"Am I floating?" I think to myself. Either my eyes are closed or it's pitch black. I didn't care, it felt nice not having to worry about whether anything was real or not. I tried to think of nothing, but recent events crept into my mind. "No!" I yelled. "I don't want to think about it, I want things to go back to how they used to be." I felt tears leave my eyes, but instead of rolling down my cheek, they floated into the air above me looking like crystals. I watched them float above me. "I wonder if all spirits dream like this." I thought. "It feels kind of nice I guess." I watch the tears disappear above me, and as I did I felt myself land. I didn't want to get up, I just wanted to lay there and do nothing, it felt like time stood still and I liked the feeling. I didn't have to worry about anything beyond where I was. The moon fades into the sky, and trees started to grow around me. I remained on the ground and closed my eyes. "I just want to stay here." I think to myself. Here in my dreams, it feels like nothing can go wrong and I don't have to worry about anything. No responsibility, and nothing to worry about. 

Among my thoughts, I hear something approaching me in the distance. I remained on the ground with my eyes closed. I hear something land next to me, I decided to take a look. When I opened my eyes, I looked for what approached me, and to my left, a crow was looking at me a few feet from my face. "You look familiar," I spoke. Of course, the crow didn't respond. I didn't expect it to.  We locked eyes for a second and unconsciously I reached my hand out to pet the crow. Strange enough they let me. After a couple of minutes, the crow flew off and into the distance, and as I watched I felt my eyes getting heavier. 

I woke up to the sun beaming in my face. I looked around and saw Manfred near the Lotus. I got up and walked over to him. "Hello, Miss Lenni." He motioned for me to sit next to him.  "I didn't know spirits could sleep, or cry," I said. "Just because you are not in the human world doesn't make you less human." He replied. "That makes sense." I think to myself, but there was something else that lingered in my mind. "Manfred, can I ask you something?" I asked. He nodded. "Who are you exactly?  Where did you come from and why are you helping me?" I twiddled with my fingers. "Just a spirit that lives here." He responded. "But I think you want to know more than that." I nodded. "A long time ago I used to live here. My house caught fire and I couldn't make it out in time." He spoke. "In my human life I too had anxiety, so I relate to you. After a few years here as a depressed soul, I watched them rebuild my house from the ground up, family after family, moving in and out of this house. Years have gone by, and I remained here." He paused. "Then you and your family had moved in. I first met you the day you planted your lovely flowers. Well, I didn't meet you per se, but without a doubt, you intrigued me. You know about awakened eyes, Miss Lenni?" He glanced my way as I nodded.   "At first, I was terrified by the things I saw, but then there was an acceptance and understanding that came along with it."

"What do you mean?" I asked. "Remember when you first saw me?" he asked. "Yes, I do, I almost peed my pants." I giggled a bit even though the memory of when I first saw him terrified me still. "Why do you see me differently now?" He made eye contact with me, and for the first time, I didn't avert my eyes. "You showed me kindness and gifted me the lavender. The scent had a way of calming my nerves." He pointed to his eyes. "And my eyes?" I said. "Yes. Miss Lenni, you were in constant panic, and couldn't adjust properly. So instead of seeing me as how I rest, you saw me as how I died. I still apologize for the fright I gave you." he says looking away. So I saw how he died, he didn't have burn marks, at least any I could see, so he probably suffocated from the smoke. I put my hand on his shoulder and smiled at him. "It's okay," I said. Then a question itched my mind. "I thought after 30 days, souls get reincarnated, but you were here for years?" I asked. He nodded. "Yes, I should have been reincarnated but I couldn't let go. I guess you could call me a lingering spirit. I can't move on because I am not ready to." "Why did you stay for all those years?" I turned my whole body towards him, I was interested to know. He looked towards the sky. "I am not sure. I don't remember why I lingered on for so long. I just remember not being ready to go." As I listened my mind wondered about the kind of man Manfred was when he was alive. Did he have a family? I didn't want to pry out of respect, it must have been traumatic dying that way and I didn't want to bring it up.

I stared at the ground for a bit, lost in my thoughts. Thinking about my parents and all the missed chances I had to make friends. The thought of finding love scurried across my mind, I hadn't thought of it before. "What will you do Miss Lenni?" Manfred asked me. "What do you mean?" I started to fidget with the dirt. "What can I do? Everything seems to be against me. Lenni2 was right anyways, what's the point of having a life if I was too scared to live it."  I turned away from him. "Yet you have the chance to reclaim it." I peeked over my shoulder but didn't turn around completely. He had a point. "This spirit that has your body has dark energy, that can only mean bad things and not only for you Miss Lenni but for your parents as well." I sighed. "Lenni2 or whoever that is got what they wanted. They got their second chance to live."  Manfred was quiet for a while. I turned around to see if he left but he was scratching his head. "Did they tell you that was all they were after?"