Lisa's Private Thoughts, December 24th, 2017: "My Christmas Ghost Story" Part-I

Christmas in England, how much cooler can you get than that? Answer... you find yourself in the middle of something that could've come straight out of a gothic novel. I swear, I'll never be able to listen to "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" the same way, after tonight. 

Here, let me explain...

It all started about a week ago, when Nathan told my parents that he had been invited to stay with some of his 'Extended Family' over in England and that a private jet had already been set up for when the time came to go. Naturally, I was pretty bummed out upon hearing this.

It was bad enough that my bestie Marisa was spending the holidays in New York City with her folks. They had family in the big city and was spending the holidays with them. In fact she’d been there since before Thanksgiving and had gotten to see the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade in person from a balcony. She’d also gone to see the big tree in Rockefeller Center and had gone ice skating there too.

Still I couldn’t be mad at Nathan. We weren’t the only part of his “Extended” family, and there are others all over the country, and in other countries, who love him as much as we do. So it would only be natural for some of them to want him to come and spend the holidays with them once in a while. Plus, his sister Isabella was already in England awaiting her brother’s arrival.

I had just resigned myself to not seeing him on Christmas morning, when he dropped another bomb on us by saying, “Oh, did I mention all of you are invited to join me?” 

At first my parents were a little unsure, but when he told them the festivities would be taking place in an old manor house and that the hosts liked to have an old-fashioned Christmas, they were hooked.

As I quickly learned on our arrival, the manor is over 200 years old and has been owned by the family that whole time. Like his father, grandfather and great-grandfather, the current master of manor is a member of the House of Lords. So you can imagine how important keeping the manor as well as the old Christmas traditions alive, is very important. And I for one don't blame them. This place is amazing. While it has all the modern conveniences, you still feel like you just stepped into a Jane Austen novel. Family portraits, a gallery, silk wallpaper, marble columns, grand staircase, a ballroom, a drawing room, the list goes on and on. I got lost at least twice in the first couple of days. So did my mother. We wound up bumping into each other and asking if each other knew the way out. LOL!

The grounds are immense as well. There's a pond, rose garden, and even a small chapel used for weddings and other celebrations, including Christmas.

The main hall is huge, with tall windows going practically up to the ceiling (which is at least two to three stories tall). It also has the most impressive fireplace I've ever seen. It's huge affair, with ornately decorated tiles in the firebox area, as well as a beautifully carved stone mantel with intricate pillars leading up to it. There are a couple of wingback chairs set in front of all this, and that's where I could be found whenever I'd come in from outside. Sometimes Nathan sits with me, not that I've seen all that much of him since our arrival. He seems to come and go on 'business', supposedly it has to do with a book or two he's researching, but I've seen him talking with his Lordship from the windows now and then. I don't have the nerve to ask our host what they're talking about, and I haven't been able to get Nathan alone long enough to get the story out of him. But clearly, something is up... not that it was any of my business. That is, until tonight.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me get back to the decorations and preparations that led up to the event's of tonight, Christmas Eve...

TO BE CONTINUED...

The Artist - August 2007 Part XI The Conclusion

As it turned out, Nathan and I returned to the studio the next evening and indeed the piece was finished. Mind you, we still had to spend most of the night allowing the kiln to cool down before we dared remove my precious art piece from within. I'm pleased to say, it came out perfectly. It was everything I wanted it to be.

"It's beautiful," Nathan told me inside our shared space.

"I wouldn't have been able to finish it without your help," I replied. "I wish I could thank you properly..."

"How do you mean?" he replied curiously. 

"You know, giving you a huge hug and all that," I told him, shrugging our shoulders.

Next thing I knew we were face to face again, inside his mind once more. We were surrounded by fleeting images of his memories again, and this time I caught a few glimpses of our working on my sculpture.

Meanwhile, Nathan opened his arms and I quickly did the same.

"Thank you... thank you so much..." I blubbed, feeling tears of actual tears running down my cheeks. Then I pulled back and looked at him and asked, "Why? Why did you do all this, sharing your body with me and all?"

"Because, you asked for my help," he said simply.

I shook my head eyeing him carefully, "No, there's more to it than that. You've let me inside you, literally, in a way you yourself said you rarely do. So why me?"

All around us the images changed and I saw myself, much younger, eyes wide and frightful. That's when I got it. "You felt guilty about me seeing what you did to those men, all those years ago," I breathed.

He nodded. "The look in your eyes whenever we met, I never understood why you looked so troubled and standoffish. I just thought I was just reminding you of what you went through. I'd had no idea you saw..."

I reached up and stroked his face. "Don't. Neither Brian nor I would be here today if you hadn't shown up and did what you did."

"I killed..."

"People who had tortured children and were going to do much worse. Plus, you were already injured and still outnumbered. They pushed you too far and you fought back the only way left to you. Not to save yourself, but to save me, Brian and all those other children. I know that now. I also know you're a good person, which is why I trusted you enough to accept your offer to help me. And I'm never going to forget it," I told him.

"Thank you," he sighed and finally smiled. We hugged again and as we separated, I guess I had a funny expression on my face, because he asked, "What is it?"

"The door between us? You said you could close it when we were done, but... would please leave it open, just a crack? Please?" I asked hopefully.

"Is that what you want?"

I nodded.

He smiled. "Always."

I hugged him again and soon after I found myself back in my body in my hospital room. No one was there, but I didn't feel alone. I could still feel Nathan, and that made it easier for me to rest.

All of this happened about two months ago, and I can still feel his presence even when he's not around. But, tonight I can see as well as feel him. Here at my exhibition, he's been making the rounds, but was close by when it came time to unveil my piece. My jaw and hands are still healing, although I can actually talk again. As for the hands, they've responded well to the surgeries and I'm even using clay as part of my therapy to build up strength in them again. But now I know for sure I'll be able to keep making works of art and beauty once more.

As you can expect, my mom burst into tears of joy when she saw it. She hugged me, carefully of course, since I'm still healing. Still it was so worth it. She could barely speak, she was so moved, but her eyes and smile spoke louder than the entire New York Philharmonic symphony blasting the 1812 overture. 

I briefly wondered if Nathan was feeling what I was experiencing, then saw the huge smile on his face across the room. Brian and his family were with them, as well as Jack's. They're part of what Nathan calls his "extended" family, and now I am too...

"And always will be..." I hear in my head. 

"Back at you," I reply through our link, and he smiles.