Love In The Wrong Dimension (Romantic Ghost Story) (25 page)

“
I was worried about you.” He sat down beside her and drew her close.

“
I’m fine. How did you know where I was?”

“
It wasn’t too hard to work out where you’d gone. You know, with all this stuff about my mother.....” he trailed off.

“
I’ve been telling my mum all about you. I wish she could have met you, she would have liked you.” They sat in silence for a while, each of them giving the other quiet reassurance.

“
Tom?” Jemma, eventually broke the silence. “What do you think will happen to you when you leave?”

“
I don’t know,” he sighed. “I suppose, if it works, I’ll become a free spirit, my energy will become part of the universe.”

“
I’ll miss you so much.”

“
I’m going to miss you too. When you’ve gone back yourself, you won’t miss me, because you won’t remember me. I’ll be able to watch you though, keep an eye on you.”

‘
But I won’t be going back’ she nearly said. Instead, she said quietly, “I hate the fact that I’ll have forgotten all about you, that I won’t ever know you’re there.”

“
I know,” his voice was heavy with emotion, “but I promise you, Jemma, I’ll never forget you and I’ll always be there with you. I’ll never leave you.”

“
When are you going to do it?”

“
Well, providing I don’t have any problems finding a wormhole, it could be any time. I do know though, that it’s no use trying to create a wormhole, it’s far too difficult and dangerous, we’ll need to find an existing one.”

“
Oh!”

“
But I’ll need some help. I’ve no idea what to do with it even if I do find one. I was going to ask Max, but after today I’m not so sure.”

“
No!” said Jemma, sharply, “Not Max, no way. I know you don’t think Max is dangerous, but I do, and I’m afraid of what he might do if he knows you’re going to leave. I’ll talk to Claire, she may be able to help, although the fact that she’s become friends with the miserable old sod does complicate things a bit.”

“
Why?”

“
Because she might feel obliged to tell him that you’re leaving. We must tell her it’s just for me. Promise me that you won’t tell her it’s for you. Please, she must think I’m the only one leaving, it’s the only way we can be sure that Max won’t find out.”

“
Okay,” he shrugged, “but one thing’s for sure, I’m not doing anything until after Christmas.”

“
Why? At least Susie would be able to spend Christmas with her family again.”

“
No way, Jemma,” said Tom, fiercely. “There’s no way I’m leaving before Christmas. Both you and Susie will be going back in time to your lives and will have all your Christmases before you. One more Christmas here won’t hurt Susie, so let’s enjoy the time we’ve got left together. You and me are going to have the best Christmas ever. We won’t be sad, we won’t talk about what’s to come, we’re going to spend Christmas Day together, somewhere really special, just you and me.”

“
That s
ounds wonderful, but what about Susie? We can’t leave her on her own on Christmas Day.”

“
Susie always goes to be with her parents on Christmas Day. She prefers it that way. I’m the one who’s normally alone. Let’s enjoy the day and then I can start looking on Boxing Day.”

“
So when are you going to tell Susie that you’ve decided to go?”

Tom shrugged, “I don’t think we should say anything until the last minute. You know what she’s like, she’ll blab to Max.”

“
Yes, I agree. How long does it take? To find a wormhole and use it?” asked Jemma, hoping he would say it would take days, maybe even weeks, before he would be ready to leave.

“
Once we locate it, I’ll have to use it immediately, otherwise it’ll collapse and we’ll have to start searching again. If we find one straight away and it works, I could be gone on Boxing Day.”

Jemma’s heart sank, Boxing Day was only four days away. With a renewed sense of dread, she knew that it was only a matter of time, very little time, before Tom and Susie were gone, and she would be left on her own with Max’s wrath. She knew she could leave as well, but she couldn’t face going back to her previous empty life, where she would have no memories of Tom. How things change, she thought ironically. A couple of months ago she would have done anything to get back.

“
So, when’s your mum going to scatter your ashes?” asked Jemma.

