Discipline Roy the Ghost?

  No, I haven't done this yet, but I'm kicking around ideas. This week has been rather hectic. Hub ended up in the hospitals. Yes, that's right, hospitals, plural. Two hospitals, one in Houston, one here near home. But he's home and on the mend now. So I've got time to decide what to do about Roy.
  The bottom of my espresso machine isn't the only thing he's messed with lately. We've missed several things that we knew for a fact were where they were supposed to be. The most important thing, so far, was the mouse for hub's laptop. I had used that laptop a couple times while hub was down at his sister's, supposedly deer hunting. Well, he did hunt a few times, but I think he mostly visited before he ended up sick. So I knew that mouse was right there beside the laptop. I hadn't gotten around to cleaning up hub's desk yet, which was on my agenda before I had to suddenly leave. So the mouse was where it was supposed to be.
  When hub ended up in the hospital, I packed up to head to Houston. I decided to take the laptop, so I could plug into sister-in-law's internet, if I ended up down there for a few days … which I did. The mouse was nowhere in sight. The mouse wasn't in the desk, under the desk, hiding in any of the papers, nowhere the flashlight illuminated. The mouse was gone!
  "Roy," I said, "I need that damn mouse! Bring it back. Now!"
  Nothing, only a faint laugh. It wasn't as hearty a laugh as I've heard from Roy when he pulled other pranks, so he knew I was ticked. He also should have been aware of my stress level with hub in a hospital over two hundred miles away. He still didn't bring back the mouse. I had to buy one in Houston, and it cost $25.00! Roy's starting to get expensive, and I’m not happy with the fact he pulled a trick during a period when I was worried. Or that he didn't seem to show any compassion. Roy is on thin ice around here.
  I did open a door in the East one day, but I was in a hurry and didn't give the ceremony the respect it deserved. The only time I'm usually real brief with that ceremony is if I'm driving somewhere and encounter a lost soul. If you're speeding along at 70-80 mph, there's no time to turn to the East and open the door properly. Still, it seems to work those times, so perhaps the lost soul hurries. That day, though, there was no excuse for me not to stop and do it properly. I was on my front porch, heading for the car, and it dawned on me there might be some souls waiting to cross over. It's just a feeling I get sometimes. However, in my hurry, I just turned and opened the door in the brief way I do when driving down the highway. I didn't feel any of the residents in my house cross over, or anyone on the porch, for that matter. My fault. I'll do a proper ceremony soon, but I can't force any soul that doesn't want to go to cross into The Light.
  Roy may have to go, though, if he keeps this up. It's not as funny as it was when he first showed up here. There's just too much going on in this Christmas Season to mess with a ghost who thinks he's a comedian.
  So I hope Roy's reading this. I don't feel him looking over my shoulder, though, so I may have to sit him down and have a talk with him. I can banish him, of course, but I don't like to do that unless it's somebody mean and nasty. Or, of course, something that's not a ghost. Roy's just a wannabe comedian. I'll have to see what happens with him now that hub is home and resting where he needs to be … in our bed.
  UPDATE: Yesterday evening (Saturday), I talked to Aunt Belle about some stuff, one subject being the problem I was having with Roy. She's coming for a visit and more shopping on Thursday, and I mentioned the two of us may have to combine our abilities and get rid of Roy. A while later, I was going through a storage bin of Christmas decorations in our bedroom. Yes, I'm still decorating. I got interrupted with hub's illness, so I'm not quite done yet. Our writer's Christmas party is here Sunday, so I need to finish up. The storage bin is sitting about ten feet from hub's desk; yes, I measured. And you've already guessed it: the darn mouse was in the bin! That storage bin hasn't been anywhere near hub's desk. It's always been over in the entrance hall to the back door. So the mouse had to have floated ten feet into that box.
  Roy has been suspiciously quiet since I got back from Houston. Hopefully, he will stay that way … or there might be an or else in Roy's very near future.
  Sales of To All a Good Night, a Short Story, are going well. If you don't have your copy, it's making its way to the various sales outlets. It's at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and Smashwords. Hopefully, soon you will be able to get it at Sony and Apple iTunes.
  There's also a cute Christmas novella available at all the ebook outlets: Chrissy's Wish. It's a really good read for this time of year! This one is by my alter ego, Trana Mae Simmons. (The Nook, Kobo and Sony urls appear to be broken at this time, dang it! Will try to get that fixed soon.)

Kindle: http://tiny.cc/kgjsi

      SW: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/105321

  Don't forget to stop and enjoy the beautiful poinsettias all around us right now. I must have at least two dozen decorating my house. I love their brightness.
  Boo!
  T. M.