THE MANUSCRIPT
© Elliot Richard Dorfman

It was an old book store that one rarely sees now-a-days. Victor Whitney, a young and successful lawyer, spotted it next to the restaurant after having lunch in a small Adirondack town while vacationing in Upstate New York. All the fixtures were at least a hundred years old. Above, a large globular gas chandelier Still worked. Delighted, Victor rummaged through the mahogany shelves. On a table in the back, there was a handwritten manuscript for the piano. An excellent pianist, he became interested. The composition, “My Desire,” was composed by a Gloria Champlain. Dated 1895, it was in amazingly good condition for its age. Victor hummed a few bars. The melody was enchanting, so he decided to purchase the item.

“I’m glad I found this on the back table,” Victor told the proprietor, whose quaint clothing matched the atmosphere of this store.

The old man looked puzzled. “Strange, I don’t remember putting any sheet music there.”

Victor took out his wallet. “How much?”

“Since I don’t know how it got into my shop, there won’t be any charge. Just take it.”

“The poor guy is probably forgetting things,” Victor thought and left.

It began raining, so Victor returned to the Italianate mansion that he had rented for his two-week vacation. Perhaps the place was too big for one person, but the house was in excellent condition, and was located on a beautiful three-acre property just outside of Northville. In any case, his fiancé, Jennifer, had promised to arrange and get some time off from her job at a prestigious ad agency and join him today.

Walking into the large parlor, Victor sat down at the large mahogany grand piano and began playing the piece. The beautiful melody filled the room.“What a shame this piece was never published,” he said to himself. “It certainly would have become successful. I wonder what happened to the composer?”

Victor thought he heard a moan, but it probably was caused by a branch swaying in the wind outside.

As he started to play the piece again, the air became thick with the smell of lavender.
Feeling a cold hand touching the back of his shoulder, the lawyer abruptly stopped playing and
turned. Standing behind him was the figure of a pretty, young woman dressed in an expensive
silk violet Victorian gown. Her soft creamy skin and delicate features were crowned by thick
bradded sandy colored hair and dark brown eyes. She spoke in a sweet, soft tone. “Oh, yes, you will do very nicely.”

Victor quickly stood up, throwing the bench over. “Excuse me. Who are you and how did you get into this house?”

The woman laughed. “Ghosts can get into any place they want, if it’s important enough to them.
I am, or perhaps should say was, Gloria Champlain. It’s nice to know that you like my
composition so much. ‘My Desire’ was the last thing I ever wrote.”

“Just why have you returned. Is there something you want?”

“Yes, your love

Victor jumped away from her. “ My love, you must be kidding!”

The phantom sighed. “I had many suitors when alive. However, nothing ever materialized because my life ended after a bout of influenza when I was only eighteen.”

Victor shook his head, “I’m sorry that you never fulfilled yourself as a woman, but it’s too late now. You’re dead!”

“Oh, but death is only an altered state.”

Gloria walked over to him. He could feel her lips on his. It was a very sensuous kiss.

Suddenly the door bell rang. Eager to get away from this supernatural experience, Victor ran to the door.

It was Jennifer, so fresh and alive! She gave him a big embrace. “Hi, Sweetheart.”

“It looks like I am going to have competition,” Gloria angrily remarked. “I’ll see you later.”

“I don’t believe this!” the perplexed man said out loud.

“Believe what, Victor? Is something wrong? You look upset.”

Victor looked around. Obviously Jennifer hadn’t heard Gloria.

“I guess I didn’t get enough sleep last night. Come on, let me show you around. Afterwards, I think I’ll take a nap. That should do the trick.”

From somewhere in the distance, he heard a faint laugh.
Later, as Jennifer finished unpacking while Victor was in bed taking his nap, she felt as if someone was observing her.

“I’m letting my imagination get the best of me,” she reassured herself.

“There are plenty of bedrooms here, you don’t have to share Victor’s,” some invisable woman’s voice shouted.

“What’s going on?” Jennifer wondered. “Next thing, I’ll be seeing a pink elephant, and I don’t even drink!”

Victor awoke.

“All settled in, honey?”

“Just about, honey.” Nothing was mentioned about the voice. After all, he might start thinking she was a bit flaky.

The next day was full of mishaps for Jennifer. Leaving the supermarket, the heel from one of her shoes fell off. Then, the shopping cart, full of groceries, overturned as she wheeled it toward her car. Later, when she was preparing dinner, the stove shut off and wouldn’t turn back on. Even trying to take a shower before retiring became a fiasco when the water suddenly became hot and almost scolded her.

“Wow, this vacation is becoming a fiasco, “ she screamed, jumping out of the shower
and putting on her robe

From the corner, near the sink, Gloria appeared. “Then why don’t you leave. You’re not wanted here. Victor is mine now.”

Jennifer gasped. “A ghost! This can’t be really happening.”

“Oh, but it is,” the specter snapped back.

“I’ll bet you caused all the nasty things to happen since I came here?”

“Exactly.”

“What did you mean Victor is yours?”

“You’ll find out soon enough,” the spirit responded, disappearing.

Sometime during that night, Jennifer awoke when she heard Victor playing the piano downstairs.

He seemed totally entranced in the music and didn’t notice her when she walked into the parlor. Moving closer to him, he looked extremely pale.
“Isn’t that a delightful piece?” he whispered. “ You can feel so strongly the longing for love in the melody.”

His eyes glazed as he rose and then collapsed to the floor.

By the time the ambulance came, Victor had regained consciousness.

“I don’t remember coming down here,” he whispered.

Despite his objections, he was taken to the hospital for an examination.

“He seems to be very nervous,” the doctor observed, and prescribed sedatives.

Jennifer frowned when they got back to the mansion “There is something unnatural happening here. The sooner we leave, the better.”

“Have you also seen the ghost?”

“Yes. That malicious spirit is trying to get her claws into you.”

The phantom materialized in front of Jennifer.

“ That’s right. Victor is mine. I will do everything in my power to make sure that he stays with me.”

Victor gently took Jennifer’s hand. “Maybe you should go back to the city, honey. The spirit of Gloria is extremely powerful. I don’t want her harming you.”

Jennifer gave him a hug. “We’ll fight this together. I’m not leaving.”

The phantom’s appearance altered as she became angry. Her features became grotesquely distorted. There was a stench of decay in the room.

“He loves me more than you. Victor, go play my piece, then she’ll see.”

Powerless to refuse, Victor went to the piano. His eyes again began to glaze over. Jennifer knew he would not survive this time after finishing the piece.

“You haven’t the remotest idea of what love is,” she shouted to the spirit. “I won’t let you take him from me!” She grabbed the music from the piano and ripped it to pieces. “Now, be gone!”

The image of Gloria gave a sigh and vanished.

“Gee, I can’t even remember the melody!” Victor said a few minutes later.

Jennifer smiled. “Good. From now on, please stick to playing pieces you know.”