The Ghost and Mr Holloway

By Sonia

Water Rats – Ghost and Mrs Muir cross over

Category: A little romance and a little whimsy.

Disclaimer: Okay, let’s see if I remember the drill correctly. These characters aren’t mine. I’m not making any money off of them, nor am I using them for any other sort of personal gain. In fact, they’re probably taking up way too much of my time. I’m only borrowing them for a bit in the hopes of scratching that strange writer’s itch I’ve been having recently and to perhaps provide entertainment for my friends for a short while.

Author’s notes: once upon a time there was an old movie and later a television series about a widow who lived in a cottage by the sea. The cottage had a ghost, Captain Gregg, who fell in love with the gentle Carolyn Muir. Their love could never be because one was a ghost, the other mortal. I’ve often wondered what would happen if Frank made his way to Gull Cottage. Aside from a certain couple of detectives who shall remain nameless, The Ghost and Mrs Muir would be one of my favourite television love stories.

Dedication: To all of you who enjoy a love story

Summary: When two seafarers meet, tales of the heart are told

Frank Holloway wondered what sea winds had lead him to this point.

He was at a cottage on the coast of America, down New England way he assumed. It was sort of like a bed and breakfast and the name of the place appealed to the sea faring spirit in him – Gull Cottage.

The gulls had really become his friends since he sailed away from Sydney on the Footloose. Sailed away from Rachel.

Rachel was gone now – her spirit hopefully soaring with the gulls.

It was nearly nightfall. May as well moor the Footloose and rest on a bed that didn’t rock for a couple of nights Frank thought as he knocked on the door.

He was welcomed in and taken to a kitchen and given a large steak with baked potatoes, sour cream and chives. The freshly cooked meal was such a change from his steady diet of fish. He felt quite at home in Gull Cottage.

The plump housekeeper showed Frank to an upstairs room that was dominated by a sea view and a large antique telescope.

Wow, have to have a play with that telescope later Frank thought. No, I’ll play with that now.

Frank placed his hand on the spyglass and found himself shoved backwards, landing flat on his bum.

"Hey!"

"Don’t touch my spyglass you interloper!" The voice in Frank’s head was gruff but commanding. It really reminded him of one of his Academy parade sergeants.

He had fought hallucinations while he was at sea. Even though those hallucinations were of Goldie and Helen – he still fought the images of the women he loved most as his sanity depended on it. The other thing Frank learned at sea was to respect the existence of spirits. These lessons were learned the hard way after a couple of close calls involving near collisions with a container ship or two.

The fact he didn’t drown and the Footloose survived without a scratch must have meant someone was looking out for him.

"Okay, who are you and why is it your spyglass?" Frank still remembered a thing or two about interrogation – even though he wasn’t too sure who or what he was grilling.

A middle aged man materialised before him. His posture was ram-rod straight and demeanor positively naval.

"Captain Daniel Gregg at your service, Officer Holloway. The spyglass came from my ship that’s lying at the bottom of the ocean out there. Your conduct on the open seas has impressed me, even though your navigation skills are damn foolhardy. I know your heart has been troubled of late."

"What? How would you know?" A spirit who could see into his heart? Frank had seen and done a lot of things in his life so far but this was getting to the edge of the envelope.

"One of the benefits of the afterlife is making the acquaintance of some interesting people.

"I knew I shouldn’t have had those last couple of beers before I went to bed last night.

"I assure you Officer Holloway, this is no alcohol induced hallucination. One of the advantages of the afterlife is you get to meet some interesting people. Why has you heart been so vexed lately?

Frank winced. There was so much pain he thought he had dealt with. The hurt and the raw nerve ends reached out to slap him just as hard as the Atlantic Ocean waves hit the Footloose.

"I’ve lost someone that I cared about and I never told her how I felt."

"That would be Rachel wouldn’t it?

"What? How do you know?" Frank was amazed. He knew he was talking to a ghost and wasn’t sure how to handle it. Give him a knife wielding crim any day.

"Rachel and my Carolyn have become firm friends since she came to our world. I had loved Carolyn from the day she and her children moved to the cottage. In time, she fell in love with me. Our spirits and hearts were one even though our bodies could never be together until Carolyn died. Rachel knew what was in your heart when she came to our world. As she was crossing over, she called for you. True love will live forever Officer Holloway and, remember, we will always be reunited with the ones we call our soul mates. She will come to you in time, just as I was here in Gull Cottage for all the years Carolyn was alive.

"By the way, steer clear of container ships in future. Rachel and I can’t be everywhere you know." With a crisp salute, Captain Gregg dematerialised.

As he dressed for bed, Frank reflected on the Captain’s words that Rachel would come to him in time and that she had called for him as she died. Helen hadn’t told him that. Maybe Helen had not known Rachel’s last words.

"Damn it Goldie, why were we so afraid to say what we thought and felt…we could have made it work. All those missed moments. I felt like half of my soul had gone when Helen told me you had been murdered. I always felt like the term soul mates was something Mills and Boon thought up to sell more books. Boy, was I wrong about that. I love you Rachel, with all my heart and for all time," Frank muttered as he climbed into the four poster bed.

Pulling the patchwork quilt around him, Frank found it strange being in a real bed instead of his bunk in the Footloose. Soon sleep overcame him and he began to dream. It was a dream of fresh sea breezes, cawing gulls, a woman with gas jet blue eyes and a rapier sharp mind. The woman was smiling. She was free. She was happy. She was his Rachel.

Like a whisper on the wind, he could hear her voice so clearly.

"Always Frank. I sail with you and soar with you always. "

Finis