Vanquishing Ghosts (Tess Schafer-Medium)

by Deborah J. Hughes

  Once we were all in the entry hall, we stood for a moment to let our eyes adjust to the sudden gloom. The air was frigid with cold and the stench was back, though not as strong as it was before. I had a feeling that wouldn't be the case were we to enter the living room.

  "It's a very strong entity." Grace's hand tightened around mine. "It's in that room there." She pointed to the living room.

  "Let's clear this room first then." Mark held out one of his hands to me, his other to Kade. "We will join hands and pray."

  So once again we formed a circle and Mark spoke out loud his prayer of blessing for the house. A couple of things happened right away and that was the cold lessoned and the stench dissipated. But a glance in the living room told me we were going to have our hands full when we entered it.

  Mark must have noticed it too for he pointed toward the dining room instead. "It seems the entity is gathering its energies in your living room. We will go through the rest of the house first and bless each room. When we finally go back to that one, it will have nowhere else to go."

  "So we are just going to go room to room, hold hands and pray and that's it?" Kade didn't look very convinced of the process and when his eyes met mine there was nothing but skepticism in his gaze. "Tess and I have done that already."

  Grace touched his arm to gain his attention. "Yes, but now there are five of us. Five is a good number to have when blessing a home. Like the five points of a pentagram, we are complete when we clasp hands. Besides, our combined intention and positive forces will raise the vibration of the room. It will neutralize the negative energy stored here." Grace gave his arm a reassuring squeeze. "You don't have to believe in what we are doing, but if you harbor negative feelings of any kind about it then you might hinder the process. Do you not believe in the power of prayer?"

  "It just seems so ... simple. As I've told you, Tess has been praying since she got here."

  "Which is probably why nothing more serious has happened," Grace told him. "But it hasn't left the house and its energy is still strong. We might be able to weaken it but ..." Grace turned to me and her expression warned me that I probably wouldn't like what she had to say. "We might not be able to make it leave. At least not forever."

  "Why?" I didn't like that at all. No way could I continue to live here with an evil entity popping in whenever it felt the urge to do so.

  "Sometimes, we must know it by name in order to banish it forever. Do you know who it might be?"

  "No." My heart started sinking ... plummeting to my feet.

  "Well. Let's tackle it one thing at a time. First to bless the house, cleanse it of negative energy and then we'll confront the one taking charge of your living room." Mark gave my arm a reassuring squeeze. "Maybe we'll figure out who he is. After all, you have three other mediums right here working with you."

  And so with that, we went room to room, making a prayer circle and conducting a meditation exercise designed to infuse positive energy into the rooms. Just to help the process along and maybe to appease Kade's sense that we weren't doing enough, we used my smudging bundles then lit a white tea light (thank God I had a pretty big supply!) and left it to burn, signifying that the dark is now removed from the room.

  We had an uncomfortable moment in the guest room above the living room when the door slammed shut just before we made our circle. Then when we tried to light the sage, the match kept burning out before we could get it lit. Don produced a lighter but that didn't go over any better. Finally Grace took the smudging bundle out into the hallway where she managed to get it burning. But when she brought it back into the room, however, it flared up into a small ball of fire and she had to throw it into the fireplace.

  Even so, nothing more happened after that. Other than experiencing a strange vibration in the floor that is. It rumbled quietly under our feet while Mark said his blessing and then when I lit the candle it flickered several times as if something was trying to blow it out. Grace took the candle and held it in her hands with closed eyes. After a few quiet moments, the flame burned strong and she sat it on the fireplace mantel.

  The rest of the house went without a hitch. At least in negative terms. What happened in the attic was rather pleasant.

  Dennis and Alex greeted us at the door and followed us to the center of the room. They sat at our feet ... well Alex did, Dennis went to the door leading out to the Widow's Walk and sat in the sun shining through it. He did, though, watch us with avid curiosity while we conducted our activities.

  Once the sage had burned out, I lit a candle and set it down on what looked like an old birdbath made of marble and sitting on a stone pillar carved with angels. It was among a few things left in the attic from the previous owners and I was quite delighted to find it. Why it was put in the attic, I couldn't even imagine. It probably weighed a ton, carrying it all the way to the third floor must have been quite the chore. Why hadn't it been left out in the yard?

  As soon as I set the candle down, a smell like lavender began to permeate the air. Just as I identified its pleasant aroma, it changed to lilac. Grace closed her eyes and drew in deep breaths through her nose and I knew she was enjoying the fragrances as much as I was.

  Kade, Mark and Don examined every inch of the attic in search of its source. At least Kade did. I think Mark and Don were just trying to subtly show Kade the smell was from supernatural forces.

  Mark finally went to the center of the room and stood quietly, unmoving, unblinking. When he spoke, his voice was hushed and gravely. "It's a woman who stays here. She's no threat."

  With her eyes still closed, Grace moved to the spot where the sunlight hit in the afternoon. Dennis took a step toward her then stopped to watch, his gaze intent upon her. "She sat up here a lot. This attic ... she spent a lot of time here. I can see her in a rocking chair."

