*At some point, you need to face the truth even if it’s not what you want. ― Ally Malinenko*

![Elizabeth.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/johnjgeddes/23wqperRFVGVR3ZCNjTBQdnokZVTU1fBFK1MW1KQMAFksrzCCFS8i268qozFh5yeoMPAY.png)*Ghost Girl?*

Len had no regrets after deciding to commit to Alex's project and their attempt to contact the dead. Just thinking of what he and Alex were doing filled him with awe and excitement. He recalled Hamlet's soliloquy where the Prince mused about death and wondered what dreams might come when he discarded his earthly body and entered a new realm. Well, maybe now their project might finally shed some light upon that mystery. *It'd be a consumation devoutly to be wished*, he mused cynically, echoing the Bard's words.

But then a few days after starting work on the project, something shocking occurred that Len never could have anticipated. He was sitting in the Hart House coffee shop when he happened to casually glance around the room and saw something that would totally alter his and Alex's research. He saw her--the girl from the vision in his head--the girl he and Alex assumed was dead. At first he could scarcely believe his eyes but the longer he stared and studied her he knew there could be no mistake.

Len began trembling and could hardly breathe. He stared at the girl mesmerized by her very physical presence. *How could this be, and what does it mean?* he wondered as he watched the girl seemingly returned from the dead and casually sipping coffee at a table a few feet away from his own. As he watched the girl he saw her wave to a student named Wendy Fisher who was enrolled in Alex's graduate seminar. Wendy was obviously on her way to a lecture and without hesitating Len got up amd hurried after her and caught up with her as she crossed the grassy quadrangle.

"Hey Wendy," He called out, "Can I ask you the name of he girl who waved to you in the Hart House caf?" "Sure, Len, but don't hold me responsible for your broken heart when she refuses to date. Guys hit on her all the time and she's not a party girl." "I wasn't intending to ask her out," Len said, colouring with embarrassment, "I need her name for a project Professor Hemmer and I are working on." Wendy smirked at Len's obvious discomfiture. "Well, in that case, her name is Elizabeth Miller and I believe she's already a student in Proessor Hemmer's seminar." "Thanks for the information," Len muttered, hurrying back to the old medical building to inform Alex about what happened.

Len repeated his story to Alex and the two sat in Alex's office for a long time without speaking. Finally, Len broke the ice. "What now?" he asked, but Alex's mind was already racing trying to determine their next steps. At length, Alex shrugged his shoulders and gave a deep sigh, "I don't know, Len--I have no idea, but I want to personally see her and check how long she's been registered in the college and what other courses she's in." "But what's the point, Alex?" Alex stared helplessly at him. "To be frank, I don't know. I honestly have no idea what's happening here and I don't understand why her face was the vision we saw...obviously, something deeper is happening here that's eluded us both and we have to figure it out.

To be continued…
© 2026, John J Geddes. All rights reserved
[Photo](https://stock.adobe.com/images/portrait-of-a-beautiful-college-girl-in-front-of-a-university/317261750)

Still speaking from the grave ..