“Well good thing Allison didn't notice it, too.” Ryan said chuckling. “I just don't think that you would like her mad at you. Jorge was cleaning the windows at the restaurant. He flicked the dirty water off of the squeegee onto the sidewalk as Allison happened to be walking past him. She assumed he did it on purpose and tried to Kung Fu him. She didn't know that he had been trained in MMA before he and his uncle moved here and was able to defensively keep her from kicking his ass. She kept trying to hurt him, and he wouldn't let her. But he wouldn't hurt her, either.”
“I think she has a chip on her shoulder because her dad was stationed in China and met her mom, who was a nurse. They didn’t get married, but Allison talked to her dad off and on over the years. So her mom and grandparents raised her, until her mom got sick and passed. Then her grandparents were both put into assisted living, and her father, Rusty had to step up to the plate. So she moved here and has been living with her dad. She works at his garage because she is a wiz at cars, better than any guy I have ever seen. But she wants to go to Beauty College, so she also works at the salon.”
“She is kinda bitter, and she’s friends with Roberta, and nobody wants any trouble from those kids. Now I think she feels that Jorge has the upper hand over her. But actually, he isn't like that at all. We've been friends since the 5th grade. We used to do everything together, but he's been busy with the restaurant, and I've been busy with the farm.”
“So why did you make that comment about him and me? Jillian asked, feeling a little bit excited.
“Well, you two are nice upstanding citizens.” Ryan said matter of factly. “You both are good people, sensitive and honest.”
“Well, it's nice to know somebody thinks highly of me.” Jillian said, feeling sad that he wasn't offering himself up to her.
Sonya was still spinning, now asking for someone to help her before she got sick. Jillian just giggled. Just 'be', she heard in her head, like a thought. So she laid there relaxing, enjoying the moment. Looking up in to the tree, bits of sunlight showing through as the branches moving in the slight breeze. Even when she closed her eyes, she could still see the faint glow shining through the green. This all felt so right, like she had intended it all this morning. As if it was woven into the fabric of time.
Sonya got out of the tire swing and zigzagged to where Jillian was lying. She literally fell back, "Oh my God I am so dizzy, and would somebody stop everything from spinning?
"Heal thyself," Jillian said, and realizing what she said, she started to laugh. Then Ryan and Sonya started laughing, too.
Sonya closed her eyes. The dizziness was starting to wear off. Then it started again. It was the trance like state she would find herself in and see things. Not like the regression. This was as if she was someone else. Sometimes it was like a city scene, and she was exhilarated. She saw things in a different way. Lots of colors, and fabrics, and textures. Adventurous, stimulating, connected, a wonderful feeling that she wished she could have all the time. Then she would be overcome with the feelings of selfishness, greed, and immature, whiney and bitter like a tornado, waiting to strike. A force of nature that could not be understood. She started breathing deep. Now something else was going on, and this time it was her. Awareness. Something was not right.
"Ryan, do you have a ghost around here?" Sonya asked.
"Why? Do you feel someone, or something?" Ryan said, sitting forward.
"I don't know what it is. I don't think it's...human? I feel like it's, like misty, smoky, inky," she said covering her eyes with her hands. "Like it wants to move, but it may be confined or trapped."
"I don't know about anything like that here," Ryan said, becoming concerned.
Jillian asked, "Well, this is an old house, What about the attic, or basement, root cellar, places you don't usually go. Could there be something lurking around that you haven't discovered? Can we go look? Oh please, oh please?" With these two companions she felt invincible.
Ryan rolled his eyes, got up and walked towards the two girls. "Only if Sonya can walk. I aint gonna carry her, “ he said standing there, looming over her limp body on the ground.
"Oh, so I get to play a part in the paranormal activity this time, huh? You're on!" she said getting to her knees, a bit wobbly, so Ryan helped her the rest of the way up.
"You have been playing a part, but we just haven't discovered all of your talents yet," Ryan said. "Who knows what's lurking in there?" he said eyes wide and scary-looking as he shoved her, almost making her topple over.
Jillian bolted up, like a flash, as if electrified.
Ryan led them into the house through the mud room and into the kitchen. "Well, why don't you girls just walk around and let me know if you have any questions," He said leaning against the archway that led into the dining room.
Jillian was excited. She was going to get a feel for the house, like the mediums do in the TV shows. She just walked around, slowly, touching things that she wanted to know more about. Sonya was doing the same thing as Jillian, but she seemed keenly interested in the old photographs. There were a bunch of them on the mantle, neatly arranged and dust free on a hand crocheted doily in the dining room. She also spent a long time looking at a photo album that was lying on an armchair in the living room. She would look at the pictures and then look around the room, and sometimes look at Ryan. It looked like she was trying to get a feeling, or a sense of what she was looking at.
They opened closed doors, peered out the curtains that looked outside to the fields, touched desks and dressers. From time to time, Jillian would get a sense of something, words, pictures, a feeling, and a few times she heard words. At one point she thought she smelled roses. Looking around she didn't see anything it could be. She felt like she needed to respect everything she sensed. Like it was all credible information that she was getting, and not to let her head get in the way. She found herself smiling by the time she got up to the second floor. Sonya was right behind her, but a bit apprehensive because she was the one that had seen the dark thing. Ryan kept two steps behind them, wondering what felt so awful. How could he have missed it?
