Vanquishing Ghosts (Tess Schafer-Medium)

by Deborah J. Hughes

  Oh my dear young one. I am so sorry.

  I pulled from the story reluctantly. So engrossed in it as I was, it took me a moment to resettle back into the reality of my own life. When writing Naylee's story, my sense of self drifted away and I became part of her being, experiencing her life and understanding her knowledge. I knew what she knew. But as soon as we parted ways and I stopped writing, her knowledge slipped away. Most of it anyway. There were remnants. Like that of dreams. And really this was similar to waking from a dream. Though I tried hard to hold on to the impressions that filled my being while in the story, my consciousness obviously was not trained well enough to keep them clear. "Dang it."

  "What?"

  I swung around, surprised to see that Kade was in the room with me. I opened my mouth to answer him, to tell him about this amazing story when outside, near my window, an owl hooted. The sound catapulted me from my chair and so strong was the impression from the story that I wanted to grab the herbs Naylee had grabbed and start scattering them everywhere.

  "What is it, Tess? If you are wondering about that sound, it's just an owl."

  "It's a warning." I started for the hall door but Alex and Dennis beat me to it. When had they come in the room? Both had their dander up, fur ruffled and ears flat.

  I entered the hallway close behind them and realized right away that they were headed for the stairs. Both of them, however, paused for several seconds to stare through the doorway into the living room.

  Dennis gave a loud hiss and crouched low. Keeping his eyes on whatever held his attention, he continued to creep toward the stairs and when he was close enough, he turned tail and flew up the steps.

  Alex wasn't so brave. He remained crouched to the floor, his focus on something in the living room. Though he obviously wanted to, he didn’t quite dare to turn from it and run. No doubt he felt cornered, for his barking turned to low growls of warning. Seconds later, he was in the throes of full-fledged snarls.

  Though I intended to join him and actually made it halfway down the hall, his snarls stopped me in my tracks and Kade, who was at full dash, crashed into me. Somehow he managed to keep us from careening to the floor and once we had our balance back, he put me firmly behind him and stood poised for action.

  "It's in the living room." I had to say something and stating the obvious helped solidify what was happening.

  "Yes, it looks that way."

  Alex started scooting backwards toward the stairwell, his snarls lowering to guttural growls of warning. Whatever he saw, it obviously was not coming at him for an attack. Though we saw nothing from where we stood, the crackle of energy in the air was unmistakable. He was strong tonight, more so than any other time we encountered him. Why?

  "We need to arm ourselves with more than an imaginary light, Tess. Do you have anything in the Sun Room?"

  It was so good to have someone around who could think of these things when my mind was too busy sending out psychic feelers to think of anything else. "I have some protective amulets in the trunk near the porch door. There might be a few other things in there as well. I'm always picking things up at psychic fairs and metaphysical shops and then forgetting about them. Some of that stuff has been in there for years and I'm not sure how effective they'll be, if at all, but it's better than nothing." I was babbling but couldn’t seem to help it. My nerves were pretty high strung and it helped to talk.

  “Get what you think will help but hurry.”

  I started backing toward the Sun Room, unwilling to turn around and face away from whatever was up ahead. Kade retreated along with me though he stopped just outside the Sun Room entryway so he could keep watch.

  Once I had the trunk in sight, I rushed to it and opened the lid, hunkering down to check out the contents and knowing that time was essential. The first thing I pulled out was an Elder wood wand wrapped in a white silk cloth. It was perfect for our needs. I hoped. "This Elder wand might do the trick."

  Kade glanced my way for a brief moment to look at the item in question. "An Elder wand?"

  Though he was trying to keep an open mind concerning the power of an imaginary light, he obviously didn't hold much wash with wands. In truth, anything dealing with the spiritual world, to include metaphysical beliefs, was asking for the suspension of so-called logic. We'd have to talk about it later, right now there was no time. "The wood from Elder trees is supposed to be very special and it has been used for centuries in many magical and mystical rituals. I was told when I bought it that wands made from the wood of Elder can drive away Evil Spirits." It’s funny all the stuff I've learned over the years and didn't recall until moments like this. My brain held a lot more information than I gave it credit for. Of course, recalling all that information was where I ran into difficulty.

