Beyond the Veil

Chapter 3

I don’t know how long I stood staring at my body. It seemed like ages until I heard footsteps on the ladder up to my haven.

“Lacy? Why in the world would you open this door and then not come down.” I saw his head peek up in the entrance, I saw him look at me, “Lacy? Where are you?”

A jolt of surprise went through me, couldn’t he see me? A bubble of hysterical laughter burst out, for my entire marriage he had never seen me and now I was truly invisible to his eyes. It was ironic in a sad way.

“Lacy?” He came the rest of the way up the stairs, his face a mask of concern and confusion at first, but when I didn’t answer his true face fell into place.

“Lacy!” He bellowed, “I swear woman, come out now or I’m going to beat you black and blue!”

It was always like this, at least it had been like this, he showed concern until he didn’t get what he wanted. That was when it got bloody, very quickly.

I stared mutely forward as he shoved trunks and boxes out of the way scattering them all over the place. The thought that he would have to clean up after himself now, wandered through my mind lazily and I smiled, that would be a sight.

Finally he found my body.

At first he just stared unmoving, and then he lashed out, kicking and screaming at me to wake up, to get up. When I didn’t move the blows worsened until the stopped.

He was covered with sweat as he kneeled beside my body, and pulled me into his arms. I watched as his shoulders began to shake, curious I stepped around to see why.

Tears streamed down his cheeks as he ran his fingers through my hair, hesitating on the spots where blood had dried and turned my hair into sticky clumps.

Why is he crying? He did this to me…

But regardless of my confusion he continued to rock back and forth, my corpse firmly cradled in his arms.

“I’m so sorry Lacy, so very sorry. I’ll make it up to you, I will, just wake up. Wake Up!”  Again when I didn’t answer his commands his face twisted, “Wake up!” He screamed at my prone body.

Tossing me aside he stomped over to the opening to the attic, pausing before he stepped on to the stairs, “Be that way Lacy. It’s not my fault you don’t get what you want, you shouldn’t throw fits like a child.”

I blinked at his words for a moment, what I wanted? When did he ever try to even find out what I wanted or liked? A strange feeling tossed and turned in my stomach as he stood there calling me a child, telling me to stop throwing a tantrum and come down stairs.

I was angry…

For the first time since I was young I was angry, no. I was livid! How dare he say such things when he did this to me! From where I stood I could see the light bulb in the hall dim as a tingling sensation raced up my arms.

I looked down at my hands, they appeared corporeal to me, could I?

“…just grow up and stop thinking about yourself!”

A dark cloud of hate fell over my eyes as I pushed him with all I had. I don’t even remember moving up behind him or even touching him. But I remember my arms being out stretched, and the sight of his body laying at the base of the ladder his neck lying at an impossible angle.

The thing I remember most is his eyes; he stared at me with empty eyes, devoid of anything. I felt a brush of wind rush passed me as his spirit left his body. I don’t know how I know what it was but what else could it have been? What else can a ghost feel?

A cold lump settled in my belly. I had just killed someone. Was it alright that it had been my killer and that I was already dead? Or wasn’t it?

I drifted down the ladder; I no longer had to use my legs unless I wanted to and sat down next to his body. I sat there running my fingers through his hair, my fingers not leaving even the slightest indentation in the follicles even though I could feel their texture.

It was nearly three days later when the police arrived and found his body lying there, four days until they bothered to find mine.