Vanquishing Ghosts (Tess Schafer-Medium)

by Deborah J. Hughes

  Adding to the display were colorful buoys dotting the water and scattered everywhere. Since the tide was low, the dark mud flats along the shore were prominent and circling above the entire scene, their wings spread in lazy glides, were seagulls. The birds weren’t just in the sky but also nestled on the rooftops of buildings built along the waterfront. It was like seeing a New England postcard in motion and I wanted to explore it all.

  "Oh, Kade! We must go down there and walk around. It looks so very interesting!"

  Kade looked at his GPS then gave a nod toward it. "This Spiritualist camp we are looking for is right on the water so I imagine it will offer just as much to look at. If we have time on the way back, we'll stop and check it out."

  Once we left the bridge, the waterfront went out of view and seeing he had my attention, Kade squeezed my hand. "Belfast holds an art festival every year and I've come here a couple times to participate. It's an old town and rather artsy. You'll find a lot of galleries and bookstores and specialty shops along its main drag."

  "Then I most definitely want to check it out."

  "There's a nice sports bar that I enjoy stopping at when I'm in town. The food is good and so is the drink. They offer a nice variety of microbrews. Maybe we'll stop there and grab a bite to eat then walk around a bit. The weather is warm enough that we can eat out on the deck and keep Alex with us."

  The road eventually traveled inland from the ocean and we saw no more water again until Kade pulled off the highway and headed down the steep incline of a winding street that eventually came out along the banks of the ocean. Homes here were built close together and the streets were narrow. Flowers grew everywhere, especially the tall blooming Lupine so prevalent throughout Maine. It was all so picturesque and I found it no surprise that the Spiritualists would want a camp here. It was quite inspiring to the soul.

  Speaking of the Spiritualist camp, it turned out to be a large three story building that looked like an aging low-key hotel. It was built on a steep grade and the first thing I thought about when I saw it was how difficult construction workers must have had it to build in such conditions. The entire front of the first floor sported a covered porch which was supported by sturdy poles stretching down to the rocky ground below. Parking was practically none existent and we had to travel along the street until we found a free spot to pull into.

  As we made our way up to the Tipping Point’s lodge, I nodded at the poles and glanced at Kade. "Good thing Maine isn't known for earthquakes."

  "It isn't all that remarkable on the outside is it? I wonder how hard it is for them to maintain its structural stability?"

  Of a simple saltbox design, it was painted white though a lot of the paint was peeling and the roof sagged a bit. I could well imagine that the place was expensive to maintain.

  Kade held out his hand to me. "Well, let's go find us a pastor willing to come bless that house of yours."

  Two gentlemen and a lady were enjoying a glass of wine around a white wicker set when we finally climbed the porch steps. One of the gentlemen stood up to greet us.

  "Hello, can we help you?"

  "My name is Tess Schafer. I called yesterday about meeting with someone who might be willing to do a house blessing."

  The man smiled in welcome and held out his hand. "I thought it might be you. My name is Mark Jensen. I'm the one you talked to on the phone."

  I shook Mark's hand, sizing him up as I did so. He was probably in his mid to late fifties. His hair was quite gray but I'd guess his turned that way at an early age. He was of average height and medium build. Not athletic but not a couch potato either. "Are you a medium, Mark?"

  "Yes I am and so are these two behind me." He looked at Kade and held out his hand.

  "I'm Kade Sinclair and I am not a medium."

  Mark smiled at Kade’s declaration and pulled his hand from his clasp to gesture to his companions. They both stood up when he made the introductions. "This fine gentleman here is a good friend of mine, Don Arnold. He's a visiting medium come to stay with us for the month. Don lives in Georgia most of the time but he travels quite a bit when he's promoting a book or doing a tour. The lady next to him is Arlene Bridges. She is a resident medium and stays here at the camp just about every summer. Arlene lives in Camden." Mark looked at me. "Have you been to Camden yet?"

  "No I have not but I heard it is a beautiful town."

