That is the question.

Lovely little tale. I loved the hint of lavender reference...as it's often used to lull people to fall asleep and hopefully have pleasant dreams.

Very nicely done!

Avery

Thanks Trevor...you put it so well. That was what I was aiming for.

..of life.

This short story is perfect as it is, a very quick snapshot, a fast zoom-in, a slice of life, of longing and desire for contact with a lost loved-one, that almost happens. It's enough to tell us about it, about the pain and bitter-sweet memories. It is a fantastic piece of writing Laz.

I really enjoyed this. As some others have already stated, I would like to see it expanded. Wonder writing Laz.

There are so many directions this could go. I'm more of a horror fan than a romance fan, so I could definitely see an opportunity to develop that angle, even in a mild sense. Or possibly a mixture of romance/horror/fantasy. Loneliness can cause people do do and feel any number of emotions, and how they choose to act on them can be the basis for some great stories.

I enjoyed this a lot. Hope you build on it even more.

Short, sweet and very poignant. The story was way too short for me. I wish you'd expand it, develop and flesh it out. You could make a real blockbuster out of this.

Thank you all.
And Michael....I like to leave certain things to people's own imagination...lol.
Also he didn't need to shoot through the bathroom door because he had a strong feeling that he wasn't threatened and also it wasn't the first of such an encounter.
I didn't mention that all this may only be a dream. I'm not saying it was....again, I leave it up to the reader to decide.

Beautiful—like reading poetry. Strong with emotion and imagery, I really enjoyed this. Thanks for sharing.

Another gem, Laz, one that catches the emotion as it tries to get past the throat, and holds it there in a quick sob. Wow. That was so lovely, so tender! You're a master at this!

Hi Laz, You asked for comments. Here they are:

First, you started quickly with the protagonist realizing that the entity was back again. I would have built this aspect (repetitiveness) of the story a little more. The reason is this. Pistorious in South Arica says he thought a stranger was in his bedroom's bathroom so he shot it (and killed his wife). A little background here might orient the reader a bit more on this ghostly being's friendliness.

Second, you gave us a bit of internal dialogue when the protagonist was podering a question. I think the italics are sufficient to indicate that. To add the tag after the thought appears redundant.

Third, maybe I'm off base but did you want the reader to surmise that the being touched the protagonist's penis? I don't mean to sound crass, I just wasn't sure. Which is not to suggest that you need to be more explicit. In fact, I kinda like it the way it now reads.

Finally, this story can either be tightened more and qualify as flash fiction or it can be expanded to serve as a tantalizing short story of a more traditional word count.

Nice job. Thanks for the opportunity to read it.