you."
The ghost didn't deny it. She looked pointedly at Char's hair. But how could she deny anything if the only words she knew were bees, boom, and no?
"We're going to help you with your bees," Jake said, "but first I want you to help me with something." He crouched down on the ground and looked up at her. Brilliant. Not so intimidating. "Do you remember your name?"
She tilted her head again and assumed a coquettish look that completely clashed with her skeletal frame and dirty face—and her body odor. But it was clear. She remembered her name. Char and Jake waited.
The bees buzzed.
And they waited some more.
"Alice."
"Alice," Jake said. The ghost broke out in a smile so big Char wanted to cry. How long had it been since the poor thing heard someone speak her name?
" Fifo died," Alice said.
"Yes," Char said. Fifo . Probably a pet or a loved one. "I'm so sorry. My sister died." It was the first time she'd said it aloud. Her throat constricted and tears welled in her eyes. "Oh!" She couldn't hold back the tears.
"Sad," Alice said. "Sad." She put her arms around Char. Cripes, she smelled awful. Char hugged her back, and they both shook with violent sobs. Jake stood up and put his arms around them.
When they'd cried everything out, Jake said, "Alice, we need to get you and the bees to a safe place. A place with no boom. Out of the rain. Away from raptors."
Alice nodded. "No boom."
"No boom," Jake said. "I want you to come with us back to the citadel. As soon as it's safe, we'll take the bees to a place where you can take care of them with no rain, no raptors, and no boom."
"And you can have a warm bath," Char said. "With bubbles."
The skin where Alice would have eyebrows scrunched. Char grimaced at Jake, thinking she'd ruined it with the bath suggestion.
Alice nodded. "Bees no boom. Bath."
"Outstanding," Jake said. "Just outstanding."
He was thrilled that he'd saved a ghost and learned her name. He had no idea that he was about to become one of the richest and most powerful men in the world. But Char was a hydroponics agronomist, and she knew. Asherah had given them a treasure infinitely more precious than Garrick's oil or Luxor's gold.
Jake and Char started back to the horses, but Alice yelled, "Wait!" She ran away down a row of mud hives and disappeared into some trees.
"I guess we wait," Jake said.
Ten minutes later, Alice was back, carrying a bush that was all sticks covered with hard woody buds. "My goodness," Char said. "A lilac. A real lilac bush. Alice, you're amazing!"
Alice smiled. "Flower."
When they got back to the picnic blanket, Char tore off her camisole. Clouds were building up again, and in the chill breeze she grabbed her jacket and put it on over her bra. She dug up some dirt and packed it around the lilac roots, then wrapped that with her camisole.
Jake put Alice in front of him on his horse, and Char handed her the lilac. "At the citadel you can choose where to plant this."
Alice was a ghost, no question. In the bath, she barely displaced the water. As if she knew what she had to do to come back, Alice listened and repeated words she seemed to like. Bubbles. Warm. Bees.
Bees. Let's hope Alice went light on that word until the bees were secure. Char left Alice to her bath.
"I'm not sleeping." Jake jumped up from the sofa and ran his hands through his hair. "So Alice must be a high-performing ghost. She said more words today than cage net woman said in a month."
Char walked Jake to the door. "I wonder if having the bees to care for made the difference."
"It makes all the difference." Jake touched her cheek. "Caring for someone." He enveloped her in a bear hug. There were tears in his eyes, and he laughed. "Ah, Meadowlark. Something about Alice and her bees gives me faith in humanity. It's a strange feeling."
Char kissed him and pressed against him in the open doorway, wishing he didn't have to put in an appearance with the early arrivals. She was in the middle of saying
The ghost didn't deny it. She looked pointedly at Char's hair. But how could she deny anything if the only words she knew were bees, boom, and no?
"We're going to help you with your bees," Jake said, "but first I want you to help me with something." He crouched down on the ground and looked up at her. Brilliant. Not so intimidating. "Do you remember your name?"
She tilted her head again and assumed a coquettish look that completely clashed with her skeletal frame and dirty face—and her body odor. But it was clear. She remembered her name. Char and Jake waited.
The bees buzzed.
And they waited some more.
"Alice."
"Alice," Jake said. The ghost broke out in a smile so big Char wanted to cry. How long had it been since the poor thing heard someone speak her name?
" Fifo died," Alice said.
"Yes," Char said. Fifo . Probably a pet or a loved one. "I'm so sorry. My sister died." It was the first time she'd said it aloud. Her throat constricted and tears welled in her eyes. "Oh!" She couldn't hold back the tears.
"Sad," Alice said. "Sad." She put her arms around Char. Cripes, she smelled awful. Char hugged her back, and they both shook with violent sobs. Jake stood up and put his arms around them.
When they'd cried everything out, Jake said, "Alice, we need to get you and the bees to a safe place. A place with no boom. Out of the rain. Away from raptors."
Alice nodded. "No boom."
"No boom," Jake said. "I want you to come with us back to the citadel. As soon as it's safe, we'll take the bees to a place where you can take care of them with no rain, no raptors, and no boom."
"And you can have a warm bath," Char said. "With bubbles."
The skin where Alice would have eyebrows scrunched. Char grimaced at Jake, thinking she'd ruined it with the bath suggestion.
Alice nodded. "Bees no boom. Bath."
"Outstanding," Jake said. "Just outstanding."
He was thrilled that he'd saved a ghost and learned her name. He had no idea that he was about to become one of the richest and most powerful men in the world. But Char was a hydroponics agronomist, and she knew. Asherah had given them a treasure infinitely more precious than Garrick's oil or Luxor's gold.
Jake and Char started back to the horses, but Alice yelled, "Wait!" She ran away down a row of mud hives and disappeared into some trees.
"I guess we wait," Jake said.
Ten minutes later, Alice was back, carrying a bush that was all sticks covered with hard woody buds. "My goodness," Char said. "A lilac. A real lilac bush. Alice, you're amazing!"
Alice smiled. "Flower."
When they got back to the picnic blanket, Char tore off her camisole. Clouds were building up again, and in the chill breeze she grabbed her jacket and put it on over her bra. She dug up some dirt and packed it around the lilac roots, then wrapped that with her camisole.
Jake put Alice in front of him on his horse, and Char handed her the lilac. "At the citadel you can choose where to plant this."
Alice was a ghost, no question. In the bath, she barely displaced the water. As if she knew what she had to do to come back, Alice listened and repeated words she seemed to like. Bubbles. Warm. Bees.
Bees. Let's hope Alice went light on that word until the bees were secure. Char left Alice to her bath.
"I'm not sleeping." Jake jumped up from the sofa and ran his hands through his hair. "So Alice must be a high-performing ghost. She said more words today than cage net woman said in a month."
Char walked Jake to the door. "I wonder if having the bees to care for made the difference."
"It makes all the difference." Jake touched her cheek. "Caring for someone." He enveloped her in a bear hug. There were tears in his eyes, and he laughed. "Ah, Meadowlark. Something about Alice and her bees gives me faith in humanity. It's a strange feeling."
Char kissed him and pressed against him in the open doorway, wishing he didn't have to put in an appearance with the early arrivals. She was in the middle of saying
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