The Ghost of Sander Jones

Chapter 3: The Maze

"Wake up, Elizabeth. Geez." A voice, a very familiar one, was in my ear. I rolled over hoping it would go away. "Elizabeth, seriously get up. It's very important." Sander? I opened my eyes to peek though and rolled back over so I could see.. I didn't see anything. I opened my eyes fully. It was still dark. I sat up and then I saw it. It was a translucent ball of energy shaped like a man. Not any man though: the man that looked exactly like the way I imagined Sander to be. I closed my eyes shut, balling up my eyelids.

"I'm imagining this, I'm imagining this, and I'm imagining him." I chanted to myself over again. "When I open my eyes he'll be gone." I opened them and sure enough, he was gone - or so I thought. I sighed happy and rolled over again to the right side of the bed and he was lying beside me. I felt adrenaline wash through me and I turned my head so that I could scream into my pillow, trying to muffle it so I didn't wake anyone up.

"I knew she was going to react like this. I just knew it." I heard him say quietly to himself. I just looked back at him not sure I was able to speak yet. I must be crazy. I thought to myself. No, it's not possible for things to come out of your imagination. Not possible at all. Yes, being crazy is the only logical explanation for creations in your imagination that can somehow pop out. Especially not an old guy who seemed to be from the seventeen hundreds. "But there is where you are wrong, Elizabeth. You're not crazy and I'm not in or ever was a part of your imagination." He frowned and added as an afterthought. "And I'm not that old."

I sat up in my bed, mystified. Did he, this thing, just read my mind? "Yes I did read your mind and further more I'm not a thing but a man. A nineteen year old man at that" - He put his hand on his chest as he said this - "and I have a connection with you through your thoughts, and vise-versa. " I opened my mouth to say something but he held up his hand. "And to answer your question, yes I'm Sander, the one person you actually can trust with your thoughts. The one and only, Sander Jones." I got out of bed and backed away from him, backing up to the wall with the windows. "Well I want you to go back, go away or something. Back to where you been all these years. Back in my imagination...back to where you belong!" I was becoming hysterical.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. I can't go back; not at all." He got up from the bed and floated to where I was standing only and arm's length apart. He sat his feet on the ground. "What?! You can't go back? Why not?" I tried to keep my voice controlled but it was very difficult. I was yelling in whispers.

"If I explain everything then it will be sunrise and it will have been too late. You need to go to the maze... now actually." He took a timid step toward me this time, not floating. I backed away from his advances. "It's a trap that I'm about to fall into in my dream. I'm still dream." I closed my eyes and covered them with my hands. "You're not dreaming Elizabeth. But we need to get to the maze before sun up." I glared at him suspiciously. "What happens at sun up? And if this is so important to you then why don't you do it yourself?"

"If I tell you will you go?" He sounded like he was getting frustrated.

"Maybe." I said still not opening my eyes.

He sighed. "It's important, and..." He paused to remember something. "...and if I could I would, but if you haven't noticed I'm a ball of energy! I can't do much except float at the moment." I opened my eyes just in time to see him turn his back on me, and run his hand though his hair. "I knew you were stubborn but I didn't know you were this stubborn." He muttered to himself. I rubbed my arm feeling guilty.

"If I go will you leave me alone?" I asked him quietly. Sander turned around. "Fine. Follow me." He floated to the door and stopped, waiting. I walked quickly to the door eager for him to leave me by myself. I still didn't trust him but I wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible. I felt I didn't have a choice. He made it seem like he would have found a way to drag me to the maze anyways. Better to go on my own will than against it. I opened the door and he continued to float down the hall.