"What are you doing babe," Jim's disembodied voice asked her.
"I want to talk to you."
"You are," his voice said, almost laughing at her.
"Yes, but I want to hear you with my ears, not just in my head. I want to see your face again."
"Okay. Well, yo...
I woke up in my own bed and turned to find John lying next to me, staring at me in the pale blue light of the dawn; my heart thumped in my chest.
He reached out his hand and pulled the hair from my eyes. "Good morning, Hannah," he whispered.
"How long have you been watching me?"
He rolled over onto his back and grinned. "All night."
"Don't you sleep?"
"No. I do not require rest."
"Oh. No down time at all?" I sat up and let my hair fall back into my eyes, effectively hiding my face, as well as the troubled look that was no doubt on it.
"No. I started coffee," he mused. I could tell he was smiling.
"Oh, thank you."
"I had help."
"Help? From...?"
"John."
I felt my self smile. "Oh," I whispered.
"I know how to do it now. Thankfully, he is very patient with me."
"Hmm." I slid off the mattress and felt my feet touch the rug at my bedside. Slipping my feet into my slippers, I shuffled off to the bathroom and turned on the light to find my father waiting for me in the mirror, startling me. "Papa," I whispered, "you scared the bejesus out of me!"
"What is the machine for?"
"It's just that. It's a machine. Just to help around, you know?"
"It may look like John and sound like John...but It is not John, child."
"Nope, it isn't. Mind if I go?"
"I assume that's why you came in here?"
I nodded. "Yup."
"If you are lonely..."
"I am, Papa..."
"A machine cannot take your husband's place," he said, his ghostly, etheric voice feathering into my ears.
"That's not why it's here, Papa."
"Why is it with you then?"
"I told you already. To help."
"Mmmm..."
"I cannot tell you what you think you want to know, Papa."
"You can tell me anything, child!"
I felt the room temperature drop as I quickly finished my business, bracing myself, hearing the telephones and bells and whistles in my head. I was instantly filled with dread...this behavior was so unlike Papa...When I looked toward the mirror again, I saw him...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"What are you doing, Gabrielle," Purson asked.
I did not hear his words in my ears, but rather in my head. "Getting ready for the day. How are you," I asked aloud.
