 
A ROMANTIC GHOST STORY

by

Jason W. Chan

SMASHWORDS EDITION

* * * * *

PUBLISHED BY:

Jason W. Chan on Smashwords

A Romantic Ghost Story

Copyright 2011 by Jason W. Chan

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

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All rights reserved. No parts of this book shall be reproduced, stored or transmitted by any means, except with the written permission of the author, unless for brief quotations in reviews.

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#### Acknowledgements

Thanks to Jill and Florence, my beta readers. I couldn't do it without your support.

***

#### A Message from the Author

I hope you will enjoy reading _A Romantic Ghost Story_.

After you're done, I have a few tiny favors to ask of you:

1. Please post the link to this ebook on your facebook and twitter and other social media networks.

If you liked this story, please write a review for it, on whichever site you found it.

Please like its page on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Romantic-Ghost-Story/347390105277211

This last part is the most important: please recommend it to as many friends as possible. Thank you for helping me spread the word.

Please email me if you have any feedback: jasonwchan@hotmail.com

Visit my blog where I have in-depth discussions about some of my favorite love stories: www.jasonwchan.blogspot.com

If you liked this novel, I would recommend my other ebooks, such as Hiding In His Dreams, Meet Me at Taylor Park, and The Patter of the Spring Rain, all love stories.

Thanks for supporting me.

Always Yours,

Jason W. Chan

***

_Synopsis_ : Trapped on Earth and forced to marry a demon, Nancy is a spirit about to give up her dreams of success in Hollywood when a brave young man returns her faith to her, and makes her believe in love again _. A Romantic Ghost Story_ is about the all-powerful, redemptive nature of love and how it could change someone's world.

Novella Length: 27,000 Words

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"The only thing that survives death is love."

***

#### Prologue

##### The Present

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

In the Macedonian-Canadian Care Home in Vancouver, Canada, 93 year-old Nancy lay dying in her bed, gasping for air.

A doctor and a nurse stood outside her room, deep in conversation.

The nurse turned to the doctor. "Does she have any family?"

The doctor nodded. "Yes. A son and two daughters. But they're scattered all over the world. She's predeceased by her husband. Has been for ten years." He checked his patient file. "Her granddaughter, Serena, lives in Vancouver though."

The nurse nodded. "I'll notify her right away."

The doctor entered the room and approached Nancy. "Are you in any pain?"

Nancy took a deep breath, her breathing stabilizing. She shook her head, her long white hair spilling over her pillow.

She grabbed onto the young physician's hand. "Doctor, you can be honest with me. Am I near death?"

Smiling nervously, the doctor put a comforting hand on her bony wrist. "Death? Who said anything about death?"

Nancy coughed.

The doctor put on his best sympathetic face. "Let's just say that you are. Would you be afraid, Nancy?"

Nancy shook her head, coughing again. "No, not at all. I'm going to see Ryan again. Why would I be afraid?" Her voice was surprisingly calm for a dying woman.

The doctor looked uncertain. "I can give you some morphine if you'd like."

"I said I'm not in any pain," Nancy insisted. "It's just a cough. It's just pneumonia."

"But with your advanced age, pneumonia could be fatal."

Nancy shrugged. "So it is. That doesn't matter. I know what's awaiting me. I've been dead before."

Again, the doctor played dumb. "Who said anything about death?"

The nurse re-entered the room.

Then, realizing what Nancy had said, the doctor raised an eyebrow. "You've been dead before?"

The two medical personnel exchanged amused glances.

"Oh yes. Once. But then a boy saved me and I got to live again," said Nancy, scrunching up her wrinkled face in fond remembrance.

The nurse whispered to the doctor. "Is she on any medication that could cause hallucinatory side effects?"

"No," the doctor said. "She's not on any medication. She even refused morphine."

Having overheard, Nancy exclaimed, "Why would I need any medication? I'm not in pain. If I'm dying, the best part is I get to see Ryan again. It's been 76 years since I last saw him."

The nurse leaned closer to the doctor. "Who is this Ryan?"

"I don't know." He scrutinized her patient file. "Ryan's not mentioned in her profile."

Although they were talking about her as if she were not in the room, Nancy was oblivious.

"Of course not," said Nancy, folding her hands and putting them on her stomach. "I was never married to him. But he was the greatest love of my life."

At that point, a woman with messy dark poked her head in the room. "Grandma?"

Nancy's smile grew wider. "Serena! You came to visit me!"

Before Serena could enter the room, the doctor and the nurse stepped through the doorway and closed the door.

The doctor looked grave. "Thanks for coming, Serena. Your grandmother's near death."

Serena bit her lips. "How long does she have?"

"I'm not sure. A few hours. Or a few days." He took off his glasses and lowered his voice. "You have to understand that patients near death sometimes display incoherent behavior or babble non-sense. If your grandmother does either of that, just know that it's normal."

Serena nodded.

"I've also decided not to tell her she's dying," the physician continued. "She's such a cheerful old lady. I don't how she'd react.

Serena wondered what kind of bit-two retirement home this was. "Doesn't she deserve to hear the truth?"

The doctor nodded. "You're a family member. You can tell her if you want."

The doctor and nurse then exchanged worried glances.

Serena's expression grew quizzical. "What is it? You can tell me."

The doctor cleared his throat. "Your grandmother has claimed to have been dead before. Do you know of any near-death experiences that she's had?"

Serena scratched her head. "Not that I know of."

The doctor nodded. "Do you know anyone named Ryan in her life?"

"No," replied Serena. "No one with that name."

The doctor indicated Nancy's room. "Alright. I'll leave you to it then. Just break it to her gently."

The doctor and nurse left, leaving Serena to her thoughts. Grandma was the most sensible person she knew. It was breaking her heart that she was breaking down mentally.

She opened the door and walked in. "Grandma?"

Nancy held out her hands, grinning. "Serena."

Serena grabbed her grandmother's cold hands and sat down on the bed, a tearful expression on her pretty face. "The doctor said that you said that you've been dead before."

Nancy shrugged. "I have. That's why I'm not afraid of it."

Serena tightened her grip on her grandmother's hands. She had been warned that Nancy would babble nonsense.

"Was it a near death experience?" she asked.

"No," answered Nancy, her expression serious. "It was a complete death experience."

Serena looked baffled.

Nancy shifted in her position on the bed. "Listen, honey. That doctor and nurse think I'm crazy, but I'm not. I've been dead before. I know what happens."

Serena bit her lips, not knowing whether to tell her the truth.

Nancy grabbed onto Serena's hands. "Serena, please be honest with me. I knew something was wrong when that doctor asked me if I wanted morphine. I mean, I'm not even in any pain." She looked deep into her granddaughter's eyes. "Am I dying?"

Serena wrestled with the decision. She decided that her grandmother deserved to know the truth.

"Yes," she said solemnly. "Yes, you are, grandma."

A smile spread across Nancy's gaunt yet cheerful face. "Good. Then, I'll get to see Ryan again.

Tentatively, Serena asked, "Who's Ryan?"

"He gave me his guitar. You're named after it." She pointed to the rusty old guitar gathering dust in the corner.

Seeing the confused expression on her granddaughter's face, Nancy elaborated. "Ryan was the greatest love of my life. Sure, I loved your grandfather, but not in the same way. I've never talked about Ryan, but I thought about him every day." Nancy sighed, her dark eyes wistful.

"You're not afraid of death?" asked Serena softly.

"Why should I be afraid? I'm going to see him soon." She smiled, her whole face lighting up. "Really soon." She wasn't sure of that at all, but the hope and thought gave her courage to deal with death.

She looked at her 24 year-old granddaughter. "You're so young, Serena. You have your whole life ahead of you to live. You're going to have a career, meet the love of your life, get married and have children. You have so much to look forward to."

Serena stroked her grandmother's hair. "Don't say that, grandma. Don't say that." She knew her grandmother was saying goodbye but she didn't want her to.

Nancy started hacking.

Serena grabbed a glass of water on the bedside table and handed it to her grandmother.

Nancy took a sip and placed the glass back on the bedside table. "I don't think I have long now." She closed her weary eyes. "I'm tired. So tired."

Serena stroked her grandma's long hair. "You want me to call mom?"

"No," said Nancy, her eyes still closed. She was imagining Ryan's handsome face.

She opened her eyes when the image became too much to bear. A single tear trickled down her face when she thought about what Ryan had done for her. She stared out the window at the night stars.

"It was on a night like this when I first met Ryan," she mumbled to herself. At that moment, she was unaware that someone else was in the room with her.

She was dying. She wanted to make sense of her life. She wanted to remember Ryan.

As her granddaughter sat by her side and clutched her cold hand, Nancy thought about her long life and everything that had happened. She thought about her own death and her rebirth. She thought about having no regrets because she finally got to pursue and achieve her dreams, all thanks to the boy called Ryan.

***

# Chapter 1

75 years earlier

In a tiny, remote village in the Macedonian countryside, 18 year-old Nancy was playing her guitar in a wide-open clearing. The melody was melancholic, much like a funeral march, but also infused with sweet notes of hope and joy.

A rustling in the bushes made her stop. She brushed her long dark windswept hair out of her face and listened carefully. There it was again. Nancy scanned the sun-tinted bushes and spotted a furry white rabbit in the thicket. It was in an entangled mess and was trying to escape.

She approached the animal and knelt down beside it.

"Poor thing," she said, her voice heavy with concern. "You're trapped."

She reached for the rabbit, but its dark eyes were filled with fear.

"It's OK," she whispered. "It's OK. I'm not going to hurt you."

The rabbit made a whimpering sound as she attempted to help it break free. After a few attempts of disentangling its legs from the trees roots, she finally freed it.

A smile burst onto her beautiful face.

The rabbit turned around and started to bolt away, but then it stopped in its tracks, its giant ears perked up.

Nancy approached. The rabbit stayed put.

She reached down and pet it and the rabbit made a sort of purring sound, like a cat would. Then, it turned around and scampered away.

As Nancy watched it leave, she felt envy sink into her heart.

How great would it be to have that kind of freedom and take off whenever I want to, she thought.

She looked behind her at the teahouse. It was time to get back to work.

***

As Nancy cleaned the tables at her uncle's teahouse, the din of the patrons' conversations surrounded her. Certain parts of certain conversations particularly intrigued her.

Hollywood.

California.

Music.

Superstar.

Hot sun.

Beautiful beaches.

Warm water.

Her ears always perked up when they heard these words. Yet, America was all the way on the other side of the world and there was no way she would escape from Macedonia. She was born a poor Macedonian farmer's daughter and she would die a poor Macedonian farmer's daughter. At least that was what she had always been told. No one ever left the poor backward third-world nation. Least of all leaving to have a shot of becoming successful and rich and famous. It just wasn't done. Everyone in her village had grown up there, married there, had children there and died there. She was expected to do the same.

Yes, she wanted to leave, but she wasn't sure whether she could compete in the cutthroat world of entertainment, where other young struggling up-and-comers would step all over one another just to have a shot at stardom. She was too gentle, too nice.

Although Nancy was considered to be the most beautiful girl in the village, she was sure that she was a lot less glamorous than all the stars she saw in American magazines, like _People_ or _Us Weekly,_ that wealthy American tourists would leave in the teahouse. Even if she did manage to arrive in Hollywood, she wasn't sure if she could survive and thrive in the mean streets of Los Angeles. But still, what she wouldn't give to have a chance. She was good with the guitar. She had been writing her own songs and practicing everyday with the guitar that her mother had given her before she died. Nancy even gave it a name. _Lucy_. The gorgeous brass guitar was the only souvenir she had of her mother, who died of cancer when she was only 12.

Nancy would always remember the promise that she made to her mother as she was taking her last breath on her deathbed.

Her mother had clutched her hands and said, "I want you to pursue your dreams. No matter what, you have to get out of Macedonia. There are no opportunities for a poor girl like you here. Don't stay here like me and marry the farmer next door. There are greater things waiting for you out in that big world. Go explore. You go chase your dreams no matter what."

Yet, six years later, she was still here, serving tea to customers in her uncle's teahouse.

"Excuse me, miss," an American customer called. "More tea, please."

Nancy was shaken out of her thoughts. She looked up at the handsome, young American man. He looked like he was in his mid-twenties. He had slicked-back black hair and deep brown eyes. He reminded her of a snake oil salesman – someone suave and confident. He was even dressed like one: he had on a black Armani business suit and black dress pants.

She took a pitcher of green tea and refreshed the man's porcelain cup.

He nodded and smiled, revealing perfect white teeth. "Thank you, miss."

He went back to reading his _People's_ magazine.

Nancy stopped short when she realized who was on the cover. It was the international music star Celine Dion, singing at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. She had the kind of career that Nancy had always wanted.

She pointed to the cover. "Are you a big fan?"

The guy flipped to the cover. "Of Celine Dion?"

She nodded.

He took a sip of tea. "Not really. I work in the American entertainment industry. I'm a music producer. I'm just here in Macedonia on vacation."

Upon hearing that news, her big brown eyes sparkled.

"I love music," she said, standing beside his table in her work uniform, which consisted of a pair of blue overalls and an apron.

The tourist looked up at her. "Oh yeah? Are you a musician?"

"Something like that. I play the guitar."

The guy looked up at her with interest. "I'm Mark."

He held out one hand and she shook it.

"Nancy," she said.

"Hi, Nancy. I'm always looking for talent. Are you looking for representation?"

She nodded, her heart racing. Could this be the day that her life would finally begin?

Mark polished off his cup of tea. "Would you play a little something for me?"

Her uncle, a big, burly man with a receding hairline, stood at the counter and cleared his throat.

Nancy nodded again. "Yeah. I'm about to play a little something for the customers. Stick around."

Mark nodded.

She looked at her uncle. He wasn't really her uncle, just a business associate of her father's, but he was the only one willing to look after her, so he offered her a job at his teahouse, but she suspected it wasn't completely out of kindness. She suspected it was because he wouldn't have to pay her as much as other employees.

She approached the man, who had both hairy arms on his hips.

"What did I say about talking too much to the customers?" he said, a scowl growing on his pudgy face.

"I know, I know," she said, sighing.

His frown hardened. "If you talk too much, then you'll neglect your duties."

"I know," she repeated.

"Just be careful," he said, leaning in closer. "You're a beautiful girl. Strange men take one look at you and fall in love. You never know what their intentions are."

She remained silent. She was sure that his concern for her was less than fatherly. He just didn't want her to run off with another man because then he'd have to go through the trouble of finding another employee and paying him the minimum wage, which was more than what he was paying her. But he was right, of course. It was dangerous to be seduced by a strange man. But still, the thought of having a strange, handsome man sweep her off her feet and make all her wildest dreams come true sent chills all over her body.

Her uncle began wiping the counter with a cloth. "Are you meeting Steven today after work to finalize your wedding?"

"Yes," she said, even though she had absolutely no intention of meeting Steven that day, or any other day.

"Good," he said. "He's a good boy. His father had known yours for ages. Steven is a fine farmer and he'd make a good husband. He'll take good care of you."

She nodded mechanically, but inside, she knew why he wanted to marry her off to Steven. Steven was a prosperous farmer and was paying her uncle a large sum of money as a wedding gift. In a way, her uncle was selling her off to Steven. And there was nothing she could do about it.

He reached into his pocket and took out a couple bills. He counted out $20. "Here you go. Your pay for the day."

She stared at it incredulously. "That's it? $20?"

"Business has been slow these days," her uncle lied. "That's all I can afford to pay you."

