Spirit Whispers

by Cadie Snow

  Before Jaime could glean more from the contact, Harper put her hand to her forehead and said, “I feel faint.”

  Lily stood there, appearing in shock.

  Olivia went into action. “We have to get her out of this dress!”

  With Jaime’s help, the jacket was unbuttoned, but not without some difficulty. She slipped it off then placed it on a nearby table and assisted Olivia to remove the skirt. It was as though their interaction with the garments had broken the spell—just long enough to get Harper out of the wedding dress.

  Lily tended to the dress, while the others took care of Harper.

  Olivia put her arm around Harper’s waist and guided her to a chair. “Are you feeling any better?”

  Harper didn’t respond. She stared as though hypnotized.

  “Wake up,” Jaime said. “Snap out of it. Harper!”

  At the sound of her name, Harper looked up. “Where am I? What happened?”

  “I’m not sure, honey,” Jaime said. “You were pulled into the past. I got flashes of things that happened long ago…probably to the owner of this dress.”

  Harper’s face was flushed, and she was trembling.

  “I’ll get some water,” Olivia said.

  Jaime put a blanket around her shoulders. “You’re going to be okay. I think we got you out in time—at least, I hope so.”

  “I’m sick,” Harper said, “really sick.”

  Lily came over. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened.”

  “It’s not your fault,” Olivia said, then helped Harper take a sip of water. “It was the dress.”

  “How long have you had that dress?” Jaime said.

  “Not long.” Lily frowned. “Actually, it was about the time that I started being bothered by that ghost.”

  “That’s what I thought,” Jaime said. “That wedding dress is cursed.”

  Chapter 4

  Harper rubbed her temples. “No wonder I feel so awful. My head is killing me and I’m nauseated.”

  “Shall I call an ambulance?” Lily said.

  Jaime put her hand on Harper’s forehead to check for a fever. “I don’t think that’s necessary. The doctor’s office is close. We can take her in.”

  A noise in the shop alerted Jaime that a customer had entered, and that wouldn’t be good.

  A woman in her late twenties peered around a china cabinet then headed toward Lily. “I was in last week and didn’t see this. May I try it on?” She hugged the jacket to her chest and had the shirt draped over her arm, along with the undergarments.

  “No!” Jaime and Olivia said.

  Lily sprang into action. “I’m sorry. That one isn’t for sale. It’s very…rare.” She took the wedding costume from the customer, who appeared disappointed. “This is the only one I have like this.”

  “I was looking for something Victorian,” the customer said. “That’s too bad. I’ll shop somewhere else, then.” She turned and left.

  “That was close,” Olivia said. “We need to secure that dress.”

  “I can put it in my storage room,” Lily said. “I have a locked closet in there.”

  “That will do for now,” Jaime said. “I’ll come back for it soon. We need to take care of Harper first, and I don’t want that dress to latch on to anyone else.”

  As though a magnet pulled her, Lily drifted closer to Harper, who reached for the satin skirt. It took Jaime a second to realize what was happening. “That dress is luring Harper, just like it did before she put it on.”

  Harper’s eyes were glazed, and she appeared enthralled with the dress. Despite Jaime’s comment, she didn’t withdraw her hand.

  “It’s mine,” Harper said, but the words didn’t sound like her own.

  “Quickly, lock that dress up,” Jaime said. “And whatever you do, you can’t allow anyone else to wear it. Promise?”

  Lily nodded then headed for the storage room.

  When the dress was out of sight, Harper looked up. “What just happened?”

  “Nothing good,” Olivia said. “That dress has power over you. We have to get you to the doctor right away.”

  Lily returned. “I’m worried. Let me know what the doctor says.”

  Harper was able to walk but didn’t object to Olivia linking arms with her.

  “The doctor will see you right away,” Jaime said. “I’ll tell him how important it is. I have no idea how bad this could get, considering what brought it on.”

