The Ghosts Caress
BY: Dacia Harrt
Smashwords Edition
*****
PUBLISHED BY
Dacia Harrt on Smashwords
The Ghosts Caress
Copyright © 2011 by Dacia Harrt
Julia drove down the winding road heading toward her grandparents place. She just lost her job and her apartment and needed a place to stay while she got back on her feet. She was heading across the country hoping to find a new beginning. She pulled into the convenience store and got a bottle of water before heading out again. She smiled as she took a corner and the road opened up. Pulling the car over to the side she got out and looked around. She turned looking in amazement as a cloud storm seemed to blow in.
She watched in awe as the clouds appeared to touch the ground just beyond her. They blew across the fields below the rolling hills. It was a beautiful sight to watch. Julia stood mesmerized as she felt the wind blow over her. She closed her eyes and smiled at the gentle caress of the wind.
It felt as if the wind wrapped around her. She could feel its touch all over. She drew in a slow breath as the wind seemed to hold her tight. She sighed as she felt the fingers of the wind run through her hair. Julia leaned her head to the left as she felt the kiss of the wind on the side of her neck. She sighed as she thought she heard the wind whisper her name. “Julia,” it said as if a lover calling out to her. She thought if she just opened her eyes she would be looking into the face of a man.
His touch was comforting and arousing at the same time. Julia drew in a sharp breath as she felt the wind like a hand slowly ease up the back of her shirt. She felt fingers of wind around her sides and jumped back. She dragged in slow even breaths her heart pounding in her chest, she opened her eyes.
Julia slowly looked around to find that the clouds were gone. There was not a cloud in the sky and the air was calm and unmoving. She closed her eyes for a moment, and in her mind could still feel the wind like a lovers caress. She heard the wind stir up again and kept her eyes closed as she heard it whisper her name once more. She held out a hand and felt the gentle touch on her finger tips. She smiled as she waited to see if the wind would again come closer.
Julia opened her eyes and gasped as she saw the wind in the form of a man standing in front of her. “Julia,” the wind spoke again. “I have waited decades for someone who could see me and feel me.” The wind said as it slowly blew around her. “Julia, only you can free my trapped spirit.”
Julia stood watching the wind as it seemed to walk around her caressing her at every turn. She heard the words it spoke and drew a breath as she felt the wind blow gently across her face. “Who are you,” she asked.
“Isaac,” she heard as the wind slowly drifted away. Julia felt suddenly alone and vulnerable as she watched the wind and clouds vanish. She heard a noise, in the distance, and looked up to see a car getting closer to her. She walked to her car and pulled out the bottle of water relaxing for a moment while she waited for the vehicle to pass.
She walked to the back of her car and dug around in the trunk as the car pulled along side of her. A woman rolled down the window, “hi,” the woman said to Julia, “are you alright?”
Julia leaned out of her trunk and smiled, “Yes, fine, just taking a break.”
“You don’t want to be here after dark,” the woman said. “There are stories of a ghostly wind which blows violently though these parts at night.” The woman half laughed at herself. “Strange I know, but I too have seen it. The wind seems to come right down to the ground often in front of a car, and the sudden blinding of the clouds have caused a few accidents. I am not sure where the ghost part came from,” the woman continued, “the winds are pretty strange here in the valley.”
“Wow, that is interesting, I will certainly move on soon then.”
“Where are you heading?” The woman asked.
“To the other of the Guadalupe Mountains,” Julia told her.
“It looks like we are in for some weather tonight you might want to think about staying around here. We have a few very nice Inn’s and a few small diners.”
“Thank you,” Julia said, “I think I will take you up on that suggestion.” She smiled as she closed her trunk. “I am going to stay here a few more minutes, then I will head out.”
“Don’t stay too long, Dear,” the woman said. “I own the Wild Wind Inn just off main street next to the best diner in town. I have several rooms open you are more than welcome.”
Julia smiled, “thank you. I will be by shortly,” she smiled as the woman drove off.
She took a drink of water and looked around again. The sun was setting over the far hills, and a cool breeze had picked up. Julia knew the desert nights got chilly. She wrapped her arms around herself as she stood quiet waiting. She felt the air stir behind her as a warm breeze enveloped her. She sighed as she leaned back into the form she could feel at her back.
“Who are you,” she asked him again.
“I am only a man, trapped here in this world. I died a long time ago, and none could set me free. You are the first to hear me. The only one who can free my spirit. Please, do not leave me. I cannot travel past these mountains.” The wind said as it continued to move slowly around her.
Julia closed her eyes for a moment then looked around. Night was falling fast here in the valley. “I need to go,” she said.
“How far will you travel?”
“I am only going to the next town. I am sorry. I can’t stay here,” she said with a sigh.
“I can follow as long as you do not leave the valley. Please will you leave a window open a little for me.”
“Leave a window open?” Julia asked in surprise.
“I cannot travel through places I am not invited. An open window is an invitation for me to stop and rest.”
“How did you get stuck here?” She asked the wind.
She felt the wind shift around her and sighed as it drifted away. Julia looked around one last time and got into her car. She headed down the road toward the lights of the small town. Looking in the rear-view mirror she watched the dust blow up and settle behind her.
