SPENCER CALLAGHAN : The Fight for Heaven and Earth

by Ryan Conway

  Though he'd been grieving too deeply to be concerned about them, Spencer recalled some rather strange occurrences during the funeral. Mysterious people he didn't know, who hadn't given their names, had shown up at the funeral to give their condolences and briefly pay their respects. Some of them seemed approachable and friendly, but others were down-right abnormal. In addition to the odd visitors, events had taken place that had yet to be explained. Several times, the lights in the funeral parlor had dimmed and then brightened for no apparent reason. Some of the more religious folks there had come up with their own explanations for the odd happenings.

  Though he was deep in thought, Spencer kept one part of his mind on the proceedings. They'd barely started; the principal was speaking again…

  Even Uncle George had been somewhat skeptical about some of the visitors to the funeral. One man in particular wore a long, dark trench coat and shadowed his face with a fedora. His raven hair was long and wavy, and he must have been at least seven feet tall, with enormous hands. His shoulders stretched out nearly half the length of the casket. At one point, this mystery man had held his right hand horizontally over the casket with his fingers out, and even though Spencer had thought he was hallucinating, he could’ve sworn the man's hand faded from flesh color to a dark red. Then the man had glanced over his shoulder directly at Spencer, making eye contact. Even though he had removed his hat in respect, the mysterious man's face had still seemed shadowed and mysterious, and Spencer thought he had seen the man's eyes gleam bright yellow. Then he had grinned at Spencer before turning to walk away.

  There had been another odd man at his parents' funeral, tendering his condolences and paying his respects at the caskets. Unlike the mystery man in the trench coat and fedora, this man had appeared normal. He had looked to be in his late twenties, with short, dusty-blond hair, sharp facial features, and a strong jaw line. A small but noticeable scar had distinguished his chin. After the funeral ceremony, he approached Spencer and offered his condolences to him directly.

  Near the end of the funeral, Spencer had thought he was hallucinating again when he saw what appeared to be a creepy shadow-figure enter the back of the parlor. The figure wasn't like a shadow cast by someone walking through a lit hallway; it had appeared almost tangible and three-dimensional. As it had moved undetected by the visitors, its surface had even changed to a chameleon-like transparency. Spencer hadn't wanted to alarm anyone, so he said nothing, but continued to observe the shadow. After entering through the door, it had moved slowly to one side of the room, where the light had been dimmer, and remained still. Actually, had Spencer not watched it while it was moving, he would never have spotted it. When it had remained still in the corner of the room behind all the people, it was invisible. It had stayed there for about fifteen minutes, then quickly made its way out the door before people left their seats.

  Spencer couldn't help but wonder if these strange occurrences were somehow related to his father's work life. Even when his father had been alive, there was so much mystery surrounding his professional and social lives. Their home had looked like a museum for exotic artifacts from the farthest corners of the world, though his work had always seemed more than intelligence-related. Many people had guessed that he was an agent for the CIA, FBI, or an agency even more covert, but despite all the inquiries, no one had ever really discovered the truth. Secrecy and the "need-to-know" was taken far too seriously, especially when a ten-year-old boy desperately needed to know what had happened to his mom and dad.

  There had even been speculations among close acquaintances and family members that Jace Callaghan had been a member of the Illuminati or some such other secret society. Even Uncle George had confessed his own belief that Jason had been mixed up with the Illuminati or the Freemasons, laying out his reasoning like a crime scene detective, but Aunt Sandra called it absurd and shrugged off the idea as a bit extreme, pointing out that her brother had been an intelligence officer in the Navy. She hypothesized that he'd probably been engaged in top secret activities that pertained to national security even after his naval career was past.

  "Maybe it was always in our best interests that what he dedicated his life to was veiled from the public," she'd said that night. "Maybe it still is.” Maybe, but that didn't help Spencer any.

