Page 7 of Almost You

“Don’t push so hard. This is good.” Christopher’s hand rested on my shoulder.

The weight of him calmed me.

“I made a beach,” I declared.

“Hell yes, you did.” He gave a crooked smile.

I liked when this big, surly man smiled at me. He looked younger when he smiled.

“Let’s keep trying words. Okay. How about whales? Wizards? Playgrounds? Pizza.”

“This is stupid—” I stopped as a wooden swing set appeared in front of us, with two swings hovering in the air near my knees. “What the hell?”

“I said playground—maybe you had one as a kid.”

Suddenly, butterflies were in my stomach at the thought of swinging.

“Come on.” I tugged at Christopher’s hand. I had to climb on. Sandals off, I pulled myself onto a swing and tilted my face to the bright, warm sun.

Christopher, the grump, hung back.

“Get on,” I commanded, impatiently.

“Yes, boss,” Christopher sniped.

Was I bossy? The idea did feel right.

“Get your grumpy ass on this swing.”

Shaking his head, he removed his shoes and rolled his jeans to his knees.

As soon as Christopher hoisted onto the swing beside me, the entire wooden structure began to move. I gripped the chains in my hands as we swung over the ocean.

“Holy shit!” I pumped my legs. The greens and blues of the water were at our toes.

I kicked some toward him, and he splashed some at me. A white froth splattered my clothes. I was dead, but I felt…alive. So much stress left me then that I laughed, swinging higher. We swung like children, as fast and high as possible. And all around us was the sea and sky. Crazy.

Dolphins emerged from the ocean to leap and dive by our legs. They raced our swing set. Their slick gray bodies flew through the water. One flipped over to expose his belly. The dolphin righted himself and arched high into the air, hitting the water with a satisfying smack. We pumped on the swings, legs aiming at the sky, heads flung back. I swore my entire body thrummed as if I still had blood.

The wind blew Christopher’s dark hair, exposing the surprisingly delicate shape of his ear. His striking blue eyes met mine. “See, the spirit world can be fucking fun.” His voice was rough.

A shimmer of something passed through me, and I managed a shy nod. I stared at his sturdy chest, slightly rounded belly, strong jaw, powerful thighs.

Having swung enough, we climbed off. I lay back on the sandy beach. A sandpiper darted near me, poking its thin beak into the tiny grains.

My fingers searched for the knot under my hair. The lump was still there while I’d swung across the sea, reminding me sharply that my whole world was forgotten. I wanted to believe. Have faith. But the absence of memory left doubt. Who was I without connection? Adrift in this strange place.

Green and purple shot like fireworks across the clouds; only these had heart shapes that gave off loud crackles as they burst.

Christopher nudged my leg with his foot. “Can’t do that in the human realm, right?” He admired the colorful sky before shaking some water droplets from his head. “Pretty cool, Ghost.”

“Can you give me a name?” I complained. “Or even a nickname? Like Scout or Buddy or something? A basic name is fine, too. Like Mike or Sam.”

“Nope.” He folded his arms. “I’m calling you Ghost. That’s what you are, and the sooner you accept it, the better.”

“And you call me bossy.”

“Technically, you’re my boss while I’ve agreed to work for you. But for now, I need to return to my paying job.” Christopher brushed some sand off his jeans. Hesitating, he said, “I do promise to look into your situation along with my client looking for her father.”

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