For Sale - Haunted House!

After several years of marriage Dana and David had reached a point where they were starting to plan their ultimate future - buy a house, have children, maybe get a dog - become, in other words - the typical suburban family. First on the list was buying a house and either selling or renting out Dana's modest townhouse. The place was fine for one person but somewhat cramped for two. Having more room and a yard for their prospective family became a higher priority. They had the income and savings to afford a modest house and started to search the available listings.

The process quickly became tiring and discouraging. What they could afford was either in an undesirable neighborhood or not the size and quality that they wanted. Both they and the realtors they were using became frustrated, and the house tours dwindled. They were on the verge of giving up, waiting until the market changed, when one of their realtors called Dana at work.

"Dana? It's Cindy from Checkpoint. How are you today?"

"I'm fine," Dana told her, trying to sound positive despite her generally negative attitude toward the house-hunting process.

"Glad to hear that," Cindy said in the usual perky voice of salespeople. "I have a house that I think you will both love - great price, nice town with excellent schools and a reasonable commute for both of you. But we have to move quickly."

"OK," Dana replied. "We can see it tomorrow. Is it listed online so we can preview it?"

"It is," Cindy told her. "Let me text you the address and a link to the listing."

"That sounds great - maybe we can even check it out tonight. If we're interested, I'll text you with a time we can tour it."

"Perfect," Cindy said. "I'm really excited about this one. Hope you two like it!"

Dana texted her husband telling him that Cindy had found yet another house. Their expectations weren't high, but who knew? Maybe this was the one. She was in a meeting when Cindy's text appeared, so she only glanced at her phone when the screen brightened. An hour later she was alone in her office and had time to check the text. She copied the link and emailed it to herself so she could look at the house on her laptop. She copied David on the email as well so he could check it out.

Clicking on the link, she found a picture of a two-story colonial home on a one-acre lot. The house looked nice from the curb shot, with two big maples in front and well-tended landscaping framing the foundation. She liked the light gray siding color, with dark blue window shutters. It was listed at 3,000 square feet, a little larger than they had been looking at, in a nice town with good schools. What surprised her was the $800,000 price; their search so far had taught her that this house, in this town, should cost over $1,000,000. Dana had to wonder what was wrong with it.

She was going through the pictures of the various rooms when another text from Cindy popped up. 'Had a chance to look at the house?' Dana texted back, "Looking at the listing now, looks nice!"

'Any chance you can go through it after work? At this price it should move quickly!'

"I'll check with David and let you know."

Dana texted her husband - unfortunately, he was going to have to work late and wouldn't be available to tour the house. 'No reason you can't go alone. If you like it then I'm sure I will.' he texted. 'OK, I'll do that,' she told him.

Dana called Cindy and arranged to meet her at the house at 6:00 PM. The realtor's schedule was tight, but she had 30 minutes before she had to attend a function at her office. Dana went back to work, organizing the rest of her day so she could drive to the house after work and be there by 6:00. The blouse and skirt she had on would be fine - over-dressed in fact compared to the jeans she usually wore when they toured houses on the weekends.

Leaving work, it took her twenty minutes to reach the house - not too bad a commute, she noted. David's would be about the same. Cindy's car was parked in the street, letting Dana pull into the driveway and park in front of the attached two-car garage. The exterior of the house looked as appealing in person as it had in the listing. Everything was neat and well maintained, no doubt to help with the showings.

Cindy was waiting for her at the front door; after greetings they went in to see what this house had to offer. As they walked through the first floor Dana's impression of the house rose with each room. It had an open concept, so the rooms were spacious and full of light. The kitchen was wonderful - modern and well designed, with lots of countertop and cabinet space. A quick trip to the basement revealed a finished space with lots of room and a full bath. Dana was more excited with each new look.

As they walked to the stairs leading to the second floor Cindy told her that the house had been listed for three months - an estate sale - and that they probably could get it for below the asking price.

"How is that even possible?" Dana asked. "It's a great house in a good location."

"There is an issue," Cindy told her. "I'll tell you about it when we get to the master."

