The ghost of Skyler Jackson Chamberland drifted about the city. Where ever Jewell went, the ghost was right there with her. The ghost, like most ghosts, wasn?t aware that he was one. All he saw was a series of familiar locations: Jewell?s bedroom, his bedroom at Cosmo Beach, the Red Dragon Inn, the ocean, the woods, the arena, some pond, a graveyard. There was one constant, however. In every image there was the figure of Jewell Ravenlock, looking distraught.
He wasn?t aware of it, but he would always follow her. The ghost made no conscious decision to follow her? just?where ever Jewell went, the ghost of Skyler was there. He would call out to her, but she wouldn?t answer. He would touch her, but she wouldn?t respond. When she went to bed at night he would curl up next to her, but she didn?t seem to get any comfort from his presence. He would stroke her hair, her back, but all she did was cry.
The cemetery was the most difficult place for him. For some reason Jewell kept going to the same tombstone and crying and cutting herself. He tried to stop her from cutting herself, but she did it anyway. She kept speaking to the tombstone as if it was him, saying things about being dead. He would tell her, Jewell, I?m not dead. I?m right here, tell me what?s wrong, but she didn?t seem to hear him. So the ghost of Skyler would snuggle up at her side and rest his head on her shoulder until she left.
Above all, the ghost of Skyler was confused. What happened to me? What?s going on here? Jewell, why can?t you hear me? Jewell, don?t be sad. I love you.
One night, as Jewell slept restlessly, the ghost of Skyler dropped to his knees by the bed and slipped his hand into hers. He remained in that position throughout the night, gazing into her distressed face, unaware of time or its passage. He kissed her forehead, brushed her cheek. Nothing seemed to soothe her.
After so many instances of not being able to reach her, another emotion began taking its toll on the ghost of Skyler: sadness. Before, he had always been able to console Jewell, no matter what was bothering her. Now?she didn?t even know he was there. And why not? Jewell, I?m right here. You don?t have to cry anymore.
Every so often, a figure would appear to Skyler. She was the only person who seemed to be aware of him. She spoke to the ghost of Skyler gently, always beckoning. She also seemed . . .familiar. ?You can?t stay here forever, my darling son. Step into the shadows with me. I?ll take you some place where you are wanted.? She would slip out of the darkness of the closet, she would crawl out from the shadows under the bed. She would float near the corner of the ceiling, crooking her finger at him.
For the most part, Skyler ignored her. Her allure was notable, but one glance into the tormented face of Jewell was all it took to push the dark woman out of his mind. Jewell was sad and Skyler had to tend to her. That was his job, the job he loved and craved, the job that gave him a reason to exist.
One morning, after Jewell awoke and trudged melancholy out of her room, the ghost of Skyler did not follow her. Instead, it drifted aimlessly about the bedroom. Then, it saw something on Jewell?s desk that had a drastic effect on it. It was his Ledger. Jewell had his Ledger.
Emotions rose up fiercely in the ghost. The frustration of not being able to reach her was very taxing, but the ghost saw an opportunity in the Ledger. He had always enjoyed writing in his journal. Perhaps it would account his story, one last time. Suddenly the ghost, who didn?t know he was a ghost, began to pulse. He looked down at his arms and saw that they were shimmering. He reached out and touched his Ledger. The book didn?t just open in the fleeting consciousness that remained of Skyler, but it really opened. Then, when the ghost of Skyler took a pen from the desk and began to write, the pen on Jewell?s desk really jumped up and began to write on the Ledger?s pages.
Lucky the room was empty. Had anyone been inside, they would have seen a book being flipped open to the first available blank page and written upon with a pen that no one held. But, had they looked very closely, they might have seen the faintest outline of a shimmering figure bent over the desk.
My beautiful J-Bug,
I love you so much.
