by Shea Meadows
The attic-ghost came toward her, floating slightly above the worn wooden planks of the floor, not disturbing any of the dust as he came. “I must admit your championship intrigues me. There are days when I am sure that it is just after the Great War, and I have returned to reopen the Vincent Avenue Academy. There are other days when I remember my body dying on the battle field in Atlanta, and returning here as a ghost, only to be disregarded and attacked. Today is a day of the second kind.”
“So, Master Farthen, you know you have lost your body. Why do you stay? What can you possibly do so many years after your death?” Ricky asked a look of genuine concern on her face.
“You are but the second person to talk to me since I traveled here that understands my status. There are others here without bodies but most are delusional or dangerous. I have few experiences that I can recall since entering my ghostly state, but the other conversation I had with the present owner, compels me to stay where I am, making as many as possible uncomfortable because they confine me,” Farthen admitted.
“Pray tell about this conversation,” Ricky asked.
The ghost came so close she could easily see through him. “Awhile back, I have no way to be accurate about the passing of time, a new breed of beings showed up, ones that link the living to the dead. At first, it appeared the same as other invasions of the building. I heard the moving of heavy objects and went down to the first floor.
“The school had been other than a school for what I imagine was decades. All the businesses had moved out due to the collapsing of floors and the weakening of structure, so this new round of noise intrigued me. Perhaps my prayers had been heard. Perhaps someone was repairing the building and making it a school. It was the first time since my death that I felt joyful anticipation.
“All that happened for a considerable time was a rebuilding of the structure, new windows put in, walls and ceilings painted and floors and roof repaired. I viewed from a distance, not wanting to impede the progress of the workers. Then, after a considerable time, others moved in desks, brightly-lit boxes that had words scrawling across them, comfortable chairs. It became obvious this was not to be a school for children.
“One man seemed to be in charge, and another man and woman toured around the building, giving directions as to how things should be done. One office suite is that of an accounting firm, another appears to be a solicitor; both of these were constructed on the second floor. There is a third set of rooms that might be a hospital of some kind on that floor as well. It holds things I have never seen before. On the first floor, there is a public area, a lecture hall and many classrooms, along with an office that seems to be that of the owner. It was to that office that I ventured awhile back. It was there I had the conversation and discovered the teacher of the new tenants.”
The ghost hesitated and looked down at his scuffed boots and cleared his throat.
“This part is difficult for you to speak of,” Ricky said. “Why is this hard to tell?”
“It was the last time I was allowed out of this room. The man sat behind a large oak desk, styled after those I remember from my lifetime. He had on clothes of the casual style of a workman but his manner was not friendly; his demeanor was cold. Even though he greeted me with a smile, it was evident he had nefarious motives. My first instinct was to retreat, but I found myself unable to move from his presence.
“Ah yes, finally you have come for a visit,’ he said. ‘My staff has reported you are here, and the records say you are Colin Farthen, once the head master of Vincent Avenue Academy.’
“You have the advantage sir,” I said. “Who might you be? What right do you have to take over my building?”
“It hasn’t been your building in a very long time,” he answered. “I purchased the deed to this property and will be using it for my organization.”
“Then is when I noticed it. There was another ghost with the man. It was attached to him by a spidery substance that held them tethered together. The ghost was whispering in the man’s ear, and he did not seem aware it was happening.
“The owner said his name was Samuel Reading. He styled himself a teacher of spirit communication, and used this fact for an explanation of way he could see and speak to me. The ghost attached to him glanced at me with a look of hate in its eyes.”
“Master Reading offered me a position with his organization, since I too was a teacher. He needed a conscious spirit to counsel his solicitor, who he called his lawyer. He saw me as ideal, but my philosophy of life must from that day forward reflect his philosophy. He explained the practice of enslaving the newly-dead spirits as instruments of persuasion. He said all that was wrong with the world would disappear if the people he trained took over all leadership positions. Enlightened spirits linked with enlightened people would create peaceful humanity. All the time he spoke, the ghost in his ear whispered.”
“Did you take his offer of employment?” Ricky asked.
“I did not, Mistress Banner. He was cold; he pretended he was civic minded but his actions where those of a tyrant. He was evil personified,” Farthen answered.
“So he didn’t send you on to the next life, and you remain in the attic,” Ricky said. “How is that possible? He sounds like a powerful being.”
“I know it frustrated him. He truly tried to send me on but I chose to stay, and in the end, he confined me to the attic. Most of those who work here know better than to come into my domain. They no longer store supplies here.”
“So you resisted his efforts. Why do you wish this imprisonment? Of what benefit is it that you remain? Can you not admit defeat and go over to the light on the other side?” Ricky asked.
The ghost smiled. “I would suspect Mistress Banner, that you are one of his employees, sent to dislodge me. I have vowed to stay and defend the school I created. I certainly do not think Master Reading is a gentleman worthy of the power he wields.”