  I set the wand, which was exactly thirteen inches in length, across my lap and dug into the trunk again. Forgotten information rushed into my thoughts, things I hadn't given any mind to for years. Not liking the silence ... Alex was no longer snarling ... I started babbling again. "If I’m remembering it right, Elder trees are supposed to protect property and every garden should include one. I wonder if I have any around the house."

  Kade started to say something but Alex yelped in fear and he turned his head back to the hallway. The rapid ascent of Alex's progress up the stairs sounded loud in the quiet. Once he made it to the second floor, he scampered down the hall so fast we heard him slip a couple times on the wood floor.

  Kade turned back to me, his face grim. "You need to hurry." And then he took off down the hall.

  Not sure what spurred him into action, I clutched the wand in my right hand and grabbed a couple amulet necklaces tucked in a small wicker basket. They were small leather pouches filled with herbs and hanging from a leather strap. I bought a bunch of them a couple years back ... just a few days before Mike's accident actually.

  When he died, I gathered most all of this stuff and crammed it in the trunk, slamming the lid shut and not touching it again until I checked it to ensure everything was secure for the move to Maine. The amulets were filled with an herbal mixture that was supposed to offer protection from evil spirits and black magic.

  Though I was in a hurry to chase after Kade, I took a few precious seconds to say a prayer and put my mental light in place. Hoping I had enough to ward off our current situation, I raced into the hall just as Kade disappeared into the living room.

  My heart racing frantically, I fought to mentally calm myself, asking Sheila to help however she could. It was hard to focus for the worry clogging my thoughts. Why oh why did Kade have to go in there by himself? When I reached the doorway to the living room, I skidded to a stop and took in the situation.

  Kade stood behind the sofa, his focus steady on the fireplace. Although he was poised for action, he didn’t move so much as a muscle. It didn’t take me long to figure out what had his attention. Though I couldn't quite see anything straight on, I was aware of movement in the room. The lights were off even though we'd left both lamps on when we were in here earlier. The area around the fireplace was darkest and I could almost ... but not quite ... make out a shifting of shadows.

  I took a step into the room and a foul stench filled my nose. It made me think of sulfur and rotten eggs. The hair on my arms stood on end and a tingling ripple of unease scattered across my scalp. I wasn't sure what was happening but I knew it wasn't good. Not at all.

  "Kade, come back towards me. Can you move?"

  He made no response and worry charged through my system. Oh God, please let him be okay. My hand tightened around the wand, reminding me that I held it. Without giving myself time to think, I rushed to Kade's side and slipped one of the amulets over his head. It was no easy task for he didn’t bend down but I managed it. Soon as his was on, I slipped the other around my own neck then held the wand out in front of me toward the unnatural dark almost obliterating our view of the fireplace behind it.

  Focusing on the image of all the light I could possibly create in
my very fertile imagination, I climbed over the back of the sofa and stood on its thick cushioned seat. The added height helped me feel better ... not so small and insignificant.

  The stench was nauseating and I heaved a couple times in response. Not wanting to spew tonight's dinner all over the place, I imagined a healing green light filtering down through my head, filling my nose and mouth and moving into my stomach. By focusing on the green light imagery, I didn't notice the stench quite as much and my heaving stomach settled down. Now to keep my light going strong and face this thing down.

  Before I could even think what else to do, I lifted the wand high and swung it in a circular motion that expanded wider with each rotation. "Leave this house. I command you to go. In the name of the Holy One, the Creator of all, you must leave now."

  First off, I hadn't planned on saying that, it just popped out. Secondly, I'm not sure why I said "Holy One" and "the Creator" for I always said "God" in these situations. But again, it was almost like I was acting on auto-pilot.

