A Rocky Path (13 page)

Rebecca frowned. “Jarrod? Aren’t his friends
a little old for you? Who was this lady?”

“Her name is Sarah Stone.”

“Sarah Stone? That crazy woman? She believes
in ghosts!”

“So? How do you know that ghosts aren’t
real?”

“Please, Emily. Ghosts are definitely not
real. Neither are goblins, trolls or anything else that might go
bump in the night.”

“But how do you know? Can’t you open your
mind enough to even consider the possibility?”

“I’m sorry, Emily, but I’m an old skeptic.
You would have to show me proof of something like that, and even
then I would probably find some explanation for it. I just can’t
make myself believe that there are things like that in this
world.”

“Well, I’m not closing my mind to any
possibilities.”

“That’s what makes all of us different. Some
of us believe, and some of us don’t. I like to write about fantasy.
But that’s what it is to me…just fantasy. I certainly don’t believe
in the things that I write. But they are fun. Maybe it would be fun
to believe in ghosts and otherworldly things, but I can’t.
Sometimes I wish I did. It would make life a lot more interesting,
I think.”

Emily smiled a little. “Life just may be more
interesting than you think.”

They got back to work then, and the rest of
the day passed quickly. Emily was looking forward to seeing Sarah
Stone and finding out if she had discovered how to contact Patrick.
She also wondered if the older lady had found a way to send Patrick
home. The unselfish part of her hoped that Patrick would be able to
go to his rest. But there was also a part of her that hoped that
they wouldn’t find a way to send him away. It brought tears to her
eyes to know that she could even entertain that thought. If she
really and truly loved him, she should be able to let him go and be
completely happy. She wondered if it came down to a choice, would
she be able to make the right one. She hoped so.

That night, she was ready to go see Sarah.
She was a little apprehensive, not knowing exactly what to expect.
She was about to walk out the door, when Jamie came out of the
library and saw her leaving.

“Hi, Emily. Where are you going?” he
asked.

“Out,” she said.

“I can see that. I was just wondering where
you were going. Do you want me to go with you?”

Emily looked at him in surprise. “Jamie, I
hope you can understand that I don’t quite feel comfortable around
you yet. I’m sorry, I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but I’m not
ready to spend time alone with you yet.”

“I see. I guess I should understand that. I
was just hoping we could put all that behind us.”

“Jamie, what you did was really a serious
thing. I know you were drunk and were not yourself, but you
shouldn’t have been drinking to start with. I have forgiven you,
but it’s going to be a long time before I can just forget it and go
back to being friends the way we were.”

“I suppose your friend that almost killed me
wouldn’t approve, huh?” he said bitterly.

“Jamie, that remark is beneath you.”

“What do you expect? This guy comes out of
nowhere and throws me around. Who is he, anyway, Emily? Where did
he come from?”

“That’s none of your business, Jamie. Now I
have to go.”

Jamie grabbed her arm. “Wait, Emily, I…”

“Let go of me!” she exclaimed. Suddenly she
felt a stirring in the air.

Jamie took his hand from her arm. “Emily…I’m
sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you, I was just going to apologize
and I wanted to stop you from going out of the door. Please, I’m
really sorry.”

The air stilled again. “I’m sorry, too. I
overreacted. I know you weren’t trying to hurt me, Jamie. I’m still
a little jumpy. Give me time. I won’t be like this forever.”

“I understand, and I don’t blame you. Have a
good time, wherever you’re going.”

Emily left then, still wondering about the
little breeze she had felt. Was he still watching out for her?

Chapter Nineteen

Emily arrived at Sarah’s house at about 8:15,
and when she knocked at the door, Sarah opened it and greeted her
warmly. Then she took her into the living room where she had
prepared a pot of tea.

“I’m really beginning to like tea. There’s
nothing like it on a cold fall evening,” said Emily.

“I even made some little teacakes for
us.”

“Thank you. Mmm, these are very good!” she
exclaimed as she bit into the delicate little cake.

