Bones on Mars - A paranormal, sci-fi, fantasy romance

Dreams

The Neanderthal woman shook with laughter and settled herself on the torture device that served as a sofa.

"A funny name you've given us. But we've done the same, so I guess it's allright. But, seriously, get out of this clunky thing. You don't need it, you know?"

Who are you? What are you doing here, and a whole barrage of related questions slipped through Floyd's mind, only to disappear into a black void.

His gaze slipped to the feet of the apparition. Well, she had to be that. Couldn't be anything else. An apparition born from drugs and too much stress.

"Why are you wearing high heels?"

She wriggled her feet, turning the pointy tops inward. "Hot, aren't they?"

"Not with the outfit you're wearing."

"You think so?"

"Yes."

"That's a shame, for I quite like it that way."

Another thought popped from the limbo that had taken a firm grip on his mind. "Why do you speak AA standard lingo?"

"I'm not. You only think I am."

"What?"

She flapped a lazy hand, the beads around her wrist clicking and clacking. "I talk the way I always do, but I've twisted the language part in the thing you call your brain, so you can understand what I'm saying. It took me a moment to get that sorted. I wasn't quite sure what language you're using these days."

"Took you...the glyphs on the cave wall."

She clapped. "Yes, I'm so glad we finally connected. We've been out of touch for ten thousands of years. Once I knew we had an understanding, I could check you out."

"Check us out?" Duh, now he sounded like a broken record. But his brain wasn't capable of more.

"Well, I needed to know who I was dealing with. So, I went across."

Did she? He'd seen the footprints. But no one else seemed to have done so.

"You're not real. You're a hallucination."

The Neanderthal woman—the apparition who called herself El looked hurt. "That's rather rude of you, you know? We're talking, so how can I not be there?"

"We're talking only in my head. I'm imagining things."

"You're not imagining me." El pressed the palms of her hands togeether and the insta-caf dispenser sprang into life with a steaming hiss.

"How did you do that?"

"Isn't it considered polite among your people to offer your guests a drink? We always invite visitors to the fire."

"The stuff isn't very good. And we don't invite imagined visitors for coffee."

The non-existing visitor smiled and sipped her insta-caf.

Floyd pressed his hands to his ears and pinched hi eyes shut. "Lalalala. You're not there. It's the pills. I'm hallucinating."

When there was no response, he slowly opened one eye.

Was she gone?

Nope. El was sitting on the settee, furs, high heels and all, a mug of insta-caf in her hand. "Since you didn't offer, I haven't prepared one for you."

Floyd's legs trembled. Needing to sit down in a hurry, he lurched to the closest seat.

"Please, go away."