Rosemary's Ghosts (Tess Schafer-Medium)

by Deborah J. Hughes

  Finally she turned her head and looked at me. Her eyes reflected the light of the fire and her stare made me wonder if she even remembered who I was. Then she closed her eyes, shook her head and stepped back. The ease with which she did so amazed me to no end. How was it she wasn't affected by the sucking wind?

  Thankfully she grabbed my hands, pulling me along with and suddenly we were free from the vortex swirling around the fire. Cool air blew over our heated skin and we both lifted our faces in pure pleasure for the relief it offered.

  Although my footing was now steady and my only thought to get as far from the bonfire as possible, the air went so still I didn't dare to move. The next moments that followed left us in suspended expectation, the excitement building so fast the space surrounding us practically crackled with gathering energy.

  A few seconds of total silence and complete stillness and then there was a loud snap like the crack of thunder and a wall of air whooshed against us, knocking Rosemary to the ground and sending me flying backward toward the porch. I landed on the steps, slamming into them so hard it knocked the air from my lungs.

  Stunned, I lie there for a few seconds not daring to move and unsure I could do so even if I wanted to. What in the world just happened? I looked up at the night sky. It was as black as ink. No color, no stars. Nothing. For a moment I questioned my existence and then Rosemary was calling my name.

  "Tess! Tess, are you okay? Oh my dear."

  I turned my head and watched as Rosemary pushed to her knees, rested a moment and then stood up. She walked to me slowly, her body obviously stiff and giving her trouble.

  "Tess?" She held out a hand to me and the fear in her eyes finally penetrated the fog around my brain.

  "I'm okay, Rosemary. Really." But my body was lethargic and nearly void of energy. It took all my focus to sit up. Worry filtered through me, making my heart pound loud in my ears. Something was wrong with me and that was enough to increase my worry.

  "What happened?" Rosemary dropped down next to me. "Did the mugwort do that?"

  "No, I don't think so." I glanced toward our bonfire and was shocked to find it completely doused of flames. Not so much as an ember remained burning. How odd.

  Rosemary plucked at my arm. "Do you think it worked?"

  I looked at her and tried to focus. But my brain didn't want to function and making thoughts was like pulling teeth. "Did what work?"

  Rosemary waved toward the now dead bonfire. "What we just did. You know ... dancing around the bonfire and tossing in the mugwort. Did it send the ghosts away?"

  "I'm not sure." But I didn't think so. Though I couldn't make contact with them and they didn't show themselves to me, I knew they were still with us. More puzzling was the feeling I sensed from them. Resentment. But why? I was trying to help her. Or was that the problem? Did they resent my help? It seemed to me that now more than ever, they wanted me gone. Well I was on their side with that one. I wanted off this island too.

  "Let's go inside and have some tea."

  Yes. Rosemary's cure-all for everything. "Okay."

  Once we were again settled in our respective seats, Rosemary in her rocking chair and me on the sofa, we sipped our tea in silence and reflected over the events of the night. A shiver raced along my spine and ended with tingling unease across my scalp. I rubbed at my head and stifled a yawn. For some reason I was incredibly tired. "It seems quite late doesn't it?"

  "It's because we were up early. Let's finish our tea and go to bed." Rosemary hesitated a moment as if trying to decide something and then obviously coming to a decision, she leaned forward and patted my leg. "Sleep with me tonight. I have a large bed. There is plenty of room."

  No way was I going to refuse the offer. I wasn't really looking forward to another night on the couch. Sharing Rosemary's bed was a much better idea. "If you're sure, Rosemary. I think I'll take you up on that!"

  As if making the plan now made her impatient to get on with it, Rosemary finished off her tea and stood up. "I'll go find you something to wear to bed. Do you need to use the bathroom?"

  "Yes, I should probably do that." Rosemary was so full of practicality and I felt like a zombie. More than anything I hoped that Grace showed up early tomorrow. Surely she would do so since she missed coming today?

