I’m New at Being a Ghost and I’m Already Doing It Wrong

Dear Mr. & Mrs. Miller,

Hi! You don't know who I am, but I know all about you.

Mr. Miller, you wake up every morning at 5:30 AM and brew yourself a pot of coffee before daybreak. You spend 30 minutes sitting on the couch, mug in hand, scrolling through social media until your 6 AM alarm goes off. I get that, I always needed to warm up my brain before starting my day, too. After that second alarm, you get ready for work and you leave at 7:30 AM on the dot every morning.

Mrs. Miller, you wake up around 8 AM and spend lots of time with your morning routine. Shower, hair, moisturizer, makeup, outfit... I can only assume that you're a professor at a university; your laptop has a university logo on it.

Of course, I don't know where you go once you leave the house.

Wait. Sorry. Was that creepy? Ahh... I should have explained who I am first. I apologize for that. This is my first time being a ghost.

You know what, I'll start over. Forget that I said all of that.

-

Dear Mr. & Mrs. Miller,

My name is Tina Bright and I died about a week ago. I am still figuring out this ghost thing and am not sure why I am tethered to your home. I can't leave the property no matter how hard I try. It's been a pleasure getting to know you both.

Sometimes, I play with your dog while you're both at work. I love Bonzo, he is the absolute cutest. When I was alive, I was extremely allergic to dogs, so I never had the chance to play with them. Well, playing in this case means I blow a gentle gust of wind at the ball and he goes after it.

My abilities are weird. Not only can I make the lights flicker, I can push air around slightly. If I swoosh my hands fast enough, I can create a sort of wind.

Sorry, I should really get to the point.

I sincerely want to apologize for what happened last night. I don't sleep, so nights get pretty boring. Bonzo was awake and in his bed and I saw his ball just sitting there, teasing me. I thought I could get his attention, so I made a gentle gust of air and the ball rolled towards the TV.

Bonzo sleepily got up to go after it, and I thought it would be funny to push the ball again right before he picked it up so he had to chase it further. I know, it's a bit cruel— but being a ghost is SO BORING and I haven't really had the means to figure out what's happening to me. I don't even remember how I died and I haven't spoken to anyone since!

Anyway, one thing led to another and I knocked the TV off of the stand. It fell with a loud crash and Bonzo was barking, waking you both up. The screen was shattered. I was freaking out and made the lights flicker, which only made the situation worse. You guys ran into the room and immediately blamed him. I mean, why wouldn't you? But I feel awful. It wasn't Bonzo's fault. It was mine. I let the loneliness of being a ghost get to me.

It's not like you'll be able to read this, I found this paper and pen in my ghostly pocket. But it'll make me feel better to write this all down as if you could.

Once again, I am so so sorry.

Sincerely,

Tina Bright