Caroleen stood shivering as they waited for the horses to be brought around to be hitched to a light wagon. Ivan was brisk and business like as he procured the vehicle and gave orders to their traveling companion. She looked wistfully after the carriage for at least it offered some protection from the wind. The air was damp and the night foggy. Caroleen didn’t relish the  thought of not having walls between her and the darkness. There were few lights in the simple houses and fewer people abroad.<br/><br/>“You know you won’t stay long in my body. You certainly aren’t fit to wear my skin,” the voice said as if it had been carrying on this conversation for sometime. “The sooner Ivan rids me of you, the better we will all be.”<br/><br/>Caroleen’s patient finally snapped in light of her own grief and trying to cope with this odd turn of events.<br/>“If you don’t shut it, I will throw this body off a cliff and drown us in the sea.” She muttered as she tossed back her head and studied the stars. “I have nothing to lose and since I am actually dead anyway, there is even less reason to be warehoused in your body.”<br/><br/>Caroleen turned at the sight of the two dappled fine boned horses being led by Ivan. She recognized these as fine horseflesh. Since her husband had been the town blacksmith, she had learned the various breeds. These were horses of Arabian descent, with muzzles that were so tiny they would fit into a lady’s tea cup. Caroleen knew they had stamina and heart  which made her worry about the nature of their clandestine ride through the wild countryside in the dark. Ivan made short work of hitching the beasts and offered her a hand up.<br/><br/>For once, the voice in her head had nothing to say.<br/>“Believed me, did you?” she muttered as she settled on the wooden seat.<br/><br/>Ivan sprang to the seat next to her and clucked to the horses. She wrapped the cloak closer around her but still the cold was pervading. She leaned closer to him for warmth as they rode along in silence. Finally, Caroleen spoke softly,<br/><br/>“You must be a very wise of man to hold secrets to life and death. I know that I have truly died and even if I were to see my family, they would only think me to be an evil spirit. Better Gustav marry again than to think I am a ghost or to have this body stoned by the villagers if they were ever to believe that a dead woman lived in the body of another dead woman. “<br/><br/>She swayed from side to side with the motion of the wagon, wincing when they hit a rough spot in the road. Bats were swooping all around them and Caroleen set her teeth in her lip to keep from crying out.<br/><br/>“Loathsome rodents,” she said as she involuntarily ducked when one darted in her direction.<br/><br/>“When you are successful in bring back your Teresa to her lovely body, then my spirit will wander.” Caroleen ventured to point out. “Can you lay my soul to rest? Surely you will not doom me to be cast out into the wasteland.” Her voice was sad, but not whiny or hysterical. “You will have mercy on me, won’t you?”