I sighed as I watched the couples dance across the floor. It was such a happy time, even though it was around Halloween. The dance was a charity benefit for veterans who were without much means.

I was one of them not all that long ago. I felt so lucky that there had been groups out there that helped. Many, wounded warrior, the Dav and the VFW, to name a few.

I had been wounded during a defensive movement. We had run into an enemy company that wasn’t supposed to be there.

When I awoke in the field hospital, I found out that I had lost my best friend. Many of my company had made it though he didn’t. They say he went back and pulled me out. I don’t remember.

Every day I was thankful that I was alive, though I felt so guilty that I had made it and he didn’t. Every day I felt that he’d be alive had he not put his life in jeopardy, saving me.

I realized that it was part of the PTSD, but still I didn’t feel I deserved to be alive when he was the hero.

I was a man true, but each time I thought of him tears would fall. Why me? Why did I deserve to live and he was dead?

I sat as I watched the happy couples glide across the floor. I had never really found anyone that helped to complete me. I had, after a time, managed to harden my heart to the pain I felt during the holidays.

I had tried to throw myself into work with the company I had started before I enlisted. Even that had really not given me any joy. Home restoration had always been a passion of mine.

It was the next day, as I thought of the dance the night before. I hadn’t really been all that interested. I was a volunteer, so I hadn’t been looking. I shook my head as I saw that all my crew was sitting outside.

“What’s going on guys? Why are you all out here?” I asked as I walked to the front.

“I don’t know, boss. I haven’t seen anything to explain it. Most of the men are spooked about coming in here at all. It’s hard to get many of them to even come in the front door,” my foreman said. “Uh boss?” My foreman started. “There’s been a lot of strange stuff happening. Things moving and weird noises. Scared the hell out of many of the men.”

I just stared at him a moment, then I had him take me to where the things had been happening. When we walked in I didn’t notice anything unusual, at least ‘til several chairs started to slide across the floor.

I smiled as I reached for the nearest chair, it stopping immediately. I picked it up looking for anything attached to it. My smile disappeared as I found nothing at all.

I looked at my foreman as he just shrugged as I stared at it. “Come on,” I said as I looked harder, “there has to be something up with this.”

“No, I did like you did when they all came running out, I didn’t find anything either,” my foreman said. “I thought that someone was pulling my leg also but found nothing.”

“Pulling your leg, not funny,” I heard a voice say. I hadn’t seen my foreman’s lips move, so I quickly moved the two of us out.

A voice too low to hear suddenly said, “He heard me but how?”

We were almost to the front when I heard, “You there in the yellow jacket can you hear me?” I jerked slightly but didn’t answer. “You can! Answer me! It has been a very long time since I have conversed with someone.”

I kept walking with my foreman as a woman in 1700’s dress appeared at the door. She then stopped, unable to pass the threshold. “I’ll see what I can do, for now I want no one alone while we work OK,” I told the men.

“Boss, I think that they’d feel better if you were here,” my foreman said as the rest of the men nodded their heads, yes.

I just shook my head as we went back in. I decided that we were going to do this one room at a time as they didn’t want to separate. Damn, this was going to take a while.

Another hour into it, the whatever it was appeared beside me. “Please sir,” the woman said. “Talk to me, you are the first since I passed that can hear me.” There was a gasp as she said, you can see me can’t you?” she asked.

When I nodded without speaking, I swear that she squealed, annoying. I was walking to the front door when I whispered, “I can’t talk right now, they think I am strange enough,” I said.

“No, not strange, just gifted,” the woman said, to which I just smirked, then groaned.

I pulled out my cell phone pretending to talk into it. “It is not a gift, more a curse. If I am caught talking to thin air, they will think I have lost my mind. Though at the moment I think I might have.”

“Please you have to help me, I have languished here for so long. I am Olivia Pennyworth, find my love, so I can leave,” the woman begged, then vanished.

I shook my head as I put my cell in its holder, great all I needed more weirdness. I pulled out my cell a few minutes later as I pulled her name up on the internet.

Hmmm I thought, interesting, apparently her family had been Tories except for her. It was thought that she had been in love with a colonist, they had planned to leave to be free from war.

The night they were to leave the home that they were in was raided by British troops. She had refused to leave and was shot by a solider. Nothing had been done as the soldier had lied about her death.

Her love interest had been blamed for it though he had testified that he was many miles away. Her father had the colonist arrested and executed the next day despite what he said.

I could only stare in disbelief at what I read. This was a miscarriage of justice if I had ever seen one. I looked back at her as I tried to think about how I could help. I had no power, not really any money, so how?

