Dial M for Christmas

   “Hello Bedford Falls…Merry Christmas you wonderful old Building and Loan,” George Bailey shouted after he got to see what the world would be like without him.  I rolled my eyes and sucked back another beer.  The movies always made miracles look so easy and humans always seemed understand their own need for redemption.  But that was the movies - in my experience you could save someone’s ass any number of times and they still won’t get it.  Sure, they’d be grateful at first but then the further away they got from their miracle the more likely they were to revert back to their old ways.

     So there I was in Martini’s, an actual bar on the edge of Dawsonville - a small town in Georgia feeling like my own exile would never end.  It had been decades since I had been banished and my task seemed just as impossible as it had been on day one. Sure - I had captured hundreds of misguided souls and sent them back to where they needed to go - but there were still hundreds if not thousands that needed to be captured and no end in sight. 

    “Look Jack, it’s not the end of the world — besides we don’t know if they have turned us down completely - they just needed a few days to look at our audition video -“ I heard a guy next to me talk to his friend - trying to cheer him up.  
    “It’s just that we have worked so hard to be para-normal investigators and now they’re thinking we need a medium to make the show work,” replied his friend who looked deeply depressed. 

   Their conversation caught my attention.  Para-normal investigators usually meant ghost hunters - something that might actually be of use to me. 
    “Dave, I just feel like I’m at the end of my rope.  If this doesn’t pan out - I don’t know what I’ll do.”  Jack sucked back the rest of his drink and just looked down.  “I’ve never really been good at anything else - I mean all my life I’ve wanted to do this and now we’re so close and they want to throw some new angle in - we should be able to stand on our own.” 

    I looked at this guy Jack and wondered at his despair.  My cross to bare was having to a Herculean task of finding the ghosts I had accidentally let out over 60 years ago and sending them back to either heaven or hell. Once all those spirits were back where they needed to be - I would be allowed back into heaven.  At this rate - it would be another 60 years before I could go back and frankly I was tired of humans and their willful ignorance. Their need to show they were smarter than God and then failing miserably made me laugh and extremely pissed at the same time.  But maybe these guys might be able to speed up the process and the idea that they’d have a medium to help would make things a little easier on me and my charge Keith. 

    Keith was unfortunately a victim of circumstance that fateful day when all hell literally broke loose and died basically for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.  I was his guardian angel and I let him down because I got distracted by a she-devil piece of ass named Lilith. So God decided that he would be my motivation to make things right so neither one of us would be allowed back into heaven until all the ghosts and demons that had escaped were no longer able to wreak havoc on the earth plane.  

     I regarded these two guys and wondered if an unsaid partnership could be created.  I might be able to point them in the right direction metaphysically and they could banish the spirits I needed to get rid of.  For some reason - humans can do it faster and easier than those of use on the ethereal side of the equation.  Just as pondered my next step - I heard the familiar ping of a text message hit one of their cell phones.   Dave read the text and his face looked serious. 
    “What is it?” asked Jack.  “They got turned down by both John Edward and Theresa Cupato - the Long Island Medium - so they might have to shelve the project altogether.” 
     “That is f*cking bullsh*t man - I’m outta here.”  Jack stormed out of Martini’s with Dave trying to get past the Christmas Eve party that had just arrived. He got into his old Toyota pick-up truck and spun out of the parking lot.   Dave got outside just in time to see Jack peel out.

     “Sh*t, did they have do to this on Christmas Eve?” Dave said under his breath. 

     I could see a soul in crisis and headed after him.  My boss was pretty explicit about preventing folks from offing themselves on his son’s birthday.  Jack was distraught and driving really fast.  Just then Keith appeared next to me.  
      “What the hell are you doing?” he asked.  
      “I’m trying to prevent this guy from f*cking his life up beyond repair,” I responded.  There was a big sign up front that said - “Dead End.” 
     Jack sped up to hit the sign since he felt that he had hit a dead end.  I jumped up in front of the sign. Jack saw me just in time to swerve into the ditch.   He split his lip and his truck was dented but other than that he was unhurt.  He got out of the passenger side of the truck and started to yell at me as a little trickle of blood started down the front of his mouth. 
   “What the hell was that dude?  I almost killed you.”      “Better that than killing yourself over a stupid ghost hunting show - now that is f*cked up,” I responded.  Jack jumped back.  “Wait, you’re the guy at the bar- how did you get out here and how did you know about -“  I smiled and waited to see if it would dawn on him who I was.  

     Keith appeared next to me.  “Nice work with the sign Em.”   He looked a little closer and his eyes got big. 
       “Hey I know this guy -“ Keith started to move closer to Jack who could see Keith clearly and started to back away. 
       “Okay, a**hole - you might have wrecked my truck and you’ve haunted my dreams but this is where it stops,” Jack said defiantly.  
     I looked at Keith.  “You’ve been haunting this guy?  I thought we talked about that.” I admonished. 
       “It was once when he was a little kid and acting like a total ass wipe.  I tried to set him straight - but not sure it did much good,” he replied. 
      “Wait, was he the little piss ant in the theater trying to find ghosts after his mother died?” I asked as Keith winced. 
     “Not one of my proudest moments.  As for the dreams - that’s on him. I haven’t been around in a long time. Since his Nana - “ Jack just looked at us - his eyes trying to take it all in.  
      “How do you know all this - about my mother, Nana, the theater?” 

       "Jack - who do think I am?  Just in your professional experience - who on earth could I be?” I asked. 
      “A medium?” he asked hopefully thinking I might be someone he could work with. 
     “Sweet suffering Jesus, do you believe this guy?” asked Keith. 
     “No, Jack - I’m an angel-“ Jack took a second to look at the both of us.  He shook his head and then looked up hopefully. 
     “Dude, is your name Clarence?” he asked hopefully with visions of Jimmy Stewart dancing in his head. 
     “No, it’s Em,” I replied.  
     “Uh, okay, I guess that’s okay. But if you’re an angel – did you pick up on the fact that this guy is f*cking evil?” He pointed to Keith who was starting to get extremely annoyed. 
     “I am not f*cking evil you little sh*thead-“ Keith shouted back. “Let me show you how misinformed you are.”  Keith touched both our hands and I saw Jack as he was in middle school in the 1990's

- still cocky but more like a child than a man.  He still had his steely determination but as a more nerdy, gangly teenage body.  He looked frustrated that none of the ghosts were responding to him so he could prove to his friends that he was a ghostbuster. 
   “Hey, ghosts, I’m not afraid and I demand that you show yourself or make some noise!”  But there was nothing.  “Do you hear me?  I demand you show yourself!”  
     Just then, Keith appeared ready to scare the sh*t out of this little a**hole.  
“Young man, if you are going to come in here trying to wake the dead, you are going to do it with some manners.  You do not come in here cussing like a sailor and screaming like a banshee –because we the undead will teach you the manners your mother has taught you and that you have obviously forgotten.  Now, get your skinny white ass out of my sight until you can come back resembling some kind of gentleman.”  What pre-teen Jack did not see was that there was a demon crouched behind some theater seats - a gargoyle type of devil that could drag him to hell.  Keith let go of our hands and we were back at the side of the road - the ghostly illusion was over.

