Page 13 of Almost You

“Okay, it’s fine. You don’t have to channel through me to talk to your daughter, or eat through me the foods she brought that you used to love, or see your old dog. Makes no difference to me.”

Christopher turned away and signaled for me to follow.

The old ghost hadn’t expected this. “Hey!” he shouted angrily and tossed down his book. “Just a minute.”

Another ghost shushed him in annoyance.

The old ghost glided in front of us.

“I’ll do it,” he said. “See my daughter. It’s the right thing to do, after all.”

“Good. I’ll inform her, and we can begin the séance soon.”

“Great! Looking forward to talking with…who?”

“Maggie.”

“Yep, Maggie. And tell her to bring the dog. That dog fur is so soft.”

“Will do.” Christopher rolled his eyes behind the ghost’s back.

“That was great!” I enthused once we’d left.

“I don’t know. He might not show.” Christopher scowled.

“Or it might all go well.”

“Mmhm,” he replied. “Maybe. Or he’ll split, and the next time we see him will be in the dregs of Hell.”

“That’s a sunny attitude.” I paused. “Is there a hell here?”

“Not that I’ve witnessed. Although some ghosts have started conjuring a gated community.”

“The first step to Hell,” I agreed, socking him lightly in the side. “Gated communities.”

I laughed loudly at my own joke, but Christopher’s chuckle was softer. Was he not used to the sound of his own happiness?

“Look, stop the grumpy doom-and-gloom shit. You found him. You’ll recover my past, too. At least some pieces.”

“Unlikely. That’s much more difficult to do.”

“I’ll remember something to help.”

“Are you always this optimistic?”

“My gut tells me optimism is much better than pessimism when it comes to things.” I lifted my chin. “Might be stubborn, too. But I know what I want.” I locked eyes with him.

He cleared his throat. “I have to go and inform my client about her dad. Try and have him appear. A lot of ghosts back out, even when I find them.” He hesitated. “I’ll be gone only a few days, but it will seem longer.”

“No worries. When we meet, all that won’t matter.”

A smile hugged his lips. “Yeah, you are a stubborn fucking optimist.”

SEVEN

Christopher

The séance went well. Maggie was happy to “see” her father’s spirit through me.

---