by Dale Mayer
She made a startled movement. “You can’t seriously think I’m sick.”
“It’s not that you’re sick but that entities can play hell with our systems. They can send our body temperatures down or up. Shock is also another major factor. I’m glad you’re over here, separated from the rest of them. You need time to yourself right now.”
“It’s not like I’m getting it. It seems like every day I’m seeing more and more. It’s both scary and incredible. But scary is winning out,” she admitted.
“Of course it is,” he said. “It’s all new. It’s different. And before, if you haven’t seen entities who passed a long time ago, it’s pretty amazing to realize that, in some cases, our spirits live on.”
“In some cases is the real issue. I look around here, and I see these … whatever they are,” she said with a wave of her hand, “and then I have to think about my mother, who crossed over. I held her hand while she reached out to grab my father’s hand. Is she around still? Or was that doorway her crossing over and leaving this earthly plane forever?”
“That’s exactly what it was. You saw the door close behind her …” He leaned forward to study her face as he said that. “Didn’t you?”
She frowned, casting her mind back. “I’m not sure,” she said. “I was so amazed at everything that I didn’t really see a door close, but there was this big solid bright white light, and then I couldn’t see the door anymore.”
“That’s exactly what that is,” he said with a note of satisfaction. “The door closes so it no longer appears. It’s not like you see a door shut, which I guess some people might, but, in your case, it was just the ball of white light. So your mother has crossed over. She’s happy. She’s no longer Earthbound. She won’t be lingering here to come back and talk to you.”
She took a shaky breath and let it out. “And that’s both sad and good.”
“It’s good,” he said gently. “What you want is your mother’s soul to be at rest. And, although you might be lonely because you don’t have her with you, you wouldn’t want her with you if it was at a cost to her.”
“No, I wouldn’t,” she whispered. She gave him a small smile. “I really do believe she’s happy where she is, with my father.”
“Good.” Hunter straightened up, reached a hand down and said, “Let’s take a walk.”
Surprised, she placed her hand in his and bounced to her feet. “What kind of a walk? Where?”
He motioned to the rest of Pompeii that sprawled all around them. “I doubt you’ve had a chance to explore much, so I thought we’d spend an hour or two.”
“Except I’m supposed to be working,” she said drily. “I don’t know what exactly you do for a living, but, when I have a job to do, I’m not known for shirking my duties.”
“I don’t think that’ll be a problem,” Hunter said. “Sebastian’s the one who suggested it.” He pulled out his phone and wiggled it at her. “I just got off the phone from talking with him.”
She smiled. “Then why didn’t you say so?” She bent, grabbed her camera bag, tucked her camera back into it, secured it and then put it on her shoulder. “Lead the way.”
He led her out through the Stabian Gate once again. They walked around to another entrance where they could see the more touristy area of Pompeii. As they walked, she pulled out her camera, taking pictures.
“These Roman roads …” she exclaimed.
“They’re fascinating, aren’t they? To think people laid these by hand all those many years ago …”
She nodded, fascinated, as she stopped to take pictures of the marks between the lines, the way they fitted together at the sides of the roads. “It’s really amazing technology they must have had back then.”
“I think it was less about technology and more about hard labor,” he said, chuckling.
She nodded. “I can’t imagine what life was like.”
“And yet, I think you can imagine more than most people,” he said with a cryptic note.
He took a left turn and led her into another section, where a lot more people traveled. They could still walk without bumping into anyone, but it was obviously a popular spot. For the next couple hours, they wandered the tourist attractions, taking photos, murmuring, talking, and she smiled.
“Thank you. This is definitely what I needed today.”
“It was also helpful for me.”
“Why is that?” she asked.
“Because you didn’t appear to be affected by any of the other entities we met and saw.”
She looked at him. “What are you talking about? I didn’t see any of them.” She stopped for a moment, thought about it, then shrugged. “I really didn’t.”
A small smile played at the corner of his mouth. “Good,” he said. “That makes it that much more of a touristy visit for you.” He motioned back the way they’d come. “I suggest we head back to the dig, but we’ll take another route.”
Willingly she stepped in beside him, her camera capturing the rocks and the ruins. “I’m not even seeing the 3-D drawings here,” she muttered.
“But you’re not going to that level either, are you?” he asked. “You’re really taking pictures of what’s here instead of finding the deeper meaning, as you were on Sebastian’s dig site.”
“That’s quite true,” she admitted. “I hadn’t realized just how much of a difference there was in my attitude.”
“Motivation and attitude are everything,” he said.
He led the way forward, but it was darker back here with mounds of dirt and grass. “This is all unexcavated, isn’t it?”
“Absolutely. Apparently ninety percent of the site itself is untouched. Incredible wonders are waiting for the world to find them.”
“And many more bodies, people who suffered and died await to be found.”
“Yes. I think they believe about twenty, possibly twenty-five thousand people perished in that disaster,” he said. “But we also have to remember many tens of thousands survived.”
