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Hope: A Ghost Story
After Todd's mother dies from cancer, he moves back to his hometown in the foothills of the Appalachians from Chicago. It's 1997 and he's just been given a death sentence--an HIV-positive diagnosis.
Todd expects his remaining time on earth to be spent alone. But Cal, his handsome next-door neighbor, has other ideas.
Cal is not the only surprise in Todd's new life. Todd begins having visions of an older woman, Essie, when he dims the lights. Is she just a figment of his imagination? Or is she a truth teller? When she talks to Todd, she's smart and hopeful.
When Todd tells Cal about the ghost, Cal knows her already because Todd's mother spoke with her before her death. Essie was a godsend when Todd's mom was in so much pain.
And now, Essie urges Todd to live...for himself...for new love. But is she too late?
Todd expects his remaining time on earth to be spent alone. But Cal, his handsome next-door neighbor, has other ideas.
Cal is not the only surprise in Todd's new life. Todd begins having visions of an older woman, Essie, when he dims the lights. Is she just a figment of his imagination? Or is she a truth teller? When she talks to Todd, she's smart and hopeful.
When Todd tells Cal about the ghost, Cal knows her already because Todd's mother spoke with her before her death. Essie was a godsend when Todd's mom was in so much pain.
And now, Essie urges Todd to live...for himself...for new love. But is she too late?
40 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 31, 2019
5 people are currently reading
28 people want to read
About the author
Rick R. Reed
118 books1,046 followersReal Men. True Love.
Rick R. Reed is an award-winning and bestselling author of more than sixty works of published fiction, spanning genres such as horror, psychological suspense and love stories. He is a Lambda Literary Award finalist and a multiple Rainbow Award winner.
Entertainment Weekly has described his work as “heartrending and sensitive.” Lambda Literary has called him: “A writer that doesn’t disappoint…”
Find him at www.rickrreedreality.blogspot.com. Rick lives in Palm Springs, CA, with his two rescue dogs, Kodi and Joaquin.
Rick R. Reed is an award-winning and bestselling author of more than sixty works of published fiction, spanning genres such as horror, psychological suspense and love stories. He is a Lambda Literary Award finalist and a multiple Rainbow Award winner.
Entertainment Weekly has described his work as “heartrending and sensitive.” Lambda Literary has called him: “A writer that doesn’t disappoint…”
Find him at www.rickrreedreality.blogspot.com. Rick lives in Palm Springs, CA, with his two rescue dogs, Kodi and Joaquin.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 28, 2019
’Hope’ those four letters are the core what this is all about!
Gosh what a beautiful little gem this is. So much story in so little pages.
It gave me goosebumps.
It’s 1997, three years before millennium. Todd his mother just passed and Todd sold all his stuff and will move back home.
He meets the neighbor Cal who took care of his mom while Todd wasn’t there.
Cal is kind, funny and very attractive. It seems Cal is also attracted to Todd.
Only Todd got diagnosed HIV positive and had the idea to spent his remaining time at his childhood home, alone. He can’t get involved with Cal.
Meet Essie, an older spirit who talks to Todd at night. She is wise and speaks of hope and life.
A short story, full of compassion, beautiful reflections and hope for the future.
It has kindness, humor, and lovely passages. Gratitude for the medicine!
A wonderfully written story, the author did an amazing job, so much feelings in just 40 pages. While writing this review my eyes blurred thinking about all those beautiful souls.
Gosh what a beautiful little gem this is. So much story in so little pages.
It gave me goosebumps.
It’s 1997, three years before millennium. Todd his mother just passed and Todd sold all his stuff and will move back home.
He meets the neighbor Cal who took care of his mom while Todd wasn’t there.
Cal is kind, funny and very attractive. It seems Cal is also attracted to Todd.
Only Todd got diagnosed HIV positive and had the idea to spent his remaining time at his childhood home, alone. He can’t get involved with Cal.
Meet Essie, an older spirit who talks to Todd at night. She is wise and speaks of hope and life.
