Vanquishing Ghosts (Tess Schafer-Medium)

by Deborah J. Hughes

  Finally, as we fought the water filling our dig area, Kade threw his hand trowel off to the side and stood up. "It's no use, Tess. You are freezing, I can see you shivering. This is going to have to wait."

  "No."

  Before he could argue further, Alex started barking and we turned to see what was exciting him. He sat huddled under thick, low lying pine branches, his gaze fixed on something near the rock wall. I scanned the area and saw movement out among the trees just a short distance away. "Kade, something is out there."

  Kade narrowed his gaze as he tried to locate the disturbance. "Where?"

  More movement. Alex crouched lower and began to growl in a more fierce manner. There was no sign of Dennis. And then we heard him, a loud piercing screech that made my blood run cold. Honestly, I always thought of that as just an expression used to create atmosphere in books. But it was a factual cliché that fit how I felt perfectly. Cold from the inside, its chill running through my veins. "That's Dennis."

  Kade nodded, his face grim. "Yes."

  "Do you think he's in trouble?" Another screech filled the air and Dennis was either under attack or he was very pissed off. Please, God, keep Dennis safe. Keep us all safe.

  "Maybe we shouldn't have just trudged out here like this. We knew the Big ... Cain was not going to be easy to handle." Kade started to crawl up out of the hole we'd been making when he suddenly went still. I knew he spotted something in the ground at his fee so edged closer to see. It was hard to care about whatever was in the ground when so much other stuff was happening but I had to see what had caught his attention. I was worried about Dennis and Alex was snarling so bad I knew whatever he saw was now getting closer but I had to look.

  A skull. Well, part of one anyway. There was no doubt in my mind that we had just found Cain.

  "Now what?" Kade looked up at me and we stared at each other for a long moment. The rain began to sting as it pelted our skin and then I realized it was no longer rain. It was hail. The hard little pellets hurt and there was no escaping them. One benefit though was that whatever creatures were out there drawing near, they were now retreating. I thought I managed to glimpse one of them and was pretty sure it was a wolf. Or maybe a coyote. It was hard to tell and it didn't really matter. Neither one of them were welcome. Not in the manner in which they had come.

  Kade grabbed my hand and pulled me along with him toward a heavily branched pine tree. It was better than nothing and actually turned out to be adequate protection. Though we called for Alex to join us, he suddenly took off running for the road.

  "Alex!" I started to go after him but Kade held me against him and wouldn't let me go.

  "He's probably headed to the house. Let him go."

  "Do you think Dennis is okay?"

  "I just don't know, Tess."

  Though I was worried and scared, I knew in that moment that no matter what ... as long as Kade and I had each other, nothing else mattered. We could do whatever needed to be done. So strong was the thought that it rushed through me like a shot of adrenaline and complete calm settled in. No longer afraid, I simply enjoyed his body heat and his strong arms and waited out the weather.

  "It's going to be fine, Tess."

  "Yes." Kade's feelings were obviously echoing my own and I smiled with happiness. Here we were, out in the woods without protection, an evil dead guy only a few feet away, wolves (or coyotes) out there somewhere with no good intent in mind, a cackle of crows (or whatever you called them) waiting for direction from the underworld and the nastiest weather to be caught in and I felt safe and happy.

  And just like that ... the hail stopped. Silence ensued. It was almost more deafening than the noise of the birds and the hail. Kade and I stepped out into the open and headed back to the grave we'd just uncovered. It was filled with water and mud but part of the skull could be seen poking up through the muck.

  We were still staring at it trying to figure out what to do when we heard Alex barking. I looked up at the sound and found him bounding toward us and he wasn't alone. Several people were following him.

  "Mary?" Soon as I recognized her, I went running. We came together in a joyous hug. "What are you doing here? How did you know where we were?"

  "We've been on the road since I called this morning and headed straight here. I just felt like we needed to be here so we skipped our visit with Daniel's brother. Your dog was out by the road when we came along and he literally ran out in the middle of it to stop us. The way he was acting, I just knew he wanted us to follow him." Mary finally pulled away from our embrace so she could give Kade a hug. "It's so good to see you guys again!" And then she turned to wave toward the others standing behind her. "This is my husband Daniel and those are my boys Mitchel and Damon."

