Short Stories & Poems by WarmBreezeBliss

A month after my 46th birthday when my two adult sons and their younger sister came home to visit. Jason was 23 and James 22, while their sister, Justina, had just turned 19. We sat outside the kitchen in the backyard. I was shelling peas, and Jason and James were tending to a roast leg over a fire, each sipping on a beer. Justina sat close to me, sorting the shelled peas, as I shelled the rest of the bag. Jason’s wife, Tina was tending to their only child, one-year-old Kyle. The baby ran back and forth, as he threw and picked his toys in the grass, squealing, then giggling at intervals, as his Mum burst into her own giggles as he ran around.

We were all talking at the same time and still able to hear one another above the constant chatter. Everyone had so much to talk about, as we planned for an early dinner, when their father arrived at his usual, 6.45 p.m. The meal was cooked and only the roast meat was due. I looked at my watch and saw it was going to 5.30 p.m. I got up to take the bowl of peas into the kitchen and wobbled on my feet. I managed to recover my balance before my children could notice and held onto the back of my chair. What was that? I wondered, my breath becoming a little more laboured. I smiled in acknowledgement of their jokes and stood still, just for a moment and to recover my balance. A few moments later, I tried to mop my sweat-drenched forehead but keeled over sideways, slow and sure, onto the ground. My right arm and right thigh hit the ground with a thud. Before I could react, my head hit the concrete slabs.

My eyes were still open and I struggled to close them. I could see my sweet children scramble towards me, as if in slow motion. In another few seconds, my eyes lost their sight, as my ears shut down all sound. Saliva dripped through my parted lips and I exhaled, as my body slumped into rest. A warm liquid I could not see, pooled around my head. Then everything went black.

My spirit slipped past what felt like a wall, then another one. I was propelled by a force I could not see. Feeling safe and now disconnected from my physical body, I could see through what looked like a plasma screen, the world I had left behind. The screen automatically zoomed in and there were my children, trying to shake me awake. Jason, who was a medic was the first to announce that I had died, as James scrambled into the house to call for an ambulance. Justina’s shaky hands struggled to hold her mobile phone still, as she called her father for help. My body did not respond and that is when I realised I had died. The feeling of detachment from my body felt oddly comforting. Eventually, my family had my remains moved to the mortuary, all silently tearing, some crying quietly in shock.

From this side of the walls, I felt no attachment to them and wondered what they felt, as I watched their emotions flood over the plasma screen on the wall. I was floating in space on this side of the walls and watching, wondering what would be next for me. Suddenly, a being like me, all spirit and no body, appeared and communicated telepathically with me. He was telling me that I had to go back through one wall, as my former family were in crisis. Before I could think the thought and ask why, I shot through a wall and found myself in another dimension. It felt like I had moved from a seven-dimensional zone to one with four. I could not explain it, I just knew what was happening.

In the new zone, the plasma came on like a screen without edges, directly in front of me. I saw my children gathered around the kitchen island, deep in discussion. Whatever it was, it was serious, as they all had worried looks, keeping their voices down, occasionally peeking through the door at their father. I watched and wondered what was happening and eventually realised their father had found someone and had just broken the news that he was in a relationship. It was four months to the day I died. They were upset and beginning to pace up and down the kitchen, whispering and plotting. They were coming up with a plan.

All the while, I felt a distinct distance from them, emotionally and physically. Their angst was no longer mine. I felt secure and safe. The only emotion I had left was love. From this love, came a sense of wanting to help them all win, my husband included. I had no thoughts of how to make it happen, in the moment. I just knew I wanted everyone to be happy and none to lose out on life.

The being on the other side came into my four-dimensional space and instructed me to go back and watch over my husband. I reminded him I was dead and no longer emotionally attached to that world. I had everything I needed and was no longer interested or invested. His thoughts led me to understand that only my mission was to help in this situation and only by taking the appropriate measures they would feed me. Before I could identify them, I was floating back through the wall.