“I can see how you might think I am trying to do his work, Master Farthen, but the opposite is true. I am not a ghost, but a living person who has the skill to send my spirit to places where I am needed. My goal is to release ghosts that have been linked to people against the will of both. You have successfully resisted the efforts of Master Reading to enslave you or to remove you from your home. You are a gentleman of strong ethics and stronger powers. I wish to recruit you to help us rid the earth of the nefarious activities of that man and his associates. Your testimony tells me that he is also a victim of one even stronger than him; the one that linked the ghost to him that whispers in his ear.” Ricky told him.
Colin looked at her, with an appraising gaze. “For some reason, I believe you. You are not like him except in your ability to converse with me. How can I be of service if I am confined to this space?”
“There you will have to trust my word. You will have to leave here for a time, and move on to the group of guides and teachers who are working with us in the higher dimensions. They will welcome you as an ally and advisor on what is happening with these linked beings. When the time comes for a confrontation with their high master, who we call the Soul Stealer, we would want you on our side. Is that possible?” Ricky asked, allowing the sound of pleading to come into her voice.
“So you will send me on, but not to some unknown place, but one that will insure success for all of us. Is that true?”
Ricky nodded. “I fully trust that outcome. The first thing that will happen is that Master Reading will feel something different in this place. Your energy has held it together all these years. Without your loving presence, the building will mourn, and nothing will come out like the Soul Stealer planned. We want to put him off balance, and this will be the next step in doing so.”
“To whom am I going?” Colin asked with a nervous expression.
“I am asking my sister, Mistress Matilda Banner, who is also known as Moon Angel to be your special guardian. You have much in common, she is also a teacher dedicated to her students.”
The ghost cleared his t
hroat and bowed to Ricky. “So let us get on with it. It has been my pleasure to meet you, and I am sure your sister will be as helpful as you.”
“Colin Farthen, you are released from imprisonment and can now ascend to the meeting place of the guides and the care of Moon Angel.” She sent a beam of light toward him that shimmered, seemed to dim, then brightened again, as a portal opened and the attic-ghost walked through it.
Within a second, Ricky was back in her body, surrounded by her group who were just getting used to being in their bodies again. They looked around smiled and gave Ricky the thumbs up sign. Ricky glanced over at Shri’s group, who were in the process of returning as well.
“Let’s all stand and move our bodies around to get used to being back,” she said. Which both groups did and then arranged their chairs in a large circle so they could discuss their first group journeys.
Members of the Vincent group described Ricky’s encounter with Colin Farthen. Everyone had been able to go out-of-body and could hear and see the encounter perfectly. Ricky explained why she had approached the ghost as she did, and announced that Colin was now adjusting to the higher frequencies.
“Moon assures me he will be a valuable member of the team. If you find any other resident or linked ghosts who seem ready to work against the Stealer, reach out to the guides,” Ricky added. “They will be happy to take them in when they transition and will be able to tell if the ghost is being sincere in their wish to help.”
Shri then took the floor. “Our experience in the Boston hologram involved a woman named Mama Gertie, who died in 1862. She had been the nanny of the owner of the home, one Charles Bedford, the mayor of the Village of Athens, as it was called then. She was devoted to the children of the household and had cared for them since infancy. When I spoke with her, she said she needed to stay to protect the children. She was passionate in her belief that the master, as she called him, would harm them because their mother had passed on.”
He looked at the group that had observed the conversation. “Would each of you who witnessed tell the whole group what was gained from this encounter, and what happened at the end?”
Jessica started. “Mama Gertie was dressed in a ragged dress with her hair wrapped in a scarf that looked like it had been sewn together from other clothes. Her biggest frustration was not being able to leave the cellar. She said the new Master confined her there because she was too ‘uppity’. She said she saw the old Master kill his wife with a broken bottle of whiskey as the wife tried to take it away. It appeared to be an accident, but it put him into a rage. Mama Gertie was afraid for the children.”
Dylan, sitting next to Jessica continued. “Shri tried to explain that the war was over more than a hundred years ago, and the children had already passed on. She could leave now and greet them in the other dimensions. Mama Gertie replied that she didn’t need ‘no Asian man’ to tell her that. Of course they were dead but their spirits were in trouble.”
Shelia, a long time spirit communicator trained by Moon, spoke then. “Shri asked if the spirits were still in the house, and Mama Gertie said yes and worse yet, an evil from another dimension was enslaving the household ghosts. That’s who she meant when she said the new Master. Shri asked if she’d seen the new Master, and she replied that was when she was accused of being ‘uppity’ something the old Master once called her.”
Cynda Lu was vibrating with excitement, her words tumbled out enthusiastically. “It was so instructive to watch Shri question this spirit. Very quickly, she confessed to him that she had been a spirit communicator, trained by the women in her line who had been priestesses for generations. This personal history prevented the ‘new Master’ from enslaving her in a link to a physical being. Her greatest fear was that the children were thus attached, and that the ‘old Master’ and his wife, with their long history of violence, would cause havoc to the energy of anyone they were attached to.”
