Paranormal Summer (Indigo Moon Rising)

by Sherry Guyberson

  "That's not a spell that sounds like a remedy." Jillian said looking closer to his notes. She picked up the book and slowly began turning the pages, looking at the words and drawings, touching them with her fingertips. "Oh my God! They must have thought she was a witch. She was an herbalist, like my Gramma and my aunts. They make potions and brews, perfumes and poultices, and all kinds of stuff, even ice cream." She said getting up off the ground. Now knew the woman in spirit who had been talking through her had wrongly been accused of being a witch.

  "Emmy," he said sadly. "Her name is Emmy and her baby's name is Elizabeth.

  "How do you know?"

  "I just heard her...We can help," Ryan said grabbing Jillian's shoulders. "I can see and hear her. You can feel her. We will help her find Elizabeth." He looked in her eyes for an answer, but all he saw was fear. "What are you afraid of? She can't hurt you."

  "Uh ya, I don't remember studying this in school. How to comfort a ghost that has a missing child. Oh, we THINK she has a missing child. People thought she was a witch. How do you know she didn't do something to her? She could be lying."

  He sighed and stared deep into her eyes, "What you felt was that real sorrow? Didn't you say you felt like you did not want to live, but there was no way to die either? Isn't that proof to you?" Ryan said as his argument came to an end. Jillian breathed an enormous sigh, giving into his logic.

  "By the way, what did you get for your birthday? Was there something... Confusing?" He said with a small growing grin. Jillian frowned at him, looked around a minute and thought, some perfumes, some stuff from my cousins, Tiffany Marie, and a rock.

  "Uh ya, a stone. How did you know that?" She asked as she pulled the pouch out from under her shirt and handed it to him. He held the pouch in his palm and began smiling and nodding. He handed it back to her.

  "Very interesting!" He said with a smile. "I think you have a gift that is very appropriate."

  "You didn't even see it." She frowned.

  "Well yes, I sorta did, more like I felt it." He said patting her on the shoulder. "I gotta get back and get some work done. "What's GG?" Jillian asked.

  "That's what I call Gramps, and Lois is my step gramma. My real gramma died and a few years later GG and Lois eloped out west in a saloon! My parents aren't around...Much, well they...So I stay with them and help GG out. They're getting older and it's hard for them to get everything done. I am the only one that can, or will help them. I just know what needs to be done and do it. It's hard to believe with all of the technology we have, a day's work is never actually done, just put off till tomorrow," he said. "But, Gramps is also internet savvy! He decided years ago that it would be beneficial to live off the land as naturally as he could. It had to do with my Gramma Rose. He got online and started researching. Now he slowing weaning off of needing the utility companies, the farm is almost off the grid, so pretty much everything they need comes from the soil, the sun, wind and the rain. Kinda like modern day hippies!"

  "Really, my family is a lot like that too." Jillian said remembering one family reunion where everyone wore tie-dyed t-shirts. “Like I said, they are herbalists and nature freaks.”

  "Maybe y'all can come to GG's and make an afternoon of it this summer. Well, I got to take care of some fence posts on the back 40... Or is it the front 20? I don't remember. I'll get on Facebook tonight and we can put together a way to help Emmy, maybe tomorrow night?" He said as he smiled and started walking away.

  Our families meeting? Does that mean anything? She thought. "Okay." She said with excitement and then disappointment. As she watched him disappear back through the woods she felt as if as he was slipping away. Did she want more? Well, yeah, but at what cost?

  Jillian got up and walked around a little bit. There wasn't much here, like when she used to visit... Celia and she would wander off here, to picnic and play, to be alone from all of the younger kids. They would pick flowers for the kitchen table, catch butterflies, and of course they have to release them. There were always lots of dragonflies, and when you walked by the stream the startled frogs would jump for cover in the water, making a 'plop' sound. She shook her head and moved to a patch of grass under the knarley cherry tree where she and Sonya had met the day before. She looked down at the bag in her hand. Ryan had just held it...How could he tell anything about it? Quickly she opened it up. Looking at the handmade card she had hastily stuffed inside, she read what the silvery blue calligraphy had scribed,

  "You are a beautiful child of God. This stone is being passed on to you at this perfect time. It will change your life if you let it, and only you can find the secrets to its magic." Holding the rock she wondered what her aunt meant. It could change her life. What is the secret of the stone?

  Jillian got comfortable. Maybe it has a recorder. "Hello?" She said holding the stone to her lips. But it did nothing. She shook it. Nothing inside. She held it in the sunlight to see if she could see through it. Its surface was smooth and it was cool to the touch. It fit perfectly in the palm of her hand. It’s just a rock she thought and slipped it back into the pouch.

  Seeing the star on the pouch made her think. Maybe it has a chip in it that sends information to a satellite in outer space. Like the ‘Jillian Channel?’ What if people could watch everything I said and did and they could even hear all of my thoughts as I was thinking them! They could watch my reality show. I’d always say the right thing at the right time. Even the "popular" kids at school would be nice since they would like to hang out with me. But, what if I thought something unpleasant or rude, they would know. That would be difficult, keeping all of my thoughts happy. No, that would be impossible.

