After a short time, Francis jerked awake with another anxiety attack, which had become her unwanted companion since their lives had changed. "God, what is wrong with me? How will I ever be able to raise the kids? Did Simon ever love me? God why am I even here? My marriage failed, she sobbed. Was he ever the man I saw or was it a lie that he gave his heart to me? He already had a wife, so what did I mean to him? How do you even hurt the person you say you love like that and the children; they are his own flesh and blood. How could he desert them without a word? They are so hurt and I don't know how to help them through this. Where did Simon go and why did he do this? What was he thinking?" Francis cried and sobbed until she finally fell back asleep.

  It was probably 2 or 3 in the morning when she awoke again because it was still dark, except for her little nightlight. Her eyes focused on a man, leaning over her, who began fading and then was totally gone from sight! Francis thought maybe she was dreaming, but no, her eyes were wide awake. Francis looked around to assure herself that she was awake and said out loud to herself, "Ok, I see the picture of Julie and the picture of Mark and there is the closet and the bathroom and my robe I draped over the chair last night. I am awake and I know what I saw, but what in the world? Am I going crazy now, too on top of everything else? I can't talk about this with anyone or they will think l'm crazy." On that note Francis must've fallen asleep, because that is the last thing she remembered before she woke up, feeling more rested than she had in a couple of months.

  Francis got dressed and after a quick breakfast of cereal, the little family took off for the hardware store and gardening center. It took several trips to bring everything home and they had a blast, picking out vegetables and flowers, a wheelbarrow, rake and hoe. They also picked out a rototiller to dig up the ground and were told it would be delivered the next day. Once home, Francis started supper while the kids unloaded the car and started ferrying everything in the wheelbarrow to the back yard. The kids were so excited that as soon as dishes were done, they insisted on taking a walk in the backyard. Francis and the kids went back to the orchard, or what was left of it again. "Mom, what are these long pieces of wood? There are a lot of them between the trees and they have the middle of them cut out just like someone was making a dugout canoe, but way too skinny," Mark asked.

  "I don't know Mark," Francis answered.

  Julie had studied horticulture as a summer course the year before and was eager to put into practice what she had learned. They marked off the area they wanted to use as a garden, inside the yard, preparing for the arrival of the rototiller. They managed to putter around, doing this, that and the other until dark. "Ok, baths for all tonight; we must get all of the dirt off before we get into bed." Francis said wearily, but happily.

  Julie queried, "How in the world will we take baths with the water not working?"

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  "We can carry water into the bathroom with buckets from the well," Mark helpfully suggested.

  "Great idea, Mark!" Julie said. "If I wasn't so dirty I would suggest skipping baths for tonight, but I'm all in!"

  The kids got their baths and the little family read stories and prayed together. With everyone off to bed, it was easy to drop off, as everyone was so very tired.

  Francis was somewhere between dreamland and reality, when, with her eyes closed, she noticed something passing between her and the nightlight. Upon opening her eyes, Francis saw a man pacing back and forth in her bedroom. She jumped a little at the sight, but strangely felt no fear, "Who are you? What are you doing in my room and how did you get in here? All of the doors are double locked."

  "Why madam, do you see me?" the man asked.

  "Of course I see you! I'm not blind!" Francis said. "The lights may be off, but I can see you by the little nightlight!"

  "And you can hear me too?" He asked with an astonished look on his face, "The heavens be praised! It's been almost a hundred years since I was able to communicate with anyone! Oh, this is a glorious day!"

  "What is going on? " Francis responded, "You are in my bedroom in the middle of the night, pacing across the floor, surprised I can see you and hear you? How did you get in here? I'm going to call the police if you don't... Did you say something about not talking to anyone for a hundred years?"

  "Madam, I don't suggest doing that. They will think you have bats in your belfry, because they won't be able to see me. Plenty of other people have come and gone in this old house, but not a single one has been able to see or hear me until you."

  "What in the world do you mean?" Francis asked.

  "Madam, I passed away a long time ago but have not departed." he explained.

  "You are a ghost?" Francis asked incredulously.

  "I am afraid so," he said.

  "Well go away; you can't be here," Francis told him.

  "You don't understand, Madam. I cannot leave this house; I am confined here," He said.

  Francis stared for some time, trying to make sense of the impossible conversation, "This can't be happening. I'm just having a bad dream and I need to wake up. Or go back to sleep, or turn on the lights or something. Ghosts aren't real; they are just a made up story."

  "I am no mere dream, I assure you," He said.

  Francis started to cry, "It's bad enough that my so-called husband disappeared and I'm raising the kids on my own and having to start all over again in a new place with plumbing that doesn't work, but now I'm having a nervous breakdown with hallucinations of a ghost! Waaa, what's next?" She put a pillow over her head and ignored what the ghost said until she finally went back to sleep.