Hester quickly slipped down the stairs and out the front door. She tiptoed around the house and peered around the corner. The little thief was still hard at work, occasionally looking up to make sure he was still unseen. She figured he’d leave the way he came and so she made for a large oak tree outside the gate and hid behind it. Sure enough, after another couple of minutes, the boy came out in a full sprint with his tunic bulging and held close with both arms. She followed him as he ran out from the property down toward a small creek. He waded out and climbed into a canoe, dumping his loot onto the bottom of the boat and felt around for an oar. Hester seized the moment of distraction to leap into the water and grab the back of the canoe, successfully halting the boys progress.
“ACK!” yelled the startled boy.
“I’ve got you!” Hester yelled authoritatively. “Now who are you?”
The boy’s eyes were wide and he paused unsure of what to say. “Uh. Uh, I’m Toby.” He stammered. His blond curly hair glowed in the moonlight. He looked as though he’d bathed recently, but his clothes were in tatters.
“Okay, Toby,” Hester acknowledged, “SO what are you doing with my carrots?”
“I’m sorry, ma’am, really I am. I’m just so hungry and my little sister is too. You can have them back.” He lurched forward to grab up the carrots.
“I’ll tell you what, you show me where your people are and you can have the carrots. Deal?” Hester was more curious about what sort of people lurked about unseen than she was worried about the carrots.
“Uh, well, you won’t turn us in, will you?” he asked afraid.
“No, no. I just want to see if I can help your family.” It was as good a thing to say as anything to get him to agree.
“Well, okay. Get in.”
Hester stepped into the canoe with strong steady legs and sat down on the other seat facing Toby. He began to dip the oar into the water and pull long steady strokes. Within a half hour they came to an eddy and he rowed the canoe onto the shallow bank. They got out and both carried the canoe up onto the bank. Toby pushed it back behind some bushes and came out with his tunic again full of the carrots. He led the way through the forest undergrowth as if he had done it a million times.
After another 15 minutes of walking, she started to smell smoke and hear quiet murmuring of conversation. She knew it had to be well on three in the morning and wondered who would be out in the woods this late. As they got closer, she started to see makeshift tents and lean-tos. Finally, a man with very dark skin came into view. He was standing in the path waiting as if he knew she would be coming. The whites of his eyes contrasted startlingly with his complexion.
“Greetings. I have been waiting for you, missus.” His eyes were fixed on her in a way that put her off guard. She expected to catch them off guard and it appeared that this was not the case.
“How-” she stuttered, “how did you know I was coming?”
He smiled broadly showing perfect, straight, white teeth. Then he laughed a hearty laugh, throwing his head back. “Missus, I see many things. You is most fascinating, here lately.”
Hester stood there speechless.
“You come and sit. Warm self by the fire? I give you drink.” He turned on his heel and darted toward the fire. He picked up a cup carved from wood and ladled an amber liquid from a kettle near the fire. He gestured for her to sit on a tree stump near the fire. Then he sat cross-legged near the stump. Hester noticed others now. They were peeking at her from inside the tents and from behind trees. She assumed they must have scattered when the man started talking.
“I,” he said proudly, “am Koe.”
“I see,” she thought it was a strange name. “I am Hester. Hester Farr.”
Koe studied her a moment, as though comparing her to something he already knew. “You live in village a long time?”
“Yes, well, for a few years. My husband and I have a house. He is a captain in the army.”
Koe studied her again. “But you not his. Your heart not his. You not give it away.”
“I beg your pardon! Who do you think you are?” Hester played the part of the society wife that she should be.
Koe laughed again, even louder than before. “Oh! You play games. Okay. I play, too. Would you like to dance and hear fine music? Perhaps you prefer some needlepoint?” He was mocking her. She pursed her lips and her face got hot.
“Who the hell are you?” she barked, her pretense gone. Now Koe’s face was serious.
