"I'm not dead! I'm not dead!" I shouted, almost begging. "How is it that you can see me?" 

"We can see you because you want to be seen," said Martha. "You have materialized in front of us the way you were when alive. But for others, you showed yourself differently. Like a memory of what had happened to you." 

"Can you remember the last time you've talked to someone except us?" Bertha added.

 I tried to remember, but the thoughts were crowding my head. She was right. There have been months since I've talked to someone. 

"But children can see me," I tried to convince them. 

"That's because, until three years of age, children can see the spirits." 

"Animals can see me, too," I insisted. "I found a dog. It answers to my calls each time..." 

"Because animals can feel the spirits, too. And the stray dog comes to your house because it smells the food in your storeroom. There are no doors to keep it locked. In fact, there are no doors to your house. Anyone can come and leave as they please."

 I took my head in my hands and threw myself on the sofa. What were they trying to tell me? 

"But I'm not the dead one. Emma is... She became a bundle of mist when I touched her." 

Martha stepped closer, "She wasn't the bundle, you were. That's why you couldn't touch her. She wasn't dematerializing after midnight, you were. You were suddenly vanishing, haunting other places you couldn't remember afterward. Because you were refusing to believe you were dead. Consciousness remains even after the body dies. And your consciousness refused to admit you were dead."

 "What about the objects that were disappearing? Or the furniture that moved by itself?"

"They all burnt to ashes. Everything you see around is only in your mind. Better said, in your consciousness. It's the world you've built for yourself merely because you couldn't accept you were dead," said Bertha.

 "You even have a different perception of time," Martha completed her sister's sayings. "It's been five years since you passed away. Time flows differently when you are dead. Remember when it was the last time you saw the sunlight? Spirits rarely haunt on daytime."

  There have been months since I haven't gotten out of the house during the day. But that was because I was sleeping and writing through the night. 

"You're a tied spirit, Daniel," she insisted. You can't leave this world because you have unfulfilled desires, words left to say, unfinished business... And you're also not aware of your new... condition. Can you remember when was it last time you ate? Or having a bath? When did you last see yourself in the mirror?" 

No, I couldn't remember any of these. And still... 

"These are daily activities you don't remember because you DON'T want to remember," said Bertha. "Such as that you are visiting us almost every night to write your book. Or you are haunting the grocery store or the streets in the village. That you are the one who discovered the old clothes in the chest in the attic, the only thing that wasn't consumed by flames. There are so many signs you left this world, yet still caught in between this one and the other..."

 Martha came closer. I moved away from her. "I don't believe you!" I shouted.

 "You have no proof."

 "Oh, but we do," she said and pulled out from underneath her cloak a pile of papers. I took them with trembling hands. It was my handwriting, my book, my diary. I read one of them. My story continued after the night of the fire because I thought I had put off the fire. The fire that ended my life. The last file was describing, word by word, my last visit to the Stan sisters, the night before. And yes, it was my handwriting. 

Emma slowly came closer, hesitating. She was carrying a thick book under her arm. It had red, leather covers. With gentle moves, she took the papers from my hands and gave me the book instead. 

"I'll make sure your dream will come true, Daniel. I'll fight for your book to be published even if it would be the last thing to do. You protected this book with your own body. The world needs to know your story. And maybe learn from it..."

 I sighed and went to her. I caressed her cheek in tears. Everything made sense. 

"You have to go now," she whispered between sobs. 

"But I don't want to go!"

 "Then, what will you be doing here, all by yourself? I can't stay any longer. I can't live my life with a ghost, no matter how tempting that is... I have two daughters and a husband who is waiting for me. And they are alive. They need me. You have to let go, Daniel. There is nothing left to keep you here..." 

Her words shook me like a wave of shock. I looked around. And as I was observing the room, everything fell apart like a sand castle. The sofa, the chimney... It was as if I was watching every object, every piece of furniture I knew turning to ashes. Doors and windows broke under my frightened eyes.

 I went out on the veranda to watch the sky. My ivory skies... But they scattered as if touch by invisible angel hands. The garden of roses faded in front of me in a blink of an eye. My beloved flowers vanished and wild bushes and weeds took the place, overwhelming their beauty with their strong, black roots. The summer was gone, too. A sharp wind was fiercely blowing over my garden and over my lost soul. And heavy clouds came over us like silent witnesses of the pain I felt. 

And then, I saw the shadow. It was waiting for me near the rusty gate of my beloved garden, now just a fainted memory. I couldn't see its face, but I knew it was waiting for me. 

"And now?" I asked looking at the sisters. 

"Now let yourself guided," said Martha who was now in the garden with me. 

"By the one who's near the gate?" I asked. 

"We can't see him," said Bertha. "But have faith! It's your guiding spirit. It took the faces of the ones you loved so you can find it easier to go into the other world. Follow it!" 

I looked at Emma. Suddenly, there was only the two of us. Her hair came off her bun, and the wind was blowing through it. It surprised me to feel her hair caressing my face. I could still feel her... She was forcing a smile to encourage me. But her eyes were betraying her. I put my arms around her and held her tight. A thousand years wouldn't have been enough. I was only grateful I could still feel her, that I wasn't only steam or dust that could scatter at the first wind's blow. I was grateful I could feel her soft lips touching mine one last time. And I know she felt it, too. Our last kiss... 

"I love you," I whispered in her hair. "I've always loved you and I'll always will. Even beyond death."

 "I know," she said, pressing her cheek in tears to mine. "I've always known... And I've always loved you..." 

"We'll see each other again," I said, smiling. "I promise." 

And I fetched away from her warm embrace. A strong light appeared, surrounding me. It was emerging from my guide. It wasn't a shadow anymore. It was a being of light who was waiting for me with open arms. I felt the warmth, the joy, the love... I wasn't afraid anymore. 

I followed my guide to the unknown, to my new life. I followed it towards the ivory skies that were now open only for me. 

So, what do you think about Daniel and Emma's story? I'm curious to know your thoughts. If you liked this chapter, please vote and comment. Thank you!