Free The Spirit Who Loved Me: Spirit Whispers Book One by Stacey Virginia Longmuir

Stopping in front of her, I asked, “Am I dreaming?” Then I pinched myself, honest to God. “Ouch!”
     
    “No, not a dream.” She tilted her face, just like I do all the time, and I knew in that instant where I inherited the mannerism. “Come sit with Granny.” She lowered herself with a gracefulness I’d never seen her possess in life and patted the checkered cloth next to her. She reached behind her back and pulled out a tan wicker basket I hadn’t noticed. She gave me that knowing look of hers, one I was all too familiar with and opened up the basket, before starting to pull out food. Of course. Of course, she would have food. She was quite the cook and somehow still apparently was.
     
    She laid out a platter of fresh biscuits with slices of country ham tucked inside, collard greens, black eyed peas, and cucumber salad, the scent of the vinegar burning my nose. I started to wonder how much more could possibly fit in that basket, I felt like I was watching Marry Poppins pulling things out of her magic carpet bag. Mason jars filled with sweet tea, one for her, one for me, came next. And last but not least, beginning to sing Happy Birthday much to my embarrassment, she brought forth her special chocolate cake complete with rich milk chocolate icing. I could feel the chocolate butter cream melting on my tongue already.
     
    Granny opened a cloth napkin with great flair. It billowed gracefully down, and she smoothed it out on her lap. “Here you are, dear.” She handed me a napkin of my own with a biscuit, a slice of ham heaven sitting inside. I took a bite. Delicious. I never remembered being able to taste food in a dream before.
     
    “So, if this isn’t a dream, then where are we?”
     
    “I was waiting for you to ask. We are In Between.”
     
    I waited for more explanation. When she didn’t give any, I cleared my throat. “Ah, in-between where? Exactly?”
     
    She looked at me patiently. “In Between the Planes of Existence. A meeting place of sorts.” My face was blank, and she continued, “There are Physical Planes such as Earth, where you live. And then there are Spiritual Realms.” My face was still a blank. She made a small tsking sound. “Spiritual Realms—some have called them Heaven, Hell, Limbo, Purgatory, among others, but those names you’re most familiar with,” she said it all so matter of fact.
     
    “Sugar, if you don’t close your mouth soon, you’re gonna start catching flies in that thing,” she laughed, the sound whimsical and light.
     
      I touched my mouth with my fingertips, and sure enough it was hanging wide open. I snapped it shut.
     
    Granny chuckled lowly, “Come on now. We don’t have all night, and this food certainly isn’t going to eat itself. And we do have plenty to cover before our little visit is through.”
     
    I felt so full, I actually wondered it was possible for my stomach to explode. For real. I just couldn’t resist that last slice of chocolate cake. My mom and I had tried, to no avail to replicate it, but the cake just never came out as good as it did when Granny made it.
     
    As I tried to recover, I rested my head in Granny’s lap, watching the sun shining through the oak leaves as they danced gently in the breeze. But when I started to pay attention, I realized there really wasn’t any breeze to speak of. “You know,” I paused, “that tree sure does look a lot like the one at your old place.”
     
    She laughed. “Took you long enough. That tree has been waving its leaves at you since ya got here, girl. It is the same tree from my place.” I raised my eyebrows, scrunching up my forehead, and she swatted at me playfully. “Stop that, you’ll end up with wrinkles before you’re thirty. Now this tree, is an old friend of mine, it has witnessed all the comings and goings of my physical life.”
     
    “I’m sorry, Granny, I feel so confused.” I still was convinced I was dreaming, like a lucid dream or something, no matter how