The Ghost of the Little Girl? (retold)

Some people were telling ghost stories for Halloween and it reminded me of one of mine. Although I've experienced some things I can't explain, "ghost" stories are for me pretty rare. One ghost story if you will that happened a while back took place at my friend Andy's parent's home. He's to this day one of my top-shelf buds from the crazy restaurant I worked in forever. 

 His folks' house was a huge two-story finished with old-school stonework on the outside. It was maybe two miles from the restaurant. Andy rented a house about the same distance in the other direction but he was at his folks' all the time. His drums were set up in a nice room in the basement. His folks were kind enough to leave the basement door unlocked for anyone who may have had too much to think and shouldn't be driving or whatever. 

 I spent a lot of time there and got to be close to his mom and dad. Andy's dad Bernie was one of my best drinking buddies of all time. He played trombone in an excellent Jazz band here in town and he'd played with all the past greats you could name, from Buddy Rich to Ella Fitzgerald to Count Basie to everyone else. He and a buddy of his were also comedy writers for Rodney Dangerfield in his early days. Needless to say he had stories. Andy's sister Jennifer still lived at home. She's a true angel with a sense of humor and she's about as beautiful as you could want. 

 Apparently a ghost lived there too. It was the "ghost" of a little girl. She appeared to be around four years old and was wearing a white nightgown. They were very matter-of-fact about it. I found out from someone else and had to ask them about it. Basically they said that she came with the house. She was often seen from the outside of the house, looking out of a particular upstairs window but she was spotted all over the house, mostly at night but sometimes in the day. The window was the middle one looking out from a huge playroom, with benches all around that opened up to reveal hundreds of toys. It was a paradise for kids, and Jennifer and Andy played in that room for years. What a perfect spot for the "ghost" of a little kid, right? 

 Lots of what you could call "credible witnesses" saw her, and I talked to a good many of them. The main postman saw her all the time, and a couple of substitute postpeople saw her too. Jennifer did a lot of babysitting. Sometimes she'd go to their house but usually the parents liked to bring them over to her house because of the playroom. Lots of parents saw the girl when they picked up or dropped off the kids. There was a streetlight out front plus some lights around the house so there was a clear view day or night.

 Apparently the apparition was so realistic that most people just assumed she was someone that Jennifer was babysitting, and didn't find out that it was a "ghost" until much later. Every time I pulled up or left I always looked at the upstairs window but I never saw a thing. One night after work I went over there to see what was happening. I knew Andy's dad would be there and probably Jen and maybe Andy. I had a bit of a thing for Jen and I was hoping she'd hang out. She was hilarious and really fun to be around. And hot. 

 I didn't know what their plans were but I figured that with the trifecta of family members I might find up and awake- Andy, Bernie or Jennifer, I couldn't go wrong. I was thinking I'd probably find Bernie up and I'd have a drink or two, but he'd gone to bed early. Andy wasn't there. The house was dark and quiet. That only left the possibility of Jennifer being there. Not a bad option. I hadn't heard any noise from upstairs but it was late. Sometimes the kids would spend the night, and I thought maybe she had someone over and they were asleep but she'd wake up, or something like that...anyway I just wanted to knock on her door and have her open it in a nightgown, or some such scenario.

 I went upstairs. There was a long hallway with rooms to either side. To the right was the playroom and a bedroom and to the left was Jennifer's room, and then another bedroom or two and a study. It was dark except for some light streaming in through the playroom windows and through the open doors. As I got almost even with the door to the playroom that was across from the window where the girl was seen I couldn't help thinking about it. Would I see the ghost? It was a perfect night for it. It was around midnight. It was dark and quieter than usual. The wind was blowing. The light coming in through the trees made shadows that danced out into the hallway. I passed by the door and looked in. I saw something looking out the window. 

 I froze in place and my hair stood up. I avoided pissing myself but I stood there looking at it. I could see the outline of a head and shoulders. From the light filtering in I could see that it appeared to be wearing white. Was this my first ghost? I was exhilarated but granted a bit spooked. Then it moved and started to turn its head toward me. "Oh, shit..." 

It had almost turned to face me. Would it be like those kids with the fucked-up glowing eyes from the classic 60s movie "Village of the Damned," that scared the shit out of me when I was a little kid? Was it going to be a demon, masquerading as the "ghost" of a little girl, pretending to be friendly but actually intent on stealing my soul? Was she going to turn into a huge monster and eat my face, or was she going to invite me to a tea party? Was she alone? How fast could she run?

 I didn't get a chance to find out. It was Andy's sheepdog. He had propped himself up on the cabinets and was looking out the window, waiting for Andy to return. I cracked up as he came over to say hello. Not too many ghosts wag their tails I guess. From behind, his shaggy fur looked like hair and a white nightgown. The effect was pretty convincing. 

 I gathered my wits for a second and knocked on Jennifer's door but she was spending the night out. Andy's dog and I went downstairs. I mixed a drink and turned on some music and we waited for Andy to get back. I knew it would crack him up to hear the story. It ended up being a funny story but I was also disappointed. I'd always hoped I might see the little girl myself one day. Still I got got pretty good. I'm not sure if a real ghost could've got me any more at that particular moment. I couldn't tell the difference anyway. Ghost, or dog? That was funny.