That was such a good book. I reread it recently and thought the ending was sooo creepy... :)

"They will not be able to order food in a restaurant without having it spit in. Who do you think works in New York City’s kitchens, fuckos? Don’t miss the spit bagels, spit hot dogs, and spit pastrami sandwiches of our fine city. You sad little clowns. " Ahahaha love it.

The balloon had to travel down a hallway, through a door, across the kitchen, and it had to float without helium. Mom yanked it down, set it on the table, went back to watch TV. "Bap bap bap" again! The third time, Mom told the little girl ghost to knock it off, heard a giggle & the girl left.

A couple weeks later, on Halloween, the cake was gone, and the balloon was almost deflated on her bedroom floor. Mom walked home from work, got comfy, sat in her recliner. Suddenly she heard this weird "bap bap bap" sound from the kitchen! The balloon was floating, hitting the ceiling fan blades!

Ghosts were just a fact of life (ha?) for my mom, so she just talked to the ghost like it was a regular little girl. I wonder if Mom yelled at it for dropping plates, lol.
So one year, the kitchen staff threw Mom a birthday party: cake, balloons, cards. She walked home, a block away, with her loot.

That, they say, is why she haunted the nursing home. Lots of people reported creepy things happening. When my mom worked there, in the basement kitchen like 20 years ago, she often heard the ghost giggle and run down the hall. The ghost liked to push plates off shelves, drop things in the dish room.

in the basement, and they remodeled the upstairs to be an assisted living home/nursing home when I was in high school. The little girl died in the 1950s; she was hit by a grain truck on Main Street (there's an article!) and her body was taken to the temp-morgue in the basement of the nursing home.

Wow, thanks for sharing! :)

@shellyhaller.bsky.social I hate to point this out because it's something you'll want to go do, LOL, but also, wow.