Lockets

I hope you're happy with yourself

If I'd left as spirits were supposed to, I wouldn't get to see my baby boy learn to crawl. Neither would I had the chance to spend one more night with my wife.

I watch as she sleeps, her hand draped over me, head laying on my bare chest. Every time I try to move, her nails dig deeper into my flesh. It doesn't hurt, yet I wish that it would. It made it more real, the feeling to have her clinging to you, holding on for dear life not to let me disappear. I unlock myself from her embrace and lift the sheets to get out. I can't stay forever, in her dream to be exact. A voice in my head keeps repeating the same thing all the time.

You need to leave. Let her go.

I can't. Not yet.

A bright side of being a ghost, I didn't need any sleep. Or food, or bathroom time. I was still in the suit I wore the night I got killed. The shirt was pristine white, a silver striped tie hung around my neck and suit unwrinkled. I looked deem well for a ghost in this Brioni.

It was around dawn and she would wake up soon. Raising sun shares her light over London's streets, tall glass business building mirroring in an instant. Anna starts blinking as soon as light hits her face and she turns more, hand touching the empty space beside her. She quickly shoots up, pulling the sheet to cover her bare chest and looks around in our bedroom. I was gone.

The dream was over.

-*-

"Billy, stop stabbing Missy with a spoon!" Anna looks back from the stove to see our son crawling after our German Sheppard, dragging a baby spoon after him.

Yes, we have a dog. I always wanted one and when Anna got pregnant with Billy, we took Missy from the pound. I insisted we buy a puppy but Anna convinced me to rescue one without a home. She never was very keen on me. The woman had the biggest heart and a soft spot for all animals. Cows, cats, rabbits- you name it. She loved them all. And don't get me started on horses. She loved horseback riding and always dragged me in doing the same.

Tried it once, not making that mistake again.

Though that day in Estonia was one of the best ones in my life. And she will find out soon enough why!

Anna picks up Billy and sets him on her hip. She whispers something to his ear and Billy giggles. I have no idea how a 7-month-old can be so smart. But then again there was Gilly, one of the brightest little girls I have known. And Anna- she is one of smartest persons I know and like luck would have it, I got to marry her.

Billy starts wiping his eyes and Anna hugs him tight. "Time for a nap, the little rascal."

When they start walking toward his nursery, I follow them. Missy pops up her head from her pillow and looks straight at me. It wasn't a lie that dogs could see dead people. He had been following me around constantly for the last months. So she finally started to like me? Or was this just curiosity?

Nevertheless, I couldn't shake her off my tail.

After Anna is done feeding him and putting him in his crib, she bends down to kiss Billy on the forehead. My baby boy has the best mother, so loving and amazing but it hurts me that I can't see him growing up. Of course, I will look over them, be their guardian angel but this wasn't enough.

I have two daughters with Patricia, Gilly I also consider my own but Billy was my first son, ours. A man always dreams of a son. And I got mine, finally.

"Sleep my son, dream of butterflies and dogs. My heart belongs to you, my baby boy. I kiss you before bed, sing a song as you close your eyes. Dream of mommy, dream of daddy, sweet dreams baby boy." Anna sings him a song. She had made it up for him and it didn't even rhyme but it always put Billy to sleep. Anna kisses him on his head once again.

"Sweet dreams, Billy. Daddy is guarding your sleep!" She says and this makes me grin widely.

"Sweet dreams, my son!" I say as Anna walks out from the nursery. I stay for a moment to admire him.

As I step out, Missy is already waiting for me by the door. She looks straight at me, eyes blazing from curiosity. "Missy. Fetch!" I throw an imaginary ball toward the stairs and she doesn't hesitate for a moment to go after it.

When she can't find it, she turns, gives me look and lowers her head while walking away. And that's the reason she wasn't so keen on me- I liked toying with her.

Suddenly I hear voices coming from my study. The door is slightly open and shadows are created by a soft light peeking in from the room.

When I enter, Anna is already sitting by my desk, hand on a drawer's knob. She's breathing heavily, almost panting.

She finally pulls the drawer open and looks into it, closing her eyes she gathers a breath and takes a black paper box from it. She lays it on the table in front of her and looks up at the ceiling.

"I hope you're happy with yourself!"

{*}

Who do you see in the cast of this story? Let me know in the comments below!

Anni