  Mary's husband was tall and broad with a stalky, solid build. His eyes were a pale blue, a huge contrast to Mary's black ones. He had a kind face and I liked him on sight. His hand grip was warm and firm, his smile friendly.

  "Nice to meet you finally, Tess ... Kade." After shaking both our hands he turned to his boys. "Come say hello and introduce yourselves."

  Mary's sons were fourteen and sixteen. The tallest and most likely oldest one stepped forward. He was nearly as tall as his dad and very skinny. "I'm Mitch. It's nice to meet you."

  Kade and I shook Mitch's hand. Damon, though held back. When we met his eyes which were as black as his mother's, he merely gave a quick nod and glanced away. Damon wasn't as tall as his brother but I figured it was only a matter of time before he caught up. His build was more like that of his father's. Both of them were handsome boys and I didn't doubt they'd be a hit at school with the girls.

  When Damon turned away in pretense of looking around, I looked in question at Mary and she leaned close to whisper in my ear. "He's not happy about moving to Maine and so he's being rather unpleasant at the moment."

  Daniel pointed toward our dig sight. "So what are you doing out here anyway?"

  "Wasn't it hailing just a moment ago? Why would you be digging in this weather?" Mary made to walk toward the dig sight but I grabbed her arm to stop her.

  "We should probably warn you ... there's someone buried there."

  That got both Mitch's and Damon's attention. "Like a body?" Damon took off for the grave with Mitch right behind him.

  "What do you mean there's someone buried there?" Mary's hand clutched at mine. "Is it like at our place ..."

  "No. It's a man named Cain. At least I think it is. He's the evil spirit that's been haunting my house and causing us trouble."

  "How in the world did you find him?" and then Mary waved her hand to cancel the question. "Never mind. I suspect you did it much the same way you find everything else!"

  Daniel and Kade were now on their way to join the boys who were crouched over the hole and pointing excitedly at the skull. Damon was now all animation, his displeasure for being uprooted momentarily forgotten. "Dad, it's a skull! You have to come look at this thing."

  "Where's your mother, Mary? Wasn't she traveling with you?"

  "Yes but we dropped her off at the house. She'll have all our stuff unpacked and put away before we get back, just you watch. She told me to say hi and I'm under orders to bring you to the house. She's quite impatient to give you that necklace."

  "Speaking of necklaces, I now have two. One of them I bought at Robin’s store and the other one I found in Isidora's grave."

  "Isidora? The same Isidora I'm thinking you mean?"

  "The one and the same, Mary! I've so much to tell you."

  "Yes, you sure do and I don't want you leaving anything out."

  We had reached the grave at this point and there we stood staring down at the piece of skull bone and none of us knowing what to do about it.

  "Well now you've found him, what are you going to do with him?" Mary gave a shudder and moved close to her husband. He put an arm around her and hugged her close and I hid my smile as I watched. It was so nice to see them supporting each other. Only a couple short months ago t
hey were on the brink of divorce. I hoped they continued to work through their problems. They belonged together. Anyone looking at them could see that.

  "I don't want him on my property. He's desecrating this sacred ground." That much I knew.

  "Sacred ground?" Daniel glanced from me to Kade. "What's that mean? Is this Indian ground as well ... like our property?"

  "I'm not sure. But if I do some research, I'm willing to bet this does mark a Ley Line juncture."

  "Ley Line?" Damon looked up at me, his dark eyes full of excitement. "I was just reading about them."

  "Why were you reading about that?" Mitch asked his brother.

  "It was on the SciFi channel last night. You were snoring and I couldn't sleep so I turned on the television and it was about Ley Lines and the Bermuda Triangle. So I Googled it on the iPad."

  What an interesting coincidence. And because of it, Damon didn't look quite so bored and pissed off anymore. If I were a betting girl, I'd be willing to wager that Damon's discontent for this move was soon going to no longer be an issue. Damon, it seemed clear to me, was into the paranormal. And no wonder considering his family line.