  Rosemary moved about in the bedroom while I sat on her primitive commode and she called out to me as she left the room. "There are some pajamas for you on the bed. I'm going to go stoke up the wood stove and tidy up the kitchen."

  The pajamas were thick woolen ones. They were white with blue stripes and looked like something my grandmother would wear. But no matter, they were comfortable and warm and Kade wouldn't have to know anything about it. The thought of Kade seeing me now made me giggle and that brought me back to a reasonable state of mind. Everything was going to be okay. It had to be. I'd make sure of it.

  I heard Rosemary making sounds in the kitchen and took the opportunity to look around her room. She really didn't have a lot of things. Talk about living sparsely. I thought about my own house all crowded with things and wondered what Rosemary would think of it. She obviously liked to live a simple, uncluttered lifestyle.

  A closet was next to the commode area and though I knew I shouldn't snoop, I was across the room and opening the door before I even realized what I was doing.

  Clothes hung in a tight fit while crochet supplies filled the shelf above. Various shoes and boots cluttered the floor. When, I wondered, did she wear them? The only thing I've seen her wear are slippers. I was about to close the door when the light from the lamp behind me reflected off of something shiny. Kneeling to see what it was, I saw a metal file box tucked in the back. My eyes clung to it for the longest time.

  "Open the box, Tess."

  The voice that whispered in my ear startled me so much that I jumped back banging my head into the door. Wincing at the pain it created on my sore scalp, I shut the door then leaned against it warily. What was in that box that a spirit would encourage me to open it?

  "Are you okay, dear?" Rosemary came back into the room and I saw that she had already changed. Her pajamas were a faded pink and looked girlishly, adorably out of place on her.

  "Yes, I'm fine. I'm just really tired." Though I wanted to ask Rosemary about the box, I knew that I could not do so. She'd know I was snooping and I had a strong feeling she would not take that well.

  Rosemary waved a hand toward the bed. "Me too. Let's get some sleep. Hopefully Grace will be here first thing in the morning. She usually comes early when she misses a day."

  I sank onto the mattress with a weary sigh. I was bone tired. Truly, every bone in my body felt as tired as the rest of me. I could barely keep my eyes open. Rosemary turned off the lamp and we were immediately pitched into complete darkness. It was a little unsettling actually for it to be that dark and a little seed of panic burst open in my chest making my heart flutter.

  Rosemary patted my hand. "Goodnight, Tess."

  I found her touch reassuring and took in a deep relaxing breath. "Goodnight, Rosemary." And though I thought it would take forever, I was asleep in seconds.

  Chapter Seven

  Talk about sleeping like the dead. As consciousness slowly seeped back into my awareness, I couldn't get over how quickly I had fallen asleep. But now I was joining the land of the living once again, my worries came fast and quick to the forefront of my thoughts. Were Dennis and Alex okay? Did I leave them enough food? How was Kade handling the fact that he couldn't get hold of me? How was Rosemary going to handle my leaving her today? And what was in that box?

  High on my worry list, though, was Rosemary. Although I knew I couldn't solve every haunting, help every spirit and get rid of every evil entity, I felt a responsibility to try. The problem here was Rosemary had no one else. I knew without even asking that she wouldn't let me bring anyone in. My friend Mark was an excellent medium and he'd willingly come if I asked. He'd helped me with my own spirit problems when it became too much for me to deal with o
n my own.

  There was strength in numbers and when it came to the spirit world, sometimes extra help was needed. But the spirits here were not evil. I didn't need Mark because of that. Obviously my own ability to see the dead was not that good when it came to Rosemary's ghosts. Maybe someone else would have more success. But it was a moot point. Rosemary would not want Mark here. It was a lot to take on and I found myself unable to deal with it. So I turned over and did something completely out of character for me. I went back to sleep.

  When I next opened my eyes, it was the beginning of dawn. Or that was my best guess judging from the gray light I could see through the cracks where the curtain didn't quite cover the window. The room was freezing cold and my breath puffed out in a foggy mist. The quilts covering us didn't seem to be offering any warmth.