The first door they came to was a guest room. It seemed kinda empty. It had furniture in it, but it felt empty, emotionless, and cold. Ryan explained to them that the room was his father’s while he was growing up.
The next room they came to was Ryan's bedroom. As much as they wanted to find some little secrets he had, or get to know him better, they were respectful of his space. At the same time Ryan was worried that they might find out too much. There were things that he did not want the girls to know. His fears, he was normal, he had secrets, and he never wanted anyone to know some of the things he had thought about his parents. Could he ever actually be transparent with someone, anyone?
The walls of his room were all knotty pine, everything was picked up and put away, and his bed was even made. The girls found it strange his room was ten times cleaner than their rooms. He had a few music posters on the walls, and a guitar sitting up against an old wicker chair that sat facing the window. His closet was full of clothes neatly hung on hangers. There were little built in shelves that held models that he must have built - cars, planes, boats and some monsters. Three pair of ice skates hung on the other wall. On the back of the door was a mirror, just his height, with some small photographs taped around it. There was a small shelf with a bottle of contact lens cleaner and a case, a bottle of cologne and hooks for his belts and bracelets. There were some framed photos on his dresser. The girls looked, but didn't ask who they were because they didn't want to intrude.
Jillian walked over to touch the guitar and Sonya walked to the window. Jillian ran her fingertips across the strings. Ryan waited in the doorway.
Sonya stood in the window peering out the curtains. "I know where it is," she said, looking down under the shade of the towering tree where the picnic was still taking place. Jillian turned around and Ryan walked up behind the girls. "It's down there," she said, pointing at the table.
&
nbsp; "Where?" Jillian asked moving her head closer to the glass, squinting to see.
"At the end of the table. It's right by GG, to the right of him," she pointed again.
"Behind Lois? I don't see anything,” Jillian said.
"Is Lois there?" Sonya squinted.
As the three were watching the gathering below, it seemed as if on command, all of the people sitting at the picnic table slowly turned and looked up at them. The teenagers stepped away from the window. "Why are they looking at us?" Jillian asked. "Oh my God, that is creepy."
"Let's just go downstairs and find something to watch on TV," Ryan said, turning away from the window and heading down the stairs.
The three watched the Matrix, one of Ryan's favorite movies and snacked on what was left over from the picnic the rest of the afternoon and on into the evening, not saying a word about what was going on at the picnic table.
Before the sun set, the kids left the farm and started walking down the dirt road to the cabin. Ryan still hadn't asked about the property. They didn't think they were any closer to finding out about who Emmy was and what could have happened to Elizabeth.
As they entered from the dirt road, the path was becoming less concealed by their trekking in and out over the last few days. It was much easier to move through the thick bush, and it was still light out. When they arrived, the cabin didn't seem so vexing. Just sad. The pond was more like a bog, muddy, and they watched as a turtle ran from beside the cabin from where the garden had been, back to the muck. A large dark shadow fell over the ground. The three looked up and a large bird circled above them three times and flew off. Darkness was falling and the sounds of the night began to make the scene that they were in feel like in a horror movie.
Ryan went into the large room of the cabin and sat down on the floor, opened his backpack and took out a candle and a box of matches and set them on the floor. He dug around and found his digital recorder, pressed play and slipped it into his shirt pocket. He motioned for the girls and they sat down in a circle, knee to knee. Jillian took a deep breath and sighed deeply. She picked up the box and took out a match. She struck it against the side and held it a moment. Touching the match to the wick, the flame grew and she blew out the match. Just as they had done the first night, Jillian positioned her hands above her knees, Sonya took her hand, and in turn Ryan took both of the girl's hands, completing the circle.
Jillian began, "Emmy. Are you here? We have come back. We want to help."
Ryan began to look down, and it was like he was listening to something. His eyes were darting back and forth. The temperature began to drop. Jillian was trying to prepare herself to feel Emmy's grief. She began to breathe differently, short, sharp breaths. Her brow wrinkled. She knew something was different. She started feeling angry, mad, and hurt. Overwhelming feelings all tangled together. "You don't want to help me. You want to laugh at my expense," Jillian said, channeling Emmy. This time, Jillian was aware of what she was saying, "Leave me be."
Ryan was watching Jillian. "Emmy, why do you say we don't want to help you? We have been trying to find out who you were when you were alive."
"Don't lie to me; I see it in your eyes. You know the truth," she said to Ryan. "The others didn't care about us, either. You led them here,” she said, as Jillian began to cry.
"We are not lying. We want to help you find Elizabeth so you can be together," Ryan said watching Jillian, wanting to physically see Emmy again. "What others are you talking about?"
"Those disgusting hoodlums," she yelled, as Ryan watched her face morph into Emmys, but this time it was red and angry. As he focused, it was as if he was seeing the cabin from her perspective. She was in the large room and heard someone approaching. There was a commotion on the front porch and three people walked in. It was two boys and one girl.
