Jolene's Ghost

Jolene slid her bare legs between the covers making room for him in her bed. She looked up at his face with her warm brown eyes and smiled as he peered at her artwork. It was the first thing he'd loved about her. Patting the pillow she signaled him to join her and then flipped the blanket open exposing her bare backside.

"Come to bed," she told him.

Chet looked from her painting to see her awaiting. His eyes slowly winked and he sighed with pleasure. "You look beautiful."

"You still think so?" She pouted knowing he loved her lips that way. "Even after you've had me?"

"More now than ever," he said.

Jolene laughed, but she smiled as well and ran her hand along the skin of her back down to her butt and patted herself there while looking into his eyes. "Come to bed."

He'd brought her flowers that sat in a vase on her coffee table between the bed and the TV. Before he got in he pulled a petal form one of the blossoms. While he slipped in behind her he brushed it along her lips. She watched his blue eyes and parted both her lips and her legs as she felt him explore.

"So beautiful," he said.

"Oh?" she pressed herself back taking him in and licked her lips. "Are you going to be able to let me sleep?"

His gasps told her no, but he pulled her close and did his best to relax. "I'll try."

Jolene let herself spoon to his body, feeling his warmth. The touch of his hands felt exciting on her chest. Thinking of it made her want more and she slowly rocked her hips to him letting him know it felt good. "What if I don't want to?"

"Anything you like," he said. "You know I want you."

She rocked slowly against him and then stopped.

He moaned deeply as she felt his body vibrate.

"Sleep," she said. "We'll do that more later."

They remained that way, softly whispering as she fell into a dream. It came on suddenly, she was on her bike but the seat seemed different. Quickly she shook and awoke with his arms pulling her softly closer reminded Jolene that he was there and she turned so his lips pressed her cheek and relaxed again in his arms. Everything felt warm with him there.

A draft of air made her look to the window. Sunlight washed through the red curtains as they flapped and she sensed the smell of wine. "Chet?"

She looked beside her but he was gone. The bed was still warm as she slipped her hand between the covers and sat up. Her body felt strange, she was a little dizzy as her feet touched the floor and she found a map resting on her table. A line marked a road from Groningen north through Winsum. It made no sense.

"Chet?" she looked around her room. His bag was still there, his shoes and pants and things were beside the TV where he'd left them.

Light washed on and off from the window ash the curtain moved. Jolene stared at the fabric and thought he must have woken and gone to the bathroom. Then she peered closer at the map. It wasn't a road through Winsum at all, it was a hand drawn map to the graveyard near her home and a note from someone she didn't know saying to meet them there. Some woman.

"I bet he went there," she thought. "But why?"

Glancing at the window again she heard the train making its way over the tracks. She saw her reflection in the glass and smiled at herself making faces until she saw her bicycle outside, and the train stopped moving. It was and wasn't her bike, it was brand new with strange wide tires. Blinking she saw her room again and the curtains flapping in the light breeze.

"Its too early," she said before forcing herself to stand. Everything seemed sluggish as she went to look for him. Her body wavered, probably leftovers from all they drank the night before she thought. The bathroom, the kitchen, she found him nowhere and stopped beside the computer peering at the blank screen. Oddly, she noticed the map again. They must have printed them out the night before, only this one was Germany. They had plans to see someone there but she couldn't remember who.

"Chet?" she looked around again and noticed the front door was open. As she walked toward it she noticed the map to the graveyard was in her hand just as she realized she was naked. "Shit."

Jolene thought of going back to her room to dress but remembering his clothing had been left behind too she pulled on her boots father's fleece and went out to find him. He was running around naked somewhere. Chet might have the map but he didn't know where he was going she was sure. She'd have to find him and bring him back to bed.

It felt like the air was colder on her face when she stepped off the train and found her bicycle. Glancing around she wondered when the train had started dropping her off at her doorway, but she was in a hurry and hopped onto her bike. Even though her face was cold, her body still felt warm as she rocked her legs peddling down the road.

"Flowers?" Someone asked.

She looked over and found a man leaning out of his truck as he drove beside her. He waved a bunch off flowers at her.

"No thinks," she said.

