Ghost Of Mr. Graham

Mr. Graham owned a tiny corner market, and he loved all the children who frequented his store. His smile was genuine, and his heart was made of gold. Even though he barely made a living selling his wares, he handed out free candy to the children. Of course, this made the kids want to live at his store. They were there before school, and after.

Mr. Graham spent his afternoons creating tales for us. I loved hearing his latest story. Mr. Graham was a great story teller. The best I have ever heard!. He had the ability to make his stories come alive. When he spoke, you could hear a pin drop. No one wanted to miss a word he said...

If a customer came into the store, they would stop and listen. Child like wonder would fill their eyes. Mr. Graham loved to pull in the adults as well as the children. His eyes would sparkle with merriment, when he created the individual voices for his characters. They came alive before our eyes!

I don't know when he found the time to create a story, but he had a new story for us, every single day! Each story took us to different places, and we hated it when the story ended. He made sure to tell us tales of wonder, joy, and exploration. Our imaginations went untamed, within his story kingdom. Mr. Graham, should have been writing books for children, but he said, "the stories"... They were just for us! He made us feel so special!...

Mr. Graham, he smiled all the time, but I felt kind of bad for him. His clothes were all worn out, and the knees in his pants were threadbare. He always smelled like lava soap, and his hair was always clean, and combed. He appeared to take great pride in ironing his yellowed, button down shirts, and there were perfect creases in each sleeve. The worn out shoes on his feet, were always-spit spot shiny. He didn't have much, but he was rich!. He found happiness in giving, he found joy in his stories. He found love, through us kids. I don't think he was too lonely, but I know he missed his wife. You could see it sometimes, peeking out from behind the constant smile, a longing for something missing, it would show, albeit- brief...

His wife had died a few years, before, he had opened the store, and they had never had any children of their own. I think the visiting children, from the nearby elementary school, were as close to a family as he would ever have.

One sad day, everything changed...

After school, my friends and I, we went to Mr. Grahams store-just like we did, every afternoon. It was all closed up! No sign, no notice... This was not like Mr. Graham. He was always there, seven days a week. We all looked at each other in confusion. What could have happened to cause Mr. Graham to abandon his post? Wouldn't he miss us?. Maybe he hadn't been able to remember another story. I tried to think up a reasonable excuse for his absence. We waited for a bit, and when he still didn't show, we had no choice, but to go home.

That evening, the awful reality would be told to me. My Mother sat me down, and told me what she had heard. She told me, Mr. Graham had died. She had talked to Mr. Grahams landlady at the local grocery mart, and been told the awful news. He had had a heart attack, but he had died quickly. I couldn't believe it! This gentle Soul had passed away. I didn't get to say goodbye!. I knew the other children would miss him dearly, when they were told this news by their family members. It wasn't fair!, How could he just go away like that?...I was heartbroken!. Those story tale afternoons, all gone. Mr. Grahams laughter, forever silenced. Yes, he would be sorely missed by all.

I cried like there was no tomorrow. I vowed, never to forget his loving and generous nature. I wanted to honor the kindness in his heart, but I didn't know how!...

He was with his beloved wife, I was sure of it. He had talked about her all the time, and I was sure they were reunited! This made me feel a litle better.

Time went on, and the store never reopened. The neighborhood grew, as all neighborhoods do, and a big mall popped up, right around the corner. The corner shop belonging to Mr Graham, was quickly outdated, and forgotten...

I lived about ten blocks from Mr. Grahams old place, and it was eerie to walk past. Seeing it all boarded up, it made my heart heavy. It had been such a happy place. I had hoped someone would open another corner market, and be as kind as Mr. Graham had been... Of course, it didn't happen, and as the years went by, no one bought the old place. I hadn't walked in that direction in such a long time... For good reason!

It had become run down, and derelicts slept nearby in the shadows. I was in my teens now. I remember the decision to walk by Mr. Graham's old place. Nostalgia overtakes the Soul, from time to time, am I right? Anyway, the sun had just gone down, but I wasn't afraid. This was my neighborhood, and nothing was going to hurt me. I kept telling myself this as I walked toward the seedier part of town.

As I drew closer to the rotting building, it was apparent that nothing had changed. The paint was still peeling, the building was sagging in places, but it was a special place to me. I felt lighter just looking at the old building. Memories of gumballs and red hots, story tales, and Mr. Grahams sparkling eyes,... Wonderful images filled my head.

All these memories flying through my head! I smiled a little smile, when I remembered how good Mr. Graham had treated us. We had been so blessed!... To have had him a part of our young lives. I was thinking about turning away, and heading back, when I saw a muted light coming from the old store...

I saw a soft glow, like candlelight, behind the boarded up windows. I wondered if someone was inside. What would they be doing in there? It had to be dangerous to be inside the building. After all, it looked like the place was about to fall down.

I tiptoed over, and took a quick peek through the cracks in the boards. What I saw? Surprised the heck out of me! Mr. Graham was sweeping the interior of his disheveled, dilapidated store!.

Obviously, he was a Ghostly Apparition, but he looked intent on cleaning up the mess around him. I watched for a few minutes in disbelief. Without any warning, Mr. Graham looked in my direction. Startled, I froze to the walls. My hands, pressed against both sides of the boarded up window, wide eyes, still peering through the cracks. I just couldn't look away...

Mr. Graham tilted his head to the right, and smiled! It was like he knew it was me. He winked at me, just like he did when he was alive, and I knew at that moment, he was o.k...No!, he was more than ok... I saw that old twinkle in his ghostly eyes.

He turned back to his chores, and silently, slowly-he faded away. The dilapidated store, was as dark as an old unused building should be... I walked away with a smile on my face, and a light heart.

Mr. Graham, you will never be forgotten...