She couldn't believe it. She knew that her uncle had lots of money, because he owned several teahouses and they were all reporting record business. He even made the local paper as Businessman of the Year. Reports even interviewed him.

She was tempted to argue with him, but she decided not to. It would have been a stupid idea to piss off her only source of income.

"Can I play for the customers now?"

Her uncle gave a dismissive wave of his hand. "Sure, but I don't know why you bother. Music doesn't really draw in the crowds."

She ignored his comment, even though she knew he was right, for now anyway.

She climbed onto the mini-stage in front of the counter and spoke into the microphone. "Hi everyone. I'm Nancy and it's time for my daily performance. This song is called _Beyond the White Clouds."_

She picked up her guitar _Lucy_ from the podium and began to play. Sweet, serene notes were born from her instrument. When she played music, she was lost in a blissful world of ecstasy. All worldly concerns - her greedy cheapskate uncle, her boring fiancé, her desire to leave her dead-end home country for a better life, her desire to chase her dreams - all vanished when she surrendered herself to the intoxicating sound of music. In a way, music saved her. It comforted her after her parents' deaths. It was all she really had.

When she was done, she felt a sense of deep satisfaction and a sense of high. She barely noticed the sparsely-populated teahouse and the scattered applause.

The one who applauded the loudest was the music producer Mark.

He went up to her. "Great piece, Nancy. Really emotional."

She got off the stage. "Thank you."

He lowered his voice, sounding very serious. "Listen, I don't mean to be too forward, but I see a great deal of potential in you. Are you interested in touring in America, with me as your agent and producer? I have connections. I can smuggle you into America with a fake passport."

Her heart skipped a beat. This was her dream, after all, but her uncle was right. She had to be wary of strange, suave men.

He realized that perhaps he had been too straightforward. He reached into his pocket and took out a business card.

"Here," he said, handing it to her. "I'm staying at the Orchid Hotel tonight. Think about my offer and come see me if you decide you want to go."

She took the card. It read _Mark Dupre, Music Producer, JWC Records._

Without another word, the man turned around and left the teahouse.

Deep in thought, she wasn't paying attention when she stumbled off the stage and fell onto the wooden floors, knocking off some teacups from a table beside her in the process.

Her uncle rushed over, but instead of helping her off, he picked up the broken teacups.

He towered over Nancy, who was still lying in pain on the floor.

He shook his big head. "I told you not to talk to strangers." He pointed at the broken teacups. "These are coming right out of your salary."

He reached into her pocket and took the two ten-dollar bills that he had given her.

Nancy lay on the floor, clutching her aching ribs.

***

Later that evening, when the sun had set, Nancy returned to her one-bedroom apartment, which was more like a dilapidated shack. The electricity wasn't working, so she was forced to sit on her couch in the dark.

She thought about her current financial situation. Her stingy uncle had ripped her off. Again. Her rent was late. This time, she was sure her landlord wouldn't be so generous. After all, rental investment was a business, not a charity.

She thought about accepting Mark's offer. She had nothing to live for in Macedonia. She had a dead-end job, a fiancé who just wanted a trophy wife, and no future. She had nothing to lose.

But still, something was stopping her. Something was keeping her from leaving. Maybe it was because change was hard. Maybe it was because she was used to the simple life in the countryside. Maybe because she was scared to pursue her dreams.

A knock on the door jolted her from her thoughts.

She opened the door.

It was Steven, her farmer fiancé. He was 35 years old, but was already wrinkly and tanned from spending all day in the sun.

Without waiting for an invitation, he stepped into her apartment. "I'm so happy to see you, baby. Spending all day toiling in the sun really makes me think of you."

"I'm not feeling well tonight, Steven. I think I want to be alone."

"Non-sense," he said. "We're practically husband and wife now. Let me make you feel better."

With that, he started groping her body, running his dirty hands all over her shapely chest and curvy hips.

Nancy stepped back. "No, stop, Steven. I mean it."

He ignored her. "Come on, baby doll. We're almost married. God doesn't care if we do it." As an afterthought, he added, "I'll make you feel real good."

She batted his arms away, but like insistent bees, they kept coming.

"Stop it, Steven!" she shouted.

"Oh god, you are so hot, Nancy."

He was now leaning so close that she could feel his rancid breath on her cheeks. It smelled of beer and cigarettes.

One hand was now on her breast. He gave it a squeeze and that was when Nancy got mad. She slapped his face so that that if they weren't in the dark, she would have seen a deep crimson mark.

He glared at her, but remained calm. "You're going to regret that. I'm telling your uncle."

He turned around and ran out of the apartment.

Nancy's exhausted legs gave way and she collapsed onto her torn couch. She was breathing so hard that she was on the verge of hyperventilating.

She rested a while and stood up.

I'm going to find that American music producer, she thought. I have nothing to lose.

***

She arrived in town at the Orchid Hotel and was led to Mark's room on the second floor.

She knocked on the door.

Mark opened it with a wide smile. "I had a feeling I'd see you tonight."

It was raining and Nancy was soaking wet.

Mark noticed and invited her in.

After handing her a towel, he sat down on the bed and watched as she dried her hair.

This girl could be it, he thought. I hope my boss will be very happy with her. I wonder how much we could sell her for.

After she dried her hair, she tossed the towel onto the chair beside the TV.

A round of lightning illuminated Nancy's sweet face. Her tousled hair and her pink cheeks made her beauty shine through. Mark was mesmerized.

Nancy stood in front of Mark, feeling a little weird. She was about to embark on the most important journey of her life. This was her dream, for the love of God! She had wanted this so badly, ever since she could remember.

"I've decided to accept your offer," she said.

Mark grinned. "That's great."

"You can handle all the legal stuff?"

"Oh yeah. Leave the passports and everything else to me."

A silence permeated the room. It was the pause you experience before starting something new. The anticipation, the wonderment, the excitement.

Nancy tossed her long dark hair behind her shoulders. "This is crazy."

"Chasing a dream is always crazy," Mark replied. "We leave tonight. This is it. You're going to be big. We're going to set you up with all the record executives, sign you to a music label and start your career. You're going to be rich and famous."

Nancy stared at the man in pajamas.

He was right, she thought. Chasing a dream is always crazy, but always worth it. She wasn't even thinking about the wealth and fame. More importantly, she just wanted to share her music with the world. Touch others. Move others. Make others feel better with her music, just like what music had done for her, in her hour of need.

Excitement coursed through her as she digested what she was about to do. Her stomach turned over. She was going to leave behind everything that was familiar to her: the teahouse, her uncle, the fiancé, everything.

All to chase her dream in America, the land of freedom and opportunity. She imagined what singing on stage in front of thousands of adoring fans would be like.

The thought put a gigantic smile on her face.

***

#### Chapter 2

72 grueling hours later, Nancy arrived in the port city of Qingdao, China. An agent had smuggled her out of Macedonia. She, along with a rag-tag crew of refugees and migrants, had traveled nonstop on a small rickety plane, then a lumbering, creaky train and finally a dilapidated school bus, until they finally arrived in China.

Now, as Nancy stared out at the dark stormy vastness of the East China Sea, she wasn't so sure this had been a good idea.

She stared at her fellow travelers. They were all poor farmhands, servants, refugees, migrants, poor young peasant men and women – all with dreams of making it big. Like her, they were all aspiring to a better life.

A chilly wind whipped her long dark hair, but she wasn't cold. Instead, she was numb to the elements, after having traveled nonstop for the past two days. She didn't even feel the icy rain spilling down sloppily from the sooty sky.

A thunderous rumble from above would have drawn Nancy's attention in another life, but it was nothing compared to the rumble in her stomach. She had had nothing but bread and barely enough water for the duration of the journey so far. To say she was starving would have been an understatement.

Her face and body smudged with dirt, her stiff back aching with pain, her entire body caked in sweat, she felt and looked like a poor beggar girl, rather than a future music superstar.

The group of refugees stood by the wobbly harbor, waiting for instructions from another agent. As the tall man gathered his thoughts, the crowd whispered among themselves.

Where are we?

Would we make it across the stormy East China Sea and then the Pacific Ocean?

What would America be like?

Would She welcome us with open arms? Or would She ignore and reject us?

Something's fishy here. Why didn't our agent/smuggler accompany us on our journey?

Nancy had the same question. Why hadn't Mark accompanied her on this arduous journey? In her haste and excitement to leave, she hadn't considered how suspicious it was when Mark told her that an agent would smuggle her out of the country. Then, he would meet her in Los Angeles, California.

He had given her all the requirements legal documents, such as a passport, and a phone number in case she got lost.

Now, as she stood on the pier and gazed out at the angry waves duking it out with the frantic rain, she already felt lost.

Their leader, a tall Chinese man, raised a hand for silence.

"Alright," he barked out in broken English. "You listen to me now. In a minute, we will board the boat." He pointed to the small, flimsy fishing boat that rocked in the troubled waters. "And in a couple of days, we will land in Los Angeles, USA."

A couple of days? Nancy was beginning to feel that she hadn't thought this through. For a minute, she considered backing out. Why had she trusted Mark? He was a total stranger. Even though she felt trapped and suffocated back in her tiny village, at least it was home. It was familiar. She was even beginning to miss her slave master uncle and working at his teahouse.

The crowd began boarding the boat in a single file.

Nancy's knees grew weak. Her strength had been sucked out of her.

What if the boat sank in the middle of the Pacific Ocean?

But there was no time to back out now. If she didn't leave with the group, she would be stuck in a foreign country: China.

She took another look at the rocky fishing boat.

I can do this, she thought to herself. I can be brave and chase my dreams. I promised my mom that.

She thought of the sun and heat and glamour of Hollywood, California.

At that thought, she slowly regained her strength.

She thought about all her dreams coming true in America. She imagined herself performing her songs on stage with her guitar like Taylor Swift, in front of a sold-out and enthusiastic audience.

Her strength was coming back faster.

Most importantly, she thought about touching the world with her music, maybe even healing it. Music saved her in her hour of need when she lost her mother. Maybe it could save the world too.

Her strength had returned full circle.

Summoning all her courage, she gripped her sole possession, her guitar Lucy, tightly in her hands and then stepped onto the creaky boat.

The agent did one last inspection and then signaled for the boat began her thousand-mile journey.

***

Nancy hadn't realized she had fallen asleep but when she woke up, it was still dark.

She nudged the Asian girl next to her. "Is it tomorrow?"

The Asian nodded.

The sea air made Nancy feel like vomiting. Hunger pangs attacked her stomach.

Again, she wondered where Mark was. When he sold her on the idea of leaving for America and becoming a world-famous star, she thought that she would at least travel comfortably.

She whispered to the Asian girl, "How did you get on here?"

The Asian girl brushed her long hair out of her face. "Some music producer called Mark promised to smuggle me to America and make me a big star."

She looked resigned as she pointed to the tall Chinese man. "Then I found out what we're really on this boat for. We're being sold as sex slaves in America. It's all a part of this huge international sex trafficking ring. I overheard that guy talking loudly in Mandarin Chinese. He was counting heads and calculating how much he could make off each one of us."

With wide eyes, Nancy pulled out her passport and the paper with Mark's phone number written on it.

She showed them to the Asian girl. "Is this all...."

"Fake," her travel companion said. "I got one too."

She pulled out an identical passport and a piece of paper with the same number written on it.

Nancy looked around her. She noticed that most of the refugees on the boat with her were pretty young girls.

Nancy's stomach churned when her suspicion was confirmed. Her gut had told her all along that this was all too good to be true.

At that moment, her entire being filled with dread. So all this had been a lie. Mark was smuggling attractive young ladies from poor countries as sex slaves in rich ones. He had lied right to her face. He had lured her away from her home, promising to make all her dreams come true.

She stared out into the murky horizon. She could not believe she had been lied to. Even worse, she could not believe that she had stupidly fallen for such a lie.

"Then why don't we escape?" she asked.

The Asian girl looked at her like she was an idiot. "We're in the middle of the Pacific Ocean here. Where do we escape to?"

Nancy opened her mouth and then shut it. Her fellow passenger was right. There was nothing out there but the open sea.

The Asian girl softened her tone. "We're being taken to a place called Seattle, Washington. Once we get to land, we can figure something out."

She gave Nancy a reassuring squeeze on the hand.

For a moment, Nancy felt better. If they were being trafficked, at least there were others with her. There was strength in number.

Her uplifted mood lasted for all but a minute.

The storm from the night before had not let up.

In fact, it had gotten worse and it had chosen that moment to let everyone know.

The winds barraged the tiny fishing vessel until Nancy felt like she was on a roller coaster that she could not get off.

Her stomach roiled as the boat lurched to the side. She let out a visible breath. The cold made the ride that much worse. Rain pelted from above like little tiny bullets, stinging her skin.

Up ahead, the tall Chinese agent was screaming something in Mandarin Chinese to his assistant.

Nancy momentarily forgot about her hunger and thirst as she took in what was happening.

Waves slammed into the boat like a tsunami. Nancy felt that they would sink any minute.

No sooner had she thought that than the boat began to rock even harder. At first, it was barely noticeable, but when the vessel began rocking violently, Nancy knew something was wrong. The waves and the wind were having a ferocious war and their tiny transport was caught in the middle.

The agent screamed something else in Mandarin Chinese. Nancy didn't have to understand the language to know that something was wrong. Other passengers began to rouse from sleep.

Panicked murmurs filled the boat.

Nancy's eyes grew wide when she heard and then saw a big tear in the vessel. The boat was sinking.

Terrified shrieks filled the salty night air when an enormous wave knocked over a couple of her fellow migrants, including the Asian girl.

She watched in horror as the hungry sea swallowed up their bodies.

Before she had time to prepare for the inevitable, the capsized transport split into two parts, much like the _Titanic_ had.

Freezing Pacific water stung Nancy's bare skin as she opened her mouth to scream. But she didn't even get a chance to. The raging water surged right into her mouth, forcing her to swallow it.

She gripped onto _Lucy_ , her guitar, as she was sucked under.

The screeches of the other passengers were all she could hear as the angry ocean gulped down her body.

For a while, she struggled but it was futile. She closed her eyes as she prepared for eternity.

_Maybe I'll get to sing for the Lord in Heaven,_ she thought, as the water ate her.

Fortunately for her, the freezing water acted as an anesthesia. She barely felt a thing as Death came for her.

***

Nancy didn't know it at the time, but her boat was actually quite close to North America. The tiny vessel had veered off course though. It was just off the coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, which is in the same time zone as Hollywood, California.

The closest settlement was a town called Sunrise Beach, a little fishing village just north of Tofino.

Just a few miles off those waters, Nancy opened her eyes underwater, yet she felt dry. She could even breathe. Or at least she knew she didn't have to breathe.

She was standing on the ocean floor, yet somehow, she was still alive. Or at least conscious.

Maybe I'm dreaming, she thought. Or maybe I'm dead and this is heaven.

If so, it was a pretty crummy version of heaven. For one, where was that famous white light that everyone had talked about?

Scanning her environment, she noticed it was dark, but then a huge flashing white light appeared in front of her.

There it was, that famous white light, in the shape of a rectangular door.

There was no sound but Nancy could feel something call her, calling for her to step through the door. Somehow, it felt right to do so.

_Come through me_ , Nancy felt it was saying. _Come through me and you'll be all better. No more pain. No more lies. No more bad people. You'll bask in love for all eternity._

She felt drawn to it, like it was her home. The love she felt for it was as strong as the love for her parents.

But if I leave, then how will I ever get to Hollywood? She asked herself.

So, against her better judgment, she stayed put.

The blinding white light lingered for a while, and eventually disappeared.

