RE: STACH Short Story Contest #19: 199 words, 5 winners, 15SBD prize pool!
An old man wearing a long nightshirt would always appear to a little Ryde girl when her family was living in an old small house in Royce Road, once occupied by workers at a nearby hotel.
Tina, now grown up, recalls, "It happened when I was about six or seven. As I was lying in bed, an old man would appear near my wardrobe. It was a child's wardrobe and was probably about four feet in height. The old man, who was misty white colour, appeared to be counting money or dealing cards. The old man never spoke. He didn't seem aware of me at all and I never really saw his face, but I could sense he was friendly and meant no harm."
Elsewhere within same vicinity, Mnady and his wife knew nothing of their daughter's elderly visitor. They did however notice other manifestation which took the form of smells wafting through one particular room.
"We used to get a very sweet smell, like jasmine, which would fill the lounge. It never happened anywhere else and we were at a loss to account for it. It never stopped." "This must definitely be a friendly ghost trail," Mnady concluded.