“Her name is Mist,” he explained as they walked up the courtyard. At first he had been bewildered by the child-like laughter, but as he looked up beyond the stairs, he saw the swing she was playing with. 

“Why does she find such joy in such a decrepit place?” he asked as they made their way up towards the overview of the graveyard. As he got closer, the shadows that swirled around her looked like spirits themselves, yet she was oblivious. 

“She’s never known anything else.The spirits are nothing but the imaginary friends which she plays with everyday. I find little harm in keeping her here with me as I watch the grounds. She is happy knowing there is life beyond death. She knows her friends will be there even when she grows old,” he explained. 

He was almost afraid to ask the question, but finally he let curiosity take over, “You mean the shadows around her are really…”

“Yes, they are spirits. You never know what you will find here. You’ll find your grandmother’s grave down there past the first mausoleum,” the grounds keeper said, pointing out in the direction he was speaking of. He then began to make his way down the stairs. 

“Thank you, Sir,” he began to say as he turned around, but wide eyed and confused, he found no one there to thank… only the giggles of the little girl that had now disappeared.