A Spirit's Touch

Thirty. Moving On In 1967

Two whole weeks had passed before Lyle was allowed into his friend's home to see the wreckage left in the wake of the assault and police investigation.

Lyle slid under the police tape and across the threshold into the hallway. He shuddered as he closed the door behind himself. A tear came to his eye when he peered into the front room and saw the shattered book case.

"You did love your books," he whispered to himself. He stepped into the front room and glanced around at all the damaged furniture and the smashed clock now lying on the floor.

"Your OCD will not like this," Lyle shook his head as he spoke to the room. He bent down to pick up a picture frame from the floor but stopped when he saw a dark stain on the nylon carpet.

"Is this where you- it happened?" Lyle stood up with the frame and placed it on the mantelpiece.

Lyle studied the image of Julie wearing a summer dress, smiling at the camera. Lyle smiled faintly, remembering the day in Hyde Park during their trip to London when he took the photograph.

He rolled his hands into fists, "I miss you so much... Don will pay for this! Somehow."

Lyle thought he heard a sound coming from the kitchen and immediately moved to investigate.

Nothing significant caught his attention and he wondered if it may have come from outside. His gaze was drawn to a knock on the counter near the back door. He hesitated before walking over for a closer look.

There was nothing there, Lyle opened the door to look into the back garden but saw nothing out of the ordinary. He shrugged his shoulders and returned inside.

Lyle took one last look around the front room before deciding to go upstairs and look around Julie's bedroom. He found what he was really after straightaway.

A pink puppy soft toy with a cream soft belly was lying on her pillow as if it had been neatly put there recently.

"This will do perfectly," Lyle smiled. He sat on the edge of the bed and rolled the soft pup around in his hands.

"I wish I could speak to you one last time; we never got to say goodbye. I don't know how to get justice for you but dammit I am going to try. Don will pay for what he did. They still haven't caught the man that did this to you; the police are not doing their job! I will find him!"

A loud thud from outside the room distracted Lyle and he immediately stopped talking. He left the room with the soft toy and went to investigate the noise.

"Is someone there?" He called down the stairs. "I'm not afraid anymore," he whispered to himself.

Lyle descended the steps more cautiously than he would have liked and was somewhat relieved to find no one waiting for him in the front room.

He scanned the front room and the kitchen several times before confirming he was satisfied with the emptiness.

"It should be full of life; full of Julie's energy, not empty like this," Lyle said softly. He stared down at the soft pup once more, "The least I can do is give you a proper send off. Goodbye, Julie Sumner. I know you loved this teddy, I'll be sure they bury it with you so you can take it to whatever life awaits you next."

After one last look around the room through the doorway, Lyle opened the front door and left.

Despite intending to return to help Julie's family organise her things, Lyle never stepped foot inside that house again.

***

The front door clicked open and Julie was immediately aware of someone entering her home. Julie glided down the stairs and beamed at the sight of Lyle.

She flew forward and tried to grab Lyle in a full embrace as he closed the door but she fell through him and he only shuddered in response.

"You did love your books," she heard him say. It did not occur to Julie that his voice was clearer and only slightly muffled compared to the previous voices of the forensic men from before.

"Yes, Lyle, I do love books. Please notice me." Julie had become very lonely in the two weeks since her passing. The police had taped her front door and then stopped visiting. Her parents were yet to come and view the house. Julie understood it would most likely be too unbearable for them.

Lyle bent down in the centre of the room looking at the carpet and Julie stood beside him. "Is this where you- it happened?" He asked the room.

"I wish I could tell you everything, Lyle," Julie said dismissively. "I miss you so much." If spirits could cry she would have then.

Julie left his side and floated into the kitchen. Even dead she still had feelings and standing over the place of her demise with her grieving best friend was too much to comprehend.

She whacked her hand down on the kitchen counter top and was surprised to hear it made an impact and a noise.

Stunned, she quickly faced the door and a few moments later Lyle appeared.

Hope filled Julie's mind; she had just made contact for the first time, Lyle would finally know she was still there, still with him.

She frantically tried to strike the counter again but her fists were no longer making any noise in the physical realm. She was about to give up until her final blow made one soft tap that captured Lyle's attention.

He walked over to the counter but instead of investigating the worktop, Julie was disappointed to see him turn his focus to the adjacent rear door to the garden. After confirming nothing was outside he left the kitchen.

"Oh no," Julie spoke sadly. "He can't see me." She floated into the front room and watched Lyle leave through the other door towards the stairs.

She wanted to follow but she figured what was the point? She could not reach out to him. He could not hear or see her.

Julie sat on the sofa. She could not figure out why physical contact with the sofa was possible and nothing else, but she wondered if her connection with the physical world was growing stronger after successfully banging on the kitchen worktop.

She looked down at the scattered books on the floor. It really was bugging her that she could not tidy them away.

Julie fell to her knees in front of the books and held out her hands. Maybe she could learn to pick them up; maybe she could grow to be stronger and do whatever she wanted again.

She reached for one of the books, but her hand fell straight through the cover as she grabbed nothing.

She tried several times with the same result. Julie shook her head and gave up. She stood up and cursed the books.

Suddenly, her hand felt heavy and she gasped in excited horror as she realised she was holding a large book.

Julie dropped the book in shock and it made a loud thud on the carpet, landing near enough back where she had picked it up.

A few moments later she heard her friend from the stairs. "Is someone there?"

Julie retreated to the far side of the room. She was not sure why she suddenly felt scared. She knew she did not want to frighten her friend.

He checked back and forth between the front room and kitchen before confirming he was satisfied.

Julie stood beside him, she wanted to hold him one last time. She knew it would be some time before she saw him again.

Lyle said his final goodbye while Julie watched silently and left. Julie hoped he would come back one day, she vowed to be strong enough to communicate with him better when he did.

If only through touch...

***

Word count- 34920

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