Dana was in suspense as they toured the bedrooms on the second floor. There were four in all, three normal bedrooms and a master. Two of the three shared a full bath with another full bath in the hall. The master covered a third of the one end of the house. It was a large room with a full bath and walk-in closet that extended out over the garage.

"Wow," Dana murmured when she saw the room. "What a great master suite."

"I was hoping you would like it," Cindy said. "This room is the issue with the house."

"How could it be?" Dana asked. "It's fantastic."

"It's not the room," Cindy told her. "It's what happened in the room. A couple lived here until about six months ago, when the husband came home unexpectedly and found his wife and a man he worked with in bed. He killed them both, shot them right in the bed while they were still...well, joined."

"He had a gun that handy?" Dana asked. "That's horrible."

"He was a police officer and was still armed," Cindy explained. "I guess he just snapped. After he was convicted the house went up for sale."

"They were in this bed?" Dana asked.

"No, not this exact bed," Cindy explained. "The frame is the same but everything else has been replaced. And, of course, the carpet has been replaced and the entire room thoroughly cleaned."

"So, no one wants the house once they hear about the murders," Dana ventured.

"Right," Cindy said. "If you can get past that, it's a steal."

While they discussed all of this, the two other people - 'entities' might be more accurate - in the room watched with great interest, unseen and unheard by the living.

"Can you connect with her Beth?" asked the male entity. "Influence her somehow?"

"I don't know John, I'm trying," said the female. "But I have to be subtle; you've seen what happens when I go full-force. They sense something and get nervous."

"I understand," John said. "I'm just tired of being stuck in this room. We have to find a way out. A way to move on."

"Yes, I know," Beth told him. "Let me ease into her mind a little. OK! I feel her consciousness."

"We have to get her alone here," John suggested. "I know - have her need to use the bathroom and forget her purse when she's done."

"I'll try," Beth told him. "But I have to push very gently or she'll sense me." She thought about the need to pee and tried to expand her thoughts onto Dana without forcing them on her. Having tried this only a few times, she was still experimenting.

"Do you mind if I use the bathroom here?" Dana asked.

"Of course not, please do," Cindy told her. "We've seen everything. When you're done, we can go, and you can talk with your husband tonight. Unless you're not interested."

"No, I'm interested," Dana answered. "The whole murder thing is a little creepy, but I can get past it. I think my husband can too."

"That's great!" Cindy said. "This would be a fantastic buy for the two of you."

The entities watched Dana go into the bathroom, encouraged by her response to Beth's 'suggestion' that she do so. Their hopes grew when she walked out without her purse and went downstairs with Cindy.

"You're getting good at this," John told Beth as they watched the pair exit.

"We've tried this a few times - maybe practice makes perfect," Beth offered.

"It's crazy that you can connect with women but I can't," John observed. "But I can feel men's consciousness and you can't. Must be gender related."

"I guess," Beth said, distracted by her thoughts of what would happen next. "She should realize she left the purse when she thinks of her car keys," she guessed. "With luck she will come back alone."

"And then what?" John asked. "This is as far as we've gotten with anyone."

"We discussed this," Beth told him. "We both feel like we should be moving on to something else, but for some reason we can't. The only thing I can think of is that we were killed in the middle of making love. We need to find a way to finish."

"That's great," John said bitterly. "All we need for that are bodies. How do we do that?"

"I don't know!" Beth snapped at him. "But we have to try something."

At that moment Cindy and Dana were at the front door of the house, about to leave. That was when Dana realized she had left her purse upstairs.

"Idiot!" she exclaimed. "Cindy, I'm sorry - I left my purse upstairs, probably in the bathroom."

"No problem," Cindy told her. "I have to rush, I'm late for my meeting. Just get your purse and close the door behind you when you leave. It will lock, so you're all good."

With that she rushed to her car while Dana walked back into the house. She took a few minutes to revisit the kitchen and admire the appliances and storage. Then she walked upstairs to the master to retrieve her purse.

"She's coming!" John said. "And it sounds like she's alone. What do you think we should do?"

"We need to find a way to get her to stay here so we can experiment," Beth told him. "I'm going to try something; be quiet and let me focus."

Dana walked into the bedroom and then the master bath, both entities happily noting that she was alone. She found her purse on the counter in the bath; chiding herself for leaving it she picked it up, looked around to make sure she hadn't forgotten something else, and walked back into the bedroom.

