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With my casefile crossing the 400 mark, it’s fair to say that I’ve heard a lot about haunted houses. Our private space, our personal territory, is not something we take lightly. It’s where we feel safest; where we’re most vulnerable; it’s private.
When we move somewhere else, it can take a little time to let our guard down. Especially when we can see signs of previous occupancy. We know we’re encroaching on someone else’s territory. Projecting how we feel about our own spaces, we sense that a previous occupant might not let their attachment go likely.
Coming Home then is somewhat unusual as a haunted house tale. Taking place in a small basement flat, this story is not about a family moving into a new home, rather a family coming to take back their home, having temporarily allowed someone else to live there.
What follows is a struggle for territory. My original title for this story was Temporary Residents. We have one person who has the rights and means to come and go as they please. To move to one country and be welcomed, and to return home and reclaim their space.
As they return, someone else is denied that privilege. They have struggled to find their place. Theirs is a battle not for freedom to roam, but a struggle to find a place where they can simply exist.
I lay no criticism on the subject; they do what I think any of us would do. Why wouldn’t you want to protect your home? See the world, if you can. They enjoy the privileges I have and most other people I know have. But what about those who don’t even have a home? Do our privileges depend on the less fortunate simply getting out of our way?
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New Ghost Stories Volume will be released October 8 in paperback and on ebook. You can pre-order the ebook now.
Read a preview story here
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