“No, look closer,” he said.
I squinted my eyes, unsure what he was saying. He took my hand in his and raised it so I was pointing at the area.
“Do you see the waves?”
I didn’t know what on earth he was getting at. What did he mean by waves? All I could perceive was a building, a bush and snowfall.
And then, as if my eyes adjusted themselves, I saw it. I saw the waves. The air in front of the bush danced and jostled, like I was looking at the reflection of the scene on the surface of a waving pool of water.
“That’s where I come from.”
“What is it?” I whispered, sure that I wasn’t supposed to be seeing this magical thing.
“The Otherside.”
I took my eyes away from the hypnotic dance and looked at him. His grey eyes glowed in the light of a yellow streetlamp.
“Can I go there?” I breathed.
He chuckled and turned his back to me and started to walk along the sidewalk into the city.
I ran after him. “I was serious.”
“Pippa,” he said, but didn’t say anything else.
“Who are you? How do you know me?” So many questions were begging to tumble out of my lips.
“I told you, I’m Jakob. I’m from the Otherside. From the Thin Veil. And I know you because I’ve been watching you your whole life.” He said all of this like he was listing off his favorite comic books.
“The Thin Veil?” I stammered and stopped walking. The words sounded familiar but I had no idea why or how.
He stopped too, the snow whirling around his slight frame. He didn’t seem the slightest bit cold.
“You’ll freeze if we don’t keep walking. Don’t worry, I’ll keep you safe until you get a cab.”
“How?”
He walked off and I followed again, my boots kicking up the snow. My legs were starting to go numb.
“How what?”
“How…everything,” I said. “What are you?”
He looked at me over his shoulder and smiled. “Jakob. Pay attention.”
“Are you dead?”
“It doesn’t feel like it.”
“When were you born?”
“A long time ago.”
“Can I go to the Thin Veil?”
Now it was his time to stop. He placed his ungloved hands on my shoulders and shook me ever so slightly. His grey eyes looked deep in mine. It was odd sometimes how boyish he looked, just like any 14-year old kid, then in the next minute it’s like he would grow a million years inside.
“You can but you shouldn’t.”
“What’s there?”
“Others like me. But they aren’t all like me.”
I paused to wipe rogue snowflakes out of my face. “Ghosts?”
He wiggled his thin lips around and his eyes roamed in the empty space above my hat.
“Something like that.” He tugged at my arm. “Come on, let’s keep walking, it’s not safe.”
I was eager to get out of the cold but I looked around at the empty streets. “But there’s no one here.”
“That you can see,” he said just as the lights of a car flashed in our eyes. Jakob raised his hand and for a second I thought how foolish that gesture was. How could the car see him if he was a ghost?
But the car stopped and it was indeed a cab. The door opened and a man stuck his head out. “Excuse me miss, do you need a ride?”
I looked at Jakob who whispered. “He can’t see me.”
“But-”
“Don’t talk to me, he’ll think you’re a nutcase.”
I nodded, shocked and walked toward the cab driver.
“Y-yes please,” I said. The driver gave me a wave to come over.
I looked behind me at Jakob.
He was gone.
After that incident with Jakob, I didn’t see him for a very long time. I didn’t see him until my life took an entirely different direction. I didn’t see him until after I fell in love.
The following Spring, when the cool winds swept in from warming climates and pushed the snow away, Frederick announced he was leaving the company. I knew Lisbeth was concerned at his departure because even though he was a pain to work with, his name did draw in the crowds. Everyone else was overjoyed, including me and even Lisbeth admitted it would be good to have some fresh, younger blood in the company. Because Frederick was at least ten years older than Anne, their pairings on stage were always a bit off.
One day I came into work for an impromptu meeting with the cast and crew. Lisbeth had settled on a more-or-less unknown actor by the name of Ludwig Ericsson. I was unprepared for the sight before my eyes.
Ludwig was tall, well over six-feet, with shiny honey-colored hair that dazzled under the lights. His skin was a smooth, tan-color that was only a shade lighter than his hair. Against the glow, his teeth shone white and his eyes were a beautiful clear blue.
I was speechless and could only smile like a fool when he shook my hand. His skin on mine made my nerves jump inside and it felt like we were the only people in the room. Of course, we were surrounded by everyone else in the theatre and he had to introduce himself to all of them. Still, it sounds silly now, but I felt his attention, even when he wasn’t looking at me. Something had just happened between us and I couldn’t quite articulate it.
Anne did though. Anne knew men like the back of her hand and she was always with a different one. Some of our friends would call Anne a “loose woman” behind her back, but I lived with her and I never saw any of her male friends stay the night (although she would sometimes stay out until the wee hours). Besides, it didn’t matter what Anne did as long as she was happy and I was more than happy to talk about Ludwig when she brought him up later that night. I wanted her expertise and advice for this new endeavor.
“He likes you,” she said with a smirk as she piled some boiled dill potatoes onto my plate. It was a late dinner, as was usually the case for us. The balcony door was open a little, shuffling a bit of cool air into the apartment but I felt all warm inside. The brandy I was slowly swilling also helped.
I blushed. I couldn’t help myself.
“Who?” I asked more coy than I normally dared.
“You know who. Ludie.”
I raised a brow. “Is that his name?”
“Ludwig is a horrible name,” she said between bites. “So Ludie it is. And you know he fancies you. I saw the way he held your eyes earlier.”