Elizabeth: Part III

(Story begins here.)

Elizabeth looked away from Anton and held her flute low. Her shoulders started to quiver as though she were sobbing. Anton was at a loss of what to do. On the one hand, he felt as though he should go forth and comfort her, yet on the other hand, the notion of comforting a spirit came to his mind as being somewhat incongruous and even somewhat impossible. Besides, even thought Elizabeth had been rather amiable thus far, there was no telling how she might react when he approached her even closer. Anton had heard of stories, rumours actually, of how female spirits began being all friendly before suddenly turning vindictive and causing all sorts of havoc after that.

As Elizabeth continued sobbing, a few more thoughts passed through Anton's mind. According to her, he was some kind of avatar for a lover who had left her at the altar, a very convincing reason to remain as a spirit even after the incident to be all vengeful about it. But she hadn't shown any form of aggression thus far, and seemed quite pitiful. In the end, his sense of chivalry overtook any precautions he had and Anton got up from the step he was sitting on and made his way slowly down.

``I... I don't know what to say or do. Please don't be so sad. Is there anything I can help you with?'' Anton said, his heart in his mouth as he made his way to within six feet of Elizabeth. From that proximity, he could clearly see that she was translucent, with a form yet formless, a mist that was more solid than a regular mist. Her shoulders stopped shaking and Elizabeth turned back round to face Anton again. He was half expecting to see a hideous alteration to her lovely face, but was pleasantly surprised to find no change whatsoever.

``You seem... surprised, Anton. Why is that so?''

``Um... to tell you the truth, I was half-expecting you to turn nasty and attack me the moment you turn around to look at me again,'' Anton said sheepishly.

``Your forthrightness is appreciated, Anton. But, I am not a vengeful spirit,'' Elizabeth replied earnestly, her eyes looking as soulful as a mist can ever be. ``As I have said, you are Anton. Not completely my Anton, but still a part of the old Anton I loved. Love. The good parts of the old Anton. I never knew why the old Anton left me at the altar that way. Perhaps there was a bad side I never knew, a secret that he never shared. But in you, I see the parts of the Anton that I love. You are the man I have waited all my life.''

``Ah,'' Anton said, his courage increasing seeing as to how he hadn't been maimed by Elizabeth yet, ``but what does what you say mean? Suppose that I am the man you have waited for all your life. What shall we do then?''

``I... I don't know,'' Elizabeth answered miserably. ``I think... I think I might have lost a lot of my memories that night when I died of a broken heart. I know that Anton will come back, and I knew that I will wait for him all my life. But I cannot remember what happens after that! It has been too long, too long... I feel bad that I cannot remember.''

``There, there,'' Anton said as he tried to pat Elizabeth on her back. It didn't quite work out well, since Elizabeth wasn't corporeal, but it had its effect. Elizabeth calmed down and started looking at Anton, as though waiting for answers.

``Well,'' Anton began, ``how about this. If you don't mind, I can come meet you every night like this and we can just sit and talk about whatever you want or like. Maybe that can help you remember what it is you have to do once you have waited for your Anton to arrive. Will that be fine with you, Elizabeth?''

``You called my name!'' Elizabeth cried out in delight. ``And the way you called me, it felt the same as when my Anton called me back in the day. Oh joy! Of course I will be fine to meet up with you every night like this! Perhaps we may find out more about us that way!'' She embraced Anton warmly.

Anton could feel the goosebumps on his skin, but it was more of a tingly sensation instead of outright fear. Being hugged by a spirit was not a thing that he was expecting, and once he got over the strange notion, he found that it wasn't as bad as it was. He awkwardly threw his hands out of him to wrap around Elizabeth's incorporeal body, and could swear that he felt something as he gently tightened his arms to form a hug.

The two of them held that position for quite a while before Elizabeth stepped back reluctantly.

``I must go now, Anton. But I will be back tomorrow night. You will be here to meet me, right Anton?''

``Yes Elizabeth. I promise you that I will be here,'' Anton replied solemnly.

``Farewell for now then, my dear Anton, and we will meet again tomorrow!'' Elizabeth curtsied and walked away from the grand stairs towards the side exit. As she walked off, Anton could see her feet lifting out of the emptiness and falling back down, fading away ever so gently the closer she got to the exit. When she reached the door, she finally faded away completely, and Anton could immediately feel that her presence was gone.

For a moment, Anton stood at the bottom of the grand stairs mulling over what had just transpired. As the clock rang its customary twelve strokes, Anton finally realised just how late it was, and quickly made his way back to the bedroom on the second floor, making a mental note to consult his housekeeper on the events that he had witnessed.

(Story continues here.)