by Jamie Ott
Once she reached it, she tossed the little rocks back out toward the lot.
The next thing she heard was Jack banging, hard, on the door.
“Get Joey down here. It’s him and me, now!” she heard him shout.
When he said the safe words, she immediately crawled through the window.
Quietly, she lowered herself down to the floor of the long hall.
She walked, fast, across the aluminum floor, trying not to make too many clopping noises with her feet.
Sitting at the steps was a young boy she’d never seen before.
Silently, she contemplated what to do.
When nothing came to mind, she decided to act natural.
She walked toward him, and said, “Hi.”
The kid said “Hi” back. He hardly seemed to care whether she belonged there or not.
So she ran down the steps without another thought.
A girl she knew sat, watching the projection on the wall. They weren’t friends, but she hated Joey just as much as Tatia did.
The girl looked up at the sound of her approach, and motioned, with her hand, toward Joey’s room; then simply went back to watching the projection on the wall.
From her pocket, she pulled out the automatic screw driver that Bruce had given her, before they left the house.
Easily, she removed the door knob. She ran across the room and grabbed the guitar case from under Joey’s bed.
Her heart almost beat out of her chest, as the sound of voices echoed from down the hall.
Some of the guys were already coming back.
As she pounded her way back up the stairs, the voices of Rob and Nick floated through the air.
Tatia ducked in the room that used to be Mira’s. She stashed herself and the guitar under the bed.
Several people came into the lounge and hung out, and resumed watching television.
Joey came back, cursing and yelling angrily.
Tatia snuck out from under the bed and peered out of the office door’s window.
Below, she saw Joey and the others talking and making angry motions with their hands. He hadn’t, yet, noticed that his door had been broken into.
She was really sweating, and didn’t know how she was going to get out of there.
Bruce or Jack must have realized she was still inside because, all of the sudden, loud ringing noises blasted from the walls.
The fire alarm had been set off.
A bunch of doors above and below opened. The sounds of a hundred feet pounding the aluminum stairwell bounced off all the walls.
She hid back under the bed until it got really quiet, and then she opened the door and peered over the rail.
“Tatia! “ whispered Bruce, making her jump.
“I’m coming,” she whispered back.
She ran up the steps and found Bruce hanging in the window.
Tatia handed him the guitar. He walked the ledge and handed it to Jack, who was in the fire escape.
Sirens and lights blasted from the front of the warehouse.
They ran across the empty back parking lot, as fast as they could.
“What happened to everyone?” she asked breathlessly.
“They left because they didn’t want to be caught by the fire department.”
Buchanan’s Back
Chapter 8
Back at the house, they celebrated over soda and a frozen pizza. Even Langley was in high spirits, as he floated dizzyingly fast around the couch, wailing, occasionally.
“We did it, we did it, we did it!” said Tatia. “Wow, I never felt such an adrenaline rush as I did tonight, haha,” she laughed.
“YOU did it, Tatia!” shouted Jack.
“Cheers!” said Bruce, who held up his soda cup.
“Why don’t you play something?” asked Mira who was still resting her ankle.
Jack sat with his back to the fire. He opened the guitar case, and pulled out the little battery operated amplifier.
He plugged the amp cord into the guitar and played the Crossroads Blues, as he remembered it from his father’s radio.
“Wow, such a dreamy sound,” said Tatia.
“My father said that’s what the telecaster is known for: its sound.”
Langley liked the subtle dreaminess of the chords he played. His eyes were hazily fixed on Jack’s guitar.
Though the place had no electricity, the lights flickered on and off. From Langley’s memory, they heard musical accompaniments and someone’s strange voice singing along.
~~~
They didn’t get to bed until the sun had been up for several hours.
Mira slept on the couch. Although Langley was no longer a threat, Tatia, Bruce and Jack, still slept in the living room because it was the warmest place in the house.
Neither of them heard when or how Joey and his seconds got into the house.
“AAAAAAAaaaaahhhhh!!!”
Jack shot up, violently, while still wrapped in his sleeping bag.
Tatia rolled over and said, “Mira, the ghost is friendly.”
“That wasn’t me,” she said.
“Bruce, wake up,” Jack said as he slapped his arm.
The whited out form of Langley floated, wailing, into the room.
“What is it, Langley?” asked Tatia.
He floated around the couch, quickly, with more sludge in his mouth than unusual.
Then there was a banging noise coming from the entrance hall.
BAM BAM BAM!
They all got out of there sleeping bags, as the banging continued.
Jack tip toed to kitchen, and ran back into the living room, a moment later.
“It’s Joey and his idiots,” he said.
The banging continued.
Jack picked up the guitar and put it back in the case. “You guys hide upstairs in the attic,” he said, and then shoved the case into Tatia’s hands. “I’ll go for help, through the front door.”
But then they heard the sound of the kitchen door bursting open, and banging against the wall.
Tatia ran up the stairs.
“Stop her!” cried Joey.
Nick ran up the stairs after her.
Bruce made to go after Nick, but Rob tackled him, pinning him to the ground with his shoulders. He punched at the sides of his head, but Rob didn’t seem to feel anything.
