I shifted uncomfortably in the white leather office chair as the bright light overhead made me squint. I’d never been called to my bosses’ office before, and I knew it was not a good sign. I looked around at the imposing desk – a large maple wood antique desk that looked like it had been around since the beginning of time. There were pictures of the boss and his son – a fisherman who many looked up to and every now and then even tried to emulate.
The bossman had two distinct personalities – he could be kind or vengeful. It depended on the day, but lately, many felt
that he had gotten softer over the years, not in a bad way but in a more
relatable way. I hoped that he was
feeling charitable, but screw-ups like mine did not go down easy in an
organization like this. It would mean my job or worse. The clock clicked slowly, and still, the boss did not appear. The light continued beating down on me. Waiting is always the worst part. It seemed that
with each second that passed, so did the last sands of my redemption.
“God
dammit, when is he going to get here?” I uttered under my breath.
“I’m
here,” said a deep baritone. I startled
in my chair and looked across to the desk to my boss G. He was an older man, dressed in a cream-colored
suit. His green eyes looked stern and gentle at the same time. His beard looked perfectly groomed, and his
hands were well manicured. They started to strum as G looked at me intently. I
wanted to break the silence – wanted to apologize like hell for my mistake, but
some things are not easily rectified and certainly not with a simple “I’m
sorry.” The boss was the authority on
forgiveness and second chances. I sat there, hoping he could see my willingness
to make it right. I made eye contact
briefly and then looked to the floor in deference to my mentor.
The silence continued until the door opened, and Pete entered. Pete was G’s, righthand man. He trusted him
implicitly. Pete was older – no as old as G, but this guy had seen a lot and
helped develop the organization. His
stock of gray hair seemed to be thinning, and his eyes looked wherry. He always had a lot of paper in his hand and frequently
looked harried. When he entered – I
tried to apologize. Pete shot a sharp glance at me.
“Don’t say a word – don’t say a fucking word!”
he shouted as he put the papers on G’s desk. “The numbers are worse than we
thought, and I have no fucking idea how we’re going to minimize the damage.” G sighed and looked at me. My heart started to beat faster as I looked
down, not able to meet anyone’s gaze.
“How
did this happen?” G asked calmly. I
looked up and started to shake – it was not a dream. This mistake was serious
enough to make it to the top of G’s To-Do list.
“I got
distracted,” I mumbled. It was the truth, but it was so insufficient.
“You
got distracted? You got distracted? What the fuck does that mean?” Pete got in my face. A little bit of spit
started to froth in the corner of his mouth, and he reminded me of a rabid
dog. It started to make me laugh, but
then I caught myself and bit my lip. I
thought about the distraction – the woman – her face, her lips, her smooth, soft
body, and her laugh, the pure perfection that is the female form. It threw me off my game, and shit happened
that I couldn’t undo, but maybe G, in his infinite wisdom, could.
“I’ve
got this, Pete, you can go,” said G
wearily.
“Okay, just remember what he did…what it means
to all of us before you pass sentence,” Pete said as he left and slammed the
door.
“Hey,
G –I’m so sorry. I can’t tell you how
big the knot is in my chest. I feel like shit. I just want to make this right,”
I begged. G’s eyes narrowed, but he realized that I was sincere.
“Okay,
Em, I get that you feel bad; hell, we all
do. Mistakes can happen, but you took
your eyes off the prize, and he..”
“He
died,” I said quietly. I’ve never known
the sensation of tears, but right now, they were close and started to sting. “But you…you can change this…you can make it
right, and I swear to you that I’ll never be distracted again,” I pleaded. G considered my offer. He said nothing and turned to the screen at the end of the room and hit the play button.
The
picture was pitch dark. Then a small
light broke through, then more lights seemed to move around randomly
against a rough cavernous wall. The
lights were crude and sat on top of hard hats.
