Early the next morning we wake in the same position. Lightly kissing her chest I stretch out. Seeing her smiling I kiss her forehead. "Good morning pretty lady."

"Good morning to you my handsome man." She gives a kiss back. "I don't know what got into you last night. But oh my, that was nice. I almost thought you were using some sort of dildo on me."

"Hmm?" Not recalling having sex realize we are naked. Feeling the morning wood can tell it was put to use. "Wow, I don't even remember coming home. Hope I didn't make too much of an ass of myself last night."

"No not really. I got you out of there in time." Smiling thinks I must have blacked out. "Well I guess if I want it like last night I got to get you drunk first."

"What? Drunk. Why what did I do different?"

"It was almost like making love with someone else. You really took charge."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Real electric sex. Think I'm still tingling down there. And you got vocal too sometimes I wonder if you're even breathing hard."

"Vocal? Why what did I say?" Hoping it wasn't something juvenile.

"Stay with me." She smiles, "and where was I going to go?"

"What?" A noticeable look of concern crosses my face.

About to repeat herself it comes back to Arlene. "Holy fuck, Rob! Tell me, you're just messing with me."

With her on the same thought we both started looking about the room. "No I'm not messing with you. I don't recall making love to you last night, which I'd be fine with saying it was the booze. But 'Stay with me'?"

We can feel the goose bumps on each other. "Oh my God Rob do you think we've both been raped by a ghost."

"I don't know if I'd call it rape." Shuddering at the idea I have to express it. "Maybe our spirit possessed both of us, now. Is she, it done?"

Getting a bit shaky Arlene recalls saying something for the spirit to inhabit a guy. "I don't know how I feel about this place anymore, Rob."

"We're working on that." Giving her a hug for security. "We can certainly start looking for a new place. If you want to find a rental for now, we can, but it'll set us back on buying a home."

Happy I suggested moving Arlene really wants a home and we are looking. Thinking no matter what's happened out here we are physically okay. "It's been how many months since we last saw that mist?"

"Six? Seven?" I'm certainly uncertain how to feel about truly being used.

"What ever happened to us. In both cases neither one of us knew or could remember but both of us enjoyed the other, even if it wasn't them. Is there something wrong with us?" The idea makes her worry; one of us might cheat on the other in the future. "Do think we should get out of here right away?"

"We are looking for a place its just for what we have saved would have to settle for something less. I'm a bit freaked out myself - right now. And almost want to pick up and move as well." The last of my stories of strange happenings is playing and replaying in my mind. A very embarrassing story I never thought I'd ever tell. When it's combined with this happening and the other the spirit doesn't seem malevolent. "I don't think there's anything new that's wrong with us. But there's a story I want to finally tell you."

Curious she has to inquire, "what is it?" Her mind starts to worry maybe something horrible done in my past is about to be divulged, will she want to hear it. Will it explain the happenings?

"Please, do not tell anybody what I'm about to tell you."

"Okay, what is it?" Now she does think something horrible happened.

"Alright and please this is going to sound weird too so don't laugh either."

"I won't." She's intrigued.

"In the second year living here I was taking a really hot bath. The kind where if you move you can feel the heat of the water moving across your skin with the water's motion."

"I know the feeling. Were you feeling sick that day?"

"Mentally - One of those rough days one may consider turning the water red. - I laid back, head in the water with closed eyes just to soak, try and calm the thoughts."

Nodding she's been there too, "hate it when those thoughts seem to echo all day."

"Yeah. One of those days. Anyway, I had gotten relaxed enough to allow my arms to float bedside me when the water in the bath started to move. Like someone got into the tub with me. Of course I pop my eyes open to look around. Sitting up enough to see around the tub, don't see anything out of the ordinary. I slipped back into the water. Closing my eyes could feel the motion of the hot water crossing over my body from sliding back down. Waiting for that motion to slow and stop it didn't. Ever so gently the hot water washed back and forth across my skin. Feeling sensually soothing I went with it, my

n

o

t

4

u

"Oh." Arlene was not expecting to hear an erotically creepy recant. She can see I'm serious. Waiting for me to say I'm messing with her would like to fill up the bathtub with me in it, to see if it'll happen again. She's also concerned about remaining here, with a possible sexually aggressive spirit. "Do you think those were the only times it was, not quite us?"

"I think so. I can't recall otherwise." Both of us still scanning the surroundings I ask, "are you freaked out right now?"

