Eyes of Ice

Dreadful

"Do you show up in photos?" Ali asked, fiddling with a camera.

"I don't know," Patty said curiously, "Nobody's taken any of me since I died."

Before Ronnie could dive out of the way, Ali snapped a picture of them on the sofa.

"Hey!" he said indignantly.

Patty put an arm around him and squeezed his shoulder. "Don't worry, dude, you're beautiful!"

Ali made a face at the camera. "Huh."

"How do I look?" Patty asked with a grin.

Ali gave him the camera. "Dunno."

Foley leaned over the back of the couch to see. "What the fuck."

Ronnie silently agreed. He looked surprised at having his picture taken, but Patty...in Patty's place was a warped silvery-blue shape, slightly smeared around the edges.

"Creepy," Ben commented, smiling.

"Let's all take some together!" Patty suggested, "Come on!"

They huddled on and around the couch so Patty could take some photos, pulling faces even though the camera wouldn't pick them up.

After about a million, he gave the camera back. "Get these printed out!"

"I will," Ali promised, grinning as he looked through the pictures.

"That's properly spooky," Foley said, cuddling up to Patty, "Not showing up in photos, and all that. Very ghostly."

Patty grinned. "Do you guys wanna see my body?"

Ronnie's stomach twisted weirdly.

"Is it still out there?" Ben asked, "Surely it's just bones by now, if anything."

Oh. His corpse. Ronnie wasn't sure why he was relieved, or why he found himself wondering if Patty had ever taken his dress off in front of the others too. He beat the thought back. It was none of his business. Patty could do what he wanted.

Patty shook his head. "No, it's still all there. Hasn't really changed since I died. I go there when winter ends and I can't make new vessels to walk around in."

"Why can't you make vessels when winter ends?" Ben asked.

"I need snow to do it," Patty explained, "It's weird, but the snow where my body is never melts anymore, so I stay there for most of the year."

"Huh." Ben looked around at the others. "I mean, that definitely sounds worth seeing."

"It's a bit of a drive, you should all take food and water."

Once they had some supplies from Ronnie's fridge packed, they piled into Ben's car, Patty riding shotgun to give him directions.

"Where is it, exactly?" Ronnie asked after a while.

"Near the house I used to live in, up past O'Connor River."

"There's nothing past O'Connor River. Nobody lives out there."

"Not anymore, but my family lived there for generations."

Ronnie was sure he'd know if anyone had ever lived there before, but he let it go. "What happened?"

"They died with me," Patty said, as if it were obvious.

"I'm sorry."

Patty shrugged. "It's okay. They can't leave the house, but I still talk to them a lot. Take this next right."