In tribute to the late Harold Ramis, who delighted many a nerd with his portrayal of Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters, I want to see your most haunting ghost stories. Tell us tales of the recently deceased or of persons long passed, but never gone--but with a caveat: your surviving characters cannot have known the ghost while it was alive. Chill our spines or touch our hearts, if you can. Horror is more than welcome, but it's not a requirement; you can call your spirits from the realms of sorrow or sentiment or even humor if you think you can pull it off. Not from the realm of porn, though: no erotica. And NO FANFICTION. Your ghosts can be historical figures, but the stress is on historical. Hitler's ghost is fine. The ghost of Benny the Snake is not.

For this round an additional rule is in effect: Do not ask anyone who has posted in this thread to look at your story before you submit. You must stand or fall alone.

Realistically, this is a difficult rule to enforce, and I'm counting somewhat on an honor system, but if I do find out you've asked for help it's an instant DQ for you. On the flip side, while I'll critique your writing mechanics, judging will be lenient on that score as long as there's some sign you gave a damn. This does mean the likes of '18teen' will still be viewed with extreme prejudice.