A short story, full of compassion, beautiful reflections and hope for the future.
It has kindness, humor, and lovely passages. Gratitude for the medicine!
A wonderfully written story, the author did an amazing job, so much feelings in just 40 pages. While writing this review my eyes blurred thinking about all those beautiful souls.
November 6, 2019
"It's only hopeless if you make it so."
**I read Hope as a short in an anthology. I'm not sure if this version is updated but this is my original review.
Todd moves from Chicago back to his childhood home in small town Ohio after his mother's death. He missed being with his mother in the final stages of her cancer battle but Cal, a next door neighbour, looked after her during her final battle with the illness. When Todd meets Cal he already knows a lot about him through his mother, it gives him compounded guilt about Cal being there for his mother when he wasn't... because he couldn't cope.
It was self-pity that made him delay, causing him to miss a moment he could never get back. But in facing his own mother’s mortality, he was recently facing his own. At least Mom was approaching eighty. Todd was only thirty-four.
Todd has serious issues of his own. He has some signs of his HIV infection showing, including night sweats and Kaposi's Sarcoma. His mother's illness reminds him of his own impending mortality. There can be no judgement, it was a terrible time, Cal has witnessed a lot of illness and death. This story is set approximately around 1996. AZT was a start of the antiretrovirals, but a nasty medication - at initial doses given - and originally didn't guarantee a long or good end result. When his doctor in Chicago explains there are drugs helping people, Todd automatically assumes AZT and leaves the surgery, then Chicago, without much hope.
Todd delivers a moving eulogy at his mother's funeral, which is used as part of the narrative as opposed to us physically being there, and it brought me to tears. It was loving and emotional and a clever way to let the reader know who Todd really is. In a less capable author's hands, with a number of readers not having lived through the time, Todd could come off as selfish, but for me he comes off as scared, understandably worried and, most of all, human. It's not easy to achieve that in a short story.
Living in his mum's home has an unnerving aspect. Todd swears he sees a woman, an apparition, in the house when he dims or turns off the lights. She seems to be looking off into the distance and her appearance and dress are that of an older woman. He wonders if she's real or a figment of his less than stable mood and mind right now. He'd leave the house and sleep elsewhere but his bank balance is next to zero, so he stays. The added bonus of staying is that Cal is a nice guy with a warm and friendly demeanour. It doesn't hurt that he's nice to look at as well. However, Todd can't start anything with Cal, even though there's definite camaraderie there as well as hints of Cal flirting. Todd gets to the point where he becomes downright aversive, he doesn't want Cal to see the KP lesions, doesn't want to repulse him with his +positive status and he doesn't think Cal should be with someone like him - weak and infected.
Meanwhile, the ghost starts talking to Todd. She is smart, direct, and incredibly hopeful in a pragmatic way. She spends more time on this plane than the hereafter because she likes to help people in need. Like Todd. Like Todd's mum before him. When Todd tells Cal about the ghost, Cal knows her name. Essie. He knows because Todd's mother was talking to her well before her death. Cal couldn't see her but Essie was a godsend when Todd's mum was in so much pain. Now Todd is seeing her too he surmises it's because he's dying like his mum.
“What? In diapers? Is that your idea of dignity?” The voice emerged from the shadows gathered in the corners of his bedroom, where the pale light from his nightstand did not reach.
There was soft laughter then. It was Essie.
Hope is a little Angels in America - I kept seeing Meryl Streep talking to Al Pacino, not that Todd is anything like Al Pacino's character, and it's set later on, but it's just the general vibe. This is a very well written, very emotional piece of writing - beautifully heartfelt, era apt, and compassionate. The story gives hope because it's so human, and believably hopeful. Rick R Reed's writing maturity and style shines brightly in this book.
**I read Hope as a short in an anthology. I'm not sure if this version is updated but this is my original review.
Todd moves from Chicago back to his childhood home in small town Ohio after his mother's death. He missed being with his mother in the final stages of her cancer battle but Cal, a next door neighbour, looked after her during her final battle with the illness. When Todd meets Cal he already knows a lot about him through his mother, it gives him compounded guilt about Cal being there for his mother when he wasn't... because he couldn't cope.
