by Peter Hartz
All four of them gasped as the air shimmered in the middle of the room, and a smaller image of the room appeared to float in midair in the room. As everyone watched, the body on the floor of the image disappeared, and the scene was clear and the sound of Henry coming home to find his younger brother standing in the kitchen was crisp and clear, like watching it on television.
The officers watched as Henry stood to view the scene of his death with bitter eyes. Danielle had turned her smart phone to the new scene, and watched on the screen as it recorded the video and audio of the entire event, culminating with the three gunshots. Then James bent down and picked up his spent cartridges, hissing as the hot brass from the just-fired cartridges burned his fingers as he put them in the pocket of his light jacket. He then turned, and the scene zoomed into his face and paused, giving a completely clear, well-lit view of the man that had coldly just gunned down his brother, before the scene continued on as James turned and ran out the back door beyond the kitchen table. Then the scene disappeared.
Brad had tried to hide his astonishment as the murder was replayed for him. He turned to the female officer, and asked, “Did your phone record that? Can you check that it is in there?”
“It was on the screen, so I assume it was recorded. I will check. Gimme a second…”
A few minutes later, she looked up, and nodded. “It’s all in there, in full 1080p High-Definition glory, especially the clear view of his face at the end. We got the bastard.” She said it quietly, turning to the ghost of Henry at the last sentence. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be. He wasn’t always, but things changed when he dropped out of college. I haven’t even seen him in a number of years. I didn’t know he was back in town.”
It was silent in the house for a few minutes, until Officer Corrigan’s radio broke in on their thoughts.
“The wife is out front with her kids. What do you want to do?”
Henry looked up suddenly, and hope clearly burned in his intense gaze as he spoke up. “Can I seen them? Please? I don’t know how much longer I can stay here like this. Please?”
Danielle considered for a moment, then turned to Brad. “It’s your call, but…”
The detective only had to think for a moment what he would have wanted. The situation was anything but normal, so…
“Let her in alone at first. She can go back out for the children once the situation is under control. Close the front window drapes first. I don’t want anyone else to see what is happening in here. And let’s keep her in the front of the house away from this. I don’t want her to see him like this.”
Henry managed to sob his thanks out, and stood waiting for what was to happen.
Danielle waved Officer Dunphy towards the front room, where he headed to close the room off, and turned to the ghost now standing a few steps closer to the front of the house.
A woman’s voice was heard as the man’s wife made her way into the house. “Hank? Why are all those police cars out front? Is everything ok? Henry?”
Henry moved into the front room as he went to his wife.
“Honey, stop there, please.”
Sandra stopped as her husband stepped into the well-lit family room. Then her hand flew to her mouth as he seemed to become somewhat invisible and insubstantial for just a moment.
“What is going on!?!” Her voice held both equal parts panic and fear. “Why are all these police officers here? Are you ok? What happened to you just now?”
“Honey, my dearest love,” tears started to flow down his face like rain now as emotion overwhelmed him, “Jim came here tonight, demanded that I pay him money of some kind, then shot me three times. I think I am dead.” His voice broke as he stood there sobbing, but he couldn’t look away from his wife’s eyes.
Her gasp as she listened to what her husband said tore at the hearts of the three listening police officers. It wasn’t the first time the detective and the senior patrol officer had worked a crime scene where a loved one had died. But from there, this situation obviously diverged, the rookie cop thought to himself. The woman, the wife of the victim, looked at the ghost of her husband in white-faced shock and anguish. Her hands flew to her face as everyone could see her world come completely apart in front of her eyes.
Henry reached out reflexively to comfort the woman who had become the center of his heart and soul nearly two decades before, but his insubstantial hands and arms passed through her, and his anguish was plain to see on his face as he sobbed out, “Oh God, help me! What do I do now?”
Almost as soon as his words were spoken, everything changed again.
◆◆◆
The neighbors outside had gathered across the street, held there by the police tape strung across the yard and street that cordoned off the house. They had watched when the mother had driven up, and gotten out to talk to the officers guarding the perimeter of what was obviously a crime scene. Rumors of gunshots had spread amongst the waiting crowd of neighbors, and most waiting there were filled with dread of what would be known soon. This was a good family in a good neighborhood. Things like this didn’t happen anywhere near here.
The wife had been allowed inside, while the kids stayed in the car, fear plain to see on everyone’s face.
It was not more than a minute or two later that someone gasped and pointed across at the front picture window now shielded by curtains a police officer had drawn moments before.
As everyone watched, it seemed that a warm, white glow started to come from the inside of the house. And with that light, a feeling seemed to slowly reach out to them. A sense of peace, and calm, and stillness seemed to wash away their fears and concerns. A short time later, an officer near the waiting family car heard something on his radio, and opened the door to escort the scared young boy and girl to the house. As the front door opened to admit them, that glowing white light spilled out to illuminate the yard and the face of the officer who had just finished bringing the children up to the door. As the people watched, his face was transfixed by what he saw, and a warm, soft expression crossed his face. It was still there long after the door had closed and he turned back to the street.