  I started to turn my head towards Rosemary but a sharp pain lanced through my scalp and I stilled with a hissing wince. It was three days since I fell and hit my head, surely it should be healed by now?

  It took a few seconds for the pain to subside and once it did I breathed a sigh of relief. A feeling that didn't last long, for with the diminishment of pain came the return of my attention to the cold. As I didn't want to crowd Rosemary in her bed, I'd slept as close to the edge as I could get but now I was thinking it might have been better to snuggle closer to her for shared body heat. How did Rosemary deal with this every day?

  More light filtered through the window bringing with it a clearer view of my surroundings. And that's when horrified alarm shot through me.

  The ceiling above my head was cracked and sagging and the walls were black with mold and water damage. The window, in fact, was covered by a tattered curtain that blew freely in the breeze for the pane was broken out of it!

  Fear clogged my throat. What the hell? I turned my head and nearly choked on the breath trying to escape my lungs. A skeleton was lying beside me. Almost all of its flesh was gone. What little remained was dried up and black. The clothing covering it was tattered and worn to scraps and pieces.

  Nausea made my stomach heave and I rolled off the bed with a sickening dread filling my entire being. Oh God. Though it felt as if my strength was rapidly draining away, I managed to push up to my knees and suck in some much needed air. But then the stench of death filled my nostrils and I gagged at the smell.

  Praying for help and striving to keep sane, I grabbed at the bed with the intention of hefting myself to my feet but my hands encountered nothing but cold, sharp springs. Hissing with even more pain, I yanked my hand away and lifted my head to look. I didn't want to see the skeleton again but I had to check out the situation and get myself out of this awful nightmare.

  I could barely comprehend what I saw. The bed was rotted to a mere skeleton of its own. The blankets were covered with mold and were a shredded mess.

  I had to be dreaming. There was no other explanation. Dropping flat to the floor in relief, I lay there for a moment with my face pressed to the wooden planks. But then I realized the floor was covered with ceiling plaster, dirt and Lord only knew what else. I pushed myself up to my knees, eyes close, head down, and concentrated hard on waking myself up.

  Wake up, Tess. Wake the hell up!

  But when I opened my eyes, nothing had changed. The cabin was a wrecked mess around me and Rosemary was still a skeleton on the bed. Tears welled up and spilled non-stop down my face. What did this all mean?

  I had to get out of here. I knew that much. Though I had to concentrate hard, focusing on each movement, I crawled across the floor unable to check the tears streaming down my face. My nose was running as well and I swiped at it with the sleeve of Rosemary's blue-striped pajamas. I wanted to lie down and give in to a bout of sobbing but not here. Not in this room. Not with the skeleton of Rosemary lying on the bed behind me. And then I stopped when I made it to the bedroom doorway. The room beyond was a complete disaster.

  All the windows were broken and a good portion of the ceiling had caved in. Animal feces, dirt and rotting vegetation were everywhere.

  Oh God. How was this possible? I reached up to pinch my face then cried out at the pain and dropped my head to my chest. The sobs I'd been holding back now overtook me, rendering me helpless for several minutes. This was just too much. I was scared and that alone frightened me. It wasn't good to give in to fear and yet I felt helpless in its clutches. Had I lost my freakin' mind?

  "Sheila, please help me!" For the first time since landing on this hell hole, I began to really question Sheila's silence. Even now, despite my pleas, I didn't feel her comforting presence and sagged to the floor in despair. Why? Why was this happening? Is this what Mike tried to warn me about?

  And then I shot up to my knees as another thought struck my mind. Was I dead? More tears came at the very idea of it and I pressed both hands to my mouth in an effort to stop the complete meltdown trying to take place within me. My throat hurt with clogged screams of fear and the spasms attacking my chest nearly made me choke. I was totally losing control here and if I didn't get a handle on it, I truly feared for my sanity.