I whispered, “I’ll see what I can do, though I am afraid there’s not much that I can do.”

“His name was Roderick Johns. Anything you can do will help,” she said as I nodded, then walked away some.

I called the historical society as I did a search for the name. At first, there was nothing as I tried for the next two days.

I found that there was indeed quite a bit about Olivia and her family. About the fact that she had helped the colonial effort to be free. The many times that she had almost been caught before she was killed.

I was into the fourth day when I got a hit on Roderick. He had been listed as one of ten colonists that were shot on that day. The thing was that it was where a lake now stood.

I shook my head as I thought, how in the hell was I going to make contact? I had driven out to the lake looking at the expanse of water.

I half expected to see him standing there, no such luck I thought, as I walked to the water’s edge. This whole thing sucked as I took off my shoes and touched the water with my foot.

Almost immediately, a male figure appeared out in the middle of the lake. My mouth dropped open as I looked at him standing there.

I started to turn away when I heard a male voice. “‘Ey, can ya see me? I have waited for a long ti,” he stopped as he stared at me. “Your countenance is fairly familiar to me. Have we met before?”

I laughed, which seemed to anger the male figure, never mind he was floating above the water. I stopped immediately though the damage was done.

He was suddenly in my face as he yelled, “I’m glad that you find this to be so damn funny. Who ya be?”

“Me? Nobody really,” I said.

“No, as I have found there are no, nobodies. My self-included, though I died in such a way,” he said.

I just shook my head as I had managed to find that the mission he’d been caught on had saved a lot of people. I started to tell him this when he suddenly turned toward me, passing a hand over me.

“You’ve seen her haven’t you, my dearest Olivia, is she well? Does she remember me and all that we planned?” He asked me.

“Oh, she remembers, she wishes me to find you so you can reunite and leave,” I told him.

A very large smile came to his lips as he nodded. “I didn’t think she’d forget, though there is a problem. How do we reunite? Have you any ideas?”

I stood there not really knowing what to do, I was just an old combat soldier myself.

He then turned toward me, “so, what’s your name?” He asked.

“I’m called Devin Davis,” I told him, which seemed to open his eyes a bit.

“Davis hmmm,” he started. “My brother knew a Davis; last I was home. Let’s see, I believe her name was Karen.”

I shook a moment, “Karen Davis? That was the name of my great-great-great-great-great grandmother, I think. Though I thought she was from England.”

“Yes, she was, I believe she was from Yorkshire,” he said. To which I was nodding like an idiot. “That might explain why you can see me then. The problem is how to get to me, dear heart.”

I thought about it but came up with no idea, this was something that I had never dealt with before. “I’ll go back and tell her that I found you,” I said.

“Tell her,” He started as he thought a moment. “Tell her, “I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest,” he said.

“Ummm Shakespeare,” I said.

“Ah, ‘tis good that the bard is still known even now,” he said.

I nodded as I left, thinking about all that I had learned. So, he was a relative, perhaps they were soul mates and that was why I could see both of them.

Still, I didn’t know how in the hell I was going to reunite both of them. Nothing I thought of made any sense, there had to be something I could do, only I could see them.

I reached the house an hour later, still without any idea how to help. I noticed a strange car when I pulled up, then I saw what was written on the car. Oh, great I thought a paranormal fake as I considered all of them.

I had just reached the door when an attractive blond appeared. “Ah, mister Davis,” she said as she stuck out her hand.

“Uh huh,” I said as I walked past her. “Seen your type before not interested,” I said.

I heard a gasp from behind me as I continued on. “Mr. Davis, I have been hired to clear this home,” she said.

“Uh huh,” I said as I walked away from her.

“Mr. Davis,” she said as she grabbed my arm. I turned and glared at her as she released me as if she were burned.

“I don’t believe that you can do any of this,” I said, then Olivia appeared and tsked.

I jerked back toward the woman as her head whipped around to stare at where Olivia was.

“Oh my god, she can see me also,” Olivia squealed again. I just shook my head as the woman was staring at me.

“You see her? Tell me what she is wearing,” she said as I just shook my head and walked away. “You can see her, help me to help her cross over.”

“Talk to her, she can help both of us!” Olivia said.

I stopped dead still in the middle of the hallway, shaking my head no.

“Devin please, if she can see me then she can help,” Olivia almost begged.

I whirled with both my fists clenched, “What? To be made fun of, to be put away again like when I was as a child. No fucking thank you, good luck lady to whatever you do.” I then stomped out the front door, locking myself in my truck.

The blond turned to Olivia, “we have to get him on board. I feel he is the only one that can get me and my beloved together,” Olivia said.