Ghosts of Halloween - PG Challenge 110

[darkstarrising]

Karen

Just came by for a reread and was stunned by the beauty and depth of this amazing piece.

This is one of those rare stories that has, to me anyway, more impact on the second reading.

How very Beth. She is cruel in her grief. Here she lashed out at Josef much as she lashed out at Mick when Josh died. It took her longer to forgive Josef (she wasn't in love with him) but eventually she did.

Thank you for writing this classic. I think it is one of your very best. Now where are those tissues...

Jenna

thanks, jen This is a very human Beth who rises from the depths of despair and gets on with life. The life she makes for herself is fulfilling, but there is always the void left by losing Mick. You're right, she lashes out at Josef much the same way she lashed out at Mick, but in time she feels the need to forgive and does so.

Oh, dear, now I'm crying AGAIN!!!

Oh sweetie, don't cry All is well in the end....she found Mick again. But did she ever really lose him?

What a truly lovely story. Bravo!

thanks, susieb, I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[jen]

You would think that at some point, after multiple rereads, I will not sob my way through sad stories, no matter how well written they are.

Nope.

Not going to happen. At least not with yours, Karen.

Beth did indeed find a bit of peace. She never moved on from Mick. Don't think she ever felt the slightest desire to. The romantic piece of her soul was put away, like a flower pressed between the pages of a book. That piece of herself was for her Mick and no one else.

Heartbreaking, and very beautiful.

Jenna

[darkstarrising]

You would think that at some point, after multiple rereads, I will not sob my way through sad stories, no matter how well written they are.

Nope.

Not going to happen. At least not with yours, Karen.

Beth did indeed find a bit of peace. She never moved on from Mick. Ir awwma she never felt the slightest desire to. The romantic piece of her soul was put away, like a flower pressed between the pages of a book. That piece of herself was for her Mick and no one else.

Heartbreaking, and very beautiful.

Jenna

thanks, jenna Love that sentence -The romantic piece of her soul was put away, like a flower pressed between the pages of a book. What a beautiful description!! thank you!!

[jen]

Karen

This is so beautiful. Absolutely tragic, and heartbreaking but beautiful, too.

Much as Beth lashed out at Mick after Josh's death, here she lashed out at Josef. She hurt Mick then, and she hurt Josef here, but Josef watched out for her, much as Mick had once done.

Gah! Multiple rereads and I'm still at soggy mess at the end of this story.

Truly wonderful!

Thank you!

Jenna

[darkstarrising]

Karen

This is so beautiful. Absolutely tragic, and heartbreaking but beautiful, too.

Much as Beth lashed out at Mick after Josh's death, here she lashed out at Josef. She hurt Mick then, and she hurt Josef here, but Josef watched out for her, much as Mick had once done.

Gah! Multiple rereads and I'm still at soggy mess at the end of this story.

Truly wonderful!

Thank you!

Jenna

Thanks, Jenna That you're still a soggy mess after multiple re-reads is actually quite a compliment. What would have Beth done and become had Mick been taken away from her? Angry? Lost? Hurt? All of the above, but being Beth, she finds a way to go on, never forgetting the vampire who held her heart.

[cassysj]

This makes me cry. It has a beautiful ending

[darkstarrising]

This makes me cry. It has a beautiful ending

Thanks, Carol I hadn't read this in quite a while, but when you bumped it up, I read it again. I needed a hankie, too!

[MickLifeCrisis]

As I read this, I knew I had read it before because it seemed familiar as I went along but I wasn't sure what was coming next. However, I don't see that I ever commented on it. I lost track of how many tissues I needed while reading this.

This is an amazing story and so well written. Being moved to tears is a compliment! In some ways, the saddest part was not when Beth lost Mick, but the decades-long estrangement between Beth and Josef. They both lost Mick and they could have used the support of each other. But Beth felt Josef's protection, she treasured Mick's ring and medallion that Josef had given her to feel connected, and she had the chance to offer forgiveness and to say goodbye.

And the ending - superb. Dang... still need the tissues.

Glad I found this tonight!

[librarian_7]

So glad MLC bumped this. It's been years since I read it. I was going through the comments as well, and saw where you were apologizing if you upset anyone. I think it wasn't ever "upset"--more like a good cry! That catharsis is valuable, and with that nice ambiguity in the ending, you let the reader decide which way they want to see the ending.

(Personally, I'm going with the "Mick's death was all a dream" interpretation.)

