ONE

 Overlooking the lake in a cabin, made of beautiful walnut stained oak, sits Layla Kurst - with a mug of coffee cupped in her hands to warm her up. It is the middle of summer, but the weather has changed recently. Rain seems to come at any time and the skies are mostly grey.

 

Maybe the weather just feels like I do

 

The thought has occurred to Layla before. The weather always reflects her mood. When she feels sad the clouds are grey and the rain pours and when she is happy the sky is clear and as blue as the aura of her peace.

 

The lake shimmers with a blue light that almost seems to be shining towards the grey skies in an effort to make the day look just a little brighter. Layla smiles, but,  its a smile that doesn't resonate within her heart. It is as empty as the hollow wood burning by the fireplace.

 

The cup is beginning to feel cold, bringing Layla back to earth. It's been occurring so much lately, daydreaming of nothing specific but looking at nature and wondering to herself, if she is the reason for it all.

 

Life was never this uncertain for Layla. A month ago she would have laughed at anybody who dared call her unfocused - her grades were a true reflection of how disciplined and focused she could is. 

...Since her mother had passed nothing had been the same.

  

Shaking her head, she rid herself of the thoughts that would lead her to being a walking zombie and gets up to tend to the fire. She piles on three more logs of wood into the fire and while walking back she grabs the blanket from the grey one-seater couch to throw over her body, for her one hour nap she had planned to sink into.

Drip

Drip

Drip

The noise of the water dripping from her gutter, onto her couch outside, wakes her up after twenty minutes of neck-kinking slumber.

The rain has stopped. 

"ugh, Why did it stop so quickly?" she thought out loud 

"Because I wanted you to stop feeling sad." a soft melodic voice answered back.

Layla gasped and spun around as quickly as possible, without falling on her face but the room was still as empty as it had been when she had fallen asleep. She laughs this off, it has to be a figment of her imagination or else why would she be hearing voices, that's absurd. Especially this voice, a voice she knows all too well.

"You wont be able to see me my love, I am not of this world, which makes me intangible to you" the voice says

"wha...what?...who are you?" Layla asks in an attempt to ease her mind.

"You know who I am, don't you?"

"No, I'm sorry you must be mistaken. I would like an answer to my question or I will scream!"

A failing at an attempt to be brave, she knew that if it was an intruder she had no escape plan and the neighbors live way too far away for her scream to be heard.

"Ugh, Layla why do you have to always be so stubborn? It's your mother, child!"

with an ash stricken face Layla says " It can't be. Dead people don't come back from the dead."

"of course not, but we can haunt you if we have unfinished business, isn't that what people always say?"