  "We can talk about Ley Lines later, right now we need to figure out how we are going to remove this evil pile of bones from Tess's property!" Mary rubbed her hands together. "What do you want us to do?"

  "Well, you need gloves for one thing," Kade said. "I don't think anyone should be handling bones without gloves."

  "Are you sure we shouldn't be notifying the police about these bones?" Daniel asked.

  "Well, human bones probably should be reported but these are really, really old and there's not much left. Besides, we're pretty sure we know who it is and I think we'll be inviting trouble if we report it."

  "Trouble?" Daniel looked skeptical and it was Mary who touched his arm to explain.

  "It's better to stay out of the lime light, Daniel. Look what's happening at our place right now."

  He nodded and waved a hand toward his boys. "There are some gloves in the trunk. Why don't you go fetch them?" He tossed his car keys to Mitch. "Make haste, boys. Daylight is burning."

  While the boys were off to get the keys, I figured it best to have a quick chat and a warning. "I have to warn you, since we've been out here, we've been besieged by crows, soaked by rain, pelted with hail and attracted the attention of a couple wolves."

  "Wolves?" Daniel looked at Kade. "Are you sure they were wolves?"

  "It might have been coyotes, we didn't get a good view of them. In any case, I don't think we want either of them coming around us."

  "Do you have anything for protection should they come back?" Daniel looked around as if expecting a cache of arms to be standing by.

  "We had a fire lit but the rain put it out." I pointed to the blackened, sodden mess that had been our fire. "It made the birds leave."

  "What are we going to do if we are threatened by something?" Mary asked. Though she was getting used to expecting the unusual when I was around, she still wasn't comfortable with the spirit world and I could see that her initial bravado was beginning to wear off.

  "Well, he's a spirit, Mary, so we'll combat him on his terms." I held out my hand to her. "We'll form a circle around this grave and pray for some divine intervention." Mary's cold hand slipped into mine and though her black eyes conveyed some worry, her grip was firm.

  Mitch and Damon returned with only two pairs of gloves. Daniel took one pair and Mitch the other. Damon was relegated to handling only the rocks.

  Before we began digging again, I decided a protective circle around our dig site was in order. Damon was eager to help and I let him find a sturdy stick in which to gouge a deep line into the dirt. We then stood within the circle, which also encompassed our dig site, and held hands. After reciting the Lord's Prayer (which was getting quite the work-out over the past couple days!), I added a few more words of my own and then satisfied that we'd done all we could to stay safe, we began to dig.

  Every bone fragment we found was thrown in the bucket Kade was so smart to bring along. Years of lying in the ground unprotected meant that most of the bones were now part of the earth. Since that didn't sit well with me, Mary had the brilliant idea of praying over the water that was gathered in the hole we'd created.

  "Can't we charge the water with blessings and have it neutralize the negative energy from whatever bone particles we miss?"

  I gave her arm a squeeze, pleased that she'd been around me enough to start thinking that way. It certainly hadn't been the case when we first met.

  Once we were sure we had all that was left of Cain's body, we scooped up some of the water in a couple empty water bottles Damon had run back to the car to get. Though a person of the church would be best for creating blessed water, I figured God would bless whatever we asked him to bless whether we were a church official or not. Intention is everything. That and belief.

  Though it all seemed so unreal, digging up bones, fighting off evil, we knew this was no game. Even the boys seemed to grasp the seriousness of the situation. We all covered the water bottles with our hands as I asked for the water's blessing and then Kade took one of the bottles while I the other and we poured it over the dig site. The water sizzled as if we were pouring it onto a hot griddle.

  "Holy cow!" Damon hooted with excitement when he saw that and gave a high jump. "It's burning away evil isn't it?" His excited gaze met mine and I nodded. Though to tell you the truth, the sizzling surprised me as much as it thrilled him. I took it as a sign that it worked. This ground was no longer tarnished with Cain's evil energy.

  It wasn't until we had filled the hole back in that we noticed how very dark it had become.

  Daniel checked his watch. "I don't understand how it can be so dark. It's not even five o'clock."

