"It's clearly just a smudge on the camera. Look, the light from this street lamp is reflecting off it when you point the camera over there." Ellie angled photo in her hand to reveal the illusion.
Her friend Sarah, however, was adamant. "It's totally a ghost!" Ever since she'd inherited the cabin out in the woods from some distant uncle, she was completely convinced that it was haunted.
"It's not a ghost," Ellie countered. "And to prove it, I'll even spend the night up there. When I come out unscathed I will be able to tell you with certainty that there is no ghost in your cabin and that it is safe for habitation." Ellie pronounced this with great bravado, though in secret she was just eager for a free night at such a nice destination. Out in the woods in a well-built cabin with a warm fire and good book. Oh, she could feel the heat of the flames now!
"But what if it eats you!" Sarah said, her voice full of fear.
"It won't eat me because there is no ghost! Give me the key and let me prove it to you."
Sarah nervously handed over the key. "If it does try to eat you, though, hold up your fingers like this." She made a crucifix with her fingers. "That should banish it."
Ellie sighed, but reassured Sarah that she would take every precaution necessary to ensure that nothing, living or ghostly, would eat her.
___
That evening Ellie drove up to the cabin. It sat upon a hill a few miles outside of the city. The lights of downtown were just visible, twinkling in the distance. Satisfied that she'd gotten a pretty good deal, Ellie unlocked the front door and stepped inside, kicking her shoes off and leaving them by the door as she did.
Just as she'd imagined, Ellie got a nice fire going, warmed some hot chocolate near the flame, and kicked back with her favorite detective novel to enjoy the evening.
And enjoy it she did. The fire was warm and the way that its crackling resonated throughout the living room was simply divine. On top of that, no ghost had so far appeared. There was no feeling quite like winning a bet
and
winning it in style.
When it was time for bed, Ellie slipped her pants off and put on a nice baggy shirt. Satisfied in every way, she slipped into bed and- well, no. Not quite satisfied in
every
way. A tingling from below her waist was making her a just little antsy. Happy to satisfy it, though, she dipped a hand into her panties, white cotton with cute pink hearts all over them, and began to massage her slightly wet lips.
"Mmm," she mumbled, cupping her left breast under her shirt, "that's the spot..."
"Would you like help with that?" A voice called out from the side of the bed.
"Huh- what?!" Ellie shot up, looking about for the source of the voice, and was greeted by a young woman of average height who was sitting, calm as a cucumber, at the corner of the bed. Strangely, however, this young woman was glowing, the edges of her being blurred by wisps of smoke around her figure. She was wearing a plain white dress that cut off at her knees and gave just the slightest hint of cleavage at the neckline. Her hair was shoulder length and had been dark, but now it matched the slightly transparent greyscale that composed her whole body.
"I really don't mind," she continued in her conversational monotone. "It gets quite lonely up here and I would appreciate the company. It may please you to know that I have some experience with women, as well."
"Holy shit! Fucking- What?!" Ellie jumped out of bed, her hand still down her panties as she looked on in wonder and shock. "There really is a ghost. Oh my God!" Remembering Sarah's advice, she pulled her fingers from between her labia and put them up in the shape of a crucifix.
The ghost, however, seemed nonplussed by the gesture. "I'm sorry," she said. "Am I bothering you? Do you want me to leave?" She hung her head in sadness and stood up to leave.
"Wait!" Ellie called, stopping the ghost. "You're- um, you're not gonna eat me, are you?"
"If you're referring to the practice wherein one pleases a woman by using their mouth and tongue, then I can if you'd like. I have been told by other women who I have been with that I am quite good at it, if that makes a difference to you." The ghost spoke in a rather eloquent fashion, as of someone from a century or two ago.