GHOST 👻 (A Paranormal Romance)

These Things Happen

The sky is a crisp, bright blue when we walk outside, but the chill air heralds winter's onset. Once we're out of the cold and sheltering in Dylan's warm car, I retrieve the contact name Madame Regina gave us the night of the seance from my purse.

"I went online and bought an hour session." I hand him the card so he can read the address.

"Siegfried Roy, Ethereal Psychologist," he reads out loud looking perplexed. "Lizzy, that's bizarre."

"What, the fact that he's a psychologist for ghosts?"

"No, the fact he's named after a Las Vegas Tiger Act."

"His surname being the same as the Vegas show could be a coincidence."

He smiles at me. "We'll see, but if he's wearing a white tiger taming outfit then we're leaving, pronto."

Dr. Roy's office is in Cohasset, a beautiful seaside community, with approximately eight thousand residents. The drive there is relaxing and uneventful. When we pull up to his address, I'm impressed by the quaint cottage style offices. The smell of sea air, as well as the quaint shops, make me think of coming back here for a weekend in the summertime.

After we park on the narrow street front, we're buzzed upstairs into a luxurious corner office. It's obvious Dr. Roy is fond of the ocean. His waiting room is decorated in beautiful, relaxing Nantucket blue. When we enter his office, he's standing in front of a large aquarium and feeding some colorful Parrot fish. Stormy seascapes dominate his office walls.

"Lizzy, Dylan. It's so nice to meet you."

Dr. Roy has dark, intelligent eyes and a serious demeanor. He shakes both our hands and then gestures for us to have a seat on an expensive black, leather sofa.

Dylan, surveys the nautical office with interest, then gets  straight to the point. "So Dr. Roy, how do you work with ghosts?"

The ethereal psychologist seems to enjoy the question. I like the fact he doesn't mind my boyfriend's direct manner. "That's a good question, Dylan. I don't actually work with spirits." He turns towards me and smiles, cordially. "I work with psychics."

I smile back, then ask him. "Dr. Roy are you psychic, yourself?"

"Honestly, no. I'm not psychic." Dylan looks disappointed, but continues listening politely.

"How do you work with the paranormal?" I inquire.

Dr. Roy smiles. "To explain that, please permit me to share a little of my background with both of you."

He sits across from us on a matching black, leather chair, gesturing in the direction of the various degrees hanging on his nautically themed walls.

"I have degrees in psychology, physics, and theology." He leans forward as he speaks, picking up a pieces of sea glass from the glass topped coffee table. Unconsciously he moves the stones between his fingers and clasps them as if subconsciously grounding himself.

"I enjoy working in these disciplines, but the most enlightening experience I had was during a sailing trip.  There was an accident capsizing our family sailboat." He takes a deep breath and exhaled loudly before continuing. "My wife was with me, but she couldn't reach me under the hull. By the time she pulled me out of the turtled boat, I'd been technically dead for six minutes."

Dylan and I exchanged glances.

"So you died?"

"Yes, my wife was able to resuscitate me." He looks sad, as he speaks. "Not long after the accident, she left our marriage. She said I'd changed." 

"That's cold," Dylan shakes his head.

"How did she think you'd changed?" I ask.

"After I came back, money didn't have the same hold over me. I wanted to take time off from work and explore what I'd experienced. My wife just wanted me to keep accumulating more wealth and status."

"I'm so sorry. This is one of the saddest stories I've ever heard."

He smiles. "No, don't be. We're both much happier now.  And in answer to your question, I consider myself a tour guide for a psychic. I can't go on the trip, but I can guide you in using your powers, Lizzy."