The Middle Realm

by Alessia Mattei

  “Mackinac Island, Michigan. It’s where I spent many summer’s as a kid. It’s also where I met my wife,” Patrick said, “I’ll go first. Wait three minutes, then follow me”

  Patrick rode through first. I waited three minutes. I got my horse in the right position. After the three minutes I grabbed the reins tightly and we were off into the portal. I closed my eyes and focused on my destination. After five more minutes my horse and I were galloping out of the portal and off a high bluff. We stopped short in midair, which my horse did not appreciate. I turned around to see Patrick back on the bluff, laughing.

  “You know that you don’t have to run at full tilt. You can just trot through. Come back,” he said.

  That was embarrassing. I turned my horse around and went to join Patrick. I looked around. Behind him, I could see the silhouette of a Victorian Queen Anne house. Even in the moonlight, I could see its beauty. All around were houses from the same time period, each one unique. Edgar and Camille would probably feel right at home here. I don’t know if the houses in France during the Victorian era looked like the ones here. If not, I’m sure they would still like it. Everywhere I looked, there were flowers. Beautiful gardens silhouetted in the moonlight. I can see why Patrick wanted to take me here.

  “Patrick, it’s beautiful here. If it’s this beautiful at night, I can only imagine what it’s like during the day,” I said.

  “Yeah. It’s also really busy. I would love to take you on a ride during the day, but I just don’t want to take a chance,” he said.

  I knew why and I understood. It was too dangerous. More than likely no one would see us, but it’s just better not to take a chance. Some things are just not worth the risk. Besides, if I want to see what this place looks like in daylight, I’ll just find a shop with postcards and look at those.

  “I understand. Let’s get going,” I said, “Lead the way,”

  Patrick trotted toward the edge of the bluff. Once he got to the edge, he gracefully leapt off and landed silently on the water. It was now my turn. I moved my horse back a few feet, and then we jumped. I landed just a gracefully as Patrick. It’s as if there was an invisible floor separating us and the water below.

  “Do you want to race? I’ll race you to that lighthouse,” Patrick said pointing to a red and white lighthouse in the distance.

  It looked kind of far, but I didn’t want Patrick to think I couldn’t do it. I didn’t want look like a loser. I’m a damn good rider and I need to show Patrick so he doesn’t think I can’t handle it. I walked a few feet ahead of Patrick and stopped.

  “See this,” I said motioning behind me, “get used to it because it’s all you’ll be seeing until we reach the lighthouse”

  “The view from back here is amazing,” he said, “I just might let you win”

  I began to blush. I don’t want him to see me blushing. I can’t believe I’m flirting again. I’m glad to know I still have it. Go, Savannah.

  “Now that would not be fair,” I said. I turned around and walked back to him. I could tell that the horses were beginning to get impatient. They just wanted to run. I would also imagine having to listen to Patrick and I flirting would not be fun.

  “Well, you shouldn’t have turned around the way you did. After having seen the view from back here, why would I want to get ahead of you?” Patrick said.

  “Typical male,” I said.

  “What? Like I can help it? You’re beautiful. Why would I not want to stare at you from behind?” Patrick asked.

  Okay, now I’m flattered. He thinks I’m beautiful. Oh, Patrick. Marry me now. Wait, is that legal in the spirit world? I wonder. I know if we were alive, I would jump his bones in a minute. Not out on the lake, in one of the pretty houses. We could break in and just do all kinds of fun stuff, if you get my drift. You know what I’m talking about. Stop acting all innocent. You know very well what I mean by ‘fun stuff’. Okay, I want to race now because I keep thinking of all the naughty stuff I could do to Patrick. Not that it could happen. I have no idea what ghosts do to quench those certain urges. I’ll have to ask Whitney. Edgar and Camille are too -- how to put this -- immature?

  “Patrick, can we just race already?” I said, “I’m serious”

  “Okay,” he said.

