“Mom?” The tone was tense and more sleepy than I was. I felt her feeling the side of the bed for a clear space for her to sit down in the dark room. Something was bugging her and it couldn’t wait for morning. Okay.
“What’s wrong, Chica?” I thought I felt hands softly flow over my legs as I turned over to face her. There was just enough light sneaking in under the blanket covering the eastern windows that I could see her form half leaning over the bed. Her arms outstretched as she softly felt for the bed’s edge. Her favorite night shirt swung out as she shifted position.
It moved through my reaching hand.
We both froze and stared at each other.
I realize everything about what I am seeing is correct except for one thing. There is no color to her form. There is enough light leaking in for me to see the difference between the blue of the blanket and the red of her shirt. The blanket is definitely blue. Her shirt is gray.
Her blue pajama bottoms are gray.
Her brown hair glistens gray.
Her skin is nearly white and lacking any hue of color.
I smirk and raise an eyebrow with a very awake and very silent question. The apparition answers my question with a very visible and very guilty look. She pulls her arms to herself, nods an apology, and fades out of sight quickly.
I still feel the presence. “Is she okay?”
“Yes.” The whisper comes from the ceiling.
“If she’s bothered by something, send her in here.”
“I will.”
“Good one. But the lack of color gave it away.”
“… Ugh.”
“Good night.”
“… G’nite.”
I checked the clock, chuckled, and went back to sleep. After coffee in the morning, I teased Dter about her “ghost” visiting me. Dter is mortified at the possibility of having projected herself, and unnerved by how cool I was handling the situation.
I asked her if she had any desire to talk to me about anything. She said she finished a fairly large drawing at “ass-crack o’clock” and was very excited to show it to me, but she was overcome by sleepiness and went to bed.
I asked her the time of her triumph. She had last looked at her clock about ten minutes before I checked mine.
She did not appreciate my deep peals of laughter.
It is still undecided if she did project or if a spectral resident was trying to help pass the message along.