“
Tomorrow. She rang Luke when she got back from Jack’s and he’s driving down tonight. It’ll just be the two of them. Will you come?”

“
Of course I will. And Susie. We’ll both be there for you.”

There was a mist moving slowly across the dark and silent graveyard, making it look like an image from a horror film. Jemma imagined a vampire rising out of one of the gravestones, searching hungrily for his next victim, and she shuddered slightly. She had always been a bit scared of the idea of vampires, although she had always insisted that she didn’t believe in all that rubbish. The only movement though, was the odd ghost wandering aimlessly across the graves, each with their own tragic reason for being there. A living person might have caught a glimpse of them, their energy barely visible as a faint transparent light in the form of a blurry figure. She felt that if she had walked through this graveyard on her own, in the dead of night while she had been alive, she would have been terrified, but she felt oddly at ease, somehow comforted by the fact that she was a part of this special supernatural scene.

They stayed by the grave for the rest of the night, occasionally talking, but mostly enjoying each other’s company in the privacy of the quiet graveyard.

Eventually, Tom asked if she wanted to go home.

“
Yes,” she replied. “You’ve got a big day ahead, one that you’ve waited over twenty years for, and I’m going to make sure you enjoy it.”

There was an air of anticipation, almost excitement, the following morning as a small crowd gathered around Adam Cresswell’s grave. To a living person, it would have looked rather sad, just two people shivering in the freezing cold, but in Jemma’s world there was quite a decent crowd in attendance. Apart from Tom and herself, Susie and Claire had come along, as well as a couple of other ghosts that Tom had become friends with along the years. Max was absent of course, but that was just as well.

“
I can’t believe that Luke came,” said Tom, sounding touched. “He’s always so busy.” Tom had told her that he and his brother had been close when they were growing up, but as they’d left home to go to university, and then gone on to build their respective careers, they had drifted apart and only saw each other on special occasions, like Christmas. He said there had been a quiet rivalry between them, borne out of the need to seek their parents’ approval, but it had never stopped them getting along when they did see each other.

“
Hey, Tom?” said Susie, “Do you think your dad is here? Not in the grave there. I mean here, watching with us now?”

“
I really don’t know,” said Tom. “It would be nice to think that he is.”

“
Well, if he’s a free spirit then it’s very likely that he is here, watching and possibly even listening to us now,” said Claire, thoughtfully.

“
Wow,” cried Susie,” a whole family reunited across different dimensions. How cool is that?”

Tom laughed, “Thanks for coming, Susie. I know you don’t like graveyards.”

“
Yeah well, you’ve waited a long time for this.”

“
Well, I’m glad you’re here,” he said, giving her a hug.

They watched as Grace slowly unscrewed the lid of the urn and cleared her throat, ready to speak.

“
Tom, I know you’re here. I can feel you,” she said, with a shiver. “This is for you, my dear, I know this was what you wanted and I’m sorry, so very sorry, that it’s taken me so long to honour your wish. I also want to say how sorry I am for the way I treated you. It was unforgivable and it grieves me greatly that you died believing that I didn’t love you. But Tom, I do love you. I’ve always loved you, and I want you to know that I do believe you about what happened. I should never have doubted you, and I’ll never forgive myself for that, all I can do now is hope and pray that moving you here will go some way towards making things right...” her voice broke into a sob at that point, and Luke put a comforting arm around her.

She tipped the urn and slowly emptied the contents over her dead husband’s grave, and then she and Luke bent their heads to say a quiet prayer.

“
Do you think he’s here, Luke?” she asked.

“
I know he is,” Luke replied, gently. “Come on, Mother, let’s get you home before you catch your death. It’s freezing.”

“
Goodbye, Mother,” said Tom, as he watched Grace and Luke walk away, with Grace still clutching the, now empty, urn. “Thank you.”

Jemma reached out and took Tom’s hand. “There’s nothing stopping you from leaving now,” she said.

“
Except you,” he replied, softly.