Just as Jack was gonna go for Rob, Joey pulled out a switchblade knife.
“You’re gonna get me the guitar, now, or I’m gonna kill you.”
WAAAAAHHHH! Wailed the ghost, making Joey jump.
The fire flickered.
“You don’t scare me!” he shouted at Langley, who levitated around his head.
Bruce groaned as he struggled with Rob, on the floor.
From upstairs came a loud thumping noise, and a scream.
“Tatia,” yelled Bruce. “If he hurts her, I’ll kill all of you!”
Langley disappeared from the room.
A second later, Nick floated down the stairs, arms and legs flailing, as he screamed.
They heard the kitchen door slam shut. Nick banged on the door, and then all went silent.
Surprised by what he saw, Rob slackened his grip. Bruce pushed his forehead back and punched him in the neck, making him fall breathlessly on top of him.
Bruce pushed him to the side.
As he stood up, Joey grabbed Bruce by the hair, yanking back his neck, and pointing the knife at his jugular.
Jack leapt to Bruce’s defense by grabbing the knife in Joey’s hand and forcing it upward, past his scalp.
From behind, Rob had gotten his breath back, and was, now, choking Jack by the neck, and trying to drag him away from Joey.
Langley returned. He steam whistled noisily, and threw wood chairs aimlessly through the air.
They all struggled a moment in each other’s grips; then there was the loud sound of something breaking, followed by Rob falling into Jack. Under the weight of Rob, Jack was pu
shed, heavily, into Joey, making him stumble and put pressure on his arm.
The pressure forced Joey to relinquish the knife, as he cried out in pain.
Jack stumbled forward, a few steps past Rob. When he got his balance back, he then turned and saw that Mira had smashed Rob in the back with one of the chairs, causing the chain reaction they’d just had.
Distracted by the pain from having his arm bent backward by Jack, Joey loosened his grip on Bruce’s hair.
Bruce wrenched his head out of Joey’s grip. He turned and punched him in the face, sending Joey back into the staircase.
“Come on,” said Jack, who ran to Mira and helped her hop up the stairs, followed by Bruce.
They knocked on the attic door.
“Tatia, let us in,” shouted Jack.
The door swung open.
“What can we find to fight these guys with?” asked Bruce, when they got to the top of the attic stairs.
“I’ve got a wood board,” said Tatia, who held a 6 x 36 inch plank in her hand.
“I found one more can of Bully Beef,” said Jack.
At the sound of Rob or Joey ramming the attic door, they froze for a second.
Tatia ran to the stairs as they burst through the door, and up the steps.
Right as they reached the attic floor, Tatia sent the flat side of the plank straight into Rob’s stomach, dropping him to the ground.
Joey grabbed the plank, wrenched it out of her hands and threw it at the wall.
Just then, the last can of Bully Beef flew through the air, and hit Joey on the forehead. His eyes bugged out in surprise, and then he dropped to the ground like a dead weight.
They all looked to the center of the room, where Langley was floating idly.
“Thanks,” said Tatia.
“Well, looks like it’s just you and me,” said Jack to Rob, who was struggling to breathe and stand.
Jack pulled out the switch blade that he’d wrestled from Joey.
“Drop the knife, now!” someone said.
A light glared in their eyes.
Standing near the stairs was a policeman and an old lady in jeans and a sweat shirt.
Jack dropped the knife.
“What the hell is that?” asked the cop.
“It’s a ghost, dummy,” said the woman. “Hello, Emmett.”
The ghost wailed.
“You know him?” asked Bruce.
“He’s my brother.
Rose Langley
Chapter 9
“Officer, I saw the whole thing,” said the old lady. “The ones you want are the big one, and the one with the long hair. Where’s the third one?” she asked of them.
“I think he ran off,” said Tatia.
“Alright, I got better things to do, so let’s get this over with,” said the cop.
He put cuffs on Joey and Rob.
“You guys need to leave. This house is condemned; it’s not safe.”
~~~
Fifteen minutes later, they watched the officer drive off with Rob and Joey in the back. Nick had completely disappeared.
“Who are you?” asked Tatia.
“I’m Rose Langley, Emmett’s sister.”
“Thanks for sticking up for us, but how did you know Joey and Rob were the ones who needed to be arrested?” asked Jack.
“I saw the whole thing go down on the little webcam I installed weeks ago.”
“You were watching us?” Bruce blurted.
“Well, not at first. Originally, I installed it so that I could see Langley. I’m surprised you never noticed it actually; the webcam was right there on the mantle.”
“Are you the one who was watching me, from the window?”
“Yes, that was me. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Why did you never kick us out?” asked Jack.
“Because I wanted to see what Langley would do,” she laughed and smiled. “As he got older, he was quite temperamental. He didn’t like kids much. I thought he’d scare you off, eventually. Instead, he took a liking to you, I think.”
“Is the house really condemned?”
“Well, it’s quite cold. Why don’t you come to my house and we’ll talk about it over breakfast.”
They walked two blocks over and took a right. She led them to a tall white house with a green roof.
Once inside, Rose talked nonstop about Emmett as she made pancakes and sausages.