  To say I didn't feel slightly ridiculous would be a lie. But honestly, standing there on the couch, holding a stick out before me like it was some sort of magical staff and saying those words ... it sort of made me feel like I was acting in a cheap Harry Potter movie. If this wasn't all too real, I'd be feeling like all kinds of fool but the temperature was plummeting and the dark energy in the room was nothing to take lightly.

  Underestimating the power of the spirit world was a mistake many people made. We couldn't afford any mistakes right now.

  "What is it, Tess? Is it a spirit?" Kade's voice was low and quiet, modulated to a calm tone that was needed in the face of the excitement around us.

  "I don't know. I'm not getting any reading on it other than knowing it isn't anything we want hanging around." The dark in front of me had lightened up a little in response to my wand waving antics, so I decided to step cautiously off the couch. Two steps forward and I came up against a wall of blistering cold air. My breath steamed to fog and outlined what looked like a face only inches in front of me. It startled me so much I screamed and fell onto the couch. Kade reached down and hauled me over the back of it and into his arms.

  "Jesus Christ! Did you see that?"

  I pushed out of his arms, ran around the sofa and once again headed for that ... thing. Kade made to come after me but I waved my free hand behind me, motioning for him to stay put.

  "For Christ's sakes, Tess, what the hell do you think you are doing?"

  I glanced back to ensure he didn't come any closer, saw the fear and agitation on his face and gave him a quick reassuring smile. "It's not a demon, Kade. That face told me that much. But whoever he is, he's repelled by the Elder wand and probably our amulets as well." I returned my attention to the spot where I encountered the face but didn't get as close this time. "Go back to the Sun Room and get some sage bundles from the basket next to the fireplace. Maybe if we burn it in here it will continue to dissipate this thing."

  "I'm not leaving you in here alone."

  It seemed to me that the darkness before me was shifting again, moving. I stepped forward a few more steps and didn't feel the wall of cold in the same place as before. It was pulling back toward the fireplace. Worried that the spirit was preparing to depart to another part of the house, I grabbed the amulet from around my neck and tossed it to Kade. Once I was sure he caught it, I started toward the concentrated mass of cold air and the shifting shadows around it.

  "Open that and when I enter the shadow, toss the contents over me. Be quick, Kade!" And though fear spiked within my brain, I closed my eyes, held my breath, imagined myself as one bright light and stepped into the cold. It slithered around my face and cut off my air. Pressure pushed in at my chest and bore down on my head.

  Sure it was trying to get in, I imagined my Chakra centers spinning rapidly, their colors burning brighter and brighter, energizing my spirit. Power surged within me and I forced all that energy outward. The pressure let up but the lack of air was making me dizzy.

  Oh my God, please hurry, Kade!

  I felt myself falling to my knees and knowing I couldn't go on any longer without air, I drew in a breath. It was bitter cold and hurt my lungs, making me cough. The most uncomfortable feeling filtered through me, moving to every part of my body and the pressure began again, pushing on my chest and making it impossible to draw in another breath.

  My vision pinpointed to a small beam of light. I put my focus on it and held on. The rest of me went cold and although I was aware that I was shivering violently, I felt no connection to my body. Holy mother of God, was I going to die?

  As if from a great distance and speaking through water, I heard Kade's voice. "Tess! Tess, open your eyes and look at me. Tess, for God's sake!"

  Open my eyes? Yes, yes ... I would do that. But my lids didn't want to cooperate. My gosh but I felt tired. So very, very tired.

  "Tess, you open your eyes right now."

  Kade's voice was sharp and firm and I dared not disobey. So I focused on my eyelids and managed to do as he asked. His worried face floated into view above me and I was at once fascinated by the foggy glow pulsating around him. Lit with a yellowish hue and emanating about two inches out from his body, there was a tinge of red around its outer edges. I stared at his auric light in amazement, in awe of the fact I could actually see it with my eyes.

  "Tess, thank God. Speak to me."