“Ah! Now we see the real Hester Farr. The one I see in my dreams. You are angry. Your anger is big and it wanders ahead of you. Sometimes it gets caught on the wind and calls out to find what it seeks. Yes, Hester Farr. What is it you seek?”
Hester wondered what kind of trickery this man was about. She had the urge to run. No one had ever so perceptively seen her. She was always very careful to hide her feelings, to push down her reactions. How could he see her soul so clearly and not even know her?
He watched her making her mental somersaults, contemplating whether she should just run back to the creek. She could. She was not afraid and had gone out alone in the woods many times before. Often as a child she would seek the solace of the woods when she was afraid or when she knew the old man would come looking for her. She could run, but she didn’t.
“I seek many things. First and foremost, I seek to know who has been stealing my carrots. Secondly, I seek happiness like anyone else.” Hester, a mature woman at this point in her life, looked tired and hard.
“Happiness has eluded you a long time. Happiness is something different for everyone. What would make the devil happy is not the same as what would make a maiden happy, yes?” He had her there. She sat there feeling exposed, naked. Perhaps there was a time when she had the dreams of a young maiden, but now she sought vengeance that would make any devil squirm. She had murdered. She had lied. She could cut your heart out and serve it to you on a plate. The dreams of a young maiden, dreamt on moonlit walks in a forest like this, were long ago snuffed out by the wild horses of hatred that now consumed her.
“Mr. Koe, somehow you seem to know a rather great deal about me. I can’t refute it, but I’m not sure how you know or why you care. Perhaps I’m just entertaining to you.” She looked him in the eye without flinching, owning up to the truth between them.
“Rest easy, Missus. I am not to judge you. You did not know it when you set out tonight, but you came to me so I could teach you how to use the energy that grows inside you. Yes. There is great power in what you feel.” Koe emphasized the word ‘you’.
Koe took her under his wing as an apprentice from then on. She learned a great deal about black magic, but the most powerful magic she could hope to use was to conjure the spell of Sempiternal Ruination. It was the most evil a witch doctor could invoke and Koe had been practicing it for some years in Bermuda. It went beyond killing a person. It actually obliterated their very soul, the part of a person that is supposed to be always eternal, whether in hell or paradise. The person’s soul would cease to be.
This was useful if you believed in an afterlife because just killing your enemy would not stop them. They would continue to stalk you from the other side.
“But you must use it sparingly,” said Koe, “because it creates an imbalance in the universe. The place where that soul should be is now empty and things you don’t want destroyed can fall into that place. When you pull a rock out of a stream, the water around it rushes in.”
Hester wasn’t sure, at that time, if she believed Koe. After all, how would they even know if it worked? No one would until they died themselves and went on to see what was in the afterlife. But now, 200 years later, perhaps she could try it and see, and then she would know if Koe’s magic was true.
CHAPTER 25 – LOVE IS THE ANSWER
Exactly one week after the Jeep drove off the side of the cliff, Allen was discharged. Still very sore from the surgery on his liver, the nurse loaded him into a wheelchair and pushed him out the front door of the hos
pital. His dad had the car pulled up to the front door and his mom helped him get in. They drove him to the pharmacy to get his prescriptions and then to his apartment in Sonora. Getting up the stairs was a bear. Finally he settled on the sofa with a pillow.
His parents had a hotel room nearby and had been with him every day as he recovered. They called the insurance company and started the process of getting him a new car. They were very grateful to Nancy for being with him those first two days in the hospital. It was a sad way for them to meet Marie, but they were glad to meet Nancy and Bill.
There was a knock at the door and Allen’s mother answered, “Oh hello, Nancy. Please come in. We were just about to go get a hamburger for all of us for supper. Why don’t you stay with Allen while we go? We’ll bring you back something.”
“I’d be happy to stay with Allen, but please don’t get me anything. Bill and I are going to the Europa when I get back.” Nancy answered.
