Haunted Happenings

by Lucrezia Black

  “I can’t offer you any guarantee. But if you let me stay here for a few days I will call up some of the elders and shamans in the community. They will be able to tell me more about what I’m dealing with. We will be able to get the ghosts put to rest. The demon might take a bit of digging.” He sighed. “All I require right now is lodging and food. If I need any materials in order to deal with the demon, I will require some financial aid for that.”

  She nodded. It sounded reasonable enough. She had very limited options at the moment. She needed this problem solved and a solution had literally come knocking at her door.

  She wondered what she was going to tell Barry about it. She knew that she didn’t have to tell him anything. She could just say that they had another tenant moving in. She could just not mention it at all. He was barely at home as it was at the moment.

  She gave Kayra another once over. It would be hard not to notice him around the house, even though it was a big house. It would be best to mention something to Barry, even if he didn’t want to acknowledge their ghost problem.

  “I can agree to those terms. There is a room on the third floor that is available still. It hasn’t been renovated like the other living spaces, but we can set you up there.” She got up to refresh her tea.

  “If I can sleep in a college dorm, I can sleep anywhere, Kate.” He smiled and accepted the tea she offered. “I’ll get started immediately.”

  “Please do. I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”

  “Neither do I.”

  Chapter 8

  Rising

  * * *

  Kate told Barry about Kayra. He responded with a grunt and scoff. That was all he would say on the matter. She tried to engage him twice more about it that evening but he wouldn’t even acknowledge her. He didn’t want to give the very idea of ‘paranormal’ activity a platform to be discussed.

  So she left it alone. She would deal with this by herself, or with Kayra’s help, apparently. And when it was sorted she would rub it in his face. He could deny it all he wanted, but she wasn’t going to live in the dark while their business fell apart. She wasn’t going to ignore something that was clearly happening around them.

  Over the next day, Kayra made his phone calls. He contacted as many members of the Romany community as he could. He had people call other people and get back to him with information.

  By the end of several hours on the phone he had a summoning ritual and a way to send a ghost to rest.

  Kate wasn’t certain how she felt about it all. She didn’t know if she wanted to summon a ghost. She wasn’t certain how she felt about meddling in the spirit world. But she didn’t want to have them in her house any longer. She wanted to be able to move on from all of this. And she had a feeling that what they were doing was for the best.

  She couldn’t imagine how tragic it would be to be trapped after death. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to be stuck with no hope for moving on. There would be no peace. There would just be endless suffering.

  It was for the best that they were laying the woman in white to rest. It was for the best that they were finally seeking peace for the Smythe family after the torment they had gone through. The more she thought about it, the more she was certain about it.

  Kayra suggested that they hold the summoning by the pond. That way the people in the house would not be at risk from the summoning. And the pond was a central point for the tragedies of the Smythe family. They had lost two lives there. It was clearly a strong focal point for spiritual energy, according to Kayra.

  Kate knew nothing about any of it, but she felt inclined to agree. As pretty as the pond was, she had never felt particularly drawn to it. There was always something that was a little off-putting about the pond. It was as if there was a darkness around it. Perhaps that was because of the deaths that had occurred there. Or perhaps it was because of the demon. She couldn’t say for certain. But she had kept her distance since they had moved in.

  It hadn’t taken long to gather what they needed for the summoning. They’d needed some herbs and some candles. The important thing had been the summoning ritual that Kayra had received from his relative. That was the crucial aspect for making this all come together.

  They waited until sunset. Kayra had said something about the energies of the dead being strongest at dusk, but Kate was more inclined to believe that he didn’t want the neighbours wondering what they were doing burning candles and chanting in a different language in the backyard.

  The estate was large, but not large enough that someone couldn’t peak over the fence if they wanted to be nosey. The last thing she needed was for a neighbour to accuse her of witchcraft or running some kind of cult out of the old house. A rumour like that would be detrimental to the business she was trying to establish.

  So at dusk they set up next to the pond underneath the willow that draped its branches low to the water. The lights from the house offered some illumination onto the lawn, but she was glad when Kayra lit the candles.

  It wasn’t that she was scared. Okay, maybe she was a little afraid, if she was to be honest with herself. But she’d never seen the ghosts before. She’d never encountered the demon. She’d only heard stories so far. The fact that she was finally going to see what had been terrifying her tenants for so long, both fascinated and terrified her.

  Kayra began to chant in a language that she didn’t recognise. His eyes were closed and his head was tilted back as he focused on the words that he was saying. She turned her attention from him to the pond. And she waited.

  It didn’t take long. A few minutes into his chant, the waters of the pond began to ripple. Kate fought the urge to take a step backwards. She fought the urge to go back into the house and leave him alone with whatever was going to emerge from the water.

  The water rippled and churned. And out of the pond rose the woman in white, Gloria Smythe. She looked exactly as Kate imagined she would. The Victorian gown dripping with water, her face in a permanent mask of sadness, and her black and grey hair falling around her face.