As she came through the door Beth summoned all of the ethereal energy she had and focused it on Dana's mind, willing her to become dizzy. She watched as the lovely woman staggered a little and braced herself in the doorway, finally managing a few unsteady steps to sit on the bed.

"My goodness," she murmured. "What was that?"

Beth continued her subtle assault on Dana's mind, replacing the suggestion of vertigo with fatigue. Dana's head went down but soon came back up. Redoubling her efforts Beth willed her to lie back on the bed.

"Maybe if I rest for a few minutes it will pass, whatever it is," Dana thought as she lay back, her legs dangling off the bed at the knees.

"Excellent, Beth," John said softly, not wanting to distract his ghostly lover. "Now what?"

"If we're right, we need to consummate our lovemaking," Beth told him. "We know we can't touch or feel each other - maybe we can use her in some way."

"Like what - possess her?"

"I don't know if we can do that," Beth replied. "But we need to use her to climax somehow, which means we probably have to make her climax. See if she can sense you touching her."

John moved to the bed and ran his hands over Dana's lower legs. There was no reaction. He adjusted how he was 'touching' her, since his hands hadn't stopped at her skin but had started to go through her legs. Still no reaction. He turned to Beth and shrugged. "Nothing."

Beth moved next to Dana and knelt on the floor. Neither of them understood why the floor supported them, but it seemed to. Perhaps it was part of whatever was keeping them from leaving this room."

"Let me try," Beth said, reaching out to brush her hand over Dana's calf. Dana twitched at her touch and shook her leg slightly when Beth touched her again, as if to shake off a fly.

"She felt you!" John blurted out. Beth ignored him and continued to 'touch' Dana's leg, moving up to her knee. Still dizzy, Dana remained on the bed but her leg shifted at Beth's touch. Beth moved higher, touching the part of Dana's thigh that had been exposed when she lay back. Now Dana's left hand moved to the spot as if to brush away whatever she was feeling.

Beth stopped, considering what to do next. "If this is about completing of what we were doing when we died I have to arouse her," she said to John.

"But she can't feel me, so we can't finish together," he pointed out.

"One thing at a time," she told him. She focused on projecting thoughts of how good Dana's hand felt on her thigh and touched her there again. She was encouraged when Dana's hand began to brush her thigh, going higher and exposing more bare, creamy white flesh. Beth followed Dana's hand as she touched herself, still focused on arousal. Dana's movements became firmer and more certain, and her breathing quickened.

Beth touched Dana's other leg with her other hand and was soon rewarded by Dana's right hand going to that thigh. The lovely woman was stroking both legs now, much as a lover might. Her legs parted and her hands moved up, taking the hem of the skirt with them. Beth moved her hands to the inside of Dana's thighs, now accessible to her, and Dana's hands followed. Her breathing was faster now and she was clearly becoming aroused.

A wave of dismay went through Beth when Dana lifted up as if to get off the bed! But she did quite the opposite, shifting upward so her whole body was now lying on the bed. Beth moved with her to resume touching her thighs; her skirt had ridden up further, and shifted to the tops of her thighs when Dana raised her legs so her feet were flat on the bed.

"She's really getting worked up," John observed. "What are you going to do next?"

"Please be quiet," Beth told him. "This is taking my total concentration, although I think the connection is getting stronger."

Beth moved her hands to the top of Dana's thighs, brushing up against the edge of her lacy black panties. Happily, Dana's hands followed, with one slipping under the edge of the fabric to touch her pussy. Beth's hand glided onto the opening as well, running over the damp flesh there. She couldn't feel the wetness but could see the difference on Dana's skin. Dana was breathing harder now and began to stroke herself, the fingers of her right hand running over her opening and up to her clit, and then back. Her left hand went to her blouse and fumbled to open a button so she could caress her breast at the same time.

"Damn, this is so hot," John murmured. "I think I'm finding out whether or not ghosts can get hard-ons."