Where am I? She wondered, staring at the shadowy grayness of the surprisingly calm ocean.

"You've decided to stay," a pleasant female voice said.

Nancy's eyes widened as she looked about her. "Who said that?"

A woman stepped out in front of her, coming from nowhere. She was a plump woman, with short white hair and wide spectacles that made her eyes look huge. She was wearing a white evening gown.

"You're earthbound now," she said. "Heaven won't be open to you for a while, unless you decide to step through again. Let's hope no demons bind you until that time. If they do, you'll never get to Heaven."

Nancy scratched her head. "What are you talking about?"

"You're in the Earthbound Zone. It's sort of a holding area, for spirits who are trapped on Earth still."

Nancy's heart thudded. "Spirits?"

The lady looked exasperated. "Well, you _are_ dead, after all."

Surprise filled Nancy. She stared at her hands. They were still solid.

The lady laughed. "Not all spirits are transparent. But, they can all float. Look." She pointed to Nancy's feet.

To her absolute shock, Nancy started floating three feet above the bottom of the ocean floor.

"Oh my god," whispered Nancy.

She realized that she must have died in the water when the boat sank. But that wasn't right. The last thing she remembered was that she had been on the boat, and then...and then....

The memory of being dragged under the raging water hit her hard. She didn't survive?

The lady, too, started to float.

At first, Nancy was angry with the world. But then, an even deeper feeling flooded her. A sense of dread filled her, spreading throughout her entire body. Now she would never be able to get to Hollywood.

"What do I do now?" she asked.

The lady shrugged. "There's nothing you can do now. Just wait until the door opens to you now."

Nancy nodded.

"Don't wander anywhere in the meantime. And get out of the water. Demons are in the Earthbound Zone, just looking to capture wandering spirits like you. Who knows what they would do to you?"

The lady began to fade away.

"Wait!" Nancy shouted. "Where are you going? What do I do now?"

"Just be careful." The raspy voice sounded like a fading radio transmission.

She pondered her own death. She was dead now? But she didn't feel any different. She felt...fine. She felt...no, wait. There _was_ something different. She couldn't feel anything.

She flailed around in the water. At that time of year, the Canadian Pacific Ocean should have been freezing, but she felt nothing.

She tried again. Still nothing.

If she was a spirit now, then where was her body? Decomposing somewhere in the water? Just the thought of her own body floating somewhere in the water as fish food made her sick to her stomach.

Just then, she spotted something gleaming in the moonlight beside her. She moved closer to check it out. It was _Lucy_ , her brass guitar.

She moved toward it as relief filled her. At least her precious guitar was still there.

But before she could reach it, green seaweed-like tentacles zipped through the foggy ocean water and snatched it away from her.

"That's mine now," a deep male voice said. "And so are you. You're in my domain now."

Nancy peered around her, but couldn't see anything in the misty water. She felt her heart bang against her chest. "Who's there?"

"I'm known by many names, little Spirit Girl. Call me Your Majesty the Ocean King. I control everything in these parts of the ocean. Little Spirit Girl, you're in my domain now. Trespassers will be punished."

She felt thick, green seaweed-like tentacles wrap themselves around her chest, tightening it. If she were still alive, they would have restricted her airflow, causing her to pass out. They lifted her higher and higher, and then pulled her quickly toward the shore.

She let out a gasp.

Panicking now, she felt as horrified as she did when the boat capsized.

As the Ocean King pulled her closer, he asked, "How should I punish her?"

A murmur of voices filled the ocean. Nancy wasn't sure, but she thought she saw clayish, lobsters, crabs, salmon and rocks circle around her in a frenzy.

The voice agreed, "Yes, I will make her my bride. I will marry her and we'll have little seaweed children."

A beautiful black evening gown materialized next to her.

"You will wear this dress on our wedding day," the rich male voice said. "In the meantime, you will clean for me. You will entertain me. Most importantly, you will find food for me."

She tried reaching out for her guitar, but the tentacles yanked it farther away.

Panicked filled her throat but she realized that resistance was useless. The more she struggled, the harder the tentacles constricted her.

As she was being pulled through the water at lightning speed, she passed by a lot of things. Rocks, seaweed, crustaceans, and corpses.

Yes, corpses.

Corpses of her fellow fallen passengers. She even saw the Asian girl.

But that wasn't the most terrifying part. The most terrifying part was that she saw a body that looked uncannily like herself. Long dark hair covered a face frozen in terror. The body was suspended a feet above the ground, hanging onto a rope.

She confirmed that it was her body. That was how she knew she was really dead. It was eerie to look at herself.

As they zoomed past, the tentacles grabbed her corpse and as they took her body and spirit closer and closer to the beach, the last thing she heard was "Your body is mine. _You_ are mine forever."

Nancy couldn't believe her bad luck. Every worst possible scenario had happened.

As the tentacles slowed to a stop, Nancy had only one thought in her mind: the worst part was that she never had a chance to make her dream come true.

***

#### Chapter 3

##### One year later

Sunrise Beach, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada

In the sleepy seaside resort town of Sunrise Beach (population 1247), five miles north of Tofino, nothing much ever really happened. Life was always the same old, same old. Same old people in the tavern, same old gossipy housewives and same old waves rolling back and forth on the beach.

That's why it was such a shock when something actually did start to happen. Something big, something mysterious, something shocking.

On the morning of October 6, 2011, the headline of the _Sunrise Beach Daily Journal_ read: _Young man, age 20, drowned in ocean, Authorities still investigating._

The next day, the headline was: _Another drowning, this time, two teenage boys._

The next day: _Three drownings in Sunrise Beach, all middle-aged men._

The townspeople knew that something was up, so the local RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) detachment assigned a special detective to investigate. A few days later, he declared all the drownings to be accidental.

But the townspeople weren't so sure. In Moe's Tavern, people were talking.

"You think it's the Ocean King?" asked Moe the bartender, a fat middle-aged guy.

"It's possible," said a young barfly named Larry. "I think we haven't sacrificed enough for him. We should have hunted for a whale this season. Maybe then he'd be full and wouldn't need to feed on humans."

"That's a bunch of hogwash," said a lady in jeans. "People drown. It happens. I can't believe you believe in that kind of crap. It's almost heresy." Bowing her head, she made the sign of the cross.

"But we haven't had this many accidental drownings in over 20 years," countered the bartender. "The last one was in 1976. And we know that young man drowned accidentally."

"Yeah," said the barfly. He took a swig of beer and scratched his head. "That's because they made a sacrifice to the Ocean King that year. My grandpa remembers it really well. They fed him a live dolphin. That year, our bounty from the ocean was the largest up to that point. Fish, shrimp, lobster, crab, prawns – you name it."

The lady scoffed. "Baloney."

The barfly placed his glass of beer down. "You won't think it's baloney if you've actually seen the Ocean King. I was a young boy back then, but I remember seeing him rise in the ocean, like a giant tidal wave. He had these terrible yellow eyes. He told me that if the town kept him full by serving him big fish, then he wouldn't feed on humans. But we stopped in the last couple of years because we've been fishing the ocean dry."

19 year-old Ryan had been listening to the conversation the entire time. He had first arrived in Sunset Beach the day after the third drowning was reported. He was a drifter, or as he preferred to be called, a musician, looking for any kind of work to pay his bills. Yes, he was _that_ kind of artist. The poor starving kind who never had any gainful or steady employment, the kind that wandered from place to place, always in search of an audience to appreciate his music. His trusty guitar in hand (his only possession), he had fled Vancouver and the rest of the Lower Mainland when he heard that there was money to be made in fishing, at least enough to pay for food and lodging. Unfortunately, the owner of the largest fleets of fishing vessels in Sunrise Beach had refused to hire him, citing that he had already hired enough staff.

Ryan had spent all his money on the ferry ride across the Strait of Georgia, and so, he was trying to make enough money in town to pay a ticket back home.

He had just sat down in the bar after a long day of playing his guitar at the local lodge to passersby who ignored him.

After this conversation, Ryan was thrilled. He was the kind of guy who loved adventure and mystery. Anything intriguing got his heart racing.

That was why he was disappointed when the conversation stopped when he accidentally called attention to himself by knocking over his glass of beer. Ryan was a tall, well-built man due to years of athletics and training, so he was extremely uncomfortable in the tiny chair and table.

All eyes turned to him.

He started wiping his table with a cloth.

Larry wandered over to Ryan and stuck out his hand. "Welcome to Sunrise Beach. Haven't seen you around before. I'm Larry."

"Name's Ryan." Ryan shook the barfly's hand.

The patrons started to whisper among themselves.

"Don't mind them," said Larry. "It's a tight-knit town. They don't see strangers much. You shouldn't trust them either."

Ryan held up both hands innocently. "Hey, I'm just a drifter passing by. I mean no harm."

He brushed his shoulder-length jet-black hair behind his shoulders and stretched his muscular arms and upper body.

Ryan leaned in closer to Larry, as though about to ask his new friend to reveal a secret. "So is it true? About the drownings and the Ocean King?"

Larry stared at Ryan with blue eyes and let out a breath. "I know it is. I've seen. My grandpa – God rest his soul –saw it back in the 70's. And unlike most old people here, he didn't tell tall tales."

Ryan fixed his clear green eyes on the horizon, taking in the gray skies and angry waves. If it was true, then he was truly intrigued.

It was just the thing he needed to take his mind off the accidental death of his childhood sweetheart, a sweet premed young lady called Sylvia. Another reason he had drifted to Vancouver Island from the Lower Mainland was to escape the pain, but so far, it hadn't helped.

Ryan asked Larry, "How do you know all this?"

Larry scratched his blond head. "Because I've seen the supernatural in this town. Ever since I saw the Ocean King myself when I was a little boy, I started to believe. Almost everyone in this town has seen ghostly things around here. It's enough to make anyone a believer. Are you?"

Ryan put his hand on his scruffy chin. "I really don't know. This town sure has a lot of legends and paranormal stuff."

The patrons began to return to their own conversations.

He got up and shook Larry's hand. "It was nice to meet you. I should get back to the hotel."

Larry nodded. "If you need anything, I'm usually here."

Ryan got up and left the bar. He really wasn't sure whether he was a believer. He didn't want to rule it out.

When he returned to the Sunrise Beach Hotel, he went straight to his room and tried to go to bed, but found that he couldn't. He tossed and turned for a long time.

Finally, sick of being awake, he grabbed his guitar from the desk and put on some clothes. He decided he would go to the beach and practice his music.

He went down to the lobby, just in time to see Kimberly, a leggy Asian girl who was the hotel receptionist, being harassed by a drunk guest. The middle-aged balding man reeked of Vodka. He was standing in front of the desk and trying to aim for the girl's breasts.

"Come on, Kimmy. Just one cup."

The receptionist frowned. "Sir, I'm afraid I'm going to ask you to leave the hotel."

"Non-sense," he said. "I'm a paying customer."

This time, he managed to grip onto the girl's breast, and that was when Ryan got mad. He could never stand the sight of a girl being harassed, and he could never resist helping a girl in need.

He marched up to the man. "Sir, you heard the girl. Leave."

The drunk guy turned around and smirked. "Go away, little boy. This is none of your business."

Ryan scowled, curling his fists. "You go away."

The drunk guy grabbed him by the collar of his jacket. "And what if I don't?"

Using his karate moves, Ryan expertly swatted the man's hand away with one smooth motion. "Then it'll get ugly."

The man ignored Ryan and continued to badger the girl.

Ryan approached the man from behind and let him have it. He punched the drunkard in the face and tackled him to the red carpet floor.

The middle-aged man, taken by surprise, tumbled and hit his head on the floor.

Soon, security arrived and Kimberly explained what had happened. The security guards took the man away.

Kimberly looked at Ryan with gratitude. "Thanks."

"No problem." Ryan glanced at her with his still-enraged green eyes and left the hotel with his guitar before she could say anything more. Although he found the girl attractive, he just wasn't ready to move on.

His defined muscles and his balance allowed him to take down the guy. Ryan was glad he had kept in shape. He never knew when an injustice would happen. He had always been a fighter and a protector, but ever since he saw his childhood sweetheart get mowed down in the middle of the road by a drunk driver, the protector instinct in him awoke and became stronger with each passing day.

He just couldn't stand by and allow injustice to happen. Too much of it already existed in the world. But the truth was that he'd have gotten into that fight any way. Ryan was the kind of guy who wasn't happy unless he was doing something physical – be it playing basketball, swimming, dancing or even fighting. He didn't like to admit it to himself. He had always justified his getting into fights.

The night air was crisp and brisk, cooling him down from the scuffle in the lobby. He admired the beauty of nature. It was so simple, like his life before moving on from Cindy. They were going to elope. They were going to have children. She was going to go on to medical school and he was going to keep reaching for the dream. Such simple times.

He willed himself to calm down. He knew the accident wasn't his fault but he couldn't help but feel responsible somehow.

" _I'll be fine,"_ Cindy had said _. "You don't have to come pick me up. I can walk home from the college."_

Her voice resonated in his mind. But he had gone to pick her up, a little late though. He arrived just in time to see her get hit by that driver.

The guilt ate at him day in and day out, although he had already atoned for his mistake with his many sleepless nights and days by her grave.

The drunk driver had come out of nowhere, and collided directly into Cindy, and then sped away without slowing down.

If only I could have been there, he thought. And then maybe....

No, he thought. I can't think about this again. I'll go insane.

He sauntered along the beach as the waves rolled back and forth impatiently. The sound grew louder and louder.

He sat down on a large rock in front of the restless ocean. He took out his guitar and began to strum a soft melody. He had always played this tune for Cindy when she was alive.

She would smile and tell him how much she loved his music.

A sob escaped his throat when he thought about her.

A splash from the shore made him look up.

Nothing. Nothing but a louder than normal splash.

He waited some more, and when it was clear there was nothing out there, he returned to the hotel.

But if he had stayed, he would have seen something. Something weird. Something shocking.

After Ryan returned to the hotel, a wave rose high in the air, like a lion about to pounce on its prey.

A young man in his early 20's was walking in a trance toward the ocean. The expression on his face was happy, even blissful. The young man kept walking faster and faster toward the source, eventually breaking into a sprint.

Soon, a young lady with long black hair appeared. She blew kisses at the young man, which only increased his attraction.

A huge wave rose in the air, with seaweed-like tentacles thrashing about.

The young man continued to dash toward the wave, which now towered above the entire beach. The young man dove into the gigantic wave and it swallowed him up.

The gigantic dark wave gurgled, as though it was having trouble digesting its food. Then, the wave glowed a bright blue, and regurgitated the young man.

He hit the beach, head first. His skin was all shriveled up. He was clearly dead.

A brilliant light flashed and then wave receded into the ocean.

But the young lady stayed behind. She was wearing a beautiful silky black dress, her long dark hair blowing in the wind. The night mist enshrouded her gently, bringing out her clear brown eyes, giving her a mystical aura.

But the most noticeable feature was the sad, remorseful expression on her pretty face.

Soon, she disappeared in a burst of crimson light, leaving behind only the night mist.

***

#### Chapter 4

As Nancy was staring into the mirror in her room, she replayed the whole scene in her mind. She had seduced a young man in her sexy black dress, leading him to his death. Remorseful filled her as she thought about the horrified look on the guy's face. Although it wasn't her first time doing that, it got no easier over time.

That was what the Ocean King had meant when he said that she would find food for him. She thought about her life as the fiancée of the Ocean King after one year.

He had been good to her, but only as long as she continued to catch his prey. He dined on fresh human souls. The easiest way to attract them was to seduce them with a beautiful girl, of course.