     "What?  Wait?  There was a demon there?”   
     “Yeah, I’m not a total dick," Keith replied. "I was trying to save you from being damned.  Em and I cornered that demon and sent it hell that night.  We saved you.  If your mother thought for one moment that I would allow any harm to come to you –“  
     Jack’s eyes started to soften. “You mentioned my mother like you knew her.  Have you seen my mother? I mean since she died. She was already gone when that happened -” Jack asked hopefully. 

     Keith then backed off quickly which was uncharacteristic of him.  I wondered what was up.  Despite what you might think - being an angel does not make me all knowing.  There was something going on that Keith was not telling me.  

     Jack started to look down and sighed heavily.  “Yeah my Mom, she’d still be alive today if it wasn’t for me.  She came back in that snow storm to get me from my father and died in a car crash on the way.  1996 was the last Christmas I spent with her - I was 14 years old.  My father was tough to live with because of Vietnam.  They had been high school sweethearts.  She stayed in a bad marriage and sacrificed everything for me. I can never repay her or talk to her. I’ve tried to contact her. I have.  Maybe if I hadn’t been born she would still be here - maybe married to Ben Jensen where she could be happy and alive rather than tied down to a miserable drunk like my dad because of me.” 

       “Hey, that’s bullsh*t - you don’t know that -“I responded and then some divine intervention took place – Frank Capra style.  “Okay, let’s take a stroll down memory lane. I’ll let you see your past as it really was and then I’ll grant your wish and you can see what things would be like if you had never been born.”   
     Keith just rolled his eyes and quipped, “Why don’t you just offer him a Red Rider BB gun so he can shoot his eye out or just leave him Home Alone?  Those movies I like!”  I got his drift but sometimes films can move people faster than scripture.

I touched Jack's shoulder and he was transported to when his father was 17 in 1973. Tom Bronson was getting ready to go off to Vietnam.  Jack saw his father going off to war with a buzz cut and a sad expression. The teen version of his mother kissed her boyfriend passionately and tried not to make a scene.  She petrified that this would be the last time she would see Tom alive.  Nana was there too - hugging her son and telling him how proud his father would be of him.  As Nana and his mother watched the plane goes off - they hugged each other.   Angela whispered a prayer that Tom would come back and they would have a child who would be the best parts of both of them. Keith looked down - touched by that moment and the feeling like it was too personal for all of us to watch. 

     I touched Jack’s hand and he got to see the day he was born.  We went into a small hospital room.  His mother looked radiant if exhausted holding her newborn son.  His dad beamed with pride and Nana was in the room - just bursting with joy.  Jack had never seen any of them so happy.  His mother was kissing the top of his head and his father asked to hold him.  He took his son in his arms as the most amazing being he had ever seen.  His hair was long and tied back in a pony tail and he had a beard. It was 1982 and at that point Ted Bronson was a bit of a hippie. Jack had no idea his father ever looked like that.  Baby Jack grabbed his father’s finger and Tom laughed in a way that Jack had never seen.  He gently danced around the room with his infant son - rocking, swaying and grinning from ear to ear.  He then broke out in a loud and awesome rendition of the Beatles Birthday to the delight of his wife, mother, medical staff and the new baby.  After about 10 minutes - Nana asked to hold him and she rocked him slowly and sang a more traditional Rock-a-bye Baby.  His father kissed his mother as she nursed her son.  Jack looked at me and took it all in.  His birth was a glorious moment in all their lives. 

    The scene shifted to Nana and Angela at the park with Jack as two years old - running around and laughing.  Angela and Nana seemed to be close - having a picnic.  They took turns pushing Jack on a swing.   Each time the swing curved towards the clouds - the toddler squealed with delight. 

    Later, Angela, toddler Jack and Nana went to at the firehouse with a turkey dinner for Tom and his co-workers. It was Thanksgiving and the crew hosted their families with the hope that the fire alarm would not ring.  Tom saw his family and smiled but his eyes were different - they looked older than his 28 years and certainly not like the eyes of the man in the delivery room. Angela handed Jack to Nana and ran to hug her husband.  He hugged her back but more out of desperation than love. He had abandoned his hopes of becoming a writer who spoke out about the war and it's impact on those that survived the horrors.  He decided to become a fire fighter because it paid well and had benefits.  He was making good money to support the family but too often battling fires flashed him back ten years earlier when he was putting out fires in Saigon before it fell in 1975.  Tom could put on a game face with his colleagues but at home he would drink and barely engage with the people around him including his son. So when he took the boy into his arms, Jack started to squirm sensing his father's unease.  
      Angela took him into her arms - “Just give him time." Tom looked more defeated as they looked at families that having a great time together.  Angela and Nana put on a smile as did Tom but it was forced and not natural.  Toddler Jack ran to a group of children who were playing Twister. 

