The ivory-skinned skinned woman quirked a grin as she flipped through the pages of her latest book purchase, sitting on a small stool behind the counter in a small Brooklyn restaurant. Ghosts in the Wall was a small and relatively unknown restaurant in the city, but those who knew of the location could speak nothing but positivity about the place. Especially, the gorgeous waitress who worked most evenings; Kira Fling. Though she was notably single, she seemed to prefer to keep it that way. There was the occasional banter with male customers, but there was a line in the metaphorical sand that she seemed unwilling to cross. Truth be told, Kira was a romantic at heart. As much as she enjoyed the company of her customers in The Wall, she wanted something more exciting. She wanted an adventure of the likes that she read in her favorite stories. She longed for a wealthy prince, a brooding vampire, things of the like that either didn't exist or were just unreachable.
“Kira! Customers at your table! What about that book has you so engrossed?” The Evening manager called out to her, and she flinched visibly, looking up from the worn pages of the book in question. It wasn’t her typical fare, she’d snagged it from an estate sale in one of the nicer parts of the city. It was a simple leather-bound diary, written some ages ago. Non-fiction usually wasn’t her cup of tea, but the lives that the people described within the diary’s pages were nothing short of exhilarating. Their lives were so extravagant that she was truly growing dubious regarding the truth behind the story. All the same, it was rather entertaining to read about the exploits of handsome billionaires.
“Sorry, Joan. You know how I get wrapped up in my stories,” Kira mumbled, carefully folding the corner of her page and sliding the book under the counter. She trusted the staff and her customers well enough to leave her stuff untouched, so saw no need to tuck the book in some secret hiding spot. She grabbed the small notepad that she wrote orders on, approaching the table with a small smile. It was one of her regular groups, a group of three construction workers who always came to the restaurant after a long day of grimey work. They were a bit rough around the edges, but she knew they were also three of the kindest men in the city. “What’ll it be, boys?” She inquired softly, cocking her hip and flipping to a fresh page in her notepad.
“Aw, Miss Fling. Or should I say, Miss Thing!” One of the men teased, leaning across the table and offering her a friendly wink. “You know we get the same thing every time we come in here,” he grinned, and she smiled fondly in response.
"Oh, but I never know if you wild men will mix it up with me," she teased. The men rumbled out their laughter, and she returned the first man's wink before jotting down their orders.
“So three lumberjack specials, then? I sure can see the three of you in flannel, choppin’ down trees in the middle of nowhere,” she smirked. The men howled in laughter, and she flashed her pearly whites before sauntering away. She slapped the order ticket through the window that led to the kitchen, returning to her spot at the counter. She resumed reading her book, drawing her plump lower lip between her teeth as she traced her eyes along the lines of the pages. It was certainly interesting, not to mention rather racy as well. Whoever had written this went into meticulous detail regarding certain… encounters. Though Kira rarely searched for erotica in her readings, she certainly wasn’t complaining. She allowed herself to drift away into a world long time passed.
The rest of her shift at the restaurant passed with little trouble, and the construction workers were the last to leave before closing time. They offered to see her out, but she declined, knowing that it would be busy work cleaning up the restaurant before she could leave. It happened to be her night to close, and that meant she had to tie up any loose ends that happened to present themselves by the time everyone else clocked out. When the night manager slipped out the door, she called out her farewells before flipping the open sign to closed. She leaned heavily against the door, exhaling a weary sigh before straightening and surveying the empty restaurant. It was a mess, but that was nothing new. She strode towards the back of the restaurant, opening the door to the kitchen. She continued inside, approaching the closet that housed the cleaning supplies. She grabbed a bucket and mop, humming softly under her breath as she moved to fill the bucket with water and cleaner. It was somewhat chillier than usual in the kitchen, but she thought very little of it, focusing on her task. As she continued to fill the bucket, her mind flickered to the diary she had been reading. She quirked her lips in a smile, excited to get the book home and curl up in bed with it. Just as that thought crossed her mind, the lights in the kitchen began to flicker. She glanced upward, inwardly cursing the fluorescent lights.
“This is just what I need. I’m not cleaning this damn place in the dark,” she huffed, waiting until the flickering seemed to cease. She thought little more of it, pulling the mop and bucket to the front of the restaurant. As she stepped through the door to the kitchen, she could make out a masculine figure sitting at one of the tables. For a moment, she began to panic. She had forgotten to lock the front door, and anyone could just bust in and rob the place. However, the man at the table made no effort to move from his place. She stepped further into the room, clearing her throat. “H-hello? Sorry, sir, we’re closed,” she managed. The man hesitated for a moment before turning to consider her.
“You can… see me?” He inquired softly. Kira thought to reply snidely, but all at once she became aware that she could see clear through the man. Almost like a…
Ghost. It was a ghost.
A scream tore past her throat, and for a moment, the whole restaurant seemed to spin.