About Ghost Walk

by Lydia Nyx
22 pages / 5400 words
Ebook zipped file contains - html, lit, Adobe and Sony optimized pdf, prc, epub

Cory Phillips is spending a semester studying abroad in London. In need of a job, he lands a position as a clerk in a gift shop that caters to tourists on London's famous ghost walks. There he meets Alexi Lovegood, a charming and handsome man who plays the ghost of Sir Donovan Cartwright on one of the tours. As romance blossoms amid the campy fun, something spooky in the mist of London's streets threatens to intervene...

Sample

He met a few of the actors who worked on the tours. One was a very nice young woman named Chloe, a chatty, bright-eyed blond girl who pretended to be a 'Lady in White' on several of the tours. He also met an old, wiry man named Winslow who played the ghost of a shopkeeper. He smoked a smelly pipe and liked to talk about when he worked on a trawler in the Baltic Sea.

However, Cory met the most interesting person near the end of his second week there. The shop had just closed and as he did every night, he was counting his drawer and sorting the different currencies. Mostly he saw pounds and American dollars, but he got some francs and rupees occasionally. While immersed in counting, he heard a thump on the counter behind him. He turned from his drawer and was startled to see a man in Victorian dress smiling at him.

"You're new," the man said. His accent sounded clear and refined. "Seamus lets me in the back so I can change clothes before I go home. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to come out and introduce myself. I'm Alexi Lovegood."

Alexi was tall, long-limbed, and handsome. He looked to be in his mid-twenties. He had curly dark hair and his eyes were deep brown, his smile warm and infectious. He wore a jacket with broad lapels and tails, a black puff tie, and a silver waistcoat.

Cory walked over to the counter and shook Alexi's hand. "Cory Phillips," he said. "I take it you work on one of the tours?"

"Yes." Alexi puffed out his chest. "I play the ghost of Sir Donovan Cartwright. I pop out of alleyways and scare children."

Cory chuckled. "That's really cool. Do you live in Westminster?"

"Yes, near Piccadilly Circus. Are you a student? That's all Seamus has been hiring lately."

Cory nodded. "Studying abroad this semester at Westminster Academy. I'm from New York."

"Oh yes, on Oxford. Are you from New York City?"

"Yes."

"Well I hope you're enjoying your time in London, Cory. How's this job treating you?"

"It's fun. I've been having a lot of… fun. Learning a lot about the ghost walks."

"Oh? What have you learned?"

"That they're pretty dramatic." Cory laughed.

Alexi smiled. He had a gorgeous smile. His face was so smooth and sculpted, he looked like someone had craved him out of marble, but then he smiled, and suddenly he looked incredibly soft and human.

"You'll have to take my tour and see me perform," Alexi said. "I work with the 'Spooks of Old Victoria' group, they go around the Trafalgar Square area three nights a week."

"Yeah, when I have a night off I'll definitely do it. I've been wanting to see what all the hype is about."

Alexi smiled again. "I had better go change," he said. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Cory."

"Likewise."

Cory watched him stride toward the back room, graceful and confident. He was also wearing tight trousers and shiny, knee-high boots. He gave off an aura like he could have been a model, or a politician, or someone very important; someone who commanded others to look at him with his mere presence. Or maybe it was just the costume.

Cory went back to counting and realized he was flushed.