I popped back into the physical world, devoid of a body. The kitchen was dark. I drifted over to the sink by effortless will and turned to lean on it and look around. I realised the lower half of my body was below the metal sink and inside the cupboard. My new and ethereal form reminded me that a perfect world waiting for me on the other side of ‘the walls’. Then I remembered my family had cremated my body. The relief of not having to return to a decaying body was huge. I quite liked the ghostly feel of things.

I heard a click and then the kitchen door swung open and my (former) husband flipped the lights on. I stood still, imagining he could see me. He looked tired and walked directly towards me, to pick a glass from the counter. I closed my eyes, again, imagining he could see me. He ran the tap, through my midriff and closed it off, as the glass filled. Ron tossed the water into his mouth and tipped his head back until the last drop. Then he banged the glass back onto the side of the sink. I opened one eye and saw a small female frame ran through the door. Watching as she spoke to him, urging him not to be upset with her.

It was my yoga instructor! With both my ephereal eyes opened, I glared at her and my eyes searched the kitchen counters for a knife! Wait a minute, I was feeling things, even in the absence of my physical body. My emotions were reeling and I began to seek out a knife, once more. With no knife in sight, I glared over at the petite woman and wondered how and when they had met. I then decided it would be better to hear and find out everything, before taking any action. So I listened in. Ron, my husband and Desanta, the yoga lady were arguing. She kept saying they should elope, since his children were full grown adults and did not need to attend a proper wedding. He kept insisting a wedding was best for all.

I stood there, incredulous, that my former husband was already looking to marry. What was worse, a wedding in my old house, or a woman who was prepared to exclude my adult children and still live in my house? I could not decide.

Feeling my rage rising, I moved forward, with the intent of whispering in Ron’s ear. I floated forward so quickly, that his glass rolled off the counter and onto the floor. Glass pieces flew in every direction and I stopped in mid-air, just above Ron’s head. They both froze, clearly spooked but unwilling to voice it. I smiled because I had power, only in the moment.

As they swept up the glass and disposed of it, I sat on top of the kitchen cupboards, then lay down, to stretch my ethereal legs. This was going to be more entertaining than I had expected. Their angry silence was boring, so I drifted past them to the garage, to see what had happened to my 1970s BMW coupe. There it was, still gleaming. Wait, it was gleaming only in parts. The car had dents and scratches from every angle and I wondered how Ron had managed that. As I looked around, I could see Desanta’s handbag in the bedroom, on the other side of the house, with my car keys in her handbag. I was livid. It was then I decided to weaponize my silence.

I moved through the walls to the other side of the house, picked the car keys, which turned invisible as long as I held onto them. Once back in the garage, I switched on my beautiful old car, just to hear it hum one last time. One start and it roared to life. Then I looked towards the kitchen.

Ron and Dessnta froze in sheer shock. Shaking, Ron walked rather unsteadily, into the garage. Desanta had her trembling hand over her mouth and the other trembling hand held onto the back of Ron’s pyjama shirt. I thought, hey, she looks like a ghost and smiled within my conscience. I had no voice to laugh with.

As Ron peered at the car from a distance, I turned the car off and threw the keys at him. He jumped and Desanta screamed, as she scurried back into the safety of the house. Scared, she ran all the way to the bedroom and slammed the door. It then reached through her torso and locked the bedroom door. She watched the door lock itself and fainted. Hearing her flop onto the floor, Ron was on the other side of the door, calling out to Desanta. She could not hear a thing. I then picked the car keys from the car and slid them into Ron’s pocket. That was when he fainted.

I sped back into the kitchen, picked a jar , filled it with water and sprinkled both of them with the water. They both woke up at the same time. Within minutes, they were making promises to do the right thing incorporate our children into their wedding and future plans. Ron and Desanta jointly decided to live honourably and care for my family. They were shaken and so rational, I wanted to laugh but could not.

In another second, I was yanked through the first and then the second wall. I had earned my right to sit in the seven dimensions and enjoy the rest of my days as a proud mother and grandmother. This ghostly thing has some perks!