It was a Sunday morning. It was raining outside, Mike had done his homework and everything else he had to do, and he was bored. Also, his parents left for the weekend to visit their friends, so Mike was home alone. After wandering around the apartment for a while, he decided to climb up to the attic. He had wanted to do this for a long time, but had never had the chance.

The stairs to the attic were a simple continuation of the house stairs, just one level higher. They were covered in thick dust, rarely used by anyone. But ... Mike noticed a trail of small footprints in the dust, as if a barefoot child had gone up and not returned. “Interesting...” Mike thought. He could not help but think of old haunted houses.

“Maybe the attic is full of cobwebs and dust...” He continued to think. “But I’ll check it out anyway...” He said aloud. And so he climbed the stairs, slowly, carefully, just in case there was something or someone behind the door.

There was nobody and nothing special. Just a big room the size of a whole floor, mostly empty, with piles of old rubbish, covered with dust and cobwebs. “Oh, it’s a mess in here...” Mike thought. “Maybe I should clean this place up one day and make it my secret place.” But for now, he was just exploring.

He walked slowly across the attic, kicking up little clouds of dust from the floor with each step. There was some old and dusty (and sometimes rusty) furniture, like bed frames, cabinets, or even some chests. Mike tried to look inside, but they were either empty or locked. The attic was half-lit by small dirty windows in the roof. Rain pattered on the roof tiles.

Then Mike noticed the barefoot footprints, the same small size as on the stairs. He followed them all the way to the large pillar in the middle of the attic. “Hmmm...” He raised his eyes to the thick crossbeams that supported the roof.

And there she was. She was not hiding, but she was so blended into the shadows that Mike stared directly at her for about a minute before she moved and he finally noticed her. A naked slim girl, about his age, maybe a little younger, with dark gray tanned skin and thick black hair that fell below her waist, she was sitting on the beam, holding one knee with her arms and dangling another foot in the air.

She caught Mike’s eye and smiled. Mike blushed slightly, but could not take his eyes off her small breasts and flat stomach, which were clearly visible through her long hair. Her slender arms and legs were smooth and tanned like her body, and she had very delicate proportions.

Mike stared at her, stunned. He had lived in this house since he was born, but he had never seen her before. And, in fact, he had never seen naked girls. And ... he thought ... he had never seen anyone with this skin color.

“Uh...” he stuttered. “Uh ... h-hello?”

The girl smiled even wider and answered: “Why, hello!”

“W-who are you?”

“I’m Gleth,” the girl replied. “And you are Mike from the apartment downstairs, right?”

“R-right ... how do you know?”

“I know everyone in this house.”

“I’ve never seen you here before.”

“Right, never.” The girl tilted her head and squinted slyly. “I prefer not to be noticed ... unless I want to be!”

She laughed (quite nicely) and jumped down to the ground. It was a three-meter jump, but she landed lightly and quietly as a cat. Mike recoiled in surprise.

“Don’t be afraid,” Gleth laughed again. “I won’t hurt you. I promise.”

“Uh...” On the one hand, she was just a slender girl, a head shorter than him. On the other hand, she was certainly not an ordinary girl. “Gleth ... what a strange name for a human.”

“That’s because I’m not a human at all, of course,” Gleth looked at him. “I am the spirit of this house.”

Mike was shocked. He stared at Gleth for a moment, then at the dusty attic, then at the house itself. “This is my house...” he gasped. “And I ... I live under you?”

“Yes, that’s right,” Gleth nodded. “I am an old spirit of this house, and I have lived in the attic since the house was built. But don’t worry, I won’t bother you or your family or anyone else.”

“How can I be sure?”

“You can’t!” Gleth giggled. “You only have my word! But,” she turned serious, “my word is firm and true.”

Mike felt dizzy. He had never really believed in ghosts, demons, angels, spirits ... anything like that. And now his worldview had crashed and shattered.

“Do you believe me?”

“Yes ... I guess...” Mike finally said.

“Then you have nothing to worry about,” Gleth said cheerfully. “So ... how do you like my attic?”

“It’s dusty...” Mike replied, looking around. “And dirty ... and not really pretty ... but I like it.”

“I’m glad you like it,” Gleth smiled again. “Would you like to live here with me?”

“Live? Uh ... That might be too much...” Mike had not been expecting such a suggestion. “I would have to clean it up a lot ... and bring my things here ... and my parents would worry for sure ... But I can visit you here!”