That made her feel somewhat better, but it was still hard to consider how so many people had perished so fast.
As they walked, she looked around, seeing how deserted this area was. “I wonder why the tourists aren’t all over this section?”
“I think because the tourists come for different reasons. They aren’t here to see the geographical area as much as they’re here to see the ruins. And, although the ruins are here, they’re hidden, so it’s not as much of an interest here.”
“For me it’s much more interesting,” she said quietly. “Because I can see the hills and imagine what’s underneath. Whereas back there, all the work has been done, and all the surprises have been found. It’s like a Christmas present that’s already been opened but still having boxes under the tree to unwrap.”
That startled a laugh out of him. “That’s a good analogy,” he said approvingly. His phone rang. He glanced down and smiled.
“Feel free to take that,” she said, when he pocketed the phone.
He shrugged. “It’s an old friend. I’ll give him a call later.”
But in a few minutes his phone rang again. He pulled it out and frowned.
“Is it the same person?”
He nodded. “If you don’t mind, I’ll take this real quick.”
She pointed to a knoll on the right. “I’ll sit there and enjoy the scenery.” She walked over to the small hill, sat down, brought out her camera and took pictures of what was in front of her. She knew she was taking many pictures that she’d end up deleting, but it was almost impossible to know what she would capture until she could look closer at her photographs.
As she sat here, she listened to Hunter’s part of the phone conversation, understanding he was talking to somebody named Stefan and that Sebastian was connected. The conversation then turned cryptic as Hunter appeared to turn evasive. She blocked out the conversation, realizing he had a right to his privacy.
As she sat here, the sun seemed to go behind clouds. She ha
dn’t seen many clouds until now. She sighed. “Of course it would rain. All we’ve had is dead heat so far.” But as she watched, she could almost see the clouds march across the sky. She had to lift her camera as the clouds crowded out the bright blue sky, shutting off the sun from the Earth.
When she was done, and the light had turned gloomy and dark, she twisted around to see Hunter standing ten feet away from her, his hands on his hips, staring at her. She frowned back. “Is your call done?”
He nodded. “What did you just do with the weather?”
She gave a surprised laugh. “I didn’t do anything,” she said. “I was taking photos as the clouds came across. They were moving so fast that I could see them race across the sky.”
He didn’t say anything but motioned for her to get up. “If we hurry,” he said, “we can get back to the dig site before the rain hits.”
She nodded and joined him on the path. When he went to take another path to the left, she stopped. “That’s not the right way, is it?”
He frowned and looked at her. “Yes, it is.”
She shook her head. “No, we have to go this way.” She pointed to a small path going to the right.
He studied her face, studied the direction she wanted to go and said, “The dig is over here.” He pointed to the left again.
She stared down that path, then shrugged. “Maybe it is. But I have to go this way.” She stepped forward ahead of him and walked down the path to the right.
“Not alone you’re not,” he warned as he fell into step behind her.
She kept walking, hating that the darkness now seemed to have a more menacing air to it. “Why is it I feel I have to go this direction?” she muttered just loud enough for him to hear.
“I don’t know,” he said. “Maybe you’re the one who needs to answer that question.”
“Except I don’t have an answer,” she continued.
She kept walking for another fifteen minutes. And it seemed like they were getting deeper and deeper into the middle of a labyrinth. Hills and hummocks surrounded the area, but they hadn’t seen anyone in a long time.
“This place should be bouncing with tourists,” she complained, “except this section feels eerie and dark right now.”
“This is not a normal path,” he said quietly. “I don’t know if you’re looking at the ground, but it’s hard to discern any kind of a pathway.”
“No, I’m following one,” she said, her voice certain. “I know I am.”
“Well then, lead on,” Hunter said. “Apparently you know where you’re going.” He hesitated, then added, “Or is it Linnea who knows where you’re going?”
Lacey froze. “I should be checking that, shouldn’t I? I should be finding out why I’m being led this way and why I’m following without questioning where the impulse is coming from.”
“You should certainly be double-checking your inclination to follow along blindly,” he said softly. His phone rang. He pulled it out and said, “Sebastian? Yeah, we’re on our way back to the dig, but she’s taking a road going in a different direction.”
He held the phone out so she could hear Sebastian say, “Get her back here. Don’t let her go off on her own.”
She piped up, “Sebastian, I have to go in this direction. I don’t know why, but I do.”
Silence came from the phone. A worried silence took over Hunter’s face.
She gave him an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, but I have to.” She turned and kept walking. Behind her she could hear Hunter talking to Sebastian, giving him coordinates so he could join them.
“It can’t be dangerous, can it?” she asked.
“You tell me. The skies turned dark, and you’re being led into a completely desolate area of Pompeii. How is it that you think this is a good idea?”
She shivered, fear snaking through her body. “I don’t know,” she whispered. “But I just know I have to go here.”
“Which is why we’re going,” Hunter said gently. “So let’s keep walking. Sebastian is coming to meet us too.”