As she stared at herself in the mirror, she thought about how she was allowing her dreams to die. She was set to marry the Ocean King in a pompous ceremony on the moonlit beach the evening of November 1, the day before All Souls' Day, the only day she could possibly break free. On that day, all spirits are freed from their masters, unless they're caught again.

But after she was bound to him in a spirit ceremony, it would be permanent. The spirit world did not believe in divorce. And she couldn't leave him right now either. She was temporarily bound to him, unless her body could be given a proper burial. But how could she give her body a proper burial? She didn't even know where her fiancé had stashed it.

She was beginning to lose hope that she would ever be free to feel the Californian sun on her face, or play on a stage in front of millions of fans.

A cerulean water drop spirit, came in and began combing her luscious raven-black hair for her. "Your wedding is in a couple of days, my lady. All the important dignities of the spirit world will be there. Are you excited?"

Nancy looked in the mirror at her faithful servant. She remained silent. Instead, she took out Lucy, her brass guitar, and began playing a sweet tune, _Beyond the White Clouds._ The melody filled the air and she began to relax. She didn't want to think about marrying the demon.

A deep voice spoke from behind her, yet she saw no shadow in the mirror.

"You're playing that thing again?"

The blue servant bowed and left the room.

She turned around and faced her captive, the Ocean King. Even after all these years, she still had not developed Stockholm syndrome.

The man was tall, and devilishly handsome, with short blond hair and crystal clear blue eyes. It was the Ocean King in his human form, dressed in a formal black business suit, complete with a black tie.

"Don't play that thing here," he said, resting a hand on her shoulder. "It's unladylike. Beautiful ladies should be seen and not heard."

His touch always chilled her to the bone, but she allowed him to touch her. She knew what would happen if she displeased him. He would burn her corpse and without a proper burial, her spirit would disperse and she'd really be dead.

But still, she continued to play her tune. All these years, the only thing keeping her sane was the sound of her guitar. She needed her music desperately, as badly as she needed air if she were still alive.

The Ocean King frowned. He grabbed her instrument and inspected.

"Hey!" she cried. "Give it back!"

He shook his head. "Don't waste time pursuing human interests. You're a spirit now. We hate human music in the spirit world."

"Give it back!" she repeated, louder this time.

His expression grew nasty. "If you don't listen to me, I'm going to burn your corpse, disperse your ashes and your spirit will disappear. You'll never get into Heaven."

She calmed down. That was the one threat that would always work on her. She didn't care about getting into Heaven though. All she wanted to do was get to Hollywood, even as a spirit. To do that, she'd need to be free of the Ocean King. If her spirit faded away, she'd simply turn to dust.

He put her guitar on her bed. "Stop wasting time with this. You need to start getting ready for the wedding. You don't want to disappoint me or our guests."

He continued to glare at her. "You better be faithful to me after the wedding. You women are all the same. Cheating whores."

With that, he stormed out of the room.

Nancy watched him leave as a sense of dread filled her. She bit her lips. If she married him, she'd be stuck with him forever. Cleaning for him, cooking for him, finding food for him - it would be worse than her spirit turning to dust. It would be the same mundane, stifling lifestyle she would have had if she had stayed in Macedonia and married Steven. A fate worse than turning to dust.

***

#### Chapter 5

The following night, Ryan couldn't sleep again. No matter how hard he tried, he simply couldn't fall asleep. Maybe it was because he felt his career was going nowhere. All day long, he had played for the customers at the hotel restaurant, but like always, people had ignored him again. He wasn't even trying to make it big on the Island. He was just trying to make enough money to buy a ferry ticket home.

So, sleepless, he wandered out into the crisp, cold night for the second time.

The chilly air slivered all over his skin and he shivered. A rumble of thunder made him look up. The moonless sky was filled with dark storm clouds. It looked like rain.

In front of him, the waves lapped at the beach. He stared at the sandy beach, which had taken another life. The morning paper had been full of deadlines about the drowning the night before, but the police had no leads and nothing further was done.

Ryan thought it was probably because that guy wasn't looking where he was going. There was nothing supernatural about it.

Soon, it started to drizzle. The rain started to stir the mist, but it did not dissolve it. Instead, it gave the mist a green-tinged glow. It was an eerily beautiful scene.

He stood on the beach in his cotton t-shirt and torn jeans. It was freezing, but he didn't feel like going inside just yet.

So, he started to strum his guitar. The night mist inspired him to play a haunting melody.

But, halfway through his tune, he stopped.

Something else was in the air. Another sound. It was faint yet audible guitar music.

The hair on the back of his neck pricked up.

Who else could be playing the guitar this late at night? He wondered.

Like a man in a trance, he headed toward the source of the music, leaving the beach and heading into the woods. The music called to him, pleading for help, like a siren's song. And he was a man who couldn't resist helping a damsel in distress. And if an adventure was involved, then so much the better.

Like long fingers, tree branches reached out to grab him as he followed the dirt path deeper into the forest.

The guitar music grew louder. He listened carefully. A soft female voice was singing a heartbreaking tune.

The melody echoed throughout the rain-soaked woods.

Ryan arrived at a clearing in the forest. The music continued a little further up ahead, by the highway.

He walked toward the highway.

Someone in a black dress was standing by the road, someone with an hourglass figure.

Her long dark hair was blowing in the wind as the night mist swirled around her.

Ryan's heart nearly stopped. She was a vision in the night, especially with twinkling green lights around her. Ryan assumed they were fireflies.

She continued to sing a mournful tune, with equally sad lyrics.

What do you do when you're sad?

What do you do when you're blue?

Fly with me to the clouds

And I'll be sad with you.

Ryan listened, spellbound.

The young lady then started to cry.

***

Nancy looked up and saw a young man approaching. A white van passed by and shone its headlights at her, making her wince, but illuminating the young man.

Wiping her eyes, she examined him. He was a tall, handsome young man with jet-black shoulder-length hair, and clear green eyes. He couldn't have been much older than she. He had on a cotton white t-shirt and ripped jeans, both of which looked like they were bursting at the seams with his arm and leg muscles. Tall and well built, he was the most handsome man she had ever laid eyes on.

What excited her most about him was that he had a guitar. He gave off a sort of bad boy musician vibe.

"Couldn't sleep?" she asked him.

"I could ask you the same thing." His voice was low and deep.

Ryan inspected the young lady. Her big brown eyes, her glossy long dark hair, her pretty pink lips all made him stare. He couldn't get over how gorgeous she was.

She nodded. "Yeah, I couldn't sleep." She held up her wooden guitar. "Music always calms me down."

She began playing a tune. The sweet notes filled the fresh air.

The rain sprinkled onto her head as she played.

Her music was intoxicating to Ryan.

He raised his guitar. "Music calms me down too."

He began strumming his instrument, playing a gentle tune. He began to harmonize with her, his music making love to hers. Their melodies entwined together, creating a whole bigger than the sum of its parts. The melody was entirely different, entirely new. They had created something beautiful together.

A big smile spread across Nancy's face. She hadn't smiled this much since she was told she'd be taken to America.

Ryan loved how they jammed together. It made him forget about his problems.

They played a little bit longer, and then both stopped at the same time. The last of the entrancing note vibrated in the air.

Ryan's eyes met Nancy's.

He smiled shyly at her. He normally wasn't this tongue-tied around beautiful girls, but this one was different somehow. This was one special. He could tell that she was a deep girl. To him, she seemed calm, but there was something else in her face too, a sort of sadness that was attractive to him.

He asked, "Do you live in town?"

She nodded.

He reached out his hand. "Let me walk you home. It's dangerous to be out in the dark by yourself. I'm sure you've heard about all those drownings lately."

She nodded. "Thanks."

Her icy hand almost singed him. He nearly withdrew his hand as he helped her down to the forest.

"You should get indoors. Your hand is freezing."

She was glad she wasn't on a mission for the Ocean King. She just snuck out to practice her music, since he wouldn't let her practice in their underwater home. She would hate to feed this handsome young man to her master. There was something gentlemanly about him, a sort of rare, chivalrous, protective vibe that she liked.

He got her and they walked through the forest, still holding hands.

He turned to her. "I'm Ryan."

"Nancy," she said.

"What's that tune you were singing, Nancy?"

"It's something I made up."

The moonlight fell softly on her pretty face. Ryan couldn't stop looking.

"You made that up?" he said. "It's a very sad tune."

"I'm a very sad person."

An expression of sorrow flickered across her face.

"Why were you crying?" he asked.

She shook her head, her long hair spilling everywhere. She remained silent.

Ryan continued holding her icy hand, escorting her out of the forest. He found it odd that her hand was still cold.

"You write songs too?" he asked.

She walked beside him, nodding. "Yeah, I guess you could say I'm a musician. You?"

"Me too. Or trying to be, anyway."

She cracked a little smile. "Yeah, I could tell. Anyone who could harmonize that well has got to be a pro."

They arrived at a clearing and stopped. The rain was now pounding onto the forest. The wind was howling through the air.

Ryan looked at Nancy. "The rain is coming down pretty hard. You want to stay here until it fizzles out?"

She nodded, and together, they sat down on a moss-covered log. The branches were thick enough to shelter them from the impending storm.

Ryan finally let go of her hand. "Are you feeling warmer now?"

She nodded, but he could tell that she wasn't.

The night mist swirled around her, concealing her face. Ryan squinted to see her clearly. The rain continued to spill sloppily from the sky, pelting the woods.

A silence ensued. A comfortable silence. Ryan wanted to know more about this intriguing girl.

"So you live in Sunrise Beach?" asked Ryan.

"Yes. Are you an outsider?"

"I came to Vancouver Island from the Lower Mainland for work on a fishing boat. This town sure has a lot of superstitious people. They believe in a lot of legends and supernatural stuff."

She bit her lip, merely nodding.

"Do you believe in all that?" he asked.

A grin tugged at the corners of her mouth. "Yeah, a little bit. I mean, when you have so many people believing in it, it's hard not to."

He nodded. He was gripped with the overwhelming urge to know everything about this mysterious girl. What was she doing out in the woods all by herself? Why was she all dressed up? Had she just come from a party? Where did she learn to play the guitar so masterfully? And why was she crying?

The wind whistled by his ears.

Turning to her, he asked, "Why is your music so sad?"

She shrugged. "Because life can be sad."

"But it can be beautiful too. I mean, look where you are. The beach is gorgeous. The air is refreshing. The forest smells great."

He took a deep breath and the scent of pine flooded his lungs.

"And listen to that sound."

All Nancy heard was the patter of the fall rain against the canopy.

"You mean the rain?" she asked.

"Yes. Just listen. When I was a little boy and my parents were arguing loudly in the kitchen, that sound made everything alright."

They stopped talking to listen carefully.

The pitter-patter of the autumn spring lulled Nancy into a quiet, serene mood. He was right. Even though she was about to marry a demon and never be able to get to Hollywood, she was able to forget about her problems for a while.

She stared at the young man next to her. All her life she had been lied to and abused and even sold. Somehow, this guy's presence made her forget about her crappy life.

Ryan could tell that his words had gotten to her. Although her sadness was attractive to him, he could tell that she didn't want to be so sad all the time. So he had tried to cheer her up. It was a knack of his. And it seemed to have worked.

The night mist swirled around her, and then cleared, as if nature itself was giving him the green light to kiss her.

The wind had been downgraded to a whisper. The rain had been turned into a mere sprinkle.

She had a glow about her, attracting him like a moth to a flame.

He leaned in closer to her. She had a wonderfully fragrant scent, like the smell of roses in the springtime.

She did not pull back.

His heart was beating wildly. Hers wasn't still either.

He stared at her pink lips.

He leaned in further still, and instead of feeling human body heat, a cool chill emanated from her skin.

He didn't mind. He would warm her up.

Without warning, the wind blew aside a branch above them, so that a small sliver of dawn's scarlet light slipped through the crack and landed squarely on the young lady's cheek.

Her eyes widened and she pulled back from the imminent kiss.

It was dawn. She knew that she couldn't be exposed to sunlight, or else her spirit would dissolve. She jumped up.

"What's wrong?" asked Ryan, standing up with her.

"I have to go. My family doesn't like me out so late."

"Wait, Nancy! Where do you live? How will I find you?"

She didn't reply. Instead, she fled from the clearing, toward the beach.

"Let me walk you home," Ryan shouted after her.

But she was already gone.

Disappointed, Ryan looked down and noticed that in her haste, she had left something behind.

It was her guitar.

He knelt down and picked it up.

The inscription was labeled _Lucy_.

***

#### Chapter 6

In the dawn's gentle glow, Ryan entered the lobby of the hotel and stood there with two guitars in his hand, still dazed but oddly calm. Who was that Nancy girl? And why had she left so suddenly?

He found himself humming her haunting lyrics softly.

What do you do when you're sad?

What do you do when you're blue?

Fly with me to the clouds

And I'll be sad with you.

"Back from work?" a voice asked from behind the counter.

Ryan looked up. It was Kimberly, the hotel receptionist.

"Nah," he replied. "I couldn't sleep. I went for a walk and met this girl."

"Oh la la, Mr. Ladies' Man," she teased, getting up and walking toward him. "Who is this girl?"

"She was playing music out in the woods. She left this guitar."

He gave Kimberly the guitar to inspect.

She immediately dropped it.

Her skin went white as her eyes widened. She pointed up to the wall.

Ryan looked at the wall. There was a painting there. The subject was a girl, no older than 18. She was easily the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes on, with her big brown eyes, long, sleek raven-black hair, full pink lips and sharp cheekbones, and wearing a silky black dress. But those were not her most striking features. Her most attractive quality was the expression on her face.

She looked at him morosely, as though she were doomed and looking for a hero to save her. Yet, at the same time, her melancholy expression hinted at something else: hope. Hope shone through her eyes, hope as bright as the stars.

She was standing on the beach holding a guitar, a gigantic moon and a clear sky in the background. There was something about her posture and the way she carried herself that was particularly attractive to Ryan. This was a girl who knew what she wanted, but was unable to get it, for whatever reason.

When Ryan finally realized who she was, his entire body chilled, as though an Arctic wind was sinking deep into his soul. It was Nancy, the girl he had just met.

Kimberley spoke, her voice shaky. "Years ago, the body of a young girl washed up on shore here in Sunrise Beach. No one knew who she was or what she was doing here. Autopsy results couldn't identify her. All they found was a guitar with the inscription _Lucy_ on it. The townspeople felt sorry for the young girl, so they buried her."

Ryan felt his body tremble. "Why is there a picture of her here?"

"To honor her. She seemed like a poor girl who never had a chance to live her life. The police ruled it an accidental drowning."

She then lowered her voice, as though scared of being overheard. "Anyway, after they found the body, hey returned the next day to have a funeral for her, but her guitar was gone. No one had been allowed to enter the church, so it was funny how it just disappeared like that."

She took a deep breath. "That's not the weirdest part. Her entire body was gone too." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Ryan raised an eyebrow.

Kimberly bit her bottom lip. "I could understand the guitar, but why steal the body too? It just doesn't make any sense."

A chill ran through Ryan's muscular body as the information sank in.

She pointed out the window. The wind was battering an old, abandoned cottage.

"That used to belong to an old fisherman, but legend has it that he came home one day to find his wife cheating on him with some young fisherman. So, he killed both of them and dumped their bodies into the water. Then, he wanted to take revenge on all handsome young fishermen, so he made a pact with the Devil. If the Devil would transform him into a powerful Lord of the Ocean, then he would trade his soul. The deal was made."

