Be Still, My Love

by Deborah J. Hughes

  The boy looked frightened, sad and angry all at the same time. He lifted his eyes to the turret and I turned to do the same. Abigail was in the window, her hands flat against the pane, her face a pale blur in the pelting rain. A prickling in my back made me turn back to Nathan. He was closer now, and he looked almost desperate. Then he spoke.

  “Go. You must go!”

  Did he want me to save Abigail? Was that what happened the night Jeanine had rushed through the rain to the house? Had Nathan meant only to push her along in his urgency to save his love?

  “Nathan? Can you hear me? Do you understand me?” This was my chance to help him go into the light and continue his soul journey. Only he wasn’t listening. His focus remained glued to the turret window. After a long, tense moment, he lowered his gaze and looked at me, then to something behind me. Alarm entered his eyes and then he crumpled to the ground and disappeared.

  What on earth? I put my hand on the spot where he disappeared. Bitter cold air brushed my skin and made me draw back. I felt violence and anger, but more disturbing than that, I felt fear.

  “Tess? My God, Tess, will you please tell me what in hell is going on?”

  Kade’s voice pulled me from my thoughts and I looked up, blinking at the sun. Pulling in a deep breath and mentally grounding myself back to the present, I scrambled to my feet and gave Kade’s arm a reassuring pat. He looked as if he thought I’d suddenly gone crazy and had no idea how to handle it. “I’m sorry, Kade. I was having a vision.”

  “A vision?”

  “I was trying to figure out what happened to Jeanine and suddenly Nathan was here.”

  Kade glanced about him, flexed his shoulders as if to brush off a shiver, stuck his hands in the front pockets of his jeans and leaned against the fountain well. “Nathan the ghost was just here?”

  “Yes.” Frowning thoughtfully, I tried to make sense of what just happened. “I can’t figure why he was here, though, near the fountain. He died on the shore didn’t he?”

  “Yes. That’s where everyone always hears his distress call.”

  “Something isn’t adding up.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The night Jeanine fell, she says she was pushed. Nathan pushed her. I’m pretty sure it was him for he tried to do the same to me. He was urging me forward but I think it’s because he wanted me to save Abigail.”

  “Save Abigail? But she’s already dead.”

  “Yes, to us she is but maybe to Nathan … well, he must not realize it. They are still trying to get together.” I looked at Kade, hoping he could read me enough to know how serious I felt about this. “We must put them to rest.”

  “Put who to rest?” Nancy asked. She and Jack had come up behind us so quietly that neither Kade nor I heard their approach.

  “Tess just saw Nathan’s ghost. Even had a bit of a chat with him,” Kade told them.

  Nancy’s eyes widened. “Really? What did you say? What did he say?”

  “Why don’t we head for the cellar and discuss this where we’re a bit more private,” Jack said.

  As soon as we were gathered in the cellar, Nancy turned to me, one finely arched brow lifted in silent query as she waited for me to answer her questions.

  “He didn’t really say anything. He just wanted me to save Abigail.”

  “How can you save her? She’s already dead.” Nancy sank down on a crate and looked at me with utter fascination. Jack looked skeptical though he was trying to hide it.

  “He doesn’t know she’s dead. He probably doesn’t even realize he is dead either.” I took Nancy’s hand. “We really need to put them to rest. Maybe we could hold a séance.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding.” Hands on hips, his face full of skepticism, Jack looked like he had had just about enough. “We have guests here, how is that going to look?”

  “We’ll do it down here where no one will know.”

  “You want to hold a séance down here in the cellar?” Kade looked at me as if I’d gone off the deep end. Much like he’d looked at me earlier at the fountain.

  “I know I’m sounding somewhat crazy, Kade, but this is what I do. I talk to the dead. I try to help them.” I waited for him to react.

  He looked down at the floor, thinking, and finally looked up, shrugged. “Who am I to say if these things are possible or not? It certainly isn’t going to hurt anything.”

  Now it was Nancy’s turn to be unsure. “I don’t know, Tess. The idea of a séance scares me to death.”

  “Why? I will maintain control of the situation. There’s nothing to fear. I’ve told you that they are not going to hurt you. We are going to help them. Don’t you want the haunting to stop?”

  Jack ran a hand through his hair and paced about, thinking. After a few moments, he gave a heavy sigh and looked at me. “We’ll need to keep this really quiet.”

  I could see Jack was not comfortable with the idea and thought maybe I should relieve him of participation. “If you don’t want to be part of it …”

  “I don’t, but I will. If a séance is going to happen in my house, I think it best that I be present.”

  “Okay. Let’s do it later this evening.”

  “Why do séances always happen at night?” Kade asked.

  “We can do it now if you want,” I told him.

  Jack motioned about the room. “Aren’t we supposed to be looking for a tunnel? Let’s take care of that first and worry about this séance business after.”

  Kade and I exchanged glances and he gave a little nod and started moving about the room. “So what are we looking for anyway?”

  I moved across the room toward the large water barrel though I tried to appear that my actions were random. “Check behind things, feel the wall for a hidden door, check everything carefully. It has to be here.”