*****

Alice sat alone in the kitchen, sipping tea and listening to the radio. Jack had left early to attend a press conference for some major band who were splitting up, and she was due to be at Glitz at eleven o’clock to help set up for lunch. She felt bad now about being so snappy with Jack on Saturday night, and for not telling him what Dean had said about the boy possibly being an angel. She had been about to tell him yesterday, but then that poor old lady had turned up asking for her son’s ashes. She should have trusted Jack, she thought, of all people he would be the last person not to believe her. He had seemed a bit cool towards her yesterday though, but she couldn’t really blame him. Tonight, she decided, she would tell him and ask him what he thought. Maybe they could look up information about angels on the internet together. Casper, who was sitting contentedly on her lap, gently nudged her arm with his nose, and she snapped out of her thoughts and glanced up at the clock.

“
Shit!” she cried. It was half past ten and she had to be at work in half an hour, and she wasn’t even dressed yet. With lightening speed she flew up the stairs, grabbed some clothes, and got dressed and ready in record time. Amazingly, she was only two minutes late as she rushed through the doors of Glitz.

“
Good morning, Petal,” called Oscar. “Come and have a coffee before you start.”

Alice made her way over to the little private alcove where the staff had their coffee breaks, and found Oscar chatting with a man she didn’t recognise. He was good looking, in a very classical way, and was wearing an expensive looking designer suit. He looked a bit like a 1950’s film star, she thought.

“
Sweetie, this is Darren.”

Darren smiled and gave her a little wave. “So you’re the Dancing Queen of Glitz!” he grinned.

“
Oh god, Oscar, have you told the whole of London?”

“
No, Sweetie, just the whole of Camden!”

“
Hmm! Anyone want another coffee?”

“
Ooh yes please, Petal. Darren will have one too. Oh, and would you stick the Abba, Voulez Vous CD on for me please?”

“
Yes of course. I do a mean rendition of Kisses of Fire!” she laughed, as she made her way to the espresso machine.

Alice found the right CD, popped it in the player and skilfully started frothing milk for the lattes, when Dean popped his head through the kitchen door. “Psst,” he whispered, “in here, quick.”

Alice glanced over her shoulder towards the alcove and saw that Oscar and Darren were busy chatting away, so she left the milk on the side and slid silently into the kitchen, where Dean was waiting.

“
Thanks again for Saturday night,” he smiled, giving her a friendly peck on the cheek.

“
That’s OK. I really enjoyed it too. So, is that the same Darren that you were telling me about?” she whispered, nodding her head in the direction of the restaurant.

“
Yes, that’s him. Just so you know, I pretended to be on the phone when he arrived, and I knew that he would overhear what I was saying.” Dean lowered his voice, even though the crystal clear voices of Frida and Agnetha were blaring from the restaurant. “I told this bogus caller that I had just found out that in the late 1800’s a rich man called James Salisbury owned this building. He ran a tobacco business from here and was very powerful and revered. One night, when he was working late, someone broke in and murdered him. Shot him right through the heart with a rifle and stole his money, watch and other valuables. I then said that it has been rumoured over the years that this James Salisbury has been haunting the building ever since, and has cursed every business that’s ever operated from here.” Dean grinned. “What do you think?”

“
Very good. But why would he curse this place?”

“
Who cares. Darren won’t think of that. I was watching him while I was talking, and he was definitely listening. So now I need you to ask Oscar to bring up the subject of ghosts while you’re drinking your coffee, and then we’ll see if he takes the bait. Is that okay?”

“
No problem” giggled Alice, and slipped quietly back into the restaurant.

“
What happened to you?” called Oscar, as she approached the coffee machine.

“
Oh, nothing. I was just looking for some more milk.”

“
It’s in the fridge under the counter where it always is, silly.”

“
Oh yes, so it is.” Alice hurriedly made three lattes, took them over to the alcove and joined Oscar and Darren. “So Darren, you’re a friend of Oscar’s?” What a stupid question, she thought to herself.