Prayers

"This is my favorite time of night; bedtime prayers!" the ghost in the hall whispered. "I had no idea you were religious!" the spirit on the stairs reacted, amazed. "Oh, I'm not," came the reply, "but it's magical." They met on the landing and went into the rooms to eavesdrop. The father mumbled something about "haters" and "what's coming to them" and then closed with asking for a promotion. The mother hissed about not being appreciated and weight loss and reflected on the attractiveness of the new trainer at the gym. Two of the children skipped it and fell asleep. "I've saved the best for last," the ghost said, moving them through the door into Tim's room. "I'm asking for protection here," Tim said, his eyes closed and his heart open. "I don't want to have to stake Uncle Sheldon; no one believes me about his ... condition, but it's pretty obvious - with the teeth and the fact that he's a stone cold evil sunnuvabitch." The ghost grinned broadly and the spirit let its mouth drop open. "Reality TV," it said (back on the landing). "OMG, the absolute best!" the ghost agreed, sighing with satisfaction.