Elizabeth woke with a start and let out a wail. Fear bounced around the car like a silent grenade. Raine’s voice squeaked with uncertainty, “Mo-o-mmy, are we alright?”
We walked to a nearby house and called a friend who had the car towed to his garage. It was later revealed that the brake line had been neatly sliced allowing the fluid to pump out each time I used the brake until, without fluid, the brakes failed.
Aaron was an ace mechanic.
After nearly a year of living in terror, I moved again, this time to a house protected by giant iron gates with a male roommate. In the new house, I began having pictures almost immediately. On our first night after putting the children to bed, I fell exhausted across my unmade bed. Closing my eyes, I exhaled pent up breath and enjoyed the feeling of the cool firm mattress against my back. Suddenly the vision began.
There was a lavish party outside. Guests milled about in stylish clothing in the lower garden. A three-piece string quartet played above the lower garden, among scattered trees adjacent the pool area. It was early afternoon, the day was mild with a slight breeze. Flowers were in full bloom and surrounded the landscape leaving a sweet scent on the air. A man fidgeting and looking agitated approached a young couple engaged in conversation, slightly separated from the thick of the crowd.
She was dark haired with a playful light in her eye looking young and hopeful. Her features were sharp but pretty and her nose had a beak-ish angle.
The man beside her was dressed differently from the others, not as polished. He wore light brown trousers held up with suspenders that looked like something a gardener or groundskeeper would wear; he had a soft cap pulled down over his forehead. He was astonishingly handsome. His jaw was square and masculine. His eyes were a color of blue reminding me of water I’d seen only in dreams. The two were unaware of anyone else aside from each other and I could feel their mutual attraction like a current between them. As they continued to talk, the man I’d seen fidgeting, moved in on the couple. His cheeks were flushed and I felt his anger and jealousy. Sweat was visible on his face and underarms as adrenaline rushed through his body.
I watched in amazement as this man raised his arm, gripping a small handgun, which I had not previously noticed. He fired the gun and the woman fell. Suddenly silence reigned as heads spun in the direction of the shot. Another shot boomed bringing down her companion. It took only seconds. Screams rang out disrupting the party and, as mayhem ensued, the uncertainty I felt at what I saw, was overwhelming.
The vision or pictures occurred in the first weeks of living in my new residence. I’d met my new roommate at a Mexican restaurant where I worked as a bartender. He was a regular patron. His name was Robert and he’d rented the estate from an investor friend with the promise of cleaning up the property and preparing it for resale.
The estate had been foreclosed on and had fallen into disrepair. Most of the damage was from sheer neglect of the grounds, pool, and sauna and Jacuzzi-housed areas. Robert did the repairs on the pool, Jacuzzi and sauna house and I had several “clean up” parties, where a dozen or so willing participants would come over and clear, clean and manicure the massive grounds. We’d fill giant yellow, dumpsters with yard debris, delivered by the local garbage company. I was able to live in the house very inexpensively.
The estate was tucked securely into the hills of an auspicious California neighborhood, locked behind sturdy iron gates and sprawled across two acres. The main abode contained over three thousand square feet of opulent interior replete with glass block and curved walls. The acreage was contained by red brick walls and had once boasted beautifully landscaped gardens that divided the space. The large pool was fenced and adjacent to a structure that housed a sauna and large Jacuzzi whose front was completely encased in glass. It was exquisite. Beyond it stood a two-story guest cottage where Robert lived. I occupied the master suite and the children shared an adjacent bedroom in the main house. I worked diligently emptying the boxes containing our possessions.
My bedroom was lavish with a giant brick fireplace and a large walk-in closet fully lined in cedar, which seemed to beckon the awaiting piles of clothing to be hung demurely in its fragrant inner sanctum. I wanted to purchase new clothes that were worthy of such grandeur. The private bathroom in my master suite sported luxurious marble floors and a sunken tub. The suite finished with French doors made entirely of glass that led to a private garden on the lower patio. The estate won first place in the 1920s world fair for the house most beyond its time. It was the grandest place I’d ever seen.
Elizabeth was toddling around the room as I unpacked when she pointed her fist toward the closet and whispered, “Yay, yay,” her diaper swish, swish, swishing as she danced from foot to foot pointing incessantly. She continued chattering, intent on the “yay” in the closet.
Finally, I relented and leaned sideways off the bed for a clear view inside. To my surprise, I saw a young woman hiding among the clothes. The woman was not flesh and blood and I saw her for only a few seconds. She was completely oblivious to us. I leapt from my bed and scooped up Elizabeth and quickly shut the door leaning hard against it in astonishment.
“Holy crap,” I murmured, clutching my baby. “What was that?"
The next day, I found the closet empty. Glimpses of the young woman wandering through the gardens day and night became commonplace for me. I glanced out windows and saw her on the grounds and sometimes walking across the room in the house and a few days later I got pictures of the party behind my eyes. How did everything tie together? I wondered.
