by Y G Maupin
If she had dreamt last night, she didn’t remember. She drank heavily and against her better judgment she made the twenty five minute drive to her home where she carefully parked her car on the lawn having practically driven herself to the front door. She didn’t care at this point. She remembered the drive, the parking and did not stumble as she walked to the front door. She dropped her keys several times, cursing each time she failed to get the right key in the door lock. When she finally made it in, she was sure to lock the door, turn off the lights and set the alarm. Finally upstairs, she showered and slipped into her chilly bed. She had snored. She could tell because her throat was sore and her mouth was dry. But that could have also been an after effect of the night before. The night before. She didn’t want to think about that stupidity anymore after having lived it. She sighed and rolled over.
“Anesta,” she heard a whisper. She was dreaming, she was sure of it.
“Anesta.” This time more urgently, and very real. What or who the hell was that, she thought as she rolled over. Turning on her bedside light, she caught sight of her long dead sister, sitting at the foot of her bed. Anesta screamed. Her sister screamed back at her.
“Feel better now? Ok enough of that, dummy. We need to talk,” Anjolie said, having been dead almost twenty two years. Anesta screamed again. Anjolie sighed in exasperation and stared up at the ceiling.
“Are you done? Really, Anesta. You know I’ve been by your side almost all this time.” Anjolie saw Anesta take a deep breath, so she leaned forward and placed a dead finger on her sister’s lips and said.
“That’s enough. Two screams were sufficient.” Anjolie sat back and straightened her dress around her knees. Anesta started to cry.
“Am I dead?” she asked, starting to hyperventilate. Maybe she hadn’t made the drive home safely. Maybe she had dreamt that she had arrived, but in reality, she had smeared her car along the highway and DPS was already investigating why this crazy black woman was half hanging outside her Mercedes Benz. Dumb broad, she had it all, they would say while taking a bite of their donut and waiting for the coroner to arrive.
“No, cher,” Anjolie answered, like she was speaking to a child, being a child herself when she had passed at the pool party. “You are very much alive. But we need to talk about something that is happening here. So, I need you to relax, sit up and listen to me.” Anesta clutched the blankets closer to her chest, her eyes still wide open at the sight of her twin speaking to her after all this time.
“I don’t know where to start, as the beginning is so far away but at some point we will have to bring it up. The dead are coming back, at least the ones that want to, and if something isn’t done it's going to be chaos on earth,” she said hurriedly, as if it would make the solution arrive faster.
“What?” Anesta asked incredulously. Ok, maybe this was a dream or maybe she had an aneurysm and this was an after effect of a brain cloud, or some other that hadn’t been identified in the medical community.
“The dead are coming back, and they’re coming back by the dozen,” Anjolie stressed. “Haven’t you noticed an increase in business?” she asked,
“No,” replied Anesta. “It’s the same as always. Nothing odd or …” then she drifted off. She remembered something that she had heard as she was leaving the funeral home on Saturday. Maurice said that there had been an unusual amount of calls from the retirement home out on the old highway heading south of town. The receptionist said that it wasn’t unusual for nursing home patients to drop faster, they almost toppled like dominos. Once one went, the others would start to follow. Anesta had meant to make a mental note to have a conversation at the next staff meeting regarding idle talk in the open area. But in her haste to make it to T’s, she had forgotten.
“Ok, but that doesn’t mean the dead are rising, Anjolie. Or, is that why you’re here?” she asked cautiously, while nervously chanting in her head “don’t say you’ve come to take me with you, don’t say you’re coming to take me with you.”
Anjolie turned her head to the side and smiled. “Now that’s funny. I’m not coming to take you away and I’ve always been here. Like I said, I’ve always been at your side all of your life since I lost mine.” Ending with a tinge of sadness she reached out and touched Anesta’s hand. Anesta quickly drew it back in fear. Anjolie tsked. “I’ll let that one slide. Its early and you still think this is a dream.”