She pulled into the small parking lot next to the diner and smiled. It was a beautiful little town rustic buildings scattered here and there. She walked into the diner which looked like it belonged back in the nineteen fifties. The red and stainless steel of the diner stood out in contrast to the dark night around her. Julia entered the restaurant and took a booth near the back. She picked up the paper menu and looked at the dinner options. When the waitress arrived, she ordered a burger and fries.
Julia ate her meal in silence and headed next door to the Inn. She smiled as she entered and saw the same woman she had spoken to earlier.
“Here you are, I was getting a little worried,” the woman said.
“Sorry, I stopped for dinner next door. I love the diner. It is so authentic.” Julia told her.
“Yes, it had been owned by a nice local family before a fire claimed those who owned it.”
“Oh, that is terrible,” Julia said.
“The lot sat empty for a long time before someone bought it and brought the current building in. It has changed hands three times since the nineteen fifties. I am sure there is no one left in town from the original owners.”
“How many people died in the fire?” Julia asked her.
“From what I was told the owner, and her two sons. They say the oldest was pulled out.”
“He was pulled out and died later, that is so sad.”
“No, Dear,” the woman said, “he was pulled out and went right back in.”
Julia gasped, “why did he go back in?”
“To save his little brother, it is said he loved and protected him and lost his life trying to save him.” The woman shook her head, “it was one of the biggest tragedies here for a long time.” She looked down for a second, “where are my manners,” she said. “My name is Amanda, welcome to the Wild Wind Inn.”
Julia smiled and took the out stretched hand, “Julia, thank you.”
“You must be tired Dear, let me show you to your room.”
Julia looked at her in surprise, “let me get my credit card for you.”
“We will take care of that in the morning,” Amanda said as she picked up a key and headed up the stairs. She walked to a room and opened the door.
Julia smiled as she followed the woman through the old house. It had to be over a hundred years old. “This house is beautiful,” Julia said as she followed Amanda into the room.
Amanda looked around, “yes. It belonged to the original owners of the diner. It is said the oldest son was here when the fire broke out at the diner. He jumped through this window when he heard his brothers call.” Amanda laughed, “you know how old stories go. They just get better with time.”
Julia gave a small smile as she looked toward the window. “Do you know their names?”
Amanda was turning the sheets down on the bed and stopped for a moment. “Jeb was the name of the younger boy. Their mother was Emma. The older one,” she said, “I always forget that one. There is information at the library just across the road.” She smiled as she looked at Julia, “there, the bed is fresh. There is a full bathroom in here and extra blankets incase you get a chill.”
“Thank you,” Julia said as she looked around. “It is beautiful.”
“You get some sleep Dear. We serve a full breakfast in the morning. I have a little place out back, so if you run into trouble just knock on my door.” She smiled as she walked to the door. She placed the key on the side table “good night.”
“Good night,” Julia said as the door closed behind Amanda.
Julia dug through her bag for her phone and called her grandparents. She did not want them to worry about her. She felt guilty for going to stay with them. They were older and retired, not looking for anyone to have to take care of. Yet they were willingly opening their doors to her.
After talking to her grandmother, she dug through her bag for her bathroom kit and went to take a shower. Given that the house was a hundred years old she did not hold out much hope for hot water. She was pleasantly surprised when the water lasted as long as she wanted it. Julia pulled out a blow dryer and dried her hair, so she would not get a chill. She picked up a quilt off the back of a chair and spread it across the bed before climbing in. She turned out the lights and let her mind take her back to the story Amanda had told her.
She wondered if the name of the older son was Isaac, if the spirit she had felt today was him. Was he trapped here because of his endless guilt at not saving his little brother? Julia’s heart clutched. She could not imagine the pain he must have suffered. How brave he was to go back in to try and save Jeb.
She looked over at the window again and heard in her mind the message from earlier. ‘A window is an open invitation.’ Did she want to leave an invitation for what she was sure was a ghost. Would he come? Would it bother him to be here in this house? The last place he lived before he heard his brothers call.
Julia looked up at the ceiling for a moment before she climbed out of bed and opened the window a crack. She did not want to open it fully in the thought of seeming desperate or freezing during the cool night. She climbed back in bed and looked toward the window waiting.
Isaac stood on the porch roof watching the woman sleeping in his old room. He had waited close to a hundred years searching for one who could release him. He had stopped and spoken to many, but none had heard him. He looked over his shoulder toward the diner. He was glad it did not look the same. Looking at it year after year remembering what had been there was made a little easier by the fact that it looked so different.
He had hated that place, hated the fact that his mother had to work like that. He was a young man when he had gone east for college. Hoping to give his mother and brother a better life. He had a job out east and sent money every month for his mother. Yet when he returned, she had turned her home into an Inn and the old barn into a diner. His heart ached watching the hours she had put in after his father had died.
Isaac turned back to the woman asleep in the bed. She had left the window open for him. He quietly slipped through and stood over her. She lay on her side her light-brown hair spilled over the extra pillow beside her. He gently reached out and felt the silk of it. He smiled as he watched her. Perhaps he had finally found someone who could set him free.
Isaac gently stoked her cheek. He had not felt the touch of a woman in a long time. Holding her close today made him feel alive for just a moment. He scoffed, ‘alive. I have been neither dead nor alive for a hundred years.’
He walked around his old room looking at the things that were there. The house had retained much of its original character. The colors and lights looked like they belonged in the eighteen hundreds. If he had this house, he would update it. Preserve the beauty while enhancing it for this time.
