Theme Thursday...........GHOST

Opal Nation12

This time we were going to make the changes. Yes, a visit to the Professor was due. Or so we had thought. Changes came to the house, but not the changes we had planned or wanted. Who or what was to bring the changes was something we were not really sure existed.

I climbed back into my bedroom from my Thinking Spot. I felt a chill come over me. This was strange since it was summertime here. I had to get my quilt and put it over me. I felt a little warmer but not much. Each time I took a breath you could see the condensation. What was going on? This only happened in the winter months. Had I already time traveled and somehow it was now wintertime? I looked out my bedroom window and everything looked the same as when I was sitting in my Thinking Spot. I started to shake, I was not sure if it was from fear or from the chilliness.

Okay, I had to think, so I started pacing back and forth across my bedroom floor. I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I had not noticed what was happening in my room. A thin layer of ice had begun to form on everything. I could see the cold air rising. I freaked out, I had to get out of my room. I ran to the door but the doorknob was frozen shut. I started screaming and banging on the door. Finally Ben burst through the door, he looked around and said, "What the hell is going on?" He grabbed the blanket that was at the foot of my bed and wrapped it around himself.

With my teeth chattering, I looked at him and said that I had no idea what was causing this. This had to be real because Ben could see it too. I explained to him that I had been out sitting in my Thinking Spot and that when I had come back in, that this is how the room had changed. By now we were both so cold we were standing next to each other trying to keep warm.

"Do you think it has anything to do with where Father is?", I asked him.

"I don't know, but how could it possibly be that?"

"Well maybe he is in this room with us and we cannot see him, but he can see us." Ben looked at me like I was this crazy, funky, weird person.

"Why would Father do something like this to us?" he asked. "Okay sis, maybe there is just something really wrong with the air conditioning system for the house. We need to wake up Clara and see if one of the maintenance men can check it."

"No.", I said adamantly. "How would we explain this if it nothing was wrong with the equipment. And besides that, the whole house would have been getting as cold as it is in here." And as we both looked out my open bedroom door we could see that this was the only room that was getting cold like this. Icicles seemed to be building up along the top of the door and the windows.

My quilt, that Mother had made for me, seemed to be the only thing that was staying warm. Ben's blanket was getting cold too. So I wrapped the quilt around him to keep him warm too. We started hearing a noise on the other side of my bedroom. We walked over to the area and then stood there looking in amazement. My mother's rocking chair was slowly rocking, just the way she used to rock when she was using it. It seemed as if I could see her sitting in it, knitting a sweater for Father. I looked at Ben and he was staring at it as if seeing the same thing I was seeing. I grabbed his hand and he squeezed mine. He did not look away.

All of a sudden I could hear Mother singing along with one of the songs that she listened to on the stereo. Was she singing that "Come on, get down, get funky tonight." song that I and Ben liked? Nah, I was just hearing things. But Ben still looked like he could hear her too.

I decided that if this was truly Mother's ghost than it would not harm us. Maybe she was trying to warn us about something. Then it hit me, had the fires gone out for the people of the Opal Nation? Did the Kweelee no longer control the fires and they were now freezing?

I grabbed Ben and pulled him as close to the rocking chair as he would let me drag him. I started to ask Mother those questions about the Opal Nation, she stopped singing and it looked like tears were rolling down her eyes. I stopped, and knew the only question I wanted to ask her was if Father was still alive, and if he was okay. I just could not get the words out. I just wanted to hug Mother and have her hold me. So I let go of the quilt and went to try and hug Mother.

Nothing, nothing but air was there. The room temperature suddenly changed, no more condensation occurred after each breath. The icicles were gone from the door and the windows. I sat on the floor by the rocking chair. Tears rolling down my eyes. Ben dropped the quilt and left my room, never saying a word. Was any of this real, had I been having a dream? It had felt so real and my heart was aching for Mother, just like after she had passed away.

What had it all meant? Would the Professor believe me if I told him what had happened? I crawled back into bed after a while. I really needed to see the Professor. I hoped that it would happen very soon. Then I heard an icicle fall and shatter!

For those who missed part 11, here is the link. Which also links to part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10.