"You think that's tied to all the recent drownings?" asked Ryan.

The Asian girl shrugged. "Could be. There have been a lot of sightings of the female ghost lately. She wanders the highway at night, playing her guitar."

The phone rang.

They both jumped.

"I have to get that," Kimberley said, her face still spooked. "You try to have a good night." She glanced out the window at the sunrise. "Or, a good morning."

Ryan picked up the guitar and stepped inside the elevator. So Nancy was dead? She was a ghost, a spirit? He didn't want to show the receptionist that he was scared, but the truth was that he petrified. But he saw her. Touched her. Listened to her. Smelled her. And even almost kissed her.

Before, he wasn't sure whether he believed in the paranormal. He was now.

He looked at the guitar.

Then, he dropped it onto the floor.

It made a loud clang in the elevator.

***

That morning, he tried to get some sleep, but for the third time, he could not.

He couldn't get over the fact that he had almost kissed a ghost. A girl ghost. A beautiful girl ghost.

Sure, he was terrified, but at the same time, he wanted to help her. He was drawn to her helpless state. He didn't know her story completely, but he wanted to do everything he could to help her. She was a damsel in distress. And he could never resist a beautiful girl in need.

He gripped her guitar in his hand as her haunting lyrics echoed in his mind.

What do you do when you're sad?

What do you do when you're blue?

Fly with me to the clouds

And I'll be sad with you.

He never had a chance to find out why she was so sad. And he never got to kiss her. He wondered what those ghostly lips would have tasted like. But she didn't really seem like a ghost. He had held her hand and it was solid, albeit a tad cold.

All that aside, he loved how they had jammed together. Their beautiful music was complementary. One tune sad, the other happy – it made him feel better about life and about Cindy. He had come to the island to heal and forget and their music was helping him do just that.

When he finally drifted off to sleep, he had a dream. He dreamt that he was alone with Nancy in the woods and she was leaning her head on his shoulder. He had his arms around her, feeling the warmth of her head on him. He was leaning down to kiss her and she looked up at him, her face contorted and ghastly. The scariest part was that her eye sockets were empty.

Ryan woke up in a sweat. The late afternoon late filtered in through the blinds. He was surprised that he had slept. For a minute, he thought that he had imagined the whole thing. The phantom ghost Nancy and her guitar.

He turned around.

Nope.

The guitar was right there on the bed beside him, gleaming in the dying light.

***

That evening, Ryan played his guitar in the classy hotel restaurant, _Chez Louis_. He had arranged it with the hotel manager. The hotel would allow him to provide evening entertainment in its dining establishment, and he would be allowed to solicit tips from the audience.

Unfortunately, he received the wrong kind of tip. In the middle of playing a lively tune, a well-dressed gentleman came up to Ryan and paid him five dollars to stop playing.

"This is a nice restaurant," the gentleman had said, handing over the five-dollar bill. "Your kind of music cheapens the mood."

Ryan accepted the money, because he needed it. But still, a nagging feeling gnawed inside him.

Maybe I'm not meant to be a professional musician, he thought,

After a failed evening playing his guitar for the customers in the hotel restaurant, Ryan considered leaving town. He now had enough money for a ferry ride across the Strait of Georgia, back to Vancouver. But, he decided against it.

He wanted to see Nancy again, to find out more about her. What was her story? And he had to return her guitar. She couldn't make her beautiful music with it. But he knew it was just an excuse to see her again, no matter how much he rationalized it.

So, his heart beating wildly at the thought of seeing the lovely young lady again, he stepped out of the hotel with both guitars, only to run into Larry, the barfly he had met a few days earlier.

"Ryan," said Larry. "Where are you going?"

When he saw the guitar in Ryan's hand, Larry backed away.

Ryan held up _Lucy_. "You know about the legend?"

Larry nodded, his face turning a ghostly white. "It's not a legend. I'm going to let you in on a little secret here. Demons and ghosts exist in this town. Humans have learned to co-exist peacefully with the supernatural by offering sacrifices. As long as we don't bother them, they won't bother us."

He turned around and was about to flee when he turned back toward Ryan. "Let me give you some advice. Don't bother them. Don't go looking for the girl. It'll only anger the Ocean King. Get out of here while you can."

Larry fled before Ryan had a chance to ask him more questions.

Ryan looked up. The moon was full, shining in the black midnight sky, illuminating the forest in front of him. It was as big as a gigantic golf course.

Up ahead, an owl hooted.

Ryan swallowed but a lump was forming in his throat. Sure, he was a tad scared, but he wanted to see Nancy. Really badly. He had her guitar. He had to return it to her. It was his duty as a gentleman. But he knew he just wanted to hear her play some more.

So, he ignored Larry's advice. He crept through the forest and arrived at the highway, the same place where he had seen her the night before.

A lone red car passed, but no Nancy.

He waited a while but only silence greeted him. He fiddled with her guitar. Ten minutes passed. Just when he was about to leave, he had the idea of playing with her guitar.

He stroked the smooth strings and plucked a few notes, which became an upbeat tune.

The melody vibrated in the chilly night air.

A sound in the road made Ryan look up. Someone was coming down the highway, lit by the honey orange lights of the freeway.

Like the night before, ghostly green lights twinkled around the lady with the hourglass figure.

Ryan's heart beat uncontrollably.

What am I doing here? He wondered. Am I really meeting a ghost? Should I do what Larry told me to do and get out of there?

His gut told him to turn around and flee, but he bravely stayed rooted in place. He had to return her guitar.

Is she really a ghost? He wondered.

As she approached, he held out the guitar to her. The delighted expression on her face made him decide that if she really was a ghost, then she was the most beautiful ghost in the world.

She exclaimed, "Lucy!"

She was wearing the same black dress, made of the most luxurious silk. Gracefully, she glided toward him and took her guitar.

"Oh, I've missed you so much!" she cried, cradling her guitar like a baby.

She looked at Ryan. "Thank you." Her voice was light and faint, like light perfume.

A silent moment passed, punctured only by the whistling of the wind in the leaves of the forest behind them.

"Are you...." Ryan began. "I saw a painting of you in the lobby of the Sunrise Beach Hotel."

She nodded, her dark hair cascading about her shoulders. "Yeah, I am. I guess they felt sorry for me and painted a picture of me as a memorial."

Her expression changed from happy and relieved to sad and ruminative.

So she really was a ghost. Ryan was filled with a mix of apprehension and curiosity. He wasn't scared of her though. Not all ghosts harmed people. This one seemed very harmless.

He took a step toward her, mindful of their near kiss. "What happened to you? Why are you so sad?"

She grinned wryly. "Because life is sad." She played a melancholic tune on her guitar. She thought that Ryan was really sweet to return her guitar and then ask about her life when she was alive. No boy had ever been so good to her before. Too bad she was engaged.

The infectiously gloomy tune seeped through Ryan's skin. For a moment, he could feel how she felt. Her poignant perspective crawled into his body. The sad tune was so overwhelming that he felt like crying. It took every ounce of will power not to.

"Not when we play together," countered Ryan, holding up his own guitar. "This is Serena."

In spite of herself, Nancy smiled. Ryan was just so blissfully naïve. He thought that all they have to do to be happy was to play music. Once, she was really that naïve too. Once, she had lost herself in her music. But that was eons ago. Now, she was all grown up, rather forcefully. She had duties and obligations. She was no longer allowed to play music. She was getting married soon.

Ryan started strumming his instrument. "Come on. Play with me. Like last night."

Nancy held up her guitar awkwardly, unsure of whether to join him. Her finance the Ocean King had explicitly forbidden her from playing her guitar, let alone playing it with a strange guy. His jealous nature was known to everyone. Who knew what he would do if he found out?

But maybe it was her desire to unwind after a long day of cooking and cleaning for the demon, or maybe she wanted to disobey him on purpose, to spite him. In either case, Nancy found herself drawn to the intoxicating notes of Ryan's guitar and to the handsome Ryan himself.

She raised her guitar. "This is Lucy."

Why not? She thought. Jamming with him is fun. It'd only be for a little while.

With a shy smile, she started to play her guitar. They began to jam. The music allowed her to let loose. For just a brief second, she was not a demon's unwilling bride with no hope of getting to Heaven or Hollywood, but a carefree Macedonian village girl, with vivid dreams of making it big in the music world.

As they played, she imagined that she was on stage in front of millions of adoring fans. That thought was like sweet wine to her, inebriating her with its fantastical image.

As Ryan played, he kept staring at the gorgeous phantom girl. He didn't know her story yet, but he didn't care. He didn't care she was a ghost either. She didn't even seem like one at all. She wasn't transparent or scary and she didn't walk around in chains.

She was just someone he was having fun with. He was losing himself in the music. He was jamming with the most beautiful girl in the world and for now, that was all that mattered.

In a few minutes, their joyful music reached a crescendo, climaxing as the last notes resonated in the still air.

Both Nancy and Ryan were breathing hard.

They looked at each other fondly, still drunk over their music. They loved the way playing their music together made them feel. It was such a high.

Ryan looked at Nancy's full pink lips and wanted to kiss her again. He wondered what kissing a ghost would be like. Would her lips be soft and warm? Or hard and cold?

Just beyond the forest, the waves began churning slowly at first, and then furiously.

Nancy's ears perked up. She knew what that meant. The Ocean King had discovered her absence.

Ryan leaned in to kiss her. The scent of roses tickled his nose.

Nancy pulled back. She had to get back to the Ocean King. He had threatened to destroy her corpse so that she could never get to Heaven. She didn't want to make things worse.

Without warning, she took to the air, her black dress flapping behind her. Ryan watched as she became a silhouette in front of the full moon.

For a few seconds, she hung suspended in the air, long enough to make Ryan think that she had changed her mind and would return to him.

She turned her head back, gazing at him remorsefully. How she wished she could stay with him and jam some more.

Ryan caught the regretful expression on her face. Her eyes wide, she mouthed something to him, but he didn't catch it.

Then, she turned around and zoomed above the forest, disappearing back into the dark ocean, like a drop of water returning to its source.

Disappointed, Ryan tried to calm himself down. Once again, he had almost kissed her. And once again, she had escaped before he could. Why had she escaped? Who was she afraid of? She had mentioned a family when they first met. Could it be them? There were so many questions and so few answers.

The wind rustled the leaves of the trees.

Disappointment filled Ryan. Was he really never going to see her again? But he had had such a great time with her. He had jammed with a lot of people before meeting her and no one else held a candle to her. She played so passionately, as though her whole life was dependent on producing wonderful music. He could tell music had been her life. He just wished he knew more about her life when she was alive. Where was she from? How had she died? What were her dreams?

He glanced around once more. No Nancy.

Clutching Serena, he was about to head back to the hotel when a piece of paper fluttered to the ground.

Ryan bent down and picked it up. It was a note from the ghost girl.

You're a great guy, Ryan. You'll make some girl really happy one day. But it won't be me. Don't try to find me again. Nancy

***

#### Chapter 7

Back in her room, Nancy thought about Ryan. She loved how they made beautiful music together. Even if she would never get to Hollywood, at least she had someone to jam with, to get the urge of playing music out of her system.

She knew he wanted her. And she'd be lying if she said that she didn't want him either. But this was the wrong time. For God's sakes, she was getting married in a couple of days. To the Ocean King.

The more she thought about her fate, the more distressed she got. She couldn't imagine settling into a mundane life of serving her future husband. It would be exactly what her life would have had like had she married Steven. She'd be totally dependent on a man, never being able to go out into the world and pursue her dream of music.

Ryan had good intentions, but she knew what the Ocean King was like. If he knew about Ryan, he would make it his mission to eat him. She pushed Ryan away for his own good.

Her train of thought was interrupted by a loud squawking, outside her bedroom. She peaked out the window. Her night ocean view showed a seagull flying past, its wings spread out as the wind carried it higher and higher into freedom.

Nancy felt a pang of envy. She was bound to the Ocean King. She couldn't leave. Or could she?

She thought about her current situation. Soon, she would marry the Ocean King. Then, she'd be stuck in a life of servitude. It was worse than a prison sentence. If she tried to escape now, there'd be a chance she could get away to Hollywood. Even if she couldn't live the life that she dreamed of, she could at least be near the action. She had never tried to escape before, out of fear that her fiancé would turn her soul to dust. But she realized that she's damned if she did and damned if she didn't.

Gathering her energy and courage, she stood up and then plucked her guitar from the corner.

The moonlight shone onto her pretty eyes.

This is it, she decided. I'm not going to be passive and just sit here. I'm going to leave tonight.

She strummed the strings of her guitar.

I have to play my guitar, she thought. That's the only reason I'm still fighting to survive. Otherwise, I'd rather give up and let the Ocean King dissolve my spirit, or even worse, marry him and bear him little seaweed-like children.

Before she could exit the room though, a flurry of activity zoomed through the door.

The Ocean King came in and slapped her across the face. "You stupid whore! I told you not to play that ugly instrument."

The force of his attack caused Nancy to fall onto the ground. She was reminded of when she was knocked to the ground in her uncle's teahouse. That same sense of humiliation permeated throughout her.

She stared into the furious face of her finance.

She couldn't stay there anymore, no matter what he would do to her. She could no longer take that kind of abuse. She had made up her mind. She had to leave that night.

***

Nancy got as far as the highway when she realized that something was not right. No one had followed her. Security was usually very tight at the haunted cottage. So, she stopped, floating right by the freeway and listened.

Nothing but the usual sounds of night. In the distance, a car's engine ran. Crickets sang. Owls hooted. The wind whistled. But nothing else.

Suddenly, a voice came from below her. "You're back."

Nancy looked down and saw Ryan's concerned face. He had not left since she had flown away.

He held up the note that she had left him.

She floated down to the ground.

He grinned. "And you brought your guitar."

She glanced at Lucy, and then at Ryan. "I'm not back. I'm trying to escape."

"From who?"

Nancy sighed. She was trying to protect him by telling him nothing, but he seemed genuinely concerned. In fact, he was the only boy who had ever shown a sincere interest in her safety.

On the Island Freeway, under the glare of the moon, she explained everything to him: her humble origins in Macedonia, how she was lied to and sex-trafficked to North America, how she had died crossing the stormy Pacific Ocean, how the door to Heaven had been open to her for just a fraction of a second, how she had been enslaved by the Ocean King, how she had been forced to find food for him, and how she was forced to marry him on the evening of November 1, which was the next day.

She basically told him her entire sad life story.

He listened, spellbound. He knew she was a ghost. Nothing else should surprise him anymore.

"So you're behind all those drownings?" he asked.

She nodded. "But it's not like I wanted to."

He pursed his lips, deep in thought. "That's quite a story."

She played with the strings on her guitar. "So now you see why I have to leave? And why I wrote you that note? You can't be around me. I'm not safe to be around."

He placed one hand on her shoulder. "You let me decide that."

She stared into his dark, passionate eyes. No one had ever been that kind to her before, without wanting something in return. He seemed genuine. He was like a kindred spirit.

In the near distance, the waves of the ocean began churning again.

Nancy glanced behind her. "I have to go. The Ocean King must have discovered I'm gone."

"I can't let you go by yourself," said Ryan.

Nancy took a closer look at him. His wind-tousled hair covered up parts of his eyes, but she knew that he was serious.

But still, she shook her head. She was in enough trouble already. She wasn't about to drag a stranger into this with her.

"No. It's not safe."

But Ryan wouldn't back down. "You have too much musical talent to go back to that guy and be his wife for all eternity. Could you even practice your music in front of him?"

She bit her lips. "No. He doesn't let me play my guitar."