  Arlene took my hand between the two of hers and held it in a gentle grasp. She was older than the two men though I wouldn't dare guess her age. Her hair was long and streaked in gray but it was her eyes, heavily lined, that gave away the fact she was older than Mark and definitely more so than Don who looked to be in his late forties. Don was tall and thin and I wondered if he was a runner. He looked physically fit and had an exuberance about him that suggested strong vitality. Arlene was short and plump but she didn't look the sedate sort in the least bit. She had a ready smile and kind, curious eyes.

  "Please come sit with us." Arlene pulled me along with her and I took the seat beside her. Kade sat between the two men. "So, you just moved here to Maine? Are you a psychic?"

  "Not like the three of you I don't imagine. I communicate with the dead but they don't bombard me with every person I meet like on that show with that medium from Long Island."

  Arlene laughed. "Well you are lucky then. I swear every dead person attached to every person I meet is clamoring for attention."

  A distinct chill passed through me right at that moment and I wondered if that was the case with me. "Really? How do you handle that?"

  Arlene's eyes shifted to a spot just over my shoulder and that answered my unspoken question. She saw someone alright. I have to admit that it did sort of bother me that I didn't feel them and then I noticed that the hairs on my neck stood on end and conceded that okay, I did feel them but we were not communicating.

  "You've an older gentleman standing next to you, Tess. He says you met not too long ago and he wants to thank you for your help."

  Kade and I looked at each other and smiled. "I thought perhaps he'd have moved on in his journey."

  Arlene nodded and sank back against her chair. She clasped her hands across her wide girth and gave me a serene smile. "Oh he has but he dropped in for a quick moment to pass on his gratitude."

  Don touched my arm to gain my attention. "You've a dog near you as well. A light-haired dog. She must have died young for she seems full of energy." Don pointed down next to my right leg.

  I looked at the spot in question, my eyes tearing up. Tootsie. Oh God, was she upset that I now had another dog?

  "Did you just get a new dog, Tess?"

  Before I could answer Don's question, Alex started barking and we all turned to look. Kade made sure the car was visible from the porch and though we hadn't wanted to leave Alex alone in the vehicle, the weather was mild so there was no danger of his overheating and we left the window partway down. I nodded in his direction. "Alex found us a couple days ago and we've decided to keep him."

  "Well, I think your other dog approves. She's headed off now to check out your new pet."

  Why did this make me want to cry? I brushed at the tears and smiled in embarrassment. "Thanks, Don, that's nice to know."

  Mark now turned to Kade. "Were you in the military at one time?"

  Kade went very still. "Yes I was."

  Mark nodded. "You've quite a following. I see lots of smiling young men around you. They are all giving me the thumbs up." Mark shook his head in confusion and said, "For some reason I want to slam something."

  Kade started laughing and seeing that he was quite relaxed, I joined in. I knew why Mark felt that way and it made me feel close to Kade because we shared a special memory. Not too long after meeting him, I made contact with one of the men killed in the roadside bomb that ended Kade's military career. I think it was that incident that made him finally believe in my gift.

  Giving me a wink to let me know he was okay, Kade turned to Mark to explain. "My men and I ... w
e used to use the word "slam" as an acronym for Suspend Logical Action Momentarily.” When the other three around the table looked at him with interest and obviously wanted more of an explanation, he continued on, "We were often in situations over in Afghanistan that required us to do just that and before any of us reacted, we'd throw out SLAM to remind us to wait until we had more information before we reacted."

  Don reached over and gave Kade's shoulder a couple pats. "Well, that was very interesting. And let me thank you for your service to our country."

  Kade nodded in response but obviously did not want to keep the focus on him for he waved a hand toward me. "So Tess here bought herself a haunted house, did she tell you that?"

  Mark looked at me curiously. "You mentioned you would like to have a Spiritualist pastor come bless the house, is that right?"

  "Yes. I think it would help. Also, though I've made contact with the spirits, it wouldn't hurt if another medium were to do the same thing." The table went quiet and then Mark spoke up.

