Veronica...

The melodious voice called out to Veronica in the dark. Opening her eyes, she felt as if she were waking up from a fog.

"Erik?" she whispered pleadingly, hopefully.

When there was no answer at first, she again closed her eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks unchecked. His voice had just been a dream. One of so many recurring dreams. But dreaming would not bring him back. It seemed nothing ever would.

Don't be sad for me, Veronica. Please...

"Erik!" she called out, trying to keep her voice down as she sat up. "It is you! You've come back!"

Yes.

For a moment, she was filled with intense joy. Until the tidal wave of anger hit...

"Where in the hell have you been?" she snapped out. "Possessing someone else?"

In a manner of speaking, I suppose. Yes, yes, I would say that I have...

"Was she pretty?" Veronica sniffed.

Don't be absurd!

"I'm so mad at you I shouldn't even be speaking to you," she scolded. "Get out of my head! Get out right now!"

Not until we've had a little talk.

"I have nothing to say to you," she retorted, pulling the bedcovers up to her chin and closing her eyes.

Well, I have quite a bit to say to you...

"Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb..." Veronica sang out, keeping her fingers in her ears.

WILL YOU LISTEN TO ME, YOU INSOLENT CHILD!

Blinking fiercely, Veronica laid back submissively.

"As usual, you're going to be your bully self! Fine, what do you want from me now? Haven't you taken enough already?"

Of all the ingratitude! I poured my soul out to you, gave you all of the ingredients of a fine novel...and all you can do is cast aspersions against me!

"Oh, right! Whatever! Don't forget that you are the one that possessed me! HELLO!"

Veronica...you know how I abhor your speech when you use slang.

"Too bad for you!"

With that, Veronica turned over on her side, even though she knew that she could not hide from him. She also knew that she was pouting like a bratty child, but she was simply too upset with her ghost to act rationally.

Your attempts to ignore me are ridiculous, Veronica, and you know it. In any event, I have come here to instruct you that you should write and perform the play with Tony Bradshaw. I have spent a great deal of time and effort on this novel. I will not have it wasting away on your...what is it? Oh, yes, your hard drive!

"OF ALL THE NERVE!"

QUIET, YOU FOOL! Do you want your parents to hear you like this and have you committed to an insane asylum?

Veronica settled down. Indeed, she knew that he had a point. That was why she was starting the wheels in motion to move out into her own place. She knew that her parents would not like her living on her own. Still, she had to have some privacy. After all, she was an artist and needed her solitude.

"Of all the nerve..." she repeated in a whisper this time. "You come back after being away for months and order me to work with that...that cretin!"

You never seemed so disgusted by him before when you were drooling at his photograph on a daily basis!

"Well, that's because he was..." She stopped herself before she said too much.

He is not me, Veronica.

Damn, she had forgotten that he could practically read everything in her mind.

He is a flesh and blood man, not a ghost.

"Regardless, I don't know why you want me to work with him," Veronica started. "Since you're so all-seeing and all-knowing, you must know how he was coming on to me. Holding my hand and flirting. Then when he didn't get what he wanted, he got all cold and hostile and weird. And you're telling me to work with a man like that! Why? So you can get your ghostly kicks watching me having to fight him off?"

Don't be disgusting.

"Well, I don't get it."

Bradshaw is a creative man with good prospects. I want to see something made out of my story. He is the man to do it. And I want you to work with him. Do not let all of our effort come to nothing.

Veronica was silent. Why was her ghost lover wanting her to be with another man? It made no sense.

Isn't this your dream, Veronica? Don't you want to be a great actress? I am giving you this chance. Do not spurn my good intentions.

"You mean you had something to do with Bradshaw's offer?"

Let's just say I persuaded him a bit.

"Oh."

I would never do anything to hurt you or put you in danger, Veronica. Believe me, I will not allow him to harm you in any way.

Veronica sighed softly, calming down a bit. "Well, perhaps I could give him a call, apologize for being so rude...and it did seem like an exciting idea at first..."

Do you promise to do it?

Veronica hesitated for a moment.

"Yes, Erik, if my working with Tony Bradshaw means so much to you, I'll give it another shot."

Now you are seeing reason.

"But you'll be with me, right? You'll help me do this?"

No, Veronica. I can't.

"What do you mean?" she gasped.

We cannot go on this way. Life is for the living, my dear.

"No...oh, no..." she protested.

Veronica, you are a vital young woman. You should be with someone alive. A real man of flesh and blood.

"But I don't want anybody else!" she answered back. "Especially not Tony Bradshaw! Erik, please don't leave me again..."

Regardless of who you are with, this is no life for you, consorting with a ghost. I have not only come to extract this promise from you but to say goodbye.

"Erik..." Veronica sobbed. "Please don't say that. Please...I need you..."

What use do you have for me, Veronica? I have helped you all that I can in this state. To continue on like this will lead to nothing but frustration and dissatisfaction.

"That's not true, Erik!" Veronica cried out. "You make me happy. You make me believe in myself. These last few months, I've been so alone and miserable. Please don't do this..."

This is for the best, Veronica. Trust me. You shall find happiness again. I know it.

"No. I will never love another man like I love you!" she insisted. "Never!"

There was nothing but silence. Now that the prospect of his leaving her forever seemed very real, she could not hold back her feelings any longer.

"There. I've said it," she confessed. "I love you, Erik. Maybe it is hopeless, but I love you.. And nothing will ever change that. And if somehow you could be here with me, no matter how horrible your face, I would continue to love you. You must believe me..."

Nothing.

"Erik? Erik?"

But there was no sound, nothing but the crickets chirping outside of her bedroom window.

Veronica had never felt so alone in her life.


Later the next morning, Veronica resolved herself to call Tony Bradshaw.

She knew that she should break her promise to Erik. His betrayal nullified all trust. And yet...she felt like she should do this somehow...that was the only course her life could take. For better or worse, it was meant to be. This playwith Tony Bradshaw.

"Hello?"

The accented voice on the other line sounded vibrant and alive. She almost sighed with relief that she was talking a moral being who lived on the earth, an actor who had the same sort of dreams she did, someone normal...

"Mr. Bradshaw, this is Veronica Lindell."

"Oh, my, what an unexpected pleasure..." the husky voice purred. "I am so glad that you called."

For a moment, Veronica was unnerved. She could not tell if he was being sarcastic or not. He acted as if nothing had ever happened. And he was all nice sounding, the way he was before things went all wrong. Did she actually think he was normal a second ago?

"Really? I would think after the things I said to you the other day you would never want to speak to me again. I'm terribly sorry for being so rude. I don't know what got into me."

"Nonsense, dear child. I am the one to blame. You see, I occasionally fall victim to...episodes. I suffered the most horrible headache. It was absolutely debilitating. So much so that I suppose I lost track of the conversation a bit. But of course, I am completely devoted to seeing this project reach fruition. And of course, you are to play Christine in our project. Indeed, no one else will do."

"Really?"

"No one else at all..."