Confusion and indecision plagued me. I worried about judgment from others if I spoke about what I’d seen, so I was careful to keep quiet about the pictures and sightings. A couple of weeks later when I saw Robert working outside, I called to him; “Could you come up to the house later? I just want to run something by you.”
“Yeah, sure. Lemme finish and take a shower.”
I couldn’t keep my secret any longer, I had to tell. I was nervous, but after some small talk, I revealed the strange events. Robert sat quietly and listened. He fixed his hooded gray eyes on the wall behind me. When I finished my story he spoke in a voice so quiet I had to strain to listen.
“I see her too. She comes to me in my dreams.” He shifted his gaze to me, stroked his beard and continued.
“Sometimes,” he said, “I dream I’m in the Jacuzzi and she comes and asks for my help, she pleads for protection.” He finished and raised his eyebrows in an “I’m crazy too” kind of way.
Robert was ten years my senior and had never spoken to me of anything metaphysical. I was shocked and excited to hear his reply. Recounting his dreams, Robert said, “It wasn’t long after we moved in that I started having dreams about her. Sometimes I’m in different places around the house or grounds in my dreams, but she always comes. I started to think maybe I’ve been drinking too much or something,” he said rolling ice cubes through the silky scotch in his tumbler.
We talked for a couple of hours making comparisons and feeling relief that we both saw her, although differently. Afterwards, Robert did some research on the background of the property. It was easy to find an old article relating to the murders. The incident was exactly what I had seen in the pictures and occurred years earlier. While Robert dug into information about the estate, I decided to call Boots, the psychic my mother had taken us to years before for advice on what to do.
“Well,” she said, “as I listen to you talk, it feels like the woman does not understand that she is dead. She may be looking for a safe place to hide and trying to find her family members.”
“Really? You think she doesn’t know she’s dead?” I asked.
“Yes, it can happen when there is sudden or tragic death. There can be an inability to transition to “the other side.”
“The other side? You mean like heaven?”
“Yes, something like heaven.”
“What can I do?” I asked.
“Surround her in white light, pray and ask for angelic help to assist her in her transition.”
Confused, I asked “What do you mean?”
“Do you believe in angels?”
“Yes, totally.” I said thinking of Maggie.
“Do you know how to meditate?”
“Yes, you taught me when I was fourteen, I still do it sometimes.”
“In the same way you meditate, bring her into your mind’s eye and see her surrounded in white light, while doing this pray and ask the angels to come and help her to transition to the other side. Encourage her to go toward the light, to go with the angels. That should work. If you have trouble, call me back but I feel you can do it. And I’m picking up that you need to ground your energy; it’s all over the place,” she finished.
I began to pray and meditate and in my mind, asked the angels to come and assist the woman in her transition. She’s lost and scared and she doesn’t know she’s dead. Please come help her. I’d spent about a half-hour in meditation twice before anything aside from relaxation occurred. On my third attempt I had success. After breakfast, I sat in the kitchen area on a built-in banquet against a large bay window where morning sunlight fell across my shoulders in soothing warmth. The experience was remarkable.
I’m uncertain how much time had passed while I prayed and meditated. Suddenly I saw the woman in my mind’s eye. I felt her confusion and fear. I sent her telepathic messages. Don’t be afraid. You’re not alone. The angels have been looking for you. They’re waiting for you. Look for the light. I felt her acknowledgment and relief. I repeated my message again and again.
Without warning I saw a bright light. The light had an exceptionally high vibration and sounded like music without a tune. I knew the loving presence was an angel. Tears fell in a constant stream from beneath my closed eyes but I could not feel the rest of my body as I watched the event unfold.
The body of energies that were the woman and angel’s merged together and they evolved, disappearing from my consciousness.
My body was covered in goose flesh and tears flowed freely. It was the most extraordinary thing to witness and be part of and it left a stunning impression I have never forgotten.
I no longer saw her and Robert had no more dreams of the lost and lonely woman. I learned to trust myself a little more when the pictures came. I had other pictures while living at the estate. These seemed to increase in frequency and for the first time I saw pictures that occurred in real time instead of past or future events.
During this part of my life I acknowledged the frequent visits from the light-body and had begun talking to it in my mind and out loud. I still felt foolish and I kept the information to myself, but an opening into the possibility that I wasn’t crazy had begun.
Eventually, the estate was ready for resale and I had to move again. I rented a small three- bedroom house with no roommates, just me and the kids.
One night, as I sat at the top of my bed in my new room leaning against the cool wall to meditate, I felt the presence of the light-body and I asked in my mind, “Who are you?”
And it said, “I am you, I am your guide.”
“Okay, what does that mean?” I asked.
“It means I am part of you and here always to help you, to guide you along your way. We are what you need most.”
“Are you the one that has always been there? The one I have always seen?” I asked.
“Yes” came the reply.
“Will you always be here?” I questioned.
“Yes, I am part of you”
“What’s your name?”
“You may call me anything you wish.”
“Can I call you my father guide?” I asked because the energy felt fatherly, protective and loving. Something my father was unable to give.
