said, ‘Hi’.
‘Do you have time to sit with me for a few minutes? There’s a nice bench over here. I sometimes sit and just watch the world go by.’
‘Sure,’ I said in as calm a voice as I could muster. I’d have sat on a bed of nails if it meant I could sit next to him for a while.
I followed him to the bench—the same one he’d been sitting on the day I’d met Crystal. There was just a bit of sun peeking through the clouds and it was lovely and warm when the sun’s rays hit me.
‘What a glorious day,’ I said, sitting down next to him.
‘Isn’t it just?’ He smiled, and that warmed me even more than the sun.
Neither of us spoke for a few minutes, and I began to wonder whether there was something he wanted to talk about, or if he just wanted to be with me.
‘Busy at work today?’ I finally asked.
‘Yeah, you know … normal for a Saturday. Look, there’s someone who wants to meet you, Lili.’
‘Okay,’ I said, wondering what strange creature was going to turn up next. After meeting Crystal, I didn’t think anything could surprise me.
‘Close your eyes. Relax, and let your mind just sort of… wander. Think of something calming, like waves rolling in on a beach.’
I looked at him curiously but when he smiled I knew I’d do just about anything he asked. I closed my eyes, and thought about the times Dad had taken me to the beach.
‘Now, open your eyes. Tell me what you see,’ he said softly.
Standing in front of me was a young girl, probably about ten. She had dark hair, and big blue eyes, and rosy pink cheeks. She wore a dress—like a party dress—of a soft pink that matched her cheeks. There were ribbons in her hair, which hung in old-fashioned ringlets from the sides of her beautiful face. She had a rather curious look on her face as she stared at me, then a slight smile broke out.
I turned and looked at Sam. ‘A young girl of course,’ I said, frowning at him. Did he think I had gone blind or something?
‘Excellent,’ he said, pumping his fist in the air. ‘Lili, I’d like you to meet Elizabeth, my sister.’
~ C HAPTER T EN ~
I felt disoriented. I was lying on something hard, but I wasn’t sure where I was, or how I’d gotten there, or even what time it was. I sat up and immediately saw Sam kneeling on the ground in front of me, holding my hand.
‘Are you alright?’ he asked, concern on his face.
‘Yeah, sure; I mean, what happened?’ Nothing hurt, but I felt sort of fuzzy.
‘You fainted. Elizabeth allowed you to see her. I guess it was a bit too much. You dropped like a tonne of bricks.’
He laughed, perhaps at the image of me ‘dropping like a tonne of bricks’.
‘That was your sister, who died over one hundred and fifty years ago?’ I asked slowly—deliberately. ‘Yes, the very same.’
‘Wow. Okay.’ I took a deep breath and looked around, but she was no longer there.
‘She comes here often, to this bench.’
‘Ah … right,’ I managed to say, still struggling to think clearly.
‘I’m so glad you saw her. I wasn’t entirely sure that it would work. I don’t know if you’ll be able to hear her speak—you fainted before she had a chance to say anything. But we’ll try again, maybe tomorrow.’
So, I’d seen vampires, and a dhampira—and now a ghost. Who would ever believe me? They’d lock me up for sure if I tried to tell anyone.
‘Are there … others … here?’ I asked, thinking about my possible distant relative—the one that might have been buried at the old cemetery. Could her ghost be here too?
‘Yes, a few. But you won’t see them. They don’t want to be seen.’
‘Ah … right,’ I said again, nodding, trying to pretend this was all quite normal.
He got up off the ground and sat close beside me, then wrapped his arm around my shoulders. ‘Let’s just sit here for a few minutes. It was obviously a bit of a shock for you, but you should be okay … I mean, you didn’t hit your head or anything. I caught
‘Do you have time to sit with me for a few minutes? There’s a nice bench over here. I sometimes sit and just watch the world go by.’
‘Sure,’ I said in as calm a voice as I could muster. I’d have sat on a bed of nails if it meant I could sit next to him for a while.
I followed him to the bench—the same one he’d been sitting on the day I’d met Crystal. There was just a bit of sun peeking through the clouds and it was lovely and warm when the sun’s rays hit me.
‘What a glorious day,’ I said, sitting down next to him.
‘Isn’t it just?’ He smiled, and that warmed me even more than the sun.
Neither of us spoke for a few minutes, and I began to wonder whether there was something he wanted to talk about, or if he just wanted to be with me.
‘Busy at work today?’ I finally asked.
‘Yeah, you know … normal for a Saturday. Look, there’s someone who wants to meet you, Lili.’
‘Okay,’ I said, wondering what strange creature was going to turn up next. After meeting Crystal, I didn’t think anything could surprise me.
‘Close your eyes. Relax, and let your mind just sort of… wander. Think of something calming, like waves rolling in on a beach.’
I looked at him curiously but when he smiled I knew I’d do just about anything he asked. I closed my eyes, and thought about the times Dad had taken me to the beach.
‘Now, open your eyes. Tell me what you see,’ he said softly.
Standing in front of me was a young girl, probably about ten. She had dark hair, and big blue eyes, and rosy pink cheeks. She wore a dress—like a party dress—of a soft pink that matched her cheeks. There were ribbons in her hair, which hung in old-fashioned ringlets from the sides of her beautiful face. She had a rather curious look on her face as she stared at me, then a slight smile broke out.
I turned and looked at Sam. ‘A young girl of course,’ I said, frowning at him. Did he think I had gone blind or something?
‘Excellent,’ he said, pumping his fist in the air. ‘Lili, I’d like you to meet Elizabeth, my sister.’
~ C HAPTER T EN ~
I felt disoriented. I was lying on something hard, but I wasn’t sure where I was, or how I’d gotten there, or even what time it was. I sat up and immediately saw Sam kneeling on the ground in front of me, holding my hand.
‘Are you alright?’ he asked, concern on his face.
‘Yeah, sure; I mean, what happened?’ Nothing hurt, but I felt sort of fuzzy.
‘You fainted. Elizabeth allowed you to see her. I guess it was a bit too much. You dropped like a tonne of bricks.’
He laughed, perhaps at the image of me ‘dropping like a tonne of bricks’.
‘That was your sister, who died over one hundred and fifty years ago?’ I asked slowly—deliberately. ‘Yes, the very same.’
‘Wow. Okay.’ I took a deep breath and looked around, but she was no longer there.
‘She comes here often, to this bench.’
‘Ah … right,’ I managed to say, still struggling to think clearly.
‘I’m so glad you saw her. I wasn’t entirely sure that it would work. I don’t know if you’ll be able to hear her speak—you fainted before she had a chance to say anything. But we’ll try again, maybe tomorrow.’
So, I’d seen vampires, and a dhampira—and now a ghost. Who would ever believe me? They’d lock me up for sure if I tried to tell anyone.
‘Are there … others … here?’ I asked, thinking about my possible distant relative—the one that might have been buried at the old cemetery. Could her ghost be here too?
‘Yes, a few. But you won’t see them. They don’t want to be seen.’
‘Ah … right,’ I said again, nodding, trying to pretend this was all quite normal.
He got up off the ground and sat close beside me, then wrapped his arm around my shoulders. ‘Let’s just sit here for a few minutes. It was obviously a bit of a shock for you, but you should be okay … I mean, you didn’t hit your head or anything. I caught
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