Vanquishing Ghosts (Tess Schafer-Medium)

by Deborah J. Hughes

  While we waited, Grace, Mark and I discussed our strategy.

  "I think the dark cellar is the perfect place for this entity of yours to perpetuate its energy and gather its forces. Negative entities function best in the dark for ... as we know ... they cannot maintain strength in the light, be it of the spiritual or physical kind." Mark waved a hand toward the stairwell. "How big is the basement?"

  "It's pretty much the same size as the house. There are lots of beams and posts. It's mostly all cement and cinder blocks. Whoever designed the house never intended for the basement to become useful for anything other than the location for the furnace, the oil tank and the pressure tank for the well water." I wrapped my arms around myself for I could feel a quivering in my stomach that bothered me.

  "Is something wrong, dear?" Grace asked, her wrinkled face scrunched with concern.

  "I just feel ... I don't know how to describe it ... a little strange. Like a fluttering in my belly." It was so strong a sensation that I was constantly trying to catch my breath.

  Mark's mouth firmed into a thin line. "You are picking up on the energy draw going on down there. I'm willing to bet the guys are just fine being near the living room right now because whatever was in there is now in the cellar." He grabbed my hand and Grace's, holding us in a firm grip, his expression intense and serious. "It's going to attack us through our fears. Whatever frightens you ... it is going to bring those to the forefront and try to weaken you against it. Are you sure you are prepared to go through with this?"

  I squeezed Mark's hand, gratified for his presence and strengthened by it. Together, the five of us could do this. "I have no choice, Mark. This is my home and I'm not willing to share it with that ... that thing."

  Grace's nearly non-existent brows puckered into a vexing frown. "My worry is this. You call this entity a thing but I am pretty sure it's a person ... someone who once lived on this side. To truly get rid of him, I have no doubt that it's a male, we might need to figure out who it is. It's only by naming it personally that we have the most power over it."

  "Okay, we're back and just so you know, I think the living room is clear." Kade set the tool bag down on the floor and pulled out his cordless drill. After examining the deadbolt and determining which bit he needed, he completed the task in a few short seconds. He then handed a flashlight to Mark and one to me, keeping one for himself." He glanced at Grace and Don with an apologetic shrug. "I'm sorry but I only have the three."

  "Hold on a minute." I rushed into the kitchen and grabbed the hurricane lamp off the windowsill near the sink. Don came with me though the others stood within sight. I handed him the lamp then opened a drawer and pulled out some long stemmed matches. "Sometimes batteries get drained. I don't think the entity can snuff out the lamp quite so easily."

  Don nodded in complete accord. "Great idea. I don't relish the idea of getting plunged into the pitch dark."

  Once the lamp was brightly lit, Don carried it by its wire handle and stopped next to Grace. "You and I should stick together, Grace, my dear." Smiling at his thoughtfulness, Grace took his proffered arm and then waved a hand.

  "Well then, let us proceed."

  Kade led the way with me right behind him. Mark let Grace and Don go next then followed close behind them. The five of us were nearly to the bottom of the stairwell when the door slammed shut. We stopped in unison and turned to look.

  Kade gave an "I told you so" grunt then turned with determination and stepped down onto the cellar floor. He flipped on the light switch and the entire area lit up in a dull glow. The light bulbs were all low wattage and not nearly strong enough for the heavy, thick darkness. Even so, most all of the cellar's layout could be seen.

  Though it wasn't damp anywhere that I could see, the strong odor of musty earth filled the air. The quiet was so loud it made me want to cover my ears. I started talking instead. "It feels like we are at high altitude and my ears haven't yet popped."

  Mark pointed to the large brick column that took up quite a bit of space near the far side of the room. "What is that?"

  "The foundation to some of the fireplaces above. It goes to the one in the living room which then goes up to the guest bedroom above it. It's also the same column that's in the attic. There's a cast iron door on the other side to clean out ash accumulation."