"That's too bad. Being married to him would be as if you had never even left Macedonia. It'd be like getting married to the other guy...what's his name...Steven?"

"Yeah," she said. So he had been listening.

And he was right, of course.

She looked at him with tears in her eyes. No one had ever been that kind to her before and in another life, in another time, in another place, she and Ryan could have been something.

"You're a good guy, Ryan," she whispered. "But this is the wrong time."

The waves started to churn louder, angrier.

She had to go. She floated two feet above the ground and took off in the direction of the golf course on the other side of the highway.

"Wait!" shouted Ryan.

But she had already taken to the skies.

Ryan watched as Nancy disappeared once again. After hearing her sad life story, he was even more motivated to help her. He was drawn to her sad situation.

Poor girl, he thought. She never got the chance to live her life her way. In a way, he could relate. His ex-girlfriend was going to become a medical doctor. But because of the foolish action of a drunk driver, she never could. He still blamed himself for her death.

If he could help another girl live her life and fulfill her dreams, he would be happy.

He watched as she disappeared across the horizon.

He stared at Serena, his guitar.

The girl has too much talent not to share with the world. He started dashing toward the golf course where Nancy was.

***

Nancy flew as far as she could. As she zoomed through the air, she imagined that she was free – free to do whatever she wanted.

The fantasy grew faded when she realized she was exhausted and couldn't move another inch. She landed in a clearing, just beside the vast golf course.

She glanced around her. Gigantic trees towered over her, blocking out the moon.

Catching her breath, she sat on a log in the middle of the clearing. Ryan was creeping into her thoughts. She couldn't help it.

As the vapid blackness of the night surrounded her, just for a second, she wanted Ryan to be with her. She wondered how warm his arms would feel wrapped around her.

She thought about how good it felt jamming with him, scratching her itch to create music, after her fiancé had forbidden her to do so.

When the chilly wind whipped her skin, she decided to try to make a fire from the kindling in front of her.

She gathered some tinder but it was too damp.

The frigid wind grew violent, making her shiver.

Suddenly, a voice came from behind her. "I thought ghosts didn't get cold."

Nancy turned around.

Ryan's messy hair covered his face.

She turned back around. "We do. How'd you find me?"

"I saw you were heading toward the golf course.

Nancy continued to play with the tinder.

"Here," Ryan murmured. "Let me."

He took out a match and lit it up. The tiny orange light flickered and Ryan quickly threw it onto the kindle in the makeshift fireplace in front of them. Pretty soon, they had a full fire raging.

Nancy turned to him. "What are you doing here?"

The light of the fire danced in Ryan's brown eyes.

He held out his hands. "I've heard you play. If you somehow don't escape from this Ocean King, then the world will have lost some beautiful music."

Nancy felt her defenses crumble. She was driving him away for his own good, but maybe he knew what he was doing.

She nodded, brushing her dark hair out of her face. "That's very sweet of you." She found herself relenting. She felt she could reveal more intimate details about herself in front of the disarming Ryan.

Her expression grew wistful. "When I was alive, my dream was to get to Hollywood and launch my musical career from there, but I'm starting to think that will never happen."

She sighed. "I want to feel the Californian sun on my face. I want to sing in front of millions of people. I want to make something of my life. I promised my mother."

A far-off look twinkled in her dark, intense eyes. "I come from a small village in Macedonia. I promised my mother that I would go pursue my dreams."

He put a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. "It must have been hard. Losing your mother and then being sex-trafficked here."

She nodded. "Yeah, but that's life."

"Don't you want revenge?"

"Nah. I don't blame anyone, just myself. I don't want revenge on that agent, just a chance at life. Nothing good can come from revenge."

A comfortable silence passed between them. The night air was chilly but calm.

Nancy gazed at Ryan. Sure, he was handsome, but so were a lot of other young men. There was something special about him. She was impressed by his persistence in helping her. She had never met someone as selfless as he was.

"Can I ask you something?" she asked.

He put his hands in his pocket. "Sure."

"Why do you care so much about what happens to me? No offense, but you barely know me. With what's happened in my life, I know the world is hard. No one's going to give me a free lunch, without expecting something in return."

He sat down on a log and motioned for her to follow.

Nancy sat down and looked into his eyes.

He leaned down, placing his arms on his thighs. "There was a girl I knew that I cared about a lot. She died when a drunk driver hit her. I was supposed to pick her up, but I was late. I've always blamed myself."

He paused, looking down.

Nancy nodded sympathetically. "It's OK. Go on."

He looked up, his brown eyes lost in another world. In the moonlight, he looked like a wounded puppy. "She had real potential as a doctor, but she never got to do it. I can't let someone else give up her chance at life."

He raised his guitar. "I've been trying to make a living at music since I was in my early teens, but people's reactions seem to be pretty negative. Maybe I'm not meant to be a professional musician, you know? There are some people who are meant to be music producers. Maybe I'm supposed to help talented people like you succeed."

Nancy was very flattered to be called talented. Whatever doubts she had had about Ryan evaporated. She realized that he really cared about helping her.

The roaring fire in front of them highlighted Ryan's chiseled face. Nancy felt a longing deep within her, something that she had never felt before. She was attracted to Ryan, but how on Earth could they be together? She was a ghost and he was a human. There was no happy ending there. It was impractical. It was impossible.

She fiddled with Lucy. "Sometimes, trapped in that haunted cottage with the Ocean King, I feel like I'd never get out of there and achieve my dreams."

He moved closer to her. "Don't you say that. Anything is possible. Anything at all."

He pointed at the crackling fire keeping them warm. The embers danced in the air, creating a mesmerizing scene.

"I got an idea. I want you to stand up, right in front of that fire," Ryan said.

"What are you doing?"

"Just trust me."

Nancy got up.

Ryan got up and stood behind her.

He whispered into her eyes, "Close your eyes. I want you to feel the heat of the fire on your face."

Nancy closed her eyes, feeling the warmth of the fire on her skin.

His breath tickled her neck. "I want you to imagine that you're in Hollywood, California. That heat is the blazing Californian sun."

Nancy imagined that she was in California. A smile spread across her delicate face.

He lowered his voice. "I want you to imagine that you've finally made it to the place where you'll make your dreams come true. Keep feeling the heat on your face. It's the Californian sun. You're there. You've made it."

She continued to feel the heat of the fire on her face.

I'm here in California, she thought. I've made it.

Nancy felt Ryan's hands on her hips.

Ryan murmured, "Now you're in the stifling California air. It's a beautiful summer night, with the full moon and millions of stars in the sky. You're on stage, in front of thousands of admiring fans, playing a sold out concert. Feel the heat. Hear the music."

She felt the heat already, but in her mind, she heard the music. She heard what song she would play. She heard the notes of _Beyond the White Clouds_ clearly, resonating in her mind.

"Feel the electricity in the crowd," he continued. "They all came to hear the great Nancy sing her heart out. Feel the humidity. See the fans. Smell the excitement. Feel the wood of your guitar. Taste your success."

And Nancy did all that. Just like that, Nancy was transported to a blistering summer night, under the Californian sky. She was on stage, playing to an enthusiastic crowd of fans.

Her heart pounded wildly. She had never felt something this intense before.

After a while, she opened her eyes and craned her neck.

She stared straight into Ryan's dark brown eyes.

He whispered, "Did you see all that?"

She nodded. She was wracked with intense desire for him. He had made her feel so good. In her busy life, she had missed out on a first love. Now, it was like the Universe was giving her another chance. And if it was giving her a second chance, maybe it would give her a second chance at a life too.

"Never let go of that, Nancy," Ryan murmured. "Your music is too beautiful not to let the whole world hear it."

She still felt his hands on her hips.

Just then, she realized that she had risen three feet off the ground. She and Ryan were now floating in front of the fire, with Ryan's arms now wrapped around her waist.

She turned around, staring at Ryan's full lips.

Ryan adjusted his grip to hold her better.

The fire shone lightly Ryan's skin, giving him an angelic tinge. She felt his breath on his neck, heavier this time.

Now, they were face to face.

Twice before, they had missed their kiss.

She wasn't about to let him go this time.

Without another thought, Nancy leaned in and kissed Ryan's lips.

He closed his eyes and Nancy followed suit.

She was going to enjoy this kiss. All her life, she had worked for someone else, never having time for herself. It was now time to make time for herself.

Ryan's arms tightened around her waist as Nancy lost herself in the kiss.

For just a second, she forgot that she was a wandering spirit engaged to a cruel demon, with no real chance of achieving her dream of becoming a successful musical artist. She forgot about her oppressive life. For just a second, she was just a carefree teenage girl, enjoying her first real kiss with a boy who genuinely cared about her.

Ryan's put his hands on her face.

Too soon, the kiss ended and Nancy pulled back.

Her heart thudded against her chest as she gazed at the handsome gentleman. Her cheeks were rosy and her body was warm. It felt good to kiss Ryan finally.

Gently, they floated down to the ground.

Ryan grinned shyly at her and handed her Lucy. "Play a little something for me, Nancy."

Nancy grabbed her guitar, still recovering from the passionate intensity of the kiss. "Are you going to play with me?"

He shook his head. "Nah. Just you. Pretend this is your private concert for me. I want to hear more of your music."

"No, I can't."

"Come on," he insisted. "OK then. Pretend I'm legions of your fans." He pointed to large flat stone. "That's your stage."

Nancy took a deep breath, butterflies in her stomach.

She prepared herself to go on stage for her first major concert. Up until then she had only sung for the few customers in her uncle's teahouse.

Ryan started thumping his guitar against a log. "We want Nancy! We want Nancy!"

He smiled at her.

Nancy couldn't help herself. She smiled back at him. It had been a long time since she had been truly happy.

She strummed a couple of notes on her guitar. "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm very happy that you're able to join me tonight."

"Wait!" exclaimed Ryan. "You can talk without a microphone." He glanced around. "This is a huge stadium."

He picked up a thick twig and tossed it to her.

Nancy caught it and spoke into it. "Thanks for coming, ladies and gentlemen. This first song is called _Beyond the White Clouds_ " Although she knew that this was just a silly little fantasy, she was charmed by it. It was nice to be able to act out her fantasy.

She started to strum Lucy, playing the introductory notes of her signature ballad. Then she began to sing, her voice echoing in the forest.

What do you do when you're sad?

What do you do when you're blue?

Fly with me to the clouds

And I'll be sad with you.

She played the entire song, pouring her heart out. When she was done, she had never felt so satisfied. She was on such a high.

Ryan began applauding wildly. "Whoo! Encore! Encore!"

Nancy nodded, chuckling. "Thanks."

She knew it was just a silly fantasy, but to be able to act it out gave her a kind of catharsis that she never knew was possible. And it was all thanks to Ryan. He really seemed to understand her.

As she watched him jump up and down, she realized she was beginning to develop feelings for him. He made her feel so special. Too bad she was getting married in the next day.

She stepped down from the slightly elevated stone and tossed aside the twig she had used as a microphone.

Nancy gazed at Ryan's joyful face. In the fire, he looked especially handsome.

He sat down on the log. "Why is the song so sad though? Do you have any happy songs?"

The question struck her as odd.

"No," she said. "That's the way I see the world." Then, she glanced at Ryan, the sole source of her happiness. She added, "But maybe I could write a happy song."

Looking at him, she suddenly felt a pang of envy. "Why can't I be like you?" Nancy said. "I could just take off and play my music wherever I please."

He set down his own guitar. "It's not that easy. I was playing in the hotel restaurant earlier today. People didn't like my music. Someone even paid me to stop playing."

Ryan looked at her with intense eyes. "Maybe that was a sign. Not everyone in the music industry is meant to become a professional musician. Some are producers. Maybe it's my job to bring great music out to the masses. Great music like yours."

There he was again, charming her. And she liked it.

Staring his shiny lips, she found herself leaning closer to him again.

The wind started to blow harder, shrieking in the air.

Nancy was jolted from her trance. She knew that wind spirits were working for the Ocean King, spying for him.

The wind snuffed out the roaring fire, dousing it in fury.

She scanned the air. The wind was striking the trees, nearly uprooting them.

Ryan put a hand on Nancy's cheek, stroking it softly.

Nancy longed to kiss Ryan again, but she pulled back. "I'm getting married tonight. If I marry the Ocean King, I'll be bound to him forever and I'd never be able to escape."

"Isn't there any way out of it?" he asked.

His big brown eyes bored into hers.

Tearfully, she looked away. "I know of two ways. One: find my body before my wedding and give me a proper burial, or I'll be stuck here forever. Two: I could try to escape tomorrow, on All Souls' Day. It's the only day that spirits can break free from their masters, unless they're caught again. But that's only if I'm not married to the Ocean King tonight, which would make my binding permanent."

She looked up at the sky. It was beginning to bleed a streak of orange-red.

"Oh no," she breathed out. "My spirit returns to him at dawn."

She moaned. "What was I thinking I could escape? I can't. I'm trapped here forever." Thinking back on her life, she sighed. "I was a naïve girl. I shouldn't have trusted total strangers to help me. But I'm stronger now. I know there's no such thing as a free lunch. I should just wise up and accept reality for what it is."

In her haste to escape, she had forgotten that, being a bound spirit, she could be out only until dawn.

Ryan pulled her in for a tight hug. "No, there's always a way."

Pressed against his broad, muscular chest, she felt his heart beat rhythmically. She was so warm in his embrace. She wished she could stay there forever, but no sooner than his warm breath caressed her cold cheek than her spirit begin to dissolve.

Ryan's eyes grew wild. "Nancy! What's happening?"

She tried to grab onto Ryan's strong, but it had already started to happen.

With dawn's reddish light shining on her, she was returning to her master, no doubt for an extremely severe punishment.

***

#### Chapter 8

Ryan raced back to the hotel. The receptionist had pointed out a haunted cottage beside it. Maybe Nancy was there.

As he ran, he thought about the sweet Nancy. She was so beautiful and so talented. He was going to make it his mission to make sure that she would have the chance to share her music with the world.

He would be lying if he said that he wasn't falling in love with her. He was attracted to her vulnerability, and her sad situation. This was a girl who had never been given a fair chance at life. Ryan believed that everyone should have at least one chance to make their dreams come true. Nancy never had that chance.

Sweat dripped down his face as he crossed the highway and then emerged from the forest.

He stopped to catch his breath. The faint rays of the winter sun feebly broke through the dark clouds. It was too late to save Nancy. He wouldn't get another chance until sundown.

To confirm his suspicion, he approached the cottage and peered inside. Nothing but old, rotting wood. The entire structure was dilapidated.

Despair filled him.

He thought about seeing Larry for advice, but he didn't know where he lived. Fortunately, right at that moment, Larry was on his way into Moe's Tavern for an early morning drink.

Ryan ran up to him and explained everything.

Larry listened with a sleepy expression on his face.

When Ryan was done, Larry wiped his eyes. "Dude, it's barely seven in the morning."

Ryan rolled his eyes.

Larry opened the door of Moe's Tavern. "There's nothing you can do until sundown anyway, so why don't you just come in with me and have a beer?"

Ryan shook his head. "I got a girl to save." He sped back to the cottage, peering inside again.

Larry marched over to him. "Alright, I'll bite. What exactly are you doing?"

"You know the legend of Nancy, right? Where's her body? I need to find her body."

"Her body?" Larry scratched his head. "No one knows where that is. But I do know this cottage is haunted. There's nothing in it during the day, but during the night, some people have reported ghostly green lights."

Without taking his eyes away from the window, Ryan asked, "Could her body be in it?"

Larry shrugged. "There's nothing you can do until sundown."

