8
Ms. Ghoul and The Tower
By Jakob Lopez
The Tower.
Old Ms. Ghoul owns the bar and has for years. Famous for the old fashions, the velvet, and the lacquered wood. Despite being well known, few ever go, and even fewer know the owner. What rumors do leave this place are the horrible burns that cover Ms. Ghoul’s face, the pitch-black patch that covers her eye, how she drinks more than her patrons, and how she hasn’t smiled for years.
The regulars will also tell you the food’s great, if a bit simple.
One of the regulars, a younger man who keeps to himself while still enjoying a nice chat, does the unthinkable and tries to learn more about Ms. Ghoul.
“Who’s that picture of?”
Without looking up from the glass she’s cleaning, Ms. Ghoul says, “None of your business.”
Undisturbed, the young man pries further.“Looks like a kid. I didn’t know you had a son.”
Again without looking, Ms. Ghoul says, “I don’t.”“
Looks just like you, too.
”Once more, without looking, Ms. Ghoul rests a gun on the counter .
The young man has never spoke to Ms. Ghoul since, and, as a result, has become one of her favorite customers.
The Old Fashioned
A personal favorite of Mr. Korn, a regular at Ms. Ghoul’s Tower. Having been a patron of the bar for over 23 years, Mr. Korn is arguably the one person anyone could call Ms. Ghoul’s friend. Mr. Korn knows how Ghoul got the burns, why she always drinks, and why she never smiles. He would also die before telling anyone.
“Ghoul.” Grunts Mr. Korn.
In a flash, an old fashioned slides to the equally old fashioned man. They both drink in silence, not because there is nothing to say, but because there is too much, and Mr. Korn has places he occasionally has to be. Korn grunts, and