Tink: A Strange and Lonely Ghost

by Dwayne Fry

Once a year, Charlie Merrill sneaks away from his disapproving wife to gamble in Las Vegas. It's 1962 and this year he's staying at the once beautiful, now seedy Poseidon’s Fountain. He will soon find out that room 538 is haunted by the ghost of a lonely show girl that committed suicide there. They called her "Tink" in life and Tink has found that even death didn't cure her loneliness. Tink is determined to end her loneliness one way or another.

30 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 25, 2014

About the author

A jack of all genres and Master of None, I like to dabble in writing most anything that suits my current fancy.

'Though I've been writing since age eleven, I hadn't bothered to publish anything until a few years ago, starting with my short story Old Pops' Last Beer. Since that time I've put out a few dozen short stories, along with a few novellas.

I consider my first published novel, Rave On to be a fiftieth birthday present to myself, having shoved it into the public eye on that semicentennial landmark. I often refer to it as a "magical, musical, romance". It's a story of what happens when a rockabilly singer from Iowa meets a mysterious magician from Romania.

My second novel is Suckers & Rogues, a coming-of-age saga set in the mid-eighties in which I examine teenage angst.

My third novel, which should be out by summer of 2022 is untitled at the moment. It is a paranormal mystery / horror about a group of ghost hunters exploring the secrets of an abandoned kiddie theme park.

When I'm not writing, I work with special needs adults or spend time with my wife and my dogs.

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a twisted story. Charlie Merrill is gambling in Las Vegas and staying in a shabby room. There he comes across the ghost of Tink who allegedly was murdered by her gangster friend and casino owner Rudy Pope. She wants Charlie to die to be with him since she's feeling lonely. When Charlie has a winning stroke he is taken out by Peter Pope, Rudy's son. Off to the desert they go. Will Charlie survive this? A well plotted and stunning story here. Plausible characters, cliches and an unpredictable twist. I enjoyed this story. Recommended!

[Christina McMullen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting little tale, very similar in style to Mr. Meeker. Like that one, this is the story of a man who isn't a terrible man, but he's not terribly good either, and it takes place in an era where that type of not terribly good behavior was more socially acceptable, but he might still be called a bore. What happens when he sneaks away for a week in Vegas? Well, a little of what you would expect, and a lot of what you wouldn't. That's really all I can say without giving much away, but if you've read any of Fry's work, that should be all I have to say.

[Amber · Rating 2 out of 5]

Strange is definitely a great way to define this short story.

I thought I knew where it was headed but I was totally wrong. It ended bizarrely, and the author might have intended the twist I thought it was going to take but if he did I didn't pick up on it. It was just weird.

Side note: If some strange person (man, woman, or child) was suddenly in my locked hotel room and I was naked and alone I would be freaking out. Charlie is clearly either very trusting or a lot braver than I am!