Excellent piece of fiction, dsr. Just excellent.

[allegrita]

Oh, man, this story is just so good. I go with the "it was real" interpretation. I can see Beth making a life for herself despite her grief, because she's a "just keep on going" type of person. And I'd hate for Colleen and Erin not to have really existed. Beth's life wasn't what she had hoped for, but it was a full and fulfilling one. And I love the fact that she not only reconciled with Josef (or Mike, as his friends call him ) but called on him to help her rejoin Mick. The poignancy of that last scene, and the joy of the reunion, is what got me sniffling. What a beautiful story.

[darkstarrising]

As I read this, I knew I had read it before because it seemed familiar as I went along but I wasn't sure what was coming next. However, I don't see that I ever commented on it. I lost track of how many tissues I needed while reading this.

This is an amazing story and so well written. Being moved to tears is a compliment! In some ways, the saddest part was not when Beth lost Mick, but the decades-long estrangement between Beth and Josef. They both lost Mick and they could have used the support of each other. But Beth felt Josef's protection, she treasured Mick's ring and medallion that Josef had given her to feel connected, and she had the chance to offer forgiveness and to say goodbye.

And the ending - superb. Dang... still need the tissues.

Glad I found this tonight!

Thanks, MLC I'm glad you found it, too!! I'll be honest, I hadn't read this story in a while, and when I read it today, I had to find a few tissues myself.

So glad MLC bumped this. It's been years since I read it. I was going through the comments as well, and saw where you were apologizing if you upset anyone. I think it wasn't ever "upset"--more like a good cry! That catharsis is valuable, and with that nice ambiguity in the ending, you let the reader decide which way they want to see the ending.

(Personally, I'm going with the "Mick's death was all a dream" interpretation.)

Excellent piece of fiction, dsr. Just excellent.

Thanks, Lucky and I'm glad you didn't find it upsetting (one person did when it was first posted, hence the added disclaimer). Deciding on the ending was difficult, so I chose to let the reader decide.

Oh, man, this story is just so good. I go with the "it was real" interpretation. I can see Beth making a life for herself despite her grief, because she's a "just keep on going" type of person. And I'd hate for Colleen and Erin not to have really existed. Beth's life wasn't what she had hoped for, but it was a full and fulfilling one. And I love the fact that she not only reconciled with Josef (or Mike, as his friends call him ) but called on him to help her rejoin Mick. The poignancy of that last scene, and the joy of the reunion, is what got me sniffling. What a beautiful story.

Thanks, alle This story is one of the best ones I've ever written with Beth as the central character. Mick isn't there for most of the story, but he's always present. That's how much Beth loved him and that's how much his loss has affected her. She does go on, and finds life without Mick, ultimately forgiving Josef before her death. Whether she dreamt this or not, only the reader can say.

[librarian_7]

I actually have thought of a third interpretation. What if, at the last minute, Mick just couldn't bear the thought of Beth being turned, and decided to have Josef help fake his death? He would have been the presence Beth felt watching over her all those years, and at the end of her life, he couldn't stay away, coming back to her at last...

(Still really, really sad, of course)

[darkstarrising]

I actually have thought of a third interpretation. What if, at the last minute, Mick just couldn't bear the thought of Beth being turned, and decided to have Josef help fake his death? He would have been the presence Beth felt watching over her all those years, and at the end of her life, he couldn't stay away, coming back to her at last...

(Still really, really sad, of course)

Wow, Lucky! That's an interesting idea Another example of how the reader gets to choose the ending.

[librarian_7]

In truth, I don't really buy into that interpretation--I can't see Mick doing something so brutal to the woman he loves. Also don't think he'd want to take away her choice. He did not consent to being turned; in this story, she had consented, and welcomed the idea.

(I can also see a scenario--AU--where he does bug out on her, she finds out he's not, in fact, dead, has Josef turn her, and hunts him down in revenge... )

[darkstarrising]

In truth, I don't really buy into that interpretation--I can't see Mick doing something so brutal to the woman he loves. Also don't think he'd want to take away her choice. He did not consent to being turned; in this story, she had consented, and welcomed the idea.

(I can also see a scenario--AU--where he does bug out on her, she finds out he's not, in fact, dead, has Josef turn her, and hunts him down in revenge... )

I hear ya. Mick may have reservations about Beth's turning, but I can't see him putting her through hell like that.