He knew the road leading to it was through an empty valley. He had spent years traveling between the valley and the town. Watching, waiting, hoping to be free. He wished for a second that he could travel freely through the house. He wanted to check the floor boards in his brother’s old room to see if the chest they had hidden was still there.
Isaac looked toward the bed again as the woman stirred. He reached a hand out as she moaned in her sleep. Gently stoking her hair, he felt her settle back down. He had heard the story she was told and was sure she was dreaming about it. It bothered him that she was having a nightmare about him.
He stepped back as she sat up. He watched her walk to the bathroom and turn on the light. He stood silent behind her watching.
Julia leaned over the sink and splashed water on her face. She felt the cool water hit her face and slowed her rapid breathing. She let the cold water run over her hands as she stood there.
She had felt like she was standing below the window watching the man leap through the window and rush into the fire. She dreamt that she could hear the calls of the young man as he suffered and died. Feel the pain of his brother who could not save him. She turned off the water and straightened.
Julia froze as she looked in the mirror. There was a man standing right behind her. Her heart beat in her chest and the breath froze in her lungs. She stood her brown eyes looking into his green eyes through the mirror.
He did not move, just stood there looking at her as she looked back at him. She finally drew in a deep breath and slowly turned. She gasped as she saw there was no one behind her. She quickly turned and looked in the mirror again. The man stood as he was before looking at her through the mirror.
“Isaac,” she whispered as she looked at the handsome man. He was over six feet tall, dirty blonde hair with light-green eyes. He was a broad well muscled man, and he was looking right at her.
Julia watched as he raised a hand and touched her hair. She could feel his fingers on the side of her neck as he took strands of her hair and let it sift through his fingers. She kept her eyes locked on his as he continued to run his fingers through her hair.
“You are the first person who has heard me,” he said. “The first person I have touched in a long time.” He said his eyes fixed on hers, he stepped closer.
Julia stood frozen as he moved closer to her. His body was only inches away. It was funny she did not expect to feel heat coming off a ghost. However, she could feel the heat of him, as he stood close to her.
“Why are you here?”
Isaac held his hand still as he continued to look into her eyes. “I cannot leave,” he said a frown on his face. “I am not sure why I am still here. I know I died a long time ago. I do not belong here any more.”
Julia slowly reached up and touched his hand as it rested on her shoulder. “I am sorry. I wish I could help you,” she said as she slowly rubbed his hand.
“You are helping me,” he told her, “you can see, hear and feel me.” He said as he turned his hand over and laced their fingers.
“I am sorry for all you have suffered,” she said to him.
“I have healed. I have had a long time to heal. Yet here I stand unable to leave.” He sighed as he took his hand from hers and began pacing in the small room.
Julia watched as he vanished from view for a moment then he would cross in front of the mirror, and she would see him again. “Have you let go of your guilt? It was not your fault you know, there was nothing anyone could have done.” She watched as he again appeared in the mirror for a brief second before vanishing once more as he walked across the room.
“I know that now. Back then, though I carried the burden deep. The weight of the guilt was holding me to the ground. I do not understand why I am still here. I forgave myself a long time ago. Forgave my father for dying and making my mother have to carry such a burden.”
Julia listened to him. He did not come by the mirror again. She left the bathroom turning off the light, and went back to the bed. With Isaac having stepped away, she could feel the chill of the night and climbed under the covers. She felt the bed shift as Isaac sat near her feet. Julia had not felt uncomfortable with him, since they started to talk. But, now having him sit on her bed made her a little uneasy. She had never been with a man, never mind having one sitting on her bed in the middle of the night.
She laughed at herself, ‘what is wrong with me,’ she thought. ‘He is not real. He comes from a different time and place and has problems of his own and won’t hurt me.’
She sat up and reached a hand out toward him. She smiled when he took her hand and again held it in his. “Can you see me?”
“Yes, I can see you. You cannot see me, can you,” he asked her.
“No, I can’t,” she replied, “I could see you in the mirror.”
“I am sorry I scared you. I really did not think about it. I wanted to make sure you were alright. I heard you as you fought your dreams.” He rubbed her fingers, “I hope you do not think ill of me being in your room at such an hour.”
Julia smiled, ‘ill’ she thought, ‘that is funny.’ “No, you are fine. I wish I could find a way to help you,” she said as she felt her small hand get swallowed in his. “I was going to the library tomorrow to read some old files, perhaps I can find an answer to help you.” She felt him release her hand and brush the hair back from her face.
“Thank you Julia,” he sighed, “I will go and let you sleep. Thank you for wanting to help me.”
Julia felt the bed shift as he stood up. She felt the air stir around her for the first time since she left the empty hills. She leaned back on her pillow and sighed, thinking he had left. She held her breath as she felt the pillow on either side of her head shift as it was pressed down.
She closed her eyes as she felt his lips on her forehead for a second. Then his head pressed against hers, “sleep well Julia. I will not fail you as I failed my brother.” Julia felt the air around her stir and then settle once again. She waited and listened but, she did not hear him any more. “Good night Isaac,” she whispered as she rolled over and drifted off to sleep once again.
Julia awoke and looked around the room. She climbed out of bed and grabbed some clothes heading for the small bathroom. She stopped and looked in the mirror laughing at herself as she did. Isaac was not there. He had left, and she had not felt him return last night.