Then I'll have to wait until sundown, thought Ryan stubbornly.

Larry sighed. "Alright. I can see you ignored my advice earlier and now you're involved. You're serious about the girl." He lowered his voice. "Normally, the townspeople don't bother the demons and ghosts, so no one really knows much about them. They just know their existence."

He leaned in close, as though about to reveal a secret. "My grandpa, the one who saw the Ocean King, was a demon hunter in his time. You ever see the show _Supernatural_?"

Ryan nodded. "Sure, it's shot in Vancouver."

"Yeah, that's the one. My grandpa was like one of the Winchester brothers, living an itinerant life, always on the hunt for the next supernatural creature. Anyway, I want nothing to do with the supernatural, but I _am_ going to help you." Larry took out an item from his pocket and handed it to Ryan.

"This is the Vial of Seraphim," explained Larry. "When you need it, just remove the lid and shake out the liquid. It'll come in handy."

Ryan pocketed the small red vial. "Thanks, but what does it do?"

Larry shrugged. "Beats me. It's a family heirloom. My grandpa handed it down to me in the hopes of my following in his footsteps and becoming a demon hunter, but that never happened. He received it as a reward when he helped an angel vanquish a cave demon."

He was about to turn around when he stopped halfway. "Listen man. I know you didn't listen to my advice before, but if you want to live, you should get out of here. Don't mess around with the Ocean King. He's a very powerful ocean demon. Nothing good can come of it."

"There's the girl...." Ryan said.

"The phantom girl is not worth it."

"This one is," insisted Ryan. "This one is."

***

When Nancy returned, she was surprised to find her room empty. She had expected it to be crawling with the Ocean King's minions, but no one was there.

It was quiet. Too quiet.

She sat in front of her mirror and began combing her hair, pretending that nothing was wrong.

"Nancy," murmured a raspy voice from behind her.

Her stomach roiling, she turned around, prepared herself for the harshest punishment.

The Ocean King stood there, in human form.

The man was tall, and devilishly handsome, with short blond hair and crystal clear blue eyes. He was dressed in a formal black business suit, complete with a black tie.

"Are you ready for our wedding tonight?" he asked.

Resigned, she was beginning to think that she would never escape from him. She decided that she would play it smart. She would pretend that she was very interested in marrying him, so that he wouldn't suspect anything, least of all that she had met another guy and he was trying to find her body to liberate her.

"Yes, my lord," she exclaimed, getting up. She didn't want to overdo it, but she knew that she had to perform convincingly. She must act like she was finally OK with becoming his bride. She must deliver an Oscar-winning performance.

The Ocean King seemed to have fallen for it.

He nodded. "Listen, I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have slapped you so hard. Let me see. Is there a bruise?"

He floated toward her, but Nancy pulled back.

"No, nothing," she said.

That seemed to satisfy him.

He tried to justify his actions earlier. "You know how I don't like human music. Reminds me of when I was alive."

She nodded. "Yes, absolutely. I'm sorry I wasn't more sensitive to your feelings."

"It's OK," he said. "Now that we're almost husband and wife, we should probably be more upfront with each other. You know, communicate better."

Nancy nodded vigorously. "I agree."

"And I don't blame you for having left a while ago."

Nancy's heart started pounding fast. So he did know that she had left.

He adjusted his black tie. "You were angry. You were rash. You weren't thinking straight. You just have too much desire in you to achieve your musical dream. We can't have that, can we?" He looked at her like a father scolding his daughter.

She shook her head.

He took a step toward her. "That's why I have to sap some of your energy, at least until after our wedding. It's the source of your desire."

His eyes began glowing bright red. That's when Nancy knew something terrible was about to happen.

Without giving Nancy a chance to protest, the Ocean King raised a hand at her and immediately, a green aura bridged the gap between them. This was the bridge the Ocean King would use to transfer her energy to him.

He mumbled something unintelligible and blue energy began its transfer from Nancy to the Ocean King.

Nancy felt her energy zapped away, and along with it, her desire to leave him and pursue her musical passion. She was a rose being deprived of water and sunlight. All spirits came with a certain amount of energy and when it was empty, they would wither and fade away, never gaining entry to Heaven.

Feeling lightheaded, Nancy collapsed to the hardwood floor.

The Ocean King snapped his fingers and two cerulean water spirits appeared.

"Lift my fiancée onto her bed," he commanded.

The two water spirits, who looked like large drops of water, did as they were told.

The Ocean King ran a hand through his short blond hair. "You're never getting away from me, Nancy. When I first bound you to me, I intended for it to be permanent."

***

#### Chapter 9

When the sun was finally slipping behind the clouds, Ryan was waiting patiently in front of the cottage, clutching a shovel he had borrowed from the hotel.

Five minutes later, the sun had set completely, and the dark of the evening was setting in.

The light from the Sunrise Beach Hotel allowed Ryan to see what was inside the haunted, dilapidated cottage. Still nothing. He was under the impression that the cottage came alive at night, especially that very night, when Nancy was supposed to be getting married to the Ocean King.

He stood in front of the door.

Alright, he thought. I'm going in.

He knocked on the door sharply. Nothing.

He grabbed the knob and turned it. The door creaked open.

He took a deep breath and walked in boldly.

When the dust settled, Ryan could see...absolutely nothing. The entire tiny cottage was vacant.

With the moonlight shining on him, he walked to the middle of the room and raised his shovel. He would start looking for her body by cracking the wooden floor open.

His shovel hit the wood with a loud bang and he immediately got to work. Ten minutes later, dripping with sweat, he managed to crack open the floorboard.

With anticipation, he waited for the dust to clear.

Would he find Nancy's body buried underneath? Kim the hotel receptionist had told him that Nancy's body had been taken from the church. Where else could the Ocean King have hidden it?

He looked down. He saw nothing. He had cracked open a section of the wooden floor that accounted for almost half the length of the cottage, but he had found nothing.

Desperation sunk into him. Nancy was getting married that very night. He had to find her body to give her a proper burial, or else she, along with her music, would be lost to the world forever.

Just then, he heard a noise on the beach outside. It sounded like music, but a very somber kind. It sounded like the funeral march.

Ryan's ears perked up. Something was up.

He got up and ran outside.

Something was definitely up.

There was an event on the beach. At first, it was so bright that Ryan had to squint to see what was happening.

Eerie green lights were floating around a raised platform, a stage. The stage was decorated with wilted, rotting roses. Seated in front of the stage was row after row of various dignitaries, all murmuring to one another.

Ryan ignored the din of conversation and focused on the figures on the stage. A tall man in a formal black suit stood in front of a figure in flashy religious garments, complete with a collar that had a skull symbol on it.

Suddenly, the funeral march began playing louder and all the guests stood up, focusing their attention on a beautiful girl in a silky black dress.

Shrouded in the evening mist, she was beautiful.

Ryan realized what he was looking at.

It was a ghost wedding.

It was Nancy's ghost wedding.

Ryan realized he didn't have long. The guy with the collar was probably the priest. Nancy's marriage would be legal in the spirit world soon.

In an attempt to conceal himself, Ryan crept closer to the location. He knew he had to be completely stealthy. One wrong move and he could be discovered.

The solemn music grew louder as he approached the stage.

Up ahead, he could hear the spirit priest starting the ceremony. "Dearly damned, we are here this evening to join His Majesty the Ocean King and his bride, Nancy, in unholy matrimony. Marriage in the spirit world means that the woman will serve the man forever, even if it's against her will. And forever is a long time."

Bells began to ring. To Ryan, it felt like a signal. Those bells meant that the ceremony could finally begin.

The priest held up two bells, one in each hand. "These Wedding Bells will ring one hundred times. When the hundredth bell has been rung, the bond that forever binds this spirit to this demon will be permanent."

Ryan's eyes widened as his heart palpitated.

Come on, he told himself. Think. What can I do to stop this?

Amid the ringing of the bells in the quiet night, Ryan thought long and hard. He realized that he couldn't stop the wedding without identifying himself. But what could he do to stop it? He couldn't stop it by force, even though he had a shovel in his hand. He was sure a mere shovel was no match for demonic power.

As the countdown drew closer and closer to one hundred, Ryan began to panic. He knew he had to do something.

On the ninety-fifth ring, Ryan decided there was only one thing he could do. He stood up and raised both hands.

"Stop," he shouted. "I object to this marriage."

The wedding guests gasped as Ryan revealed himself.

Fifty pairs of yellow eyes stared at Ryan. He gulped. He felt like his heart would beat right out of his chest.

He wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans and bravely marched up the aisle and then up the stairs. His legs felt like they were buckling from under him, but he ignored them. The urge to save Nancy was the only source of strength he had.

Ryan looked ahead. Nancy was gorgeous in her silky dress, her long hair blowing in the wind.

"Ryan!" she cried. "You came!"

The priest stopped ringing the bells and glared at him with yellow eyes. "It doesn't work that way. No one has a right to object at a spirit wedding, least of all a puny human."

Poised and suave in his wedding suit, the Ocean King motioned for the priest to stop talking. "It's my wedding, Irreverend. Let me handle this."

The Ocean King smirked at Ryan. "How dare you ruin my wedding. You have no right to object. Why don't you just run along before I lose my temper?"

Fists clenched, Ryan stood his ground. "Give me Nancy."

"Or what?" The Ocean King laughed in his face. "There's nothing you can do." He turned to the priest. "Continue ringing."

The priest rang the ninety-sixth ring, and then the ninety-seventh.

Adrenaline rushed through Ryan's veins. He felt so helpless.

The Ocean King snapped his fingers. "Gentlemen. Escort our guest out of here."

The wind picked up, battering Ryan's body and blowing his black hair all over his face.

When the priest was about to strike one hundred rings, Ryan remembered the Vial of Seraphim that Larry had given him. He didn't know what it did, but it was worth a shot. He desperately fumbled around in his pocket and took out the Vial, holding it up high.

"Wait!" he shouted.

That got everyone's attention.

The priest stopped ringing the bells.

"I hold in my hands a very powerful potion," he lied. Of course he had no idea what it did, but he had to play that card though. It was the only thing stopping the wedding.

He held the Vial up high. "This is the Vial of Seraphim. If you ring the bells one more time, I will unleash the potion on you. It will kill all spirits within a five-mile radius."

The wedding guests gasped and started to panic. They stood up, some even attempting to flee the scene.

The Ocean King waved one hand dismissively. "You're bluffing. I've never heard of a Vial of Seraphim."

Ryan drew himself up to full height, even thrusting his chest out at the Ocean King. "Do you want to take that chance?"

The priest whispered to the Ocean King. "Your Majesty, I have three days left until retirement...."

"Shut up!" the Ocean King yelled.

He looked resigned. "Alright. What do you want?"

"Give me Nancy and no one gets hurt," Ryan said.

The Ocean King glared at him. He signaled for Nancy to join Ryan.

Nancy rushed over, relieved. "What took you so long?"

"I couldn't find your body," whispered Ryan.

He stood up straight, facing the Ocean King, but he realized that the Ocean King was gone.

"Where is he?" Ryan asked the priest.

The priest responded by pointing to the ocean. "You've done it now. You've really pissed off the Ocean King."

They looked at the water. A wide wave was rising higher and higher in the air. Soon, it was towering over the entire shore.

All the remaining wedding guests were scrambling to flee the area, their shrieks filling the air.

The wave was as wide as a giant blue whale and as tall as a skyscraper. It had no mouth, but it spoke in a raspy tone. "If you take my bride, I will drown the entire town of Sunrise Beach."

The wind began hammering the shore, blowing sand in the air.

Ryan grabbed Nancy's hand. "Let's go!"

The wave roared, creating a terrifying din in the air.

Nancy gripped Ryan's hand tighter. "Come on. We'll fly."

Together, they ascended into the air, passing the Sunrise Beach Hotel.

Ryan smiled at Nancy.

She put her head on his broad shoulders. "I thought you wouldn't come."

"I couldn't find your body," he murmured.

"That's OK. As long as I'm not married to the Ocean King, all I have to do is survive until the stroke of midnight. Then it'll be All Souls Day. On that day, all spirits are freed from their masters, unless they're caught again. Most use that chance to escape."

Ryan caressed Nancy's cold cheek and kissed her lips.

On the ground, the wave was churning louder and louder. It was like a tsunami threatening to engulf the whole town.

They flew for a little while longer and then landed in the middle of a vast cornfield.

Nancy kept looking behind her. "Is he gone?"

"We've flown a long way."

The wind was softer here. It gently caressed the corn stalks. Under the full moon, Ryan embraced Nancy with his strong arms.

She started to cry.

Ryan comforted her. "It's OK. We've flown a long way already. He can't get us." He checked his watch. "You said midnight, right? It's eleven right now. We just need to hide somewhere for an hour."

Nancy wiped her face. "What's the point? I feel like we're never going to outrun the Ocean King. He's been holding the entire town hostage for the past century. He's too powerful. You heard what he said. He's going to drown the whole town."

Ryan held her closer. "Don't say that, Nancy. You can't give up hope."

Of course, he had no way of knowing that the Ocean King had zapped Nancy of her energy and desire to go on.

Nancy looked into Ryan's understanding eyes. "Even if I don't make it, at least I met you. In life, I was neglected by my uncle, abused by my fiancé and lied to and sold by a stranger. If it weren't for you, I would have lost all faith in humanity."

Ryan placed one hand on Nancy's cheek. "Don't say that. You're going to be fine. Everything's going to be fine."

Of course, he didn't know that for sure. He was just saying that to comfort Nancy, who needed all the encouragement she could get.

"Are you OK?" he asked her, letting her go.

Nancy nodded, his eyes still brimming with tears. "Yeah."

"Hey. Cheer up. We still got up." Ryan held up the Vial of Seraphim.

She looked at it curiously. "What is it? Does it really kill demons, like you said?"

He inspected the red vial carefully. He was overwhelmed with the urge to twist off the lid, but common sense told him not to. It had come in handy so far. Maybe it should be saved for other uses.

"Maybe I'm not meant to pursue this dream," Nancy said suddenly. "Maybe dreams are just meant to be ideal, not something practical, not something even remotely achievable."

Ryan was taken aback. "What? I can't believe you're even saying that. Why are you giving up now, when your dream is the only thing keeping you going?"

Nancy looked at the star-dappered sky. "There was a time when I was a naïve young girl. I'm not that girl anymore."

Ryan placed one hand gently on her shoulder. "Don't you remember how you felt when you imagined the hot Californian sun on your face?"

Nancy thought about it. She did remember. She loved that feeling. She loved being able to sing in front of thousands of adoring fans. She loved being able to share her music with the world.

She shook her head, and then turned around so that her back was to Ryan. "But it was just my imagination. It's not real."

Ryan frowned. "How do you think dreams come true? It's all in your imagination at first. But it's up to you to make them a reality. Look at all the famous people of the world. Most of them weren't born famous. And they weren't born with success either. They worked hard to achieve their dreams. They worked hard to write their songs, make their films, write their novels, create their inventions."

Ryan softened his voice. "Nancy. I have heard your music. You have a great talent. You have to chase your dreams. And I know that people will recognize that talent eventually, but you have to give them a chance first."

Nancy turned back around, staring into Ryan's sincere eyes.

He sighed. "Don't lose that passion. I see that passion in you when you're playing music. Never let that be snuffed out. I know you can do it."

She was touched by his confidence in her. It gave her fuel to go on.

Come on, she told herself. Pull yourself together. I've had a tough life. I'm strong now. I can deal with this.

