Overview
Rosemary Carson is the protagonist of “Spirit of ‘87.” She is a twenty-four-year-old Sony Pictures art department worker in Los Angeles who becomes involved with Will, a ghost at The Formosa Club.
Biography
Rosemary is from San Diego and rents a room in a Sherman Oaks house during the story. She is deeply attached to 1980s music and fashion, and she treats The Formosa Club’s analog revival dance nights as a way to experience an era she never lived through.
At the beginning of the story, Rosemary goes to The Formosa Club with Paige Lomell, an occasional partner and friend. After the club closes, the two wait near the Bauhaus Hotel, then spend the night together at Rosemary’s room. The encounter leaves Rosemary with a sense of emotional emptiness.
When Paige cancels their next planned club outing, Rosemary goes alone. She notices Will watching her from the dance floor and follows him into a staff-only hallway, where she realizes that he is partly translucent. After a staffer interrupts and Will vanishes, Rosemary decides to return after closing and confirm what she has seen.
Rosemary hides in a janitor’s closet the following week and finds Will in the empty club. She tells him that he is dead after he remembers trying to cross Western in 1987. She also explains that the year is 2024 and describes parts of her own life and the modern world to him.
After thinking about Will through the next day, Rosemary returns again in a red prom dress and hides until the club closes. She plays music through the club sound system and dances with him. When Will can touch her more easily while she is not looking, she blindfolds herself and lets him become more tangible.
Rosemary leaves The Formosa Club after Will disappears. She later comes to doubt whether the encounter was real, but she hopes that Will has found rest.