A Human’s Guide to Surviving Magical Mishaps

I wake up to the feeling of something moving in the bed with me. The room is totally dark and I can't reach any of the charms to light any of the candles. There's a heavy weight on my legs and I can feel pressure as it slowly moves upwards. My heart is racing and I'm frozen in place. I can't see and I don't dare scream. I can feel sharp claws digging into my stomach. The weight moves upwards until it reaches my chest. Oh damn. I'm going to die alone in my room in the middle of the night. Well, at least Ashton will know I didn't unlock the door. I lie still, holding my breath and waiting for the end when the weight balances out and something warm and soft rests on my neck. I can feel a vibration through my chest. Vibration? Oh, it's purring! Tentatively I reach up to feel soft fur.

"Cat?" I whisper nervously. The purring increases and I let out a huge breath of relief. It's just the cat- creature- thing. I guess I'm not about to die after all. It takes a few minutes for my heart rate to slow, although the steady purring of the cat creature helps. I have got to stop calling it cat-creature. Maybe I should give it a name? I'll have to think about that. After that burst of adrenaline it's going to take me a little while to go back to sleep. Still, now that I know what it actually IS, the warmth of the cat is actually pretty comfortable, like a giant hot water bottle, or a weighted blanket. I'm comfortable and very nearly back to sleep, which is why I'm a little peeved when the cat creature suddenly sits up. His claws dig into my stomach and he's hissing towards a corner of the room.

"Shit, ow. Cat, get off of me!" I push the cat off me and he goes with no trouble but does continue hissing and spitting. I fumble around until I find the right charm to light the candles by my bed. The room looks empty enough, I can't see anything, but the cat is still hissing, fur up on end and staring at the far side of the room. Can the cat see something that I can't? Feeling a little silly, I call out.noveldrama

"Hello? Is... Is there someone over there?" I feel stupid, but also weirdly nervous. Like a teenager alone in a bathroom reciting 'blood mary' of COURSE nothing is going to happen, of course there's nothing there, but it's still sort of creepy. I don't actually expect a response though, which is why I nearly leap out of my skin and tumble off of the bed when a soft voice responds.

"Yes. I'm here." The voice is male and a little hoarse. I peer up over the edge of the bed. The cat is still hissing.

"Where? I cannot see you..." I trail off. My heart is racing again. This is just too much. Every few minutes something happens to terrify me. Maybe I should have let Ashton stay after all.

There are no footsteps, but a large figure comes closer to the light and finally I see him. It's clear why I couldn't before... The man is... almost transparent. Like a shadow of a person or... A ghost. He can't seriously be a ghost... Can he? Are ghosts even real?

"I won't hurt you. I couldn't, even if I did want to. I'm already dead. I can't do anything more than speak to you." The man says. His voice is still soft and he stops a good distance away, clearly trying not to freak me out too much. I look at him closely. He is tall with brown hair. Well built and fairly handsome for an older man. What really catches my attention are the markings over his skin. They look just like Ashton's. If this guy really is a ghost... And he looks like Ashton... Is this his father? He glances at the hissing cat and frowns. Suddenly worried, I reach out and grab the cat, hugging it tightly to my chest. The cat wriggles a little but ultimately tolerates the hug. The ghost guy actually seems to relax a little. "I was going to warn you that you should be careful with that cat, but clearly it's attached to you. I don't think it would actually harm you." He says, almost affectionately. I stand up properly, not comfortable cowering on the floor. This guy doesn't seem all that scary anyway. I hope.

"Yes. I like the cat too. I am thinking of naming it." I say conversationally, ignoring the glaring topic of why this ghost showed up in my room in the middle of the night in the first place.

"Ah, well if you do decide to name the creature, it might help to know that he is male. The females have different markings." He adds.

"Huh, that is useful to know. I suppose I will name him... Bast. I'm pretty sure the word is related to plants in some way AND it is the name of a mythological cat goddess. It makes sense I think." I decide. The ghost smiles at me and now I'm sure that this is Ashton's father. They look so alike when he smiles. That gives me the confidence to sit back on the bed. This cat is heavy and it'll be far more comfortable with him sitting on my lap. I stroke his soft fur, being careful of his little antlers.

"That's a good name." He agrees then falls silent, although he's shifting in place as though he wants to speak. It's odd because he's so quiet, there's no rustle of clothes or shuffling of his feet as he moves, just silence.

"What is YOUR name?" I decide to throw him a bone and get the conversation started, it's not like I can go back to sleep with him hovering around.

"My name is Ambrose. You might have guessed that I'm Ashton's father, and as I mentioned earlier, I'm dead." He says bluntly. I shrug.

"I did guess that yes. I'm Katerina Fall. You can call me Kat." I answer.

"It is good to meet you Miss- I mean Kat." He says with a polite nod. "So... Do not take this the wrong way but... Why are you here?" I wonder.

"Here as in why am I a ghost or here as in your room?" He responds and I nod.

"Both." I smile.

"Well, I suppose I'm a ghost because I was murdered and I am not quite ready to move on. Originally I was just going to check in on my wife and son then... Go on my way. But Ashton was nowhere to be found. He returned a few days ago and I realised he was in the human realm chasing after my killers. He mentioned you. I was going to just watch for a few days, to make sure that he's okay, but when he returned with you I thought I might as well speak to you. Which is why I'm here specifically." He explains. I frown, a little confused.

"Have you spoken to Ashton? Or your wife?" I question. I think Ashton would have mentioned his dead dad coming to visit. Ambrose shakes his head stubbornly.

"No, and I won't. I know they are sad, and they miss me. But it's not healthy to obsess over the dead, or for the dead to obsess over the living. They will do better without knowing I am still around... And I think if I speak to them I'll never find the strength to move on." He answers sadly. I can see his point. It would be hard to move on if you could still see and speak to the people you love. But existing as a ghost can't be as fulfilling as actually living.

"I... I think I understand." I respond, my voice soft and sympathetic.

"Is... Is there a reason why you are speaking to me then?" I follow up. Clearly if he hasn't spoken to his own family, there must be a reason he's shown himself to me. Did he just want to gawk at the human like so many others we've seen today? Or is there something else?

"I... I have a favour I want to ask you." He responds solemnly.