“Alright then. We’ll be right back.” Allen’s parents went out and closed the door behind them. Nancy sat on the beige occasional chair next to the couch. The apartment had come furnished with uncomfortable, non-descript furniture.
“I have been doing some checking around town. The lady you said that runs the incense shop has been there for twenty years. She is fairly respected by most people as a business owner. I would assume then that she isn’t too crazy of a hippie. At least she has enough sense to run a business.” Nancy said.
She continued, “I tried to find it, but couldn’t. I think in a day or so when you are feeling better we should visit her together. Seeing you might jog her memory of Marie.”
“That sounds like a good idea,” said Allen as he winced from the surgery wound.
***
Ben flashed to the Gathering. The level of noise had risen over the last week as the activity of the Shadows had become progressively worse. He saw Lorenzo talking to group that was waving their arms in dramatic gesticulations and talking over each other. He walked over to the group and tried to get Lorenzo’s attention.
Lorenzo apologized and left the group to their squabbling and joined Ben.
“Wow. It’s really getting crazy around here,” Ben said.
“Yes,” Lorenzo sighed. “Even we aren’t able to shake off the chaos the Shadows are creating. What’s going on?”
“The others have gone to stay with Allen and Marie. I just had something on my mind and wanted to ask you about it.”
“Anything, Ben,” Lorenzo said with a smile that made you feel like nothing in the world could ever go wrong.
“This Hester that has Marie, how can we defeat her? Can we? I mean won’t she keep coming back? Is there any way to..,” Ben paused unsure of what Lorenzo’s reaction would be, “can we destroy her?” Ben unconsciously crouched back knowing Lorenzo would not like the question.
Lorenzo’s eyebrows creased. He looked at Ben softly and gave a grimaced smile. “Yes, anyone can be destroyed, as you say. But not in the way you think. You can’t just fight them until you squash them. That will get them to leave you alone for a while. Some souls are protected with everlasting life because of a choice they made. Some souls have not made the choice and it is still open to them. Other souls make a choice that precludes them from everlasting life, in other words, it destroys them. Essentially, they are on a path of self-destruction.” Lorenzo looked deeply into Ben’s eyes with compassion.
Ben thought about it for a moment. It was not the answer he wanted, but it was fair, even just.
***
Three days later, Allen was getting up and around more easily. He still had to take it slow but he could go out of the apartment for short periods of time before he needed to rest. The Shadows had whispered to him enough that he was a shmuck for not visiting Marie, or at least the part of Marie he could visit.
His parents were planning their trip home. They would be leaving soon. His mother had been busily washing his clothes and makes sure he had three meals a day. His dad had kept him company by discussing every angle of the Cincinnati Reds team this year. It looked very favorable for a World Series win with the Nasty Boys making them nearly impossible to beat.
Nancy told them she needed Allen to join her on an errand for Marie and would be picking him up at 10:00 this morning. She knocked at the door right on time.
Allen’s mother opened the door and Nancy came in.
“Good morning, Nancy. Would you like some breakfast?”
“Oh, no! That’s nice of you to ask, but I need to get going with Allen so he doesn’t get tired.”
“Here he is,” Allen’s mother remarked as he crept into the room bracing his right side.
“Hiya, Nancy. You ready? I’ll be back soon, mom and dad. Just make yourselves at home.” Allen and Nancy left and closed the door. Allen could hear his mother inside. She seemed irritated. He was sure his dad was getting an earful.
He crept down the stairs, one at a time, leaning heavily on the handrail, and then got into Nancy’s blue Crown Victoria. The door was heavy and made a secure latching click when Allen pulled it closed.
Nancy pulled out of the parking lot and headed up the road to Soulsbyville, passing the curve where Allen had wrecked without saying a word. When they were well past this point, she started, “So what should we ask her? We can’t just jump in asking about ghosts or she’ll think we are crazy.”
“Well,” Allen paused to collect his thoughts, “I will start off by asking if she remembers Marie from the last time we were there. I’ll tell her Marie is in the hospital and we wanted to get her something for her hospital room to cheer her up.”