  “You promise you won’t let me win?” I said, “I want this to be a true race”

  “Fine. I’ll give it my all. If you do win, it will be because you’re an amazing rider,”

  “Thank you,” I said, “If you win, you can stare at me from behind all you want”

  Patrick seemed pleased. I turned my horse around and walked back to where he was.

  “Remember to hold on tight. When they take off, they really take off. These are not like the living horses. You’ll be in for quite a ride,” he said.

  “Good luck,” I said to Patrick.

  “Right back at you,” he said back to me.

  We were side by side. The horses were ready. Patrick counted down. I tightly grasped the reins. I was not about to fall off. I’m pretty good about not falling off. I wasn’t about to take chance.

  “On the count of three,” Patrick said. “One … two … three! See ya at the lighthouse!“

  Patrick was not kidding when he said these horses were fast. I’ve never felt this free before. There is nothing holding me back. All that mattered is the horse and open lake before me. Patrick may have been winning our race, but I am enjoying the freedom. At that moment in time, nothing else mattered. Time seemed to cease to exist. While I’m out here, I’m not Savannah the ghost, I’m just Savannah. I’m a girl and her horse, enjoying a ride with the guy I’m falling madly in love with. I’m not dead or alive. I’m caught up in the moment. I’ve never felt more alive than I do right now, and that’s really saying something considering I’m dead.

  A boat was crossing Patrick’s path. His horse leapt over it with ease. I did the same thing. I held on tight, and we cleared the boat no problem. It’s not like we could have done any damage to it had we not. Patrick is going to win, so I slowed down a little and took in the sights. A short time later, I arrived at the lighthouse. Patrick was waiting for me.

  “Why did you slow down?” he asked.

  “I saw you were going to win. I got distracted by how beautiful this place is. Besides, I wanted to let you win so you could enjoy the sights,” I said. He knew what I meant and appreciated it.

  “If you think this is beautiful, wait until you see more of the island. You’ll love it,” he said.

  We decided to start heading toward the island. Instead of running, we leisurely trotted. The stars shone brightly tonight. The lights of the island glittered in the darkness. We could see the headlights of cars crossing the bridge. It’s peaceful. I listened to the gentle lapping of the water. It felt weird being suspended over the water. At first, it feels like your going to fall in. Then you realize that there is no way you could.

  “I can’t believe how big this lake is,” I said aloud.

  “It is big,” he said, “for a lake”

  “So, you spent all your summer’s here?” I asked.

  “Yeah, most of them,” he said, “My family owned a summer house that belonged to my great-great grandfather. It was a big Queen Anne house on a bluff over looking the straits of Mackinac. Now I’d imagine you can also see the bridge”

  “Do you still go to see it sometimes?” I asked.

  “No, I haven’t gone back to see it. This is first time I’ve come back since I was killed,” he said.

  Wow, this is the first time he’s come back here since he died? I hope he’s okay with it. I’m sure he wouldn’t have brought me here if he couldn’t handle it.

  “You’re fine being here, right? Because if it’s too much, we can go back to Connecticut,” I said.

  “No, I’m fine. It’s different being here with someone as opposed to being by myself,” he said.

  We were now running, not at full speed. We were just galloping side by side. We were in no hurry. We had
all the time in the world. Or at least until sunrise.

  “I want to take you to a spot with an amazing view, its not too far,” he said.

  Patrick is good company. He is easygoing and calm. I felt comfortable with him. It’s as if we’d known each other our entire lives. As we talked the decades that separated us seemed to vanish. Along the way, we passed a group of ghost teenagers in a rowboat. They were too busy arguing amongst themselves too have noticed us. A little later we happened upon a couple in a Victorian era yacht enjoying a moonlit cruise on the lake. They reminded me of Edgar and Camille, only these ghosts were a few years older. The couple is friendly. We were invited to go along with them, but Patrick kindly declined. I really wanted to see what a Victorian Yacht looked like. I’d been on modern yachts, so I’m curious.

  “Patrick, I really wanted to see the inside of the boat. I wanted to see how it compared to modern yachts,” I said as we got farther away from the boat.

