Miss Charlotte returned to her room, but she had changed her location to a safer one. The aristocratic ghost shook and shivered under the rotten bed. "This should be so beneath me!" she wailed with her melodramatic flair. "But here I am beneath my bed hiding from humans!"

Thoughts raced through her soul. Was she so out of touch that even strange men in poofy pants could frighten her? No, it seemed that what terrified her most was the steely gaze in the man's eye– it betrayed a soul of ice.

"Oh well," she weeped. "I can jus' hide here for all eternity.

"Oh no ya don't, Miss Charlotte," cried an irrate and orney voice. "Get your ghostly tail out from beneath the bed! I want to drink ma spirits in peace, consarnit!"

Charlotte felt the grip of a ghostly hand on her spectral tail and she was yanked out from her cover and pulled straight up in the air. Dangling her upside down was a middle aged man with pale purple skin, a shiny bald head and blotchy yellowy eyes. He wore a plaid brown suit and a pair of spectacles wiggled on his nose. He hiccuped angrily.

Charlotte shook her head coyly and offered an innocent grin. "Well, I'll be. Uncle Al. What brings you to these parts?"

The old man was so flabbergasted by her casual demeanor he nearly spat up ectoplasm. "That's Albert K. Holyc to you, missy! And since yer the so-called head mistress, I'd like to register a complaint!"

"Oh?" Charlotte asked, continuing to feign innocence. "What is it?"

"You should know," Uncle Al shouted. "It's too noisy around here. I need to drink my spirits in peace."

Charlotte rolled her eyes. "Shouldn't y'all ease up on the liquor, Uncle? After all, you drank yourself to death in '49."

"And now!" Uncle Al hollered. "I can drink for all eternity. But not when there's humans around! Do sumthin!"

I probably should, Charlotte thought to herself, the only time he's ever pleasant is when he's spirited away.

"Okay…I will. Where's everyone else?" Charlotte asked

Materializing out of thin air were poltergeists of every proportion. Young ghosts, elderly ghosts, dead men, women and children with antiquated outfits from over a hundred years ago. Many of the men were dressed in noble military jackets and trimmed trousers with ruffled handkerchiefs and the women in billowing and lacey hoop skirts much like Charlotte's. Most of the children wore baggy clothing. The sole exception being a teenage girl with an unruly frizzy explosion of ginger hair in a silver ball gown. She seemed to have a crimson stain of blush permantly stained across her cheeks.

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"Charly, oh Charly," the girl gasped, her orange hair bouncing as she did. "There are humans down there! You know how I adore the living folk!"

"They're so opulent…and breathing" the girl gushed. "If I met a real handsome one…" The ghost girl rested her head on her hands and nearly floated away…"I could die and go to heaven!"

Charlotte grabbed her tail before she got too high off the floor. "Cousin Star, you already did. Well expect for the heaven part."

She pulled her younger cousin towards her, and glared angrily. "Besides, those humans are dangerous. They're lead by a man who's clearly mean and evil…and…"

"Charlotte," a reserved and gallant voice asked. "Tell me who this cad is. If he puts one finger through your transparent body, he will be on the receiving end of my blade."

Now, it was Charlotte's turn to be embarrassed.

With a navy blue soldier's uniform permanently laced around his torso and a blood red stain over his heart, this ghost knew the meaning of war with his red badge of courage. His face was thin and gaunt and it contrasted with the elegant and dapper blonde pompadour curling off the top of his head.

He knelt his ghostly tail on the floor, and reached gallantly towards Charlotte's gloved hand, seizing it for a fluttering moment. His brilliant green eyes raked like a passionate emerald fire and it made her soul feel so much lighter. "A mortal man who does not respect the dwelling of an after-lady is no gentleman. Tell me everything and I will see to it that he is ousted!"

Charlotte bashfully took her gloved hand back which had begun to detach from her wrist. She covered her face which has gone from ghoulish pale to blood red. "Oh Aegis, y'all don't have to do that for lil ole me…"

Charlotte covered up a mouthful of pointed teeth and swooned. "But if y'all insist. I want you to make sure these mortals never set foot in my haunt again!"

The ghost nobleman, Aegis Benedict immediately leapt from his kneel and with a proud salute, he said, "Yes ma'am. I will see to it that the interlopers are dealt with! And then, perhaps you will reward me with a bat of your dead eyes!"

Charlotte slyly smirked. "Oh of course. I have plenty of bats and dead eyes to give you. Now please go, I feel faint in their presence."

Aegis sunk into the floor as Miss Charlotte relaxed. Now she was free of the obligation herself. Star wrinkled her button nose behind Miss Charlotte. "I can't believe you did that to poor lovestruck Aegis, setting him up to deal with the living folk."

Charlotte giggled like she was possessed by the soul of a deceased fily. "Undead young men will do just about anything for me. Besides, it's not like I'm leading him to his death…"

Charlotte winked to her younger cousin. "That already happened!"