The faces of the men under the hats were smeared with coal dust. They
were coming out of the depths of their jobs back to the real world; the world
where they would no longer be invisible.
My guy – Keith covered his eyes as he came into the light, but he was happy to
see Gloria was waiting for him. He kissed her passionately, and she reciprocated in-kind. Her face was pale and classically beautiful even though his kisses smudged it with coal dust. She didn’t care. Keith was the one person who loved her just for her. There were no conditions – no power-brokering between fathers to see who would use their children’s marriages to consolidate and elevate their status into the pissing circle that was Macon’s high society in 1946.
Working
in the mine gave Keith a very muscular physique, which made him stand out from
the other men that moved in Gloria’s social circle. Her girlfriends envied her
even if they made fun of his profession behind her back. He didn’t even hate the job, which was rare in
the mining industry. It paid well and was only slightly dangerous. But Keith
knew what he was doing; he knew his way around a mine. He was a foreman, and his
guys trusted him.
He
climbed into Gloria’s blue and white Corvette convertible and turned on the
radio to Elvis’ “Love Me Tender.” It was
the perfect ending to a less than perfect day, but it instantly became better
because this man was with the woman, he loved.
It should have been that simple - but life is never that simple.
That
night Keith and Gloria went to the local soda shop and ordered the usual, two
cheeseburgers, onion rings, and strawberry malts. Just as their waitress had
delivered their dinner, Bucky Brooks walked up and started in.
“Gloria
– for God’s sake, when are you going to get this walk on the wild side out of
your system. You can’t be serious?”
Bucky’s
family was the closest thing Macon had to the blue bloods and had been members
of the Chamber of Commerce since before the Civil War. His family owned the mine, but other than
showing off the rocks that his father’s employees had risked their lives to get,
he was rarely there or had any interest in the family business. He’d always had a thing for Gloria, who
rejected him every chance she got. Now
she marveled at his arrogance, somehow thinking that it would prevent Keith from cold-cocking him into next week because his family was well established.
Keith ignored him and started to dig into his
cheeseburger. This piss ant was no threat, and to even dignify him with an
answer would give him too much legitimacy.
“Bucky,
just leave. You’re not welcome here,” Gloria said as she sat closer to Keith in
their favorite booth. Bucky started to get into Keith’s face but noticed that
some of the diners, who were also coal miners surrounding him, ready to pounce
if the need be. Rich outsiders did not belong; Bucky was on their turf now. Keith raised his hand to tell them to back
off.
“Now
why don’t you go back to Daddy and Mummy at the club and leave us alone,” Keith
said, not looking directly at him. Bucky
realized that he was outnumbered and started out of the diner. He got into his Roadster and sped away as the
other diners looked on. Gloria squeezed Keith’s hand.
“I’d
give anything to just get out of this town, to go up north. There are plenty of
mining jobs away from here. I know we
could be happy,” she said. Keith smiled
he was not sure what he had done to deserve such a beautiful and smart woman. He
felt blessed every day they were together. He gave her a kiss and said, “I’m working in
it.”
….
G
pointed to the screen and saw me in the corner of the diner. I was dressed in a
pullover with a pair of jeans, watching my charge. I lit a Marlboro and took a drag. This was a habit that I knew was bad, but it
instantly helped me blend in. I kept an eye on Keith and Gloria, making sure they stayed out of harm’s
way. A waitress came over and poured me
another cup of coffee and offered a piece of cherry pie. Her face was pretty, angular
in a Rita Hayworth sort of way with wavy raven hair and full red lips. She
leaned over ever so slightly so that I could see her breasts struggling to stay
inside her tight waitressing uniform. An
instantaneous wave of desire started to rush over me. I had always been so focused on my job that a
woman like her rarely landed on my radar, but this one seemed to have honed in
on me and was making her intentions obvious.
“Can I
get you more sugar, Sugar?” she asked in a silky southern drawl that had me flushed
and flustered.
