Home sweet home... Really, what's a home with an empty house?....... It's not a home, just an empty box with four walls and a roof over your head. An empty tomb closing in around you.

Had a few shots of sake, but I couldn't sleep without the sake. I turned on the tube and pulled the blanket over the chair as I snuggled inside. It's the same routine night after night as I fall asleep watching. I try to turn off the television with the remote control before I knock out. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't.

As I fell asleep, I heard the neighbor's dog howling. Still felt tinged and spooked thinking about that ghost. Had that tingling feeling with a slow sweat around my brow. It's an eerie feeling sinking in like somebody just walked into the house.

Didn't know if I was half asleep or half awake. My body was frozen in a cold sweat. I didn't dare want to open my eyes, fearing what I would see. I imagined a ghost of a woman floating, ready to pounce on me. I felt a presence of a spiritual sense, moving slowly around me.

This must be a dream. A friend once told me, "You will find your answers in a dream." I don't know what she meant or was insinuating. Still, the answer lies within the subconcience waiting to be unraveled in a dream, or was she referring to a spiritual experience in an awakening thought?
That night, I felt like I was about to find out.

Still paralyzed with the uneasy feeling that someone else was in the room. I tried to shrug it off and get back to sleep but couldn't get rid of that uneasy feeling.

I slowly opened my eyes a little, then closed them. Then, I did it again but a bit more open, trying to scan the room. Then, I opened them wide and didn't see a thing. Feeling a bit relieved, I moved my head around with my eyes half closed and caught something from the corner of my eye. I opened them wide this time, and "HOLY SHIT!" I almost jumped out of my chair!

"WHO ARE YOU, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE, WHAT DO YOU WANT?" Saying, scared out of my witts.

All I heard was a frail sobbing, a hurting cry, and I felt sorrow coming from her like it was coming straight from the heart. I wasn't scared as much anymore, but more concerned. Although a little apprehensive because come now, she is a ghost, and I'm still freaking out about it, her crying was so genuinely felt from inside I couldn't help but want to nurture her pain away. Wow, I could actually feel her sorrow!

"Hey hey hey there! It's okay! Tell me what's wrong, and why are you here?" "It's okay. Just talk to me and let me know if I can do anything for you." "come on now, stop crying." I'm looking at her, waiting for her to look my way. I'm still freaked out but not threatened anymore, just concerned.

She finally lifted her head and looked at me. My eyes were still wide open, not knowing what to expect, but when I made eye contact with her, I felt a hurt heart. Aw man, she's just a young girl. It could have been my baby sister.

I told her, "I'm glad you stopped crying," as she finally looked at me, and I think she managed to crack a smile.

Well, I didn't know what to do and felt silly trying to offer her something like a drink or a blanket as if she could really taste and feel these things.

The more I looked at her, the more I felt she wasn't really a ghost but more of a spirit filled with real emotions. There's something about spirituality that carries all the love and emotions with it. I felt her love, and it was very strong, very human. It's almost as if I could touch her sorrow.

In a frail voice, she said, "Hi, my name is Nelly." "I was attracted to you because I felt the torment in your heart as you drove by, so I followed you."

I was puzzled at first, but then again, it made so much sense. I felt her sorrow because she had experienced loss of love as well.

I had to ask, "How did you come to Lake Herman Road?"

"This was the spot my boyfriend Henry and I often used to come and picnic. He dreamed of moving out here, starting a farm, raising animals, and starting a family. It was our favorite spot whenever we could get away and spend time together."

"Our last day together was here before he was shipped off to the Navy. This was back in 1917 during World War I. Henry was assigned to the Navy Destroyer the USS Jacob Jones on the East Coast and reported for duty early that year."

Her face began to sadden, and her eyes started to water as she continued.

"Sometime in December, the Jacob Jones was torpedoed by a German U-Boat off the coast of France.""Henry was never found among the dead or wounded. He was listed as Missing In Action and presumed dead."

By this time, she was sobbing profusely until she seemed tired of crying.

Sniffling and wiping her tears away, she continued, "A few months later, after not hearing any word from anyone about Henry's whereabouts, I couldn't take it anymore, so one night, I was drinking heavily and went back up to Lake Herman. I slowly walked into the lake, then swam as far as possible until I passed out and drowned myself."

I couldn't help but feel her pain. I said, "I am so sorry this happened to you." I was thinking if there was a way I could help console her and relieve her pain from all her sadness.

She said, "The next thing I remember was waking up next to me, floating face down in the water as men were swimming out to retrieve my body."

"Since then, I've been wandering the Lake and hills in the area, hoping someday my Henry will return to me."

"Every time a car goes by with someone with a broken heart, a tormented heart, I can feel it. That's why I felt compelled to follow, and maybe, there being some hope that my Henry returns to me."

When she said that, I could feel her despair and still see hope in her eyes. I could feel her strength. I could also feel her pain.

I was totally focused on her. Her emotions were so strong that the hurt in my heart from my recent breakup didn't even matter. It was nothing compared to what I felt from her.

How could I help her? Will she always be destined to roam these hills? How can I help free her soul from this burden?