Chapter 5

I have kissed a girl or two in my life. Made love to one or two as well. (Okay, a few more, so what? Now you’ve gone and spoiled the mood I want to create!)

Yes, I have kissed some girls in my life. You get the cold peckers: those that just peck you on the cheek, or brush lips with you. You get those that shove their tongues down your throat as if they want to dig out your tonsils, and then there are the in-between kissers: those that kiss, but don’t get carried away in the heat of the moment.

Then, you get Amelia. Not just a peck on the cheek, nor a brush of lips; neither digging for my tonsils. Just a warm-hearted, passionate kisser, lightly brushing her tongue over my lips; kissing me like she means it. Passion was bottled up inside her, and she was about to let go.

With the nude girl still wrapped in my arms, we came up air, and I turned onto my back. Amelia laid her head on my chest, her arm across my midriff.

“Wow! Is that what it feels like to make love?” She whispered softly.

“Damn Ammi, where did you learn to kiss like that?”

“Why? Was it not good?”

“You rattled my soul,” I said. “Wait ... Let me just get back from the moon ... I’m still floating in the sky ... I’ll be there with you shortly...”

Giggle. “I read romance novels, you know? I get the theory from reading.”

“Yeah, but somewhere along the line you need to practice what you learn.”

“I’m learning now ... with you ... I practice on you ... Bruce, when we’re touching in the dark ... can you feel it too? So, Mister, teach me some more, but go slow with innocent little me ... I was a virgin when I died. But not that it matters now.”

“Yes, Ammi ... When you take my body to the stars, I believe it! Nobody can light up the night like you do. Flickering embers of love, I know one or two, but old flames, can’t hold a candle to you.”

“Yes, Bruce. So sweet, answering me in lyrics again. But yeah, me too. I never knew it felt so good.”

“Are we ... Are you...”

“ ... In love? Yes, Bruce, if this is what love feels like. If this is what love does to me ... then I am in love...” She whispered. “Let your fingers lightly touch me. Make me sing, make me dance. Tread lightly on my soul...”

“Ammi...”

“Get a little bit wrong with me. Get a little bit wild. Get a little bit reckless because I can’t get enough ... of you.”

Ammi...”

“I know I’ll get fried for it, but I don’t care...”

“Ammi, how do you mean; get fried for it?”

“I’m supposed to earn my wings. I am supposed to find someone. I still don’t know who that someone would be ... Then, I have to see that person, he or she, is safe, and turn to the light. Then Mother Superior Angel will call me back ... Back to the other side and give me my wings.”

“Ammi? Do you mean to tell me that you will become ... an Angel!”

“Yes ... You see, Bruce ... No, let’s leave it for now. Tomorrow, or the day after, I will tell you all about it. I can’t go on now ... Tonight I want to be wild with you ... I want you to make more love to me. Is that too much to ask?”

“But, Ammi, I don’t want to do anything that will jeopardise your ... further ... existence ... your ... place in paradise...”

“That’s why I said, ‘we’ll discuss this another time’. Please, Bruce, just hold me close. Poison me with love tonight.”

“I’ll hold you tight and not let you go,” I whispered. “I’m in love with you...”

“I did not want it to happen, I did not want to ... fall for you ... Or you for me, but it was inevitable ... Bound to happen.”

“I know, Ammi ... It’s complicated...”

“It’s like Maggie said: I’m a ghost, and you are a living human being.”

“I thought you said you are a spirit?”

“Yes ... but people think of us as a collective entity. Ghosts encompass all that is paranormal. People don’t differentiate between the five types of paranormal beings, and the divine beings. They only think and speak of us as ghosts. Those that are earthbound. They see us all as ghosts. Demons and divine beings are part of it. You’re either a ghost or an Angel, or a demon.”

“That’s true,” I contemplated. “I never thought about it, as I did not believe in ghosts, or any other supernatural entity.”

“Yet, in the lyrics of ‘Blue Side of Lonesome,’ you wrote, and I quote: ‘And someone broke the bar mirror with only a GHOST of a smile... ‘ Ain’t it so?”

“Yes, I used the word ‘ghost’ to mean, ‘slight,’ or ‘faint’, ‘very small’ ... I did not mean it was a ghost.”

Giggle. “Is that poetic license?”

“Yes ... It is...”

“And you did not believe in ghosts?”

