The Meeting
Once upon a time there was a man called Jim. He lived with his mother and they were best of friends. As the years went by Jim's mother grew old, and one day she passed away.
Jim felt very sad and lonely. He missed his mom a lot. Friends kept asking him to come over for dinner and stuff like that but it didn’t make him feel any better.
One day Jim remembered his Aunty Norma, who he met a few times as a kid. She believed she could see ghosts and talk to dead people. Jim's mother used to say she was weird, and eventually they stopped seeing each other.
Aunty Norma used to go to a special church in the town. It was called a Spiritual church, or something like that. One day Jim decided to see if the church was still there.
He went into town and asked around. The first few people looked at him strangely, the he spoke to an old man who said the church was still there and told him where to find it.
Jim made his way to the church. The sign outside said there was a meeting that very day at 5pm. It was only 3:30, so he found a quiet little coffee shop nearby and waited, wondering whether to go inside.
Perhaps the church held the answer to his problem. If he didn't try, he'd never know. So at 5 o'clock he made his way into the church to be welcomed by a round-faced lady.
He took a seat near the back and joined in with the prayers and hymns. After a while the round-faced lady introduced a man named Ted, who she said was a medium.
Ted pointed to a man near the front and said his mother was there. He told him some things about her, that she was very kind, that she liked cooking, and that she was very proud of the man.
Ted spoke to a few more people, usually giving them messages from mums, dads, nans and grandads. Sometimes he said things that were right, sometimes the things were wrong. No one seemed to mind too much. He didn't speak to Jim.
After a while the round-faced lady thanked Ted, they sang another hymn and said a prayer, and everyone left.
Jim decided his mother was right about Aunty Norma and her weird beliefs, and went sadly home.
That night Jim woke with a start, he'd been dreaming but couldn't remember what about. He looked at the clock, it was 3:33. He felt very thirsty so went downstairs to get a drink.
As he passed the sitting room he noticed a light under the door. He must have forgotten to turn it off. But when he opened the door he was shocked by what he saw.
There, sitting in chairs arranged in a circle, was Aunty Norma looking just as he remembered her. The round-faced lady from the church was also there, but looking much younger, and some people he didn't know but seemed to recognize from his mum's old photos.
Aunty Norma looked at him and smiled. All of a sudden something seemed to come from her mouth. At first it was like steam or smoke, but as more of it emerged it began to form a shape.
Jim pinched himself to make sure he was really awake. He was.
He watched in amazement, losing all track of time, as the shape gradually took the form of his mum. She was wearing her favorite blue dress and smelled of the perfume she always wore. They walked towards each other and hugged.
"It is me," she said, "I'm still with you. I'll always be with you. Stop being sad and start enjoying your life again. Here, take this."
She took a white flower from her dress and handed it to him. They hugged again and all his problems seemed to disappear.
Then he woke up. He was in bed and looked at the clock. It was 3:34.
"That was some dream," he thought to himself.
He was thirsty and decided to get a drink. As he put the light on, there on his pillow was a white flower.