  Don went to the balcony door, taking care not to disturb Dennis. "She liked to look out the window. There was another window here at one time, right next to the door ... a big one. She kept flowers out on the balcony."

  "She worked up here." Mark gestured around him with his hands. "The dry, warm air was perfect for drying flowers and herbs." He drew in a deep breath. "The air is filled with their scents."

  My heart pounded with excitement that they were getting images and it even sounded a little like what I saw in my story. Except my story was about a small one-story cottage and not an attic room. Was this woman a descendant of Naylee or the young one? Had she carried on their work as a healer? Was she a Wiccan or someone of similar faith?

  "The animals like to sit right where Grace is standing." I told them. "They come up here whenever the Big Bad is around."

  Grace nodded with conviction. "Because she sits here still ... in her chair. Your animals come here to sit at her feet and she keeps them safe."

  "But the Baker boy who went a little crazy ... his room was up here. If she isn't a bad spirit and I'm sure she is not, then why did he get to be so crazy?" All the stories weren't adding up to a clear picture and the more I learned, the more frustrated I became.

  Grace opened her eyes and looked at me, her expression solemn. A sure sign I wasn't going to like whatever she was about to reveal. "I know a little about that. Kevin is the same age as my great-niece. She befriended him at first because she takes after me, she's fascinated with the spirit world and she knew that Kevin's house was haunted. He was in her homeroom class at school and she started talking to him. At first he told her that the spirits were good and did silly tricks like opening doors and hiding stuff and making noises, that sort of thing. But then he started saying stuff that scared her and she stopped talking to him."

  "What kind of things?" Kade asked. He came to stand next to me and put an arm around my shoulders. I was so glad he did that because goose bumps were breaking out on my skin and my scalp was prickling. Whatever Grace was telling me, the Big Bad was aware of it and his energy was gathering strength. We needed to hurry back down to the living room. But first to hear whatever Grace could
tell me about Kevin Baker.

  "He told her that the spirit could give him ... Kevin ... special power. Kevin said he could make people do things and he could punish those who did bad stuff ... make them pay. He got very moody and withdrawn and eventually, he didn't want to talk to anyone. My niece told me she was sure that he was possessed."

  "Do you think he was?" A warning shiver raced through me at the very idea of it. Especially when I considered what happened to Kade.

  "I think he became "obsessed" but no, I do not think the evil here possessed him." Grace shook her head several times, denying the question. "Not possession. But, he did influence Kevin quite a bit."

  Same as in Kade’s situation. "So what do you think happened?" I almost didn't want to know.

  "Well my niece told me that he mentioned to her that he thought the powerful spirit was in the basement. He told her he was going to do something to try to speak to it and after that ... well, he began to scare my niece and she stayed away from him."

  "The basement?" The whole time these past few days, I hadn't even thought about going down there. It was in pretty good shape actually and was finished for the most part. But I didn't like the "vibe" it evoked and so had just stayed away. The furnace was located there and the oil tank for the furnace but little else. It seemed that even the Bakers didn't use it for anything.

  "It's so strange, Tess, but we haven't thought once about going down there." Kade looked at me with a frown etched between his brows. He was clearly puzzled by our lack of curiosity about something we both should have given more thought to. I mean, after all ... isn't it always in the basement?

  "Have you detected anything down there?" Mark asked.

  "I hate to admit this but we haven't so much as opened the basement door." I shrugged to indicate our lack of oversight was rather embarrassing but there you had it.

  "Well. Maybe we should check out the basement before we tackle the living room," Mark said.

  But what if the thing waiting for us in the living room was nothing compared to what could be waiting for us in the basement?

  Chapter 18

  I was reluctant to leave the safe, pleasant atmosphere of the attic and Grace must have taken note of that in my expression because she touched my arm to get my attention and when I turned to her, she smiled in understanding.

  "She watches over your home and makes sure he doesn't overtake it all. His energy is very strong but so is hers and we are now adding even more positive energy to the mix. The scales are tipping into balance. We'll be fine."

  Mark took Grace's arm to help her down the stairs and looked over her bent head to glance between Kade and myself. "I find it very interesting that you have avoided the basement. It must have been a subconscious thing ... a silent acknowledgment that perhaps you weren't ready for what's down there."

  Don and I fell into step together and Kade brought up the rear as we descended the stairs. Mark and Grace moved slowly but it was more because they both kept stopping to better focus on whatever it was they were picking up with their psychic antennas. Don seemed content to let them do their "thing" while he concentrated on us. "Have you been to the basement at all?"

  "Yes, when we initially toured the house. A friend of mine was with us at the time ... Mary ... and she refused to go down. The realtor wasn't comfortable either and so we did a quick look. Kade wanted to be sure the foundation was solid and that there wasn't any mold."

  "Did you sense anything?"

  Grace and Mark were now nearly to the second set of stairs leading to the first floor. We had just stepped into the hallway when a sound behind us, near the back guest bedroom, made all three of us turn to look. Though I didn't "see" any movement, I could almost detect one. Just so ... out of the corner of my eye.

  "I could swear I saw a shadow moving," Kade said, his voice hushed.

