Whisper in the Rain

Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

GRACE

I awoke with a gasp, clutching the blankets to my chest as I searched the darkness for whatever had pulled me from sleep. A third presence in the room had me alert and on edge, bracing myself for another attack.

"C'mon, where are you?" I whispered. "Just get it over with."

I squinted out into the darkness, hands trembling, heartbeat hammering away in my ears. When a figure emerged from the shadows, I jumped and slapped a hand over my mouth to keep from screaming.

"You're awake."

I dropped my hand. A normal person would have fled or fainted, but I was far from normal. My legs swung over the side of the bed as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and greeted my visitor.

"What are you doing here, sweetie?"

Todd skipped across the room and situated himself at my feet. He sat cross-legged and bounced his knees in excitement.

"Looking for you!"

"For me?" I asked. "Why?"

"They said I needed to find you."

A tingling sense of dread crept its way up my spine. That sounded ominous.

"Who? Who told you to find me?"

He shook his head, like it was obvious.

"The others. The ones like me."

Like me...

"Other spirits?"

Todds smile vanished, dulling his already dark aura. His chin fell forward until it rested against his chest.

"They say I'm dead. That's why no one will play with me. Is that true?"

I leaned back, heartbroken by his words. He was too young. Too happy. I didn't know how he died, just that he didn't deserve to be plucked from the earth at such a young age.

"Yes," I whispered, "That's true. I'm sorry, Todd."

"That's okay," he replied, still refusing to look at me. "My mom used to say that bad things happen to good people. That's what happened to me, right? Something bad?"

Something in me yearned to sugarcoat it for him, but I knew the sooner Todd dealt with his death, the sooner he would be at peace. I scooted off the bed and lowered myself to the ground. I wanted to reach for him, but wasn't entirely sure how that would go.

"That's exactly right," I said. "Sometimes bad things happen no matter what you do. The world is full of bad things."

Todd finally looked up and met my eyes.

"But its got good things too, right?"

I smiled brightly, hoping to radiate the kind of sincerity he so desperately needed. "Yeah. It does. Lots of good things."

"And there's more good than bad, right?"

I didn't necessarily believe that, but I wasn't about to tell him that.

"I'd like to think so."

That seemed to calm his innocent little brain. He pulled his shoulders back and smiled, looking out the window as he thought quietly. After a moment, he turned back to me with a grin.

"Will you play with me?"

The excitement in his voice was almost my undoing. There was really only one answer I could give.