Crystal Visions

By Paulette Rae

Although secretly impressed by their new home, Crystal is still mad her father uprooted her from the city, leaving behind friends and precious memories of her mother.

She finds solace in new neighbours, but when bad dreams continue to plague her nights, Crystal learns that the family who sold them the house left somebody behind.

Why does Daniel's spirit linger? Can Crystal help him find peace enough to move on?

Approximately 14,000 words.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Paulette Rae
• Release date: Mar 2, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215823811

Paulette Rae

Paulette writes from her desk in Christchurch, New Zealand, where she lives with her husband, Tony. Together they have four children and an expanding array of grandchildren. When she's not writing, she works part-time, dabbles in various MLM businesses, sings in a duo, and occasionally runs karaoke with her husband.

Book preview

One

The house was burning . Crystal could smell the smoke. It filled her nostrils, her throat, her eyes, flooding her lungs as she gasped for air. She crawled along the hallway, the thick carpet meshing through her fingers as she groped to find her way in the dark. Heat from the walls plastered her hair to her head in long strips. Sweat stung her eyes. She blinked but nothing could dissuade the thick black cloud from blurring her vision. She coughed, trying not to inhale, but her body involuntarily drew another gasp of toxic fumes. Through the door behind her, Crystal heard a loud pop as a window exploded from the heat.

Help. Her voice came out in a gravelly rasp.

Where was everybody? Didn’t they know she was here?

Panic set in and she cried, her mind swimming as her body began to shut down. Even her tears seemed to sizzle on her skin.

Please don’t let me die.

She had almost reached the end of the corridor. She sensed the door somewhere ahead of her. Surely, if she could reach it, she would be safe, but her body wouldn’t obey her brain. There was so much smoke, and the heat was unbearable. She tried to lift herself up, but her arms shook so much she couldn’t move. Her lungs burned, and every breath stabbed like shards of glass in her throat.

She tried to call for help again, but the sound came out like a continual ‘h’, wheezing in her throat like whooping cough. She wriggled on her belly until she felt the hard panel of the door under her fingertips. The fire crept up behind her; a giant dragon raging with unstoppable force.

The door behind her gave in to the beast and fell inwards with a crash. Angry yellow flames licked their way along the ceiling, tongues of blue and green reaching out above her. The heat intensified, and Crystal knew she didn’t have much time. Clawing at the door, her nails scoured shards of wood from the thick panel as adrenaline pumped through her body. But it was too much for her. The smoke enveloped her senses, confusing all signals to her brain, and she was powerless to respond. Her blood pumping pounded in her ears, even above the roar of the creature that had her cornered. The ceiling began to crumble, peppering her legs with hot debris as she tried to scream. White light filled her head.

Through the chaos, as if in a dream, she heard a man’s voice. It seemed to come from inside. It was unfamiliar, but it sounded warm and gentle like the Nor’west breeze on a summer day.

Crystal.

Her body faded into oblivion, the pain melting like hot butter. Her mind calmed, and she submitted to the inevitable as the voice blocked everything else out.

Am I dying?

Crystal.

He seemed to understand her pain.

Crystal? A different voice, female and familiar this time, broke through her fitful sleep.

Crystal opened her eyes, coughed and gasped, and sat up in her seat, wrapping a trembling hand around her throat. She could still feel the smoke tightening around her windpipe.

Crystal, are you okay? Gail gazed at her stepdaughter with concern, her hands gripping the steering wheel of the big four-wheel drive with white knuckles.

Crystal blinked in the late afternoon sun, confused for only a moment. Yeah, I was having a weird dream.

About what?

Geez, it seemed so real. Crystal flattened her sleep-scrunched hair and flipped the sun visor down so she could peer at her reflection in the mirror. The house was on fire and I was burning.

Eww. Gail wrinkled her nose in distaste. You have some strange dreams.

Crystal gazed through the bug-splattered windscreen at unfamiliar surroundings. Brown rolling hills tunnelled them on either side as Gail navigated the SUV and horse float downhill toward a large bridge.

How long was I asleep?

Oh, you were snoring for a good hour.

Crystal scowled at the older woman. I don’t snore. Then she craned her neck to look back into the horse float. Big brown eyes stared back, long eyelashes blinking at her through the murky Perspex. Has Tucker moved much?

No, he’s been really good.

Crystal had tried to hate the woman who had taken her mother’s place, but the more time they spent together,