  Worse, weird things had happened on a regular basis since his parents' funeral. Spencer had witnessed and experienced unexplained, spooky occurrences many times over the last eight years. He almost always felt like he was being watched by someone or something, and hated the sense of paranoia that it caused. Other times, he felt like he was being followed. The eeriest of occurrences was when Spencer periodically witnessed transparent shadows like the one he'd seen at the funeral—as if the very air had come to life and was moving about in humanoid form. He would have thought they were optical illusions were it not for the physical proof left behind in some cases, including footprints and the displacement of physical objects. Something unexplainable and possibly supernatural was happening in Spencer's life, and he couldn't help but feel that it was related to his parents in some way.

  A familiar voice intruded into his thoughts as Stacey Peters began her speech, showcasing her excellent oratory skills. "Ladies and gentlemen, parents, family members, fellow students, teachers and faculty, today is one of the most significant days in our lives, for so many different reasons." Like most valedictorians, Stacey was a perfectionist, and presented her speech as she had practiced it over and over again for the last month and a half. Her speech touched many people, and revolved mostly around learning not only from teachers, but also from the fellow classmates with whom she was graduating. The audience listened to her speech with honest intensity, and it even brought some people to tears. Stacey was one of the students who was involved in almost every club and after-school activity, which was actually the biggest thing that distinguished her from Spencer—besides their genders, of course. Though Spencer was a talented and promising young man, he cherished his free time, dedicating very little of it to extracurricular activities.

  Sooner than he expected, his name was called: "Spencer Callaghan," announced the principal from the podium. Spencer rose, smiled, walked up to the faculty standing before the podium, and graciously received his diploma.

  Aunt Sandra had found a place closer to the field, down by the fence, to take pictures, and she was clicking away like mad. Spencer continued across the stage, only to return to his seat. as all the honor graduates had rehearsed for the past week. She got a few more pictures of Spencer holding his diploma, and then retreated to rejoin Uncle George, David, and Sarah.

  Spencer took his seat, smiling. Uncle George and Aunt Sandra were genuinely loving parents who had raised their children—and him—to aim high and pursue their dreams, instilling a strong work ethic along the way. He knew they were genuine because their actions had never given him the slightest twinge of a headache. The family was comfortable financially, since both parents worked to meet their economic needs and support their children's educational pursuits. Aunt Sandra was a restaurant manager, and Uncle George delivered mail, which was ideal because he got Federal holidays and weekends off. On Sundays, the family attended church services at West Augusta Baptist Church. Uncle George participated every Sunday as a deacon, and Aunt Sandra was heavily involved in volunteering for social functions like picnics and potlucks. Since the house was large and had three stories with many rooms, they often hosted visiting missionaries or people from the church who were having financial difficulties.

  They were also involved with numerous charities. Some aimed to improve the conditions of local hospitals and medical clinics; others focused on improving conditions in poverty-stricken countries, by building schools and providing hospitals and clinics with medical supplies. His aunt and uncle were very generous people who contributed to the church and the larger community whenever they could, though they only had so much to spend. Spencer's older cousins, Michael and Lisa Beck, were in college; and even though t
hey no longer lived at home, they frequently visited. While Michael was majoring in Political Science, with hopes of becoming a senator someday, Lisa was working toward an associate's degree in Liberal Arts. She still wasn't sure what major she wished to pursue, and hoped something would interest her by the time she earned her associate's. She only knew she would like to make her hobbies into a successful career, and she tended more towards the arts like painting, design, drawing, and even music. The younger ones, David and Sarah, were in freshman year and middle school. David was a rambunctious kid, interested in a different career field every week: rock star, astronaut, politician. Sarah was too young to really know what she wanted out of life. As much as her parents encouraged pursuing goals and furthering education, boys occupied her mind most of the time—and her parents hoped it was only a phase.