Julia turned on the water and took a quick shower and got dressed. She went down stairs to the dining room and found Amanda setting a place at a table near the windows. “Good morning,” Julia said as she walked in the room.
“Good morning dear, how did you sleep?”
“Good,” Julia replied.
“I have set a place for you,” Amanda said, “why don’t you sit down, and I will get some food for you.”
Julia looked around the room, “you don’t need to go through all that trouble for me. I can wait for the other guests.”
“There are no other guests, only you.” Amanda smiled at her.
Julia looked at her in surprise, “only me. I thought from your comments last night you had other guests.”
“Who would want to stay here if they knew no one else was visiting? If I had told you I had no guests you might wonder why and just go someplace different.”
Julia smiled as she sat at the table, “I don’t mind being the only guest.”
Amanda smiled at her and went and grabbed the coffee pot. She poured Julia a cup and set the pot on the table. “I will go get you some breakfast. Here is today’s newspaper so you have something to do while you wait for me.”
Julia watched Amanda walk off. She felt a little guilty that she was the only guest and that Amanda was going through so much effort for her. She felt the air stir to her right and looked into the coffee pot and saw him standing in the doorway. “Isaac,” she said quietly to him.
She watched him look from the closed kitchen door to her. He said nothing as his eyes met hers in the coffee pot. Julia sighed. She wished she could look straight into his green eyes, not have to see them reflected.
Isaac stepped toward her. He stood a few feet back so she could see him and looked back at her. She was beautiful. He thought, her hair a long brown and her big caramel eyes hit his heart. He wished he had met her in another time, another place. He realized if he had met her at another time, she too would have died. She was where she needed to be and if all that she could give him was someone to touch and talk to he would take it while it lasted.
“Good morning, Julia,” he said to her. He watched her face light with her smile.
“Good morning, Isaac, I am glad to see you again. Where do you go at night?”
Isaac held her eyes as they talked, looking into them through the shine of the coffee pot. “I wander the valley outside of town.”
“And you have done that for almost a hundred years,” she asked in amazement. “That must be getting so old.”
“I have tired of it,” he said, “I am glad you are here. I now have someone I can speak to.”
Julia smiled again, “I am glad I can give you some joy. I promise I will try to find a way to release you.”
She looked up as Amanda entered the room, “here you go Dear.” She said as she put a plate in front of Julia. “Do you think you will be staying for a while?”
Julia looked at all the food Amanda had given her, “after I eat all this, I won’t be able to move. So, yes, I will be here for a while if you don’t mind.”
Amanda smiled, “no of course not. I do have a few errands to run today though so you make yourself comfortable.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out some keys. “Here is a key to the front door, I did not know if you were interested in going to the Library later. If you do go out please lock up, and if I don’t see you this afternoon, I will see you in the morning."
“Thank you,” Julia said as she took the key Amanda held for her. “I will be sure to lock up. This looks delicious, thank you for your hard work.”
“No problem, Dear,” Amanda said as she walked out the front door.
“Wow,” Julia said as she again looked at Isaac in the coffee pot. “This is a lot of food. I wish you could eat. You could share it with me.” She watched Isaac smile then he turned and walked out of her sight. “What are you doing?” She asked him.
“I am sorry. You cannot see me can you.”
“No, but that is fine. I can hear you if you talk,” she told him.
“Then talk I will,” he said.
Julia laughed at his words as she began to eat her meal.
“This house has not changed much since I was here.” Julia heard Isaac say. “The furnishings are even the same.” Julia paused in her eating when he said that.
“The furnishings are the same,” she repeated, “how could they have survived a hundred years?” She looked up as Isaac again crossed in front of the coffee pot. She could see him shaking his head before he moved to the other side of the room.
“This table here,” he said.
Julia got up from the dining room table and walked into the formal living room where Isaac was.
“It had a scratch on it,” she heard Isaac laugh. The sound was coming from beside an end table. Julia walked toward it and waited for him to speak again.
“I remember my brother and I got ahold of my father’s pistol. It was my idea. I was five years older than Jeb. I should have known better.”
Julia smiled when she heard him laugh again.
“I was sixteen at the time. Jeb picked up one of my mother’s best silver platters. I shot at it. The musket ricocheted and ended up in the table. I can still see my mother digging it out of the table before my father came home.” She put a piece of cloth over the area.” Isaac laughed again, “My father never found out what we did,” he paused, “what I did. I spent a good amount of time in the woodshed for that one.”
Julia watched the table in amazement as the doily covering it moved. She gasped as she could indeed see the groove through the wood. “I can’t believe it. That is from you isn’t it?”
Julia heard Isaac sigh beside her. She held out a hand and felt him grab her, “Isaac, are you alright. I can’t imagine how this survived so long. Why would she keep it?”
“This house is perfectly preserved,” Isaac said, “you even slept in my old bed last night.”
Julia drew in a sharp breath, “I slept in your bed,” she whispered.
“The mattress is new but the frame I made on a summer break from college.”
“It is beautiful.” Julia told him. She was not sure how she felt sleeping in a man’s bed. She knew he no longer lived in the house but still. “How old are you?”
“I was twenty five when I died,” he said. “Jeb loved working in the diner. I tried to get him to go east to college, I told him I would pay for it. He refused to leave mom. He told me I had abandoned them when I left.”