Ryan watched the vision unfold; he was standing in Emmy's shoes now. The three walked around, acting like they owned the place. One boy kicked the table, which collapsed and fell to the floor. He threw the chair at the window, breaking the glass, and then flicked a cigarette butt. It landed on the floor. The other boy, who was much taller, yelled "Hey there, we've come to get you! Release you from the chains that bind. Now, where is a good hiding place? In the chimney, or the wall? What a dump," he said as he peed in the corner. After he zipped himself up, he whipped around and within inches of where Jillian had fallen through, he got sucked into the floor. Swearing, he pulled himself out of the broken floorboards, the other two laughing hysterically at him. The one kid pulled a lighter out of his pocket and handed to the one who had fallen. He knelt down and stuck it inside the hole and pulled out a book and held it up. His eyes got wide and the three of them started to laugh. The white hair boy smiled and said, “The time is at hand.”
"Oh no," Emmy said.
Ryan began to feel sick. He recognized the book; it was just like Emmy's. He closed his eyes and shook his head. He let go of the girl's hands breaking the circle. The vision stopped. Jillian was silent; her chin was to her chest. She raised her head and stared at Ryan.
"Would somebody please tell me what's going on?" Sonya begged. "I can see, well I can't see, but I know Emmy was talking through Jillian again. Why is she so upset? Ryan, what did you see this time?"
"Someone was here, in the cabin," he said, pulling his flashlight from his backpack and shining it towards the broken table, then the broken window. Over there was the cigarette butt. Then absolute confirmation, there was the other hole in the floorboards.
"Oh my God, who was it?" Sonya asked, starting to get scared, thinking they might still be around.
"Do you know Deryk Pleshick? It was him, Crazy Roberta and that other kid, Gage. How did they know about the cabin? Have you guys told anybody?" Ryan yelled. He knew what kind of kids they were; he was concerned for everyone's safety, including Emmy and Elizabeth.
"Not me, I don't know anybody but you two, and my aunt and uncle. I haven't told them anything about this," Jillian said, shaking her head.
"No, not a word." Sonya said, knowing that this could mean real trouble for all of them. Those kids had been such a problem to the town, and they didn't care. She couldn't even think of a word to call them. However, zombies came to mind.
Ryan took a deep breath, knowing that this might be their last chance to help. "Okay then, Jillian I need you to concentrate. Focus on Emmy. She needs to focus on how much she loved Elizabeth. Only those wonderful feelings. She needs to see her, feel her in her arms, rocking her, kissing her baby girl. Can you do that? Can you help her bring back those memories?” Ryan asked, squeezing her hand.
"I will try," Jillian said, taking a deep breath. She closed her eyes and began to breathe deeply and relax. After she had composed herself, she said, "Emmy I promise you, we are here to help. But our time may be limited. We had nothing to do with those other kids. Please help us. Start to think about Elizabeth. How beautiful she was. Her tiny fingers and toes. Her loving eyes that watched you everywhere you went. The sounds she made when she was happy. Feel yourself holding her in your arms and rocking her, kissing her again," Jillian started nodding. "I can feel it," she said, starting to cry tears of joy.
"Elizabeth Joy Masterson," said Emmy's voice, "I had no idea what love was until you were born." Jillian brought her arms up in front of her, as if she were cradling a baby, her head was down and she was rocking.
Ryan focused on Jillian, and as he did, the scene changed to one he had seen before. Emmy was in her garden, the woman showed up. Elizabeth, maybe a little over a year old, was playing in the garden with a handmade doll. Emmy and the woman went in the cabin. He focused his vision on staying outside this time to watch Elizabeth. She was watching a white butterfly. It was flitting from plant to plant. Elizabeth was trying to catch it. It would fly from one flower to another. She would crawl to where it landed, and as she got close, it would move onto another flower. It landed on the morning glories at the garden gate. Elizabeth almost got it. It moved on into the front yard, and land
ed on some clover. Elizabeth followed right along. It landed on some yellow jewel weed. Elizabeth was laughing, enjoying the game. The butterfly landed on some snake grass and she followed it, right on into the mud. She almost had it in her tiny fingers, but the butterfly moved further and so did Elizabeth, but she fell on all fours, the muck was up to her shoulders and hips. She started to panic, and tried to roll over. The husband in the woods stood watching the whole thing, doing nothing.
"Elizabeth!" Emmy screamed, seeing her baby unable to free herself from the muck, struggling, until there was no trace left of her. Ryan's heart sank, and he began to cry. He got up off the floor grabbing Jillian and Sonya, dragging them out the front door. He ran with them to the front yard.
He looked at Sonya and held her by her shoulders. "Do what you do. Help heal this tragedy," he said, tears streaming down his cheeks. She was overwhelmed at the physical sensations she felt and closed her eyes. She kept calling out in her mind...Elizabeth. Ryan turned to Jillian, and walked her to the water’s edge and looked out calling, "Elizabeth, here's your mommy! Look around, look, she's right here. Come on Elizabeth, she's here waiting for you." He looked at Jillian, who under the moonlight now looked like Emmy.
Paranormal Summer (Indigo Moon Rising) Page 12