Paranormal Solved

by Grace Fleming

  19

  Improved Procedure

  Jerry returned to the living room, having strategically placed several holy objects throughout the house, as he'd been instructed by Nilsson. As he meandered through his home, he could hear the man in his living room praying loudly for protection. Luke was joining him. Jerry hoped he had not messed up his kid for life, since he'd raised the kid as an agnostic, but it was not exactly a good time to worry about that. When he entered the room, Dr. Nilsson invited him to sit. "I must tell you what to expect," the man said.

  Jerry took a seat beside Luke. "You okay?" he asked.

  "I'm good, dad," he said. He squeezed Jerry's hand in a comforting gesture. Jerry had to swallow the lump that developed in his throat.

  Nilsson continued. "Please understand that the power to cast away this entity does not come from me; it comes from the authority and Lordship of Christ the King, who has dominion over the dual Cosmoi of Light and Darkness." His tone grew in intensity as he spoke.

  Jerry glanced again at Luke, whose eyes were gazing steadily at Dr. Nilsson. His mouth was hanging open, and Jerry realized that his own was doing the same. The reality of the moment seemed to be hitting them both hard. "Be strong and faithful," Jerry said.

  Luke nodded back to Jerry in another attempt to reassure his father.

  "You are children of Christ, the Lord of all. You are made in His likeness, from Light, and you exist in the Realm of Light. This entity is from the Realm of Darkness, and there are a few things I want you to know about his presence.” Nilsson paused to look them both in the eyes. "First of all, please dismiss from your thoughts all of the dramatic scenes you've seen in movies. You must not fear. Understand that this creature has developed an obsession with you both, and with your house. This is not the same thing as a possession. It is a very different thing, indeed. Secondly, you must keep faithful, as I mentioned before. The entity will want to use tricks to break your resolve. However, you must understand that there is a limit to his powers. Do not excite yourself with imagination and conjecture about what he might do. Understand his limitations, and what he can do to attack you. Then remove his ability to do that. He can move things, as you've seen. You may expect to see poltergeist-like activity. But know that his ability to manipulate physical matter is very limited, and it uses a great deal of his energy. That energy will not last long."

  Jerry had to admit that he was fascinated by the words. "What about another attack of snake venom? Couldn't he kill us with that? And why hasn't he tried that again?"

  "Do not imagine that he has abilities that he does not. He cannot conjure snakes, any more than you or I can. He merely has the ability to live among, and be accepted by, venomous snakes." He smiled and looked at Luke. "Do you have any venomous snakes on your property?

  "Not that I'm aware of," Jerry said.

  "When you were in Savannah, the entity most likely did have access to, and was able to dwell among, a variety of swamp-dwelling snakes. He simply has not had the opportunity to replenish his toxic weaponry in this location."

  "Fascinating," Jerry said.

  "There is one more thing to keep in mind." Nilsson paused and looked back and forth at Jerry and Luke, as if to emphasize the seriousness of his next words. "He may reveal your secrets, in an effort to shake you."

  "Like, what secrets?" Luke said nervously, before Jerry could ask the same.

  "Embarrassing or damaging secrets may be revealed. These entities have been known to reveal things that may cause you distress. This is a tactic that often works to break the flow of faith. I tell you this now, because we must keep the flow of faith strong."

  "I want to say something," Luke said with a nervous eagerness. Jerry wanted to stop his son, but the boy continued before Jerry could intervene. "I've looked at naked girls. On the internet."

  Dr. Nilsson smiled kindly, and Jerry's eyes flooded with tears. He felt joy and pride and sweet regret at the same time. He was proud and somewhat sad that his son had just been brave enough to reveal his darkest secret, but it was mixed with the relief that this actually was his darkest secret. It must have seemed so monumental, in front of this man of faith. "I love you, kid," Jerry said.