Julia could not see him but from the sound of his voice. She could tell he was pacing. She turned and looked at a mirror hung just above the mantle and saw him as he passed heading again across the room.
“Perhaps he was right, maybe I did abandon them. Chasing my dreams, trying to be something, to get out of this town.”
“You did not abandon them Isaac, there is nothing wrong with wanting more for yourself. You should not feel responsible for wanting to better yourself. What happened was a tragic accident, and you are not to blame for that.” Julia said as she looked at him through the mirror. He had stopped pacing and was standing about a foot behind her.
“I wish I had known you in a different time,” he said, “maybe.”
Julia blinked and turned around. Isaac was gone, “Isaac, Isaac, where are you?” She walked back into the dining room “Isaac,” she called again. She sighed when she got no response and began cleaning up the table. Julia entered the kitchen and looked around. It too looked like it belonged in the eighteen hundreds. “How could she have made my breakfast?” Julia said out loud. She went to the old fridge and opened it. Julia stopped in surprise the fridge was empty. She began opening cabinets. They too held no food. The pots and pans belonged, like the house and kitchen in the eighteen hundreds. It was as Isaac said, the house was unchanged, but Julia did not think he had any idea the extent to which this house had stayed the same.
She began exploring other rooms and looking at the furnishings in them. The house was more like a museum than anything. She walked into a small room upstairs and looked around. It looked like a boy’s room. Old toys and collections sat on the shelves, an old chest at the foot of the bed. Julia bet she had found Jeb’s room. This room unlike Isaac’s did not have a bathroom added. Julia would bet except for dusting it sat unchanged for over a hundred years.
She turned to leave the room and saw writing on the door jam. She walked over and leaned in for a closer look. She could see little lines with either an I or a J next to them. She would have to ask Isaac if their mother measured them there. The last I was about eight inches taller than she was. Her guess was that was Isaac’s final height. She smiled as she saw a faded mark just above it. Jeb was a half an inch taller than his bigger brother when he died. Julia sighed and walked back into the hall. She stood and closed her eyes for a moment calling out to Isaac. He did not come. She sighed and went back to the dining room grabbing the key she left the old house.
Julia entered the small library and smiled at the librarian. She walked around the building getting her bearings. She would not look for information on Isaac or his family, anything she wanted to know he would tell her. She would instead look for help on how to free him. It was so sad that he was trapped here.
Julia walked to the section on paranormal. She laughed when she saw that one. There was a board set up with pictures of ghosts and a sign that said, ‘paranormal is anything outside the norm. Phenomenona outside the realm of mental or psychic normality.’ Julia shook her head and laughed at their description of paranormal. She looked below one of the pictures of the ghost and saw another definition printed. ‘A shadow of one who once was, appearing to the living.’
“Well, I have to give them that one. Isaac certainly is a shadow of what he once was. Now to find out how to free him.” Julia looked through the books on ghosts and spirits. She flipped through a few and put them back. Searching for one that would give her sound advice on how to free a ghost. Julia pulled out several books from ‘experts,’ most of the information was a little odd. One even suggested making love to the ghost to free it.
Though the thought of making love to Isaac had crossed Julia’s mind once, or twice. She had to wonder how one did it. She put that book back and looked at the next one. An exorcist, while she felt that would work, she wanted him helped not just evict him. The last book she found gave her the best advice, it said if you can communicate with the ghost do it. Helping them work through what caused their death and parts of their life associated with their death would help them cross over. Always leave a candle lit nearby to give them a light.
Julia thought about that one. She wondered if Isaac had already left. He said he knew he was not responsible for his brother’s death, so perhaps saying it out loud freed his earthbound spirit. Julia smiled as she put the last book back, she looked at the clock on the wall. It was after three. She had spent hours reading and researching. She again smiled at the librarian on her way out the door. As she stepped outside she felt a warm breeze blow over her. “Isaac,” she said. When Julia got no answer, she laughed at herself, “what is wrong with me? I think every breeze is him,” she sighed as she crossed the street and unlocked the door to the old house.
As she stepped across the threshold, she remembered there was no food in the house. She locked the door again and walked to the diner. She wondered where Isaac was, had he really been freed or did he have to leave, for some reason. Julia finished eating and went back to the house. It was a beautiful building. She shook her head when she looked at it. “I just lost my job, what am I doing renting a room I can’t afford.” She said as she opened the front door and walked in. She went to her room and phoned her grandparents. She told them she had found some possibilities, and that she would be staying here for a while. Though she technically did not lie, she also did not tell the truth. What was her possibility here? Isaac? She headed back down stairs to look through the house again. She looked up when the front door opened.
“Hello Dear,” Amanda said as she walked in.
“Good afternoon Amanda, how was your day,” Julia asked.
“Good, I got a lot done. Have you had dinner?”
“Yes, I just returned from the diner. They have an excellent burger. I ate my second one in as many days.” Julia said as she put a hand to her stomach.
Amanda smiled at her, “so, what brings you to our parts?”
Julia sighed, she hated telling people she was out of work and had no place to live. She did not want anyone to feel sorry for her. “Relocating, looking for a change of pace,” she said.
“Do you have a job all lined up?” Amanda asked her.
Julia shook her head, “no. I am not sure where I am going to end up stopping.”
“Why not stay here? This is a beautiful little town, the nicest people you will meet.”