“Oh, I understand. You humans need so much to live. I’m built far more simply,” Gleth jumped up. “My needs are so few!”

“And what are they?”

“I ... I need human warmth. A friendship. A trust and closeness...” Gleth got sad. “I had such a nice couple in another wing of the house. We were such close friends ... But they had to move out. And I can’t move far from this house.”

“And so...”

“And so I need a new friend,” Gleth nodded. “Will you be my friend?”

“I ... can try,” Mike blushed.

“Then I’ll show you around,” Gleth said, smiling again. “Here ... and here ... and here ... and over there...”

She showed Mike the attic. At first she just walked around, sometimes jumping on beams or climbing walls like a gecco, talking and playing with Mike, showing him every part of the attic. But Mike’s curiosity got the better of him, and he started asking about Gleth herself.

“Tell me about yourself.”

“Well, you know the main thing. I’m the spirit of this house, I was born when it was built, and I’ll live here until it falls down. So I’m about two hundred years old, you know.”

“If you are that old,” he asked in surprise, “why do you look like a little girl?”

“Because this way it’s so much easier to get hugs and kisses, of course!” Gleth smiled.

“And what do you do all the time?”

“I take care of the house and its inhabitants. That’s why houses with spirits are so durable and stand for centuries. I also peek at people. Peeping a lot, actually!” Gleth giggled.

Mike couldn’t help but think of himself masturbating and blushed. “Had you seen...” Gleth giggled again.

“Why, of course! I see everyone in this house and everything you humans do here. You are so cute at it!”

Mike blushed even more. Gleth approached him and put her hand on his sleeve. “Don’t be shy. Don’t be. Remember, I’m not human. And, you see, I’m naked. That’s only natural.”

Mike smiled uneasily at her and took her hand. It was thin, pleasant to touch, and cold as a house wall. He lifted her hand to his nose and sniffed cautiously. A strange but pleasant smell, reminiscent of masonry, wet cement, old wood, dust, tar and smoke. He sniffed again, then looked at Gleth. She looked at him and smiled. Unexpectedly for himself, he pressed her hand to his cheek, feeling it grow warmer as he touched it.

Gleth sighed and gave him her other hand, and he pressed it to another cheek. Gleth closed her eyes and let out a happy sigh. “So warm ... So good ... Hold me more, please...”

Mike didn’t even notice as he was hugging Gleth tightly, holding her by her back and hips. And Gleth hugged him back, with her arms and legs, pressing herself against him. They stayed like that for a few moments, hugging and enjoying the feeling. Gleth was so light and strong, cold at first, but quickly warming, and smelling of the cozy house. Mike did not want to let her go, and she did not want to let him go either.

They were interrupted by Mike’s phone. It was his mother calling to see if he was okay. Mike reluctantly let go of Gleth and answered the phone.

“I’m fine, Mom,” he said. “Homework’s done. How are you?”

“Fine, too,” his mother replied. “We’re going to be late. Get something to eat and go to bed, don’t wait for us. See you in the morning, dear.”

“See you.”

Mike put the phone back in his pocket. He has an idea. “Do you want to go to my place?” he asked. “Turns out we have it free for the evening.”

“Wheee!” Gleth hugged him even tighter, then jumped down to the floor. “Let’s go, let’s go!”

And so they went. They took a staircase down to Mike’s floor and entered his apartment. Mike looked at Gleth. It was so strange to see her in the familiar surroundings of his apartment. Only now he thought that Gleth’s body might be dirty and covered with dust (her color suggested that), but he looked at his clothes and they were clean.

“Yeap,” Gleth giggled. “I don’t get dirty. I’m a spirit, after all.”

“Very convenient. So you don’t have to wash.”

“You bet! But I like to wash, especially in hot water. May I use your shower?”

“Why, of course!”

“Wheee! Come on!” And Gleth pulled him after her into the bathroom.

She was taking a bath, and Mike could not take his eyes off her even for a moment. She was so light and thin, he could lift her with one hand. But it was not just her looks. She was also sweet and funny and full of life and energy. And she was so clean and fresh, as if she had just woken up from a nap.

And Mike was so happy and excited. He had never met a girl like her before. Gleth was so different from all the girls he had seen before, so innocent and free, and she could not hide her feelings and thoughts.