I?m still so amazed by all the things we?ve shared together. The memories are so vivid and powerful. I remember playing in the summer rain on the front lawn of the inn. I remember playing in the snow with you and the children. I remember swimming with you at night, in that pond...and in the ocean. I remember dueling through five bloody sword matches, and each time I would take a hit, I would look at you outside the ring, and find the strength to continue in your eyes. I remember sitting on the couch in the Red Dragon Inn, holding you in my lap, kissing, drinking, chatting. I remember the very moment I began to love you, that night you came inside the inn looking rumpled because your search for your friend Ammy did not go well. I remember seeing you in that moment ... and needing you. Somehow, I needed to take some of your pain into myself, to share it with you. To share everything with you.
Something strange is happening, Jewell. I can?t seem to get through to you, for some reason. Every time I touch your face, all you do is cry. Every time I put my arms around you, all you do is shrink up. I want you to know that you don?t have to be sad anymore. Whatever?s the matter, I?m right here. I?m right here beside you. Even now, even in this strange situation, just remember ? there is no place on this world my love cannot extend to. Do you understand? You can feel me when I touch you. You?ll see. Where ever life should take you, I will be but a footstep behind you. When the wildflowers bloom in the Spring, they are my fingers reaching out for your embrace. As you stand upon moonlit shores and gaze across the ocean, know that I am gazing back, from the other side of the dark waters. Even when the wind flutters through the forest leaves around the Villa, it is my whisper that I love you.
It?s so powerful, J. This love inside. I take it with me, where ever I go. It is how I will always be with you.
Skyler
The note had no date ? ghosts did not understand times or dates ? so she wouldn?t know when the letter was written, but it would certainly seem odd that the Ledger was open and turned to this particular page.
When the ghost of Skyler had finished writing, he sat down on the edge of the bed and waited. The next time Jewell came into her bedroom, he would be watching . . . watching to see if she would read his note to her in the Ledger. Because its emotions had quieted, the ghostly figure no longer shimmered; yet, there it sat, on the edge of the bed in which they had so often shared, watching, waiting, invisible.
Out of the corner of his ghostly eye, he saw the dark woman step out from behind a curtain. Though he again ignored her bizarrely tempting beckonings, it was becoming increasingly difficult to abstain from following her into that clever little shadow that followed her about.
He wasn?t aware of it, but he would always follow her. The ghost made no conscious decision to follow her? just?where ever Jewell went, the ghost of Skyler was there. He would call out to her, but she wouldn?t answer. He would touch her, but she wouldn?t respond. When she went to bed at night he would curl up next to her, but she didn?t seem to get any comfort from his presence. He would stroke her hair, her back, but all she did was cry.
The cemetery was the most difficult place for him. For some reason Jewell kept going to the same tombstone and crying and cutting herself. He tried to stop her from cutting herself, but she did it anyway. She kept speaking to the tombstone as if it was him, saying things about being dead. He would tell her, Jewell, I?m not dead. I?m right here, tell me what?s wrong, but she didn?t seem to hear him. So the ghost of Skyler would snuggle up at her side and rest his head on her shoulder until she left.
Above all, the ghost of Skyler was confused. What happened to me? What?s going on here? Jewell, why can?t you hear me? Jewell, don?t be sad. I love you.
One night, as Jewell slept restlessly, the ghost of Skyler dropped to his knees by the bed and slipped his hand into hers. He remained in that position throughout the night, gazing into her distressed face, unaware of time or its passage. He kissed her forehead, brushed her cheek. Nothing seemed to soothe her.
After so many instances of not being able to reach her, another emotion began taking its toll on the ghost of Skyler: sadness. Before, he had always been able to console Jewell, no matter what was bothering her. Now?she didn?t even know he was there. And why not? Jewell, I?m right here. You don?t have to cry anymore.