  "I'm an ordained pastor of the Spiritualist Church and I'll be glad to help you out but I'm not sure that blessing the house is all you're going to need to do to rid it of spirits."

  "No. I know that. But I think there is too much negative energy stored in the house and I want to neutralize that as much as possible. It might weaken the Big ... the spirit that is predominant."

  "You said you've made contact with the spirit?" Arlene asked.

  "Yes." And then because I didn't want to mislead them in any way, "I don't think it's a spirit though. It's stronger, more evil than anything I've dealt with." I looked at Mark and hoped I conveyed the seriousness of the situation when I continued on. "I think it could possibly be a demon."

  Arlene gave a small gasp of surprise and pressed a hand to her chest. "Oh my."

  Mark sat back in his chair and returned my regard. I knew he was trying to feel out the situation and I said nothing more. Finally he gave a little shrug and nodded his head. "Okay then. Now I see why you wanted a Spiritualist pastor. I'm sure most of the other churches around here wouldn't want anything to do with a house that could be refuge to a demon." He leaned forward on the table. "But I must tell you ... I don't think it's a demon. I think you've got yourself a nasty spirit. One who was just as nasty when he was in physical life and is now enjoying the spiritual one in much the same way."

  Don nodded in agreement with his friend. "Bad people don't suddenly become good ones in the afterlife. Do you know any history of the house?"

  "No but I'm hoping to learn a little more later today. There's a friend of mine who knows Bucksport history really well and he might know something about it. I do know that the previous family had problems and that one of their children went off the deep end for a while."

  Arlene looked at Mark with concern. "Are you sure you want to get involved in this, Mark?"

  "I should be fine for a quick visit, Arlene. After all, these two young people are staying there and they are fine."

  Smiling in relief that he would come, I stood up and held out my hand. "I don't want to take any more of your time, Mark." I handed him a paper with the address and directions to my house. "When do you think you can come?"

  "How does tomorrow afternoon sound? I'm sure you don't want to wait much longer than that."

  "That's wonderful, Mark. Thank you so much."

  "How about one o'clock?"

  "Perfect." We shook hands and then I waved a hand toward the building at large. "So do you have many guests stay here?"

  "Off and on, especially if we are hosting an event or a class." Mark picked up a brochure from the table and handed it to me. "This is our schedule for the remainder of the season. We'll be closing in a couple weeks. I imagine you'll be busy but maybe next year you'll come be one of our visiting mediums."

  "Perhaps. In any case, I'll be back again to visit."

  After shaking Arlene's and Don's hands, Kade and I headed back to the car. We could feel them watching us and I wondered what thoughts were going through their heads. Did they think we were a little crazy to think a demon could be menacing our house?

  "Well that was interesting." Kade opened the car door for me and Alex barked excitedly from the back seat, glad to have us rejoin him.

  "Yes it was. I rather liked having Tootsie visit me."

  Kade shut my door and went around to the driver's side. Once he was buckled in, he looked over at me, one of his dark brows quirked in question. "So no more guilt over Alex?"

  "I wasn't feeling guilty about Alex."

  Kade gave an unconvinced nod. "Okay."

  "I swore I'd never own another dog after Tootsie died but I do realize now that I wasn't being fair to myself to hold to that. Besides, I didn't go looking for Alex ... he found me." I twisted around a bit in my seat to better admire Kade's profile while he drove. "I think he's going to be more your dog than mine. He follows you everywhere."

  "But when I leave and he stays behind, he'll understand that he's yours and it will be different."

  I didn't comment on that because I hated the idea of Kade leaving. My stomach actually clenched up the moment he said it. Now that I knew what I was up against in the house, I had no desire to be there alone. I liked having Kade with me. I felt safer and braver and more sure of myself.

  Kade reached across the seat and patted my leg. "I'm not going anywhere until we've vanquished all your ghosts."

  "I'm not sure I want them all gone, Kade. The Big Bad for sure but other than that ... I don't really mind having a ghost or two around. They can be nice company on occasion."

  "Well, as long as we can bring them to an understanding that the bedroom is off limits then that will be fine."

