We talked about what we wanted to do in Hilo as we didn’t have a scheduled tour. Larry said he wanted to take the trolley over to an old sugar mill.
During the comedy act, we laughed so hard I didn’t even notice the ship rocking harder on the surf. Larry mentioned we might be further out to sea. The time was after nine o’clock when the theater let us out.
“Let’s go on the top deck. The ship is sailing passed the lava flowing into the ocean,” Larry suggested.
“Oh, I read the volcano was more active this time of year,” I replied. “I want to see it.”
We waited until the elevator going up arrived and climbed into the compartment.
Lots of people were milling about on the sixteenth deck waiting for the ship to sail around the island. Then we saw it. The hot stream of gold and reds poured into the ocean causing a multitude of steam and hissing. Our little digital cameras didn’t do it justice. Passengers near us had those huge telescopic lenses attached to their cameras. Larry showed us close up pictures on his smartphone and took a screenshot. He then saved the picture to his cloud account.
“Now, I’ll text you the photo I took,” he said.
When he did, our message apps rang and there the lava flow was in all its bright red glory.
“Thanks, Larry,” I said.
By the time we returned to our cabins, I had almost forgotten what had happened in my room earlier today.
“Really, Larry, you don’t have to change rooms for me. I’ll just make sure every lock is secured,” I protested.
He looked at me like a father would look at an errant child.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
“Yes, I’ll even keep my mace handy,” I said, pulling the small canister out of my pocket and showing him.
“All right, but if something happens again, I insist,” he said.
We said our good nights and I walked on to open my door. In the plastic letter wall tray by the door was another ship newsletter. I pulled it out and marched into my room. Closing the door behind me, I latched the security lock and set the itinerary on one of the shelves by the closet.
On my bed was a decorative towel design configured to look like an elephant. The steward must have left it when she serviced my room.
I walked over and checked outside on the balcony, I couldn’t see where Ivan could possibly climb from my ledge downward. He could climb around to the next cabin if he was athletic enough. I recalled both of my neighbors are in their seventies, so I don’t think one of them could navigate the wall divider on the balconies.
Stepping back into my room, I closed the glass door and locked the latch in place. Then I pulled out my mace from my pants pocket and laid it on the nightstand. As I brushed my teeth, my thoughts returned to the first time I encountered Ivan up to the last two recent times. I tried to wave the thoughts away but my encounter with him continued to linger on and off.
Chapter 13
Lorilee
Reaching over to read my book, a possibility gnawed on the back of my mind. Then another acquaintance I know in Firth came to me. “There might be one person I could call who knows,” I told myself. This lady was a big help to me and Hobnobby when we were trying to figure out the spirit world in my town of Firth. I didn’t want to admit to myself what I really saw.
I noticed my minutes had just rolled over so I can talk as much as I want. I pecked on my phone to dial her number. I hope she wasn’t in bed yet with the time zone change.
“Hello?” I heard the woman’s voice say.
“Hello, Lorilee Dawn?”
“Yes.”
“This is Susan Edwards, I hope I didn’t wake you up.”
“No, I was just reading. I remember you. How are you doing, Susan? And how is little Hobs?”
“He’s fine, but I have questions to ask you,” I said.
“I’ll try and help. Where are you right now?”
“I’m on a cruise around Hawaii.”
“Oh, what fun. What do you need to know?”
“I, no, what if someone died, but for reasons, I don’t know, keeps showing up in my world. I know this sounds silly but I’m confused. If this person had died why wouldn’t he just go on to the afterlife?”
“Maybe you should call Elder Johnson?”
“He knows me. What is your opinion?” I asked.
“Well, most ghosts, and that is what we are talking about, aren’t we?” she asked.
“I guess I am,” I admitted.
“From what I know, most ghosts stick around because they have an unfinished task to complete or if they were unconscious when they died, they might not realize they are dead. There are so many theories on this subject. Tell me what you know.”
“I’ve been seeing this steward either late at night or in the shadows, and this morning he was in my room. And it’s not what you’re thinking. When I told him to go away, he just vanished. I mean he faded away into thin air. I know that my two neighbors are elderly and there’s no way one of them, or he for that matter, could climb down to the next balcony below me. Do you think I’m seeing a ghost?”
“Sounds like it. You need to find out more details about him before he died. Ask him the next time he shows up, he may tell you. Maybe you can do something to help him. Has he threatened you in any way?” she asked.
“No, he just keeps acting like a steward at work on this floor or another location on the ship where he also was employed. But he did warn me to be aware of strangers. He seems sad but then I can’t make out the details on his face.”
“Try talking to him in a calm voice and see what his
