Miss Pretty

            Dr. Allison wanted me to bring her any spirits I captured, even offering me a cash reward for each one. I had no clue as to what she wanted to do with them. Really it was none of my concern; I hadn’t known any of the deceased in life and they had been a nuisance on private properties. Still, I found that I couldn’t quite let go of them yet. It was nice to have another presence around me. They were much like my friends back in the city. They surrounded me and I didn’t have to bother to pretend that I was interested in their lives (or deaths).

            Lime was becoming my favorite snow cone flavor. It was so tangy and hardly anyone else appreciated it. I never had to worry about the syrup bottle being empty, not even in the middle of the night.

            After devouring my lunch, I planned to simply go back to my shed and try my best to mentally prepare myself for the fact that I would soon be facing another shift of work. Even the term shift felt degrading. Sure, I had worked long hours on all of my movies and shows, but I knew that I could leave at any time if I wanted. And there were people around to fetch me water and damp towels and to reapply my makeup.

            Where was I? Oh yes, I had been about to leave when I spotted a young woman. She was so thin, her body bragging to the world in a petite bikini. Her stride caught the glances of the small population of men at the festival. It killed me that I had once been her. A fuller-chested, prettier, famous version of her.

            People mistook my stares as volunteering for the eating contest that Miss Pretty was apparently entering. I got roped up to the table, feeling inadequate to even the less stunning contestants.

            I thought for sure I’d be the winner. My body could carry more and I doubted the other women knew much about eating. Having the majority of my recent meals comprised of ice and syrup, my stomach did not handle the heavy clunking of real food. Miss Pretty won by a landslide. I slinked away while the spectators threw congratulations at her.

            By the time I actually made it back to my pitiful property, I only had enough time to throw on my hideous uniform. Even the raccoon seemed to mock me.

            Really though, the work wasn’t so awful. The saving grace of having a dull labor-intensive job was that it distracted me from my woeful curse. All I had to focus on was pushing a button, sucking in a ghost, and then replacing the cartridge.

            And at the end of the night, I fell asleep with even more friends clustered around me.