  Grace stood in quiet contemplation. She was no doubt picking up the same vibes I was feeling. The cool air was still. So much so that it was hard to breath. Nausea roiled in my gut and rose to my throat making me draw in deep breaths to try and control it.

  Kade rubbed a hand across his forehead and when I turned to look, I saw he was broke out in a sweat. "I have to tell you guys, I'm not feeling too well."

  "It doesn't want us in here." Grace walked around the brick column to the other side.

  When the rest of us followed her, I noticed that the small cast iron door on the chimney base was open and started to go close it, but Kade grabbed my arm.

  "Leave it."

  His hand was ice cold and when I looked up at him, I saw that his eyes were getting that disturbing dark look about them. My stomach twisted with fear. "Kade, you need to concentrate on that light we agreed on. Remember?"

  "Better to concentrate on your love for each other. It's a strong force ... love." Grace took hold of Kade's other hand and pulled him with her to the center of the largest open area. "Let's form a circle quickly."

  Since Kade still gripped my arm, I had to yank free of his hold in order to set my flashlight down and take his hand. "It's trying to get through to you, Kade. Don't let it."

  "I feel so much pressure on my chest, I can barely breathe." He looked at me with such appeal that my heart practically swelled beyond my capacity to contain it. My love for him was that great. I let it show in my eyes and as his gaze got caught in mine, I saw the confusion clear away. We continued to stare at each other as everyone gathered into a circle, hands clasped tightly. Grace took Kade's flashlight and set it on the floor in front of him. Mark did the same with his and Don stepped forward to place the lamp dead center of our circle.

  Mark pulled his hands free in order to rub them briskly together. It was a way to activate his energy which was why people often did that when preparing to do something. Most of them didn't know why they were doing it though. "Okay, let's begin by repeating the Lord's Prayer then I will go into another as soon as we've finished." He once again clasped hands with me and Don and closed his eyes. The rest of us followed his lead.

  Mark started off the prayer and when we got to "thy Kingdom come", the flashlights all went out. Though the hurricane lamp dimmed, it just as quickly flared back to its normal strength. Our prayer recital didn't falter the least bit during this display of temper. For most certainly the Big Bad was pissed.

  Grace went on to pray for our protection, asking our guardian angels to come forth and form a protective ring around us then she opened her eyes and looked at Mark.

  "Okay. He's here. Let's send him away."

  "Can you get any reading on him, Mark?" I had only general impressions but found myself reluctant to put out my psychic feelers to make contact. I did not want to connect with this guy on any level.

  "He's looking for a way back into our world. He isn't going to go easily." Mark looked at Kade. "He's briefly managed to influence other males that have lived here. He finds a way in through their negative emotions. You must somehow release your annoyance with him for it darkens your aura and makes you vulnerable to his energy."

  "This thing has used me twice. I don't plan on allowing it to happen again." Kade squeezed my hand with reassurance. But it was the warmth of his hand I found more comforting. His energy was burning with positive force right now. His love for me making him protective.

  "We will vanquish this guy." I gave a nod of conviction along with this decree then looked at Mark. "Let's do it."

  "He's swirling around us looking for a way to break our circle. Whatever you do ... no one let go of anyone's hand." Mark
exchanged a look with Don. "I'll locate him and try to keep him contained ... you send him on his way."

  Both men closed their eyes, their faces tight with determination, and I watched with fascination as a mental battle took place. The dark closed in around us and the temperature dropped to such a degree that we began to see our breath. The lamp's wick flared bright, lighting up our circle but doing nothing to penetrate the dark gathering behind us, its energy making the skin of our backs crawl uncomfortably. It was all quite bizarre and very unsettling.

  "He won't leave." Don shook his head in frustration. "I feel him withdraw from us but he doesn't go far. I can hear him laughing and it's most irritating."

  "He's using some sort of magic to protect himself from us." Grace's face looked pale in the lamp's light and I squeezed her hand gently.

  "Are you okay?"

