Wednesday, October 7, 2009

WIDE AWAKE - - Part Four: Education In The Supernatural

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***Author's note: "Wide Awake" is an original, previously unpublished, fictional story that I wrote. It will be told in multiple parts. If you've yet to read any of the prior parts, below are the links to do so.

WIDE AWAKE

Part Four: Education In The Supernatural


After my late night, I slept in the next morning, so that I awoke much, much later than usual. Stephanie was always a late riser, but this morning, for once, I even managed to sleep in longer than her. She was already at the kitchen table eating a bowl of cereal when I walked in the room. I immediately headed to the coffee maker and started brewing a pot. Still very groggy, my

"Good morning" to her was punctuated by a wide yawn.

"Good morning." Stephanie replied. She studied me a moment. "Still tired?"

"Yeah, I was up late."

"Trouble sleeping?"


I couldn't help the silly grin on my face. "Yes, but that turned out to be a good thing." I told her about my meeting, the night before, with Thomas, including our conversation about why he'd been reluctant to start talking to me. She was as shocked as I was to hear his reason.


"He likes you?" She asked. "Do you mean that he likes you? Or that he likes you likes you?"



"He likes me likes me."


"Wow!"



"Yeah. Wow!" I agreed.


"So, how do you feel about him?"



I was caught off guard by the question, and it instantly deflated the cheerful mood my conversation with Thomas had created. "Me? Well, I just met him last night." I knew I was squirming. "Besides, there's the small fact that he's a ghost."


My sister rolled her eyes. "Oh, puhleeez!"



"What? Don't you think that's a problem?"


"Sometimes I can't even believe we're related. Thomas is a nice guy. I'm sure that he'd be the first boyfriend you've ever had who wasn't a loser."



"Hey! That's not true! I've dated some great guys."


She made a face. "Yeah, sure you have. Name one."



Once she put me on the spot like that, I was surprised to find I was struggling for an example. "I. . . um. . . well, there was Dale."


"Dale!" Stephanie almost choked on the bite of cereal she'd just taken.



"What? What was wrong with Dale?"


"Borr-rring. Didn't you break up with him because he never wanted to do anything other than watch sports on ESPN?"



"There's nothing wrong with liking sports." I replied. I was feeling defensive, although Stephanie was right about the reason I'd stopped dating Dale.


"Watching sports is all that he liked. He wouldn't talk about anything else either, if I remember correctly. Why did you even date him to begin with?"



"I met him in one of my business classes. He wants to open up his own sporting goods store, and I really like how he put together his business plan."


"His business plan? Oooo, so sexy. You're such a nerd, Lily."



"I am not!"

My sister snickered. "Do you know what's worse? Dale wasn't as bad as John."

Now, I was the one making a face. I couldn't help feeling disgusted at the mention of my ex-boyfriend, John. He and I hadn't dated long. The first fight we'd had, he'd slapped me. It was a hard smack, right across my face. No had ever been violent with me before, and the shock and emotional anguish it caused had been worse than the physical pain. I broke up with him because of the incident. I felt I'd been lucky to get out of that relationship in one piece.


"You're right about John. He was a jerk. I still say the other guys weren't that bad. Maybe, they weren't the most exciting guys in the world, but how can you compare them with a ghost? At least, they were all alive."



"Barely." Stephanie gulped down some orange juice. "Like I said before, sometimes I can't believe were even related. Why does everything have to be so serious with you? What about just having some fun?"


"Well. . . I admit, that last night I probably would have agreed with you. I enjoyed talking to Thomas. I've been wanting to have fun this summer, and I was surprised to realize that it's fun to talk to him."



"Good. So, what's the problem?"


"I guess, I've started feeling different about things this morning. It sounds crazy to even think about. . . liking him back. Doesn't it?"



Stephanie began to laugh. "You wouldn't be wondering that unless it was already too late." She broke into song:


"Lily and Thomas,
Sittin' in a tree.
K-I-S-S-I-N-G.
First, comes love.
Then, comes marriage.
Then, comes Lily,
Pushing a baby carriage."



I started laughing too. "You're ridiculous, Steph! He's a ghost!"


"Hey," she shrugged. "Nobody's perfect."



Shaking my head at my sister's silliness, I asked her, "Speaking of Thomas, have you heard from him yet today?"


"Nope. You kept him up late. Maybe, he's napping."



"Ha, ha. Ghosts don't sleep. At least, I don't imagine that they do."


