Vanessa

by David Howells

Chapter 14 – NATALIE

  Ryan caught the 6:15pm American to Selma. Allen had managed to have a limo waiting for him, which warmed Ryan’s heart. The driver was waiting at the entryway where arriving passengers were filing out, holding up a sign announcing ‘FITZGALEN’. The driver thought it odd that his fare carried no luggage. Not even a business briefcase.

  After he had opened the door for Ryan, he handed him the sign that he had used to get Ryan’s attention and said, “Flip it.” On the back, there was a transmitted note copy: ‘We’re praying for you. Love, the Fitzgalen family.’ Choke, again.

  “Ditto, Love. Thank you. I don’t know what else to say but, thank you.”

  “We don’t know what we’ll be facing. I’m not sure as to where to find this place. Do you think you can remember where the church or school is, after all these years? For that matter, it probably isn’t even there any more. Maybe there’s a strip mall or retirement center. Maybe just woods or a graveyard. Damn.”

  Vanessa looked blank at that, forgetting how the landscape could change in a century or two. Could she find it? She didn’t know! The driver wondered at the sanity of Mr. Fitzgalen, but allowed for a possible ear piece/phone conversation was engaged.

  Ryan pulled out his SatCom, recorded his query and sent it off to Allen. Vanessa had tried her best to describe the general area to Ryan. The driver knew a lot about the city and was able to get to the vicinity using what Ryan had relayed to him. It looked so strange though. Nothing seemed familiar. Yet, Vanessa felt something. They weren’t there, but they weren’t far. Ryan’s SatCom beeped and the message was put on the public circuit so that Vanessa could hear. “Figured you’d need some directions. Marianne said right after you left that men never ask for them until completely lost. Lost yet? I’m sending maps from that time period and some current ones, with the old Grace Church and school coordinates. Neither one currently exists. Good luck!”

  The driver overheard, and asked to borrow Ryan’s SatCom device for a moment. Ryan handed it over and the driver plugged it into his navigation computer. People have been known to look for anything from a good time to a grand uncle’s gravesite, and the livery people were well trained. “Got it,” he said and off they went. Three miles later, the limo stopped. Vanessa told Ryan that her feelings were strong.

  It was near the edge of the city limits (that figured). There was a sizable middle school that looked modern. The driver played with the controls for a minute and told them, “Not there, not where the school is. Look, over there. The old church was right where that playground is.” The sun was setting and the dusky sky was getting darker. Ryan asked the limo driver to wait, then walked to the playground. The driver wondered what Ryan could possibly want there so, to pass the time, he began playing around with his own reference software. He had extensive information access that went back to the colonial times, if necessary.

  Vanessa and Ryan stopped. She looked around at the children who were swinging their last allowed minutes, squeezed out of their not-so-patiently waiting parents. Those parents became even less patient upon seeing a strange man standing in the middle of the playground, looking around as though lost. Soon, all the children had left, except one. There was a little black girl sitting on the slide, smiling and looking at him.

  Ryan realized suddenly that the girl wasn’t looking at him. She was looking at Vanessa! There on the girl’s face was a wide, open, honest smile that beamed out in the darkening Alabama sky. The look on Vanessa’s face was one of greatest delight and wonder.

  “Natalie, Honey, is that you? Is it really you?”

  “Yep, it’s me Missy Blankenship. I heard you was going to be here so I come right away. Been waiting for a little while, but not long. How you be, Missy?”

  With many adult entities, Vanessa could not make physical contact. With children, she had much better luck, especially of late. Vanessa could and did pick Natalie up and gave her the longest, happiest embrace. Eight-year-old arms returned the hug, laced with just a touch of giggling laughter. Ryan was understandably confused. Where were the flames? Where were the others who died in the fire? What happened to the misery, gnashing of teeth and moans? From whom did the little girl hear about Vanessa’s coming?

  “I’m fine, right fine, Natalie.” Vanessa was dropping easily into the drawl she used to speak when Natalie was alive. “Oh sweetie, I’d forgotten who I was until just today. My dearest friend and husband here, Ryan Fitzgalen, helped me get my memory back. I came right away here to see if I could help, but,” Vanessa looked around, not sure what was going on, “...you don’t look like yon need my help. Honey, can you tell me what is going on?” Vanessa was sitting on the edge of the slide and Ryan sat down on a nearby swing to listen.