“The way this worked up until about a week ago was that once you died that was it, you were done. Game over as they like to say. But there was a change that was significant that had never been present before or that had ever been recorded. There are some areas on earth where the veil, for the lack of a better term, was thinnest and that the spirit world and the world of the living could briefly interact. And there are people that are human beacons for the living, like lighthouses and the dead seem to flock to them. Some of them are able to communicate, not effectively or consistently, but enough to drive the person mad or make them very rich and misunderstood. This part of the world in the last six months has experienced an increase in traffic and it seems the hole in the veil is getting stretched further and wider with all these dead that have flocked here waiting at the portal to make their way across.” At this Anjolie paused to see if Anesta was following her. It seemed like she was, so she continued.
“The dead gossip among themselves. They play tricks on each other and gamble on the lives of the living. There’s very little else to do but to watch the living bumble their way through life all the while being mocked and envied from the other side.” Anesta looked surprised. “Oh yes, it’s quite the past time to watch the living. But not all participate, especially those that have been gone for more than forty years or so. They say that despite progress and technology, human nature has remained the same. Greed, debauchery and cruelty still run rampant. So, the older ones usually keep quiet and stay hidden away most of the time,” Anjolie said quietly.
“And what do you do?” Anesta asked.
“I watch too. But mostly, I stick around the funeral home with you. I don’t like to visit Mama even though she is on the other side with me. She’s still not ok,” she confided to Anesta. “She thinks she’s in hell and that Papa brought her there.” Anjolie sadly shook her head. Poor Mama.
“Do you ever see Papa?” Anesta asked quietly. Anjolie thought for a moment, carefully choosing her words.
“Yes. But I don’t think he knows who I am,” she said. “Actually, his behavior on this side is just like when he was alive. He hasn’t changed one bit. A lot of spirits flock to him because he seems so knowledgeable, charismatic and caring. But he’s not. He’s still selfish and an emotional thief. ”Anjolie shook her head at the thought of him.
Anesta ran her hands through her hair. “So, you’ve always been watching. Were you watching five years ago?” It came out in a huff.
“David. Yes I saw and I’m sorry,” Anjolie replied. Anesta sniffed and waved her hand as if to dismiss it.
“It doesn’t matter because I should have known better but anyway..”
“Stop. He was a user and a jerk, Anesta. He’s still out there trying to see what woman he can trick into subsidizing his lifestyle by seducing them. Those kinds of men are everywhere. But let’s forget about that. I’m here because we need to stop this, and I honestly don’t know how to do that.”
Anesta screwed up her face. “Well what makes you think I would know? How is it that I can see you? Who did you kill?” she asked, backing further into the headboard.
Anjolie rolled her eyes. “Remember when I said some people were beacons here on earth? Well I was one of them while I was alive, so I can move between the planes so to say.” Anesta looked at her incredulously.
Anjolie continued. “There are quite a few of us that can move between the worlds and from the few that I’ve talked to, we’re all worried about the consequences of this change, Anesta,” she stressed to her, as she reached out for her sisters hands. “Anesta, this is real and ther
e are very few rules about how to accomplish it. Innocent people can die and really, really horrible people, angry people, can return.”
Eight
Beryl had slept on and off and in the end she had decided just to get up and sit on her couch in her pajamas. Her two cats purred incessantly, hungry, as they jumped on her lap and she kept shoving them off. She knew they were hungry but she just felt so tired. She was too tired to actually rest. She got up and they followed her. Opening her medicine cabinet, she looked for the bottle. There were about forty-five pills left, ninety if she split them all not that it mattered, she was a pharmacist and could always get more.
She took one out and crushed it with the spoon she kept in the glass at her sink. Scraping it into the tumbler, she tilted it back and poured the powder onto her tongue. Bitter. She filled the glass up and washed it down. Its effect should be felt within 15 minutes, then the tightness and tension at the back of her neck would begin and she would be able to function. She wanted to clean and toss some items away. And she wanted to feel in control.