  "It's another female but not the same one that's up in the attic. This one is younger. She seems very sad." Don stepped away from us and I knew that he didn't want our energy interfering with his own sensory perceptions. "I think she's attracted to you, Tess. She knows you have special talents and it draws her close. I think she needs closure."

  He went to peer out the window at the end of the hall and his voice when he spoke was quiet, almost mumbled. I knew he was talking more to himself than to anyone else but paid close attention anyway. "I feel a sense that this property is very special though I can't say how."

  "I think it sits on a meridian where Ley Lines connect. It would explain why the spiritual energy here is so strong." I joined Don at the window. Outside the sun shined bright. The marsh looked peaceful and beyond it, Silver Lake reflected the sun's glare, its surface gleaming bright and cheerful. It was a totally different atmosphere out there compared to what we were dealing with in here.

  "That would make sense indeed. And it will help us do what we need to do." Don turned from the view and smiled at me, his expression confident. "Mark and Grace are nearly to the first floor, they probably shouldn't be alone."

  They must have felt the same way because both of them stood partway down the stairs waiting for us to join them. Once we were all standing on the floor to the front entry hall, we turned in unison to look into the dark interior of the living room. Though we couldn’t feel it and the hallway felt quite comfortable ... I just somehow knew it was cold in there. The air was thin, though, for I found myself breathing a little harder. Grace especially was noticing it. When I touched her in concern, she shook my worry away.

  "It's fine. I'm very good at self-protection."

  Mark pointed a finger at Grace. "She just brought up a good point. We all must surround ourselves with protection. Though we've prayed for it and are wearing the amulets, I've a feeling we need to do more. Tess, do you have a ritual you go through?"

  "I imagine bright light surrounding me. I also ask my spirit guide Sheila to stay close." But I wasn't sure what Kade was going to do. Considering we had a slight problem with that a couple times now, I worried a little about his going down to the basement. As if reading my thoughts, he touched my shoulder, squeezing it gently then slid his hand across my back to draw me into a comforting hug.

  "I've got the light in place. I think I'm starting to think it works though it makes no sense whatsoever. No logical sense anyway."

  "It's very logical, Kade. It just doesn't fall within the accepted norms of the factual world around us." I turned my head to press a kiss to his shoulder, drawing in his masculine scent and enjoying his body warmth at the same time. For some reason, I felt really cold.

  "I like to ensure my Chakras are activated and my aura is drawn in tight around me," Mark said.

  "And just how do you activate your chakras?" Kade asked. "The same way you did earlier with that meditation exercise?"

  If Mark thought Kade was being somewhat skeptical, he didn't let that bother him. No doubt he dealt with skepticism on a near daily basis. "I imagine the seven centers where they are located to be spinning wheels of light. I ensure I see them in my mind's eye spinning fast and bright and mixing their colors together. When that happens, it becomes a brilliant white which activates my personal energy field into a protective shell. So in a way..." Mark looked at me, meeting my eyes and giving me a silent message that we were in total accord with each other. "In a way I am doing exactly what Tess is doing. I'm surrounding myself with light."

  "I just imagine my spiritual energy as getting stronger and stronger, raising its rate of vibration to such a degree that it creates a protective shell around me," Don said. "Though I don't visualize it as a light, I guess it amounts to the same thing."

  "I'm with Tess on the light and calling forth the angels for extra protection," Grace said. She touched my arm and waved a hand for me to get things moving. "Which way to the basement?"

  "The door is in the kitchen." I led the way through the dining room and my back crawled with the feeling that something was boring holes into it. The Big Bad was not going to hold back today. We were going to
get the full treatment. I just knew it.

  The cellar door was located in the kitchen near a back stairwell which was cleverly tucked behind a small pantry area. A narrow, enclosed stairwell led up to a small bedroom that I guessed must have belonged to the kitchen help at one time. I planned to turn it into extra storage for kitchen related items. Instead of cluttering my cabinets with waffle irons and electric skillets and the like, I thought storing them up there the perfect solution. Kade promised to help me design shelving and whatnot. The entrance to the cellar was under those stairs. The door to both stairwells didn't have a knob but a latch. A deadbolt had also been installed on the cellar door which I thought was interesting. Who would put a deadbolt on a door that hardly ever got used?

  I lifted the latch and opened the door. The cellar yawned like a gaping dark mystery below us. Cool air wafted up and blew past us. It wasn't a fresh air. It was old and musty and somewhat unpleasant though I couldn't explain how that was so. Perhaps it was my knowledge that the Big Bad no doubt loved it down there and had contaminated the air with its negative energy.

  I switched on the light and though it lit up the narrow stairwell, it didn't quite penetrate the dark at the bottom of it. Before I could take a step, Kade wrapped his fingers gently around my arm to stop me from doing so.

  "Let me remove the deadbolt. I'm not going to take any chances on all of us getting locked in the cellar. Also, we should bring flashlights in case the lights go out."

  "You think we'll get locked in?" Mark gave Kade an assessing look. "Why?"

  "Because it's been done before. I've since removed the locking mechanisms on most of the doors." Kade held up a finger. "Just give me a minute. My tool bag is on the bench in the hallway."

  "I'll go with you," Don said. "None of us should be alone, especially if you are going near the living room."