Well, that was quite the reveal, wasn’t it? These ghosts are aggrieved spirits, and Jasper really did them wrong. How’s this tale gonna end? Let’s see…

It was 4:07 PM on a Wednesday afternoon. And in a few hours, the grand Simpson house would be unoccupied, as Jasper was set to join his family in Singapore. He had spoken to Marjorie and the kids, and seen the pictures; they were having a grand time. Now he could join them and make some memories with them.

He sighed as he zipped up his suitcase, satisfied with all he had packed. “That should be enough for the next six days,” he murmured to himself. “At least we’ll buy some more clothes when we go shopping. I know Abigail and Olivia will be waiting for me on that; all the new shoes and clothes they’ll want to buy. Ei, these my girls, hehe… hmm…”

Jasper paused, his hands gripping the handle of the suitcase tightly as he mentioned ‘my girls’. His reflection in the mirror then caught his attention: his face had paled a bit and his eyes were sunken with exhaustion, the evidence of how stressful his past few nights had been.

He let out a shaky breath, his thoughts spiraling back to Queenie and the little girl. They had not shown up since his apology, but their faces haunted him. The anger and pain in Queenie’s voice, the malice in the girl’s monstrous form—it all replayed in his mind like a sinister loop.

And his regrets were imprinted on his brain like never before.

“Satisfying my selfish desires…” he muttered, his voice heavy as he ran a hand down his face. “That was definitely the worst mistake of my life.”

He constantly thought back to how it all began. A chance meeting, a moment of attraction, and then the intoxicating spiral into a sizzling affair that should never have happened.

It had never meant anything more to him. It was a simple matter of screwing one of the hottest young ladies his eyes had ever seen; nothing more than that. But the fling had meant everything to Queenie. And his cruel severance of their bond… it had cost her—and their child—everything.

Jasper sighed and closed his eyes, a deep pang of guilt cutting through him. “An innocent young girl’s life… ruined.” His voice faltered, and he clenched his fists. “Because of me. Because I couldn’t control myself. I saw nice breasts and a solid ass, and that was all that drove my decision-making. Chale, I really messed up.”

He sat on the edge of the bed and let out another deep sigh of contrition. Over the past couple of hours, a firm resolve had formed in his heart, and he intended to stick to it. “Never again,” he whispered. “Never again will I let my lust control me. Not ever again. Queenie deserved better. Marjorie deserves better. My family deserves better.”

The thought of Marjorie—her gentle laugh, the way she teased him all the time, her loving and gentle disposition—briefly brought tears to his eyes. How close had he come to jeopardizing everything he held dear! How much more could he have lost?

Jasper stood up, his head held high. “I’ll make it right,” he said aloud, his voice firmer now. “For now, lemme join my family and let’s have fun as a family ought to. When we get back, I’ll go and find Queenie’s grave. And I’ll apologize to her properly. And to my… to our child.”

His voice cracked, but he continued. “It’s the least I can do; I owe them that much. Even if they can’t hear me… I need to do it. For the sake of true closure. For them. For me.”

He took up his last bag and set it by the door, taking a deep, steadying breath.

It was settled. He would face Marjorie with a renewed determination to be the husband and father she and the children deserved to have. And when he returned, he would find Queenie’s resting place, wherever it might be, to properly honour her and hopefully pacify her and their daughter’s aggrieved spirits.

As he grabbed his suitcase and headed for the door, a single thought lingered in his mind, heavy yet resolute.

I will carry this guilt for the rest of my life. But I’ll carry it as a reminder—never again.

***

The Kotoka International Airport was buzzing with more activity than usual on a Wednesday evening. Luggage wheels rattling on tiled floors, flight announcements echoing overhead, and the hum of conversations in a multitude of languages… it was quite a busy scene.

Jasper was used to it, though, having dealt with this sort of busyness on numerous occasions. He moved through it all, his steps quick and his heart pounding harder than it should.

He shook his head as he approached the baggage counter, placing his suitcase on the scale. “It’s crazy out here,” he muttered. “People are really travelling this evening. Jakpa vibes.”

The attendant began tapping on the keyboard, her monotone voice asking the standard questions. Jasper nodded absently and answered, his eyes scanning the bustling terminal.

Look at those two. Newlyweds, I’m sure. Probably off to their first big adventure together. Cute stuff. Reminds me of my first trip with Marjorie… And those must be a group of businessmen, off to seal some million-dollar deal… wait a minute…

A strange phenomenon caught his eye as he observed the crowd.