“Yes, it is beautiful here,” Julia said, “but, there is not much here for work.”
“What did you do before?”
“I was a system analyst,” Julia told her. “I do not think there is much use for my degree around here.”
Amanda laughed, “no. I am afraid not. You could work for me.”
Julia was surprised, “work for you?”
“The pay won’t be much, but you can have room and board, free meals at the diner.”
“The diner,” Julia asked.
“Yes, Dear, I own the diner too.” Amanda smiled, “did you really think I cooked your breakfast that fast this morning? I put the order in when I heard the shower.”
Julia laughed, “thank you. You made very good choices. I really enjoyed it. What can I do here to help you?”
“Your work would not be limited to here. It would encompass both the diner and the Inn,” Amanda told her. “Why don’t you sleep on it, and we will talk over breakfast, at the diner.” Amanda walked to her and placed a hand on her cheek, “have a good afternoon Dear,” she said as she turned and walked out the back door.
Julia stood in the entry looking around. ‘What can I do here? Do I want to stay in this area? Where is Isaac?” She walked to the living room and looked at the mirror, “Isaac, where are you?” Still, he did not reply.
Julia ran to her room and grabbed her keys. She locked the house and drove to the outskirts of town. Heading to the spot she first felt him.
She parked on the side of the road, “Isaac, where are you?” She called to him. She smiled as she watched a cloud form and felt the wind pick up and blow all around her.
“Isaac, why did you leave?”
“I am sorry Julia,” she heard on the wind.
“Will you come back? I will leave the window open for you.”
“I will return,” Julia heard as the wind and the cloud vanished.
She sighed as she got back into her car and headed back to the old Inn.
Julia went to her room and called her grandmother again. She told her the complete truth this time. Though she did not know yet what she would do. She wondered what Isaac would think. Amanda was a nice trusting woman. Julia thought. She looked to be just a few years older than Julia’s mother. Julia smiled when she thought of her mother, she had remarried a few months ago. She and her new husband were on an extended honeymoon that to date had lasted three months.
Julia wandered through the house again. She found a door to a room she had not entered. She slowly opened the door and smiled as she entered an old library. She looked in amazement through the shelves. The books were over a hundred years old. Tons of them stacked to the ceiling. She had guessed by the size of the house that Isaac’s parents were wealthy and looking at the books and furnishings in the house, she was positive of that. They were very affluent in their time. Julia heard a sound near the door and turned, there was no one there. “Isaac, is that you?”
“I am here,” he replied, “I am going to have to come up with some way to let you know where I am at. I do not want to keep scaring you.”
Julia smiled, “I am fine, usually I can feel your presence.” She walked over to a shelf and picked up a book, “this room is amazing.”
She heard Isaac snort, “it has not changed. My guess is it was dusted, and that is about it. It looks like it has sat untouched, since we left here.”
“It is so strange that it would be kept like this. It seems more a museum than a home or even an Inn as it is said to be.” Julia said to him. She felt the air move around her and knew he stood close. She felt his hand as it sifted through her hair.
“Do you mind that I can touch you, that I do touch you?”
Julia closed her eyes and released a slow breath, “no. I do not mind.”
“I enjoy touching you. I have not had any contact in a long time. I pray you forgive me but would you let me hold you in my arms for but a moment?”
“I would like that,” Julia whispered. She felt the air stir around her as Isaac moved to stand in front of her. She could feel him as he moved closer, felt his arms as they wrapped around her and pulled her into him. She could not believe that she could feel his body. She felt every inch of him as he held her tight.
“I can feel you,” she said to him, “how can I feel you.”
She felt Isaac lean his head on her hair heard him as he breathed her in. She waited for him to reply, but he said nothing only stood and held her in his arms close to his body. She leaned her head on his chest and found what was missing. He had no heartbeat. Julia sighed as she realized that was something she wished she could hear. A heartbeat told one they were alive, and it stood out to her now that Isaac was not, and he never would be.
She felt a tear as it ran down her face, pain in her heart for him, for herself that she would never truly have any relationship with him.
“Are you alright,” he asked.
Julia felt his hand as it gently stroked her cheek, “I am fine.”
“I am not making you feel uncomfortable?”
“No, I am not uncomfortable,” she told him.
“There is something that is bothering you, I can feel it. Please will you tell me what it is.”
Julia sighed and pulled away from him. She moved across the room and picked up a paper weight off the table. “I am sorry Isaac. I really enjoyed being close to you.”
“However,” he said.
“I can’t see or hear you. It makes me sad.” She put the paper weight down and walked back to where she had stood last. Hoping she was again standing in front of him. She reached out a hand. She felt his form in front of her. “I can’t hear your heart,” she said as a tear ran down her face.
She felt Isaac’s arms go around her, and his head settle back on hers. “I am sorry too, I cannot begin to tell you how sorry I am. Having you in my arms makes me wish for so much more.”
Julia sighed against him. She felt him stir against her. She closed her eyes as a wind picked up in the room, and she felt it move over her. She felt his arms around her holding her as she leaned back in his embrace. She felt the wind gently stirring the front of her shirt, felt is as it blew up over her ribs. She felt the kiss of him on her neck. Julia shivered in his arms. “Isaac,” she whispered to him.
“I am here,” he told her.
