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every night.
I turned back to the kennel and opened the door. Mikey shot out of the crate then
turned on me, licking my face as if I were some long-lost buddy. I put my arms around
his neck and buried my face in the soft yellow hair on the side of his neck. That meant
something to him. He stopped licking and sat absolutely still. Well, almost still. I could
still hear the soft swish of his tail on the floor beside me.
Mikey, thank you, I whispered. I could feel the dog trying to pull back. I released
him and he moved back just far enough he could look at me. We gazed into each others
eyes for what seemed a long time, bonding in the here and now, bringing back all the
memories I had of him during my time away.
That s how I d come to look on it. My time away. Away from people, away from
real life.
Come on, we ve got one more place to check out here. Ethan held his hand out
and pulled me to my feet. As he helped me regain my balance, he leaned toward me
and kissed my ear gently then took my hand in his, hanging on as if he were afraid I
might disappear if he let go. He led me down the hall to what I assumed would be our
bedroom.
Instead of the heavy drapes and spread I remembered from my last ethereal visit
here, there were Venetians and what looked like a handmade quilt. I turned to him,
wondering how he d known.
Thank you, thank you so much. I was afraid I might find the ones I hated hung
up.
I couldn t have done that to either of us. They were quite ugly, if you don t mind
my saying so.
I don t. Michael s mother gave them to us. We both hated them.
That showed good taste. I was glancing around the room, taking in the small
ornaments he had placed on the dresser, when I saw the silver frame. It was the photo
of Michael and me in front of the Space Needle. The one I liked the most of the few I
had left.
Ethan& I couldn t think what I should say to him.
It s all right, love. He was your first love, I m you re last. I m not one of those men
who feels threatened by another guy s ghost. I leaned against him, reached up and
kissed his warm lips.
I heard the low warning growl Mikey gave and saw his hackles rise along the
length of his back and his tail. He stared intently in the direction of the bedroom door.
Suddenly, he yelped and dropped to the floor. He never took his eyes off the doorway.
When I turned back, I saw a shimmer of light, the outline of a man. The light
shining brightest was red, what I remembered to be Michael s color of love.
183
Kelsy George
I winked at Michael as his manifestation faded.
He d done what he set out to do. He d helped Ethan protect me.
From what?
I guess I ll never know for sure, unless it was death itself. But there s one thing I
know for a certainty.
He won t be back.
The End
184
About the Author
Kelsy George is the pen name of a writer living in Canada, where she, her husband
and three Labs are full-time RVers, going wherever the road leads.
Writing wasn t always important to Kelsy except as a way to make a living. For
years she wrote copy for newspaper ads, radio scripts for a classical music program,
radio commercials, and the occasional script for serious issue-type programming. An
article in an equestrian magazine was her first published work, with a children's
coloring book story next.
Kelsy is an award-winning (RWA Golden Heart twice for Blind Justice),
multipubbed author in the romantic mystery and suspense genres.
Kelsy welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email
address on her author bio page at www.cerridwenpress.com.
Also by Kelsy George
Blind Justice
Cerridwen, the Celtic goddess of wisdom, was the muse who brought inspiration to
storytellers and those in the creative arts. Cerridwen Press encompasses the best and
most innovative stories in all genres of today s fiction. Visit our site and discover the
newest titles by talented authors who still get inspired much like the ancient
storytellers did, once upon a time.
www.cerridwenpress.com
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