Page 43 of Someone Save My Midlife Tonight
I laughed. So did my sister.
“Will do,” I promised. I turned my attention to the ghost on the couch. Walking over, I sat down next to him. “This is how it works. I’ll hug you and then we’ll be able to chat.”
“Ohhhhhhhah fuuuuuunah!” he replied, holding his arms out.
“Here we go,” I whispered as I gathered the man in my arms.
The ride had begun. I hoped by the end of it we would know which ride to get on next.
The cold.The cold went all the way to my bones and tore through my body like sharp, frozen daggers made of ice. Trying to catch my breath, I gasped for air. I knew it would end soon, but the need to get air into my lungs was real and my body was acting of its own accord.
The only sound that left my lips came from so far away I could barely hear it.
My head pounded violently, and every single cell in my body screamed for oxygen. My mind went numb, and I couldn’t feel my limbs anymore. I vaguely wondered if they had fallen off. I wondered that each and every time I took a dive. So far, I’d stayed intact. However, there was a first time for everything…
We landed with an ungraceful thud. That was new and unwelcome.Slowly, I got to my feet and helped a whole and very adorable Jimmy George Carrots to his. The seer looked to be in his late seventies or early eighties. He wore the same flowing robe he’d been wearing only minutes ago on the earthly plane, but now it was pristine white instead of a dull, lifeless gray. It was tied at the waist with flowers. The purple and red blossoms were no longer rotting and dried out, but then again, neither was he. His head was still bald, and the crown of leaves he wore was a deep green and very much alive.
What I hadn’t been able to see when he was dead was his enchanting smile. Even though we’d landed in a tangled heap, Jimmy George Carrots was happy to see me. I stayed silent while my friend took in the surroundings.
There was no floor or walls to speak of. The area was entirely a murky gray. We stood facing each other as if we were suspended in the air. Jimmy George Carrots took a tentative step forward then gasped with surprise and delight that what looked invisible was indeed solid.
“Where are we, Daisy?” he asked, taking my hands in his. “Is this what the interior of my mind looks like?”
I smiled. No one had asked that question before. But I’d never traveled with a seer until now. “We’re in the Darkness,” I explained. “The only rule is that we can’t walk into the Light or the Dark. We stay here. I kind of think of it as a waiting room of sorts.”
He chuckled and cupped my cheek in his hand. “We should probably get to it, dear. Tell me how it works.”
I shrugged. This felt like new territory. “Normally, I close my eyes and I can see the past of the person I’m with. I see a TV screen with lots of static that goes in and out. I watch the stories of the person, and then I learn what needs to be done to help them move on. But I’m not searching for your past.”
He nodded. “You’re looking for your future.”He paused and stared intently. “For a long time, I’ve wondered why I stayed caught on the earthly plane. Now, I know.”
“I can help you move into the Light,” I told him. “When we go back, it would be my honor, Jimmy George Carrots.”
Jimmy George Carrots smiled. “That would be lovely, and… sadly, my real name is Ted.”
“Wait. What?” I asked with a laugh. “You told me your name was Jimmy George Carrots.”
The robed and underpants-free man giggled. He had a naughty twinkle in his eyes, and I couldn’t help but grin.
“Were you playing us, Ted?” I inquired with a raised brow and an amused quirk I couldn’t hide on my lips.
“Indeed, I was,” he shared, quite pleased with his silly deception. “Ted is such a dull name, and I figured in death I could be who I wanted to be. I think Jimmy George Carrots fits me much better.”
“I do too. Jimmy George Carrots it is.”
“Ask me questions, child,” he encouraged. “I have seen many visions regarding the future for you, your family and friends, but know this, just because I see it doesn’t mean it’s locked in stone. It could be a representation of what’s to come, but not the exact scenario.”
“Is that how it always works with a seer?” I asked, truly curious.
“No, every seer is different. Every gift is unique to the person who possesses it. I will apologize in advance if my answers to what you search for sound cryptic. It’s the way my gift works. If you don’t receive the answer you desire, ask me in another way.”
I nodded. Cryptic was something I was getting used to. The Immortals were cryptic—very cryptic. I didn’t love it, but I was learning to deal with it. I’d hoped for an accurate play-by-play of what was to come from Jimmy George Carrots, but I’d settle for whatever I could get.
“The number three,” I said. “Why do you keep bringing it up?”
“Three are the checks and balances that would make all in this world right,” he replied.
That was definitely cryptic.