“Um,
sure – thanks.” I mumbled, not sure how to react.
She
leaned in and whispered in my ear, “You
can have a taste of my pie anytime you want sugar, just give me a call.” She slipped a piece of paper into my hand and
stroked my palm as she walked away. I
opened it and found a phone number with the name “Lily” next to it. I felt my pants getting tighter and had to
catch my breath. I looked over at Keith
and Gloria, who were paying their check and getting up to leave.
“Shit!”
I said, realizing I could not leave in my current condition without attracting
some real attention. “Okay, think of
golf, baseball, world hunger… yeah, world hunger, that’s a good one,” I said as
the blood started to return to my brain and away from my groin. I put down a 10 spot, which paid for my food and
a generous tip as I rushed out and saw them speed away. I got in my car and followed them, keeping a
few car lengths behind to avoid being spotted.
They got back to his place safely and settled in for the night. All seemed well, so I went to the apartment I
was renting just down the street.
I
opened the door, threw my keys on the counter – grabbed a beer, and turned on
the TV. The Philco Radio Time with Bing Crosby was on. I let it play in the
background while still trying to get Lily out of my mind. Her face, hands, and body…I could not
settle down until I saw her again. I
started to pace as my heart beat faster. I picked up the phone four or five
times before I finally had the balls to call her. Each ring told me this was a
bad idea, but I didn’t seem to care. I
could not control myself. I was obsessed
and felt like I had to get it out of my system if I could function for
work. Besides, what could it hurt? I never worked outside the rules even though
I know my co-workers did, plenty of times.
“Hello,”
she answered in her slow southern drawl.
“Sugar, is that you? I was hoping
you’d call.”
“Yes…yes…it’s
me,” I answered slowly.
“Look
darling, I live pretty close to the diner; if you would like to come over, I’ll
make some coffee,” she said. “I live at 4466 Elm – I’m looking forward to
seeing you.”
I hung up, jumped in my car, and flew over
there. She answered the door wearing a corset and fishnet stockings while
licking a spoon with whipped cream.
“I hope
you enjoy my pie,” she said in a whisper. I
started kissing her with reckless abandon.
She grabbed my belt and started to unfasten my pants. It was all happening so fast it seemed unreal, and yet there we were, practical strangers, pulling off our clothes and naked
before we knew it. Her soft white skin felt like warm silk next to mine. My head was swimming as we touched. I had been thirsty all my life, and now I
knew what it was like to drink the miraculous water of this mirage.
I
carried her into the bedroom, and our lovemaking caused her to moan with ecstasy.
I loved the music of this unfamiliar sound. Every ounce of me was consumed by
this woman. She bit softly at my ear and
then let her nails scratch my back to the point that it drew blood, but I
didn’t care. We had sex six times that night. Truth be told, I had never had sex
before, never really felt like needed it until I met her. After the final tryst,
we collapsed, exhausted and sweaty, onto her bed.
We held each other as the ceiling fan circled above, attempting to cool
us down. I remembered her getting up to
get some water as my eyes closed once more, thinking this perfect night was
probably a dream.
I awoke the next morning to the sound of warning bells. It was 10:00 in the morning. I jumped up, disoriented, realizing I was still at Lily’s house, which was just a mile from the mine. The alarms continued to blare.
“Shit
– its morning – Keith – shit!!” I yelled, realizing that I had let my charge go
unguarded. I looked around for Lily, hoping to say a quick good-bye, but she was gone. I pulled
my clothes on and jumped in my car.
“Please don’t let anything bad happen to Keith or any of his men –
please!” I prayed. When I got there –
there were police cars and ambulances.
“What happened?” I asked a cop as he ran by.
“An explosion – some type of cave-in – there are miners trapped down there,” he
replied, not slowing down.
I
looked around at the men who had gotten out. They were standing there looking
shell shocked, their faces caked with soot, sweat, and blood. I didn’t see Keith with them.
