She grinned. “I have exceptional parents.”
“I’ll have to meet these exceptional people sometime,” I told her with an answering grin.
“You really should,” she shot back with a smirk. “I think you’d love them.”
And on that promising note, I extended my arms to the love of Gram’s life. It was time to get to know Mr. Jackson a little better. In the past, all of the ghosts had gone into the Light after I dove into their minds. I feared that was what was about to go down with Mr. Jackson.
“I’ll be gone for five minutes,” I stated firmly, a little bit louder than intended.
Maybe Mr. Jackson wouldn’t leave. Maybe he would stay. There was a first time for everything.
I was going back to the tried-and-true motto. Anything was possible. I just had to believe.
I chose to believe that Mr. Jackson could stay forever.
I really hoped my belief was enough.
CHAPTER TEN
The cold.The cold went all the way to my bones and tore through my body like sharp, frozen daggers made of ice. Trying to catch my breath, I gasped for air. I knew it would end soon, but the need to get air into my lungs was real and my body was acting of its own accord.
The only sound that left my lips came from so far away I could barely hear it.
My head pounded violently, and every single cell in my body screamed for oxygen. My mind went numb, and I couldn’t feel my limbs anymore. I vaguely wondered if they had fallen off. I wondered that each and every time I took a dive. So far, I’d stayed intact. However, there was a first time for everything…
We landed with a loud and ungraceful thud. That was a newish development that would take some getting used to. Slowly, I got to my feet and helped a whole and very lovely Mr. Jackson to his. He was in his late eighties. His twinkling eyes were bright blue and the smile on his face was contagious. I realized in that moment that if he and Gram had gotten together in life, he would have been my grandpa.
I would have loved for this man to have been my grandpa.
Mr. Jackson’s kindness radiated off of him. Without a single word, he calmed my tangled and chaotic soul.
He wore the same clothing he’d been wearing only minutes ago on the earthly plane, but now the outfit was pressed and stylish—crisp white shirt, natty blue suit and a red paisley tie. His black loafers were shiny and I spied bright red socks. He was a handsome man. Mr. Jackson was no longer in a state of decay and possessed all of his limbs. His head was shiny and bald. I was tempted to kiss it. So, I did. His laugh of delight made me tingle all over and he pulled me into a warm embrace.
I wanted it to last forever. It couldn’t. Both of us knew that.
I stayed silent while my sweet friend took in the surroundings.
There were no floors or walls to speak of. The area was entirely a murky gray. We stood facing each other as if we were suspended in the air.
“Where are we, Daisy?” he asked, taking my hands in his. “Is this Purgatory?”
I smiled. That was a new question. I’d never been to Purgatory and wasn’t angling for an invite any time soon. “We’re in the Darkness,” I explained. “The only rule is that we can’t walk into the Light or the Dark. We stay here. I kind of think of it as a waiting room.”
He nodded and smiled. “Shall we chat a bit before we get to it?”
“I would love to chat.”
Getting to it was why we were here, and it was the last thing I wanted to do. I was grateful for the reprieve. I would only be gone from the Earthly plane for five minutes, no matter how long it felt like Mr. Jackson and I were in the Darkness. I could chat until the cows came home if that’s what he wanted, and I would do it happily.
He glanced around again. “Is there any procedure we need to follow? I don’t want to mess up.”
I shook my head. “Nope. No procedure. It’s whatever we want it to be. Sorry about the stark surroundings. It would be much nicer if we had a couch or something to sit down on, but it always looks like this.”
“No worries, child,” he said. “It’s been a while since I stood on both of my feet. Standing feels glorious.”
His words made me happy and sad. In death, he was missing a few appendages—his leg being one of them.
“How did you die, Mr. Jackson?” I asked, then quickly followed with, “You don’t have to answer if it’s too personal.”