  “You’ll survive,” he said. “Besides, we’re almost to the place I want you to see.”

  We both started to laugh at the ‘you’ll survive’ part. You gotta love ghost humor. Patrick has a great sense of humor. I guess when you’ve been dead long as long as he has, you can start joking about death. Just look at Edgar and Camille.

  Ch. 38

  I was just taking in the views when Patrick startled me. I’m just sitting there on my horse, looking all around me when I feel him grab my arm and yell ‘look’. I looked in the direction his hand was pointing. What I saw was a large rock formation that formed an arch. It didn’t look like much from where we were right now. I’m not going to lie. It didn’t seem like anything special. But, hey, Patrick is excited to see it and I am his guest. So, I’m kind of obligated to be excited as well.

  “That’s Arch rock. It has some of the most beautiful views of the lake,” he said.

  “That’s great and all, but how are we going to get up there?” I asked.

  “Well fly or climb up. We’re ghost’s remember?” Patrick said.

  Oh. Stupid me, I should have figured that out. We’re ghosts. We can fly. Duh! We got a little closer before we went up. Once we got to the foot of the formation we stopped. I looked around me. There sure was a lot of rock around here. How exciting. Look, a rock! Over there, another rock! There are rocks everywhere! If tonight doesn’t rock, get it, I’ll be pissed. This better be good. Patrick got off his horse. He held out his hand as I got off my horse. I wondered why we were doing this. Apparently Patrick saw the confusion on my face.

  “The horse that you were riding is afraid of heights,” he said. ”You’ll have to ride with me, if you don’t mind.”

  Do I mind having to ride with you and hold on to you? Hell no. I get to be really close to him. This is amazing. Arch Rock is now looking better and better every second. I can’t believe the horse is afraid of heights. Well, it’s good for me. I walked up to the horse I had ridden on.

  “Thanks,” I whispered as I pet the horse,” between you and me, this night just got even better”

  “Savannah, did you just say something?” Patrick asked.

  “No, you probably heard the wind or something,” I lied. We were on an island in the middle of a lake. Of course it was windy.

  “Oh,” he said.

  Patrick got on first. Then he pulled me up. I was now sitting behind him. I grabbed him around the waist. I probably didn’t have to hold on so tight, but he didn’t complain. He didn’t mind one bit. Patrick went around and started climbing up the rocks. It took only a few minutes. A live horse would never have been able to effortlessly and gracefully climb the way this one had. Once we got to the top my mouth dropped. Consider my mind blown. It’s beautiful. No, more than beautiful. It’s gorgeous. Patrick got off first. He held his hand out for me. Once I was on the ground, Patrick walked past me to the edge. I stayed by the horse, not yet comfortable with being up so high.

  ”Isn’t it beautiful?” he asked.

  “It is amazing,” I said. I wasn’t talking about the view of the lake though. I was talking about a different view. Savannah, get your mind out of the gutter. You are a dirty girl.

  Patrick turned around and walked over to me. He put his hand out and I automatically grabbed it. We walked back to the edge. I stood close to him. He put his hand around my waist and I laid my head on his shoulder. I closed my eyes for a few seconds. It felt good to be close to someone again. I didn’t feel so alone. After a few minutes I opened my eyes and we sat down, our legs dangling over the edge.

  “Thank you so much for taking me here,” I said.

  “You’re very welcome,” Patrick responded.

  I wanted to learn more about him and I’m sure he wanted to learn more about me.

  “What were you doing before you got drafted? Were you in school or did you have a job?” I asked.

  “I had literally just graduated from college, with honors I might add, a few days before I found out I’d been drafted. Here I was happily married with a new daughter. Let me just say, my daughter had been a happy, albeit unexpected, surprise. I had just finished Veterinary school and was looking to start my own practice. Then I was hit with the news I’d start basic training immediately and then be shipped out to Europe. I think you can figure out the rest,” he said.

  I knew the rest of the story.

  “I’m sorry. Life can be cruel,” I said.

