The Seer by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 26

He left for work around six in the morning. Tom had been unable to sleep, his mind having been plagued with the ghostly image of his mother. But three large cups of black coffee had awakened his senses, setting him in motion for a long day on the job. As usual, Linda stayed behind to take care of the house and look after the children. Kara was on spring vacation and seemed to celebrate it constantly, while Zachary, not yet in school, clearly did not understand the need for such exuberance. Linda let them sleep in a little while she began loading the dishwasher, making room for the preparation of breakfast. Before long, the smell of eggs and bacon drew the children from their sleep, pulling them to the table where they armed themselves with napkins and utensils.

As Linda set their plates in front of them, Zachary excitedly spoke up.

“Hey mom!” he said. “We saw Nana last night!” His innocent words startled Linda to the point of losing her grip on a glass, causing it to tumble through the air, sending shards of glass across the hardwood floor.

“What was that?” she asked.

After what Tom had described the night before, Linda was shocked to hear one of the children bring it up so casually. Putting a finger to her lips, Kara turned to him with a chastising voice.

“Shh,” she interrupted. “You're not supposed to tell.” Frightened by Zachary's claim, Linda fumbled for a broom and dustpan.

“What do you mean you saw Nana?” she asked. “You know she's gone, right? Nana's not coming back, okay?” She began cleaning the glass from the floor as the children ate their breakfast.

“I know,” Zachary replied. “But she's not gone. I saw her sitting next to me.”

Emptying the shards of glass into the waste can, Linda took a chair next to Zachary. She understood the idea of the innocence of childhood imagination, but the similarity between his description and Tom's left her with an obvious expression of concern.

“Zack,” she began. “You were probably having a dream, okay?”

Zachary looked up at her, his eyes giving away the hurt feelings of knowing his mother didn't believe him.

“Mom, I saw her!” he said. “I'm not lying!” Linda leaned toward him and put a gentle hand on the side of his face.

“Oh no, sweetie,” she began. “I think that maybe you were just dreaming, that's all.”

Linda kissed Zack on the forehead, and as she got up from the table, prompted both children to continue with their breakfast.

Returning to the kitchen, she went to the counter and began pouring a mug of coffee as she heard Kara's voice quietly whisper.

“I told you she wouldn't believe you.” Raising children can lead one to become very perceptive, and Linda, being adept at this skill, heard Kara's words loud and clear. Turning around, she leaned the small of her back against the edge of the counter.

“Kara,” she began.

Suddenly realizing that her mother had heard her, Kara jumped with surprise, looking at Linda with wide eyes.

“Did your brother tell you about this?”

Kara's concern was obvious, and she wasn't sure what to say. But knowing how perceptive her mother was, she prompted her an honest response through a slight twinge of guilt.

“Well,” she began.

Fearing her mother might suspect her of lying, Kara's words came hesitantly.

“I thought I heard something. I don't know. Maybe it was nothing.”

Now, Linda was not so much concerned, but overwhelmed with curiosity.

“Well, what do you think you heard?” she asked. Noticing Kara's anxious expression, Linda reassured her that it was okay to talk about it, no matter how fantastic it seemed.

Finally opening up, Kara described hearing the sound of an older woman's voice coming from Zachary's room. She had seen nothing, but revealed that the voice she heard sounded like Eleanor. Linda's curiosity was quickly overtaken by shock and fear. Between what the children had described, and what Tom saw the night before, their stories seemed to match exactly. It was beyond coincidence, and unlikely to be the product of a dream, considering both children seemed to share the experience. Kara spoke up again, asking her mother if she believed in ghosts.

“Ya know,” she began. “I never really thought about it. But I suppose it's possible.”

She leaned in toward Kara and almost playfully inquired about her experience.

“Did you see a ghost last night?”

Kara sighed heavily, having grown impatient with her mother's reaction to something she wanted taken seriously.

“Mom,” she began. “Can't you just listen?” Linda realized how serious she was, and putting a hand on her arm, asked her to start from the beginning.

Kara recounted her experience in as much detail as possible. Her recollection was not a product of imagination, but of the impact it had on her young mind.

“I heard Nana's voice,” she began. “She was talking to Zack. I don't know what she was saying, but she was there.”

Inquiring further, Linda asked her if she had seen anything. Perhaps out of curiosity, she got out of bed to investigate, sneaking around the open door of Zachary's room.

“Well, at first I was afraid,” Kara began. “I mean, Nana's dead, isn't she?”

Linda had no idea that she was still deeply affected by the death of her grandmother, and sliding a hand down Kara's arm, gently held her hand as she listened to every word.

“Yeah, sweetie,” Linda answered. “Yeah, she is.” With her eyes filled with pain and confusion, Kara looked up at her mother and asked one last question that left Linda gravely concerned.

“Then...why is she here? I thought she was supposed to be in heaven.”

Kara was desperate for an answer, and the expression on her face brought a tear of sympathy to Linda eyes.

She gave the only answer she could think of.

“Sweetie,” she began. “Not everything can be explained. Maybe Nana's still here. I don't know. I haven't seen anything, but that doesn't mean it's not real to you. You can believe whatever you want, and if your brother saw her, then that's okay too. So, you got out of bed, then what?”

During their conversation, Zachary's concentration focused itself on breakfast as he ate without regard to manners or mess, while Kara had become somewhat relaxed, knowing that her mother was now genuinely concerned.

“Well,” she began. “I went over to Zack's room and peeked around the door, and I saw Nana. She was sitting on the edge of his bed, just watching him. I think she knew I was there, 'cause she turned around and waved to me.” Linda was stunned, realizing that Kara's description was nearly identical to what Tom had told her. In truth, she didn't know what to make of any of it, and firmly that neither could concoct such similar stories. But for now, she would entertain the idea that it was possible her family had seen something strange. However, Linda was bothered that she was the only one who had not seen this odd apparition. On the other hand, this would soon change, and Linda would not handle it nearly as well as her children.