  My but he could be bossy. Open my eyes. Speak to him. What was next?

  "Speak to me, Tess. Please, baby, I need to know you are okay."

  Well that was better. "What happened?"

  Kade lifted me into his arms and pulled me tight against him. His heart pounded loud in my ear and the tension in his arms told me that whatever happened, it had given him a scare.

  I pressed gently against his chest, and when his grip loosened, I turned my head to look around and saw that I was lying prone on the floor. "What happened?"

  "You passed out. You were standing there ... I threw that stuff on you like you told me to do and you fell to your knees, toppled there for a moment then keeled right over backwards."

  "Did you feel anything? Notice anything?" Thankful to feel my strength returning, I sat up and rubbed my arms to get my energy flowing again. The fuzziness in my brain took a little longer to recede but a few deep breaths helped things along. A quick glance at Kade told me I could no longer see his auric light. Perhaps I imagined it. But I didn't really think so.

  "I felt a skin-crawling cold. Of course there was that God awful smell but it was pretty much gone by the time you collapsed. Are you okay?"

  "I'm fine. I held my breath because I was afraid to draw in the air it was occupying. But I think it was pushing in on me. Finally I had to draw in a breath and when I did, I think it came through me."

  Kade ran a hand up through his hair, while his other one tightened its grip around my waist. "I hate this. We shouldn't stay here."

  "We are not leaving." I pushed up to my knees and drew in a slow deep breath ... testing my lungs and the air around me. Everything was back to normal. And to prove it, Alex came charging into the room. Though he usually went straight to Kade, this time he came to me and started licking my face, making little whining noises as he did so. I figured he was apologizing for abandoning us. "Some protective dog you turned out to be."

  I gave Alex a few affectionate scratches then held out a hand to Kade. "Help me up?"

  Once we were on our feet, Kade pulled me into his arms and kissed me. Then he pulled back, met my eyes, stared at me for a silent moment and kissed me again. Only this time he took his time about it. Knowing he was looking for reassurance and a need to connect with me, I opened my mouth and teased his lips with my tongue. He responded in kind and pulled me closer against him.

  Heat uncoiled in my chest and spread like fire through my veins. It was the best of ways to become fully engaged in life again. Finally, I pulled away and touched his face with loving fingers.

  "I'm sor
ry I scared you." Kade turned his head and kissed my hand. "I don't think I was in any danger, though, Kade. I think the spirit lost his power when you tossed the amulet’s contents on me."

  "Speaking of that ... what is this stuff?" He pulled back and looked down at the floor which was covered in small bits and pieces of dried herbs.

  "I'm not sure. The woman I bought them from told me but I can't remember. I just know that all the herbs and flowers that were dried and mixed into this special blend are all supposed to promote positive energy, ward off evil and enhance spiritual connections."

  "It scares me that you passed out. At first I thought you were having a vision but then I knew it wasn't and just as I reached to grab you, you keeled over in a dead faint."

  "Not a dead one," I said smiling but he wasn't amused and I gave him another hug before turning around to check the fireplace and the area around it. "The paranormal activity always seems to happen in this area. I wonder why?"

  Kade nodded in a way that told me to look up. When I did so, I saw what had his attention. The cross we'd hung up earlier was gone. "Hmmm."

  "Well looks like the Big Bad isn't quite so immune." Hands on hips, Kade stood in a stiff stance and stared at the spot where the cross used to be.

  "I wonder where it is?" Surely it didn’t just disappear into thin air?

  A thorough search of the room did not reveal its whereabouts. Interesting.

  Kade rubbed a hand wearily across his face. "I'm tired, Tess. How about we turn in for the night? You think the Big Bad is done for now?"

  "Yes. Just the same, I think I'll add some more protection."

  Ten minutes later, Kade was watching with bemusement while I sprinkled sea salt across the floor in front of the door to the hallway and to the patio. I burned another bundle of sage then asked Sheila to keep us safe during our sleep.