Jillian Chantal

This week, the writers of Tuesday Tales are writing to the word prompt, mouse. I am working on my story with the heroine who can see spirits.

Check out the other tales here

Lu wasn’t afraid of anyone who might find her wandering about. She’d used the bathroom ruse enough in the past to know men who thought a woman was having a feminine emergency got out the way in a hurry or led the female to the closest facility.

She turned a corner at the end of the hallway and found a man seated at a console with a monitor and computer mouse to the right side. He wasn’t touching anything, but the screen was reacting to something as the cursor moved. She supposed some tech support person had dialed in to assist the man with some computer issue.

The man turned to look at her. “You can’t be here.”

When he faced her, Lu realized he was a spirit, not a live person. “I don’t think you’re supposed to be here either.” She put her index finger to her lips. “I won’t tell if you don’t.”

His eyes widened. “You see me?”

“I do. You must’ve known that since you spoke to me.”

“Lady, I speak to people every day. They don’t usually respond.”

“I can imagine.” She smiled and nodded at the screen. “How are you making that happen?”

“I really don’t know.” He grinned. “It’s some kind of magic, I guess. I was a computer guy in life. Ran the board for the sound and audio systems. Now it seems I can control the thing with my eyes. What a thing that would have been in life. I’d have been some kind of internet sensation.”

“It is pretty sensational. I don’t think I’ve ever met a spirit who could do that. I’m impressed. Most can’t manipulate things around them. This is sensational.”

His old eyes. Eyes that must have seen over seventy years on Earth, shone with pride. “Happy to have the audience. No one gets to see my tricks.” He held his hand out. “Can’t shake your hand, but I like to pretend to the niceties. “Name’s Jed. Jed Gonzalez.”

“I’m Lula Mae Haverstock. Nice to meet you, Jed.”

“What brings you to my corner of the studio? It’s not my desk any longer, but I borrow it when the guy who took my place isn’t here.” Jed laughed. “Sometimes he comes in and wonders about what’s happened while he’s gone. I can’t move his things, but I do manipulate the computer. It’s like he can sense someone’s been using his desk and machine.”

“I was wondering if you knew of Paul. The engineer who just started working here recently.”

“Obviously, I didn’t know him in life and never spoke to him, but I did see him around. He seemed sharp and had a lot of potential as a sound engineer.”

“Sadly, he was killed last night or yesterday afternoon.”