      Jack looked at  me.  “Don’t tell me - I never really get close to him, do I?"
      “No, but then he didn’t really have it in him to engage you.  He spent his time    off sitting on the couch and looking at the TV.  He was drinking heavily - regretting his service in Vietnam and the things he’d seen.  But did you know he was a 
hero?  He saved 10 men including his sergeant who later became Mayor 
Jenkins. Your dad was given a purple heart for bravery.  He sacrificed his youth and 
optimism in that war –many men did and they were never the same.  I’m not 
making excuses for him because I know he made you feel like sh*t as a kid but maybe understanding that he saw people blown to bits. Friends alive one minute 
and gone in an instant. It takes   a toll.  And then when the soldiers came back – unlike the WWII vets – they were social pariahs no one wanted to be reminded 
that these guys were in an unwinnable war.  They didn’t get the help they needed – called Baby killers – spit on.  Nana and Angela tried to get him help but he was 
too proud to accept it. He was able to block so much of it out but when he started 
as a Fire Fighter, so much if it came flooding back.  For him and so many of the young men who left their youth and idealism in that faraway land, the music and the poetry stopped."
      “Jesus Christ - I never thought of it like that – my poor Dad.” 
       “But your Mom's prayer was answered: you do have the best parts of both 
of them in you. There were times you were brave for others,” Keith said.  He 
touched our hands took us to a middle school hallway between classes.  A couple 
of boys were teasing another boy and pushing him around. 
       “Hey that’s Dave, the day I met him,” Jack responded.  
       “C’mon, you gonna cry – why you crying you little faggot?” taunted Bruce Dane.  
        “Hey – why don’t you just leave him alone Bruce,” said a teenage Jack.  
Bruce turned around and towered over Jack.
         “Well speaking of faggots – why don’t you get the hell out of here Jack or 
do you want to ask him out on a date?” 
         “Knock it off Bruce- his MeMa died today – he’s had enough.” 
         “MeMa – what is he – a baby?  I’ll decide when he’s had enough,” Bruce said. 
          A circle of kids had gathered around watching and not doing anything to intervene.
        “Bruce – I’m not going to ask you again – leave him alone,” Jack said with a steely determination in his eye. 
         “Or what – what can you possibly do about it faggot?”  Bruce raised his fist ready to strike.  Teen Jack just looked down and started to turn away.  
        Bruce chuckled and said “Figures – some people just don’t –“ He was 
stopped mid-sentence when Jack whirled back around and cold cocked him in the face. 

      Bruce went back but kept his footing and tried to punch back. He missed and Jack landed another punch in the stomach.  At this point, Bruce was bleeding from his nose and doubled over.  Just then Mr. Albury, the Vice Principle broke up the fight. 
    “Okay – Bruce you need to let these two alon-“,  he stopped suddenly when he saw it was Bruce who was bruised and hurting and not the other way around.  
     “Okay kids – get to your classes!“ the VP barked but the crowd was murmuring “Cool- Bruce finally got his a** kicked!” 
     “You two" he said pointed to Jack and Dave, "My office and Bruce, you go the clinic – NOW!!”  
      Dave leaned into Jack, “Thanks for having my back – my name is Dave by the way.” 
       “I know – I’m Jack and I’m sorry about your grandmother – it sucks. I lost mine six months ago.  My mom a year before that,”  Teen Jack was trying to keep a brave front but these deaths were starting to suck the life out of him.             Dave looked at him – “I’m so sorry about your losses.”  He paused and added – “I’ve never had anyone stand up for me like that – thanks!” 

        As Jack and Dave sat in Mr. Albury’s office, they could hear Bruce whimpering in the clinic every time the nurse tried to stop his nose from bleeding.  
       “I want these two expelled for attack on my child – Albury!”  shouted Bruce’s dad who was on the city council. His face with pudgy like his son's with angry red blotches all over his face right up to his receding hairline.
      “Serves him right – with all the bloody noses he’s given,” retorted Mr. A.            “Besides – I have witnesses that say that it all started with Bruce teasing Dave here and accusing him of being a homosexual.  The poor kid found out this morning that his grandmother died and started to cry at his locker-“ 
       “This is stupid,” teen Jack blurted out.  “Bruce is a liar, a cheat and a bully – I gave him what he had coming.” 
       "Fine words coming from the son of the town drunk!” Ben Dane shot back.         “Enough from the both of you!” declared Mr. A. 
      “Jack you should not have punched him.  You are not getting expelled but you both get three days of detention starting tomorrow.” 
      “That’s not fair! Dave didn’t do anything. He’d be beaten up if I hadn’t stepped in,” Jack said defending his action.  Mr. Dane at least got some satisfaction that they were being punished. The group caught sight of Bruce who had Q-Tips coming out of his nose and tears running down his face.
      “Get your ass in the car – you look ridiculous –“ said Mr. Dane who pulled the tips out of Bruce’s nose as they walked down the hallway.

       “Now boys, your detention will be in the Media center – helping to catalog video and how to work the equipment,” he winked at Dave and Jack who smiled back. 

      “That afternoon was the beginning of your friendship with Dave- a guy who brought you into his family and gave you a place to belong after all the upheaval in your life,” said Keith.  
      “So far it looks like a pretty good life – you have your work, a best friend whose is more than a brother.  Sure your childhood was tough and you had losses but you had people who loved you even if they didn’t stay in your life forever,” I explained as I tried to put it all in perspective. 
       “Yeah, but at this point in my life – would anyone miss me?  I have no wife, no kids, no job that really means anything other than some camera work from time to time.  Nothing would change whether I was here or not. I just don’t matter.”
      "You matter – everyone does – we just lose sight of it from time to time.  We let bullsh*t bring us down – but if you could just see all that you’ve done – the people you’ve helped,” I replied honestly because he was just too down on himself to get it.  

       I touched his hand and we saw his mother in 1985 walking out of their house with a suitcase crying. 
      “What’s wrong with my Mom?” asked Jack. 
       "Your father died a few days ago from a drug overdose – heroin"  I replied sadly
        “Wait – what?!  But my father is still alive!” 
        “No,” I continued, “You see without you – he didn’t feel the responsibility have to support his family.  He and your mother fought constantly.  He developed a bad drug habit and it finally killed him leaving your mother heartbroken.” 

       Keith watched this play out and didn’t say anything.  As Angela was closing the door to her house, Ben Dane, Bruce’s dad drove up. He was a younger version of himself, not balding and had a convertible.  He got out and slowly walked up to the front stoop. 
      “Hey Angela – so sorry about Ted – I just don’t know what to say.”  Angela just stared blankly – her life seemed to be in ruins. 
      “You can stay with me and Jennie until you get on your feet.” 
       “Are you sure she doesn’t mind?  I know I won’t be good company and you all with little Bruce-" Angela protested but Ben took her bag and they got in the car and drove off. 