Julia wanted to ask him what he felt, if he could feel pleasure or pain, love or hate? She did not know, and she did not want to hurt him by asking.
It was so difficult to tell where Isaac’s hands were. He seemed to be all over her. He rubbed her back and her abdomen, her neck. She could feel the wind as it blew over her lips. She heard him sigh and pull her back up close to his chest.
“Isaac?”
“I am sorry Julia. I need to go see someone. Will you forgive me if I leave you for a while?”
“I will leave a window open for you,” she told him. Julia felt Isaac release her and held as she saw a shadow moving toward her. She drew in a sharp breath as she felt lips touch hers.
“Closer,” he said as she felt the wind wrap around her one more time then vanish.
Julia stood there a moment more then walked to the book shelves and looked at the books. She picked up a copy of Pride and Prejudice and sat in a corner chair to read. Julia decided she would sit and see if Isaac returned. She read about an hour and got up and grabbed a blanket off the back of a small sofa. She went back to her chair and read for a while longer.
Julia jumped and sat up. She was surprised to see the room was dark. She reached out and turned on a light. She smiled as the light came on. Electric and plumbing were the only two updates Julia had found in the house. There certainly was no food. She wished now that she had stopped at a store and grabbed some snacks. It was after midnight, and she was sure the diner would be closed. Julia left the room turning off the light behind her and walked to the dining room.
It was funny. She did not think the house was creepy. Despite the fact that a ghost visited it on occasion she felt comfortable here. She looked out the dining-room window and was surprised to see lights on in the diner. She grabbed her purse and the key and rushed out the front door.
She walked to the diner and noted a few customers still in there. Even though it was almost one in the morning the diner was open. Julia went in and took a stool at the counter. She smiled as a waitress appeared. “Good morning, what can I get you?” The woman asked her.
Julia felt a slight breeze and smiled. Isaac had returned. “I’ll have a turkey pita please.”
The woman nodded and headed off to the kitchen.
Julia laid her hand on the counter and smiled when she felt a soft breeze blow over her and felt Isaac’s hand. She gently squeezed his hand as she quietly looked around.
There were several people still in the diner most looked like travelers just passing through. Julia paused on that one. Just two days ago she was only passing through. Now look at her, she was sitting here contentedly holding hands with the spirit of a man who died a hundred years ago.
She ate her food in silence paid her tab and headed back over to the Inn. She was surprised no one had spoken to her. No one questioned what she was doing here or where she was going. Perhaps they get so many travelers that they just don’t ask any more, especially at one am.
Julia could not feel Isaac. She had let go of his hand while she ate though she was sure he was still there. She knew he had walked with her back, but once she got to the door she felt he had left. She opened the door and stood for a moment listening, feeling. She did not call for him instead she closed the door and locked it behind her. She went up to her room and noted the window was still open. She went and took a quick shower and got into bed.
She lay there and listened, waited. Julia was just drifting off to sleep when she heard a rustling. She sat up in bed, “Isaac.”
“I am here,” he said.
Julia smiled as she felt a warm breeze blow over her. She laid back on the bed and waited. She felt the bed shift beside her and smiled. “Where did you go?”
“I needed to talk to someone,” he replied.
Julia could feel him as he played with her hair. “I thought I was the first you had spoken to in a long time.” She heard him chuckle.
“You are the first live person I have spoken to in a long time. I am not the only one in the valley below.”
“Oh,” Julia felt his hands as he gently stoked the side of her face.
“I needed to talk to someone, so they could teach me how to touch you. All I can do is drift, and I wanted to feel you, for you to feel me.”
Julia drew in a breath as she felt his hand slide down the front of her night gown and brush the edge of her breast. “You are a fast learner,” she said as she felt his hand drift back up.
“Motivation is an excellent teacher,” Isaac told her.
“Isaac,” Julia began as she felt his lips gently brush over hers. She stopped and held her breath as she felt herself being lifted and pulled into his arms against him. ‘He felt so real, solid,’ she thought. Earlier, she had imagined she could just reach right through him. Now he felt like a solid force against her. She ran her hands along his shoulders and held on to him as she felt his lips travel along her jaw.
Julia knew she was not ready to go beyond just being in his arms and kissing him. But, she was so happy here. She felt peace for the first time in a long time. She felt him lay her back on the bed.
“Julia,” he whispered in her ear. “I am sorry. I am taking liberties with you that I should not.”
She felt him pull back from her and get off the bed. “Isaac, please don’t go.” She said to him.
“I will stay,” he said, “however, I will stay over here.” Julia heard him sigh. “There is something about you that makes me want what I cannot have.” She heard him say.
Julia sighed, “I am sorry Isaac. Can we just talk for a while?”
“You need your rest,” he said.
Julia yawned, “do you know Amanda asked me to stay here and help her. I am not sure what I am going to do.”
“Stay, if you can please, I do not feel so alone with you here.”
Julia smiled, “I will stay Isaac.” She rolled over on the bed and got into a more comfortable position. “Isaac?”
“Please forgive me Julia, I want to hold you in my arms again.”
Julia smiled as she felt the bed shift as Isaac settled beside her. He pulled her in his arms and held her close to him. She sighed as she felt his body next to her. She knew he was laying on the blankets, but he was close. She settled her face in his neck and slowly drifted off to sleep.
Julia awoke to hear Isaac saying her name in her ear. She shifted a little and smiled as she felt him beside her. “Julia,” he said again.
