Melinda sat quietly reading behind the counter of her antique shop in Grandview, her hometown. It was unusually dreary that day, although the sun was out and shining. Delia and Ned were gone, spending a vacation week in Florida and Jim was, of course, on duty, so there was no one to talk to.
Out the corner of her eye, Melinda saw a person, though only briefly. "Here we go," she thought. It was her gift to see the dead and her duty to help give them and their families closure, but it was truly exasperating. Given the flicker effect this person had, like lightning, and the fact that the bell, which signaled a customer's presence in the store, hadn't rang, Melinda was sure she was dealing with a ghost.
Melinda calmly rose from her chair and searched the store for the spirit. To her surprise, the ghost, a girl who was about 17, was eyeing a large wooden chest. "Can I help you?" she asked, half expecting the girl to disappear. Instead, the ghost looked up with a stunned look on her face. "Sorry," she apologized. "Usually people can't see me when I'm like this. Look at the time! I'm late. See you around!" In a flash she was gone, leaving Melinda very confused.
That night, Melinda and her husband Jim were watching television, though they were really absently flipping through channels every couple of minutes. "Something weird happened today," Melinda began. "Were have I heard that one before?" Jim asked sarcastically. Melinda playfully hit him with one of the pillows that went with the couch. "Seriously Jim, this has never happened to me before."
Melinda told her husband about the strange apparition in the store that day, as he patiently listened in silence. "I wonder what she meant by 'people can't see me when I'm like this," she asked, not really expecting an answer. "And I thought ghosts had no real sense of time. What was she late for?" Jim shook his head, also unable to provide any explanation to either question.
The next morning, a black Suzuki motorcycle parked outside of the store. The driver, a tall, young girl stepped inside the store. Melinda, who had been just about to greet her, froze in shock as the girl pulled off her helmet. "A twin?" she thought, astonished. "No. This is the same girl. I'm sure of it." The girl took a few more steps into the shop.
"Did I see you here yesterday?" Melinda had trouble coming up with an intelligent question. The girl nodded slowly, "Yes you did. My name is Alex."
"You were a ghost yesterday, weren't you?"
Alex laughed, "Yes I was. And in case you're wondering, you haven't gone insane."
"I've never really been far from it though."
Alex had an understanding look in her eyes. "Trust me I know what you mean."