Chapter 20
The ride to the home David shared with Allison had been an eye-opening experience for Giltreas, filled with strange and wondrous sights unlike anything else he had ever seen. From time to time, he had found himself glancing at David as he drive the carriage they rode in, in hopes of seeing… anything that might have shown Giltreas that David was as impressed and in awe of the things Giltreas was seeing for the first time, but it became apparent to him that David was a true child of this place, and the things that amazed Giltreas held no glamour for the human.
As the road stretched out in front of them, and time moved on, the pace itself that they held on their travel was, in itself, a wonder. Faster than the fleetest horse, it was still slower than some of the magical beasts he had encountered. But the carriage they rode in held to its pace so effortlessly, with simple movements by the hands and feet of the one driving it; that was a wonder in itself. At one point, some many leagues into their journey, David had pulled off the long stretch of road to stop for what he called ‘gas’. Apparently it was some liquid that the carriage consumed to give it the strength to carry them onwards. A few some minutes outside of a strange building, and they were away again. If coin had changed hands to pay for the ‘gas’, Giltreas had no knowledge of such a transaction.
A short time later and further down the road, David had glanced at a blue sign as they verily flew past it on their way, and had spoken up.
“Are you getting hungry again? I am thinking of getting some food.”
It had been a long afternoon, and the sun was beginning to ebb lower to the west, past the broken strands of trees and the occasional building that broke the sight to the horizon, and Giltreas had discovered that he was, indeed, open to sustenance.
“Yes, I could eat again.”
“Ok, good. There is a McDonalds off the next exit. We c
an hit the drive-through, and get some burgers or something. Beef ok with you?”
“Certainly. I can contribute some small funds if you so desire.”
“Nah, that’s not necessary. As long as you are here on this world, you are my guest, and I will pay for whatever you need.” The words had been quiet, but Giltreas heard the tone of voice clearly. “It is the least I can do, after what you have done for, well, all three of us.”
“If you are of a mind to provide for me, then in the near, I shall accept. However, should things change, or should you wish it, I can provide for myself and for us. Simply ask, and I shall step forward.”
◆◆◆
David glanced at Giltreas, and smiled. It had become much clearer to him that Giltreas was an honorable being. As that thought echoed in his mind, he suddenly wondered if it was appropriate to refer to Giltreas as a man. Was that a human term, or was it race-neutral?
“Giltreas, I have a question. Do the different races, such as the elves and dwarves, use the terms Man and Woman for humans alone, or are they used by all for referring to adult males and females?”
Giltreas pondered the question briefly, and ascertained some of the thoughts behind it before responding. “Yes, all higher races refer to male and female adults as men and women. If they speak of such in their own race, then no appellation is necessary. However, elves will state human male or female, and such is true with other higher races.”
“How many other higher races are there?”
“Humans you know of, and elves and dwarves as well. There are Halfling, Yeti, several races of Giants, Minotaur, Centaur, and several races of Demons, but those keep mainly to themselves. Demons are peaceful with other higher beings, but shun contact because other races find them difficult to tolerate. They rarely venture onto planes where the other higher races make their settlements, and then only to trade. I believe that they are as much uncomfortable with other beings not of their kind, as well, but I have never had the moment to ask.
“Minotaur and Centaur tend to stay by themselves, but will interact with other races. Giants tend to be intemperate, and make poor neighbors. The Gods keep peace between the races, as does the Throne of the Elves, but there can be problems from time to time between any of the races. Rarely do they end in war, but it has happened. Human tribes will sometimes ask for the thrown to help solve conflicts and disputes, something that is unique to them. Most other races do not have issues dealing with their brothers and sisters of their kind, just others.”
David was quiet and thoughtful for a while, considering what Giltreas said. Then he turned the carriage off the long road, or ‘freeway’, as he called it, and pulled up to another strange building.
‘Drive through’ was an interesting experience. A board behind the building held words and pictures describing the foods they had available, but none of it was familiar to Giltreas. He simply waved his hand gracefully to David, indicating that whatever David chose for them was acceptable. Words were exchanged between David and a voice that spoke from the tall board, and they pulled forward around the trail to the first of two small windows, where David handed the young girl inside a piece of paper covered in green and black designs. She handed him back some different pieces of paper, and some jingling coins, which he put into a bin in between the two front seats.
David pulled up to the second small window, and another young person handed him two cups with strange lids on them, and a small white bag that smelled interesting. David then moved the carriage to a part of the paved area behind the building, where they talked about restaurants, fast food, money, and other such topics while eating.