Stephanie grinned. "Maybe, he's been listening to our conversation, and it hurt his feelings when you said you don't like him back."



"I never said that I don't like him. I said that I just met him, and that liking him or not doesn't really matter since he's a ghost."


"I'm sure it matters to him."



That stopped me. It was a good point, and something I hadn't considered. Had I hurt Thomas' feelings? I'd only just started believing in ghosts last night, and I'd already discovered that a ghost could develop romantic feelings. Couldn't I also assume that a ghost could get his or her heart broken as easily as anyone else? Did that also mean that a heartbroken ghost could also heal? Or were they doomed to carry around their heartache for eternity? That was a terrible thought, but it made me realize that there was a lot about Thomas, and ghosts in general, that I didn't know. It was time for me to further my education in the supernatural.



"Thomas? Thomas, are you here?"



When I heard his voice, it was so close to my ear it made me jump. "Good morning, Lily. Good morning, Stephanie. How are you both today?"



"Great!" Stephanie answered. She was smiling at my still startled expression.


"Have you been here, listening to us, this whole time?" I heard the irritability in my voice, but I couldn't seem to help it.


Thomas laughed that warm, rich laugh of his. I suddenly felt unaccountably flushed. This irritated me more. I didn't like being laughed at. Worse than that, though, was the uncomfortable realization that it mattered what he thought of me. He'd told me that he likes me, and it was important to me not to lose his positive regard. Why this should be the case, I was afraid to acknowledge, even to myself.



"Don't worry." He murmured into my left ear. I felt the touch of his invisible fingers as they brushed a strand of my hair off my cheek. Louder he said, "I wasn't listening in on your conversation. I just stayed nearby, in case either of you called for me."


"That's cool." Stephanie responded while I was still trying to get my dry mouth to work.



"Um, yes." I agreed. "I appreciate you giving us some privacy."


"No problem at all. So, was there a particular reason that you called out to me, Lily? Not that I wouldn't mind if you had no reason, other than wanting to enjoy my company, but I'm betting that you have another reason?"


"Well, yes." I answered as I added milk and sugar to the cup of coffee I'd just poured. "I'm hoping you'll tell me more about ghosts. Why, for instance, are you one? I mean, I assume that there's some alternative afterlife other than becoming a ghost?"



"Yes, there is. Most souls move on to something else. I don't know where they go exactly, but it's more desirable than becoming what I am. Only a smaller percentage of souls continue to exist among the living, and we consider ourselves to be trapped here."


"Do you know why only some become ghosts and all the others don't? For instance, do you know why you became a ghost after you. . . died?"



"I've met others like me, and the general agreement is that we become stuck here either due to trauma or some kind of unfinished business. Some of us ghosts remember more of our lives, and our deaths, than others. Remembering helps us make sense of why we might still be tied to our old lives. In my case, I've a pretty good idea why I'm still here."


Stephanie looked surprised. "Really? I didn't know that. Since you've not said anything about it, I assumed that you didn't remember your life or why you became a ghost. At least, you've always given me that impression."



Thomas sighed. "Yes, I'm sure that I've led you to believe that. I'm sorry, Stephanie. Your so young and enthusiastic about life. I suppose that I've been reluctant to expose you to the darker side of things."


"I'm not a child." My sister crossed her arms and her bottom lip was sticking out in a pout. It made her appear two years old instead of sixteen, and it was in comic juxtaposition to her words.



"I know that." Thomas replied gravely. He realized that he'd hurt my sister's pride. "I apologize for implying otherwise. I'm afraid I seem to fall too easily into the overprotective big brother role."


His words were just the thing to sooth her ego. Stephanie visibility relaxed. "Oh, O.K. It's just that I get enough of all that from my parents and Lily."



"Hey! Wait a minute!" I disagreed. "If you're trying to blame me for them grounding you don't bother. That was all because of your choices. Besides, you've not been grounded at all since you've been staying with me."


"Fine. Sorry. You're the best big sister in the whole wide world." Stephanie smirked. "You ought to win a Nobel prize and be written up in history books."



"Ha, Ha. Very funny." I responded in turn to my sister's sarcasm. "Getting back to the original subject. . . Thomas, you we're telling us that you know why you became a ghost?"


"Yes," He replied. "I remember enough about my death to know that it was the sort of sudden trauma that can sometimes trap a soul among the living."



"What happened?" I asked.

"Well, in a nutshell, I was murdered."


*** To Be Continued ***


Until I type again,
Kami
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