With that news bolstering her spirit, she picked up the pace. Another five minutes later, she stopped. “I don’t know which direction to go.”
“Tell me what you see.” Hunter’s voice was melodious and calm behind her.
She raised both arms into a V and said, “The two paths literally go in that direction. We’re standing at the center where we have to split left or right.”
“And, if I say left, do you say right, and, if I say right, do you say left?”
She shook her head. “No, I can’t really tell which way I’m supposed to go.”
“Close your eyes,” Hunter said. “Reach out to Linnea and ask her.”
Lacey closed her eyes, letting her head bow forward, and in her mind she said, Linnea, if that’s you, direct me which way to go. Her right arm jerked. “She said to the right.”
“Good. Now reach out to that other entity and ask it.”
She gasped. “I’m not sure I want to bring that one back into being. He scared the hell out of me. Not to mention Sebastian would be pissed.”
“Fear is a huge teacher. And you are not alone.”
She bowed her head, reached out to the other energy and asked, Which direction do you want me to go? Immediately her arm rose to the left. “Of course they each want me to go in different directions.” She turned to look at Hunter, a craftiness in her tone as she said, “How about you go left and I go right?”
Hunter laughed at her. “No, that’s not happening. We’re definitely heading in the same direction together. But, if Linnea wants you to go right, then let’s go that direction.”
She thought about it and then nodded. “It feels right.”
Together they walked in the direction Linnea had said to go.
“Did you ever consider why Linnea wants you to go in this direction?”
“I have no clue,” Lacey said. “No more than I know why the other energy wants me to go the other way.”
They kept walking for several more moments until she tried to take another step and couldn’t. She leaned forward but still couldn’t move her feet. “I can’t move forward at all,” she cried out.
Hunter reached out a hand, and it stopped on an invisible barrier right in front of her. He searched the barrier with both hands, looking for a way through.
She stared at the invisible barrier. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”
“Neither have I,” Hunter said. He stepped back, tugging her with him, and tested the strength of the barrier with his foot. But he couldn’t seem to nudge it or break it. He stared at it with his hands on his hips. “What do you see when you look forward?”
“Just a blank space as if nothing is there,” she said in amazement.
“Can you see where it ends?”
“Oh, I never thought about that.” She placed a hand on the barrier and then went to the left as far as she could go. “It’s all the way over here,” she said, a good ten feet from him. As she glanced back, she realized he’d been doing the same thing on his side. “A barrier is really here,” she marveled. “If people could see something like this, it would completely change their view of supernatural events.”
“Which is probably a good thing that they can’t see this,” Hunter said drily. “Mass chaos and panic would ensue.”
“Maybe not,” she said as she walked back toward him. “What I don’t understand is why would Linnea want me to be here? No point in coming if I would get stopped partway.”
“So maybe you should ask her,” Hunter said gently.
She glanced up at him. “But I can’t feel her anymore.”
He nodded slowly, his gaze never leaving her face. “If you can’t feel her,” he said, his voice even deeper and lower, “then what can you feel? Is it the same energy that put up this barrier?”
*
Sebastian approached Hunter and Lacey, wondering what was the subject of their intense conversation. He gave a light whistle. Hunter raised
a hand in acknowledgment. Lacey stared at him, then her face lit up, making him smile. She really did sense the attraction between the two of them. But so much else was going on, and he knew she didn’t see it for what it was. He did though. He kept walking toward them, wondering about the odd look on their faces.
“Can you walk straight toward me, please?” Lacey asked.
He raised an eyebrow but obediently closed the distance between them. When he stepped right up against her, he leaned over, kissed her gently on the forehead and said, “Is that what you wanted?” He studied her face, seeing the shock as her gaze darted to the side and then back to him again.
She reached around and placed a hand out, feeling something. He placed his hand near hers and could feel the barrier, but he stood right in the middle of it. It conformed to the shape of him here. He stared at Hunter. “Do you have an explanation?”
Hunter very slowly turned his head from side to side. “No, I don’t,” he said. “But what’s fascinating is that you can cross the barrier. You’re standing in it.”
Lacey crouched and placed her hand between his feet where the barrier should be and sure enough it was there. She gasped and bounced back to stare at him in awe. “You literally are one with the barrier,” she said. “I don’t even know what it is, but it’s fascinating that you are joined with it.”
“Did you try to cross it?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said. “I can’t. Whereas you didn’t even know there was one, but you could cross it. Was it because of that mind-set maybe?” she asked in confusion.
He shrugged. The barrier rippled around him.
“If you step toward me, and you’re out of the barrier, do you think you can cross back again?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “I could try to find out.”
“No, wait,” Hunter said. “Step back on the other side of the barrier first and see if you can find a barrier.”
Sebastian did that. He reached up a hand and held it against Lacey’s hand flat on the barrier. But there was no barrier for him. His hand went right through it to clasp hers. And gently, ever-so-gently, he pulled her forward, and she walked right through it.
“That makes no sense,” she cried out.