The Ghost is Clear by Arial Burnz & A. J. Nuest

Author:Arial Burnz & A. J. Nuest [Burnz, Arial & Nuest, A. J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Mystical Press, LLC
Published: 2021-04-05T22:00:00+00:00

* * * * *

A bird pecked the window and I opened my eyes. It pecked again and chattered at its reflection.

Holy cow, had I really slept through the night without waking up even once? I scanned the bed to find Theo curled up in a fuzzy ginger ball at my feet. Ever since he'd shown up, I hadn't sensed so much as a blip from that horrible hag. I sat up and cuddled him against my chest and he purred as I kissed his neck. Once I had some caffeine, I'd have to research the web about cats protecting their owners' dreams.

Their owners. I smiled and returned him to the same spot he'd previously warmed on the blankets. I guess that answered the question of whether or not he belonged to me. If anyone showed up to claim him, too bad. I wasn't letting him go easily.

After emptying my bladder, I took a hot shower to loosen the sore muscles in my shoulders. And while the pulsating massager certainly helped, the scratches and bruises were a different story.

I avoided them, for the most part, until I'd adjusted the water back to the regular spray. Just a couple more days and they'd hopefully fade from my body as well as my memories.

As I dressed in jeans and a fitted Spring blouse, I roused Theo and he stretched with a yawn. "Come on, dude. Enough lazy business. We've got a lot of work to do."

He cleaned his face as I tied my hair in a pony, and then joined me on my trek down the stairs. We crossed through the parlor into the dining room, and I skidded to a stop before the table.

The roses were dead.

I put my hands on my hips. And by dead, they were shriveled up, black heads laying on the stems and crusty black leaves scattered around the vase. I carefully brought it forward to peek inside, and found it was still filled with water. I fingered a piece of the decorative grass and it crumbled to ash on my thumb.

Okay, this was no weird hallucination from me being zonked in a coma too long. Whatever toxic matter had caused that black mist, I'd obviously not washed it off well enough.

Storming into the kitchen, I grabbed a pair of rubber gloves and carried the vase to the counter. The flowers got tossed directly into the trash and the water was drained down the sink. The eerie part was how it looked really clear. Not the slightest bit of discoloration. I gave the vase a good scrub, changed out the dishrag and, just to be safe, wiped down the table, as well.

Theo disappeared as I picked a fresh bouquet of purple daisies in the garden. And when he reappeared, all I could see was the very tip of his orange tail. At least until he chased me back to the stoop, and decided to follow me inside for a drink.

I stuck the flowers in the vase, filled it a second time, and headed for the dining room to—

Whoa.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.