“Hey,
where is Keith?” I asked in a panic.
“He’s
still down there, trying to get more guys out.
We were all trapped; that brave son of a bitch moved a boulder and got
us out. He went back for his last two men,” said a man who looked like he had
been to hell and back.
Shit,
if I hadn’t been screwing around, this wouldn’t have happened. I slipped past the cop that was guarding the
entrance and started down the mine myself.
I grabbed one of the hats with a light that had been left behind by a
panicked miner.
I
berated myself as I walked toward the explosion. The cave smelled metallic with
traces of gunpowder. It was dark and dank even with the smoke from the explosion
wafting about. I should have been there
when he got up; I should have been with him period. Why did I let my guard down? Goddammit, a piece of ass was not worth the
feeling of doom that hit the pit of my stomach. My light caught a man pulling another man up
from the edge of the mine. It was Bucky Brooks that piss-ant was actually redeeming himself.
“This mine is about to cave in, get the fuck
out of here!” He yelled as the second
man climbed out. He put the other man
over his shoulder and ran towards the shift of light, which was his ticket to
safety. The one man was able to climb up, the other was unconscious and was put
onto a makeshift gurney. “Go, save yourselves,
I’ll get Keith,” Bucky implored. The men
nodded, took the injured, and headed to the light.
Keith
started to come up the edge and put his hand out for Bucky to grab.
“Hey
Keith, sorry, man, but right now – I’m a hero.
I’ve helped save those last two guys, but the mine looks like the shaft
is about to give way,” he said, looking around but not looking as scared as a
man who might also be caught in a cave-in might be. “You see, I’ve been around these caves all my
life with my Grandpa. I never forgot all the lessons he taught me about
explosives, cave-ins.”
The air got cooler like something bad was about to happen. I hurried to the end of the shaft to get to
Keith.
“I
know you’ve felt very lucky to have Gloria by your side, but it looks like your
luck has just run out, my friend,” he said as he let go of the safety line.
My hand tried to catch it before it slipped away, but I was too late. The last
thing I saw was Keith’s terrified face fall back into the dark abyss. I tried to jump in and save him. He hit bottom with a thud while I was just a
second away from breaking his fall.
Then
at once, I saw Lilly. She was not in her usual waitress outfit but clad in black. “What are you doing
here?” I asked and ran over to Keith, praying he was still alive. “Can you help him – please?!” I begged as I got
down on my knees to try to resuscitate him. Lilith smiled and opened what
looked like a dark steel door.
Countless spirits and demons jumped out, flying past me, unholy screeching hitting my ears. I tried to catch them and put them back, but there were too many. I shoved Lilly aside and closed the door. Suddenly, the parade of entities came to an instant halt. But the ones that had just gotten free were gone in an instant. I saw Keith’s soul pull out of his lifeless body.
“Keith,
I’m so sorry…this was not supposed to happen…you’re a good man.” Keith looked sad
and shocked. At least he would be going
to heaven – that was my only consolation.
“But
Gloria – she’s…” he stopped speaking
because the shock was too great.
A
white light started to surround him. A golden iridescent light started to take
the shape of a door. Keith was drawn to
it and started to walk through. Lilly held up her hands, and the doorway shut
before Keith could go through.
“You
did this – you tricked me- you bitch!” Any feelings of lust now turned into a white-hot rage.
smiled, unfolded a pair of black wings and faded out. The golden doorway closed with a loud clink and faded away.
I
stood there, dazed. Not only was Keith dead, but his chance for everlasting peace
had just closed to protect heaven from the ungodly mess I had made of
everything. I could hear the sounds above
ground of more rescuers and the voice of Bucky saying he had tried to save
Keith, but the rope gave way, and he fell back.
There was a scream from Gloria followed by sobs. I looked at Keith and started to step back. I
closed my eyes, and when they opened, I was back in G’s office.