  She walked from the pond in slow, measured steps and stood on the shoreline. For the first time her face changed to reflect an expression of confusion. She glanced around herself, as if aware of her surroundings, and frowned.

  No sooner had the expression registered on her face than she was knocked backwards into the water by a cloud of black smoke.

  Kate choked back a scream as the ghostly figure splashed into the pond. She was surprised that the contact had made any affect on the water, but what did she know of the realm of the paranormal.

  There seemed to be some sort of fight playing out in the water, between the woman in white and the demon. Kayra continued to chant, his eyes open now and fixated on the water. She wasn’t certain whether his eyes were drawn to what was happing there or whether he was just staring blankly ahead.

  The water gurgled and the woman in white emerged again, struggling for the shoreline now. The black cloud was pulling at the hem of her dress, trying to drag her back under. It was as though it was trying to drown her a second time. Or perhaps that was what it always did. It just drowned her again and again every time that she appeared.

  The demon let go of the woman in white; it’s attention shifting to Kayra as if now realising that he was the one responsible for the incantation that had brought them there. Kate felt the rise in ominous energy as it rushed towards him.

  She made to shout out a warning, but Gloria Smythe beat her to it. The woman sent a wall of water shooting towards the smoke. It dissipated upon contact, but Kate had a feeling that it wouldn’t be gone for long. She had a feeling that there was little that would keep the demon from its purpose.

  The woman in white once again emerged from the pond and stood with her sad face at its edge. She seemed more aware now. She seemed to notice the two of them standing at the edge of the pond even if she didn’t speak or gesture.

  The water in the pond gurgled and churned again, drawing their attentio
n from the woman in white towards its surface.

  Kate gasped when she saw a young boy and girl emerge from the pond. She recognised them from the photos of the Smythe family. Veronica and Warwick were hard to mistake.

  Kate had to wonder what sort of box they had opened as these two walked to the edge of the pond to join their mother. They linked hands with her, all looking sad faced. But they all held the same awareness to them.

  It was unnerving. Kayra said nothing. He had stopped chanting a few moments ago and now was just staring wide-eyed at what was before him. He hadn’t imagined that this would be the result of his summoning. He hadn’t imagined he would ever see anything like this in his life.

  Kate was studying their faces. She wanted to remember this moment. She wanted to remember what had happened and what they had looked like. She would write about it one day, she was certain about it. If she ever found time to do something for herself.

  The water began to churn again, causing them some surprise. The three members of the household who had died at Fyfe Hall were standing before them. Who else might emerge from the pond? Molly Smythe? Gerald Smythe?

  The water rippled and it bubbled for several minutes as they waited in tense anticipation. Even the ghosts turned to face the water to wait for whomever would emerge. There was an audience of five standing and watching, waiting for the next to join them.

  The water calmed and Kate had to wonder if it had been a false alarm. She glanced back towards the house for a moment, but the ghosts continued to watch the water attentively. They knew something was coming. They knew someone was coming.

  She turned back to the pond just as a figure began to emerge from the water.

  It took her a moment to process what she was seeing. She recognised the face, not from the entity it belonged to but from his father and from his brother who stood on the shore. It could only be one person.

  They all stood in stunned silence as Benjamin Smythe emerged from the pond dressed in his uniform, looking young at nineteen and yet old beyond his years. His eyes were tired, but they were fixated on his family.

  He walked with purpose to join them on the shore.

  And Kayra and Kate watched as four ghosts were reunited on the banks of the pond. Mother hugged son. Brother hugged brother and sister. It was all rather beautiful to witness.

  If only it would remain happy, Kate thought. Well, as happy as it could be considering that they were all dead. Unfortunately, she knew that the happiness could not be sustained.

  Already she could sense the creeping presence of the demon as it rebuilt its energy and sought to destroy the Smythe family once again. She could tell that it was coming. She could feel the energy growing. But for the moment she would enjoy this scene. She would remember it. Because she doubted that she would see anything like this again in her life.

  Chapter 9

  Laid to Rest

  * * *

  “What are we going to do now?” Kate looked at Kayra, the confusion clear in her voice. “We have four ghosts now, not just one. Your summoning chant seems to have made the problem worse.”

  “Or shown you the entirety of your problem,” he countered. “It really depends on how you look at it.”

  “This isn’t one of those glass half full versus glass half empty type of conversations, Kayra. We have four ghosts and a demon to deal with.” Her voice was raised now. She couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of her mouth. She was actually talking about ghosts and demons. She’d actually seen ghosts and a demon. She wasn’t quite sure her life would ever be the same after this.

  “I’m well aware of the situation, Kate.” He glared for a moment, his dark eyes firm. “We need to focus on laying these spirits to rest before we can deal with the demon. It is drawing its energy from them.”