  Mitch and Damon were about to step away when I yelled at them to stop. They stilled immediately and looked at me with wide eyes, their expressions apprehensive.

  "What is it, Tess?" Mary asked, touching my arm to gain my attention.

  "I think Cain is gathering his energies again. Everyone stay in the circle. Grab a hand and no matter what ... do not let go."

  Kade grabbed one of my hands, Mary the other. Drawing in a deep breath, I sent out a silent plea to Sheila and then looked around at the others. "Do not be afraid. To banish fear, we must first face it." I looked at Mary's sons. Their faces were a little pale but they returned my regard with such trust that I felt bolstered by it.

  "You know, Tess, I've been holding hands and standing in circles more these past few days than I've done all my life." Though Kade's voice was low, his words intended for my ears only, Daniel heard him and the two men shared a look.

  They were bonding. Great. And yet a small niggling worry took hold that this might not necessarily be a good thing for us. I wasn't sure where Daniel stood with all this ... stuff. He was playing along at the moment and yet I had a strong feeling he wasn't convinced spirits existed and that we could interact with them. And if that was the case, he surely didn't believe in my special ability.

  Face your fear, Tess. Many have walked through the valley of death and feared no evil upon them.

  Sheila's comforting presence filtered through me in such a way it was as if she had merged with my soul. The slight tickle of cobwebs across my face was so welcome at this point that I almost cried out loud with glee.

  "He is here for you. Only you."

  "Why? Because I can talk to the dead?"

  "The way in to your world is also the only way out."

  "What does that mean? Sheila, please tell me what to do."

  "But you always know what to do when the time is right to do it. This time is no different. You came here, Tess, and bought this property. This is now your story to tell."

  My story to tell. I glanced at Kade, then Mary. They were going to be the hardest to convince. I pulled free of Kade's hand and turned to Mary. She was going to be the easiest so her first. "Mary, I need you to trust me. You do trust me d
on't you?"

  Mary grasped my hand between both of hers and when her black eyes met mine, they conveyed concern but also unquestioning trust. "What do you want me to do?"

  "Stay here with your family. Stay in this circle where you are safe."

  "Okay."

  I gave her a grateful smile, glad that she didn't bombard me with a bunch of questions and turned to Kade. He stood stiff and unyielding and I think he suspected what I wanted to do and was bracing to stop it. "Kade, please let me do this. I have to face this alone. It's between me and Cain."

  "No." He folded his arms across his chest and shook his head, his expression resolute.

  "You know I am speaking the truth, Kade. We have to get rid of him and it needs to be me. So, please listen to my plan before you say anymore."

  He gave one curt nod, his eyes holding mine and telling me that if he didn't like the plan, he wasn't going to go along with it. Much as I loved him, I had to fight the surge of annoyance rushing through me. When I didn't speak right away, he relented enough to soften his eyes and his voice. "Tell me."

  "I am going to step out of this circle and call Cain to me," and when he shook his head and started to speak, I held up a hand to stop him. "Please, Kade, hear me out."

  "Okay but I already don't like it."

  "While I have him occupied, take that bucket of bones and all of you get out of the woods."

  "No. I'm not leaving you here alone."

  "Kade ...."

  "No."

  Daniel reached around his wife to touch my shoulder. I turned to look at him and he gave me the smallest of smiles. "You can't blame him for not wanting to leave you in these woods alone. How about me, Mary and the boys do whatever you need us to do with that bucket and let Kade stay here in the circle to keep an eye on you ... just in case you should need him."

  Perhaps he was right. To be honest, I wasn't relishing the idea of staying behind alone. "Okay. When you see me drop my head back and close my eyes ... remember that I must be doing both ... grab the pail and go as fast as you can." I looked at Mary. "Go to the graveyard just down the road where some of your family is buried. In that graveyard, near the top of the hill about halfway in are two statues of saints. They mark the entrance to a private family plot. Right between those two angels, I want you to dig a deep hole ... not very big and take care not to destroy the turf. Pour the contents of that bucket into that hole and cover them up. Then stay there until one of us calls you."