The Big Blue Recliner

A Ghost Story for You

Twenty-four-year-old Clara sat in the big blue recliner her father had sat in for many years. She had her knees pulled up to her chest, and rocking herself; she visited the distant past, her mind wandering down the corridors of time. She remembered well a Thanksgiving Day long ago when she and her parents had decided to spend the holiday at home together instead of eating with friends as was their custom.

Clara reminisced about how her mother had busied herself in the kitchen, occasionally tossing bits of food at her father, who mercilessly teased her about her cooking. Clara had laughed and laughed as she danced about in the living room in her new ballerina outfit. She had just begun taking lessons and was always eager to show off the new moves she had learned the week before. Clara had no siblings or other family she knew of, but that didn’t bother her as she reveled in the attention she got from her parents.

Thanksgiving in the present was a week away, and Clara felt a deep loneliness she had never felt before. The night before, a State Police Officer had appeared at the door. He had removed his hat and told her in a kind and pitying voice that her parents had both been killed in a car accident. The Officer had asked if she wanted him to call someone, but she answered truthfully there was no one to call. The Officer…