Bob was next, his eyes wide with wonder from what he’d seen. “Shri Kria Baba knew from this information that he could not confine his visit to just Mama Gertie. He held her hand and received the energetic signature of the Bedford family. Shri then pulled back from the hologram, and dived in again, locating Charles Bedford first, finding him linked to the man who was head of security for the house. The ‘old Master’ had reawakened the security head’s addiction to whiskey and had motivated the man to brutally deal with anyone who attempted to enter the house. Shri interacted with Bedford, and after much guilt and pleading of innocence, he agreed to leave the house.”
Mary Joy, the beautiful maid of English/ African- American heritage, was next. “Shri then found Angelia Bedford, who was a timid person who had died doing the one courageous act in her life. She was linked to the cook in the house and had sapped any strength from the cook who was usually a very independent person. Angelia left easily, only asking for assurance that she would be reunited with her children and land in a destination far from where her husband would land.”
George was the last to speak. “At last, Shri found the children, two boys, raised with ingrained fear from their father’s drunken rages. Bedford had murdered them the same day he had killed his wife. They were attached to two teenage girls who lived in the house. The presence of the terrified boys had taken its toll on the girls. They were meek and subservient, and did not think to protest anything asked of them. Shri released the Bedford sons as well, then returned to Mama Gertie. She could already tell what had happened and quickly left the house, with a promise to be of service in the coming neutralization of the ‘new Master’.
There was much discussion back and forth with all of the group members of both Vincent and Boston hologram projects. It was noted that Ricky and Shri both had targeted resident ghosts with the wish to help stop the Soul Stealer. Shri’s efforts had secondarily released the head of security, the cook and two teenaged girls from ghost infestation. That alone would change the dynamic of that household.
Ricky looked at her watch. “Maggie has dinner for us. The food is laid out on the long table in the kitchen. It will be a serve-yourself meal. After you eat, wash your plate and silver and in general clean up your debris. The lovely Wiccans of the group will need help if they are to be part of our team. Please note any lists that Cynda Lu and her crew have made, which tell us who needs our help and when. The Inn has officially become a commune as of today.”
Everyone applauded and nodded in acceptance, then gathered in the kitchen to take the trays of food, stacks of plates and silverware into the dining area. As they ate, they all voiced their preferences for the aspects of the running of the house that they’d be best suited to help.
In less than an hour, a chart was set up by Cynda Lu, incorporating every area’s needs. The owner also reported she had hired the needed animal and grounds help.
After the meal, Ricky and David put plates in the dishwasher and helped Maggie and Erna cut vegetables for a venison stew she was making for dinner. Before they knew, it was two pm, and all of the trainees returned to the parlor.
As they walked into the room, George came up to Ricky and gestured that she follow him to a secluded spot. “Ricky, Shri asked who wanted to be first to communicate with a linked ghost, and in a spurt of bravado I volunteered. Now I’m having second thoughts. I’m not really sure I can do it. What if I mess up? It would be embarrassing to fail in front of the group. Maybe I should let someone else do the first contact.”
Ricky smiled at him, feeling strange that she had become the teacher of her father, who she’d always seen as the smartest man in the world. “Dad, I heard you when you described Shri’s encounter. You saw everything that happened. You saw Moon when she visited, and you made contact with linked ghosts in Chicago, and helped me free Avery from his past personas. You have a crystal that is charged for this type of work. Why are you suddenly not good enough? “
George looked down at his feet and sighed. “I’ll be held to a higher standard than the rest. I’m your dad, Moon’s dad. I’m on th
e board of Moon Angel Spiritual Network. People expect perfection. What if I screw up? I’ll disgrace you and your sister. Please tell Shri that I should go last, so the rest won’t think I’m pulling rank.”
Ricky took his hands in hers. “It’s not about your personality, the identity you took on in this incarnation. If we judge as the majority of the human population judges, everyone here would be seen as crazy wackos. But look through Moon’s eyes. She knows who you are between incarnations. She remembers working with you there, before you were George, before Mom was Marie, and we chose each other as a family. We planned this all there and then, in a space that isn’t anywhere, and a time that’s outside of time. By that standard, you are the perfect being to be here. Do you think I was any more ready to do this when you called me in Chicago and told me to come home? We have grown. All of us have grown. The soul who came as George Banner can follow through with grace and ease.”
George smiled as tears moistened his eyes. “You’re right. Thank you. I’m ready. You pulled the fear right out of me.”
Ricky hugged him and kissed him on the cheek and went over to join the group that was waiting for her. Beth Ann had volunteered to be the first of the group to communicate with a linked ghost.
“Beth Ann, please activate the Vincent hologram.”
Beth Ann did so, her nose twitching only slightly as she observed the layout of the building. “I’m drawn to the office on the right hand of the second floor. Ricky, was that the accountant’s office?”
Ricky nodded. “I wasn’t there but that’s what I saw in Colin’s memory.”
Beth Ann pointed at a linked ghost floating near to an incarnate. “Let’s check the Akashic record on that ghost.”
Ricky looked to the rest of the group. “You may look at the record with Beth Ann but it is up to her to interpret it,” she said. Then turning to Beth Ann. “If they see something you’re missing that they feel is important, do you want group input?”