Emily Booth

When I am dead, my dearest
Sing no sad songs for me;
Plant thou no roses at my head,
Nor shady Cypress tree;
Be the green grass above me
With showers and dewdrops wet;
And if thou wilt, forget.

I shall not see the shadows,
I shall not feel the rain;
I shall not hear the Nightingale
Sing on, as if in pain;
And dreaming through the twilight'
Thou doth not rise nor set,
Haply I may remember,
And haply may forget.

Christina Rossetti (1830-1894)


I saw her sitting on the steps of her front porch as I passed by on my way home. Even after all these years she was still beautiful. Her long honey blond hair sweeping over her shoulders. But sadness seemed to weigh her pretty face down.

She saw me and waved at me. Her eyes beseeching me to come back..

I turned the car around and headed back. Not really knowing why. I could have pretended not to see her. And I was bone tired, I really didn't want to turn around. But something propelled me to.

Normally, I took the other way home because it was a much shorter route. But it being Spring , I had wanted to take the long way home. I wanted to enjoy the scenery.

I hadn't talked to Emily for a long time, and my heart felt sad about that. We had slipped apart like some friends do by years and circumstance.

But we always seemed to pick up where we left off. To me , that is always the mark of a true friend.

I thought to myself when I pulled in her driveway, " What are a few moments for an old friend?"

I noticed Robert's red jeep was gone from its customary spot. Robert was Emily's husband. I had never liked Robert. He had a huge ego and he had always been very controlling with Emily. Hardly letting her out of his sight over the years. Come to think about it, he was the biggest reason we hadn't seen each other more over the years.

Emily rushed to my window, strangely pale. She had always had olive toned skin. But her skin now was white as snow.

"Lily, I am so happy to see you. Do you have time for a cup of coffee? I really need someone to talk to." Her chocolate brown eyes peered into mine imploringly.

How could I refuse those eyes? Unusually vacant as they were right now, but still as beautiful as ever.

" Sure Emily, we need to catch up on stuff anyhow." I smiled at her and got out of my car.

As we were walking up her steps I asked her where Robert was. I noticed her stiffen immediately.

"He is gone right now. He won't be back for awhile.. He let his brother borrow his jeep for the weekend." She flashed a haunted look at me. And I felt scared. I didn't know why but I did.

I didn't press the issue but instead asked her how her weaving class was going. Emily had taught weaving classes at the local museum for years and some of her pieces had even been featured in some large Art Magazines.

" I haven't taught weaving classes for about a year now. Robert had came to my class one night drunk and raised such a fuss about it that I couldn't bear to go back. It was humiliating."

My heart went out to Emily. I knew Robert had been controlling, but I didn't know he had gotten that bad.

As I sat at Emily's old oak table I ran my hand over the smooth surface of it. I thought back on the Summer we had made it. We had taken an antique door out of a house my Dad was tearing down. We had sanded it, varnished it , and used antique porch posts for legs. I had wanted to surprise her and make it for her wedding present. But, she had found out and insisted on helping me with the project. We had so much fun making that table that we had thought about making furniture as a business. But Robert had put a halt to that dream.

Emily put the coffee down in front of me and I took a sip of it. It was strangely cold and tasted very bitter. I noticed she wasn't drinking any. I put the cup down.

She took the seat across from me and stared out the window. I nervously ran my hand on the rim of the cup.

"Emily, what is wrong?" I asked gently.

"Robert usually comes home about this time." She said absent minded.

" I decided to divorce him Lily. I finally got the courage to do it. Then he killed me. But the funny thing is that he tripped over the shovel he used to bury me with in the basement and broke his neck. He is laying at the bottom of the basement stairs." She said this so calmly I thought she was joking. Then everything started adding up.

Her hand as she touched mine when she handed me the coffee. It had been ice cold. Her pale skin..

I was so shocked and scared that I could barely move.

"I knew you would stop Lily. I need you to tell my Mother what happened and the authorities. Call anonymously if you have to, but they need to know. I need a proper burial."

Then she was gone. I ran to the door and opened it. I raced to my car almost falling twice.

I called anonymously from a pay phone about Emily and Robert. I then went home and just soaked in what had just happened to me.

The next morning it was splashed across the front page.

Emily received a proper burial, and I wrote her Mother a letter explaining what had happened, just as Emily had wanted me to. I mailed it from another town late at night. I didn't want to get caught mailing a letter like that. Who would understand? Most people don't believe in Ghosts. But I had made a promise and I kept it.

Nita Barrow-Zimmerman