  "And I'm very proud of you for that.” Nilsson said sweetly to Luke, but his expression changed abruptly. Jerry knew from the man's sudden change that he must have realized how odd his words sounded—or would have sounded under ordinary circumstances. "For the confession, not the deed," Nilsson clarified. The laughter, fueled by the tension in the air, erupted spontaneously, as they all realized the absurdity of the situation.

  "It would be weird if you were proud of me for looking at girls." the boy laughed.

  "These are strange times, indeed,” Nilsson joked. He paused and looked at Jerry with his serious tenor returning. "And you? Do you have concerns that this entity will attempt to break your faith with a revelation? Do we need to talk in private before we proceed?"

  Jerry thought for a moment. "I cheated on my taxes," he said, barely keeping the grin from his face. Again, the room erupted with laughter.

  "I have to say," the man said with the gentlest voice Jerry had ever heard, "You two are certainly making this process easier than normal."

  "We're pretty boring," Jerry said. Again, Nilsson returned to his stern manner.

  "Have you asked others to pray for you at this time?"

  "My mother is," Jerry said. He felt his face flush as the words left his mouth. It had been an odd conversation, the previous day, when Jerry had called his mother and asked if she could do him the favor of praying for his protection. The woman had been suspicious and gleeful at the same time, since she'd tried to lure him into church for all of his adult life. She'd tried her best to get Jerry to explain his request, but he'd managed to put her off. "I'm sure she's been praying nonstop."

  "And Vivian," Luke added. "I asked her to pray." This time, Jerry squeezed his son's hand. For as long as Jerry had known Vivian, she'd been a resolute agnostic.

  "Excellent," Nilsson said. "Now we must begin. And for review, I'll first isolate the creature in this location so he can't escape, and then I'll banish him to the dark realm."

  Jerry listened as the man began to chant a series of prayers. He tried to concentrate on the man's words, but he kept getting distracted by sounds coming from other rooms. It was probably his imagination, but he thought he heard knocks coming from his bedroom. He looked at Luke, and realized he was also glancing down the hallway. Jerry tried hard to stay calm and pay attention to Nilsson's prayers.

  A loud bang from the kitchen made him jump, along with Luke. It was the sound of a cabinet door swinging open.

  "Remain calm and faithful," Nilsson said. "And strong." He continued with his words, notifying the entity that, under the authority of the Almighty, he was now summoned to the interior of the living room, where he would be confined.

  At this point, Jerry heard a low hissing sound coming from behind the television. It grew louder in intensity. Luke looked at Jerry, wide eyed, and Jerry tried to muster a calm face while he winked at his son.

  "You are powerless," Nilsson said in the direction of the hissing sound. "You must obey the commands which are expressed with the authority of Jesus Christ, the son of God."

  The hissing sound increased and then transitioned to a raspy, growling noise, breathing in and out like a rabid dog. Jerry felt himself trembling, and stared intensely at Nilsson to block out all noise except for the man's words.

  To Jerry's right, the television took a violent jerk forward and fell from its base, and the crashing noise coincided with a loud growl. The sound startled Jerry, but he realized in an instant that the sound was not so terrifying as the vision that was now appearing beside the wreckage on the floor.

  It was a vibrating haze, taking the shape of the sickening, troll-like creature. He tried to concentrate as Nilsson challenged the creature to walk forward. It began moving forward, and as it approached them all, its form became increasingly solid. Jerr
y felt numb in every part of his body. He tried to swallow, but he couldn't command his throat to work, and his mouth remained open as the creature moved closer and closer. He realized, as its eyes became more defined, that it was looking straight into his own. Step by step, it came toward him, looking straight into his eyes, with yellow pupils with slits that resembled a snake's. The growl was loud and gurgling.

  "Remain calm and faithful!" Nilsson shouted. "He has no power over us!"

  Jerry wanted to look at his son, to try to comfort him and keep him from being terrified, but he could not control his gaze. He could not tear his eyes away from the gaze of this entity, and he began to feel helpless. As it stepped closer, the vibration slowed and the creature became more and more solid in horrible appearance. It was only three feet from Jerry now, and it stepped forward again and stopped. As Jerry watched, it drew a deep, raspy breath. It began to speak.