“No. I did not believe in the existence of ghosts ... or any of that paranormal, or as you put it, divine stuff.”

“And I am paranormal, a demon from beyond the grave? Am I evil?”

“I don’t know what you are..., but you’re not evil, that much I know.”

“I could be a succubus, here to lead you astray and claim your soul...”

“I told you, I don’t believe in ghosts, demons, succubi, or any of that stuff.”

“And yet, you are here with me? Ain’t that proof of the Ever-after?”

“I believe you. Maggie said you cannot lie. I still think that I may be caught up in some dream state ... Something I cannot comprehend, but then again Maggie saw you too. That is hard to deny. So, you must be real.”

“A real spirit, yes.”

“For me you are real. At first, I did not believe it, but the more I talk with you, the more I believe it’s true ... You are like a butterfly ... You can land on my hand ... flutter your wings and then fly away. I want to..., but I can’t keep you ... Your world is so different from mine, we just can’t be close, even if we tried ... And that breaks my heart...”

“That’s what made it so easy to contact you, to communicate with you,” and she touched my forehead with her index finger.

“Sleep now, dear Bruce. Sleep, and dream pleasant dreams. Lay down beside me, love me and hide me. Let me kiss all the hurting of this world away. I’ll hold you so close, that I’ll feel your heartbeat, and never ever let you wander away...” Amelia said softly, all the while stroking my hair and tracing along my forehead with her index finger. She cannot lie, and the truth in her words, I would only come to realise later. Match later.

“I see today, the sun brightly shines again. Summer and sea, for our togetherness, look at the heaven, the brighter blue, and in the sunlight, I’ll wait for you...” Her voice became softer and softer, lying snug against me, her leg still over mine.

Spirits do not sleep, they only rest to replenish their energy. For me, with her hypnotic words, sleep came fast and easy.

When the sun came peeking over the floor through the open curtains, I woke up. Amelia was gone; gone to where spirits go; wherever that may be.

Maggie was not too angry at me for not showing up for supper, and served me a great breakfast. Sam had returned from town and brought the Sunday newspaper along. After the rain and cold of yesterday, today promised to be a bright sunshine day, as good as winter days may get. So, after the hearty breakfast, I decided to go and sit in the garden, paging through the newspaper.

This was Sunday morning, my third day at the estate. Yet it felt like weeks. So much has been going on with me that it felt like I was losing track. Well, only Amelia happened to me. On the one hand it is good, although, well, we’ll have to wait and see. I was still confused.

There was no sign of Amelia. It did not concern me much, as I did not have to worry about her comings and goings, but I was missing the little rascal. Was I getting used to her just showing up? No, I missed her companionship.

Really, Bruce? Are you so much taken with the little thing from the other side, that she fills up your thoughts? If you asked me a week ago about spirits and ghosts, I would have laughed at you. Now? I don’t know...

At 10:30 my cell phone rang. It was my secretary, Lizelle. Or should I say, my private assistant, because that’s what she was doing, running my office as if it was her own.

“Morning, Lizz, what’s up? You miss me already?”

“Just checking up if you need anything. Are you still good?”

“Yeah! Better than ever. I should have taken a time out long ago,” I said, and the sharp as ever Lizelle caught on straight away.

“And who is she?”

“Oh, come on, Lizz, you know me better than that. How can I meet someone, like you think about in your over-active mind, in just three days?”

“I can recall an incident a few years ago ... A redhead, if I’m not mistaken ... It took only six hours on a video shoot!”

“That’s water under the bridge, so, skip it.”

“Well, Darling, all is well on this side, and you don’t need to fret about anything. We’ve got it down pat.”

“I’ll be back on Tuesday.”

“Like in, Tuesday morning, or Wednesday morning at the office?”

“Okay then, Wednesday morning around eleven.”

“Hmm ... Okay, just, so I know how to arrange your diary and get fresh flowers for the office.”

“Yeah, the usual. Don’t over-exert yourself. How’s your cat?”

“George is fine. Loves his mom to bits.” She quipped, and I chuckled.

“Why do you laugh?”

“I got a guy here tending the garden, called George.”

“Well, if he is like my George, I’ll have to come and investigate the options.”

“He’s too young for you. Middle thirties, I think.”

“Ah, drat! I can never win! I’ll die an old lonesome hag...”

“You’re too hard on yourself. Let down your hair a bit and stop and smell the roses on the way.”