     The scene shifted to ten years later, Ben had left his wife Jennie and had married Angela who was tasked with bringing up Bruce.  They saw her cleaning up the kitchen when 12 year old Bruce arrived home from school.             “Hey Bruce – I made you some cookies – how was your day?” Angela asked innocently enough trying to make conversation but you could feel the tension in the room. 
     “Jesus Christ, Angela, stop trying to play the happy homemaker okay?!  You’re not my mother!”  Bruce stormed up to his room and took a few cookies.       With his mouth full he yelled down the stairs," Jesus woman – next time use more vanilla!” 
     “What an ungrateful little a**hole!” Jack responded wishing he could be there to talk to his mother who was now crying at the sink.  His mom had a beautiful house, nice clothes and there were pictures of European vacations but the smiles were forced.  
     She started the chicken casserole when Ben called and said he would be working late at the office which Angela knew was code for "I'm banging my secretary, don't wait up."  She put down the phone and began to sob. She didn’t have the vigor or sense of fun that Jack had known, even with his Dad’s drinking she always would make it a point of making jokes or saving some money so that they could go to the movies. 

      I touched Jack’s hand and there was the familiar rush of middle school kids running to make it to their next class.  He saw Dave standing at his locker trying not to be noticed and getting his science book. Bruce kicked him as he walked 
      “Hey faggot – I told you to stay away from here– you can’t follow directions can you sh*thead?!”  Dave just looked down and didn’t say anything. 

“What was that you loser?  Are you threatening me?”  
      Dave mumbled, “No-“ but it didn’t matter – Bruce started to beat the crap out of him.  The kids getting to their class pretended like they couldn’t see it and Mr. Albury just turned a blind eye. 

      “Why isn’t anyone helping him?” Jack asked helplessly. 

       “There was no one to stop to Bruce or stand-up for Dave so he’d routinely get the crapped kicked out of him until he decided to become one of Bruce’s minyans,” said Keith sadly. 

      “Wait, what?  said Jack.  “Dave was the only boy in a family with sisters and never really developed a bond like he had with you.  Bruce was the closest he had to a friend and over the years it warped him.  This is what he’s like now –" and with that I touched Jack’s hand and saw Dave in an alleyway pushing  another man up against a wall. 

       "Look – my boss doesn’t take to being lied to so you need to get the money together by tomorrow or you have a choice: either we break your knee caps or we break your hands. Merry Christmas.”  Dave shoved the man harder against the wall and he began to whimper. Jack instinctively jumped into the alley and tried to help free the man. 
      “Hey Dave – let up on the guy.  Why are you like this - what the hell happened to you?”  
      “This doesn’t concern you - just move along – and you won’t get hurt.”
      “Please help me – my wife is pregnant and our toddler is sick – “ the man begged. 
      “You should have thought of that before you borrowed the money –,” 
       Dave looked at Jack – “I don’t know who you are or how you know my name but you need to get the hell out of here – before I kick your ass as well.“
      “Make me –“ Jack replied like they were in middle school.  When Dave turned to Jack, the man saw his chance and ran away. 
    “Sh*t – that will cost you”  Dave started to come at Jack who could not believe his friend would try to hurt him, but then this was not his friend – it was a mutation from another time.  Jack ducked and landed a right hook on Dave’s jaw and knocked him out cold. 

   Jack started to run through the streets of his town but they were cold and dark, not the family homes with big lawns that Jack was used to seeing. There was no Art in the Park, there was no park, nice condos – only apartments that looked more like slums. 

“Where the hell am I?” Jack asked as he looked for a familiar landmark.  His town seemed dark and seedy.  There was not optimism.  
       "Bruce Dane took over his father's business because you were not there to challenge him to bring him down," I explained.  "He became mayor and this is the result: a town full of slums and crime."  Jack looked around shaking his head. “Would you like to see what your mother would be like today in this reality if she had lived?”  

      “Yes,” Jack said with uncertainty.  

      I touched his hand and we landed in a nursing home.  There was a group of older people sitting in a large room just looking into space.  He recognized his mother’s face – which was now lined and her skin looked sallow.  Her eyes were sunken with deep circles that looked like she had spent so much time alone and crying.  Jack ran to her and put his arms around her.
       “Mom – I’m so sorry about this – about everything!”  
       Angela looked up and said, “Bruce is that you?  Did you and your father decide to let me out of here. I promise to stop crying. I’ll be better. I won’t embarrass you.”  Jack hugged her tighter.

     “No it’s me, your real son, Jack. Remember Ted? You had me with him. He tried to love us. He just didn’t always know how.  I love you Mom and I miss you every day – please say you know me.” Jack and Angela were both crying but as much as he looked her into her eyes, she just didn’t know who he was.   A nurse entered the great room and saw him holding the old woman.
      “Hey you, get away from the Mayor Dane’s mother!”  She called for security on the intercom and Jack found himself being chased down a hall way with two very overweight security guards barely able to keep up.  He ran out of a backdoor only to have a police car start to follow him and demand that he stop. His heart beating faster than ever, he ran as fast as he could to the place where his car had skidded into the ditch.  
    “Em, please – let me get my life back – please I can’t take another minute of this – please God – let me live again.” 

      A set of headlights caught Jack and nearly blinded him.  A male figure started to run toward him. 
      “Get the hell out of here Dave before I cold-cock you again – I don’t give a sh*t who you work for - “  
     “What the hell are you talking about Jack? I came to see if you were okay.  What happened to your truck?”  Jack looked at Dave.  His face looked concerned but was still the face of the man he had grown up with, the face of his best friend.  
    Jack started to yell, “Dave it’s really you – I’m back – I’m back where I belong!” He grabbed Dave and started to hug him. 
   “Jesus – Jack how much did you have to drink? Hey, why don’t we call AAA and get your car towed okay?”  As they waited beside the ditch for Jack’s the towing service, Dave took a phone call.  Jack noticed me standing by his truck and motioned for me to come over. 
     “I’m glad you decided to remain in this world – a world that obviously needs you – but don’t let it go to your head.” 
      Jack laughed, “I’ll try not to,” and then he got quiet – “But my Mom – she was so sad.“ I took a breath and chose my words carefully.  
      “Jack without you – your parents would not have known true happiness – even if those moments were fleeting.  Even when bad things happen - those happy times are still there and can never be taken away.  You’ve seen your mother living into her sixties – but was she ever really happy?  Would you prefer you mother to be a vibrant woman who got to experience true love and then die at 34 trying to get back to the person she loved the most or to never have experienced that at all and live an empty existence?  Her life in the alternate world may have been longer – but it was not happier.  Please take some comfort in that and let yourself off the hook for her death.  You’ve blamed yourself for far too long.” 
      Jack nodded and felt a huge weight taken off his shoulders.  I continued,  “And for the record – don’t give up five minutes before the miracle happens.” 
     “Wow, that’s profound – is that in the bible?” asked Jack. 
      “No, I think it’s Oprah.” I smiled and faded out. 