  I laughed in response and after a moment, Kade did too.

  When we made it back into the town of Belfast, Kade pulled off the highway and headed for the waterfront. The main drag and the oldest part of Belfast was built right on the hillside. The aged brick buildings lining both sides of the street were quaint with character. One of them, built at the juncture of a five-street intersection, was built in the most interesting triangular shape that I found rather odd and interesting. Shop after shop lined the sidewalks and each of them sported their own distinctive look. I couldn't wait to check them out.

  The street itself ended at a parking area next to the wharfs. Kade pulled in to a free spot facing the water.

  The scene around us was quite typical of a New England fishing village. Nets and lobster traps lay about the wharfs and boats, of course, were everywhere. A seafood restaurant to the left of the parking area was built right out over the water and the smells wafting from it made my stomach growl. People were walking about in all directions and as I got out of the car and glanced around, I couldn't decide where to go first.

  "Food. I'm starved." Kade settled that question.

  Hand in hand, we walked up the hill into the heart of Belfast's township. Objects of art were everywhere … statues of bears, all of different colors and designs, chairs that looked like lobster traps, carved benches, one of them made out of buoys. One shop that really caught my eye was to our left just as we left the parking area. It sported wood logs of various sizes all standing on end with face carvings whittled into them. Some of the logs were carved into animals but only a few. I loved log carvings and these were unique. Since Kade obviously had a destination in mind, I didn’t trouble him to stop but I hoped we’d have time to do so before heading home.

  There were several small food places but Kade stopped at one that said, "Sports Bar and Gill" over the door.

  "Their sign has a typo ... I wonder if it's a gimmick to draw customers."

  Kade opened the door and ushered me into the nearly empty restaurant. We were either late for lunch or too early for dinner. "It was written that way on purpose, Tess. It's a play on words. We are, after all, near the wharf."

  "Well, it may be on porpoise but Bar and Gill doesn't make sense."

  Kade caught my own play on words and smiled.
"Sure it does ... some people here drink up to their gills." Kade laughed when I gave him a friendly punch and then the waitress came over and interrupted our play.

  "Just the two of you then?"

  "We were wondering if we could sit out on the deck and bring our dog with us. We left him in the car but don't want to leave him there for long."

  The waitress nodded agreeably and waved a hand toward the open patio. "Pick a seat and bring in your dog."

  "You go ahead, Tess, and find us a seat. I'll go get Alex."

  A short time later we were enjoying a plate of fried clams and french fries. Kade watched me eat a couple of the scrumptious seafood fare then asked, "Have you ever dug for clams, Tess?"

  "No. When would I have an opportunity to dig for clams? Besides, I wouldn't even know how to begin."

  "Well, you'd begin by going with someone who has dug for clams. It's actually a lot of work and very dirty."

  I popped a fried clam in my mouth and chewed appreciatively. "I'll stick to eating them. Hard, dirty work isn't my thing."

  The meal was delicious and although I was sure I'd leave with leftovers, I ate everything then regretted it a short time later. Moaning at the uncomfortable feeling of a full stomach, I shook my head with regret as we walked along the sidewalk and looked in all the shop windows. "I should have known better than to eat all that food. But it was so good."

  "Well, we're walking it off now. You'll be hungry again by dinner."

  "No. I won't." But the walk was helpful and I enjoyed checking out all the specialty shops. Finally, though, with the hopes of seeing Rid before heading home, we made for the car. As we pulled out of the parking lot, I looked at the carved logs and told Kade I would like to have one someday to put in my yard.

  Once we were crossing the bridge out of Belfast, I called Rid and verified with him that he'd be home and wouldn't mind having us stop by. I hadn't had a chance to see him since my return to Bucksport and was looking forward to the visit.

  As the town's now retired librarian, Rid was a wealth of information about Bucksport. He was the first person I met upon my initial arrival there and I took that to be pretty significant when a short time later circumstances brought us back together. I figured he and I were fated to be friends for many reasons. Today just might prove to show one of them.