“G, you have to believe me, I didn’t intend for
any of this to happen. I want to make it right for Keith, for everyone,” I
begged, trying to hold back my tears. G
took a long hard look at me before he started talking.
“No
one ever intends for these things to happen.
But they do out of arrogance or carelessness, and then the prayers start
to roll in. It’s amazing how devout someone can become when they are in dire
straits if only that devotion had been there before they got themselves into
trouble.”
“I
understand you being angry at me. I get that. I let you down, but Keith. He was
a good man,” I said, hoping to plead my case.
“He
was a good man, a very good man,” said G wistfully. “Em – do you have any idea
who that woman was? The woman you had sex with?” His eyes looked deep into my soul, and I could
tell he didn’t like what he saw. “Her
real name is Lilith, have you heard that name before?”
“She
was supposedly Adam’s first wife,” I replied and wondered why we were getting
into a religious/philosophical discussion, especially one that was outside of
most biblical texts.
“As you know, the balance between them and us can be very tenuous; one small slip up and can move the scale in their favor
and it can never be in their favor.
Lilith was sent to deliberately distract you so she could open one of
the gates of hell to let those spirits out into the world. As you saw, they could not be contained very
easily, and now they are out in the world.
It’s snagged the fabric of time.
Each of those spirits, ghosts, and demons need to be sent back to the
time and place that they came from.” G leaned in closer to me to make sure that
I get the point. “Until that day arrives, you can never come back here, and neither
can Keith.”
I was
taken aback because Keith’s sentence seemed harsh, even some might say vengeful. “I understand me, but why, Keith?” I asked, knowing that I was treading a very fine line between deference and blasphemy, but dammit, I was going to advocate for my charge.
“I’m
not punishing Keith, I’m motivating you. As long as you feel responsible for
his afterlife, you will be motivated to make things right. If I just fixed it with the snap of my
fingers, you would never learn just how resourceful you are. Sadly people stop
praying because I don’t fix things easily for them as they would like, and they
lose faith. They pray for answers, and
sometimes the answer is no. The truth is
they need to have faith in themselves to overcome their adversity. That’s what
I’m asking you to do, fix your mistake and learn from it.” I knew he was right.
He was God for God’s sake.
“You
will not be alone in your quest. Paranormal investigators seek out ghosts and
spirits and those who are gifted with the ability to see and talk to entities
and work to send them back where they belong. These people are called mediums,”
G-replied. “They can help you along the
way.”
“This
seems impossible,” I said, feeling dejected.
“No, an impossible task would be Hercules and
the Augean stables,” chuckled G. “That story cracks me up every time.” I glanced at G with a surprised look on my
face. “What? I can’t read other people’s stuff?
It’s a good story. Look, you can
do this. I know you can, and when you do, you and Keith will both have a very
high place here. But be careful with him,
right now he’s in shock but when he really grasps what happened. He’ll be an
angry spirit and rightfully so. He was going to be a father. I'm not going to kid you - it might take years. - maybe decades to get all the spirits that escaped back. But you mustn't
give up hope. I believe in you."
Somehow
knowing that God had faith in me helped take some pain away, but I was
still at a loss of how to fix things. G showed me how to go forward and back in
time, so I could see who the best group of people to work with was, but I was
forbidden to interfere with the natural course of their lives. I needed to know who these gifted people are. The human banishment of entities was a
very powerful way of keeping evil spirits from inhabiting the earth's plane so
they would never come back.
G put
his arm around me. "Think of yourself as the prodigal son. You
sinned and are about to learn what it's like to be on your own to capture those
evil spirits, but at the end of the day, when you've completed this task, you will be rejoiced and welcomed back to the
kingdom of the Almighty. Pretty cool - right?"
"I'm
really am very sorry," I said as a tear ran down my cheek.
"I
know you are. I love you, anyway. I always will."
He snapped his fingers, and with that, I took my place on earth - grounded until all the entities that Lilith had let out were back where they belonged.
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