all, I was extremely wealthy all thanks to the Dreaded Pirate Drydock. Who came to his senses after eight hundred years and realized he couldn’t spend it in a non-corporeal form.
“Also it’s another reason to be on your guard against Stinky Ankle.”
“Why do you keep calling him that?” I asked Tabitha.
She replied indignantly, “If you were nose height to his ankle, you wouldn’t ask such a thing.”
“Belvedere said there was a vacation house?” I set the tray back on the end table.
“Yes in Rossate, with it’s own servants. These can not travel from place to place, they are bound here. The servants can stay here or they can go to the next place, there is no in between. They choose to stay here and work, though some of them work more at playing.” she muttered the last part and glanced towards the open door. “Now that you’re finished I have something to show you.” Tabitha jumped off the bed and headed into the hallway.
I followed her to a hallway closet.
“Open the door.” she instructed.
I opened the door and on the other side was not a closet. Instead there was what looked like the inside of the Hauntch shop. I glanced at Tabitha, “Is this?”
“Of course it is, you know towards the later years your aunt couldn’t see well enough to drive. So she had the doorway installed, to get to work quicker.” Tabitha started off down the hallway, apparently on her own agenda.
“Had the door installed.” I looked at the door frame and then closed the door. I wondered what that was listed under in the phone book, portals or magic doors. Did they have their own special phone book for these sort of things, or was it all word of mouth?
After finishing my daily routine , I meet Martha the head ghost chef. I simply had to meet her because I can not start my day without my coffee. I reopened the door to the Hauntch Shop, coffee in hand and walked right in.