“I hoped you would like them. But I know you
didn’t come here to talk about tea and cakes. I know you would like
to know what I found out about how to get Patrick to come to
you.”

“Did you find out anything?”

“There are so many different ideas and
theories about how to summon a ghost. I’m not sure that we should
be “summoning” him. What you want is just for him to come back and
talk to you, isn’t that right?”

“Yes. I don’t like the idea of séances or
anything like that. I wish I could just say, ‘Patrick, come back, I
need you.’

“Well, maybe it really is as simple as that.
If he loves you and he feels like you really need him, he may
appear to you. If you are in distress, he may come to the rescue,
so to speak.”

Emily thought a moment. “There have been two
instances today where I felt a presence. I wasn’t sure if I was
imagining it or not. The first time was when I was down at the
rocks eating lunch with Sam, Rebecca’s nephew. It was like this
gentle breeze on the back of my neck. And then later, I had what
was almost a confrontation with the man that attacked me. Remember
I told you about him coming and saving me? Well, when I was talking
to this man, I was frightened for just an instance and I felt the
air move around me. When I realized that Jamie meant no harm, the
breeze died back down. I felt both times that it may have been
Patrick watching out for me. Do you think that’s possible?”

“Yes, I do. I actually think it’s probable.
From what I read, a ghost that is in love with a human will often
watch over her and keep her safe, even if he doesn’t materialize.
What about when you were eating lunch with Sam? Was there any
reason Patrick might have thought you were in danger?”

“No, not in danger as far as my safety is
concerned. But he may have thought Sam would make a pass at me or
something. Patrick might be jealous, too. Who knows?”

“Emily, dear, maybe this whole thing is going
to be as simple as telling Patrick you need him. Maybe there is
something that will help draw him back to you. Possibly the ring
you wear.”

Emily frowned. “What about the letters or
journals? They were from his time.”

“Oh, no, that wouldn’t be a good idea at all.
Remember, those letters would cause him distress. It wouldn’t be
about your safety, but his sorrow. If his fiancée was unfaithful to
him and writing letters to the person who wrote the journals, then
both those items should be left where they are. Don’t try to use
them to bring Patrick to you.”

“Of course you’re right. I don’t know what I
was thinking.”

“I think you should use the ring. I don’t
know how you should use it. I think you will know what to do when
the time comes.”

“Maybe. Or maybe I won’t even need it at all.
Maybe all I will need is me,” Emily said with a smile.

“You may be right. Also, you need to go to
the place where he roams. Even though he can go a short distance
away from there, he will be most accessible from there, I
think.”

“So I need to go to the rocks. That’s best,
anyway. I sure don’t want anyone at the house to find out what I’m
doing. Sam knows that there is someone named Patrick that I am in
love with, but he definitely doesn’t know he’s a ghost! And Rebecca
doesn’t even believe in ghosts. If any of them find out what I am
doing, they will think I’ve taken leave of my senses! Sometimes I
even wonder if I am living in some kind of dream and that I will
wake up and none of this will be true.”

“I know how you feel. The first time I met a
ghost, I couldn’t believe it. I thought I was losing my mind. It’s
hard to have always believed a certain way, and then suddenly your
world turns upside down.”

Surprised, Emily said, “Tell me about your
ghost, Sarah.”

The older lady sighed. “It was a long time
ago. I was just a little older than you. There was a man that I met
and fell in love with. His name was John. He was the most handsome
man that I had ever seen. We met in the library of the little town
I lived in. The first time I saw him, my stomach tied up in knots
and I felt like I was a teenager with a crush. He was just so
beautiful. There was something different about him, but I couldn’t
put my finger on it. I found myself going to the library every day.
He always sat with me at the table where I was pretending to read.
He would ask about me and what was happening in my life. He wanted
to know everything about me, but he never said a lot about himself.
He always changed the subject if I starting asking questions about
him. Pretty soon, nothing else in my life mattered anymore. Just
those hours at the library spent with the man that I adored.

