Chapter 1: A New Life
And so she found herself standing on an empty lot in a new town, with little money and no skills. She supposed the first thing was to decide on a new name. Anastasia seemed an appropriate choice – after all, she had been resurrected rather a lot – and she could shorten it to Ana. For a family name, Goole sounded about right.
Then she went to visit the science centre – and came out with a new job. Apparently, a shortage of spirits was hampering their research efforts and ghost hunting was a respectable profession here.
None of the spirits she caught seemed precisely like husband material but maybe she’d work her way up to humanoid ghosts with more practice.
But then one night she was called out to deal with a paranormal disturbance at the diner and, on her way out, she finally met a real ghost.
She found out that he was called B Vernon Castor and he’d died from electrocution. They chatted for a while but then he dived back into his tombstone. Perhaps they would meet again some time.
In the meantime, maybe she had better make a start on the tasks the genie had mentioned. Mastery of skills would clearly be important and she'd always enjoyed intellectual pursuits. Even though her mind wasn’t what it had been (in fact, she could barely remember what it had been), she decided that it was worth trying to retrieve some of her lost knowledge. She spent some of her limited cash on a second-hand telescope and some chemistry equipment.
She was in the library looking for the astronomy section when she noticed a book called
Fixing the Friend Problem. That genie had said she ought to work on her social skills…
The genie had also made it clear that she would be living with an increasingly large family as the years went by. But she’d lived alone for so long. Maybe she should get in some practice with a pet. She was really too busy to train a puppy or kitten but maybe the animal shelter would have an older animal who would suit. She contacted them and, a few hours later, was sharing her home with an elderly dog. The people at the shelter had named her Sassy, which didn’t really seem to suit her personality, so Ana changed it to Cecily.
With the help of
Fixing the Friend Problem and its sequels, she was gaining confidence in talking to the people she met in the course of her ghost-hunting career. She’d also started tutoring the Greenwood girls, practising for when she would have her own descendants to help through school.
And, for recreation, she’d taken up chess. In her previous lives, she’d read chess books and worked out problems on her own but she’d never played competitively. Now she found that she was rather good – and it was another way of making friends.
But then one evening, an old acquaintance appeared – only he hadn’t come for her this time.
“No! Not Cecily! Take me instead.”
But of course he wouldn’t.
In her grief, she threw herself into her work, obsessively collecting spirits for the scientists at the lab. Maybe they would find a way to bring Cecily back.
“Hello again, genie.”
“Hi, Anna. Are you still using the name Anna?”
“Well, Ana with one ‘n’ – short for Anastasia. Oh, how rude of me – I have just realised that I did not ask your name when we met before. Do genies have names?”
“Yes. I’m Deirdra.”
“Oh. I was expecting something like Yasmin or Leila. Something more… Arabian.”
“Something less Irish, you mean? The Middle Eastern genies do seem to get all the publicity. If you’re Irish, people expect you to be a leprechaun or banshee.”
“Deirdra, I called you out of the lamp to tell you that I have finished the tasks you set – and to ask you a question. Why did
you have to set the tasks? It occurs to me that the Grim Reaper could have told me the requirements himself.”
“Of course he could – but he likes games. He sometimes lets people play chess for their lives. Anyway, congratulations on completing the tasks. Now, when are you going to have that baby?”
Summary - generation 1Founder: Anastasia Goole
Life state: human
Traits: absent-minded, couch potato, family oriented, great kisser, insane
Lifetime wish: Chess Legend
Unique best friend: Deirdra Ogle (genie)
Two career rewards: Spirit Medal, Spooky Trophy (slightly damaged by Cecily)
Three unique opportunities: Spirit Donation, Best. Haunted. House. Ever., Spooky Props
Four unique Lifetime Happiness Rewards: Teleportation Pad, Dusty Old Lamp, Bookshop Bargainer, Super Nanny
Five unique 5000+point wishes: Reach level 10 of Ghost Hunter career, master logic skill, donate 100 spirits to science, discover all potions, master charisma skill
Six unique skill challenges: Teacher Extraordinaire, Celestial Explorer, Master Chemist, Grand Master, Skill Professor, Metal Collector
Seven items for mausoleum: Potions
Next chapter