  The medical office was three blocks down the street. Jaime arrived a couple of minutes ahead of her sisters and informed the receptionist of the situation. By the time Harper entered, the nurse was ready to take her back to the exam room.

  Harper wasn’t getting any better. Her skin was flushed, and she had a fever. The nurse wrote down the details and let them know the doctor would be in shortly. They didn’t have to wait long. After an exam and some tests, the doctor gave the diagnosis.

  The illness was scarlet fever, not as common as it used to be. In the eighteen-hundreds, the disease was more prevalent. But fortunately, it could be treated with antibiotics. The doctor stressed that Harper must take the medicine for the required number of days or complications could result, such as more serious conditions that could affect the heart and liver.

  Outside, Jaime waited with Harper, while Olivia got the car.

  “I hope those antibiotics work fast,” Harper said. “I’m getting worse. My throat hurts and I’m on the verge of throwing up.”

  “I know, honey,” Jaime said. “We will get you in bed and get you well as quickly as we can.” She hoped that was true, but doubts seeped in.

  It was no coincidence that Harper had contracted a disease from an earlier era, the same period when the dress had been made. There was no reason to worry Harper further. But there was little certainty that modern medicine would be effective against a disease caused by wearing a cursed object.

  “Olivia encouraged me to stay with her,” Harper said. “She has an upstairs room, away from others. I better take her up on the offer. I’m not sure I can handle this on my own.”

  “Yes, stay with her,” Jaime said. “I’ll fill your prescription and bring it over.”

  As soon as Harper was settled, Jaime needed to discover what this was all about. She didn’t know what was in store and couldn’t risk things getting out of control. There had to be a way to break a curse, but not all spells were the same. She had to learn more about that dress, if she had a chance of defeating the evil attached to it.

  The family rallied when they heard the news about Harper’s illness. Cousin Ava had a niece who was a trained nurse, so she was assigned to the case. Later that evening, the fever hadn’t come down, despite medication—and the symptoms were persistent even with the antibiotics.

  Yet it was early. Scarlet fever was a serious disease, so Jaime didn’t want to assume too much. She had to give it time. Meanwhile, it was agonizing watching Harper suffer. And there didn’t seem to be improvement, only additional symptoms cropping up.

  Harper slept a bit but was alert when she was awake.

  Jaime squeezed her hand. “Hang in there. This will get better. It has to.”

  “If you say so.” Harper was pale and a rash had developed on her cheeks. “This doesn’t feel like any regular illness, not any I’ve had before.”

  “I suspect that you’re right,” Jaime said. “This a disease caused by a curse. Your witch nature can protect you to some degree. A normal human wouldn’t stand a chance.”

  “You’re right…I don’t think she stood a chance at all,” Harper said.

  “Who do you mean?”

  “When I had the dress on, I received some communication,” Harper said. “It wasn’t meant for me, exactly. I think it was from the past, when the evil spell was cast.”

  “What did you hear?”

  “It was faint, a woman’s voice,” Harper said. “It was a plea… Let me go…let me go. She kept repeating that. What do you think it means?”

/>   Jaime wasn’t sure, but she wished the dress would let Harper go. She was in the clutches of its evil.

  Harper’s phone vibrated on the side table, but she couldn’t raise her head.

  “It’s Vic.”

  Harper groaned. “I can’t talk. Will you text and let him know that I’m indisposed…indefinitely.”

  “I’ll let him know, but don’t give up hope yet.” Jaime had to get a grip. The sand was draining out of the hourglass, and she didn’t know how long she had to resolve this crisis.

  Olivia opened the door and motioned for Jaime to come out. “The nurse is on the way up.”

  When they were downstairs, Olivia said, “Is she doing any better?”

  “I’m afraid not.” Jaime relayed the information that Harper had shared. “Did you feel any other emotions when she was wearing that dress?”

  “I was overcome by a woman’s desperation,” Olivia said. “She needed our help.”

  “It may be too late to help her, whoever the woman was,” Jaime said. “But we have to save Harper. And I have a feeling it won’t be easy.”