It was self-pity that made him delay, causing him to miss a moment he could never get back. But in facing his own mother’s mortality, he was recently facing his own. At least Mom was approaching eighty. Todd was only thirty-four.
Todd has serious issues of his own. He has some signs of his HIV infection showing, including night sweats and Kaposi's Sarcoma. His mother's illness reminds him of his own impending mortality. There can be no judgement, it was a terrible time, Cal has witnessed a lot of illness and death. This story is set approximately around 1996. AZT was a start of the antiretrovirals, but a nasty medication - at initial doses given - and originally didn't guarantee a long or good end result. When his doctor in Chicago explains there are drugs helping people, Todd automatically assumes AZT and leaves the surgery, then Chicago, without much hope.
Todd delivers a moving eulogy at his mother's funeral, which is used as part of the narrative as opposed to us physically being there, and it brought me to tears. It was loving and emotional and a clever way to let the reader know who Todd really is. In a less capable author's hands, with a number of readers not having lived through the time, Todd could come off as selfish, but for me he comes off as scared, understandably worried and, most of all, human. It's not easy to achieve that in a short story.
Living in his mum's home has an unnerving aspect. Todd swears he sees a woman, an apparition, in the house when he dims or turns off the lights. She seems to be looking off into the distance and her appearance and dress are that of an older woman. He wonders if she's real or a figment of his less than stable mood and mind right now. He'd leave the house and sleep elsewhere but his bank balance is next to zero, so he stays. The added bonus of staying is that Cal is a nice guy with a warm and friendly demeanour. It doesn't hurt that he's nice to look at as well. However, Todd can't start anything with Cal, even though there's definite camaraderie there as well as hints of Cal flirting. Todd gets to the point where he becomes downright aversive, he doesn't want Cal to see the KP lesions, doesn't want to repulse him with his +positive status and he doesn't think Cal should be with someone like him - weak and infected.
Meanwhile, the ghost starts talking to Todd. She is smart, direct, and incredibly hopeful in a pragmatic way. She spends more time on this plane than the hereafter because she likes to help people in need. Like Todd. Like Todd's mum before him. When Todd tells Cal about the ghost, Cal knows her name. Essie. He knows because Todd's mother was talking to her well before her death. Cal couldn't see her but Essie was a godsend when Todd's mum was in so much pain. Now Todd is seeing her too he surmises it's because he's dying like his mum.
“What? In diapers? Is that your idea of dignity?” The voice emerged from the shadows gathered in the corners of his bedroom, where the pale light from his nightstand did not reach.
There was soft laughter then. It was Essie.
Hope is a little Angels in America - I kept seeing Meryl Streep talking to Al Pacino, not that Todd is anything like Al Pacino's character, and it's set later on, but it's just the general vibe. This is a very well written, very emotional piece of writing - beautifully heartfelt, era apt, and compassionate. The story gives hope because it's so human, and believably hopeful. Rick R Reed's writing maturity and style shines brightly in this book.
October 29, 2019
I loved this sweet story so much!!
Hope is exactly what this was all about. It was short, sweet, loving and had so many underlying themes. I love how Rick Reed is able to turn a few words into something so meaningful and inspiring.
With health news of his own, Todd delays his trip to visit his mother, then misses his chance at seeing her one last time. Deciding to move back home to take care of her house, he meets the man who was like a son to her, as well as a ghost who was a friend to her. And just when he thinks his life is over, they give him hope as well.
So so good. You will want to read this at least once, but I'm betting it will be a comfort read you come back to again and again. I know it will be that for me!
Hope is exactly what this was all about. It was short, sweet, loving and had so many underlying themes. I love how Rick Reed is able to turn a few words into something so meaningful and inspiring.
With health news of his own, Todd delays his trip to visit his mother, then misses his chance at seeing her one last time. Deciding to move back home to take care of her house, he meets the man who was like a son to her, as well as a ghost who was a friend to her. And just when he thinks his life is over, they give him hope as well.
