The Figure in the Shadows

by John Bellairs

  "But wait a minute," said Rose Rita. "I handled the coin after Lewis woke it up. How come nothing happened to me?"

  "If you'll let me finish, I'll tell you why," said Mrs. Zimmermann patiently. "I said the prayer was a prayer of waking and possession. Lewis not only woke the amulet up, he made it his. His, and his alone. No one else could wield it. Of course, the amulet could be taken from him by force—as it was—but no one else could do anything with it. It was his until it was destroyed. I don't know whether you realize it, Rose Rita, but you wiped out the enchantment that had been laid on the coin when you dropped it into the well. Water is the cleansing element, the element of rebirth. It wipes out all curses. Running water is best, but good old stagnant well water is okay, too. That's why the dark shape vanished when it did. The enchantment was over."

  "I still don't see why old whatsisname was after me," said Lewis.

  Mrs. Zimmermann sighed. "Well, there again, we can only guess. Eliphaz was trying to make an amulet of power. Amulets of power can be used to call up spirits —usually evil ones—and they can give the owner of the amulet wonderful powers. Simon Magus owned an amulet of power, and it is said that he could fly through the air and make himself invisible."

  "Do they help you win fights?" asked Lewis in a weak little voice.

  Mrs. Zimmermann chuckled. "Yes, they do. Eliphaz's ghost helped you win that fight with Woody. Eliphaz had been trapped into being the spirit of his own amulet—sort of like a genie in a jug, if you see what I mean. Well, he had to obey the rules. You summoned him, and he gave you power. But then, as time passed, Eliphaz's spirit began to take shape in this world. At first he only sent you messages to let you know he was coming—postcards and the like. Finally, he took on the form you saw under the street lamp, and in the shadows under the arch of the Masonic Temple. Well now, Lewis, if you had been a wizard, there would have been no problem. You would have tamed the spirit. You would have made Eliphaz carry out your commands. But you were just a little boy who didn't know what he was doing, so Eliphaz decided to turn the tables and carry you off to his... his home." Mrs. Zimmermann shuddered and stopped talking. She stared hard at the fire. She was thinking about the well and what was in it.

  Everyone sat silent, and for a few minutes it looked as if it was going to be a very gloomy Christmas party. But then Jonathan cleared his throat loudly and announced that, seeing as how it was Christmas for Lewis, it might as well be Christmas for everybody.

  "You mean we all get to open our presents?" said Rose Rita. She sounded very excited.

  Jonathan nodded. "That is exactly what I mean. Come on, everybody. Dive in!"

  Before long the floor of the study was awash in a sea of colored paper. Mrs. Zimmermann got a new umbrella to replace the one that had been destroyed in her duel with Eliphaz Moss's ghost. This new umbrella was not magic, but she said she would get to work on it soon. Jonathan got his usual seven or eight pounds of tobacco, and a meerschaum pipe carved in the shape of a dragon. The smoke was supposed to come out through the dragon's nose and mouth. Rose Rita got a fielder's mitt and a season ticket for four to the Detroit Tigers' home games in the coming season. Jonathan and Mrs. Zimmermann were both baseball fans, and they were always arguing, since Jonathan liked the Tigers and Mrs. Zimmermann liked the White Sox. Jonathan grinned with delight when he thought of how many times the four people in this room would be going to baseball games in the coming year. And Rose Rita would get to take them all, since it was her ticket.

  The party went on for hours until finally everyone was so tired they could hardly keep their eyes open. Rose Rita and Mrs. Zimmermann went home, and the other two dragged themselves off to bed.

  Several days later, Lewis was in the front hall tugging at a boot that just would not go on. Suddenly the mail slot flapped, and a smooth white packet fell onto the doormat. At first, Lewis was terrified. But then, after he had calmed down, he hobbled over to the door and picked the envelope up. Lewis started to laugh. It was the Charles Atlas booklet.