  She daydreamed about having friends that were nice to her because they liked who she truly was, friends that really meant something to her, and ones that she could trust, ones that made her feel valued. A best friend would be so nice. She had never actually had one before. Someone she could tell everything to and know they would still like her. They could agree to disagree. A friend to share everything with, even their deepest darkest secrets. They could watch each other get older, and tell stories about when they were younger. Someone to learn from and someone to teach!

  She started feeling so happy! She could see herself popular, poised, and confident. She had no fears. She saw herself talking to another girl the same age. They laughed and hugged. Other people were jealous of them! A friend for everything, forever! Her heart felt enormous and strong. It was like the sun was inside her, shining. I AM beautiful! She thought.

  “Oh yes, you are magnificent!” Another voice said. Jillian looked up. Her jaw dropped. There was the most beautiful white horse standing beside her. She looked around. The meadow had colorful flowers as far as she could see. The tree above her was lush and green. The soft whooshing of the water flowing in the stream took her breath away. There was no one else here but them.

  Laying very still, her eyes darting from side to side, she thought wha… what's going on?

  “You were resting here thinking about the stone your aunt gave you.”

  You’re talking to me.

  “Yes I am.”

  But I’m not talking, I’m thinking.

  “Yes, I am too,” the horse replied.

  How can you hear what I’m thinking?

  “I just asked what you were thinking and I could then hear you.”

  Jillian stood up and looked at the magnificent white horse. Her white mane and tail were thick, wavy and long, with silver and gold strands running through them. Her eyes were so big and brown, gentle and sweet. “You are so beautiful.” She said.

  The horse gently bowed her head and said “Thank you. My name is Illianna. You asked about the secret of the stone," it seemed as if her eyes were smiling.

  “How could a stone change my life?” Jillian asked. “Is it magic?”

  “Like everything, magic starts in the mind. What did the card say?” Illianna asked.

  Jillian pulled the card out and read it aloud, "This stone has come t
o you at the right time. It will change your life if you let it, and only you can find the secrets to its magic."

  “Let us take a look at it,” Illianna said.

  Jillian slowly loosened the cord on the bag and pulled the hole wider. Illianna stepped closer and peered into the bag. She looked back into Jillian's eyes. Jillian began to worry. She bent closer and looked into the bag.

  In the darkness a mist started to form. And in the mist they could see Jillian looking at herself in a mirror. Then the vision shifted as if blown by a gentle wind and they saw a dry meadow, sad and fruitless. It grew dark and then a moon appeared, casting a long shadow on the ground. The ground then melted into ripples in the water, floating outward, expanding. From within, the waves began to ebb and flow on a shoreline with flowers dancing in the background. Droplets of moisture began to develop. Tall trees in the rain were the backdrop to iridescent flickering green lights. The visions shifted into the fluffy white heavens and then onto the stars sparkling in the night. As they stared into the bag it seemed as if they were traveling into the starry sky and out to the edges of the universe. A pinpoint of light appeared in the center of the bag. This light began to grow and fill the bag. As they watched in amazement the light began to emerge forth and seemed to swallow it in the most beautiful warm feeling. And then it was gone.

  Illianna looked at Jillian. Calmly she said, “I know what we must do. Put your hand on my mane and close your eyes. Free your mind and just 'be.' Send your mind to where it knows it must go, and your body will follow. What you are seeking, you will find!”

  Jillian stared at Illianna a long moment. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She relaxed her body from head to toe and held Illianna's mane. She could feel her heart beating in her ears. As she took another long breath it began to slow down. She sensed warmth in her chest. A faint light began to grow from deep within her. This light and warmth began to grow and ripple outward. It was extremely soothing.

  "Is that better?" Illianna asked Jillian.

  "Yes," she replied. "Is it magic?"

  "No, you trust me. You know that I am here to help. Your body is responding to your trust." Jillian smiled realizing Illianna was right. She closed her eyes and began to 'feel' a rumbling. Was it below her or was it her? She felt like there was electricity or static all around her body. The hair on her arms stood up. The vibrations got stronger and stronger. Her white knuckles held onto Illianna's mane. She squeezed her eyes shut even tighter. And then it stopped.

  She slowly opened her eyes to see only darkness. Illianna was right there by her side as before, but they were no longer in the meadow. This place was dark and chilly. Behind them the moon cast a long shadow of their bodies onto the ground before them. Looking around Jillian realized that they were standing at the mouth of a cave. She slowly turned to Illianna.

  "What happened? Where are we?" She whispered.

  "This is our first place to search for the secret." Illianna said turning sideways to see the shadow that the moonlight cast onto the cave floor.

  "Have you ever been here?" Jillian asked.

  "No, but I know about it. You're not afraid are you?" Illianna asked as she rose on her hind legs.

  "Nooo," Jillian said trying to convince herself.

  Illianna came back down onto all fours and turned to face Jillian. “What kind of things are you afraid of?"