  Spencer was jerked out of his introspection as the principal concluded the ceremony. "Ladies and Gentlemen, please help me welcome this year's West Augusta High School graduates." Clapping and cheering immediately thundered from the crowds in the bleachers as they stood in honor of the new graduates—or at least of the fact that all the speeches were over—and graduation hats went spinning airborne as camera flashes lit up from all sides. People in the bleachers were then allowed to proceed onto the field and greet their new graduates, while some of the graduates ran toward their families and friends. Aunt Sandra approached Spencer, tears streamed down her cheeks. She grabbed him tightly, kissing him on the cheek and standing on her tip-toes to give him the biggest hug she could. "I'm so proud of you." she exclaimed, with watery eyes and a large grin.

  Uncle George gave him a handshake and pulled him in for a manly hug. "Me too, Spence… I know you've got something planned with Tom and the guys, but we're gonna see you back at the house later, right? We got a little celebration waiting."

  "Oh, definitely,” Spencer promised. "We'll be back at the house before long."

  Spencer was just about to turn and walk over to meet up with Tom and his other friends when Uncle George added one last thing: "Oh, and Spencer? I've been holding onto something for you for quite a while now—but I'll give it to you when you get in."

  Chapter Two

  Special Visitors

  A fter the ceremony, Spencer met up with Tom and a few of their friends for a couple of hours, but never forgot about the celebration his aunt and uncle were throwing for him at home. In fact, he was so looking forward to it that he didn't really want to spend too much time with the guys; he'd be seeing them that weekend anyway. Tom and Spencer regretted having to tell their friends they couldn't join them for a late dinner celebration that evening, but they headed out by 8 P.M.

  As Tom drove them back to his Aunt Sandra and Uncle George's house in his beat-up, maroon Camry, Spencer was eager to find out what his uncle was holding for him. How long had he been holding onto this gift? Where did it come from, and what in the world was it? The tone of Uncle George's voice as he'd told Spencer about it made the present seem significant, and he said he'd held onto it for a long time… could it be from his parents? What could it be?

  Tom had a little trouble finding a parking spot in the driveway because of extra visitors at the house. It was dusk, and almost all the house lights were on. Clearly, other extended family members and friends had arrived to celebrate their graduation. Michael's car was in the driveway, so he at least was home from college. His Uncle Fred and Aunt Jackie, as well as Uncle Alan and Aunt Tricia, were present with their kids. Fred was the younger brother of Spencer's father, and basically the baby on his father's side of the family. Tricia was Uncle George's sister, so she wasn't related to Spencer by blood, but they saw each other almost every week and were rather close. There were a few more cars parked in the driveway that he didn't recognize, though.

  As they walked up the steps and onto the porch, they could hear loud conversation and laughter emanating from open windows and through the screen door. He recognized most of the voices, but there were some new ones. Suddenly they heard the patter of paws quickly approaching the screen door from inside. The two family dogs, Cookie and Tripper, started barking and scratching at the door to get outside and greet them. Cookie was a gray cockapoo, named for her clever ability to swipe people's cookies when they weren't looking and for knocking the cookie jar down from the counter. Tripper was a yellow Lab, who got his name from his annoying habit of following people so closely that one wrong step would send them toppling over him onto the floor. Even after irritated yelling, Tripper continued to stand behind people without their knowledge, sometimes causing the messiest accidents.

  Uncle George heard the dogs' commotion and came to the door before Spencer and Tom even made it across the porch. "Hey, here they are." he shouted. "Everyone's here waiting on you, and there are a few extra visitors, too."

  "Yeah, I saw all the cars. Full house tonight, huh?" Spencer commented.

  "Pretty full. Come on in and get something to eat. Watch out for Tripper."

  The dogs were already out the door and jumping up and down on Spencer, while Uncle George held the door open for him and Tom. Cookie was climbing on his calves and yipping; Tripper was standing up and throwing all his weight on Spencer, trying to get in a few good face licks.

  "Okay, down boy," Spencer said warmly. "Let's get inside now."

