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I SPOKE IT THE NEXT MORNING AT BREAKFAST

I’d been unable to e’d first gotten up For a few minutes, of course, there was the inevitable rush of rejection tohat I’d seen What I’d tried to do the night before, I tried again-to believe that it was only a febrile dream One’s mind can far more easily accept that sort of explanation There’s reason to it, sorasp hold of; even when it isn’t true

I’d been unable to speak, too, because it seemed so cooodSunday breakfast ready But when Richard was finished eating and had gone out into the yard to play, and Anne and Phil and I were sitting at the kitchen table over coffee, I did say it

"I saw a ghost last night"

It’s fantastic how theof staterin Even Anne smiled a little

"You what?" she asked

Her smile was the first to fade It went as soon as she sa serious I was

"Honey, what do you mean?" she asked "You dreamed it?" I sed It’s not what one could call the easiest thing in the world to talk about

"I’d like to think that," I said, "but I can’t" I looked at them both "I really saw one I mean I ake and I saw one"

"This is on the level?" Phil asked

I didn’t say anything I just nodded

"When?" Anne asked

I put down ht," I said "That is, thisIt et up," she said

"You were asleep," I told her Even as I spoke, a rush of crude hope filled me that it really had been a dream

"This was-after you told me you couldn’t sleep?" she asked I could tell she didn’t believe me; rather, didn’t believe that I’d seen what I said I’d seen

I said yes I looked at both of theesture "That’s it," I said

"I saw a ghost I saw it"

"What did it look like?" Phil asked He didn’t even try to conceal his fascination This was ain as if I felt slightly asha As a matter of fact I think I was; a little

"It was a woman," I said "She was-in her thirties, I’d say Had dark hair and-was about, oh, five-foot-six She earing an odd dress-black with a strange design on it And there was a string of pearls around her neck"

There was a moment’s suspension, then Anne said, "You saw this?"

"I saw it," I said "I was in the living rooreen chair I looked up and-she was standing there" I sed "Looking at me"

"Honey" I couldn’t tell what I heard more of in her voice-sympathy or revulsion

"You really saw it then," said Phil, "I mean with your eyes?"

"Phil, I told you," I said, "I saw it It wasn’t a dreaot up, I went into the bathroo I checked Richard to see if he was all right, I looked out the backat the yard I sat down on the green chair-and I saw her Like that I ake It wasn’t any drea at s-curiosity, withdrawal, concern, love, fear; all of them in the one look

"Before this happened," Phil said, "as your mental state? I mean, why couldn’t you sleep?" I looked at him curiously "Why?" I asked

"Because I think you were in a state of mental turmoil Before you-let’s say-sahat you did"

"Phil, I did see it," I said, a little i with this dream idea Don’t, for God’s sake, humour me I’m not a mental case"

"Of course you’re not," Phil said quickly "I didn’t mean that for a second What you saas as real to you as I a here across fro at but I said, "Okay, then That’s settled"

"You were in an aroused h," Phil said It wasn’t a question this time I looked at him a moment, warily I didn’t want to be led to any pat conclusion about this But of course I had to say yes to his stateine you even have a headache now Do you?"

"A little one" I felt myself start "How do you know all this?" I asked

"Because it follows a pattern, brother man," he said "You had a hallucination as a result of-"

"Phil" I started

"Listen to ht before, not now What I saas as real tothere"

"Of course it was Do you think that makes it actual?"

That stopped me cold It’s the sort of question that can topple anything; make even the ness I sat there staring at hiht pulse of pain in my head

"What do you mean?" I finally asked

"Simply this," he said, "people have had hallucinations before-in broad daylight, ht They’ve shaken hands with their hallucinations, talked with the to say," I said, unable to keep fro a little, "is that your old brother-in-law is ready for the hatch"

"Oh, hell, no," Phil said "That woman exists I don’t knohere-or when But she’s real I mean she lives somewhere-or did live somewhere She’s someone you’ve known or seen-or maybe haven’t seen; that isn’t necessary The point is, what you saasn’t a ghost Not in the usual sense of the word anyway-though plenty of so-called ghosts would fit into this category"

"Which is?" I asked

"Telepathic ies," Phil said "If one person can see a card with a symbol on it, another person can see what looks like a huh because of our little experiht You saw this wohost That’s the trouble with our attitude-not just yours, Tom

"People won’t believe in reasonable, verifiable phenos like hypnotism, telepathy, clairvoyance No, that they won’t accept But they see soe, flying high Because they’re not prepared, because they can only react with instinctive es with their s they’ll shole when their eht into play Because the emotions have no li-and they do As witness yourself You’re an intelligent host"

He paused and Anne and I stared at him He’d sounded just like Alan Porter

"The end," he said, grinning "Pass the basket"

"So you don’t think I saw it then," I said

"You did see it," he answered, "but in yourit that way can be just as realistic to you as seeing it the ordinary way Sorinned "Hell, ht" We talked about it soh-except objections It’s a little hard to let go of a thing like that Maybe the hu to it a little As Phil had indicated, it’s a lotto write it off as "mere" telepathy It was Anne who broke it up

"Well, we’re doing a lot of talking about this," she said with her true wo the whole point What I want to knoas this woh at the combination of curiosity and wifely suspicion in her voice

"Who else?" Phil said "One of his girl friends"

I shook my head

"I wish I knew," I said, "but I can’t reed "Maybe it hat’s her name?-Helen Driscoll"

"Whoozat, whoozat?" Phil asked