He kissed me, but not as deep as it could be. “Don’t let you die. Check,” he tried to joke, but I could see the tension behind his eyes. Who could blame him? This entire situation was completely crazy to the outside person.
“Ok, so you good?” I asked, he nodded, and I took a deep breath.
“You have been trying to get my attention for months. I am here. What can I help you with?”
Silence answered me.
Nothing moved but the twitch of his fingers gripping my hand.
Then I felt it.
The temperature dropped and the room wiggled.
I focused again on staying grounded, staying calm. Breathing in and out as regularly as I could.
“Please let me know what I can do for you.”
The child appeared before me, just like in the window.
Its eyes blinked and looked up at me.
“Hi,” the tiny voice sounded high pitch and airy.
“Hello, what is your name?”
“Hi,” the child repeated.
“My name is Savanah,” I continued.
She faded from view only to reappear on the other side of Tyler.
“Who this?” the little voice tinkled.
“He is my friend, but he can’t see you like I can,” I looked over at Tyler whose face was drained of all color. “You ok?” I asked him quietly. He nodded slightly and I turned back to the child.
“What is your name little one?”
“Eibeth.”
“Eibeth?”
Her face wrinkled, “Noo, Eiy-beth.”
“Eiybeth?”
Her hand went to her hips. “No!” She yelled, and the temperature dropped again.
The energy charged up my leg, and I grabbed Tyler’s hand harder.
“I’m so sorry, I’m trying to say it right.”
“Elizabeth.” It was Tyler who whispered.
I turned toward him, “You can hear her?” My eyes bulged out of their sockets.
His head shook. “My cousin couldn’t say my aunt's name.”
I nodded, turning back toward the little girl. “Elizabeth, how old are you?”
“Four” she looked back at Tyler and then started walking across the room. I took a small step, pulling Tyler with me. She stopped in the living room, staring out the window. I pulled Tyler over to the sofa, sitting down quietly.
"Elizabeth, what can I do for you?”
She looked out the window. “Where’s mommy?”
My heart dropped to my toes. This poor little girl. “I don’t know, has she been gone a long time?”
She nodded, still staring out the window.
“Did you want help finding her?” Not that I had a clue where to find a woman who had been dead for years.
She looked at me with her beautiful blue eyes and nodded. “I want mama.”
I leaned back into the sofa and felt my head cloud over.
My eyes fluttered open, as Tyler tapped my face. “Savanah are you ok?”
I inhaled deeply, looking around. “Where is she?”
Tyler laughed, “That’s a great question, but first are you ok?”
“I think so.” I took an internal inventory, feeling pretty happy that I had chosen to sit on the sofa. “What happened? I was talking to her, and then everything went black.”
“Your skin just kept getting colder and then you were out. It was scary actually,” he put his hand on my arm, “That is so weird to experience.”
I turned toward him, “I’m so sorry, are you ok?”
He laughed, “Yeah I’m fine. A little freaked out that my girlfriend is straight out of The Sixth Sense, but other than that I’m fine.”
Girlfriend, dang I liked how that sounded.
Girlfriend.
Not a friend that was a girl. Not just dating, my cheeks blushed slightly, and the prickle brought back the knowledge of how cold I really was. “Let’s go,” I stood up and wobbled slightly. Tyler grabbed my elbow and reached for my other shoulder.
“You sure?”
“Yeah. It will be better when I leave.” We walked to the front entry, I looked up the stairs. “Thank you, I will try. Goodnight, Elizabeth.”
We walked through the door and instantly the flood of relief washed over me. I still felt the exhaustion, but the wooziness was gone.
“Did you want to come hang out?” I asked Tyler as we started walking back to the other side of campus. I didn’t think being alone was the best idea. I just needed to digest all of this slowly, and he was a great distraction.
“Yeah, but did you want to get coffee or food or something? You just passed out back there.”
I rolled my eyes, “Yeah, but I’m fine now,” I shrugged my shoulders, “Seriously, it was nothing.”
“Savanah, are you sure? You just got released from a severe concussion.”
I exhaled dramatically, “If you don’t want to come over that’s totally fine.”
Tyler wrapped his arm around my shoulder.
Oh, how I loved how tall he was. “You are so ridiculous.”
We walked into my room and almost ran right into Crystel. “Hey guys, I’m heading out, so you should have the place to yourself,” she wiggled her eyebrows and slipped past us.
I turned on my hot pot to start water for tea.
“So, what’s up?” Tyler sat on my bed expectantly.
I prepared my cup for the hot water that was finishing, “Sorry, did you want tea? That was rude. I think I have hot chocolate too.”
“No, I do not want tea,” Tyler’s expression turned more impatient.
I filled my cup and walked over to sit next to him. “Hi.”
He threw his hand in the air. “Seriously?”
My face fell, “What? You said you didn’t want any?”
“For hell’s sake, Savanah! I don’t want any damn tea! You just had a full conversation with a ghost. Can we talk about that, please?”
I tucked my head impishly. “Oh yeah, sorry. I guess you didn’t hear it all. Oops,” I took a sip of my too hot tea. “Well, her