It looked like Queenie’s daughter was standing in the distance, her little frame oddly still amidst the sea of moving people. She looked just as she had in her innocent form, her hands clasped in front of her, a faint smile playing on her lips.

Jasper froze, his breath caught in his throat.

When he blinked, she was gone.

“Are you okay, sir?” the attendant asked, snapping him back to the present.

“Oh yeah, uh… I’m… fine,” he mumbled, shaking his head as if to clear it while he took his baggage.

It’s just my conscience, he thought as he moved on. I’m spooking myself, that’s all. I’m still traumatized by what happened in the last couple of days.

He turned to wheel his luggage toward the check-in counter…

… and he saw her again. This time closer.

She stood near a row of seats, her head tilted slightly as if she were studying him.

A cold sweat breaking out on his forehead, Jasper quickened his pace while he shook his head. What the hell is going on? Why am I seeing her around? he wondered. Surely this wasn’t another attempt to torment him, was it? He had apologized, wasn’t that enough?

This just had to be his brain in overdrive. It just had to be. The guilt had to be working overtime.

He shakily reached the check-in counter, fumbling with his passport and ticket.

“Good evening, sir,” the agent greeted him. “Can I have your passport and boarding pass, please?”

“Yes, yes, here you–“

Before he could finish, his eyes locked on the figure standing directly behind the counter.

The little girl stood there, her face twisted into her monstrous form. Her eyes glowed a sickly black, her teeth sharp and glinting under the fluorescent lights. She hissed at him, a guttural, bone-chilling sound that sent him stumbling backward.

“No! No, no, no!” Jasper screamed, dropping his passport and attracting the attention of everyone around him.

What was happening? Why was she coming back to haunt him? Was she not satisfied with his tears the other day? Why was she doing this?

People had turned to stare at him as airport security approached, their brows furrowed with concern. “Sir, is everything alright?” one of them asked, his hand resting cautiously on his radio.

“Do you need some help or something?” another asked.

Jasper couldn’t answer. His gaze darted wildly, wondering if she would show up again.

They wanna kill me, they’re trying to kill me, they want their reven– AAGHH!!

He saw them.

Queenie and her daughter.

Both in monstrous forms, emerging from the crowd. Their twisted faces bore cruel and malevolent grins, and their unholy laughter rose above the din of the terminal.

Unholy laughter that rang like screams of the perishing in hell in his ears. Laughter that only he could hear.

It was clear; they were not done with him. And that apology of his… it had come far too late.

They charged at him ferociously, their forms flaming as though they carried the fires of Hades with them.

A horrendous sight to his eyes.

“No! No-no-no! Stay away! Please!” Jasper shouted, turning and running toward the exit.

His heart raced as he shoved past startled travelers and airport staff, storming out of the terminal with a rabid desperation.

He did not understand why they had chosen to come after him once again, and he did not know why they chose to afflict him at this particular moment. But that hardly mattered; the only thought in his mind was escape.

Escape from these malefic spirits.

He burst out of the terminal and sped through the crowd of travellers and those seeing him off, trying to get away from Queenie and daughter as much as possible.

In doing so, he failed to see the large bus pulling up at the curb outside.

Until it was too late.

The screech of brakes tore through the air…

…followed by a sickening thud.

And the gasps and screams of those around who witnessed it.

***

A crowd quickly gathered around him, gasps and murmurs spreading through the onlookers as they wondered what caused his sudden moment of insanity.

In the chaos, no one noticed the two figures standing a distance away.

Queenie and her daughter watched silently, their monstrous forms fading back into their human appearances. Queenie’s lips curled into a dark smile as her daughter giggled, her innocent laugh now laced with malice.

“Looks like he couldn’t outrun his fate,” Queenie snickered softly, her voice dripping with venom. “Serves him right. Come along, my child. Let us go.”

They turned away, walking into the shadows of the bustling terminal as their chilling, remorseless laughter echoed faintly in the air, leaving behind a chaotic set of circumstances, as ambulance sirens blared and strangers wondered what happened as they gathered around the accident scene.

THE END

Well, that was quite a… disturbing end. We don’t know whether he’ll survive or not, but… Queenie and her daughter seemingly got what they wanted. Honestly though, can’t blame them. Poor Queenie was done dirty while alive, it’s no shock that she’s been relentless with her revenge. There’s nothing good about using people for your selfish benefit. Nothing.

Thank you for reading, and as always, continue to enjoy yourself around the State!