"Peachy outfit, dear." The man's truck swerved and the flowers brushed her arm. "But they expect you to bring flowers to the graveyard."

Jolene looked at him in shock, but he wasn't there. A woman road beside her on an old fashioned bicycle. The other bike's tires were thin and their rubber white.

"Did you?" Jolene asked.

"What dear?" the woman asked. Her voice sounding old.

"Nothing," Jolene said and looked down at her bicycle. The seat felt closer than she expected and reminded her that riding without panties or shorts could be very distracting. As hard as she tried not to think of it the rhythm made it impossible to ignore, the undulation, the entry, and then she slammed on the breaks skidding up to the graveyard's gateway.

She looked in and yelled, "Chet!"

There was no answer.

The gate opened right as she touched it and a draft of air rushed up her legs. Fear made her back tingle and she ran suddenly forward not wanting to look back. A fog made it hard for her to see and she did stop, she stopped quick and looked back but nothing was there. Nothing stood behind her but the bicycle leaning just outside the gate.

"Chet?" She asked in a whisper, "are you here?"

Something touched her side. Jolene looked but nothing was there, her heard began to race and she spun looking for someone trying to trick her. "Who's there?"

The bicycle was just out of view now, fog had drifted between her and the gate. Fear grew and she trembled so hard she heard the paper in her hand shake. Looking at the sound, she saw something she'd missed before. Written on the other side of the paper were a name and a grave site location.

"Looking for someone?" a woman's voice asked.

Jolene looked around and she was there, it was the woman on the bike but this one was young and in a long blue dress with soft light brown hair. "What?"

"Is he on that paper?" the woman asked.

"No," Jolene said. "I don't know who this is."

"Its always someone, dear." The woman reached out and her icy cold hand brushed Jolene's fingers as she took the note.

Jolene pulled her hand back and suddenly felt warmth all along her back. She thought of her bicycle, of running away, and then she remembered Chet. He'd be looking for her, she couldn't abandon him.

"I need to find him," she said.

"I know, dear." The woman said. "I'll take you."

"No, wait." Jolene said but the woman was already walking away so she ran after her. "Wait!"

It frightened Jolene to see but the woman moved faster than she could and melted right through gravestones. The vision made her heart beat even faster and her stomach tightened. A draft of cold wet air brushed her face and something caught her leg.

"No!" she said falling into the mud of a fresh grave.

The woman's cold hand wrapped her chin as that young face looked down. "Come, dear. This isn't the one you're looking for. I'll show you."

Jolene jumped up, brushing the woman's hand from her chin and following closer this time. Chet had to be there.

"Jolene!" she heard his voice.

"Chet?" she looked around, but didn't want to lose the woman. "Where are you?"

"Right here," he said. "Looking at your daisies."

Suddenly the woman was gone and she was peering up from the ground through an array of flowers at a crystal blue sky.

"Chet?" her voice came out in a whisper.

"What lover?" he asked.

"Are we..." she looked around and there were flowers as far as she could see. "Dead?"

"Oh," he said and his face went totally calm. "I don't know. Do you think this is heaven?"

"No," she said. "I was just in the graveyard, but I found you."

She looked over her shoulder and he slid his hand up the middle of her bare chest, cupping and caressing he cuddled her to him in the field of flowers. But then something odd happened and her face got all wet. The flowers were washing away, blowing past her window.

The train was rattling along again. Her reflection in the glass seemed to grow more and more into focus. She saw her brown eyes, the part of her hair, and as she looked down she saw a note in her hand. It was a map.

"Jolene?" he asked and she felt his hand softly nudge her shoulder. "Do you want to get up, hon?"

His hair was fluffy from the pillow and she couldn't help laughing. "You look funny."

"Your dog sure thinks so," he said.

Just then she felt the dog's tongue lapping at her cheek. "Oh god."

"He's been trying to wake you," Chet said.

Jolene fluffed the dog's hair and looked around her room. The curtains rustled and light peeked in from outside. His pants were still by the TV, and her flowers still on the table.

"Okay," she said. "I'll get up."

He watched her lovingly as she moved from the bed. She knew he did and it pleased her. For a moment she stopped in front of the mirror and posed so he could see her reflection.

"What's that?" he asked.

She looked down and found a note in her hand.