  “Tell me about it. One minute you’re on top of the world. The next, you’re buried six feet under it,” Patrick said, “Things were going so well for me. I was at a really good place in my life before it all came crashing down on me”

  “I know. Why does it always have to happen when life just really seems to be going you’re way? Can’t it just wait it a little and let you bask in your good fortune?” I said.

  “Oh, no. Death wait for you to enjoy all the good things that have befallen you? No way” He said.

  I moved closer to Patrick. He put his arm around me again. It was now his turn to ask me questions. I knew quite a bit about him now.

  “So what’s your story?” He asked.

  “I had just graduated at the top of my class from Parsons the New School for Design. It’s one of the top design schools in the country. I applied for an internship with the fashion house of Balenciaga and I got it. I would be moving to Paris for a while. My first night there I was murdered by my best friend who had followed me,” I said.

  “Some best friend,” Patrick said, referring to Emma.

  “At first I thought she had followed me out of anger and jealousy. Now. I think she may have been manipulated by another spirit. She doesn’t remember anything form that night. Long story short, I was murdered with a bottle of overpriced mineral water and my favorite Chanel handbag. I later find out that when I returned back to visit during the holidays, my boyfriend was going to ask me to marry him,”

  “Wow, that is messed up,” he said.

  “You don’t even know the half of it. Now, my friend who killed me is taking over my identity so that my family does not have to suffer the loss of a child. It’s really complicated. Now I’ll never have my own line or show at Fashion Week. Worst of all, is I won’t see my family and boyfriend again” I said.

  I bent my head down and started to cry. Normally I would try to fight off the tears. Not tonight. I just cried. Patrick lifted my head back up and kissed me. He then held me. As we sat there, I fought back the sadness that had engulfed me for so long. I had to start moving on. I can’t fix what happened. I need to accept my fate. Starting now, I’m not going to let my past drag me down. I need to start looking toward the future. I really hope Patrick is part of that future. I turned back to him and started kissing him again. Seeing as how we didn’t have to worry about catching our breath, we kept kissing. After a while we stopped. We could have gone longer, but we didn’t.

  ‘Wow, that was amazing,” Patrick said.

  “Thanks,” I said, “Are you ready to take me to see the rest of the island? Or are yo
u too weak in the knees?” I asked.

  “I’m fine. Let’s go,” he said.

  He got on his horse and then helped me up. I held on to his waist. We made it down the cliff. We stopped, but he didn’t get off. He took the reins of my horse and tied them to the saddle. My horse just trotted along side us. It didn’t seem to mind that I wasn’t riding it. Patrick found a bike trail and we just followed it until we got to the main thoroughfare. It was just about empty. We passed a group of soldiers who appeared to be on patrol.

  “We’re going to the Grand Hotel. The gardens are amazing,” he said.

  The Grand Hotel? Sounds fancy. I hope it actually is grand and they’re just not calling it that because they think it is when it actually isn’t. As we got closer I saw that the Grand Hotel was in fact quite grand. It was beyond grand. I’m glad to see that the people who named it were not lying. The closer we got, the more spectacular it became. We went down to the garden in front of the hotel. We stopped and Patrick got off his horse. He then helped me off. I walked to the fountain and sat down. I stared at my reflection in the water. I was surprised that I even had a reflection. Then I remembered it was vampires who didn’t have reflections. The bright side of this is at least I’m not a vampire. How much would it suck, no pun intended, to have to kill people so you could survive? The answer, a lot. As I stared down into the water, a flower blossom floated by, distorting my reflection. I tried to pick it up, but I couldn’t. I tried again, but still the blossom eluded me. I tried to hit the water with my hand out of frustration, but of course nothing happened. I tried again. Now, how could I move a glass of water yet not be able to pick up a flower blossom? I don’t get it. Whatever! I tried so hard to make some sort of movement in the water that I had not noticed Patrick’s reflection next to my own.

  “You, okay?” He asked.

  “You saw me trying to splash the water didn’t you?”

  “Yeah,” he said.

  “Did I look like an idiot?”

  “No. You looked determined. It was kind of cute,” he said.