      Dave got off the phone and walked up with a huge grin on his face. 
     “Hey buddy – guess what – that was The Supernatural Channel – they think they might have located another medium that might be worth contacting. So for right now the project is green lighted!” 
      “Holy crap – really?! – That’s great news!” Jack said realizing that he might finally have a shot at finding the success he’s always craved.  
      As he and Dave entered Martini’s they noticed Ted Bronson waiting for a place to sit at the bar.  Jack could now understand his father in a way he never had before and all the resentment he had towards him started to dissipate.  He walked over to his father who he had not talked to in months. 
      “Hey Dad, Merry Christmas.  Uh, Dave and I were going to the Silver Skillet for something to eat, can I buy you a late dinner?”  Ted looked at his son cautiously; it had been years since they had dinner together.  He came very close to refusing and spending another lonely Christmas at the bar but decided to take his son up on his offer. 

    “Sure son, I’d love to.” 

They sat down in a well-worn booth and ordered some coffee.  Dave excused himself and said that he was meeting his girlfriend for midnight Mass and offered to drive them home. 
     “No thanks, Dave – I think we can take Uber home – have a good one dude!”  Dave left the diner feeling especially optimistic about his friend.      “Did I ever tell you about the time your mother was pregnant with you and we sat in this very booth listening to Stevie Wonder on the radio and singing along – very off key I might add?” 
     “No, dad, I’d love to hear about it,” Jack replied.  Mayor Jenkins happened to spot the pair at the booth just as he was leaving with his family. 
     “Their bill is on me,” he said quietly to the waiter as he left. 

      In the back corner, I sipped on coffee as both me and Keith watched father and son share some stories and connect in a way they had done only a few times in their lives. 

     “You did good tonight Em – but if I recall correctly – aren’t there bells and you're supposed to get your wings?” asked Keith. 

      “That’s in Jimmy Stewart’s universe – not in ours.  Still we kept a guy from throwing away his life and that’s worth something.” 

      Just then Jack and his dad broke out in a chorus of “Joy to the World,” in which the entire café joined in.  Jack looked over at me and smiled. 

      “I hope your boss is watching – as birthday presents go – this one is pretty good,” said Keith. 

      “You’re right Keith, this is pretty good. Merry Christmas.” 

       “Merry Christmas, Em.”  And with that we faded out into the night as the combined voices in the café finished with “And heaven and angels sing, and heaven and angels sing, and heaven and heaven and angels sing!”

The Great White Room

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.

“You’re right sugar, by the way, the name is Lilith, thanks for your help,” she

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.  

I turned to Keith, who appeared on the road next to me. "Hey, we have a special mission from God that only you and I can accomplish. Are you with me?"  Keith nodded sadly and shook my hand.  We started down a lonely road, and a journey with a final destination that we knew was heaven, but the road to redemption was going to be a true test of faith, hope, and love.

 

For more on Ghost Wanderers, go to www.ghostwanderers.com. 

The Demon went down to Georgia

The first time I saw Nicki Lynch I was half drunk at Clairvoyant-Con steeped in a self-induced haze to drown out the hundreds of ghostly voices which always seemed to be calling me.   I didn’t want to do something as cheesy as a psychic convention but back then I didn’t have much choice – Jess had just left me and he was asking for a hefty sum in the divorce settlement.  Rather than stay home and drink myself into oblivion, I took it on the road and did some questionable conferences just for the money. 

So there I was at my own forum – feeling that familiar buzz that made the other worldly chatter fade into the background.   I saw this fresh faced teen-age girl tentatively raise her hand and ask me a question.  “I think I might be a sensitive and I wanted to know what it’s like to be a medium,” she stood there beaming because she finally got the courage to ask me a question.   And how did I reward her bravery?   I started a tirade about how it sucked to be me – to talk to dead people all the time and never get a break.  She sat down defeated.  I had taken the wind out of her sails.  She looked down unable to make eye contact with anyone.  I wanted to apologize on the spot but then a redneck called me a fake at my own fucking forum so I beat the shit out of him in front of my audience and was quickly escorted out of “Clairvoyant Con.”  Click here to see the video of what happened.

I later found out that Nicki had never really recovered from our run-in and thought about giving up on being a psychic forever.  Bob the Atheist Ghost intervened by hacking into my Amazon account and sending a $1,000 gift card to her family to enjoy for the holidays as a peace offering.  He also set up a Skype meeting to break the ice before we finally met in person. 

For the record – Bob doesn’t know he’s dead.  He doesn’t believe in the afterlife and goes along doing what he used to do which was computers and science.  So even as a ghost, he can manipulate computers because that’s what he believes he can do.   Some ghosts can do that – especially ones who are strong willed or in such strong denial that they think they are still alive and only certain people like me have the “intelligence” to connect with them.

So here I was on a dark, steamy Georgia summer night meeting Nicki again in person in a haunted forest near a subdivision.  We were there to do an investigation so I could gage her skill level.  I wanted to still feel like it was safe for a relative neophyte to work with the undead because a medium of my stature was there to mentor her.  

I had placed some citron candles near the location sightings to help entice the ghosts but from a practical level – it kept the mosquitoes away.  I tried to get a read on the location.  I breathed slowly and quietly.  I could hear the sound of the brook near-by.  I could see a few flashes of things that had happened in these woods – some good and some bad but I tried to keep my mind open and relaxed for whatever and whoever might want to contact me.  I felt lazar focused and relaxed which is the way I like to go into these investigations because tension can throw my readings off big time.  But my peace started to turn to irritation – my breath started to get short and my blood pressure was rising.  I opened my eyes and quickly rolled them up to the heavens.

