[Susan Delgado]

After Calimiel had ignored her warnings to avoid the living folk, Anna had crouched out of sight among the library stacks, then crept downstairs after everyone had left, careful to avoid meeting anyone. She still didn't know exactly what was going on, but it seemed everyone had gone insane except her.

She fled to the garden, where she met Lasrain, one of the gardeners. After convincing him she was who she claimed, they walked together in the orchard listening to the sounds of battle.

After a while, the Inner Courtyard became silent and they felt a pull in that direction. Partway there, Lasrain stopped and slowly faded out, a very surprised look on his face. Anna watched, surprised, and looked at her own body, for it suddenly felt lighter. For a moment she'd expected to disappear like he had, but her solid body kept her on the ground. She continued on toward the courtyard.

The first thing she saw when she arrived were Calimiel and Celumeomaryu vanishing as Lasrain had. She approached the old man who was holding a parchment and stopped before him, not knowing what to say. She knew by now that the Curse had been lifted and she must be the last Ghost in the Castle and that it was only her stolen body that had kept her from returning to the Halls of Mandos and now she was unsure of how these genuine living people were going to accept her, or even if they would. She knew, however, that she would never leave the Castle, her home. She wasn't sure what was going to happen here, what plans they had, but she must be a part of it. She had been here too long; she suspected many more years had passed than she supected and that all her family was gone. There was no longer any home for her outside these walls.

[ March 31, 2003: Message edited by: Susan Delgado ]