  “What on earth is going on?” George appeared in the open doorway to the wine room and stood there looking at us curiously. “Jack? Is there a problem?”

  Now it was Nancy and Jack who shared a glance, and then Nancy motioned for George to join her near the far end of the cellar. She and Jack were looking behind a large cabinet filled with paint cans and various other cans and jars. “We’re looking for a tunnel entrance, George. We believe the tunnel Tess fell in leads here to the house.”

  George frowned, looked around him, and scratched the back of his head. “Really? Now ain’t that interestin'.” He went around to the other side of the cabinet and nodded to Jack. “You think it’s behind here? I’ll help you move this thing.”

  I took the opportunity to make my casual move toward the water barrel. “Does this thing open, Nancy?”

  George turned his head, grunting a bit as the heavy cabinet moved further away from the wall. He stopped, straightened, dusted off his hands and then shook his head. “That barrel has been there for years … used to hold rain water from what I understand. You ain’t gonna find anything in there.”

  Kade joined me at the barrel and began to twist off the cap. “How long has it been since it was opened? Maybe we’ll find something in it.” Just as he finished saying that, the lid fell off and I shone my flashlight into the interior and then gasped in surprise. I thought I did a pretty good job at sounding shocked. “Look! My God, I think we’ve found it. I knew it. I just knew it!” Kade gave me a look that said maybe I needed to tone down a bit and I glanced away, trying not to smile.

  Nancy, Jack and George rushed across the room and looked into the barrel. Nancy grabbed my arm, squeezing it with excitement. “The tunnel does come in here. Feel how cold the air is. That must be why it’s always felt so chilly in here.”

  George didn’t look too happy about the tunnel. He tried to play it off that he was surprised but something told me he wasn’t. “Well, I’ll be. I’ve often felt a draft in this area but thought it was coming from air circulation when the cellar doors are open. Go figure that.”

  Jack looked less happy than George. “How did you know that tunnel was here, Tess?” He ga
ve me a suspicious look, his eyes just a bit distrustful.

  My heart pounding, I glanced at Kade, saw his support and turned back to Jack. “I’ve tried to explain that I feel things occasionally …”

  “Feel things?” George was frowning now.

  “Yeah … just a hunch sometimes …” George still didn’t know about my ability and I wondered if we should tell him. Nancy interrupted before I could do so.

  “She and Kade thought the tunnel led to the house when they were trapped in it yesterday. It’s been bothering her ever since so we agreed to come take a look.”

  George looked into the tunnel opening and then shut off the flashlight. “Well, tain’t safe. I think it should be filled in.”

  Jack nodded with agreement. “Good idea. I’ll talk to Hank.”

  Satisfied that our work here was complete for now, I headed for the next room. Nancy linked arms with me and leaned close, whispering, “Let’s go into our private quarters and discuss the other thing we were talking about doing.”

  Ten minutes later the four of us, George stayed behind in the cellar to collect some canning goods for tonight’s dinner, entered Jack’s private office which was impressively efficient. From the looks of it, he owned every type of office equipment imaginable. The room was also comfortably furnished with a black leather couch and two matching leather chairs. Nancy sat in one of the chairs and sank back against the cushions, looking tired. Kade and I sat on the couch and Jack took the remaining chair. Then everyone looked at me.

  I tried to keep my voice practical and nonsensical, now was not the time for theatrics. “I don’t know what you all think about séances but I can tell you that if you are going by what you’ve seen in the movies … they aren’t anything like that. You have to be patient to hold a séance. Sometimes things don’t happen for a while. But, when the energy is right, the spirits will come. Even when in contact with a spirit … well, even that can be a bit boring so if you are looking for some sort of spectacular spook show, I think you will be sorely disappointed.”

  Jack visibly relaxed. “That’s nice to know. So tell us how it works.”

  I felt Kade’s eyes on me and wondered what he was thinking. Mike admired what I did, at least I was pretty sure that he did, but he was never comfortable with it. He never wanted to be present while I was in contact with spirits. The stigma of weirdness bothered him and he worried that it might damage his sterling reputation. I understood his concerns and respected them. But, now he was gone and I was once again free to be open about who I was and what I could do. “I put myself in a relaxed state of mind and invite those in the Tri-State to join us.”

  “Tri-State?” Jack’s dark brow rose in question.

  “It’s what I call the place between heaven, hell and life on this side. Obviously if someone’s soul hasn’t moved on in their journey … they must be somewhere and I call that somewhere the Tri-State.” When Jack nodded that he understood my explanation, I continued. “Our intent alone alerts those in the Tri-State that we are seeking contact. There are always spirits eager to talk with us. I try to control this by making clear our intent–who it is we are trying to contact.”

  “But can other spirits interfere?” Nancy asked.

  “Yes. Occasionally there is a spirit so determined to come through that their energy can overpower other spirits. I deal with them quite firmly. We are always in control of the situation. There is a natural law about things and they cannot disobey that law. I call these natural laws 'God’s Law'. Here in physical life we are in control, not them. That is why I can assure you that nothing bad can happen.”