Every so often, a figure would appear to Skyler. She was the only person who seemed to be aware of him. She spoke to the ghost of Skyler gently, always beckoning. She also seemed . . .familiar. ?You can?t stay here forever, my darling son. Step into the shadows with me. I?ll take you some place where you are wanted.? She would slip out of the darkness of the closet, she would crawl out from the shadows under the bed. She would float near the corner of the ceiling, crooking her finger at him.
For the most part, Skyler ignored her. Her allure was notable, but one glance into the tormented face of Jewell was all it took to push the dark woman out of his mind. Jewell was sad and Skyler had to tend to her. That was his job, the job he loved and craved, the job that gave him a reason to exist.
One morning, after Jewell awoke and trudged melancholy out of her room, the ghost of Skyler did not follow her. Instead, it drifted aimlessly about the bedroom. Then, it saw something on Jewell?s desk that had a drastic effect on it. It was his Ledger. Jewell had his Ledger.
Emotions rose up fiercely in the ghost. The frustration of not being able to reach her was very taxing, but the ghost saw an opportunity in the Ledger. He had always enjoyed writing in his journal. Perhaps it would account his story, one last time. Suddenly the ghost, who didn?t know he was a ghost, began to pulse. He looked down at his arms and saw that they were shimmering. He reached out and touched his Ledger. The book didn?t just open in the fleeting consciousness that remained of Skyler, but it really opened. Then, when the ghost of Skyler took a pen from the desk and began to write, the pen on Jewell?s desk really jumped up and began to write on the Ledger?s pages.
Lucky the room was empty. Had anyone been inside, they would have seen a book being flipped open to the first available blank page and written upon with a pen that no one held. But, had they looked very closely, they might have seen the faintest outline of a shimmering figure bent over the desk.
My beautiful J-Bug,
I love you so much.
I?m still so amazed by all the things we?ve shared together. The memories are so vivid and powerful. I remember playing in the summer rain on the front lawn of the inn. I remember playing in the snow with you and the children. I remember swimming with you at night, in that pond...and in the ocean. I remember dueling through five bloody sword matches, and each time I would take a hit, I would look at you outside the ring, and find the strength to continue in your eyes. I remember sitting on the couch in the Red Dragon Inn, holding you in my lap, kissing, drinking, chatting. I remember the very moment I began to love you, that night you came inside the inn looking rumpled because your search for your friend Ammy did not go well. I remember seeing you in that moment ... and needing you. Somehow, I needed to take some of your pain into myself, to share it with you. To share everything with you.
Something strange is happening, Jewell. I can?t seem to get through to you, for some reason. Every time I touch your face, all you do is cry. Every time I put my arms around you, all you do is shrink up. I want you to know that you don?t have to be sad anymore. Whatever?s the matter, I?m right here. I?m right here beside you. Even now, even in this strange situation, just remember ? there is no place on this world my love cannot extend to. Do you understand? You can feel me when I touch you. You?ll see. Where ever life should take you, I will be but a footstep behind you. When the wildflowers bloom in the Spring, they are my fingers reaching out for your embrace. As you stand upon moonlit shores and gaze across the ocean, know that I am gazing back, from the other side of the dark waters. Even when the wind flutters through the forest leaves around the Villa, it is my whisper that I love you.
It?s so powerful, J. This love inside. I take it with me, where ever I go. It is how I will always be with you.
Skyler
The note had no date ? ghosts did not understand times or dates ? so she wouldn?t know when the letter was written, but it would certainly seem odd that the Ledger was open and turned to this particular page.
When the ghost of Skyler had finished writing, he sat down on the edge of the bed and waited. The next time Jewell came into her bedroom, he would be watching . . . watching to see if she would read his note to her in the Ledger. Because its emotions had quieted, the ghostly figure no longer shimmered; yet, there it sat, on the edge of the bed in which they had so often shared, watching, waiting, invisible.
Out of the corner of his ghostly eye, he saw the dark woman step out from behind a curtain. Though he again ignored her bizarrely tempting beckonings, it was becoming increasingly difficult to abstain from following her into that clever little shadow that followed her about.