  Taking a deep breath and sighing Jillian rolled her wide eyes. “Oh...Not much.” Illianna looked Jillian in the eyes.

  “Then why is your heart pounding so loudly?” Jillian had hoped that she hadn’t heard it.

  “Well, who knows what could be hiding in here waiting for us?” Jillian said, "I don't think this place has anything to do with the stone," she thought. "This is all wrong."

  "How can it be wrong?" Illianna asked, “You asked to go to where the answer lies."

  "How can it be in a cave? I...I...I... Don’t know," Jillian said straining to look deeper into the darkness. "I'm not seeing anything down there."

  "You do know that there is always so much going on that you are never aware of. All around you, every second, trillions of things. You simply don’t have the time or the energy for it all. So what you focus on is what will present itself." Illianna paused watching for Jillian's response.

  Jillian looked down to think and started nodding. All she could see was the moonlight streaming in the mouth of the cave. Nothing else. Did that mean that there was something going on... Something she couldn't see around her? Yes that was what she knew.

  Illianna started to walk into the cave further. Jillian walked slowly, her eyes darting from side to side. The moonlight seemed to follow two steps behind them as they walked. Illianna asked, "Jillian, what are your thoughts?"

  "What are we doing here?" Jillian said as she remembered the stone. She took the pouch off of her neck and opened it. She pulled out the stone. As she held it in her open palm she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. As she stood still she could actually see the moonlight moving closer. She stood fixated on the slow and steady movement.

  Then the moonlight gently crept across her hand and onto the stone it seemed to sparkle. It threw beams of light that reflected into the cave. Then as the moonlight illuminated the foreground it shone upon a clear pool of water which reflected ripples of soft light. As Jillian's eyes began to focus on the various intensities and colors, she saw that there were crystals in the cave walls and they were reflecting rays like a rainbow. She stood in awe. It was the most beautiful thing Jillian had ever seen. She could see through the colors, and each one seemed to have a different feeling, or energy some seemed higher and faster and some seemed slower and lower. How strange, I didn’t know you could actually feel colors!

  A soft stirring from above could be heard. Suddenly there was a loud whoosh in the dim corners of the cave and in the air above her there were luminous green flashes. Jillian could feel things flying around her head and covered it with her arms and swallowed hard. She was paralyzed. Fear rushed through her body and her heart began to pound so hard she thought it was going to explode from her body. Her head and hands were hot and sweaty. All she could think of was running back to the opening of the cave being chased by who knows what? A gang of men who wanted to keep their hideout a secret, Zombies...Oh hell no. How can I get out of here? What do I do? Where is this cave? How did we get there in the first place? Jillian felt dizzy, and then she thought she was going to be sick.

  As her bulging eyes probed the ceiling and walls she heard Illianna say "Hello!"

  She turned to see who she was talking to, and jumped backwards. There, just inches from her face, she refocused and saw an enormous graceful Luna Moth floating in midair beside her.

  "Hello!" The moth said bowing her head low enough that her feathery antennae tickled Jillian's nose. "I am Twilla."

  Illianna bowed her head and said, “My name is Illianna and this is Jillian.”

  Just then something flew between them and stopped in mid-air. Jillian looked up. Hanging above her was a huge bat with his wings outstretched. He looked at Illianna and Jillian and then resumed his acrobatic stunts, soaring and swooping in the heights and depths of the cave.

  "His name is the Spinmaster, he’ll drive you batty if you let him,” Twilla said and nodded towards the large bat. As Jillian looked around she could now see beetles, millipedes, and spiders on the floor, hanging from the ceiling and walls, and bats and moths were flying in the shimmering air.

  From the ceiling above they came a scratchy, eeky sound. Twilla and Illianna looked up. Jillian took a slow deep breath, swallowed hard and began to look up too as the sound grew louder and closer.

  Suspended from a web, no thicker than a human hair was a giant spider, the size of Jillian, lowering itself from its behind and it was dangling just inches above her head.

  Jillian smiled nervously at all those legs and all of those eyes. Her heart was pounding so loud it was making her ears hurt. It wasn’t cold, but she was shiver
ing. I’m gonna faint, she thought and closed her eyes tight, and if I faint it won’t hurt when it eats me alive. The spider dropped face to face with Jillian.

  Twilla asked, “Hasn’t anyone ever explained fear to you? Fear is thinking that something is bad or wrong, or not what you were expecting. Your unknowingness creates this thought and it becomes an emotion, a feeling. Stop for a moment and think about how love feels. Warm and bright and happy. Now think about something you are afraid of. Bats, spiders and zombies for example. You don’t know about them, so your thoughts create a feeling of fear. Cold, dark, nervous and tight. When you stop judging so much, or fearing so much, life becomes entwined with love!”

  Jillian took in the feelings what of she was looking at. How strange, that there was so much harmony, diversity and beauty. Twilla looked at Jillian.

  After a long minute to think and a long slow exhale Jillian said, "I guess the stone brought me here to what I thought was a dark scary place. But everything here is beautiful and friendly. My fear could have kept me from experiencing all of this.”