"Yes, are you fuckin' kiddin' me? aren't you?" She can't believe I have to ask.

"Kind of. I'm just trying to think if we need to be."

"What do you mean? Hell yeah we need to be."

"The instances are more than half a year apart. I haven't even seen that mist since. Have you?"

"No." Arlene was wondering the other day if she'd seen it again.

"Yeah. Maybe we won't for awhile again."

Not wanting to be possessed she hopes there isn't another time. "You do want to move out of here? Right Rob?"

"Yeah. My rational mind, keeps saying just a few more months of saving - stick it out. My guys' mind is like we've got some sort of twisted third joining us every once and awhile. That's not a comforting thought to either of us I'm sure - but we are okay in the end. No use denying it, we both enjoyed the other and didn't stop it - did we?"

"No we didn't." A ghostly third with her experience was enjoyed. "There is like absolutely no one we can talk too about this is there?"

"I doubt it? You are the first one I've ever told about my happening. I find it more embarrassing because you know how the average person would react. A feel a little bit violated, now, but again, you still got enjoyment out of it. There's also this odd part that goes with just that. If we were both possessed by our mist it's not out for anything cruel - some sort of closeness wouldn't you think?"

"Closeness? What are you getting at?" Arlene's never had this kind of discussion before, sober or high.

"If our spirit is that of the young woman who died in a car crash, maybe in life she was a sexual person or perhaps just starting to enjoy it. So while lingering in death maybe still desires that contact. Like if we were ghosts, would we miss things like the taste of foods? Or better yet if you were haunting some place that had a hot guy in it - wouldn't you want to get a piece too?"

"What?" She does like that end thought but won't admit it. "Are you trying to say we should be accepting, she, he or it used us for sex?"

"I don't know about accepting, understanding, maybe."

"What?" She's curious if I had a head injury in the night. "Are you alright in there? Understanding? Jeez Rob."

"Sorry just thinking aloud here."

"Yeah well I don't think you're helping things here." Arlene still worries about the landlord coming around. Then she considers if he'd become possessed and that's what got into him, but doesn't explain the slamming door.

"Sorry. What would you like to do? What ever you want I will go along with. I brought you out here to be happy I want you to stay happy."

The idea of being accepting if she was a ghost is now fluttering in the mind. "Thank you Rob. I do realize we both are okay here and really nothing bad has happened to us, yet," she pauses to knock on the wood paneling. "I want a home of our own. But if anything like that happens again or a see that mist coming for even one of us, Sheena too, we are out of here. Okay?"

"As you wish." Giving a kiss to her forehead. "What do you want to do now?"

Comfortable held is content right there. "Can we just cuddle for awhile?"

"As you wish."

***

The next few weeks we avoided intoxicants more in fear of being overtaken while sleeping. Almost like the mist was listening it didn't reveal itself for along time.

Nearing the holidays with both of us having little family and wanting to avoid society kept to our selves. For my sake she turned down dinner invitations. For that I let her put up some decorations and a tiny fake tree.

Liking life for the first time in a long time Arlene sent out Christmas cards. Contained within letters explaining why she left and why she's staying.

Our tiny tree had only two presents under it one for each other. A few months back I picked up a necklace she was drawn to in a local shop. Disappointed when it was no longer on display, she was thrilled to find out it was hers' now.

Arlene had similar sized gift for me, which I annoyed her by opening it slowly. Inside I wasn't impressed but played nice, "oh a nice tie. Are we going somewhere I need a tie?"

She laughs, "yeah the alter. You asked me to marry you back in October. Possessed or not I said yes."

"Okay, when's it happening?"

She points at the box, "I'm just messing with you. The real present is still in there."

"Oh," peeling back the tissue paper I see she's picked up a half ounce of weed, "oh how'd you know?"

Giggling we got to into it spending a leisurely day together, ordering Chinese food for dinner.

Talking with my brother at Christmas finally tell someone I know, there is a woman in my life and how long we've already been living together. Telling my mother makes her happy and my father's relieved there might be somebody to control me.

New year's eve we joined her work friends at Mary-Lee's house. Each new drink given that evening made us wonder if it should be consumed or not. Not in a hurry to become possessed again we both nursed our beverages.

Fear of going home under the influence we found a spot in Mary-Lee's basement, just after midnight, for a little lovin'. Which they all heard upstairs.

When finally back at the shack we just went to bed with our undergarments on. In the morning we were oddly thankful they were still on.