Nancy nodded that this was a good start. He continued, “Then I’ll introduce you. And after that …” his words faded. “I don’t know, after that. What do you think?”
She answered, “After that, I’ll tell her that Marie had mentioned her little friend and I’ll ask her questions about what ‘little friends’ do all day. That will get it started. From there we can wing it.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Allen smiled at her.
After a while, they pulled into the parking lot and parked in the same spot Allen had before. Nancy took in the scene with as much enthusiasm as Allen had the last time. They climbed the stairs slowly to give Allen time, and then went in the door. A little jingle bell tinkled as they entered.
“Good day, friends!” came a mellow voice from behind the counter. Allen noticed the hat she had been making before now sat perched on a hat stand on the counter with a price tag hanging from the brim. It was $15. Allen thought that was a good return on her investment. It was actually a pretty hat. Marie would have liked it. He felt the edge of the brim that curled up and was fastened with three crocheted flowers.
“Ah! It’s you” the woman proclaimed. “But this is not the same lady.” She turned to Nancy and smiled. Allen thought either she has very few customers or a whopping memory.
Nancy stepped forward, “I’m Nancy St. Clair. I think you met my daughter Marie when she came here with Allen recently.”
The woman smiled broadly. “Yes! I’m Jasmina. Welcome!” She turned to Allen, “So good to see you. How is Marie?” Allen detected a note of concern on her face as she asked this.
“Marie is actually in the hospital. That’s why we are here. We wanted to get something for her room to cheer her up.” Allen said.
Jasmina watched Allen a minute and said, “Uh huh,” but it appeared she wasn’t actually talking to Allen. Someone else, perhaps unseen, seemed to have her attention. Then she said, “What happened to her? I’m so sorry to hear this.” She never took her eyes off of Allen.
“We aren’t sure really. She didn’t wake up one morning. She is in a coma. Has been for over a month.” Allen’s faced took a pained look.
“Yes,” Jasmina said slowly. “I warned her.”
“Warned her of what?” Nancy broke in.
“Just to be careful. She was asking questions that worried me. I’ve seen it before, just once. Just once.�
� With that she turned her back on the two of them and started pushing a pile of receipts into a stack.
Allen looked at Nancy with a knowing gaze. Nancy understood. This woman did have answers. She began, “Jasmina,” Nancy said carefully trying to get it right, “tell us about the other time you saw this. We need to know.”
Jasmina stopped abruptly as though she was considering if she should say anything. She looked to an empty corner of the shop and shrugged her shoulders. Then she turned back to face them. Nancy thought the woman must be crazy. Perhaps they should leave now, quickly.
Jasmina took a deep breath, “There was another, she was my friend. At least I thought she was.” Her eyes darted toward the window. Then she started again, “Her name was Hester. She showed up one day in the shop. Delilah didn’t like her. She’s my guardian angel, if you will. Hester lived here for a year in the spare bedroom. Odd girl. She wasn’t from around here, or at least that’s what I thought. But I learn from everyone I meet, so I didn’t mind. She helped me with the shop. We talked for hours about anything. She knew a great deal of, well, magic. She showed me herbs and spells. I dabble in things like that for a hobby. No harm, you know.” She smiled uneasily. Nancy smiled back trying to look non-judgmental.
“Then one day it was the strangest thing. I was looking through the paper. There was an article about a girl that had disappeared. She looked just like Hester, but I knew it couldn’t have been her. The girl had lived all her life, just 18 years, on a nearby farm. The stories that Hester told could not have been known by this girl in the paper. Stories of Virginia and Kentucky and a man from Bermuda.
It was the oddest thing. I realized Hester had to have been much older than the body she had. When I asked her about it offhandedly, she was furious and grabbed the paper. She was gone the next morning. I filed a missing person’s report. The police thought I was crazy. No body was found ever. Nothing.”
Between Time Page 16