  As the graduates walked into the kitchen, they were greeted with applause from family, friends, and a few new faces. The dogs, which normally followed people into the kitchen only inches behind, stayed outside this time. Perhaps they'd already been disciplined often enough, given all the company in the house, and didn't want to be banished to the backyard. Besides, the kitchen was jam-packed with people. Some of the occupants were standing around leaning on the counters; others were sitting at the table. It truly was a full house for the evening.

  Uncle George introduced Tom to the crowd. "Everyone, this is Tom Englewood, Spencer's best friend. He also graduated today."

  "Congratulations, to both of you," Uncle Fred said cheerfully.

  "So, your Uncle George was telling us you're heading to upstate New York for college soon?" Aunt Tricia asked, with a look of intrigue.

  "Yeah, starting in September," Spencer answered. "I can't wait."

  Sitting at the table was a stout, jolly-looking man with grayish-brown hair and glasses, apparently waiting to make his acquaintance. Spencer had never seen him before. Next to him was a young man, probably in his early twenties, with well groomed, almost bleach-blond hair parted on one side and a huge, shining grin. On the other side of the table was a young couple with their newborn baby.

  "Spencer," Uncle George interrupted. "This is Pastor Meadows, and this is Drake. They're going to stay with us for a few nights. Missionaries."

  "Nice to meet you, sirs," Spencer said, shaking hands with the visitors.

  "Nice meeting you too, young man," Pastor Meadows replied cheerfully. "And congratulations on your graduation. Do you know what you want to study yet?"

  "Not really, sir. I haven't quite made up my mind yet, but I've been thinking about one of the medical fields."

  George continued the introductions, making sure he didn't leave anyone out. "This is Gary and Linda, and their baby Tiffany. They're new to our church."

  Spencer continued his round of handshakes and greetings. Drake stood and placed his right hand over his chest. while gesturing to the chair with his left hand in a comically chivalrous act. "Please, Spencer, take this chair," he said gravely. "You are the man of the hour, and may blessings rain down upon you on this night and forever more." Everyone burst out into laughter at Drake's comical display of manners. He had a goofy sense of humor but seemed like a nice, well-mannered guy. As he made way for the new graduates, Spencer immediately homed in on an interesting-looking necklace Drake wore. Its only ornament seemed to be a single, transparent, amber-colored marble; but it only caught Spencer's attention for a few seconds.

  Spencer sat and started talking with the new visitors. They seemed quite int
erested in his plans for the future and for his higher education. Spencer learned that Pastor Meadows had maintained a long history with West Augusta Baptist Church, their family congregation. He'd spent time in South America, traveling around from country to country, but had spent most of the time in Panama. His Spanish was fluent, he said, but he only got by in Brazil by speaking it with a Portuguese accent. He seemed to find this outrageously funny. Drake had joined him about five months ago, and had become a prominent member of the mission. He had also assisted by providing musical entertainment, playing guitar for the locals in Panama; he too spoke fluent Spanish.

  Gary and Linda had moved to Augusta from a county two hours north in South Carolina when Gary was offered a new job opportunity. They'd moved into a house a few blocks away, on the same street as Spencer's family, and had been warmly welcomed by the community, Spencer was happy to hear.

  "Okay, everybody." Aunt Sandra announced as she reached into the refrigerator. "We've got cake for this special occasion tonight." She pulled a large rectangular cake with white icing and a line of trim around the top edge matching the school colors. Centered on the top surface of the cake was written "Congratulations Spencer on your Graduation Day". To the left was a buttercream and food-coloring rendition of a graduation hat with a tassel, and on the right was a picture of a diploma rolled up with a red band.

  "Well, the good part," Spencer said, "Is that you don't have to wait for me to blow out candles, and I don't have to wait for you guys to sing." Everyone broke into laughter again after Spencer's comment. After Spencer washed his hands at the sink, Aunt Sandra handed Spencer a cake knife from the drawer, and he started cutting the cake into little squares, sliding them onto little paper plates she also provided. As he began handing them out to everyone, Pastor Meadows started joking around with him.