Gleth caught his gaze and smiled slightly. “Come on, let’s take a shower together!” she suggested.

Mike blushed. He was very aroused from hugging Gleth and looking at her body, and he was embarrassed that she’d see his hard-on.

“Don’t be shy!” Gleth laughed nicely. “Remember, I’ve seen you without any clothes on!”

So he dared to undress and join her, and they began to hug each other under hot water jets. Mike was still shy and hesitant, but Gleth was so happy and friendly, and they got along so well. She hugged him and kissed him and pressed her body against him and he hugged her back and kissed her back. And Gleth moaned softly, enjoying their closeness, and it turned Mike on even more.

Gleth climbed higher, wrapping her arms and legs around Mike, and they kissed long and passionately. Then Gleth whispered in his ear: “You probably guessed what’s going to happen now...” and Mike gasped as she began to lower herself onto his cock, letting it go deeper and deeper into her until it was completely inside her.

And he moaned loudly, he couldn’t hold himself anymore, and he grabbed her hips and started to push her up and down, faster and faster. She was so light and she helped him with her arms and legs, so it was very easy for him. They both gasped and moaned with the pleasure of being so close to each other.

Soon he exploded inside her and she collapsed on top of him, panting, exhausted, but smiling broadly. Mike was still not fully recovered when they left the shower and dried off. Gleth was so pleased, her face was all smiles, she was glowing with happiness.

“Oh, thank you...” she wispered.

“Thank you. Thank you,” Mike replied. He sat her down on the couch and they continued kissing and hugging.

“I’m sorry,” Gleth told him when they relaxed a bit after about ten minutes. “I didn’t tell you this from the beginning, I was afraid of scaring you. I need not only friendship and hugs to live. I also need sex with humans. Every few days. Every day, better...”

Mike sighed happily. “Yes, I guessed that. And I will be happy to have sex with you anytime...” He giggled. “You know what? This is my first sex in my life. I never thought I would start with a spirit!”

“Why?” Gleth looked surprised. “You’re so great in it! Why was there no girl before me?”

“I’d like to know too...” Mike sighed. “Maybe it’s because no girl jumped at me like you did. And I don’t know how to approach them myself...”

“I’ll teach you,” Gleth said earnestly.

“Really? And ... aren’t you jealous?”

“Not at all, of course!” Gleth laughed. “And you better not be, because I’m not promising you’ll be my only partner! But for now...”

And they hugged and kissed and had sex until the late hours of the evening. Then Gleth kissed him for the last time, they agreed to meet tomorrow, and she climbed up the wall through the ceiling to her attic.

After that they were inseparable. Mike did his best to visit Gleth in the attic every day, or every other day at worst. He cleaned up a part of the attic, put some blankets there and made them a cosy love nest. They talked a lot (between kissing and making sex), Gleth told innumerable stories about the spirit world and past house inhabitants over two centuries, and she, in turn, always was eager to know more about human world outside. And after a while, his parents began to realize that there was someone very important to their son, and that person lived somewhere very close to them.

Mike tried to be as inconspicuous as possible, but he understood that sooner or later his parents would have to find out about Gleth. He talked to her about it. Of course, he had read Astrid Lindgren’s book about Karlsson on the Roof (and to his surprise, Gleth knew about Karlsson, too, and she said he was a real person, not a ghost, but more like trolls). And both Mike and Gleth agreed that she’s not like Karlsson at all and probably she can’t be introduced to his parents that easily.

“But I’m sure they’ll love me!” Gleth giggled. “They love you, after all.”

“I hope you are right. I just don’t know how to explain to them a naked spirit girl I have sex with every day.”

“It will be a challenge, for sure,” Gleth agreed. “But I’m sure you can do it.”

“Yeah...” Mike said thoughtfully. “But Karlsson is a good suggestion. There was an episode where he pretended to be a ghost, in bedsheets and all. I think the parents will accept you more easily if we tell them you are a ghost. Do you mind wearing my sheets for a while?”

“Not at all!” Gleth laughed.

So the next day they dressed her in a ghost costume and waited for Mike’s parents to come home from work. Gleth was all excited, wearing a pillowcase with a hole for her head, her long black hair flowing freely, she looked so cute that Mike wanted to hug her right away. But today they had to wait for his parents, so they just kissed briefly and Mike went down to his apartment.