  "Your frieeends," it said in a slow, evil, growl. "They think they are so cleverrrr... They are going to die..."

  Jerry began to shake uncontrollably. In his peripheral vision, he saw Nilsson extending his arms, reaching toward the creature with open palms. "I know your name!" he shouted. "You are Naga, and I command you to return to the Realm of Darkness, to wait there until your judgement comes." The creature kept his gaze on Jerry, but he was starting to vibrate again. Nilsson was now screaming his words. "In the name of Jesus Christ, the King of All, the son of the Creator, you must return now!"

  The creature vanished.

  Jerry stared at an empty patch of carpet and tried to close his gaping mouth, which, he realized, was sticky and dry. Slowly, he managed to regain control of his movements, but it seemed like he could only manage one function at a time. He closed his mouth, managed to swallow, and turned his head to look at Luke. His son was also staring, eyes wide, at the patch on the carpet.

  "It's over," Nilsson said. "Do you feel the lightness in the air?"

  It was true. Jerry hadn't noticed until now, but there had been a heaviness in the air that seemed to have lifted. "Are you okay?" he said to Luke.

  "Dad!" was all he could say in response, at first. After a few seconds, he continued. "Did you see that thing?"

  "I did, son. Are you okay?"

  "I think so. Dad, that was weird."

  "I'm so sorry, son," Jerry said as he nearly leapt from his seat to embrace Luke. He felt sick from having created this bizarre situation, and he felt the tears stream down his face.

  "I'm okay, dad. It's okay." The boy was hugging Jerry and patting him on the back.

  "You will both be fine, now," Nilsson said. "He is banished, and he cannot return."

  They all sat in silence for several seconds before Jerry spoke again. "Can I ask you some questions?" he said to Nilsson.

  "Of course you may."

  "That creature," Jerry said. "That was a demon. Are they all demons?"

  "What do you mean by them all?" Nilsson asked, as he slowly closed a small prayer book and set it on the couch beside him.

  Jerry searched for words, but he didn't know what to say. The thing knew. It knew that Josh and David were somewhere out there putting themselves in danger. "It said my friends are going to die," Jerry said.

  "I assume he was playing on your fears," Nilsson said.

  "I don't know," Jerry said. "I think it knew something. I think it knew what my friends are up to."

  "What are your friends up to?" Nilsson asked.

  Jerry realized that he needed to have this conversation with Nilsson outside of Luke's ear shot. His kid had learned quite enough, for now.

  "Can I walk you to your car?" Jerry asked.

  20

  Bad Experiments

  "Oh, dear," Nilsson said, as he deposited his brown leather case into the back seat of his car. "You are saying that your friends have intentionally set off to encounter these creatures?"

  "I'm afraid so," Jerry said. "I'm afraid we've all done something really stupid. I'm actually terrified, because that—thing—I think it knew. It said my friends are going to die, and now I'm feeling sick, because it seems that my friends are out there chasing demons. Is that true? I mean, have I got the gist of the situation here?" Jerry could hear the sarcasm, as well as the desperation, in his own voice.

  "Somewhat true," Nilsson said, as he leaned back on the side of his car and crossed his arms. "It would be impossible for me to explain my entire hypothesis to you in the next few minutes. I can only try to tell you what I believe I have uncovered, in a very basic way. Some of it, I'm very certain about. The rest—we cannot know for sure."

  "I'd appreciate it," Jerry said. "I'm scared shitless here. For my friends. Pardon my language."

  "Well," Nilsson said, and then rubbed at his chin as if he were trying to determine how to begin. "As I've mentioned to you before, I am of the opinion that two contrasting cosmoi, or realms, exist, and the beings of these realms have been in battle since the beginning of creation—that is, creation as human beings understand it." He looked at Jerry as if to gauge whether to continue. Jerry must have passed the test, since Nilsson did carry on, after a few seconds of hesitation. "We see evidence of these warring cosmoi from the lore and the early writings of all of the world's religions, in all the far corners. And, by the way, you may call these cosmoi anything you like. Some people may refer to these as dimensions, for example. For clarification purposes, I often refer to them as realms of dark and light."

