Source.

She can see what we can’t see…  

With Cookie’s hand firmly in her own and Aunt Cordelia sulkily trailing behind them, the strange trio meandered toward the edge of town.  Towering cacti and tangles of brush replaced small dusty shops, long closed for the night.  As the street lights faded, the stars above grew bolder, a hum racing through Layla’s veins.  She sighed, tighenting her finger’s around Cookie’s icy ones.

“It’s the one thing I miss.”

“Seeing the stars?”  The ghost glanced above, his gaze serving as her own.  ”I can imagine.”

“I can hear them, but it’s not the same.”  Layla gazed up, nearly tripping over her own feet.  ”I haven’t seen the Big Dipper since I was little.”

“What do you mean, you can hear them?”  Aunt Cordelia glided around her side, a shadow in the corner of her eye that didn’t translate to the white sand below.

“You can’t?”  Cookie twisted his head in the spirit’s direction.  ”Even I knew that the stars hummed when I was alive.  I couldn’t hear it until I was dead.”

“Maybe you can’t hear it once you’ve crossed over.”  For once, Layla’s words were kind.  She would hate not to hear the stars.  It was the only link she had left to them.

“Maybe.”  Aunt Cordelia sighed.  ”Now that I think about it, your grandmother was always humming a night.  And she always sang that stupid song.”

“The Bluest eyes in Texas.”  Layla laughed.  ”I loved that song.”

“So did she.”  The spirit’s shadow flickered, spooking Biscuit.  He slammed into Layla’s knees, knocking her onto her side.

“Hey!”  Cookie protested, wisps of his fingers jerked from Layla’s grasp.

“Sorry, sorry.”  The shadow flitted around her, tucking behind a tangle of brush.  ”I’m just not used to being present for so long.”

“Neither am I, and you don’t see me causing problems.”  Ice brushed across Layla’s neck.  ”Are you ok, Layla?  Do you need help up?”

Laying on her back, Layla stared at the sky through her closed lids.  As tiny white dots swirled around her, whispers sang on the wind, too soft for even Biscuit to hear.  She hummed along, slowly rising to her feet.

Her head tilted toward the sky, she stumbled along through the sand.

“Layla?”  Cookie’s voice echoed behind her.  ”Layla?  Where are you going?”

“Layla?”  Aunt Cordelia’s voice rose.  ”Layla!  Come back!”

As the whispers rose, the wind swirled around her, tornadoes of sand dancing around her toes.  Not even Biscuit’s frantic barks could distract her as she stared above.  The shadows were shifting, tiny dots appearing where no light had been at all.  Her own personal constellation that no one else would ever see.

“A trail of ghosts, just like a trail of stars,” she whispered in tune with the small voices.  Twirling around, all she could do was watch as the dots swirled, dancing into place.

Three dots.  Six dots.  Three sets of two.  Pulsing white throbbed against her as her eyes flew open.  She stared into the deep brown eyes of a horse, his mane swirling around him in the desert wind.  She could hear Cookie’s shriek and Aunt Corndelia’s yell, feel Bicuit’s frantic breath against her leg.  But all she did was smile.

“I remember you.”  She stroked his nose, soft velvet under her fingertips.  ”You’re here to help me.  She sent you, didn’t she?”

The horse jerked his head once, twice.

“Can you tell me the legend of the Blue Eyes?  Can you help me find her?”

The horse jerked his head again.  Without waiting, Layla climbed on.  ”Then let’s go.”

And with only the stars and spirits to guide her, she flew over the sand towards three looming shadows in the distance.

Three sets of two.  Three sets of eyes.

But all Layla saw was blue.

Stay tuned, Invisible Friends!  It’s a week of whimsy coming up!

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