The Mystery Visitor

Jessica was skating on a pond with her friend Alice. She had been skating for at least two hours. Skating comforted her in the wake of grief and right now it was the only thing keeping her from breaking. Her gran had died only last week, and Jessica's head was scrambled. She was only thirteen and she didn't know what to do without her gran. Gran had been her best friend, and at times her foe. She guided Jessica through bad times both at home and at school, and Jessica couldn't imagine life without her. She did a pirouette on the ice, but she lost he focus and her balance causing her to fall over. She was very lucky that she didn't fall through the ice, because it wasn't very thick. It was a cold and frosty morning, and the pond had frozen over. Jessica was glad, because skating on the pond meant she didn't have to think all the time. If she allowed herself to think, she would be in tears.

Despite the pain in her ankle, Jessica took hold of Alice's hand and began to skate again. A mist started to envelope the ice, and Jessica could only just see. She thought it was strange, because this pond had frozen before, but there had never been a mist! She put it down to it being a really cold morning.

"Watch me Jessica!" Alice called balancing on one foot and twirling.

Alice had spent days at an ice-rink practising this move to perfection just so that she could do it in public.

"Yay! You go girl! I knew you'd be able to do it!" Jessica called, trying to sound happy even though she sounded flat-toned at the same time. She wanted to smile but she just couldn't.

Jessica decided it was time to rest. She felt lost all of a sudden. Gran had gone and there was nothing she could do to bring her back. She put her head in her hands and started to cry. She was so lost without her beloved gran, and she felt like the sunshine had gone down permanently. Alice tried to comfort her but she wasn't able to.

Suddenly the mist grew thicker over the ice. Alice and Jessica were puzzled as this had never happened before.

"It is pretty cold out here, maybe that is why there is so much mist." Alice suggested. However even she was stumped by it. This had never happened at this pond before, and they had been skating her every icy morning for five years.

"Did you see that?" Alice asked, suddenly alarmed, but Jessica had put her head back down and was sobbing again.

"I want to go home and bring gran back." Jessica said between tears.

Alice felt a lump in the back of her throat. She loved Jessica's gran too, but she couldn't cry now, not while her best friend was like this. She wrapped her arms around her best friend and let out a silent tear.

Suddenly, out of nowhere there was a voice.

"Don't cry for me darlings. I'm out of pain now. No matter where you go, I'll always be there to love you, guide you and watch you."

Jessica and Alice lifted their heads. They knew it couldn't be gran because gran was no longer here, and they thought that they were hearing things. They decided to head back to the ice and skate in order to take their minds of it.

They danced and twirled like super ballet dancers on the ice. They held hands and pulled each other around, laughing and having fun. The spirit of their gran was worried they would fall through the ice, so she followed and guided them so that they didn't fall, unknown to both of them. Jessica and Alice had no idea she was there. Alice tripped and felt someone push her back up, but she thought that she had done that herself. Suddenly, Jessica started limping, but she didn't want to stop. This was the first time that she had laughed since gran had died.

Gran knew that Jessica was in pain, so she put her spiritual healing powers to work and healed Jessica's ankle.

"This is weird! My ankles not hurting now." Jessica told Alice. She knew ankle pain didn't just disappear, and she had no idea what had just happened.

Jessica's gran made an appearance. The spirit scared both the girls at first, but they soon calmed down.

"I love you girls. I might not be flesh anymore, but I am still here. You can dry your tears because I will always be here."

The girls gasped as a glow of a figure enshrouded in light appeared in front of them. They didn't know what to say.

"The ice is melting now. It is too dangerous to stay out here. I know you girls have had fun over the last few weeks, but it is time to go home now."

Jessica's eyes filled with tears.

"But I love you gran." Jessica replied.

"I love you too. This will be the last day of ice as spring and summer starts. Spring is tomorrow, when you wake, there will be sunshine and marigolds. I will make sure the marigolds are there, even though it is early spring. You both must pick one in the morning and every spring after that. The marigolds will keep you close to me. Head home now, and I will always be near you. Good night girls."

Gran disappeared. Jessica and Alice hugged each other and did as they had been told. When they woke in the morning, there was sunshine and marigolds as gran had told them there would be. They each picked a flower and as the long thaw ended, they started to heal. Gran called to them in spirit and guided them through their young lives and after that.

'Our loved ones always stay close. Whether in human form or spirit form, they always love and protect us no matter how near or far.'