  “But bad things have happened,” Kade reminded me. “Jeanine claims she was pushed and you yourself said you think it was Nathan’s spirit who pushed her.”

  “And what about what happened to Jack and Kade on the roof … getting locked outside? Or my daughter getting locked out there?” Nancy’s face was pale, her eyes more green than blue as they stared at me with apprehension. “I want to do this, Tess, but I’m a little scared.”

  “Those things were not life threatening,” I felt it important to make that point clear. “Those events happened because the spirits were trying to get our attention. And we weren’t consciously controlling those situations either, we were reacting to them.” I looked at each of them, my gaze direct and reassuring. “I will maintain control of the situation. Honestly, there is nothing to fear. I have been doing this sort of thing for years and nothing bad has ever happened.”

  “Holding this séance won’t make them more active will it?” Jack still wasn’t sure about the whole thing but I could tell he was curious and willing to go with it.

  “No. When the session is done, I will be sure to make it clear that they must not continue with their shenanigans.”

  “And they’ll actually listen to you?” Kade looked skeptical and I didn’t blame him.

  “Well, it can’t hurt to ask.” I clasped my hands before me, drew in a deep breath. The excitement was building within me and even now I could feel the restlessness of those in the Tri-State waiting to communicate. “I will warn you that sometimes other people we know who have passed come through …”

  Nancy gasped. “Like my sister? Could she come through?”

  “Yes, possibly. If she hasn’t moved on in her journey.”

  Nancy’s face fell. “Oh, well, then I hope she’s moved on. I don’t want to have to worry about her being held up in the Tri-State.”

  “They are often there because they want to be there, Nancy. Sometimes they don’t want to move on because they are waiting for someone in particular to cross over and join them. Time is of no consequence on the other side. They have no conscious awareness of time, as we know it. For them, they are in a perpetual state of being. They live in the moment and for them that is all that exists.”

  “How do you know that?” Kade asked.

  “Well, I’ve had that explained to me by those in the Tri-State, and Sheila has often …” I stopped and bit my lip. Why oh why did I have to let her name slip? I really did not want to go into the whole Sheila thing. It was hard enough getting them to accept the idea of spirits hanging out in the Tri-State, explaining about Spirit Guides was another whole discussion.

  Leave it to Kade to pick up on my slip. “Sheila?”

  “Just one of the spirits I’ve talked to before.” Time to go before he tried to pry further. Seeing Kade had another question poised on his lips, I quickly stood up and headed for the door. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to go for a walk on the beach, clear my head a bit before we meet again.”

  “So when is this going to happen?” Jack managed to get to the door before I did so he could open it for me.

  “How about after dinner, after your guests have settled for the evening?” I knew it was important to Jack and Nancy that no other guests got wind of what we were up to.

  “Sounds like a plan. We’ll see you at dinner then.” Jack gave me a pat on the back. “Thanks, Tess.”

  I smiled at him, glad to see his expression was completely free of distrust. “There’s nothing to thank me for, Jack. Bye.” I got only a few feet down the hall when I heard footsteps behind me and knew that it was Kade. I turned and waited for him to catch up.

  “You sure you want to do this, Tess?”

  I don’t know why I did it, because I wanted human contact more than any other reason I suppose, I grabbed Kade’s arm and hugged him to me as we walked. “Yes, I’m sure. We must put those poor souls to rest.”

  Kade seemed content to maintain our contact and said nothing else until we made it out to the garden and headed down the path toward our cottages. “During this séance do you think any of my fellow comrades could come through?”

  I stopped walking and looked up at Kade. His face was tight with emotion as he gazed out toward the ocean, thinking … remembering. “If you want that to happen, it very well could, yes.”

  He turned to look at me, anguish in his eyes. I reached up and touched
his face wishing I could take his pain away. “They are fine, Kade. Those men … they really are fine.”

  Kade’s hand covered mine. “Just the same, I can’t help but feel that they would rather still be here in the living world.”

  I tilted my head, thought for a moment and then said slowly, “I don’t know about that, Kade. I have often found that those in the Tri-State are quite content to be there. The only thing that concerns them … that keeps them involved with our world at all … is something unfinished they would like to clear up. They want closure as much as we do.”

  We stood there for a few moments gazing at each other and I felt so much a part of him that it worried me. Feelings like this were a betrayal to Mike and even as that thought entered my mind, I knew it was not accurate. Those on the other side no longer felt attachment to us once they passed over. They loved us and wanted us to be happy but they did not feel as if we belonged to them anymore. They did not get jealous or feel hurt. They mostly felt only loving compassion. Sometimes there was anger. Such as a victim might feel for someone who murdered them but even then, even in such cases as that, anger was rare. Jealousy, anger, resentment … those things were emotions for the living. Now, those in the Tri-State who were confused about where they were, who were not accepting the fact of their physical death, maybe they felt such emotions. I knew in my heart, though, that Mike did not fit in that category.

  “What are you thinking about, Tess?” Kade’s gaze softened as he looked into my eyes and I wanted … well, I wanted something that would war with my head and the silly thoughts it could come up with.

  “I’m thinking about Mike.” It was only right to be honest with him.