The Wicked Library · 9th Story Studios LLC

TWL 1301: “Almost Finished Business” by Lindsey Goddard

April 1, 2025·19 min

In this darkly comedic horror story, a ghost appears before a supernatural council to justify her unconventional haunting methods. The spirit admits to tormenting Alma Gentry's poodle Marshmallow, causing the dog to defecate indoors and dig up gardens, but argues this serves a greater purpose of punishing Alma for her cruelty. The ghost recounts her tragic backstory, explaining how she never wanted dogs but fell in love with Travis, who worked at Gentry Rescue Center. Despite her clear boundaries about not wanting children or pets, she found herself caring for a succession of foster dogs while Travis pursued other women. The relationship deteriorated as Travis used her as free labor for dog care while openly cheating, leaving her trapped in a suburban home she couldn't escape. When Travis died in a car accident with another woman, the narrator was left alone with Phineas, a special needs terrier mix that no one else wanted to adopt. Alma Gentry, the rescue center owner, showed no compassion for the grieving woman, instead constantly offering unsolicited advice about pet care and criticizing her methods. The narrator describes feeling invisible to everyone around her, with friends and neighbors only asking about the dog's welfare, never her own emotional state. Her breaking point came when Phineas destroyed a cashmere sweater, the last gift from Travis, and Alma dismissed her distress by explaining the dog's attachment to his deceased owner's scent. The ghost reveals that Alma has been embezzling charity donations, keeping hundred-dollar bills hidden in her closet, which the spirit discovered during her haunting activities. At the narrator's funeral, Alma callously focused only on the abandoned dog, calling the suicide selfish and using the tragedy to guilt families into adopting Phineas. This final insult drives the ghost's current mission of revenge through supernatural harassment. The spirit acknowledges a complaint was filed by another ghost, a chained wraith trapped in a creek bed who envies her freedom to move and affect the physical world. She argues her anger gives her power that the other spirit lacks, and that her haunting is justified given Alma's heartless treatment. The ghost claims her supernatural activities are bringing her closer to the light, describing her mission as 'almost finished business' rather than unfinished business. Before departing, she makes a request about Travis's punishment in the afterlife, hoping he's forced to deal with endless dog waste as retribution for abandoning all pet care responsibilities to her. The story ends with the ghost returning to her haunting duties, determined to break Alma's spirit and achieve the satisfaction needed to move on to whatever comes next.

As heard by us

A haunted story where grief, annoyance, and a poodle collide without ever quite settling down.

Almost Finished Business treats grief like something that will not stay politely in its corner. Alma Gentry, her poodle, and the ghost pressing in around them turn ordinary irritation into a sharper kind of loss.

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Why you'd press play

For when you want unfinished business, haunting grudges, and one very unlucky poodle in the same room.

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