“What,” she asked.
“Amanda just went into the diner,” Isaac told her.
“Oh,” Julia exclaimed as she threw back the covers and jumped out of bed. “I need to go. I don’t want to be late.” She rushed around the room grabbing stuff and ran into the bathroom. She emerged a few minutes later showered and dressed. “Isaac?”
She felt the air shift around her, felt it caress her.
“I will go for a while,” he said. “Julia, though I want you to stay, you like I did need to do what you think is best for you.” He told her as he continued to blow gently around her.
Julia thought it was funny that half the time he was more wind than man. Like he was having a difficult time keeping his form, and the wind was what he became.
She held a hand out to him and felt him take her fingers. She raised their hands to her face and placed his hand against her. “I will stay Isaac. I really don’t have any place else I need to be. Thank you for staying with me last night.”
“You are welcome Julia.”
Julia let go of his hand. She felt it as it rested for a moment more on her cheek then slowly drifted away. She turned and walked from the room without looking back.
Julia entered the diner and smiled at Amanda, who was seated at a corner booth. “Good morning, Amanda.”
“Julia, how are you this morning?”
“I am fine, could I ask you a question about the Inn?” Julia said as a waitress placed a cup of coffee in front of her.
“Of course, Dear,” Amanda said.
“I hope you don’t take this the wrong way. I am just curious why it seems like a museum. I hope you don’t mind that I poked around in a few rooms. The furniture and well, the whole house looks like it belongs in the eighteen hundreds.” Julia said looking over at Amanda.
“Yes, it does.” Amanda said as she picked up her coffee and took a drink. “I moved here right out of college almost thirty years ago now. The diner was on its second owner, and the house stood empty. I like you had heard the story of the young man who ran back into the burning diner to save his brother. He was not much older than I was when he died.” Amanda laughed and moved her hands as food was placed before them.
Julia smiled as she realized that Amanda had again ordered breakfast for her so it would be ready when she was.
Julia heard Amanda laugh and looked up at her.
“You know I used to imagine it was him who wandered the valley below,” Amanda said.
Julia paused when she felt a light breeze blow over her. She shifted a little to her right and felt Isaac’s leg press against hers.
“I was quite smitten with him at one point,” Amanda continued. “Oh, I know he is not real, but I used to leave a window open in the house wishing he would come see me. You know Dear an open window is an open invitation. He never did. I never felt his presence. I thought that by leaving the house as it was he would feel more comfortable, and it would help free his spirit. I did, however, feel the presence of another. That one carried anger, he drove me right out of the house.”
Julia played with a piece of her toast and waited while Amanda began to eat.
“I had thought about having the old barn rebuilt. I was not sure if the pain of seeing that building would be too much for my imaginary ghost. His house will stay as it is as long as I am alive to preserve it.”
“Maybe he does not like the house the way it is,” Julia said quietly.
Amanda looked over at her, “I noticed you leave a window open a crack perhaps you have seen and heard what I never could.”
Julia kept her expression neutral, “it is not that, I am just thinking logically about this. If the diner brought him pain perhaps seeing the house all day every day as it was brings him pain as well. To heal and move on he might need a completely different scenery.”
Julia looked down at her food then back over at Amanda, “you have done an amazing job with his mother’s diner. You have brought joy back into this place. Bring joy back into his home. Repaint the outside, refurbish the inside, I only ask that you keep the bed he made in the room I am in.”
Julia did not see the look Amanda gave her when she said he had built the bed in her room. Amanda had not known that. She smiled thinking about it.
“Perhaps you are right Julia, seeing a museum to what was every day must be very difficult for him.” Amanda paused for a moment then smiled, “that is the job you can do for me. You can handle the rejuvenation of that old place. Help your friend make peace and release him.”
Julia gasped when Amanda said friend.
“I did not know he built the bed in the room where you stay.” Amanda said to her, “but you did. You unlike me have communicated with him, made a connection. I believe that he is the one who told you it needed to change. So change it, we will.” Amanda raised her coffee cup, “to freedom for, what is his name?”
“Isaac,” Julia whispered.
Amanda smiled, “yes, that was it, to freedom for Isaac.” Amanda waited for Julia to lift her cup then she took a drink.
“To Isaac,” Julia said softly. She felt him stir beside her, and she looked in his direction and toasted then took a small sip.
Amanda watched what Julia did and smiled. She had believed for a long time that the spirit of the older brother wandered through here. She had wanted to help him, to free him. But, she could not. She looked at Julia. She had made a connection with him somehow, and she was very happy that she would be the one who would release his earthbound spirit.
“Well, I have eaten more than enough,” Amanda said. “Why don’t you come up with a few ideas and run them by me tomorrow? We can meet here again to go over your plans. If that is alright with you Julia.”
Julia smiled, “I will be here. Thank you Amanda.”
“No, thank you for showing me what I had been missing. I had not seen the way to free him, but you did. I thank you for that, Isaac will thank you for that.” Amanda reached out a hand and placed it over Julia’s as it rested on the table. She puled back in surprise as she felt another hand over Julia’s. “I felt him, how could I feel him?”
Julia shook her head, “can we go back to the house?”
Amanda nodded as she stood up. She waited for Julia to slide out of the booth and followed her back to the house.
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(Pages 1-26 show above.)