  "Yes. But this thing ... we must find out who he is and we need to locate the source of his energy." Grace looked at first Mark then Don. "Close this session so that we may drop hands. Then we need to look around some more."

  Mark nodded and closed his eyes. "Our circle is closed to communication. Our protective light stays in place and our guardian angels are asked to continue cloaking us in their loving embrace, keeping the negative energy from penetrating our auras."

  With a nod of assent, all five of us dropped hands. Kade and Mark started to bend down for their flashlights but stopped from doing so when first one and then the other went out. After a second or two they flashed back on but stayed that way only briefly before going back out.

  "Another spirit is trying to come through," Don said.

  The flashlights continued to come on and off, almost as if in some sort of pattern. It was Kade who figured it out. "I think its Morse code." He watched the flashlights for several more minutes then shook his head in frustration. "Or maybe it's not. I could almost swear it's trying to spell out the word floor."

  "And maybe it is." Mark shook his head. "I'm quite familiar with Morse code and I'm not getting anything from that. How did you get "floor" out of it."

  "It's the word that's entered his mind, Mark. Let's just go with that," Grace said.

  "Looks like we just have the lamp. Let's stay together and keep in its light." Don picked up the lamp and began to move slowly around the room, his gaze locked on the floor.

  "The whole thing is cement. What do you think we are going to find?" Visions of us tearing up the floor began to flow through my head and that left me feeling a little bummed because I didn't want to tear up the floor. Though if we had to, we would.

  "I think we need to get closer to the base of the fireplace,” Mark said. “Tess says the thing is strongest in the living room above it.” He turned to look at Kade. “Didn't you say that it knocked you across the room and that it was located near the fireplace when it did so?"

  Kade’s mouth firmed with remembered displeasure. “Yes.”

  Although most of the cellar floor was concrete, the hearth near the access door for ash removal was inlaid with bricks. They formed an area about four feet out from the chimney base and extended to the same width. Kade stomped a foot on the bricks and a couple of them had just a bit of give. A little more investigation and it was discovered that they were easy enough to pry up.

  I stood watching with a pounding heart as I remembered another situation when I pulled up a brick from a fireplace hearth. That time we made a startling discovery. I was beginning to feel more and more that this time we would make another. Under the brick were rocks. Small stones for the most part.

  "It could just be another level of support for the bricks." Don knelt next to Kade. "Let me help. This is the only part of the floor we can tear up without upsetting the owner too awfully much I think." He looked up to grin at me and I waved a hand for him to have at it.

  Once the first few were removed, the rest of them came up easily. The men handed me the bricks and I piled them neatly to the side. Grace stood watching intently and I couldn't help but wonder if she was trying to make contact with someone besides the Big Bad. Since I didn't want to break her concentration, I said nothing. Besides, she'd let us know soon enough.

  It wasn't until we had about half the bricks removed that we began to notice a pattern in the rocks. The ones creating the pattern looked like black coal and white quarts. The rest were just a general mix of typical ground rocks. All were common to Maine but I found it most curious that someone would go through the trouble of layering a floor with them and then covering them up. A few more bricks were removed and then I knew why. Soon as I realized the design, I couldn't contain the gasp of surprise that startled poor Grace from her internal musings. "It's a pentagram. An upside down ... open … pentagram."

  Kade stopped what he was doing to take a look. He nodded in agreement then looked at me for more explanation. "How can a pentagram be upside down?"

  "First thing I did when I got here was establish my compass points. North is that way and so the tip of one of the five points should be pointing in that direction. Instead, you see the valley between two points facing that direction. Which means one of the tips is facing south. That is an upside down pentagram."

  "And what do you mean by it being open?" Kade waved a hand at the stones. "The star looks pretty complete to me though we still have to uncover the rest of it."

  "Don't you notice there is a black circle of stones around the white outline of the star? The black circle is open on the north end. See? The two ends don't meet together. Whoever built this ... they were inviting negative spiritual forces into this house through that pentagram." Since the bricks didn't look all that old, I had to surmise that it was done by someone in the Baker family. Kevin no doubt.

