asked.
“Both,” he replied. “I was not told you have a touch of it…you must , to see anything at all.”
“A touch of what ?” I asked in irritation.
Then Molly made a little sound of distress in her sleep. I folded the letter quickly, slipping it back into the envelope and carefully replacing it in the darkness beneath Molly’s bed. As soon as the letter settled back into place, she sighed in contentment. I stood and backed away from her bed slowly, suppressing a slight flush of guilt.
“I know you don’t know anything, but you don’t need to.Quite frankly, you’re better off. All you need to do is gently push your friend in the right direction,” the glow told me.
“And which direction is that?” I asked. I sat down on the edge of the bed, careful not to touch my sleeping self. I held out a hand. The little light filtering through the window drifted through my translucent skin. Yet somehow my transparent hand didn’t look quite ghost-like; living warmth colored my skin, and there was a slight glow to me that I knew the dead wouldn’t possess. “What in the world is going on right now?” I said softly, mostly to myself.
The glow tugged on my hair, gentler this time. “Stop asking so many questions.”
“It’s not as though it matters anyway,” I pointed out rebelliously. “This is all a dream and you’re not real.” I didn’t believe it in the very core of myself.
The little glow laughed. “Right you are, right you are,” he said in a sing-song voice. “You’re a curious one. It’s not often that mortals slip so easily between their two halves.”
“What do you mean?” I heard the mingled curiosity and suspicion in my own voice.
“I should leave you thinking it was all a dream,” the little glow said with a conspiratorial air. “But there’s something strange about you.” He touched the curve of my ear with one tiny hand. “If I didn’t know better I’d say you have priestess blood in you, but I wasn’t sent here for you, and so I shan’t say anything at all.”
“Of course,” I said amiably. “What’s your name?” I asked. “Or I guess I should already know, since it’s my dream and all.” I thought for another minute, waiting for it to come.
“All the time in the world in dreamland,” said the glow. He hopped down onto my leg and sat on my knee cross-legged, looking gravely up at me. The longer I looked at him, the more detail I was able to see: he wore boots, and a long tunic with leggings beneath, and his face was pointed but still pretty, in a wild, boyish way. He wore a little down-feather in his hair, perched jauntily behind one ear.
“Hm,” I murmured dreamily, lying back against the headboard of the bed. I was careful not to dislodge him from my knee. He sat on my kneecap and dangled his feet in the air like a child.
“I’ll tell you my name,” he said, “if you tell me your name.”
“Tess,” I replied with a little laugh. “Tess O’Connor.”
“Tess is short for something?” the little glow said, leaning forward with interest.
“Theresa. But it’s Tess.” I jiggled my knee the slightest bit, just enough to made the glow put out a hand for balance. “Now you tell me your full name, since I told you mine.”
The little glow stood up and bowed elegantly. “Whither Willow Wisp,” he said. He tilted his head. “Although, mortal Tess, that was nothing of a fair exchange.”
I had no idea what he meant by that, so I let it pass. “Can I just call you Will? Or Wisp?” I sat up suddenly. “That’s like…Will o’ the Wisp!”
Dislodged from my knee, the little glow flew in a few pleased circles. “One and the same,” he said. “You could say it’s a family name. And if you really insist on a nickname, I’d prefer Wisp.”
I yawned.
Wisp hovered above my face and grinned impishly. ”Dream-walking will tire you greatly, if you haven’t been taught,” he said.
“Hmm,” I managed, feeling my eyes drift shut. I
“Both,” he replied. “I was not told you have a touch of it…you must , to see anything at all.”
“A touch of what ?” I asked in irritation.
Then Molly made a little sound of distress in her sleep. I folded the letter quickly, slipping it back into the envelope and carefully replacing it in the darkness beneath Molly’s bed. As soon as the letter settled back into place, she sighed in contentment. I stood and backed away from her bed slowly, suppressing a slight flush of guilt.
“I know you don’t know anything, but you don’t need to.Quite frankly, you’re better off. All you need to do is gently push your friend in the right direction,” the glow told me.
“And which direction is that?” I asked. I sat down on the edge of the bed, careful not to touch my sleeping self. I held out a hand. The little light filtering through the window drifted through my translucent skin. Yet somehow my transparent hand didn’t look quite ghost-like; living warmth colored my skin, and there was a slight glow to me that I knew the dead wouldn’t possess. “What in the world is going on right now?” I said softly, mostly to myself.
The glow tugged on my hair, gentler this time. “Stop asking so many questions.”
“It’s not as though it matters anyway,” I pointed out rebelliously. “This is all a dream and you’re not real.” I didn’t believe it in the very core of myself.
The little glow laughed. “Right you are, right you are,” he said in a sing-song voice. “You’re a curious one. It’s not often that mortals slip so easily between their two halves.”
“What do you mean?” I heard the mingled curiosity and suspicion in my own voice.
“I should leave you thinking it was all a dream,” the little glow said with a conspiratorial air. “But there’s something strange about you.” He touched the curve of my ear with one tiny hand. “If I didn’t know better I’d say you have priestess blood in you, but I wasn’t sent here for you, and so I shan’t say anything at all.”
“Of course,” I said amiably. “What’s your name?” I asked. “Or I guess I should already know, since it’s my dream and all.” I thought for another minute, waiting for it to come.
“All the time in the world in dreamland,” said the glow. He hopped down onto my leg and sat on my knee cross-legged, looking gravely up at me. The longer I looked at him, the more detail I was able to see: he wore boots, and a long tunic with leggings beneath, and his face was pointed but still pretty, in a wild, boyish way. He wore a little down-feather in his hair, perched jauntily behind one ear.
“Hm,” I murmured dreamily, lying back against the headboard of the bed. I was careful not to dislodge him from my knee. He sat on my kneecap and dangled his feet in the air like a child.
“I’ll tell you my name,” he said, “if you tell me your name.”
“Tess,” I replied with a little laugh. “Tess O’Connor.”
“Tess is short for something?” the little glow said, leaning forward with interest.
“Theresa. But it’s Tess.” I jiggled my knee the slightest bit, just enough to made the glow put out a hand for balance. “Now you tell me your full name, since I told you mine.”
The little glow stood up and bowed elegantly. “Whither Willow Wisp,” he said. He tilted his head. “Although, mortal Tess, that was nothing of a fair exchange.”
I had no idea what he meant by that, so I let it pass. “Can I just call you Will? Or Wisp?” I sat up suddenly. “That’s like…Will o’ the Wisp!”
Dislodged from my knee, the little glow flew in a few pleased circles. “One and the same,” he said. “You could say it’s a family name. And if you really insist on a nickname, I’d prefer Wisp.”
I yawned.
Wisp hovered above my face and grinned impishly. ”Dream-walking will tire you greatly, if you haven’t been taught,” he said.
“Hmm,” I managed, feeling my eyes drift shut. I
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