“Hey Princess – what’s shaking? Is Nicki here yet?” asked Bob like a child waiting for their favorite baby sitter to arrive.  Bob’s glasses slid slightly down his nose and he pushed them back quickly.  Some ghosts hold onto the familiar – for Bob it was his glasses, plaid button up shirt and khaki slacks with loafers.   His gray hair was always a bit unkempt and he had a hard time with boundaries.  For instance he would ask me questions anytime – anywhere – even in the shower.   He also annoyed the other ghosts because he’d try to explain them away as some sort of Jungian or Freudian personality arch-type of his own psyche.  In his mind, Bob was not dead and this ghost-like existence he was in was just a long existential dream – one in which I was supposed to help him “wake-up” from.  By far, he has been the hardest ghost for me to help move to the next level.

As analytical as Bob could get – he also wanted to be truly helpful and solve problems.  So he felt a sense of ownership since he had fixed my transgression with Nicki and got us together over Christmas.   As indirectly sweet as that was – I really wished he had stayed back at my place playing Dungeons and Dragons on-line.   Ghosts can be greatly influenced by other spirits.   An apparition can literally be “jumped” and manipulated by another entity just like a human can be taken over by a demon.   Bob’s disbelief put him in harm’s way and it was impossible to tell what might happen if he met up with the wrong kind of ghost. 

“Sooo- what are you going to say when you see Nicki in person– “ nudged Bob.  “I’ll know what to say when I see her,” I responded trying not to let my annoyance show.  Just then a young voice said “Hi Miss Sophia.”  I turned and saw a beam of light in the dark woods.   It was Nicki and she was literally beaming because we were meeting in person – no Skype, no Clairvoyant Con – just the two of us – well the two of us and Bob.   “Nicki – it’s so good to see you!”  I said giving her a genuine but uncharacteristic hug.   She hugged back and then Bob piled on and hugged the both of us.   “Okay, this is the good stuff,” he said proudly “brought to you by me.”   Nicki smiled back – she could see and hear Bob.  Her wavy blond hair caught the moonlight and she seemed just as sweet as the first time I had seen her.  Even with all the crap that came down on her as a result of the video that someone shot of us at Clairvoyant-Con and posted on YouTube – you could tell she was still an optimist – still trusting in the good in everyone  - even me and Bob.  I really hoped that we would not misplace that trust.

 

“Okay sweetie,” I started  – “ I wanted you to help me with this case because apparently it’s a teenage ghost according to the people who have seen her and maybe she might be open to someone her own age rather than –“  “Rather than someone who is old enough to be her mother – I mean really – what teen would want advice from someone that old?”  said Bob matter-of-factly.  He then realized how that sounded.  “Oh, wait – you’re not old to me but to a teen – you’re ancient.  To me – you’re smoking hot in all the right places –“  Nicki started to laugh.  “Okay, Bob, enough- you’ve made your point,” I replied realizing I really needed to get another lock for my bathroom door – one that would keep out ghosts.  

 

The air started to get a little cooler and I saw Nicki shiver slightly.  “Are you okay?” I asked feeling a little unsure myself since I usually did investigations alone and I didn’t want to put her in harm’s way.  “I’m okay, Miss Sophia but I think there’s something that does not want us here.”  I had to agree – the sense of tranquility I had before had now been replaced by a sense of oppressive dread.  We heard the plants around us start to shake even though the air was still and there was no wind to stir things up.   Nicki’s head started to bend back and she let out a gasp.  “Something just pulled my hair really hard,” she said trying to keep her voice even.  “It’s okay, I’m here – “ I replied trying to calm things down.  “You girls are just imagining things – there’s no such things as ghos-“ Bob started but then stopped half way through.  

His eyes started to get big and he stepped back.  I looked in the same direction and saw what looked like a demonic head in the trees.  It’s face was dripping black blood and the eyes were gone-  just black sockets.  There were horns raising from its head and and it’s mouth was moving like it was making some sort of incantation.  “Okay this is bad –this is really bad” -  I said getting ready to grab Nicki and make a run for it. 

I then saw a young female ghost who literally seemed to be trapped behind the demon faced tree.  She looked like someone out of a 1980’s MTV music video.  Her hair was a vintage bad perm and her red jacket looked like it had large shoulder pads.   She seemed to be about 14 or 15 and looked scared.  I was trying to determine if she was indeed a child ghost or if this was some type of trick this demon was playing (many times demons pose as children to gain your trust).   Nicki started running towards the girl out of instinct rather than waiting for my cue.  “Nicki – no you don’t know if she’s – “ I  saw the girl start to run toward the both of us – I reached out to Nicki to try to stop her. “Seriously?  C’mon ladies it’s just a teenage girl – how dangerous could she be?” spoken by a person who had never really experienced a hormonal adolescent female either living or dead.  “Bob,” I replied, “just keep your mouth shut – I mean really stop talking.”  “Hey you can’t silence me and that devil face in the trees – that indicates that my personal demons want to come out but are held back by my ‘Tree of Life’ – they are in a constant battle for balance.   You have to read between the lines or you’ll never get me to ‘wake-up’,” Bob said with his fingers in air quotes when he said the words “wake-up.”

 

I caught up to Nicki who was face to face with the teenage ghost.  The poor thing looked legitimate.  I could tell that she had died from a drug overdose in these woods.   “Miss Sophia, she took some bad pills and wanted to change her mind, but someone wouldn’t let her make it out alive,” said Nicki with tears in her eyes.  It’s tough learning the back story on these ghosts and not getting affected but our job as mediums was not to get too involved and help them move onto the next level.  “I know Nicki – it can be tough to feel their emotions but we need to protect our feelings –“ I started and once again was interrupted by Bob.  “Oh, sweet suffering Jesus, (who I don’t believe in by the way)  this is why you woman have a hard time being taken seriously in business – too many emotions,” said Bob in such a condescending tone that I nearly smacked him.  “Woman can be leaders of entire countries– Margaret Thatcher has the brass balls to prove it!” said the young ghost who I was instantly impressed with.  “Hey you need to respect your elders young lady- “ Bob fired back figuring that would be the end of that.  “You have to earn my respect asshole!” she retorted.  I had to admit I was beginning to have some genuine admiration for this ghost. 

