How I edit my own work - Plus a story to read too - 22

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Deep in grief, Katherine took herself off into the wilderness that was the half-world. She wandered in desolation for a long time and did not know or care where she wandered for she was saddened at the loss of her friend.

Katherine did not want to maintain the meadow and wood she had made before, for she knew that she had work to do and making a pleasant place to stay would occupy her time and then make it difficult to leave. She knew above all, she had to be strong.

Katherine once again, laid waste to her creation and she turned her back and walked away.

If she concentrated, Katherine found that she could better sense the intentions of the other spirits and she practiced the skill of recognising them for their differences. She found, at last, that she could see their auras. The ones that wore a lighter colour were most benign and the deeper the colour, the more determined the spirit – for good or otherwise. A bright and dazzling, clear-coloured aura was a spirit that was incapable of doing harm – to her or to any other spirit - and was therefore fragile and open to malignant forces.

Katherine felt at first as though she had to protect them all, but soon realised she had to harden her heart and understand that they had always been victim for those other, more predatory spirits, those with dark and dingy-coloured auras were the ones that stalked the half-world to lay claim to any of those defenceless spirits. Katherine had to step back and allow the natural balance of things continue.

In the time she spent watching, the dingy-coloured spirits grew clearer and brighter with each benign spirit they consumed. It was a revelation that Katherine realised what happened. Only the light can eliminate the dark and by taking the light into themselves, the dark spirits became less predatory and more enlightened.

Katherine also enjoyed watching the colours of the other spirits, those with dark coloured auras, those that were better able to defend themselves – the purple, violet, deep blue and red auras. She presumed, from her other observations, that those spirits had evolved from the dingy-coloured spirits to become stronger.

She saw only one that made her hide in fear – that spirit had a black and pulsing aura and she knew that it was no use in trying to defend herself from it, even she would have been swallowed up by that spirit – it was the most powerful and malignant force she had ever encountered and it frightened her.

She took her leave from the half-world because she knew that while the black spirit roamed, she was in danger and the only choice she had was to flee.

In the world of man, in London, the city she had known and, if not loved, then at least developed a fondness for, she again searched for Dominic, her erstwhile husband’s spirit.

She often recalled the conversation with the Viles and remembered what they told her.

Katherine sent out her mind to try to seek her husband. She reached out with wispy tendrils of herself in attempts to touch those that had encountered him. She knew that if a human had encountered his spirit, there would be a residue that she could detect and therefore follow him from that trace.

Past the city wall she roamed, trying to sense anything out of the ordinary, sending out her mind. Out into the countryside, further North.

A young lad and a girl walking by the river caught her eye and her heart gave one hard beat which would have been agonising if she had been mortal. Without realising, she had arrived at a place and time where someone with close connections to Dominic was.

She looked across the river at the girl. The girl saw her and her face brightened as though she recognised Katherine, but then the expression changed and she realised Katherine was not the woman she thought she was. The girl’s wave of greeting halted half-complete and her companion spoke to her.

The girl pointed across the river at Katherine and the spirit assumed the boy would not be able to see her.

The boy looked. He concentrated and Katherine grew curious. Could he see her too?

The boy narrowed his eyes and then they opened wide in shock and realisation.

At his expression, Katherine realised the boy was Dominic and the girl was her image-sake.