When Lily first saw the old villa on top of the hill, she knew it was perfect. She had been searching for a quiet place to spend the summer writing her novel, and the isolated villa seemed ideal. It was a short drive into town for supplies, yet far enough away to provide the peace and tranquility Lily desired.
As she walked up the winding path to the front door on move-in day, Lily admired the Spanish architecture and lush gardens that surrounded the property. Inside, the villa was even more impressive, with high ceilings, intricate tilework, and dark wood accents.
That first night, exhausted from the move, Lily fell into a deep sleep in the master bedroom. It wasn’t until the next morning over coffee on the veranda that the feelings of being watched started to creep in. Lily shrugged it off as nerves being in a new place. But the feeling persisted.
Strange things started happening over the next few weeks. Lily would leave a room only to return and find furniture rearrangements. Things would go missing from their usual spots only to turn up somewhere completely random. Lights and faucets would turn on by themselves. Lily started questioning her own memory, perhaps she really was moving things and forgetting? But the uneasy feeling remained.
She mentions the odd happenings to the couple who own the local café in town. They give each other a knowing glance and warn Lily that the villa has a mischievous resident ghost named Senora Elena. Legend has it that Senora Elena’s husband built the villa for her as a wedding gift in the 1920s. The young bride died tragically on the home’s staircase just two weeks after moving in, leaving Senora Elena’s spirit trapped for eternity.
Lily isn’t sure she believes, but there’s no denying the increasingly bizarre events at the villa. So Lily tries embracing her ghostly roommate. She starts saying “good morning” and “good night” out loud. She makes an extra cup of tea and leaves it on the veranda. She plays old Spanish guitar music, Senora Elena’s favorite.
Lily’s friendly gestures seem to work. The moving objects and lights stop. She feels an invisible presence keeping her company as she writes in the study. Sometimes she smells phantom cigar smoke faintly drifting by Senora Elena’s husband must be visiting too.
By summer’s end, Lily feels a connection to the villa’s past inhabitants. She senses Senora Elena reading happily over her shoulder as Lily types the final pages of her novel at the old wooden desk.
On the last night before Lily has to return home, she leaves the windows open and sips wine on the veranda, reminiscing about her productive and peaceful summer spent with the ghostly couple. She isn’t sure what compelled Senora Elena to stay behind, but Lily now understands it was to keep the villa full of life and creativity once more.
As the cab arrives the next morning, Lily gazes up fondly at her temporary home. She swears she can make out the faint silhouette of a woman in 1920s attire standing on the second-floor balcony, waving goodbye. Lily smiles and waves back at her friend Senora Elena, promising to return someday soon.