  What about Kade? How was he going to handle this? As soon as the thought went through my head, I actually drew in a full breath and started to relax. The dead didn't worry about the living and I was clearly worried about Kade. That could surely only mean one thing. I was not dead. Was I?

  "Tess?"

  The voice behind me made my skin crawl and I squeezed my eyes shut. Please, God, please make it go away!

  A hand touched my shoulder. It was cold and bony and I cringed away from it. I couldn't do it. I could not turn around and face what stood behind me.

  "Tess?"

  Rosemary sounded the same. Her voice was not hollowed, as if coming from nothing but bones and yet, I couldn't move.

  "Tess, please tell me what's wrong?"

  What's wrong? I nearly laughed with hysteria. Where to begin? "Rosemary ... please go away."

  "Go away? Where to?"

  The surprise in her voice finally made me open my eyes. And everything was fine again. Warm even. I swung around and Rosemary stood there in her pajamas looking quite well. Not a bone in sight.

  "What is it? You don't look so well, my dear." She leaned down and touched the back of her hand to my forehead. "You're not running a temperature."

  I glanced around and nearly collapsed with relief. Everything was as it should be. Except for me. I was on my knees just inside the doorway to Rosemary's room.

  So it was a nightmare after all. But it felt so darn real.

  "You are shaking like a leaf, Tess!" Rosemary tugged at my arms gently. "Come, let me help you up and over to the couch."

  Shaking like a leaf in a windstorm was more like it. "I had a nightmare." That expression "weak as a kitten"? Yeah, that's how I felt.

  "I'd say so! You fell out of bed and before I could get up and help you, you came tearing around it on your hands and knees and crawling for the door like you couldn't get out of here fast enough." Rosemary's hands fluttered around her, plucking at the buttons of her pajamas. "It was rather ... unnatural. Scared me half to death." Her troubled eyes met mine and I could see the question in them. She was clearly wondering about my sanity and I didn't blame her for feeling that way. "But then you just stopped and swayed on your knees and no matter what I said, I don't think you heard me."

  "I didn't."

  "So is that sleepwalking then? Except, you weren't walking. Sleep crawling then." Rosemary smiled though it was a faint one and I managed to do the same. She was trying to relax me and it was actually working.

  One thing for certain, I had to get off this island today. "I hope Grace comes early."

  Rosemary's eyes darkened and once she saw me to the sofa, she dropped into her chair and gazed off into space. "I imagine you've had enough of me and my quiet life."

  "Rosemary, I have animals that haven't had any care for going on three days and I have a boyfriend who must be going crazy because he can't reach me." But more than that, I felt I wa
s losing my grip on reality.

  Rosemary sighed, her shoulders sagging, and then she stood and headed for the kitchen. "I'll make us some coffee and some toast. How does that sound?"

  Wonderful. If I was lucky, Grace would be here by the time we finished. I couldn't take another whole day here. Not without some serious reality checks. Like talking to Kade. Seeing Kade would be even better.

  While Rosemary busied herself in the kitchen, I gave the room a slow observant sweep. I could see nothing to indicate that what I saw wasn't real. But something wasn't right and my gut feeling told me that it was me. Something wasn't right with me.

  What if it wasn't Rosemary's skeleton I saw lying in that bed but my own? Mike kept asking me why I was here. Did he mean why was my spirit here?

  A wave of nausea hit and I gulped in air hoping to fight it down. A hard shiver followed, racing through my body and bringing with it a cold sensation so severe that it made me convulse. Fear was an emotion I thought I was getting a handle on and yet it clawed at my belly, my chest and fought its way up my throat. Not wanting to let it out, I covered my mouth with my hands, pressing them there. Then I closed my eyes and prayed for some divine help. If only I understood what was going on with me. Why wasn't Sheila responding to my pleas?

  I thought about her-two year absence after Mike's death and wondered if I was going to go through another bout of silence. But then common sense returned. Back then it was my anger and resentment that kept her away. So what was holding her back now?