  “Missy, that night we died was a terrible one. I was scared sure and couldn’t find Mommy or Daddy. I found you and knew it was going to be all right. You was strong for me and held me up. Then that big wooden thing fell right on top of us. I remember seeing you trying to get to me, then things got dark. 1 opened my eyes again, the ones I got now, and saw you and me under burning wood. Mommy and Daddy found me, they was dead too, and picked me up. Everyone was there. We wasn’t scared no more. It looked like when the three men in the Bible was in the fiery furnace, but they wasn’t burning or anything. I was the first to notice you weren’t there, Missy. Daddy saw you running away. We tried to call to you but you didn’t hear us, I expect. Maybe you was too far away or maybe you was too scared to hear. Daddy gave me to Mommy and took out after you, but something wouldn’t let him go too far, pulled him back to us.”

  Vanessa took it all in. She was so happy to find that her beloved little ones weren’t consigned to the ages of torture those poor children of Annie’s were. But, if that were true, “Natalie, you went over to the other side with the others?”

  “Yes’m, Missy, we did.”

  “Then, Natalie, how did you get back here?”

  “Why, I told you, Missy! You’d think a schoolteacher would listen better than that (giggle). You been thinking that you have to save us so that you can come home. We don’t need no saving, but you are real nice to try to do it anyway. All of us thank you for being so nice now, and back then, too. We all love you, Missy. Anyway, you ran away because you didn’t save us kids. They told me to tell you that the two kids that need you are back in Milledgeville. Where’s Milledgeville, Missy?”

  Ryan’s mind continued to sputter. “How did she know about Annie’s children, or that they were in Milledgeville; a city whose location she apparently doesn’t know? Who told her to tell Vanessa? How did she get back from the other side? Do others do that?”

  “Well, that s over in Georgia, but I’m still confused. You went over and came back?”

  Natalie got up from Vanessa’s lap, and gave her a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. “You still got that bracelet, the one I made for you?”

  “Yes, it’s on my left arm, here it is, see? That’s how I even knew my first name all these years.”

  Natalie reached out with both hands and placed them around the bracelet. There was a soft glow that peeked out from her cupped hands. A blue-white shine rose, spearing out from between Natalie’s fingers into the Louisiana twilight, ebbed, and then went out.

  “So you keep that with you, don’t you take it off for nothing or no one. You hear?”

  Vanessa dumbly nodded, not comprehending any more that Ryan, who now had far exceeded his ‘duh’ limit.

  “I has to be going now. You take care of those two children, now. That’s your ticket home, Missy. We’ll be waiting for you. One more thing, you stay away from that Annie lady. It’s real important. Let the others handle her. You just stay clear.” Natalie took little, slow steps backwards, waving, like a little girl might. It was strange, but to both Ryan and Vanessa, Natalie began to fade and change at the same time. She seemed to be getting taller, maturing, but it was ne
ar dark now and hard to see. Then she was gone.

  “Son of a...”

  “Don’t!”

  Ryan’s mouth closed with an audible snap. “Sorry, Baby, but holy…cow!”

  “Weak, but better. Ryan, isn’t it wonderful! I don’t have to leave! I can still help Jason and Rebecca!! And best of all, my cherub choir is fine, more than fine, they’re together still and in Heaven! With their parents!! I can’t wait to tell the others. C’mon, let’s go. Wheeeee!”

  The driver had finished his research. What a sad turn of events. That playground had been built on that site as a memorial to the children that had died in that church fire. He wondered if that school teacher might be related to this man, somehow, since all the others who had died had been Afro-American. Then he saw Mr. Fitzgalen. Skipping? Seemed kind of off the beam, after what he had read. He opened the door and let his fare in, then got into the driver’s seat and began to speak. “I looked up the history of this area, Mr. Fitzgalen. That church you were looking for was burned down by Klansmen. You related to that lady that got killed back then?”

  “Yes, she’s, er, in the family tree. I’ve been sort of dreading coming here, expecting to see some old ghosts or something. (Giggle) All the ghosts are gone, I guess. Time to get on with life.”

  “Well, Mr. Fitzgalen, if it means anything to you, the city archives has a research download on the burning, written by some preacher name of Haskins. He had a grandfather that was there when it happened. I’ll put what I found on your screen.” The dividing window went up, which, Ryan now realized, doubled as a viewing screen. Handy doodad. He’ll have to mention this to the Kingston Limo Company.