Ghosts Don't Sit for Supper

The heavy oak door of ‌Wayside Manor creaked open, revealing a warmth that pulled in Maria from the freezing rain

“Come in, quickly!” The pale, slender woman shut out the gale.

Maria clung to her soaked tunic, dripping water underneath. “I’m sorry for the trouble.”

“Oh, it’s no trouble at all.”

Kaelan pulled down his dark hood. Thomas unloaded his heavy pack, looking quite miserable, while Celeste's silver armor rattled with every shiver.

“I am Elaine,” the woman said, offering them a small bow. Sunken shadows lined her eyes, but her expression remained kind.

The four bowed back and introduced themselves.

“I apologize for the lack of preparation. We do not have many guests these days. The inn has not been active, and we are rather shorthanded.” She gave an apologetic smile. “But my husband always believed no traveler should be turned away during a storm.”

“Thank you for your hospitality, ma'am,” Thomas said.

Maria smiled. “Sounds like a wonderful man.”

She glanced around the entryway. It was old and comfortable, more like a farmhouse that had simply grown into something larger over the years.

To the side hung a few small coats, with a heavy military greatcoat mostly buried behind them. A pair of tall leather boots rested underneath, and scattered around them were several smaller shoes.

Maria chuckled. The sight subtly reminded Maria of the orphanage. She looked back at Elaine.

“Your husband... is he away?”

Elaine's eyes flicked toward the coat. “He was a soldier.” Her words trailed. “He left years ago when fighting broke out between the neighboring houses. He never came home.”

Maria's smile faded. “I see…” She knew better than to ask more, and Elaine seemed grateful.

“The children were very young then,” Elaine said quietly, gesturing forward. “Please. Go warm yourselves by the fire. I'll bring dry blankets.”

***

The parlor was warm and inviting. Wood crackled in the hearth and filled the room with a faint smell of old pine.

Four children appeared before Maria had even finished stepping inside. The oldest, a girl who looked to be around ten, watched from near the staircase. Two younger ones, a boy and a girl, hovered behind her.

Another boy raced into the room and caught his foot on a woven rug.

“Careful!” Celeste’s warning came too late as he tumbled forward.

Maria knelt beside him. The boy sniffled as Maria placed her hand over the injury. “Oh dear... let me see.” Warmth gathered with a radiant glow, and the scrape faded.

The boy blinked. “It's gone!”

Maria laughed softly while the other children surrounded him with curious gazes.

Perhaps healing magic is hard to come by here, just like in Bellmere.

Elaine approached Maria quietly once the children dispersed. “You can heal injuries?”

Maria smiled. “Simple ones.”

“That's one way to put it…” Thomas muttered.

“She’s a great Saint!” Celeste exclaimed as Kaelan tried to subdue her.

Elaine just replied with a small smile. 

By dinnertime, the manor felt cozy, like the mundane days at the chapel Maria loved so much.

The family gathered around a large wooden table that had clearly been built for more people than were sitting around it now.

“It smells delicious,” Celeste said.

Thomas was already wiping drool off his lips

Elaine had prepared a simple meal that smelled wonderful. Maria happily helped serve, despite Elaine’s protests.

Kaelan remained quiet. He had barely spoken since they arrived, apart from the occasional “thanks”. He’d mostly just glance around, seemingly mapping out exits. Maria recognized that undying habit of his.

She wondered if he remained grumpy from their squabble. He could call her stubborn all he wanted, but it was clear to her that he was the stubborn one.

The children, on the other hand, seemed to have no shortage of things to talk about. Maria listened with a smile as their voices filled the room.

The youngest boy kept swinging his feet under the table. The little girl beside him talked almost constantly, while the elder sister occasionally told them both to settle down.

The other boy seemed to have discovered that asking Thomas questions was most entertaining.

Past Maria’s chuckle, she noticed something. There was an extra place setting at the head of the table: a spoon, a polished cup, and all. Kaelan noticed it too; his gaze lingered with narrowed eyes.

Maria tilted her head. She was certain she hadn't prepared that one. Elaine must’ve placed it without her noticing, but nobody sat there. Nobody mentioned it.

She glanced at Elaine. The woman simply continued eating.

The older girl smiled, seemingly aware of Maria’s wondering gaze. “Papa comes home sometimes.”

The words made everyone but the children tense around the table.

The younger boy immediately joined in. “Usually at night. I don't know how you miss him, Mama. He's so tall.”

Elaine's spoon froze halfway to her mouth.

“I saw him outside my window once late at night!” The younger girl leaned forward excitedly. “He was wearing his big coat!”

Maria and her companions glanced at each other but remained without word. Thomas and Celeste widened their eyes; they held the same look the chapel children had when Mother Martha told ghost stories around the hearth.

Elaine strained a smile. “You know your father is still away serving the kingdom, sweethearts.”

The children became quieter.

The youngest boy frowned at his stew. “But Father always comes home before someone's birthday…” His expression soon brightened. “Tomorrow is mine!”

