“Easy, lad,” Cathal whispered. “The first time’s the hardest. You’ll get used to it.” Cathal’s clammy hand closed around his own and lifted it up between them. Janice did the same with this right hand. All around the table everyone held hands and bowed their heads. Ben relaxed a little. At least they said grace.

“Hear me, O Death!” Marian shrieked. Ben started backward so hard he almost fell out of his chair. Janice and Cathal pulled him back in place.

“Hearken, O Angel! We call back to us the spirit of our beloved Simeon, taken too early to thy dank and wormy bosom.”

“Oh my God,” Ben murmured. Janice shushed him.

“Gentle Simeon, we bag you to grace our table with you wit. Come unto us, O brother, that we may delight in the warmth of your spirit.”

A sudden gust of wind stirred the drapes and one end of the dining room. They blew inward until they hung out at an angle from the wall. Behind them the French doors rattled and bulged inward.

“Agnes,” Marian hissed. “You didn’t forget to unlock the door again, did you?”

I would call this a sweet story with an Addam Family flavour. Everybody in this story is a bit strange, which is a good thing, actually. And they all care for each other. In the end, this is what counts the most for all people involved. It’s a ghost story at heart, but I’d say, a different kind of ghost story, where the ghost, as everyone else, care for his family first of all.

Ben accepts the invitation at his girlfriend’s for Christmas and he immediately discovers it was  a bad idea. Everybody’s strange, in a very weird way. And what when they start talking to a ghost… and the ghost answers!
There’s humour, and good feelings, and a warming sense of union. It’s a good story that makes you feel good.

———————————————————————————-

In post is part of the Thursday Quotables meme. If you want to discover more about this meme and maybe take part in it, head over to Bookshelf Fantasies