“Yes” the light-body answered.
“Okay because I never had a father,” I replied.
Silence followed and I heard nothing more so I opened my eyes. I continued to have a dialog almost nightly with my guide and the feeling of loneliness began to wane. I also understood that the voice I heard was just another way my intuition manifested, like the knowing but I was still learning how it all tied together.
I did my best to absorb and understand the information I received. Yet with my new understanding and the two years that passed since I’d left Aaron, I was still afraid of him and leery he was just around the corner.
The Sweetheart Rapist And His Castle
The tiny house sat alone near a jetty surrounded by sand and trees. The man liked it here away from prying eyes. He needed someplace private to entertain. Having a family had not worked out for him and had only added to his anger and frustration. Now, though, he had a place of his own secluded and quiet. He smiled and whistled a tune as anticipation surged through him. He was excited to have a weekend guest in his new place. It felt good. He checked to make sure things were perfect one more time before he left to pick up his visitor.
A large roll of tape next to the handy blindfold he’d made himself, sat on the bedside table. A new tube of lubricant, smooth and clean was there too. He reached for the small mirror that came with a shiny metal straw and snorted what cocaine was left on the smudged surface enjoying the burn. He rubbed what was left of the bitter powder across his gums. Satisfied, he grabbed his mask on the way out; this one had bright green eyes which suited him fine.
What the young girl felt was a thrilling excitement in the deepest part of her belly. She was camping with the boy who made her heart pound.--she was definitely in love. Her brother and his friend had come along too, but were at the next campsite so the young lovers could be alone. A permanent smile lit up her pretty face.
They lay together under the stars in their tent breathing hard and making out. The girl was fifteen now and had everything she could want. Her glossy, black hair lay in provocative curls against her exposed chest, accentuating the white lace of her bra. They laughed and passed a joint back and forth and planned their weekend.
“Let’s hike and lie naked on the lake tomorrow” she said with a mischievous smile.
“Anything you want, baby,” he said, exhaling smoke as he reached for her. The sound of feet over loose rocks surprised them and seemed to come out of nowhere.
“Hey, what’s that? Shush- be quiet. Shit, is that a flashlight?” she asked alarm rising in her voice.
“You two better get out here.” came the voice from outside the tent. “I have a gun and I’m not fucking around.”
The young couple was scared and did as they were told.
“What the fuck?” the young man said as he lifted the tent’s flap and stepped out.
The man stood just outside of the tent with his arm extended, pointing his gun at the young man’s face. “Shut the fuck up, buddy and get over to the car before I blow your fucking head off.”
The young man balled his hands into fists and stood his ground. The man grabbed the girl’s hair at the back of her head and pressed the snout of the gun against the soft tissue of her temple.
“I mean it, motherfucker.”
The masked man forced the young male into the trunk of his car and closed him in. He took the girl, crying and stumbling to his truck parked nearby and placed her face down across the seat covering her face with the mask he’d worn.
“Stay down, cunt. Don’t make me shoot you.”
Hearing commotion, the girl’s brother hurried to his sister’s tent.
“Hey, what’s going on?” He asked as he peeled back the tent flap finding it empty. He turned toward a loud bang and saw the trunk of a car fly open and watched in surprise as hi
s sister’s boyfriend sprang out clutching a tire iron and screaming,
“He has her! He took your sister!”
The man with the mask started his truck and backed out quickly; he jammed the gear shift into drive prematurely making the gears grind, just as the two boys ran toward the truck screaming,
“You better stop! Hey!”
A tire iron smashed into the truck’s passenger window nearly shattering the glass completely. The man, angry and shaking with adrenalin, fired two shots through his rear window as he pressed harder on the accelerator.
The girl was crying and pleading with her abductor.“Pleease let me g-go, please. I won’t tell, I promise. Oh, God, please. Don’t hurt me,” she begged.
Chapter 10
The helicopter hovered like a hawk eyeing its prey, its giant blades whooped in an excited rhythm. Police cars came from all directions and screeched to a halt, effectively sealing off the building. There would be no entry or exit. Car doors swung wide releasing eager dogs that pulled against leather harnesses to subdue their quarry.
A local auto body shop filled the television screen. A handcuffed man, flanked by officers sporting grim expressions, kept his head bowed and shuffled toward the camera.
“That’s all for now. Stay with News 3 for updates on this developing story,” came a disembodied woman’s voice and the camera panned back to the newscaster behind his desk, his eyes alive with the excitement of a breaking story.
“Okay, Terry, thanks again and stay with us at News Channel 3 as we bring you the latest news and developments as they unfold.”
In the corner of the screen the man in handcuffs glanced up into the camera’s lenses. His chilling stare looked directly into my eyes – I was astounded – frozen with disbelief. My stomach puckered as though zapped by an electric current. Panic roared through me, I spun around and hurried to the kitchen. I searched the phonebook for a number and mindlessly dialed.
The Knowing: Awake in the Dark Page 14