Elaine laughed softly. “Yes, yes. You’re becoming a big boy now, and big boys finish their stew.”

“But—”

“Don’t let it get cold now.”

The boy reluctantly returned to his meal, and the conversation eventually continued with talk of birthdays, games, and what they wanted to do the following day.

Maria smiled and listened, but the extra place setting that remained untouched lingered in her mind.

***

Dinner ended, and Maria immediately began gathering the dishes despite Elaine’s protests. Thomas and Celeste shrugged, warning their host it was a losing battle. As Maria carried a stack into the kitchen, she glanced back to see the children immediately swarming Kaelan.

The boy who had earlier scraped his knee was tugging at the edge of Kaelan's cloak. “Are you an adventurer?”

“No.”

The little girl stared up at him with wide eyes. “A mercenary?”

“No.”

The elder sister stared at the daggers on his belt. “A bandit?”

“...No.”

“Are you a knight?” The youngest of the boys finally asked.

The children looked at one another.

“So, what are you?”

Kaelan sighed. “...A traveler.”

Celeste pointed to herself. “I'm a knight!” She puffed out her chest. “And a soon to be Hero.”

The children hardly looked at her. They had already gone back to questioning Kaelan.

Maria covered a laugh.

Elaine gave Kaelan an apologetic look. “I'm sorry. They can be a handful.”

He glanced down at the children. After a moment, he answered quietly. “It's not my first time around rambunctious kids.”

Maria smiled softly. The children at the chapel were certainly a rambunctious bunch, but something in Kaelan’s lingering gaze made her think he wasn’t referring to them.

“Just watch them while we clean up,” she said.

Kaelan glared at her as if deeply betrayed, while Thomas and Celeste laughed at his misfortune.

***

In the kitchen, only the sound of scrubbing dishes filled the silence.

Elaine dried a bowl with her gaze lowered. She eventually spoke. “Children are too innocent. They don't understand why people leave... or why they don't come home.”

Maria rinsed another plate. “They are innocent…”

“You have children of your own, Sister?”

“Not of my own, but I helped care for some. We ran an orphanage at the chapel I grew up in”

“Then you understand…”

“I do, but lately,” Maria’s hands slowed, “I’ve come to realize that children can understand more than we give them credit for.”

“Yes,” Elaine whispered, her voice tightening. “That's what frightens me. Sometimes I think it is kinder that they don't know.”

Before Maria could answer, a loud crash from the next room broke the somber mood.

Maria laughed. “I think they might be giving Kaelan some trouble.”

Elaine smiled. “I imagine they are.”

They finished the last of the dishes, and down the main hall, they found Kaelan who was trapped in a desperate mock battle against children. They boys were armed with a broom handle and a wooden stick. Thomas laughed to the side; he hosted bets on the results.

“I've got three copper on the children!” Celeste called out.

Kaelan glared at her. “Traitor.”

She bounced in place. “Then tag me in!”

Maria couldn't help but laugh. “Kaelan, you've finally met your match.”

“This is not funny.”

“It is a little.”

The children charged him again. He tried to dodge every swing without actually hurting anyone, which seemed to make things considerably harder. Then the little boy with the wooden stick lost his balance, but Kaelan caught him before he hit the floor. He steadied the child against his side. And froze.

Maria simply watched him. It was subtle, but something had changed. He still held hesitation, just like with the children at the chapel, but ‌the way he gently handled the children seemed almost natural. Like an older brother catching a younger sibling.

The boy laughed. “Papa used to play like that.”

Just the wooden crackles from the hearth echoed down the hall. Kaelan slowly let the child go.

Elaine turned away. “All right,” she said quietly. “Bedtime.”

The children groaned but headed upstairs. Elaine had prepared the group rooms and quietly wished them a good night before heading off herself. Thomas and Celeste soon creaked up the stairs with a yawn.

Before heading up herself, Maria’s eyes drifted to a painted family portrait on the wall. It showed Elaine, the four children, and a warm, smiling father. Maria silently almost hoped for his safe return that she knew couldn’t happen, just as she hoped to return soon to the chapel.

Yet, Kaelan stared at the same image with an unreadable expression, as if he didn't believe a single word of the happy scene before him.

She preferred not to ask. Not to know why.

***

Deep in the night, the manor settled into silence, yet Maria’s eyes wouldn’t remain shut, even beneath the soft warmth of wool covers. Something still felt off, but she couldn't say what.

Rain tapped against the window while the wind rattled the shutters.

She closed her eyes, but sleep wouldn’t arrive. A sharp creak made them jolt open. Maria remained still as another sound soon followed. Soft footsteps in the hallway, then the quiet scrape of a door.

Slipping out of bed, she cracked her door only to find Kaelan under candlelight, standing in the shadows of the corridor. His dark eyes met her amber ones.

“I heard a noise,” he whispered.

“So did I…”

Down the old halls, shadows stretched beneath wavering candle flame. The two crept forward. Maria held her breath as she readied herself for whatever might lie in the dark.