Three hours later, slick with sweat and mouth dry, Beryl had rearranged her condo and organized her pantry. She was starting to see halos so she reached in her cupboard for a glass. The sun was up now and its glare in the window over the sink was playing tricks on her eyes because it seemed that there was a couple looking into her window, standing on the other side of the pane. Beryl blinked but they were still there.
Oh my god, she thought. I need some water and to lie down. She filled up her glass, watching them watching her. Now they looked at each other, smiled and walked toward her tiny backyard. Beryl turned and saw them through the window in the back door. She kept blinking and then added more water to her cup. The faucet overflowed as the two spirits floated in through the back door, smiling as they got closer to her. Beryl started hyperventilating and passed out.
Sarah was pressing a cold rag to Alice’s forehead as she continued to explain what had happened downstairs. “Christ, Sarah! I know what I saw! If you would just come downstairs with me, I swear she’s still there! I’ll introduce you,” she added, with a look of desperation. Sarah coolly took an antique hand fan and fanned Alice with it. “Hush I heard you the first time. Dearest could it just be that you are still tired from last night? You know how much that takes out of you, remember Glastonbury? “Sarah asked, trying to not upset her love.
“Sarah, please. This is not fatigue, this is real. At least I think it’s real and I won’t know until you come downstairs with me. What are you doing up here anyway, it’s after ten.” Alice struggled to sit up from the fainting couch, but Sarah firmly pressed her down again.
“Wait. I know what you’re saying but let me get this straight. You were downstairs. Went into the kitchen to make coffee and a serving woman was there? Ok was she white or black?” Sarah asked.
Alice sputtered, “What does that have to do with it? Black. Why?” she asked suspiciously, narrowing her eyes at Sarah.
“Because if it was a true haunting the previous owners only had white servants. “ Alice let herself fall back down onto the chaise and covered her eyes with her hand with a sigh.
Sarah continued.” I know, they were so particular in those times, but I remember talking to Jenny the realtor who told me all about it when we were looking at that little room off to the side of the kitchen and I asked her what it was used for and she told me. All of the owners, going all the way back to what’s his name, Littleton, only employed white people to work for them. She said they didn’t trust the Negro.”
To which Sarah shuddered. “I cannot imagine being that ingrained in ignorance.”
Shuddering again, Sarah stood up and took off her robe and draped it on the back of her vanity chair. “Alright, scaredy cat. Let me get dressed and I’ll protect you,” she finished, stepping into their walk-in closet to change.
Alice halfway sat up “I’m not scared. It’s just…” she drifted off, as the apparition from downstairs was at the doorway. “Um, Sarah. Sarah, Sarah Sarah..” her voice increased in volume and pitch.
Sarah rushed out of the closet and was struck with shock. There in the doorway to their bedroom, was a woman in a white apron, seeming to float but standing at the right height to suggest she had been a tall lady when she was alive. The apparition carried herself with dignity and strength.
“Breakfast is served, ladies. Do you need anything before I start preparing for your guests today?”
Sarah’s mouth opened and shut, like it was on hinges that were being oiled. Alice adjusted her breathing and replied, “Guests?”
“Yes. It’s Sunday. Your Lady friends will be here in a few hours. They will be just as surprised as you are,” And with that, she turned and floated away.
The pounding on the door had slowed down now. Birdie dragged herself from bed, opened her front door and walked away as her mother walked in. “Good Morning to you. Was just stopping by to see if you were interested in getting a little breakfast?” she asked airily, filling the room with expensive fragrance. The smell made Birdie gag and she moaned on the couch.
“No, I’m not hungry right now I just want coffee,” she whined, wishing she had never opened the door.
Carol, her mother, sauntered over to the small kitchenette and started opening cupboard doors. “Ok where do you keep your coffee?” She snooped and slammed doors.
“Mom, stop. I’ll get it myself.” Birdie dragged herself up and checked the time again on the microwave. Eight-thirty. Why? she asked. She wasn’t a little girl anymore.
“Any particular reason you’re up so early?” she asked, as her mother continued to search for coffee.
“Oh, early bird gets everything,” she replied cheerily.
