All Chapters of Five Years Dead, Mom Knocks on My Door: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

The house reeked of rot, and spiders crawled all over the walls.Grandma lay curled up on a bed buried under a heap of rags, dazed and squinting against the beam of light that spilled in through the doorway.My mom, Sharon Kirby, frowned. She covered her nose and fanned the stench away as she complained, "It looks like a dump in here. Can't anyone clean up? What a slob!"Elsie? Elsie!"She looked around the room, calling my name louder and louder.I ran to throw myself into her arms, but I passed right through her like air. I'd forgotten again that I'd died five years ago.After all that waiting and hoping, Mom had finally come back. She was carrying treats, and my mouth watered at the sight of them.Deep down, I was thrilled. Mom still cared about me after all. She'd just been so busy that she could only find time to visit now.I bounced around beside her. "Mom, I'm right here! I'm right here!"Her phone rang. Unable to stand the smell any longer, she stepped outside to take

"I saw your mom, but Elsie wasn't around. Your mom said she went off to catch rats. She's a big girl now, but she's still running wild," Mom said, sounding disgusted as she gave Dad a quick rundown of what she'd seen.I leaned in to look at Dad on the screen. My father, Gregory Pembroke, had his hair slicked back until it shone, and he wore an expensive suit.His skin looked healthy and smooth, and everything about him radiated the polish of someone who'd never worried about money. The house behind him was bright and beautifully decorated.A bitter ache rose in my chest. They'd been living the good life in the city all along, and I'd been foolish enough to believe they were struggling to get by. That was why I never dared to call them. The only time I did was three days before I starved to death.Perhaps I'd been hurt so many times that nothing could stir me anymore, for I just stood numbly beside Mom."Honey, I've been thinking. Why don't we bring Mom and Elsie to the city?"The

Dad and Mom both froze, completely blindsided."No, we didn't," they said at the same time. Fear and worry crept across both their faces.I stood in front of them and muttered angrily to myself, "I'm dead, so you're happy now, right? Or are you just worried there's no one left to take care of Grandma?"I'm nothing but a tool you can use. If you don't love me, then stop pretending!"Mr. Dobbs looked stunned. "I heard you took her with you. I never saw Elsie any of the times I came by, so I assumed you'd taken her too."Mom's voice grew more anxious. "We took our younger daughter. We couldn't afford to take both girls at once, so now that we're doing a little better, we want to bring the older one over too."Dad looked uneasy. He turned to Grandma, who was barely lucid, and pressed, "Mom, where's Elsie? Where did Elsie go?"Grandma was wolfing down a piece of bread with her grimy hands. She couldn't understand a word anyone said, and she stayed lost in her own little world.Dad s

A dried-out human skeleton was lying in the grass. Mom's legs gave out instantly, and everything went black as she fainted.Dad looked like he'd been struck by lightning. He held Mom up, trembling from head to toe. "It can't be Elsie. My Elsie's mischievous and smart. It's not her."His eyes filled with tears, even as he tried to sound hopeful. It was also the first time I'd ever heard him praise me. Seeing how terrified and devastated they were, I almost felt loved.The police said they'd take the remains back for a DNA test, and my ghost followed them into the car.When Mom came to, she grabbed Dad's hand anxiously. "Did they find Elsie?"The results weren't back yet, and Dad didn't want her to worry, so he tried to reassure her. "They're still looking. They'll let us know if they hear anything."Mom was so upset she started crying and smacked the seat in frustration. "Just wait until we find her. She's getting the spanking of her life!"Neither of those girls ever think abo

Grandma couldn't take care of herself, so after a lot of thought, Dad put her in a nursing home.My spirit followed Mom and Dad back to their home in the city. The moment I walked in, I couldn't believe how big the house was. It looked like one of those rich families' homes on TV. The living room, dining room, balcony, and all the decorations had me staring in every direction.Mom walked into one of the bedrooms, and as soon as I stepped inside, I froze. The layout and decorations were exactly the same as Lucy's room. If it weren't for the big, colorful banner on the wall that read "Welcome Home, Elsie", I really would've thought it was Lucy's room.Mom touched the little vial at her collar, her voice catching. "This is the room we got ready for you. I worried you wouldn't like it, and I worried you'd think we were playing favorites. Your dad and I talked it over for a long time before we decided to make it just like Lucy's."I followed her into the walk-in closet. The glass wa