She looked around her. Surrounded by towering corn stalks, she gazed out the horizon. It was a beautiful Canadian night. All the stars came out to play.

After Ryan's speech, she felt different.

She stood up tall. "Ryan, you're right. I have to go on. And that's why I think you should leave. This is my mess. I have to deal with the Ocean King."

"No." He stood up tall. "We're in this together."

"You have to go. I can't drag someone else into the mess that I've made." She bit her lips, gazing out at the distance. "When I was alive, I was a naïve young girl who fell for the oldest trick in the book. A stranger promising to make her rich and famous. But now I've grown up. And part of growing up is taking responsibility for my actions."

He shook his head. "I'm not going to leave you. But if anything happens, take care of my guitar, Serena. It's back at the hotel."

"Nothing's going to happen," Nancy said.

The wind picked up, pushing the corn stalks around them.

The couple surveyed their environment. They were on alert.

"Wind spies?" Ryan whispered.

Nancy nodded. "Possibly."

Ryan checked his watch. "Ten minutes to midnight."

He grabbed her hand. "Follow me."

***

#### Chapter 10

Ryan and Nancy scurried through the cornfield. They didn't want to fly because that would make them stand out. But because they hadn't flown, they didn't want which way they were going.

All around them, the wind was restless. It was zooming through the air, knocking over cornstalks. Rain began to spill from the dark and stormy sky. It was a light drizzle at first, but then it grew big.

Fat raindrops fell as Ryan and Nancy crouched by the muddy ground.

She held his warm hand, grateful that he didn't leave when she had told him to.

He looked at his watch. "Five minutes now. We should just stay quiet here and wait it out."

Nancy nodded.

He grabbed her hand. "I don't know what's going to happen, but on matter what, I want you to promise me something, Nancy. Promise me you'll go on and try your hardest in the music industry. Never let them snuff out your passion."

Her lips quivered. "I will, Ryan."

At that moment, the wind picked up, ramming into their faces.

Then, they heard something that made their blood freeze. The sound of churning water.

Above them, a raspy voice shouted, "Give me my bride!"

The voice was close, too close. Ryan's heart skipped a beat. He looked up. A towering wave was directly above them. It looked like a tsunami about to swallow everything in its destructive path.

Ryan grabbed Nancy's hand, and together, they stood up.

The wave was a powerful sigh to behold. It was tall and big enough to drown an entire town. Water dripped from it and splashed on the ground next to the two lovers.

Ryan glanced at his watch. One minute left until midnight.

He pushed Nancy behind him. "Run!"

She could barely hear him above the furious rushing of the wind.

"But what about you?"

"Don't worry."

Bravely, he raised his head, staring down the wave. "You ugly demon."

He took out the Vial of Seraphim, brandishing it like a weapon. "Come any close and I'll sic this on you."

The Ocean King in water form had no discerning facial features at all, but Ryan felt it was smirking at him, even toying with him.

Freezing water dripped onto Ryan. Soon, he was soaking wet.

Nancy stayed rooted to the ground, unable to abandon someone she cared so much about.

The wind and rain whipped Ryan's body, but Ryan was oblivious. He was too busy staring down his enemy.

Nancy held her ground, her long dark hair flying every which way. She would not leave Ryan by himself.

Impulsively, she reached in and kissed him urgently.

He returned the kiss, and then pushed her away. "Go, Nancy! Leave while you can."

"I'm not going to leave you," she replied. Soon, she was soaked too.

The Ocean King chuckled. "You will both be mine."

The rain began to intensify, but it wasn't because it was raining harder. The water came from the Ocean King adding his watery body to the fray.

Ryan glanced at his watch. "10 seconds," he shouted to Nancy.

Ryan stood his ground, glaring at the wave. "You're not going to get Nancy."

By now, the gigantic wave was barreling toward them, threatening to drown them both.

Ryan turned around and screamed. "Run, Nancy! Run!"

He then chucked the Vial of Seraphim at the enormous wave. Neither expected the potion to do anything, but a scarlet liquid flew out of the container, splashing the gigantic wave.

Neither knew what effect it would have on the wave, but it seemed to freeze it.

The rushing of the wind stopped. The wave's impending onslaught was frozen in place. Even its drippy water was motionless.

Nancy tugged on Ryan's arm. "What happened?"

"I think we froze it."

They stared at the monstrous liquid form in front of them. It towered above them like an overgrown oak tree.

Ryan inspected the Ocean King. Something seemed off. He wasn't sure they were completely in the clear yet.

He glanced at his watch. "Five seconds."

No sooner had he said that than the wave started to unfreeze.

Ryan was the first to notice. Without thinking, he pushed her out of the way.

Nancy fell to her knees, out of the path of the murderous wave.

As the wave inhaled Ryan, Nancy was filled with horror.

All she could do was watch helplessly as the wave ate her love.

She saw everything in slow motion. She looked at Ryan's face. He was mouthing something to her.

I'll see you again.

Nancy held out one hand helplessly, as though she could magically pull him to safety.

As the force of the water hit Ryan, knocking him off his feet, his digital watch beeped.

It was now midnight.

Nancy was free from bondage, but she had to escape quickly, before she could be caught again.

"Ryan?" she called out, tears forming in her eyes. "Ryan?"

But he was gone, eaten by the wave. He was really gone.

Nancy inspected her surroundings. A dead silence permeated throughout the debris-ridden cornfield, which was now completely destroyed. She could see no sign of the Ocean King or Ryan in the morning mist. Just a huge field that was soaking wet.

Her heart heavy, Nancy scanned her surroundings one last time. No Ryan.

He mentioned his guitar, Serena. She would go back to the hotel and retrieve his guitar. She would take care of it.

Nancy fought back tears, but they came anyway.

The beauty of the morning mist gave her no comfort.

***

#### Chapter 11

##### Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States of America

When the unbearably hot Californian sun braised Nancy's skin, she knew she had arrived. She looked around her in awe. The hustle and bustle of Hollywood excited her. She thought she even recognized a few celebrities. There was a hotshot director strolling down Sunset Boulevard with his wife. A big-screen action star was dining at The Rainbow Bar and Grill. And a TV star was riding in a limo with the window open.

She smiled. After all this time, she had made it. With Ryan's help, of course. As soon as she thought of him, she got a little teary-eyed.

He would have wanted me to go on, she thought. It's what I promised him I would do.

On her way back to her hotel, she passed the Kodak Theatre. She would love to be a presenter at the Academy Awards one day. Maybe she could even sing on stage there, after winning the Academy Award for Best Original Song. And she definitely wanted to go visit the Staples Center, where the Grammy Awards is held annually.

Then, she passed by the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard.

She walked past Celine Dion's star. Maybe Nancy would one day have her own.

A renewed sense of hope filled her. She had her whole life ahead of her. And she had so much life to live. She knew how lucky she had been. Not everyone is given a fresh start like this. Not everyone is lucky enough to have someone love her so much that he would give himself up so that she could be reborn to chase her dream.

***

When she returned to the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, she prepared to take a shower.

As the warm water bathed her exhausted body, she let out a sigh of relief. She was finally here. Yet, she still had a heavy heart.

She had cried almost nonstop during the long bus ride there from Canada. She was still in shock. She could not believe that Ryan had done something that noble for her. No one in her whole life had ever been kind to her, let alone done something of Ryan's caliber.

As tears ran down her face and blended with the steaming hot shower water, she pictured Ryan's handsome face.

Where is he now? She wondered. Is he bound to another demon like I was? Is he going to be OK? Would I ever see him again? He promised I would, but I'm not so sure.

She started to sob uncontrollably. She had never ached so much for someone before. But then again, no one had ever been so good to her before.

A few minutes later, she heard someone tap on the mirror. It was as though someone was in the bathroom with her.

Quickly, she turned off the water and stepped out of the shower.

Her heart jumped when she realized that someone had written a message on the steamy mirror.

Her eyes widened. Was it the Ocean King? Did he somehow follow her to Hollywood?

When she read the message, she was filled with relief. It was not the Ocean King.

The message read: _I'm OK. Now go get 'em!_

Her first thought was that Ryan was there with her. She looked around the bathroom, but there was no sign of anything or anyone.

She wrapped a towel around her body and went into her hotel bedroom. She was praying she would see Ryan again.

She prepared herself to see Ryan sitting on her bed, smiling at her.

But no one was there. She was all alone in her hotel room.

Ryan's guitar sat on her bed, the same place she had placed it.

Puzzled, she looked out the window. She could see the big Hollywood Sign in the background. But no Ryan.

She returned to the bathroom and studied the message on the mirror, which was fading quickly.

I'm OK. Now go get 'em!

Wiping her tears, she smiled. Ryan was telling her that he was OK. Somehow, she could still feel his presence. It was like he was right beside her, acting as her very own guardian angel.

Filled with boldness and determination now, Nancy headed over to the desk and picked up the newspaper.

She thumbed through the auditions section. She was looking for bands who needed lead singers.

Once more, she looked out the window at the big Hollywood Sign. Seeing it, she smiled. Before Ryan died, she had promised him that she would go on and chase her dreams.

And now, she was. She was on her way. He hadn't died in vain.

He died so that her life could begin.

***

#### Chapter 12

The Present

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

When Serena noticed that Nancy was no longer breathing, she grabbed tighter onto her grandmother's hands.

"Grandma! You OK?" she cried, worry creeping into her voice.

She turned around and called for the doctor and nurse.

Nancy suddenly opened her eyes.

Serena's heart leapt. "Grandma?"

"I've waiting so many years to see Ryan again," whispered Nancy. "76 years. He said we'd see each other again."

There was a pause.

Nancy looked up at her granddaughter with sunken eyes. "You know, he's the reason I was so successful. If it weren't for him, I'd be dead. Still."

Nancy started to cough again. "He gave me a world to believe in," she croaked out, in between coughs. "He gave me the courage to pursue my dreams."

Serena started to cry. Her grandmother looked so helpless in the bed.

Nancy, on the other hand, chuckled. "Don't cry. This is a happy occasion."

Nancy closed her eyes and Serena gripped onto her grandma's bony hands even harder.

Soon, she noticed that her grandmother's chest stopped rising. That was when she knew that she was dead.

Her eyes moist, she glanced about the room. She tried to console herself with the reminders that her grandmother had led a very long and successful life, with her passion as her career.

A poster above her bed showed Nancy crooning sweet melodies on stage, in front of thousands of adoring fans.

Five framed newspaper articles hung in front of the bed, above the television set. The first article read _After her debut album was certified platinum, singer Nancy wins Grammy for Best New Artist_.

The second one, dated a few years later read, _In surprise Upset Victory, rookie Singer Nancy wins Academy Award for Best Original Song in Disney animated feature._

The third one, dated decades later, read _Singer Nancy Newest Recipient of Grammy Legend Award_. The fourth one, dated around the same time as the third one, read _Singer Nancy Receives Own Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame._

The fifth one, dated recently, read _Singer Nancy inducted into the Order of Canada._

A sixth inconspicuous article was not framed, but sat quietly on the bedside table, beside Nancy's glass of water.

This was an article from the _Vancouver Sun._ It was a brief interview with Nancy. Serena picked it up. She did not remember seeing this article before. It was dated just a week earlier.

She scanned the article. One question jumped out at her. The interviewer asked, "What is the proudest achievement of your career?"

Serena expected her grandmother to say that she had millions of fans, but Nancy did not say that. Instead, she said, "My proudest achievement was revealing that I had been a poor Macedonian village girl who had been sex-trafficked to North America. I said that if someone with humble origins like me could achieve success then anyone can. Years after I revealed that, I received a letter from a very successful business lady who ran a Fortune 500 company. In that letter, she told me that she too had been sex-trafficked to North America from a tiny village in Romania. When she arrived, she had no hope. Until she saw my interview. She got up, hired a lawyer to sue her traffickers and then she borrowed money to start her own business. That's what I'm proudest of. Not having sold albums, but helping inspire others."

Serena read the article with awe, understanding that her grandmother had had a very successful life. She had not known that her grandmother had been a victim of sex trafficking.

Still, she wondered how exactly this Ryan person fit into her life. Nancy had said that if it hadn't been for Ryan, she wouldn't have been as successful, but she did not elaborate how.

Serena went over to the corner and picked up Ryan's guitar. Sure enough, she saw the inscription _Serena_ on it. No one had told her that she had been named after Ryan's guitar. Whoever he was, he must have been someone very special to her grandmother.

She bent down and gave Nancy a kiss on her cold cheeks. "Goodbye, grandma."

***

When Nancy opened her eyes, she was standing in her retirement room. She could see herself lying down in the bed and her teary-eyed granddaughter playing a song to her dead body with Ryan's guitar.

It was an upbeat version of a sad song that Nancy had taught her. She had written that song after she had arrived in Hollywood, in remembrance of Ryan. He was the one who told her not to be sad, to see the wonder in the world.

What do you do when you're happy?

And what do you do when I am too?

Fly with me to the clouds

And I'll be happy with you.

"Serena!" Nancy shouted. "Serena. Can you hear me?"

Serena did not stir.

Nancy was indeed dead.

She smiled. She was not scared. She had been dead before. She knew what would happen. Any minute now, a door would open up to her. And she would be expected to pass on to Heaven. This time, she would leave quickly, so that there would be no chance a demon could trap her on Earth.

Then, she saw it. There it was, that famous white light, in the shape of a rectangular door.

There was no sound but Nancy could feel something call her, calling for her to step through the door.

_Come through me_ , Nancy felt it was saying. _Come through me and you'll be all better. No more pain. No more lies. No more bad people. You'll bask in love for all eternity._

She felt drawn to it, like it was her home.

She could see her reflection in the light. She was, once again, a 19 year-old girl, the age when she met Ryan.

"Go on," a pleasant female voice said.

A woman stepped out in front of her. She was a plump woman, with short white hair and wide spectacles that made her eyes look huge. She was wearing a white evening gown. It was the same woman Nancy had met when she was underwater.

The wind blew through Nancy's flimsy pajamas. "Will I see Ryan there?"

The lady said nothing, but merely motioned for her to pass through.

Nancy stared hard at the bright door. Before, when she was alive, she was merely full of hope that she would see Ryan again. But, of course, she had no way of knowing that.

She repeated her question again to the lady, but again, the lady gave no response.

Nancy took a deep breath, shielding her eyes from the brightening lights.

For a long time, nothing happened. Nancy simply stood in front of the brilliant door, unsure if she'd ever see Ryan again.

Then, the lights dimmed.

Nancy saw a face in the door.

She saw Ryan's handsome face in the door, smiling at her.

Then, she saw his entire body. She saw his longish black hair, his brown eyes and the love in his face.

He stood at the door, with arms wide open.

"Nancy," he murmured. "I told you I'd see you again."

Excitedly, she dashed toward the door, arms outstretched, ready to embrace the love of her life and of her death.

***

#### A Message from the Author

I hoped you enjoyed reading _A Romantic Ghost Story_.

I have a few tiny favors to ask of you:

1. Please post the link to this ebook on your facebook and twitter and other social media networks.

If you liked this story, please write a review for it, on whichever site you found it.

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This last part is the most important: please recommend it to as many friends as possible. Thank you for helping me spread the word.

Please email me if you have any feedback: jasonwchan@hotmail.com

Visit my blog where I have in-depth discussions about some of my favorite love stories: www.jasonwchan.blogspot.com

If you liked this story, check out my other books. If you liked this novel, I would recommend _Hiding In His Dreams, Meet Me at Taylor Park and The Patter of the Spring Rain_ , all love stories.

Thanks for supporting me.

Always Yours,

Jason W. Chan