So so good. You will want to read this at least once, but I'm betting it will be a comfort read you come back to again and again. I know it will be that for me!
November 1, 2020
Beautiful
November 1, 2019
I really enjoyed reading this story. Short stories are meant, in my opinion, to be enjoyed as a break from work or something else you need a break from. They don't require the same time investment as a longer novel. Shorter novels also have their drawbacks if the author tries to accomplish too much in the limited amount of space.
Rick R Reed does not fall into any traps with this one. The main story follows Todd at a crossroads in his life. His mother has just died and he gets some serious news about his own life at the same time. enough to make a person shut down and give up.
But not Todd. He struggles, but manages to push himself to try to continue living a full life, taking the risk on letting someone else in even at the very real risk of facing rejection for very real reasons. Set in the late 90s, this story is more of a time piece, examining an evolving epidemic for gay men and the turning point when this epidemic was beginning to seem less scary and more manageable. Still, the stigmas and self-doubt were very real and Rick did a great job of capturing those emotions.
The story doesn't contain steaming heat, more of a simmering warmth that lets us know Todd is a man with a sex drive and the ability to feel attraction, despite his fears of rejection. However, as a short story, it would have been too much had the author chosen to explore both Todd's emotional journey as well as his physical/sexual journey. A very good choice in my opinion. That said, this short story is for an emotional ride, not a piping hot one.
The overall theme I would say is to learn from others and to remember that it's never too late to find happiness. The ghost of Todd's memory and a very real ghost help Todd to battle his own demons and to break down self-imposed barriers.
A worthwhile read. Well done!
Rick R Reed does not fall into any traps with this one. The main story follows Todd at a crossroads in his life. His mother has just died and he gets some serious news about his own life at the same time. enough to make a person shut down and give up.
But not Todd. He struggles, but manages to push himself to try to continue living a full life, taking the risk on letting someone else in even at the very real risk of facing rejection for very real reasons. Set in the late 90s, this story is more of a time piece, examining an evolving epidemic for gay men and the turning point when this epidemic was beginning to seem less scary and more manageable. Still, the stigmas and self-doubt were very real and Rick did a great job of capturing those emotions.
The story doesn't contain steaming heat, more of a simmering warmth that lets us know Todd is a man with a sex drive and the ability to feel attraction, despite his fears of rejection. However, as a short story, it would have been too much had the author chosen to explore both Todd's emotional journey as well as his physical/sexual journey. A very good choice in my opinion. That said, this short story is for an emotional ride, not a piping hot one.
The overall theme I would say is to learn from others and to remember that it's never too late to find happiness. The ghost of Todd's memory and a very real ghost help Todd to battle his own demons and to break down self-imposed barriers.
A worthwhile read. Well done!
November 3, 2019
More than a simple ghost story
Hope was a sweet short that served as a nice reminder about how much has changed within the LGBTQ community since 1997, when this story takes place, and just why we shouldn’t give up on hope. To be honest, I maybe read too into the release date and thought this book would be more about ghosts than about finding your inner peace and hoping for a better future than you thought possible. Though the ghost plays an important role in Todd processing the news of his HIV diagnosis and what it could mean for him going forward, Hope really centered on Cal and Todd’s start. I liked the leisurely build between the men after their instant connection, and enjoyed all the warm fuzzies this short story spurred. Though Hope offers just a quick glimpse into the start of a relationship, the final chapter offered a glimpse 3 years into the couple’s future and made for a satisfying conclusion.
*eARC received from author. The author did not influence this review.*
Hope was a sweet short that served as a nice reminder about how much has changed within the LGBTQ community since 1997, when this story takes place, and just why we shouldn’t give up on hope. To be honest, I maybe read too into the release date and thought this book would be more about ghosts than about finding your inner peace and hoping for a better future than you thought possible. Though the ghost plays an important role in Todd processing the news of his HIV diagnosis and what it could mean for him going forward, Hope really centered on Cal and Todd’s start. I liked the leisurely build between the men after their instant connection, and enjoyed all the warm fuzzies this short story spurred. Though Hope offers just a quick glimpse into the start of a relationship, the final chapter offered a glimpse 3 years into the couple’s future and made for a satisfying conclusion.
