things were hard back in the fifties and my family had a tough time just putting food on the table . `` we do n't really think of her as a ghost . the heavy ears nodded at her stomach . she made it a habit not to hurt humans unless she had to do so . he muttered , his eyes still closed . for an instant , i thought he was going to stand up , but then he fell all the way back into the couch . * * * the dusty ride back to town took the whole day . 