After several months, I began to wonder why
he didn’t try to get more serious with me. He seemed to care deeply
for me, but never suggested we go anywhere together. I couldn’t
figure out why he wouldn’t ask me out on a date. It finally got to
the point where I couldn’t stand it anymore, so I poured my heart
out to him. I told him how I felt about him and how confused I was
about our relationship. That’s when he told me to meet him at the
library late one night, after the library was closed. I would do
anything for him, so I agreed. When I arrived, he was already
inside and opened the door for me. Then he said he wanted to show
me something. He took my hand and suddenly it was like I was
watching a movie. I saw the library, but it looked different, more
old-fashioned. I saw him there in the library, wearing clothes that
were of an older period of time. He was looking through the stacks,
picking out a book, when someone came up behind him and stabbed him
in the back. I heard him cry out and fall to the floor. I couldn’t
see the face of the person who killed him, but judging by the
sleeve of the shirt he was wearing, it was a man.

I must have fainted then because the next
thing I knew, I was in his arms and he was whispering words of love
in my ear. I knew then that I was in love with a ghost. I ran out
of the library, and it took me about two weeks to come to terms
with what I had seen. I realized, though, that I still loved this
man, so I went back to the library. And there he was, waiting for
me. Oh, how I loved him. But I started doing research about the
period of time during which he was murdered. I finally found out
that there was a man arrested for his murder. It was a case of
mistaken identity. The murderer thought that he was killing the man
who was sleeping with his wife, but he killed John instead. I came
to John and told him what I had found out. What was holding him to
this earth was not knowing who had killed him. He couldn’t rest
until he knew who his murderer was. Because of the knowledge I had
given him, he was able to break his ties to this world. When he
left, I thought my heart would tear itself from my body and follow
him home. Setting John free was the hardest thing I have ever done
in my entire life. But it was probably the most noble, too. I don’t
regret letting him go, but my heart has never quite recovered from
it.”

Tears were streaming down Emily’s face as she
cried for this woman. Now she knew why Sarah was willing to help
her find Patrick. And why she knew that she needed to do the right
thing.

“I had no idea,” Emily whispered. “How did
you stand it?”

“When you really and truly love someone, then
you want what is best for that person, no matter what the cost to
yourself. That’s unconditional love.”

“So you really do know how I feel. You can
understand it without me trying to explain it. You have already
lived through it. But, Sarah, I don’t know if I can be as strong as
you were. I don’t know if I will be able to let him go.”

“When the time comes, you will do the right
thing. It may be the hardest thing you ever do, but I believe you
will do it.”

“Sarah, did you ever get married?”

“No, child, I never did. No other man ever
measured up to my John. I just couldn’t love anyone else. But,
please, don’t let that worry you. That doesn’t mean that you won’t
love again. Everyone is different. Besides, there is a man that I
do have some interest in now, in my old age.”

“And who might that be?” asked Emily.

“I think you can probably guess.”

“Jarrod? Are you and Jarrod in love with each
other?”

“Well, we are fond of each other. We see each
other from time to time and enjoy a spot of tea.”

Emily smiled at her. “See, even in your older
years, there is still hope for love.”

When Emily left, she felt an odd mixture of
sadness and joy. Sadness for the old lady and the heartache that
she had gone through. And joy because she now knew that she was not
alone. Sarah knew how she felt. It seemed like things were easier
to bear if you had someone who shared that burden. She drove home
with a resolve to find Patrick, and then find some way to send him
home to rest.

Chapter Twenty

The next evening didn’t bode well for Emily’s
plans to contact Patrick. The sky looked threatening, and it was a
pretty good bet that there was going to be a huge storm coming. The
brewing tempest put her nerves on edge. But she decided to go ahead
with what had she planned to do. There would be no rest for her
until she did.

Emily put on a warm sweater, her coat, and
her boots. She looked apprehensively out the window, hoping that
she would be able to find Patrick before the storm broke. Finally,
she went down the stairs and out into the chilly wind, working her
way down to the rocks. Her hair kept blowing into her face so that
she could barely see where she was going.