I Dream of Shadows

Disgruntled < Congenial

They used to be happy...

Truly...whole-heartedly happy...

What...What happened to them?

<Back in time>

I've been haunting this family for quite some time. Well...I've been haunting many different families, but I heard that Amber's soul officially settled with this one in particular. Word travels fast around the spirit world.

I have been around Emily and Alexander for about 4 years now. They seem so happy and content with the life they are living. It often made me think of Amber and I. I wonder if I'll ever get to tell her I love her again. Get to hold her in my arms...Will I have to wait for her human body to die to be reunited with her? Will my soul go mad from the endless and vast amounts of time alone, spent wandering around family to family?

I sighed and watched Emily as she paced back and forth biting her nails. This was always a bad habit for her when she was stressed or nervous about something. "Alex!" She called once her pacing ceased. I heard Alex's heavy and fast footsteps come from the hallway. I phased through their bedroom door to look out into the hallway only to be met with Alex's excited face reaching for the doorknob and throwing open the door looking to Emily. I jumped a bit not fully expecting him to be so close. He walked right through me up to Emily and looked at her for a while. No words were spoken they just gazed into each other's eyes. I stared at them feeling my ghostly heart crumple at the sight. I remember when Amber and I were so caught up in each other that way too.

Emily started to nod. "Yeah...." she spoke quietly nodding tears welling in her eyes laughing softly. I looked down at her hand seeing she was holding onto a pregnancy test. Alex looked shocked at first but smiled widely and picked Janet up into a tight hug. "Alex! Alexander you put me down!!" Emily protested laughing. "You have to be more careful with me now that I'm pregnant!" She gently fussed at him. "I'm sorry, baby! I'm just so happy!" He said kissing her cheek and set her down. He cupped her face loving planting many kisses down on her face. For a second I felt like I was apart of the joy and happiness. I thought about Amber wondering if her soul will finally pass into the living world.

"I can't believe I'm going to be a father..!" Alex had spoken as he hugged his young wife.

<Ight we back to the present>

I usually stay outside of Karen's room while she sleeps. Something feels weird about me being in there with her. I think she can see me but I'm not too sure. She'd wake up in the middle of the night and stares into the corner I'm usually in. I want to talk to her. Get to know who my Amber has become, but I don't want to scare her. After all the way I look now would be rather scary for a child to see. I'm not sure why I don't look like myself. I have to bend down to even get through a door if physics mattered anymore. I can see why a child would be afraid if they were able to see me. My proportions were stretched out so now I'm unmistakably tall and have two long spider-like legs that end in dull points. My arms reach down to about where my knee caps are now located. My face is featureless. All I have are these open dots in my head for eyes. I have a mouth from time to time but I need a lot of energy to keep it. I'm just a disproportional shadow.

Whenever I would try to sneak a peek at her sleeping face she always awakens with nightmares and jolts up from her comfortable area. I felt like shit. I just want to protect her and make her feel safe. I think she knows of my existence even if she doesn't know who I am she still knows there's something in the darkness watching her. I tried to give it a shot now especially since what happened to her earlier today...

I just don't understand why...why would Alex do something like this...?? Doesn't he know how lucky he is to have a family? Be able to hold them? He's supposed to PROTECT them...not hurt them. I'm glad I did what I did...