Melissa tried to look around the room, but she couldn't move her head. Someone sat on top of her, pinning her to the sheets. Her heart beat at a furious rate, and she found the pressure on her chest mounting. She heard his laughter, and felt his breath against her. The noise in her head kept building. With each beginning pulse, his face appeared. Each second of silence, his face moved closer to her. Finally, with each ending pulse, the face vanished again. "I love you!"

The last word melded into a rumble of thunder that jolted Melissa awake. She blinked a few times, and tried to steady herself. She found it difficult to concentrate with the pounding rain and crashing thunder against her tree house. Melissa took a deep breath, and flipped the light switch in her bedroom. Only darkness... Just what he liked.

She thought she had a fever, and reached for the glass of water usually resting on her nightstand. Nothing. Dust coated everything on its surface, save for a newly-formed square where Ralph's Travel Book had been. The constant pounding of rain made her think of the last time he read it. The evening when an old flame came in vengeance to try claiming her already-taken hand.

A thudding sound came from the hallway, and sent a chill through Melissa. Those sounds waited for her to respond. Did someone break into her house?

Melissa still felt trapped in a dream. Was this her worst nightmare? No... Her room seemed similar, but not identical. The blue curtains of Ralph's choosing replaced the red ones of her dreams. The final clue came as she looked at her bedclothes. They were still yellow. Not bloodred like that night.

Melissa's frail voice cut through the tree house. "...Ralph?" Thunder responded. This vibration of waves that hit her inner ear, sounded different. As if in response, more thunder growled, and lightning flashed outside her window. It was not the same, noisy crash followed by a bang. Three steady drones, as if syllables, echoed again.

This had to end. Melissa yelped as blood flowed from her finger. Her paring knife had done its job. She looked down, to see the red blade. In her dreams, she had avenged her husband that night. The night he had appeared at her doorstep.

Melissa shuddered, and her head jerked to the corner, near her door. It sounded like a wet thudding sound. "Ralph!" She dashed out into the hallway, expecting to find Ralph's carcass. Even though he could no longer physically harass her, his memory would always be with her, and perhaps continue to torture the couple in the afterlife.

A flash of lighting lit up the hallway. The afterlife... A loud boom came from her washroom. Someone was there, she had no doubt. Melissa gripped the paring knife, and she let loose a cry as she pushed open the door.

The steady dripping of her faucet met her. Three constant, equidistant drips, much like the thunder before... Were they saying 'Me... Li... Sa...'? No, they couldn't be.

A bright light flashed in front of Melissa. She saw something in the afterglow: it was something she recognized, something calling out to her. Amid the glow of the mirror in front of her, she saw the image of a raccoon with a long swishing tail. She shook off the thought. Just a figment of her imagination.

Melissa's mouth came open, as she recognized the image. "...Ralph?" Another flash of lightning lit up the room. Melissa shut her eyes. For the second they were closed, she could see a raccoon in a white dress. One of the happiest days of her life flashed before her.

They opened again, trying to make sure this wasn't a dream. Her eyes searched for any signs of her husband in that bright light, but there were none. Had Ralph disappeared? Now, that tear intensified into many as an unstoppable wave started to cascade down the widow's face. The flash had dissipated, again leaving her in darkness. She looked at the mirror, to see someone watching her, smiling.

It wasn't a dream. He looked at her with those eyes; those eyes she had fallen for when they first met back in school under their old teacher.

Under that old brick schoolhouse she remembered so fondly. "...Ralph?" Melissa asked.

"Melissa..." Ralph said. His voice carried the same cheerful tones they did during the morning of their second year together.

"I'm so glad to see you..." His words dropped off, as they were fighting for her attention with the rain's pounding against the windows.

Melissa's voice started to crack. "Is it really you?" She tried to regain her composure, when a chuckle came from the mirror. "What's so funny?" Melissa asked the figure.

Melissa shivered as his pupils dug into her soul, rooting her to the ground so she couldn't move.

"What are you doing here, Ralph?" Melissa asked.

Ralph looked out the window. Melissa met his eyes, and peered into the dark night with him. "You know what day tomorrow is, don't you?" His speech made the twenty-six year old widow feel like a giddy sixteen year-old again.

Those final two syllables danced around on his tongue, teasing her to not forget that day. Tears were coming now, in response to his question. "Of course I do! It's our anniversary..."

The words made her ache. She wiped her eyes, and looked at her husband. "And do you remember what you wrote?" Ralph said. His hands rested by his stomach.

Melissa struggled to make sense of what Ralph was hinting at. "...No. What did I write?"

"...Why don't you ask Bert about it?"

Bert... She remembered her old houseguest's warm hands against her face the last time they had talked. "Why are you doing this, Ralph? What do I need to ask Bert about?"

Melissa didn't want to lose this moment with him. "Ralph?" She asked. When she stepped closer to the mirror his image faded into the night. She bit her lip, waiting for his response. Another loud boom of thunder stole him away from her. The window rattled violently, and she saw rainwater seeping in, to soak the plants that rested near the sill. "Ralph!"

He was gone. Melissa fell to the ground and started to sob. She did not know why he appeared, or, more importantly, when she would see him again. The world was fast becoming too big for her to be alone in.

Melissa flinched as the lights flashed on. She looked around the small bathroom, and he was gone. Melissa had to make sure she was sane. The lights worked, and she hoped the phone worked.

The small air-conditioner by her window kicked on. She made her way to the living room. The unit started to rattle, as it would when left on for longer than five minutes. Yet another amenity she had never gotten the opportunity to fix. She walked over to the phone, which rested on her cardboard box. Melissa sat down on the couch, and picked up the phone to dial Cedric's number. A tear came down her cheek, as she heard Cedric's voice. "Hello?" The nasal aardvark said. Melissa felt so happy to hear him again. "Who is this?" He asked.

Melissa cleared her throat. "Cedric?" She squeezed the receiver.

"Hi Melissa." Cedric said. "I was just going to call you. Is everything alright?"

"Yes..." Melissa said. Sneer Industries had branched out into electric parts, and Cedric often called her after bad thunderstorms, to check if she needed anything replaced. "I'm sorry for calling so late," Melissa began. "but I need to ask you something."

"Did the Raccoondiminium take any damage from the storm?" Cedric asked.

Branches from the tree house hit against her window. "No " Melissa said. An owl howled in the distance, as the wind picked up.

"Did Bert ever give anything to you? Anything you two showed Ralph?" She asked.

An eerie silence followed. Melissa checked her connection, thinking she had lost him. "Cedric?" She said again.

"You'll have to ask Bert " Cedric said.

"Please, Cedric " Melissa said.

Were they hiding something? "I'm sorry, Melissa, you have to ask Bert about it. I promised him."

"...Alright."

"Is it okay if I stop by tomorrow?" The aardvark asked.

Melissa's heart raced. "Of course, Cedric. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night, Melissa." Melissa set the phone down, and waited for Cedric to disconnect. The sharp tones of the dial tone a few seconds later, sent her back from her daze.