"I'm going to try something," Beth told him. She pulled her hands back slowly, still concentrating on arousing Dana, and carefully slid up the woman's body until she crouched over her. As John watched, Beth rolled herself to settle on top of Dana and seemed to melt into her. Dana shivered as Beth was absorbed into her, but her hands only stopped moving for a moment.

"Oh my god," Beth gasped as her hands went to mimic Dana's movements. "I'm feeling what she's feeling! This is so amazing!"

Then she was silent, concentrating on the sensations she and Dana were feeling together, bringing their mutual bodies closer and closer to climax. Dana's hips lifted and her knees spread wider as her fingers went into her opening and her palm pressed on her clit.

Beth continued to copy Dana's movements, her hands floating over Dana's flesh. The sensations she was experiencing were strange - they felt like they were happening to another person, which they obviously were, but to her as well - if that made sense.

"Uh...uh...oh yes, oh! Mmmm...yes...so good..."

Dana was amazed at how aroused she had become; it was not like her to do something like this on a strange bed, in a strange house, but she couldn't help herself. And even as she pleasured herself to satisfy an irresistible need, she realized that the feel of her hands on her body was...different. There was a new dimension to them, like running a feather over herself even as she caressed herself with her hands. The feeling was...strange...but in a good way, actually enhancing the sensations she was feeling. Beth could sense that she was wondering what was different and tried to distract her with the pleasure her body was feeling.

"She's getting close," Beth murmured as she concentrated on reinforcing Dana's movements and thoughts. "I'm getting close too," she marveled.

John watched as the beautiful woman and the ghostly shimmer that was Beth moved together, their hands stroking Dana's pussy and massaging her breast. Dana's hips lifted as if to press into a lover above her and her breath caught as her orgasm began.

"Umm, yessss.." she moaned as the wave of her climax hit.

"Oh my god, I'm cumming with her," Beth moaned. "I thought I'd never feel this again!"

As John watched the women climax together he saw Beth's image shimmer and begin to fade. Her eyes were closed and she looked so peaceful - was she moving on without him?

"Beth!" he cried out. "Beth, don't leave me here!"

Beth's eyes snapped open and her image strengthened, even as she enjoyed the final spasms of orgasm. Dana was finishing as well, her breathing slowing and her hand moving lazily over herself as the waves of pleasure ebbed. She was sated for now, but this orgasm had been different from any other she had ever had, and there was an unfulfilled need despite the pleasure.

She rested for a few moments, calming herself before she sat up - she felt odd enough that she wanted to make sure she wouldn't faint from getting up too quickly. When she began to feel better she sat up slowly and eased herself off the bed. Beth stayed on the bed as she did this, concentrating on planting the next steps in Dana's mind. She focused on how much Dana had liked the house, and then on what a good idea it would be to bring David here, perhaps even spend the night to see how they liked it. She projected those thoughts (or hoped she did) over and over. She seemed to have influenced the woman before, why not now? And, in any event, she had nothing to lose.

Standing very gingerly, Dana waited until she was sure she was steady on her feet, straightened her clothes and gathered her purse. She gained confidence as she walked out of the room, but still made sure to hold onto the railing tightly as she went down the stairs. She spent the drive home thinking about the house and how much she liked it. She definitely had to have David see it.

Back at the house, Beth and John reviewed what had happened, hoping Beth had been able to influence the woman to return.

"For a second there, I thought you were going to leave me," John told her.

"It felt like I could have," Beth said. "But I fought it - I couldn't do that to you. But I think it confirms what we were guessing. We need to finish what we had started before we were killed if we're going to move on."

"Then I guess we have to hope she comes back with her husband," John said dejectedly.

"I think she will," Beth told him. "She's curious about what just happened, and she likes the house enough that I think she'll come back."

That evening, Dana told David about the house, extolling its virtues in detail. She soon had him eager to visit it late the next day, a Friday, and perhaps stay there overnight since they wouldn't have to work the day after. She waited until they had gotten ready for bed and were lying next to each other to tell him the one negative.

"There is one more thing I need to tell you," she began, hoping he was intrigued enough to get past the murders. "There were two people - lovers I guess, killed in the master bedroom about six months ago." David reacted as she expected, calm but full of questions. Dana told him the story as Cindy had related it, adding a few details she had been able to find on the internet.