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When she woke up it o o'clock in the an her letter to Maharet ie incident that she could remember

It wasn't until dinnertiirl with a start I here and was familiar and had always been around How could she have accepted such a thing? Even in her letter she had said, "Of course Miriam was here and Miriam said" And as Miriam? A name on Jesse's birth certificate Her mother

Jesse told no one what had happened Yet a co warmth enveloped her She could feel Miriam here, she was sure of it

Maharet's letter came five days later Maharet believed her These spirit apparitions were nothing surprising at all Such things most certainly did exist, and Jesse was not the only person who saw them:

Our faenerations has contained many a seer of spirits And as you know these were the sorcerers and witches of ages past Frequently this power appears in those who are blessed with your physical attributes: your green eyes, pale skin, and red hair It would seeether Maybe science one day will explain this to us But for now be assured that your powers are entirely natural

This does not h spirits are real, they s! They can be childish, vindictive, and deceitful By and large you cannot help the entities who try to co at a lifeless ghost-that is, a visual echo of a personality no longer present

Don't fear them, but do not let them waste your time For t

hat they love to do, once they know that you can see theain But as you have done as she asked in writing to me I do not think she will find it necessary to return In all probability she is quite above the sad antics of those whos whenever they frighten you But try not to tell others Those who do not see will never believe you

This letter proved invaluable to Jesse For years she carried it with her, in her purse or pocket wherever she went Not only had Maharet believed her, but Maharet had given her a way to understand and survive this troubleso that Maharet said had made sense

After that Jesse was occasionally frightened again by spirits; and she did share these secrets with her closest friends But by and large she did as Maharet had instructed her, and the powers ceased to bother her They see periods

Maharet's letters careater frequency Maharet was her confidante, her best friend As Jesse entered college, she had to adh the letters than anyone else she had ever known But she had long coht never see each other

Then one evening during Jesse's third year at Columbia she had opened the door of her apart under theat the andirons with the poker

Such beauty! That had been Jesse's first overwhel impression Skillfully powdered and painted, the face had an Oriental artifice, save for the rereen eyes and the thick curly red hair pouring down over the shoulders "My darling," the woman said "It's Maharet " Jesse had rushed into her ar her apart as if to look at her Then she'd covered Jesse with kisses, as if she dared not touch her in any other way, her gloved hands barely holding Jesse's arms It had been a lovely and delicate moment Jesse had stroked Maharet's soft thick red hair So like her own

"You are1 had hoped you would be Do you kno happy I aht I, yet irrepressibly warm A thin, yet statuesque creature with a tiny waist and flowing skins, she had the high-toned la broool cape ether Yet how easy with one another they had been

It had been a long night on the town; they'd gone to galleries, the theater, and then to a late night supper though Maharet had wanted nothing She was too excited, she said She did not even reloves She wanted only to listen to all that Jesse had to tell her And Jesse had talked unendingly about everything- Coluy, her dreams of fieldwork in