*eARC received from author. The author did not influence this review.*
November 5, 2019
This is a romance, but it’s so much more than that. The reader is allowed a glimpse inside the head of someone (that would be Todd) who’d just been given bad news about his health in a time when there weren’t a whole lot of options out there for treatment. It was also within days of him losing his mother to cancer. My heart broke for him. Later, it was nice to see that first glimmer of hope for his future after meeting the resident ghost, Essie.
Then there's Cal, Todd's hot new neighbor. Todd's instantly attracted but hesitant because of his recent diagnosis.
I'm a big sappy romantic at heart. This short story brought out all kinds of emotions.
Another great read by Rick R. Reed. The title is perfect.
Full review can be found at -
Then there's Cal, Todd's hot new neighbor. Todd's instantly attracted but hesitant because of his recent diagnosis.
I'm a big sappy romantic at heart. This short story brought out all kinds of emotions.
Another great read by Rick R. Reed. The title is perfect.
Full review can be found at -
October 29, 2019
This short, yet poignant romance is filled with home truths. The first reaction of anyone diagnosed with a potentially life-threatening disease can easily be hopelessness. Reaching out and finding hope to hang onto becomes the challenge.
That’s the case of Todd who’s living it up in Chicago until he’s diagnosed HIV-positive at the same time his mother is dying in Ohio. Depressed, he becomes even more so when he can’t motivate himself to fly to her bedside and misses his moment to say he loves her. It takes both a resident ghost and a handsome, sympathetic neighbor to help him back on his feet and to push him to live again.
In true, Rick Reed fashion, the story flows easily and the apt home truths directly hit the reader’s heart. This is a no-fat, no-frills tale penned by a master writer. Todd and Cal will live in readers’ hearts a long time after the last sentence is read.
That’s the case of Todd who’s living it up in Chicago until he’s diagnosed HIV-positive at the same time his mother is dying in Ohio. Depressed, he becomes even more so when he can’t motivate himself to fly to her bedside and misses his moment to say he loves her. It takes both a resident ghost and a handsome, sympathetic neighbor to help him back on his feet and to push him to live again.
In true, Rick Reed fashion, the story flows easily and the apt home truths directly hit the reader’s heart. This is a no-fat, no-frills tale penned by a master writer. Todd and Cal will live in readers’ hearts a long time after the last sentence is read.
October 27, 2019
What a fantastic little story. I had it read in a hour just devoured it from start to finish. It had the potential to have a lot of melodrama but there was none. Fantastically wrote and thoroughly enjoyable read.
Todd has just received not one blow but two. He decides enough is enough and he moves home to his childhood home in the knowledge that he is going to be alone for the rest of his life. That is until he meets Cal and he can’t get the handsome stranger out of his mind but it won’t be fair on Cal to begin something he can’t finish.
One night when he thinks he is loosing his mind he gets some advice from the friendly ghost lady Essie that is watching over him. With her looking out for him maybe things aren’t as hopeless as they once seemed.
Todd has just received not one blow but two. He decides enough is enough and he moves home to his childhood home in the knowledge that he is going to be alone for the rest of his life. That is until he meets Cal and he can’t get the handsome stranger out of his mind but it won’t be fair on Cal to begin something he can’t finish.
One night when he thinks he is loosing his mind he gets some advice from the friendly ghost lady Essie that is watching over him. With her looking out for him maybe things aren’t as hopeless as they once seemed.
October 29, 2022
I gotta start by saying how much I love Rick R Reed's stories. Sure, I haven't read all of them, probably less than a third(with another 3rd already purchased waiting to be read in Kindle limbo) but I've absolutely adored every one of them. I say that because I have no idea how this little short gem missed my radar the past 3 years.
Better late than never as the saying goes.