The food was interesting. A ‘quarter pounder with cheese’ sandwich, some ‘French fries’ in a paper holder, and a ‘coke’. All words describing foods he had never encountered. It was, for the most part, good. The sandwich was hot, with onions, pickles, cheese, and sauces of some kind on it. The ‘French fries’ were hotter, and salty. The ‘coke’, on the other hand, was fascinating. It was sweet and yet had an almost bitter bite to it, and it was very cold. David said it was because it had ice cubes in it when asked. Giltreas also felt something in it that subtly raised his strength slightly, which worried him. The thing in it was similar to what was in the ‘coffee’, but was different somehow, possibly in the mixing. His Senses told him that there were tiny traces of different poisons in it, confirming the feelings it gave him. Not much, to be sure, but enough to explain the sweetness and the strength it fed him. It would not do to take in too much of it; one could become dependent on such things, and he knew he would never encounter it on any other plane, so dependence was a crutch he could ill afford.
Back on the road after their repast, the conversation ebbed and flowed as topics came and went, but for the most part, it was silent in the carriage, until David spoke up in a serious tone.
“We will need to get you some different clothing to wear, so you will fit in.” Giltreas nodded. Everywhere he had looked here on this plane, the mode of dress was similar to what David and Allison wore.
“I also want to take you to the office, and get you familiar with a number of things; the layout, the stuff you will see, get you a security badge and how security works, and such. It is Saturday, so it will be mostly empty, except a few people on my team that monitor things on the weekends. By the time we get through shopping for you, it will be later, so the place will be mostly empty.”
Giltreas nodded his approval, to David’s obvious relief. He would not be able to assist David in the quest to run to ground the evil ones which had beset Michelle if everyone was instantly drawn to him because of his appearance.
A few hours of travel to a huge, sprawling town led them to a place of many stores, which David called a “shopping mall”. Indeed, many people seemed to inhabit the place, with many small and some large stores everywhere, all brightly lit, some with music coming out of them. Giltreas was trying to process everything that had happened to him. As time stretched onwards, David quickly had them to a couple different stores for the clothing Giltreas would need. Trying on clothing was interesting. David chose the items, and Giltreas had gone into a little room where he had put them on. The first few items had been challenging, until he learned the general way that things worked. He was not above asking some questions, in his mother’s tongue, through the seemingly flimsy door that shielded his modesty (not that he was bothered by such things) to get some specifics on this or that. After that, things had gone much quicker. David had told him not to use magic to alter the garments to fit, because if they didn’t purchase an item he tried on, it would have been a problem to put it back with the label not matching the cut and fit of the garment.
The first store had provided a trove of clothing to wear – several pants, some of the “blue jeans” like David wore, and some others somewhat more formal, along with several shirts, under shirts, small things called boxers to wear under his outer clothing, along with stockings and a couple different pairs of shoes and one very fine pair of black leather boots.
The second store had been a much different place. A “business suit” was, as explained to him by David, worn for formal occasions. It was very different than anything he had ever seen before, but he had to admit that the look was fascinating. More shirts to accompany the suit, some items of fine silk with a somewhat strange name called neck ties, and new shoes and stockings completed the look. The image staring back at him in the huge mirrors reminded him of some of the richer merchants dressed in their finest who made their way to the Elvish City for an audience with the Queen from time to time, but this was much more refined, with minute seams and stitching, and tightly woven cloth so fine he was shocked at its richness. When he asked the helper in the store what manner of cloth it was, he was nearly stunned speechless that it was, indeed, wool. Certainly wool much finer than anything his mother’s people had ever put forth.
Giltreas expressed concern to David at the cost of all this, but David merely shrugged and waved off the que
stion with a quiet, “I can easily afford this. No big deal.”
So Giltreas had acquiesced, becoming the owner of a lot of new clothing. And some footwear the likes of which he had never word nor even seen before; similar, however, to what David wore.
The bigger experience of the trip, however, had been the city they had driven into. It was huge, bigger than anything he had ever seen before. Even the massive Dwarven city deep under the mountain gave much to this place.
The road had gotten wider at one point, and there were many more carriages on it. Buildings some but a single level, some other much taller, became much more common along the way. At one point, they had passed a building with many carriages outside it parked in rows where many looked very similar except for the colors they were painted. David had explained that it was a store where people bought carriages; a ‘car dealer’ it was called.
There were still many trees to be seen, but in between the trees, were many buildings. Giltreas had the impression that he was seeing only a very small portion of the city around him, a thought confirmed when asked of David. All of which made him feel small, somehow.
They made good time, getting to the house that David shared with Allison, where he was shown to a guest room he was to stay in while he was here on this plane. He changed to some of the “casual” clothes David had procured for him, and also put on new shoes and socks. Once attired, he cast mend on the clothing to both clean it and tailor it to his form, making it all much more comfortable.
From there, a quick trip to a nearby store where a young woman with bright red nails cut and “styled” his hair for him, an interesting experience to be sure.
But it was the small journey into the heart of the city that evening that confirmed for Giltreas that these humans were wondrously capable.