  Before leaving, Jaime went to the purple meditation room down the hall. She closed the door behind her, letting the tranquility of the room surround her. The potted plants were a connection to nature, and the basket of colorful crystals added a magical quality.

  Jaime sat on a cushion on the floor, looking out at the moonlight through the translucent curtains. The quiet atmosphere suited her, so she didn’t turn on music. Since the room filtered sound waves, she couldn’t hear any of the noises in the house.

  Psychic vibrations weren’t blocked, but Jaime had no confidence that any would reach her. She’d had trouble sensing much even when near the dress or around Harper. The only insight she’d had was when Harper had been wearing the dress and Jaime had touched her arm. But there was no way she was going to reenact that; it was too dangerous.

  Harper had taken off the dress just in time. Jaime had no doubt that she’d have ended up in worse condition if she’d kept it on. The dress had attached itself to her, which explained why Harper didn’t realize the source of her illness. It was a good thing Jaime had been there.

  Even then, it had been dicey. The longer Harper wore the dress, the more intensely she would have been affected. As it was, illness had befallen her. Yet it would take time for the disease to do its worst. That gave Jaime an opportunity to conquer the evil, but how?

  There were so few clues. There was very little insight from Harper or Olivia. It seemed there had been a woman in trouble, but what trouble? And why the curse? The more Jaime thought of it, the more she realized she didn’t know.

  She closed her eyes, allowing thoughts to enter. Maybe she could gain insight into the future or connect with vibrations that would enlighten her. It was annoyingly silent in the room.

  Meditation would have to wait. Jaime couldn’t relax enough to calm her mind. She knew what she had to do, but couldn’t proceed until tomorrow. There wasn’t much to go on to break the curse. But Jaime had one important clue to the mystery: the dress. She intended to find out all there was to know about that dress.

  The next morning, Abigail didn’t come down for breakfast. Jaime found her in her bedroom texting. “Honey, are you ready? Your ride to school will be here soon.”

  As was becoming more frequent, Jaime didn’t get an immediate response. It was as though her daughter was in some other universe. Was it going to be like this all through her teens?

  “Abigail?”

  “Mama, just a sec,” Abigail said. “I’m answering Eve.”

  When Abigail set the phone aside, Jaime said, “You don’t have to talk to her every minute of the day. If you don’t miss your ride, you’ll see her at school.”

  Without a word, Abigail grabbed her backpack and headed downstairs. Fortunately, she was dressed. It made Jaime wonder whether Eve was a good influence or not. Maybe it was normal to be distracted from other things and involved in chatting—yet it seemed beyond that.

  Jaime really needed to talk to Eve more—and meet her parents.

  Halfway down the stairs, Abigail stopped. “I meant to tell you that I had a dream. It was kind of spooky. Do you think I’ll start being more psychic, like you are?”

  “What was the dream about?”

  “There were men I didn’t recognize, and it involved black magic,” Abigail said. “I perceived that there was a secret about something important, but when I asked, no one would tell me. I got the sense that something bad was going to happen—maybe to me.”

  “That doesn’t sound good,” Jaime said. “Black magic can be a symbol of danger coming. You will be tapping into your power more and more. The dream you had should be taken seriously. Did you get any feeling about the secret?”

  Abigail frowned. “I’ve tried to get a clue, but it’s difficult. The secret was the focus of the dream, the center of it all. The others had to make sure I didn’t figure it out.” She paused. “At the end, Eve was in the dream. I don’t know why…maybe because we’ve been talking a lot and spending time together.”

  “Maybe,” Jaime said, but suspected otherwise. A psychic dream had significance. Random images didn’t appear; all of them had meaning. “Keep a record in your dream log and we’ll discuss this more. It may take some thought to unravel the symbolism in your dream.”

  Abigail seemed satisfied and continued down the stairs.

  Jaime was glad to know about the dream; it could shed light on what was going on with Abigail. Based on her own experiences, it was wise not to put it aside.