 

Nicki let out a nervous giggle and asked the girl her name.  “I’m Lara Pembrook.  I’m sorry that the demon showed himself.  That generally doesn’t bode well for the people who see him,” she said sadly.  “How did you end up here?  Why did you take your life?”  I asked while also keeping an eye out for the demon.   

 

Lara took a deep breath and started to shake.  Having to tell or even relive the time of death is very traumatic for ghosts but it’s the only way I could help her.  “I was there the night that Samantha was killed just a few miles from here – in a creek.   Allison made us confront her when we thought she was cheating with Allison’s boyfriend.  Things got heated and Allison threw a big rock at Samantha’s head.   There was blood everywhere – but she might have lived.   Allison freaked out and made us put Samantha’s body into the deepest part of the creek and weigh it down with rocks.   We then tried to pretend like nothing happened even when all the missing person stuff hit the news and the police questioned us  – “   “That’s so horrible - I’m so sorry – “ said Nicki who was quivering.  “I would see Samantha’s parents at church – devastated and praying to for a miracle.  I wanted to tell them the truth but Allison told me if I went to the police – she and the other kids would say it was my idea and that I threw the rock.   I just couldn’t live with myself anymore so I came here to – to – “ her voice trailed off and she looked exhausted.   “Nicki – you said someone would not let her leave – was that demon?”  I asked knowing the answer- I wanted to see if Nicki did too.  “No, the demon made her want to commit suicide but it was Allison that found her and could have saved her but Allison was so afraid of what could happen if she told the truth that she just Lara overdose rather than trying to get help,” Nicki said quietly with tears coming down her face.  “This is the saddest thing I’ve ever heard Miss Sophia.”   “The police found me a day later.  I wanted to find Samantha’s ghost and tell her I was sorry – but the demon would not let me leave these woods – he marked me and I was his now,” Lara finished quietly. 

“Wow, this Allison sounds like a real bitch!” pronounced Bob hoping to join in and be part of the group.  I looked over at Lara who started to laugh – “You’re right asshole – she is a bitch!”  The four of us started to chuckle but it was cut short by the sound of an evil bellow through the woods.

“Good God,  (I don’t believe in that either) what was that?” Bob asked as he ducked behind me and Nicki.   “That’s the demon – he doesn’t like me talking to people and now that you know my story – you might not make it out either,” Lara said realizing that she might have just sealed our doom.

 

The woods started to get stone cold – like the kind of cold in winter when there is no wind but just ice everywhere.  Nicki started to get scared – “I don’t want something bad to happen here Miss Sophia, I promised my mother I’d be okay,” she said shivering.  I held her tight and looked into her eyes.  “I know and I should have given you more of a primer before our investigation but I honestly didn’t think it would get this serious.”   “Yup, dream wise – this is pretty fucking bad –“ Bob stated.  “Okay, Nicki – at the point that the demon comes close to us – you need to pull out this vile of salt and throw it in his face.  I’ll use the holy water and to sanctify the ground.   I have the 23^rd Psalm – which can also nullify the demon long enough to free Lara and get all of us to safety,”  I said feeling pretty confident with my plan. 

 

The bellowing continued and sounded like it was getting closer.  The grass started to move on its own and the pace of the steps got louder.   There was a loud groan and then it got silent.   I looked around – Nicki was close to me and looked scared as did Lara but they seemed unharmed.

 

Suddenly Bob’s icy hand grabbed at the front of my shirt and he pushed me down hard.  “So, you thought you could get rid of me – didn’t you Princess?”  Bob’s eyes had a weird look in them - it was obvious that the demon had jumped him.  My heart started to race as I struggled to get up.   “Miss Sophia!”  Nicki screamed trying to find the vile of salt that I had given her.  “You two thought you could banish me from these woods – an old drunk medium and a neophyte – rather ambitious wouldn’t you say?   I’ve been here for hundreds of years – through the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, lynchings.   I’ve made good people do very bad things but nothing they didn’t really want to do it’s just that the fear of God kept them from doing it.  But I freed them from that – it was only the fear of me they had to worry about.  It’s not lost on me the irony that a medium who talks to the dead might be the next one to haunt these woods.”  I finally got back on my feet but Bob grabbed me by the throat and started to push me against a tree. 

 

“You don’t have to do this Bob – I know you’re in there,” I said trying to coax him out so he could take control.  “Are you really trying to reach that Atheist twit?   The non-believers – the ones that trust logic over everything else are the easiest to manipulate,” he tightened his grip on my throat and it was getting harder to talk.   “Look, you need to leave this place once and for all – you don’t need to do this,” I said barely able to get the words out.

 

“Leave Miss Sophia alone,” Nicki said as she threw salt in Bob’s face. “Table salt, really?!  Now that is a bit insulting – it stings a bit but nothing I can’t handle,”  Nicki started to say the 23^rd Psalm, “The Lord is my Shepard, I shall not want –“ but the demon just laughed.  “That is so text book. You women are so simple minded and weak – you go on a few websites and think you can vanquish me?   You are nothing more than slaves to your emotions and hormones –weepy and bitchy when that time of the month rolls around. But in just a few minutes after I kill the both of you- you will be slaves to me and not your hormones or menstrual cycles!” the demon started to laugh at his own quip. 

 

“Oh no you didn’t.  You pathetic asshole!  I’m not going to let you kill them – even if it means I’ll never get out of here!”   “How dare you defy me,” the demon shot back, “if you were smart instead of an emotional little harpee, you would join with me and kill them – then I might go easy on you.”  “I want to be free from you - from all of this and I don’t care what I have to do to get it,” she then brandished a tree branch like a sword and hit him over the head.  Stunned, he stumbled back.

 

“Nicki – close it now,” I shouted hoarsely.  Nicki grabbed the copper wire that was nearby as I started to run out of the semi-circle that we had created around the tree with iron nails and wire.  Her hands shook as she tried to close it and she kept on dropping the spool of wire.  It began to dawn on the demon that we were ensnaring him.  He started to crawl towards the opening.  Lara tried to push him back towards the tree with the branch.  He grabbed my leg and started to pull hard. “Get back here you bitch,” he howled.  I pushed forward trying to help Nicki close that gap before he could escape.  My hands reached the iron nail and closed the circle just as he was about to pounce.  “No!” he howled loud enough to make the trees shake.