“You mean, the worm”, Birdie corrected her.
Her mother smiled back at her. “Oh I got that last night, sweetie.” And chuckled as she went back to the living room. Birdie gagged again. Her mother would never change. But she could at least get her out of her house.
“Let me just take a quick shower and we can go get some coffee for me and breakfast for you. I’ll be right back.” Birdie went to the back of the apartment and turned on the water in her shower. She would take her out, have a couple of coffees and a pastry and then part ways with her downtown. Surely her mother wouldn’t want to spend the whole day with her. This was the time that Birdie really felt the pain of being an only child. As she toweled off, she called out to her mother.
“I’ll be out in a couple of minutes. Mom?” She walked out to the living room but it was empty. “Mom? Hello?” she called out, turning around in her small apartment. Looking out the front window, she noticed her mom’s gold Lexus was gone. Birdies shoulders slumped with relief and annoyance. Saved from having to spend the morning with her mother, she decided to finish dressing and stop by to see Sarah and Alice. They would have coffee and they were within walking distance.
Locking her apartment behind her, Birdie walked north on Evans Street and passed Olive Henderson’ house that sat behind Sarah and Alice’s home. Olive was stepping out to her car dressed for church. Birdie called out a good morning and waved, but the woman ignored her and started her vehicle. Bitch, Birdie thought and continued to walk around the corner, passing the garden that backed into the alleyway they shared and knocked on the back porch door that was on the side of their kitchen. She knocked again. Alice was usually in the kitchen at this time so she was surprised that she hadn’t answered. Suddenly, an older black lady’s face appeared at the window and opened the door. “May I help you?” she asked.
Birdie was taken aback but answered. “Good Morning. Is Alice or Sarah available?” The lady smiled and opened the door wider.
“Yes, please come in. They’re sitting in the dining room. What is your name dear? I’ll let them know you’re here. “
“Tell them it’s Birdie, please.” Birdie stood in the kitchen, hands clasped behind her. This was something new. The girls had never mentioned that they were going to hire some
one. She looked around the kitchen as she waited.
“Won’t you come with me, dear?” the lady kindly asked, leading Birdie through the kitchen and into the study. Opening the sliding doors, the woman stepped to the side poking her head in and announced the young woman. She stepped in to find Sarah sitting on the couch as Alice paced back and forth like a little general.
“Thank the goddesses we aren’t the only ones! Birdie, we need to get all of us together immediately,” Alice spoke sharply, and with only a slight panic.
“Hey girl,” Sarah called out. “Like our new friend? Turns out she may be a ghost. What do you think of that?” she laughed, as she took a long sip of her mimosa. Birdie stopped in her tracks. Surprise and excitement filled her face. “Your what?!” Birdie laughed a little, tapering off when she saw how nervous Alice looked. Alice never looked nervous. She was always confident and knew what to do. Birdie was comforted with having her as a friend, but now she too felt nervous as she watched her pace again.
“Alice, sit down. You need to drink your coffee and let’s call all the other girls. I think we need to do a recap from last night and see what they think. At the very least, we have a groundbreaking paranormal event going on in our home that I think we should share. Who else would I share a ghost sighting with?” She casually turned to Birdie. Birdie shrugged her shoulders and dropped her purse on the couch and took a seat.
An hour later, Sarah had hung up her cell and said, “Ok, I’ve gotten a hold of T and Sharon. They’re both on their way. Beryl doesn’t answer at all and Anesta’s phone went to voicemail,” she drifted off, as the sliding door opened and Anesta came in.
Alice hurriedly ran over to her with outstretched arms. “Oh my dear, we were so worried about the way you left last night. Are you ok?” she asked, with sincerest concern.
Anesta swallowed hard. “Yes and no. Yes, I made it home ok and forget about last night. We have a serious problem which is why I’m here. I already confirmed with T that they were on their way, but I can’t get a hold of Beryl.” Quietly she warned,”I honestly don’t know where to start, but guessing from the nice lady that let me in, you all have an idea what the subject matter will be.”