Hope, both as a title and word in general, can be very powerful, very scary, very uncertain, and yet very necessary. As my mom's 24/7 caregiver I can't imagine what Todd is feeling not being there when his mom is so close to the end and then to get his own life-changing diagnosis the day he was preparing to return to have one final goodbye with her. That alone breaks my heart and makes the title that much more important.
I really don't want to give anything away for this amazing short, because I know there are those like me who have yet to experience Todd's journey. What I will say is, for a short story that starts out with that much heartache to turn around and be quite heartwarming and for lack of a better word, hopeful, takes talent and it's that talent that makes Hope a must read. Even if your paranormals tastes don't lean toward ghost stories, trust me, this is one ghost story you will love.
Better late than never as the saying goes.
Hope, both as a title and word in general, can be very powerful, very scary, very uncertain, and yet very necessary. As my mom's 24/7 caregiver I can't imagine what Todd is feeling not being there when his mom is so close to the end and then to get his own life-changing diagnosis the day he was preparing to return to have one final goodbye with her. That alone breaks my heart and makes the title that much more important.
I really don't want to give anything away for this amazing short, because I know there are those like me who have yet to experience Todd's journey. What I will say is, for a short story that starts out with that much heartache to turn around and be quite heartwarming and for lack of a better word, hopeful, takes talent and it's that talent that makes Hope a must read. Even if your paranormals tastes don't lean toward ghost stories, trust me, this is one ghost story you will love.
June 18, 2022
Angsty M/M quickie romance; 1997
If we don’t have hope, what are we? I believe hope is what separates us from the animal kingdom. They go on instinct for the most part. Maybe some primates are different. Don’t know, but in this hopeful short gay romance we find 34yo too-skinny Todd who has just lost his mother to cancer returning to his home in Fawcettville with the worst news ever. He has HIV. Todd decides this is where he’s going to die. In his home.
There he meets the man who cared for his mother in her last days, Cal Hughes, buff red-head, bearded and also gay. Todd is anxious because he likes the looks of Cal but should he start something in view of his HIV? And then there is “spiritual” Essie who sets him on the right path.
Oh. My. Word. This is a short, 40-page story that I couldn’t put down once I started. Will the fact that therapeutics for HIV became better in 1996 change the trajectory of Todd’s story? Wait and see. I highly recommend this book for readers who feel at the end of their rope and need hope. No steamy scenes. Just an encouraging, inspiring and inspiriting narrative.
If we don’t have hope, what are we? I believe hope is what separates us from the animal kingdom. They go on instinct for the most part. Maybe some primates are different. Don’t know, but in this hopeful short gay romance we find 34yo too-skinny Todd who has just lost his mother to cancer returning to his home in Fawcettville with the worst news ever. He has HIV. Todd decides this is where he’s going to die. In his home.
There he meets the man who cared for his mother in her last days, Cal Hughes, buff red-head, bearded and also gay. Todd is anxious because he likes the looks of Cal but should he start something in view of his HIV? And then there is “spiritual” Essie who sets him on the right path.
Oh. My. Word. This is a short, 40-page story that I couldn’t put down once I started. Will the fact that therapeutics for HIV became better in 1996 change the trajectory of Todd’s story? Wait and see. I highly recommend this book for readers who feel at the end of their rope and need hope. No steamy scenes. Just an encouraging, inspiring and inspiriting narrative.
March 11, 2020
Hope may be a virtue, but it is also a pretty fundamental part of human life, almost a necessity. So much so that I don’t think many people realize it – until it is no longer there. This story, set in 1997, makes this painfully obvious when Todd has to deal with not one but two major blows to his life. The source of new hope is somewhat unexpected, at least parts of it, and I liked that little paranormal twist a lot.
Please find my full review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Please find my full review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
February 26, 2021
lovely, as always.
November 16, 2020
Exactly what the title says, A story of hope. I enjoyed this short story, very poignant. Sad throughout, but hopeful. Great characters. Reading during slow times at work and it had me crying twice.
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