  "I remember that from earlier," Jerry said. "So God is from the light cosmos and the devil rules the dark one?"

  Nilsson smiled. "Religion is a social construction; it fits within our limited perception, so we will go with that for now. In fact, this is why I equate cryptid creatures to demons. It's the simplest way for humans to understand this phenomenon."

  "But you're a priest," Jerry said. He was a little baffled that Nilsson seemed to be scoffing a bit at the notion of organized religion, especially after the events of the day, but he was in no position to question the man's abilities at the moment.

  "True," Nilsson said. "But my beliefs stretch a bit further than the Church would prefer."

  "I see," Jerry said.

  "Now—it is important to know that each realm has entities that dwell in spiritual form, and some that exist in physical form. And some can exist, to some extent, in both forms, like the entity you had in your house."

  "I think I follow," Jerry said. "Like we have angels and ghosts and mortals on the good side." He wasn't sure he was buying it all, but he was trying to lead Nilsson to his point more quickly.

  "And, so," Nilsson said, seeming to pick up on Jerry's angst. "Warriors from these realms have raged their battles in spirit form for millennia, because spirit is the natural and most common state of beings, both light and dark. We're all spirits, and the physical world we live in at the moment is only a temporary, unsustainable pause in the journey of some souls in the Realm of Light. We come here, to this physical life, to feel our way through the darkness and to grow, in a spiritual sense. We grow through faith."

  Now Jerry was really growing impatient. "So what does this mean? Are my friends out there chasing real monsters from hell?” he asked. He needed to know if Josh and David were in immediate danger, and he also needed to get back to Luke, who was now sitting all alone inside the house after a spectacularly traumatic experience.

  "I believe that the ruling entities from the Realm of Darkness are growing weary of the spiritual battle. I believe they have discovered that it might be more effective to bring their battle to the physical world," Nilsson said. "The earth is like an incubator, and they desire to crush the eggs, you could say. In other words, if you want me to be direct, I think they are creating monsters and placing them in this physical plane, to do their bidding."

  "Creating monsters." Jerry had to repeat the words to help them sink in.

  "To be precise," Nilsson continued, "I believe that the aliens you mentioned—I believe your friend Josh is seeking aliens—they are actually th
e ones creating physical monsters, through physical experimentation. I believe that they—being physical entities from the Realm of Darkness—have been meddling with earthly DNA for thousands of years. Evidence of this also exists in ancient texts. The Bible, for example, states that the fallen angels came to earth to mate with human women and the result was the Nephilim. Some actually believe that the Sasquatch and the Nephilim are one and the same. Every civilization has stories of beings from the sky, coming to earth and whisking away or otherwise having their way with humans. Did you know that many of the European fairies were first described as grey creatures with large, almond shaped eyes?"

  "And they're creating monsters and leaving them here on earth?" Jerry was still trying to cut through the weeds and get some kind of understanding. At the same time, he knew there was no way in hell that he would be able to convince Josh and David of any of this. "Why would they have to do that? If they’re so advanced, why can’t they just zap us, like in the movies?"

  “Again, this is not Hollywood. I believe that the creatures we call aliens cannot survive in the earth's atmosphere. They probably don’t zap us because they don’t want to destroy the planet, they just want to destroy the inhabitants. And they have never been able to do much about it, except to lead humans astray through fear and spiritual influences. But, after centuries of experimentation, now they are creating hybrid creatures that actually could wage a physical war. If you do a quick internet search, you'll see that cryptid sightings are becoming quite common. In fact, they're growing at an alarming pace."

  "So all these claims of monster sightings, Sasquatch, the Mothman, the Dogman—those have been alien experiments?"