“Hmm ... Like you? Did you stop to smell the roses, and maybe just picked one for yourself?”

“Lizz! Stop it now, would you?”

“Hmm ... I smell a rat. A big, fat, bad rat. Or is it a tiny, petite, long hair sexy thingie?” She rhetorically asked and did not know how right she might have been.

“Why don’t you jump in that little Honda of yours and come and look? You’ll find Maggie the housekeeper, aged sixty, Sam the butler, aged around fifty, George the groundskeeper, and two teenagers who clean the manor house. There’s no little petite long hair sexy thingie around,” and I crossed my fingers. Not letting on about Amelia. Why should I?

“Okay, I take your word for it.”

“Good! Now, are you done with snooping?”

Chuckle. “Yeah, Boss! See you on Wednesday, eleven sharp!”

“Slave driver!”

“Keep well and don’t forget to floss! Bye!”

“Yes Mother! Goodbye, Lizzie...” I said and cut the connection before she could say anything else. She hates it if I call her “Lizzie.”

I noticed Sam looking out the side door of the castle, checking to see if I’m still at the garden table. I got up, folded the paper and took it with me to where he stood.

“Sam, I’m going for a stroll around the grounds, here is the newspaper.”

“Oh, thank you, Sir. I’ll go and put it in the private lounge. Enjoy your stroll.”

“Thanks, Sam. I’ll see you around later.”

“Very good, Sir,” he replied, and turned into the castle.

I walked off to the meadow. I need to clear my mind a bit, and the fresh air will be good. Looking at the dam, I wondered if there would be fish in the dam. I have to ask about it; Sam would know.

I walked past Amelia’s grave, and it seemed lonely and abandoned. Why, I did not know. The grave was well cared for, and the flowers still looked fresh in the two vases. I suppose it is because I know that she’s not really there.

Across the meadow I came to the beginning of the forest. “Apollo!” I said, and there he was: just appeared, looking at me with a question in those big dark brown horse eyes.

“You called, Bruce? Do you want to go riding in the sky again?” He spoke in my mind.

“No, Apollo, not today. I just wanted to know if you saw Amelia today?” I thought.

“She’s with the Overseer. She will be back later today.”

“The Overseer?”

“Yes, the Overseer, her ... handler, counsellor, the big boss lady, whatever you want to call her...”

“Oh... ”

“Don’t be worried, she’ll be back, Bruce. There are just some things she had to go and straighten out. Nothing the matter. All is good.”

“Thanks, Apollo. You keep good now!”

“See you around, Bruce.” And Apollo faded away. This is unreal. Like a fairy tale. It seems like I went through a portal somewhere, and I am finding myself in a wonderland. Alice in Wonderland? Bruce in wonderland? Where is the rabbit hole, or the looking-glass?

I walked back to the castle. Let me go get my guitar...”

The slanting winter sun painted strange moving pattens on the lawn, filtering weakly through the bare branches of the trees. I sat on the garden bench and strummed the guitar, settled into a rhythm, and then the words flowed out.

I stopped and started again, fitting the music to the words, or the words to the music. Some word changes here some chord changes there. But in the end, I had it down and went for a full take from the top.

”You kept me awake last night.

Thought about you,

Till broad daylight.

If you ask me,

It just ain’t right.

This keepin’ me awake at night.”

”How you expect

A poor guy to last

With nothin’

But a lonesome past.

Though you’re gone,

You’re never out of sight.

You kept me awake last night.”

”I was foolin’ myself,

By going to bed.

’Cause I saw your face,

In the book that I read.

I hug my pillow,

And whispered sleep tight.

But you kept me awake last night.”

”When twilight came,

I said goodbye to the sun.

Then thought about,

All those sweet things you’ve done.

And I know the same thing

Will happen tonight,

You kept me awake, last night...”

(Song by Jim Reeves.)

“So, how did that come about? I thought you slept like a baby?” A sweet voice said beside me.

“Hi there, Ammi! How are you doing?” I asked, not letting on that I knew she went over to the other side.

“Good ... Better now that I’m here.” Giggle. “Did you miss me?”

“I missed you lots, sweetie,” I said, and leaned my guitar beside me on the side of the garden bench.”

“Do I get a kiss then?”

“Yes, you do,” I said, and reached over, pulling her closer to me.

“Hmm...” escaped her lips as we came up for air.