  The boys had eaten and were ready to leave. Jaime gave them a hug and assured them that she would be there after class to watch soccer practice. With that, they raced out the door. Then a honk signaled Abigail’s ride was there.

  Once the kids were off, Jaime cleaned up then went to see Lily. She had bookkeeping to do, but that would have to wait. A more important matter required her attention. Although Olivia had assured her that Harper’s condition had remained stable through the night, finding a cure was as pressing as it had been.

  It was up to Jaime to find out what was behind the curse. The first step was to learn all she could from Lily. And to attempt contact with the ghost, although she wasn’t too hopeful about that. It might happen, but she suspected it was going to require special effort.

  When Jaime arrived, a few customers were in the shop. Since Lily was busy, it gave Jaime time to see if she could sense the evil presence again. The most logical place was the storage room, where the dress was nearby. Jaime went inside. It was cool and dark, but there was no indication of a ghost.

  Jaime leaned against the locked closet and thought about the dress. She dared not open the closet door, for fear of causing more damage. Yet the ghost was connected to it, so should be near. After a couple of minutes, fear tingled her spine.

  Although she didn’t perceive details, a sense of death pervaded her. Jaime opened her mind, willing to communicate to the dead, but no clear message came through. She tried to see the ghost’s form, but was unable to.

  Maybe everything was linked to the curse. What Jaime had to unravel was the motivation behind it. The history of the dress would be helpful. Since the ghost hadn’t shown up, she needed to move on. When she went out, Lilly was wrapping a purchase for a customer.

  After the customer left, Lily came over and said, “How is Harper?”

  “Not good,” Jaime said. “The doctor said it’s scarlet fever.”

  “That’s unexpected.”

  “Yes, I agree,” Jaime said. “I have to get to the bottom of this. Will you tell me all you know about the dress?”

  “Of course,” Lily said. “I don’t know that much, but the auction house might have more details. I often go to Atlanta to buy items for the shop. One of the auctions offered a Victorian wedding costume. Since it was an original, it cost quite a bit. But I assumed I could sell it for more.”

  “Sure,” Jaime said. “I bet you could, but not as l
ong as it’s cursed.”

  Lily furrowed her brow. “I’m so sorry about that. I had no idea.”

  “Since yesterday, have any other events frightened you?”

  “No, it has been quiet,” Lily said. “I kept that closet locked like you told me to. That may have helped.”

  Jaime was certain it had. Keeping the dress locked up might have blocked the evil, but that wouldn’t last. She obtained the details about the auction house and the name of the salesman. Then she said goodbye and headed for Atlanta.

  It was a couple of hours to Atlanta, even though Jaime only made one quick stop. She texted Olivia to let her know where she was going, and to check on Harper. The nurse was on duty and had reported that Harper was sleeping a lot. The bad news was that the fever had spiked and wasn’t coming down.

  During the drive, Jaime had a chance to reflect on the images she’d seen. For a moment, when Harper wore the dress and Jaime touched her, scenes of the past had flashed before her eyes. If only Jaime had left her hand on Harper’s sleeve longer, but that had been too dangerous.

  What Jaime had seen was the woman from her dream. The ring of flowers on her head was very recognizable. Magic wasn’t required to figure out there was a gloomy history attached to the woman and the dress. It was possible the auction house would have more insight.

  It wasn’t the first time that Jaime had been to Atlanta, but seeing the big city reminded her of why she lived in Blairsville. There was so much traffic, and the tall buildings in downtown looked all crammed together. It made her feel claustrophobic.

  The auction house wasn’t far off the main highway, so the location was easy to find. Lily said the establishment had a reputation for selling high-end and one-of-a-kind items. This time the seller had no idea how unique the item was. Cursed objects were around but were rare.

  Jaime parked in back then went inside. The place was a lot like Lily’s, only much larger. Items for sale were displayed throughout the huge showroom. After making her way through the maze, Jaime found the sales desk.