  Grace nodded as if aware of my thoughts. "It must have been Kevin who did this. No doubt he got hold of something that told him the power of an upside down pentagram and that leaving the circle incomplete would serve as an opening to the spirit world."

  "We need to remove it." I started to grab some of the white quartz which made the outline of the star but Grace touched my shoulder to stop me.

  "No. I think it would serve better to close the circle, reorganize the star so the pentagram is pointing north and then leave it to help protect this house." She opened her purse and fumbled through it until she found what she was looking for. With a satisfied sigh, she pulled out a small pouch and handed it to me. "There are several obsidian rock pieces in there. Use it to complete the circle. Obsidian is a good stone for just this purpose."

  Mark began pulling the white quartz pieces out of their resting places. "Let's put them all in a pile, separating the white and black pieces. Then we'll lay our hands upon them and bless the stones. That should charge them with positive energy. After that, we'll reconstruct the pentagram."

  I pulled a small satchel of my smudging herbs from my pocket. "We'll smudge them first so we don't pollute our own energy while handling them."

  It was no easy task we set for ourselves. First, it was near impossible to light the smudging mixture. When Mark's and Don's lighters kept blowing out, I took the glass dome off the lamp and tried to use its stronger flame but even then I had a devil of a time (no pun intended!) getting the smudge to catch fire. It wasn't until Mark suggested we close into a tight circle around the lamp that I was successful in getting the smudge to burn. Circles cannot be broken when formed by a strong bond. Their symbolism was old as time. No beginning. No end. No opening to within. Twist the circle in opposite directions and you have the eternity symbol. Time without end despite the twists and turns of fate.

  Stench filled the air and made us gag as I gently waved the smudging herbs around the rocks but as the herbal mixture's fragrance grew stronger, the stench went away. The Big Bad was not giving up however.

  Our hands became blistering cold as we pulled the quartz and coal pieces from their resting spots and placed them into separate piles. We had to alternate between holding one hand under our arm to warm it up while using the other to handle the
rocks. Finally we got the job done.

  The five of us rested our hands upon the two small rock piles and Mark did his blessing. After he was finished Don added one of his own and so did Grace. All three were certified pastors for the Spiritualist church so I figured it couldn't hurt to get a triple dose. Once we felt the stones were properly cleared of their negative energy, Don took off his belt and we used it as a guide to create straight and even sides to the pentagram's star and the perfect circle around it.

  During this entire process, we all experienced lightheadedness and hastened our efforts along for the feeling grew worse as time went on. Several times one or the other of us had to stop to regain our strength. We nearly lost our lamp light at one point when we set it aside and forgot about it in our haste to get the pentagram back together. Grace offered to hold it and once it was in her hands, the wick flared back to bright flaming life.

  Once the pentagram was complete, Mark had us all stand around it with our hands again clasped. He said a few more prayers and then he, Kade and Don replaced the bricks while I stood with Grace who was wavering a bit. It was a long time to be standing.

  It wasn't until we were headed back up the stairwell and saw the door closed at the top that worry set in. Kade removed the lock so surely we'd get out? Since it was Kade again leading the way, he got to the panel first and gave it a firm push. It didn't so much as budge. A few more attempts and then Don was pitching in.

  Grace was beginning to shiver quite a bit at this point. It was terribly cold and getting to her. Knowing I needed to do something and quick, I imagined Sheila coming to the door and opening it for us. I held to the vision, forming it as clear in my head as I could manage and then told Kade to slowly open the door. "Do not use force, Kade. Just push down on the latch and let it open."

  At first he sent me a "do you see how hard we are trying to open this door?" look but then his gaze caught mine and he nodded. "Okay." And just like that ... the door opened.

  We weren't out of the woods yet. The black swirling mass of very angry spirit energy could easily be felt. Up in the attic Alex and Dennis were howling.