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most comfortable she’d ever sat on.
‘Look at this, Ron.’ She couldn’t shake the image of her father from her mind but that didn’t stop her from being impressed with the new addition to their so called home.
‘We must have started thinking about home comforts without realizing that we were doing so.’
‘Let’s think up a few more things then.’ They both concentrated but nothing appeared despite their best efforts.
‘On second thoughts, perhaps you only get things that you don’t ask for.’ Ron agreed and thought about their situation. It was strange, they never felt hungry but didn’t eat, never smelt dirty but didn’t wash, and their clothes were always clean. Claire hadn’t changed clothes since she’d died but when she remembered to look was always dressed in something different. They felt the whole range of human emotions and were also able to use all their senses while there, but some of these senses were ineffective back on the living plain. They also felt extremely tired following visits to Earth, the degree of tiredness dependent on what they had or hadn’t done. Sometimes Claire was out of action for months after such visits but she felt a little less tired each time and likened it to some sort of acclimatisation.
‘Wonder how it all works?’ she asked and Ron shrugged. He wasn’t one for spending time on riddles he couldn’t solve.
‘Anyway, Ron, enough of this pontificating. We have work to do.’ He didn’t point out that it was her who had been pontificating and waited for her next brainwave.
Claire could see he wasn’t going to bite, so continued. ‘My father needs help and I can’t give it to him. But I know two men that can. Come on.’
Ron accompanied her without argument and they made their way back to the land of the living.
*****
It was the twins’ football night and they’d decided to have a drink after the match and then return to the flat. Tony and his girlfriend had recently split so Jim and Fiona had decided not to see each other every night, so that Jim could hang out with Tony. They retired early to bed with aching muscles but happily tired after their win and friendly banter with the other lads. Jim noticed the dark circles under his brother’s eyes as he grabbed a quick coffee before work the following morning.
‘Still thinking about Hannah?’
‘Nope. Claire and Dad actually,’ Tony took a sip of coffee. ‘Dreamed of both of them last night.’
‘No shit,’ said Jim. ‘What happened in your dream?’
Tony could see that his brother was fishing and guessed straight away.
‘You too eh?’ Jim nodded. So they’d both dreamt that Claire had told them their father was in a bad way and that they should visit him.
‘It’s understandable after all that’s happened,’ said Jim. ‘but I’m still too angry with him and I’d just lose it.’
‘And me but aren’t you curious about our half-sister? I know I am.’
‘I am but it would somehow feel like a betrayal to Claire and I wouldn’t want to meet her feeling like that. Shall we give it a bit more time?’
‘Yup, sounds like a plan,’ said Tony, putting on his coat, ‘see you later.’
‘Damn, damn, damn.’ Claire shouted at Ron. ‘They’re so bloody stubborn at times.’ Family trait thought Ron but chose not to comment.
‘You can’t force them into doing something they don’t want to, Claire.’
‘I could when I was alive, so watch this space.’ She was determined that she would convince her brothers to visit her father sooner rather than later.
In a hurry that morning, Tony hadn’t had time for his usual routine before leaving the flat. He picked up a newspaper from a colleague’s desk and made his way to the facilities. Leisurely studying page three while answering the call of nature, a gust blew into the cubicle and he had to fold the newspaper to stop it from blowing away. Someone must have opened a window earlier, thought Tony, but the weather had been
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