  “And what are we to do if the demon shows up again while you are busy with that?” She glanced nervously towards the house. She could feel the energy growing. It was pressing down on her. She knew that it wouldn’t be long before the demon returned.

  “Keep it busy?” He suggested, and knew that it was a lame attempt at humour. “I have no idea what I’m doing here, Kate. All I can hope is that the ghosts can beat off the demon again now that they are united.”

  “Do you think that’s possible?” She looked at the four of them huddled by the shore.

  “I think anything is possible at the moment.” He drew in a deep breath. “Now I need to start the other ceremony. We need to lay them all to rest. Things might get hairy during this. I need you to be prepared for that.”

  “I don’t think I can prepare for that sort of thing, Kayra,” she sighed. “But I will do my best.”

  She watched him walk back over to his supplies. He lit different herbs on fire and rearranged the candles. He stood at the shore of the pond and began to chant. This time the words were different but they were in the same foreign language that she didn’t recognise.

  She watched him close his eyes and focus on the words. And all the ghosts turned their attention towards him. They stood hand in hand at the shore and they watched him as he spoke the words.

  There was no curiosity in their eyes. It was almost as though they could understand what he was saying. It was almost as though they knew exactly what was happening and they welcomed it.

  She wouldn’t have been completely surprised. After so many years trapped in limbo, the chance to move on would be a gift. She could even see the corners of Gloria’s mouth pull up in what appeared to be a smile. It was as though she was actually happy about what was playing out.

  And what was there to not be happy about. She was reunited with most of her family. She was going to move on and be with the rest of her family. There was nothing about this that was sad.

  That was when Kate noticed it creeping across the pond. She had felt the rising pressure. She had felt the ominous sense growing. But as she saw the cloud of smoke make its way across the pond, she knew that they were running out of time.

  She looked over at Kayra. He was still chanting. He was still standing there with his eyes closed and his arms raised. It was as though he was asking the heavens to welcome the four into its gates. It was as though he was praying more than summoning. But he could not see the demon approaching.

  That was her job. She was supposed to be watching. She was the lookout. But what on earth was she supposed to do? It was a cloud of smoke? She couldn’t fight it. She couldn’t stop it.

  She watched as it crept up and began to overtake the ghosts on the shore one by one. She watched as they crumpled beneath its oppressive weight. But as it got to Gloria, it struggled.

  She was no longer the destroyed weeping woman in white. She was different now.

  The demon crept back, almost in fear of her. And as it crept back, it released the others from its grasp until all four of them were once again standing free on the shore of the pond. And the demon stood beside them, a shapeless blob of black smoke, cowering before the woman in white.

  Then its attention shifted and fixated on Kayra. Kate felt her heart sink, as it slithered across the ground not so much walking as sliding over the grass towards him.

  She wanted to shout out in warning but her voice froze in her throat. There was nothing she could do but stand and watch as it got closer and closer to him. There was nothing she could do but watch and wait.

  Then suddenly a light emerged from the centre of the pond. It was a shockingly bright light that rose up in a column from the centre of the pond towards the sky.

  Kate’s gaze fixated on it. She had never seen anything like it before in her life. Was this the light that everyone described? Was this what happened when you died? Was this what crossing over looked like?

  She had so many questions and she was certain that most of them would forever remain unanswered. There was no one to explain. There was no one to tell her. She would just have to wait until her time to find out, but still it was quite something to witness it happening now. To see the light i
n the pond and to wonder.

  The ghosts turned towards the light as if drawn to it. And perhaps they were. Gloria took the hands of her two youngest children and sent Benjamin a reassuring smile before walking back into the pond that they had all emerged from.

  But they didn’t walk into the pond, they walked on it. They walked on top of the water towards the shockingly bright light as if it was a beacon that was calling them home. And then they stepped into the light and they disappeared.

  The demon, whose attention had been on Kayra until the light had emerged, now tried to follow them into it. It crossed the pond in a rapid gust of smoke and then stopped.

  It hesitated. The demon seemed to consider whether or not to move forward. It seemed unsure what would happen if it went towards the light. But there was a pull. There was a need to go towards it, to follow the Smythe family.

  Kate watched the struggle on the pond. The demon edged forward and was singed by the light. It jumped back in surprise. And then, much to her surprise, it dived forward into the beam of light and disappeared.

  With that the light faded, almost as quickly as it had shown up. Kayra fell to his knees, exhausted from the summoning rituals, and Kate rushed to his side to ensure that he was all right.

  The ghosts were gone. The demon was gone. It all seemed a little surreal.

  Kate looked out towards the pond. The usual dark energy she felt being near it was gone now. It was just a body of water. She wondered it she would be able to ever sit out here without remembering what had happened, without thinking about the people who had stood on the shore. She doubted it. But she knew that she would try.

  She glanced up towards the house and, much to her surprise, she saw Barry standing just outside the back door. He was staring down at them wide-eyed and his mouth was gaping open.