When his parents returned, Mike greeted them and said solemnly: “I have a confession to make. You’ve probably guessed by now that I have someone...”

“Sure,” his mother said. “You’ve been so happy these past few weeks, it’s impossible not to notice. And who is she? Do we know her?”

“Or him,” his father added. “It wouldn’t be a problem for us if you went out with a boy.”

“Well,” Mike said, “it’s more complicated than that...”

“Um? ... What could it be?” The parents were confused.

“Let me start from a distance,” Mike said. “Remember when I read about Karlsson in my child years, I believed he was real?”

“Of course,” said Mom. “We even let you keep the window open in the summer and let you keep a jar of jam.”

“Then, of course, I grew up and stopped believing,” Mike continued. “And then ... Mom, Dad, you won’t believe what I’m about to say. It turns out ... It was the truth.”

“What? ... You want to tell me that...”

“Are you dating ... Karlsson?...” His father shook his head.

“Oh, no. He’s not my type,” Mike chuckled. “But she is a nice ghost who lives in the attic right above us.”

Here it is. He told them about it.

“And you ... can prove that, I suppose?” said his dad.

“I hope so,” his mother added. “I hate the idea of sending you to the nuthouse. So please...”

“That’s the point,” Mike smiled, obviously relieved. The hardest part was behind them. “Actually, I want to introduce you to each other. Would you mind coming up to the attic with me now?”

“You mean ... She is here?” his mother asked.

“Yes. Come, I’ll show you. By the way, her name is Gleth.”

He led them upstairs, knocking on the attic door. The door opened and he went in first, followed by his parents. The parents looked around and saw Gleth in her ghost costume, sitting on a blanket and playing with a rubber mouse.

“Heeeeelllooooooo...” She said cheerfully.

“Hello,” the mother replied.

“Hello dear,” the father added. “So are you the ghost Mike told us about?” He wasn’t convinced at all. It was too obvious that the ghost costume was made out of the sheets.

“Yes, that’s right,” Gleth laughed. “You’re Mike’s parents, right?”

“Yes,” Mike said. “And this is my mom and this is my dad.”

“And...” Gleth grinned and looked at the parents, “You obviously think this is a joke and I am just a normal girl. I assure you, I am not.”

With that she jumped up from the blanket and ran up the pillar as if it were a floor, then she went to the beam and somersaulted down from it. The sheet fluttered around her, revealing her naked body, but with some magic she fixed it and floated slowly to the ground - as slowly and lightly as if she were a feather.

“I can walk through walls too,” she smiled, looking at his astonished parents.

“Uh ... maybe that’s not necessary,” the mother said uneasily.

“Of course not,” Gleth giggled. “I just wanted to show you.”

The parents were startled and confused, but they did not seem hurt or afraid, just surprised. They looked at Mike.

“Is she dangerous?” the father asked.

“Not at all!” Mike assured him.

“No, of course not!” Gleth agreed. “I would never hurt anyone!”

“Actually, she is the guardian spirit of our house,” Mike added.

“But how do you know that?” said Father. “We didn’t know about her before.”

“I can prove it. I know all about the house,” Gleth said. “I am its spirit, after all. I know all the inhabitants of this house. All the people who lived here before you. And, of course, I know you.”

“Do you remember, Jen,” Gleth continued, addressing Mike’s mother, “when you first moved in, you didn’t like the green wallpaper left by the previous occupant - his name was Johnson, a nice old man, ex-policeman - and you decided to change it to the current beige, and while you were wallpapering, you, Sam,” Gleth turned to Mike’s father, “fell off the stepladder and almost broke your neck, but luckily it turned out to be just a bad bruise...”

The parents looked at each other in surprise.

“Was it?” Mike asked curiously.

“It was,” his father nodded and rubbed his neck. “It was a bad incident. We never told anyone about it.”

“But I was here, of course,” Gleth smiled. “I helped you land safely that time. You actually had a good chance of breaking your neck.”

They stood in silence. Then Mike came forward and hugged Gleth. She leaned against him and hugged him back.

“And so it is,” Mike said. “We want to be together, me and Gleth.”

“So complicated.” Mike’s father rubbed his neck again and looked at his wife.

“Complicated it is,” she sighed. “We need to talk more about this. Come to our apartment. Gleth, are you drinking tea? With cookies.”