“Langley was a good kid. Our father didn’t think so. You see, he wanted Emmett to be a doctor.
Emmett did as Father wished until music changed his life. Back then, music had such a transformation that many men forsook their responsibilities, in search of some obscure idealism, like freedom and living for the moment.”
She set a large stack of pancakes in the center of the table.
“Tatia and Mira, will you bring out the dishes.”
Rose put the frying pan in the sink. She walked to the living room and came back with a photo in her hand.
“This was him back in the seventies. He was about twenty there.”
There, in the same leather hat, stood Langley with a large smile.
“When did he die?” asked Bruce.
“About ten years ago. I got a call from the gardener, telling me to come over to the house. There he was, in his chair with a drink in his hand. He’d choked on a garnish.”
“Maybe that’s why all the black stuff is in his mouth; it’s a symbol of the way he died,” said Mira.
“What about his daughter?” asked Tatia.
“Who?”
“The baby in the pretty locket.”
“An old cousin. She’s gone, now, too. Not many of us, Langley’s, left.”
“What do you think is gonna happen to him, once they tear down the house?” asked Bruce, sounding concerned.
“I don’t know; that’s why I’ve hired a medium. She’ll be here, today, to help him move forward.”
“We don’t want him to go. Can’t you just fix up the house?” asked Tatia.
“I can’t afford it. We used to be wealthy but no so much anymore. All I have is my retirement check, and I’m going to go live with my kids.”
Meeting Emmett
Chapter 10
When the clock said 2:45 pm, Rose and the kids walked back to Emmett’s house.
They waited out front for the medium to arrive.
A white sedan pulled up fifteen minutes later. A middle aged woman with purple scarf around her neck emerged.
“Hi, I’m Maggie.” She extended her hand.
“I’m Rose,” she said, and introduced the kids.
After Maggie got a bag from her trunk, Rose led her up to the front door. She pulled out a key and opened the door.
All was still; the lights flickered a bit.
“Let’s take it back to the parlor; that was Emmett’s favorite place,” said Rose.
Maggie followed Rose to the back room, humming and looking around with her large blue eyes.
“Let’s push the couch back and sit on the floor, in a circle.”
After they moved the couch, Maggie pulled a large black sheet with an enormous pentacle spray painted on it, from her bag.
She set it on the floor.
Next, she pulled out 13 candles, set them in a circle, in the center of the sheet and lit them.
“I can feel Emmett in the room. Contacting him will be easy. He’s used to appearing in the physical world,” she paused a moment.
“Let’s hold hands,” she said, as she sat on the sheet, “and call Emmett into our circle, using our minds only.
Once he appears, he cannot leave until we let him. Whatever you do, don’t let go of each other’s hands. If you do, you’ll break the connection, and set him free, again. If that should happen, then we’ll have to call him again. Only, he may ignore our calls, next time.”
They sat in silence, holding hands, calling Emmet for nearly an hour.
“Why is it taking so long?” asked Tatia.
Some more time passed when Maggie asked, “Emmett? Are you with us? Come into our circle.”
When nothing happened, she said, “He’s resisting. He knows why I’m here, and he doesn’t want to go. Talk to him, Rose.”
“Emmett,” said Rose. “Listen, the house has been condemned. It’s going to be destroyed, and I’m too old and broke to do anything about it. You need to move on.”
He appeared in the circle.
The lights flickered.
“Emmett,” said Maggie. “If you do not leave this house, it will be destroyed, and your spirit could die with it.”
“Why do you remain in this house?” asked Rose.
The ghost merely looked at his sister.
“He’s speaking to me,” said Maggie. “I hear his otherworldly voice. He says he doesn’t deserve to be happy; that he let his father down. Do you know what that means?”
“Emmett, no one blames you for not being here when Father died. I know you feel guilt for things that happened between you two, but it’s time for you to face him. Father loved you, Emmett, and he’ll be waiting for you on the other side.”
“He’s asking me about what’s on the other side – Emmet, I can’t answer that. But I promise you that the place is a happy one. You have to have the courage to move on.”
A light wailing entered the room.
“He wants me to thank you for bringing him joy, the last few weeks. You made him feel alive, again. He’s glad you got your guitar back.”
“Thanks, Langley,” said Jack.
“Okay, kids, say good bye to Emmett, now. I’m gonna lead him to the light.”
“Bye Emmett,” said Tatia and Mira.
“Thanks for being there for us,” said Jack.
“Say hi to my grandmother for me,” said Bruce.
“Bye, Emmett. I love you, and I’ll see you soon,” added Rose through tears.
“Langley, I want you to close your eyes and relax your spiritual mind. When you’ve done so, you should feel warmth, almost as if it’s entwined with everything around you. Focus on that warm feeling. It will feel like its smothering you.”
After a moment, she added, “Yes, that’s it, that’s the other side. Follow the warmth; focus on that place.”
Suddenly, a rush of air moved around the room.
Langley disappeared, leaving behind a white cloud that hung in the air.
~~~
They stood out on the sidewalk, waving goodbye to the medium.
“Well, I must be going, too,” Rose turned and said to them.