 

Once the circle of cooper wire and iron was closed – the demon couldn’t walk outside of it.  Nicki grabbed Lara and they ran to another safe spot – a circle of rock salt which would keep any other bad spirits away from them.   I kicked the demon back and jumped outside of the copper circle.  I ran over to the girls.  “Are you both okay?”  “Yes, Miss Sophia,” said Nicki, “I did just what you told me.”  “But what about Bob?” asked Lara afraid that he would be part of the woods forever.

 

“Yes, what about Bob?” said the demon who was still in Bob’s ghostly body.  “You destroy me, you destroy him.  And since he’s an atheist, there will be no redemption.   Let me go and he has a chance.”   “I knew this might happen and I was willing to make that sacrifice – “ I said sadly.  “Miss Sophia, no not Bob, we can’t leave him here!”  Nicki begged.  “No, Miss Sophia, I can’t let you do this,” Lara cried.   The demon smiled.  “You see Sophia, you can be the good guy and let Bob exist as a ghost or kill his soul and leave him in all consuming darkness for eternity – it’s up to you.” 

 

“I’m – I’m so sorry – goodbye Bob –“ I said with a tear running down my face.  For a second – the demon’s eyes changed and I could see Bob standing there – “Hey don’t Sophia – please – “ I hesitated for a moment then threw black salt in his face.   He let out a yell and fell to his knees.  Nicki wimpered.  “Girls please look away,” I shouted.

 

I then pulled a sage stick, matches and some herbs that I had hidden under a bush.  I lit the sage stick which was mixed with copal, rue and angelica and made the sign of the cross over him.   His body started to shake and an unearthly moaning filled the forest.  “For the record – I knew that regular salt and 23^rd Psalm would not work – they were a diversion but this stuff is the real deal.  It seems like a bunch of emotional females are finally the ones to take you down.”   The demon started to back away from the smoke but could not escape it.  I started to recite the 91^st Psalm.  “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.   I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress - my God, in whom I trust’…”  With each line, the demon got weaker and weaker.  By the time I uttered the last lines, “Because he loves me says the Lord, I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation,” the demon let out one last groan and exited Bob’s ghostly visage.

The three of us stood in the forest looking at the tree where the demon had been and saw only Bob laying under the tree – not moving –not doing anything.  “Is Bob, is he gone?” Nicki asked choking back sobs.  “I think so, Nicki – I didn’t want this to happen but I couldn’t let another person get hurt by that demon,” I said feeling more sad about Bob leaving then happy that the demon was banished. Lara looked sad as well.  “I’m sorry he had to go – that asshole was beginning to grow on me.”   We all started to laugh and cry at the same time. 

“Hey stop with the asshole stuff, okay? I know I can be a little hard to take,” said Bob who was getting up slowly from under the tree.  “Oh my God, Bob!” I said happily which surprised me more than anyone.   “Bob, you’re okay!” said Nicki.  “Sure why wouldn’t I be – hey what’s with the copper circle thingy?”  he said not remembering what had just happened which was probably for the best.  “Not much Bob, we got rid of that personal demon and now we need to send Lara on her way.”  I bent down and undid the copper wire so Bob could walk out.   “You mean I can actually leave the forest?” Lara asked wondering what to do with herself.  “You can – you can ascend up to heaven if that’s what you want to do.”  “I do, but I have to apologize to someone first,” Lara said, “then I’ll be able to walk into the light.”    We gave her a hug and she slowly faded out of the forest with a big smile on her face.

“Do you think she’ll find Samantha and tell her how sorry she is?” asked Nicki.   “I think that’s the first thing on her to-do list,” I replied feeling relived that the night was over.  “Nicki, did you know about all this stuff?” asked Bob pointing to the smudge stick, the wires and iron nails. “Well Bob, Nicki and I had conversations that you were not privy to on Skype.  She needed to be prepared for anything that happened,” I replied.  “Sooo- how did she do?” Bob asked feeling like the metaphysical match maker.  “She passed with flying colors – I think she will make an excellent medium,” I said giving Nicki another hug.  

“Okay, but I thought tonight was more about my feelings of inadequacy as far as relationships go which was one of my personal demons.   I managed to get you two to work together – so wouldn’t that mean that feelings of emotional demonization should subside and I should wake up?” Bob asked hopefully thinking this was the tail end of his dream and still not grasping that he was dead.  “Maybe you still have a few more lessons to learn,” I explained quickly.   “Can we hurry this lesson stuff up, I’m pretty sure the Dragon Con Convention is in the next couple of days and I’m supposed to go as Mr. Spock,” Bob said hopefully.

“You’re funny and kinda weird, Bob,” Nicki chuckled.  “You have no idea kid!” Bob replied also laughing.  “Bob, why don’t you go back to my place – I got this new game called Savage Kingdoms – it sounds pretty challenging and way better then Dungeons and Dragons –“ I suggested hoping he’d finally leave the forest.  “Sure thing – you’re coming back after you drop Nicki off, right?”  “Yes, Bob – I’ll see you later,” I assured him and he faded out.  

“He’s never going to get it is he?”  Nicki asked feeling sorry for him.  “I tried to get him to be there when they discovered his body, but I think he was afraid of the truth.  But for right now, I’m stuck with him and frankly he does keep me on my toes,”  “He’s a handful alright,” Nicki quipped.  “That he is Nicki, that he is,” I laughed.

“Now, the first rule of being a medium after a night like tonight – we ground with lots of junk food –  Dairy Queen – my treat!” I said suddenly feeling famished and in dire need of a hamburger, fries and a Blizzard.  “You can call your Mom and ask her to meet us there.  And when you talk about this – let’s just leave out the demon part and just say we got Lara to go onto the next level,” I suggested knowing that her Mom would freak is she knew her sweet daughter had a run-in with a demonic presence. 

“Yes, Miss Sophia, I’d like that,” said Nicki.  We got into the car and started to drive out of the forest.  There was a bright light and for a nano-second we saw Lara laughing as she sped up to the sky.  We both looked at each other and smiled.  “Bob was right Miss Sophia, this is the good stuff.” 

Sophia Gardeen is a nationally recognized medium and is currently working on the show Ghost Wanderers for the Supernatural Channel.  She also makes on hell of a good butterscotch blondie.   For more info - go to ghostwanderers.com .