The one, p.18
The One, page 18
After she left, Peter approached Sy. “I heard her say she was Nikki’s grandma. She your ex-wife or something?”
Sy laughed. “God no. That woman would be the last person I’d be caught with. No, my wife died years ago. She was one of the sweetest people you’d ever know. A whole lot like Patty. Always taking care of people, never turning anyone away. Heddie McCarthy wouldn’t help someone if they showed up bleeding on her doorstep. She’d probably close the door and let the buzzards have them. She might try to come across as an innocent old lady, but she’s nothing of the sort. Her daughter was Nikki’s mom. Her husband and boys were all killed thirteen years ago during the big Tent Revival. When she found out Nikki was alive, well, you can imagine. She tried to get close to her. But the courts favored me and Patty, so we were elected to raise her.”
Peter nodded. “Man, is everybody related around here? It reminds me of my mom’s Russian family. Their connections go back to the Czars. I wouldn’t doubt if they had ties with old Rasputin himself.”
“Family is big here. I can trace mine back more than ten generations. Anyway, Heddie has always wanted Nikki as her own and has tried to win her custody in the past. But she was always rejected.”
Peter smiled at Sy. “Good for Nikki. If she turned out like that old codger, I doubt I’d care for her much.”
“Me either. Want to get some lunch at the diner? I got Hannah coming in this afternoon. We can eat and meet up with the girls later. Maybe catch the same movie.”
“Sounds good to me. I’m pretty hungry.”
Heddie walked down the street a little ways, then ducked in back of a house about a hundred feet from Sy’s store. Henry and Samantha were there, leaned up against the back porch of the place. Samantha stood.
“Was the girl there?”
“No. Only Sy and some boy I’d never seen before. Didn’t much like the look of him neither. Wanted to rip his heart from his chest,” Heddie said.
Samantha sighed. “This isn’t working. They’re protecting her, not letting her out anywhere. The old man apparently doesn’t live where Henry thought he did. Rebecca said there was a river close by, but the river runs from one end of this town to the other.”
“They’s a bunch of houses along the river. We could check ‘em all,” Henry said.
Samantha shook her head. “No. There’s a better way. They’ll be coming to Pa-Rudy’s soon. I know they will. The girl caused havoc the last time, and they’ll need her to do it again. Maybe we could persuade the local sheriff in town to help.”
“I thought Ralph died back during the Revival,” Henry said.
“Maybe, but his grandson’s running things now,” Heddie said.
Samantha smiled. “Then let’s go talk to him. I’m sure he’ll see things our way. Just like Heddie here.”
Henry and Heddie grinned.
Sy pulled into the driveway of his house. He put the car in park, and he and Peter stepped out. Sy had been talking to Patty on the way over. She said Nikki was getting antsy about going to the movies, and he better get a move on. The girls were waiting in the living room.
“There you are,” Nikki said. “We need to go, Papaw, or we’re going to be late.
Patty shook her head and shrugged. “Told you so.”
Sy smiled to his granddaughter. “Then let’s get a move on. Wouldn’t want those superheroes to wait.”
Peter watched from the front porch as Sy, Patty, and Nikki left for the movies. He opened the front door and stepped inside the house. He walked over to Sy’s old recliner and plopped down, getting comfortable. Peter wanted to practice using his new found power and, with the house all quiet, thought this may be the perfect time.
How to summon the dead? He thought there would be a book about it. Probably was. Didn't he see one with leather binding and a twisted face on the front somewhere? He tried to concentrate silently at first, then he began to mutter phrases.
“Come to me. Awaken!”
No good. It all seemed silly to him, but he knew it was possible. Maybe he was trying too hard. Then, a thought occurred to him. All the times his dad came, he was in stress. How did he mimic that feeling when he was as relaxed as he possibly could be? Maybe he should hit something? No good. He didn’t want to mess up Sy’s place, not with him being so good to him. There had to be a way.
Get in the right frame of mind, he told himself. But how?
He concentrated very hard, so much so, he thought he would produce a mega headache. Still nothing. This was getting frustrating. He sat back, exhaling an exasperated breath, and looked to the ceiling of the dimly lit trailer. The sun was going down outside, producing orange light through the window blinds. It left stripes on the opposite wall.
“Why are you trying so hard to see us?” he heard a voice say.
Peter leaned forward and saw not only his dad, but his papa as well.
“Where have you all been? I thought I was going crazy.”
His dad smiled. “We’re always here. You just aren’t looking.”
His papa stood and walked toward him. “I’ve been there since the first day you saw me. I’ve been here in the background of your sight. We all are.”
His papa stretched out his arm, pointing to a fog filled area behind him. Peter saw figures there, many of them, all moving in the mist.
He stared confusedly at the scene. “Who are they?”
His papa smiled. “Why, the dead, of course. Like we are.” He waved his arm to include Peter’s dad. “Every one of us. You can see us if you only open your mind to it.”
“But I’ve been trying to do just that.”
His dad shook his head. “You’re trying too hard. Just trust we’re here, and all will reveal itself. You’re a conduit. Your energy draws us to you.”
“I see. But how do I turn it on and off?”
Peter’s dad smiled. “You don’t. The energy flows through you all the time. When you open your eyes to see it, you’ll know.”
“You mean like some kind of force thing. Like in Star Wars?”
His papa looked confused. Carl McNamara chuckled.
“Something like that. You have the power. You have to trust in it. See it for what it is.”
His dad and papa began to fade.
Peter was perplexed. “Wait. Where’re you going?”
“Nowhere. We’re right here beside you. Call on us whenever you wish, and you’ll see us.”
Peter sat in the darkness, gently rocking in Sy’s chair, relaxing the best he could. So, he didn’t necessarily need stress to bring the ghosts to him, but he figured when he was, they would come to him quicker. It made sense anyway.
What was he thinking? None of this made sense.
Maybe when Sy got back, he’d have a go at trying to figure it all out. At least he’d have someone with an open mind to talk to him about it. Someone who wasn’t dead.
The Evil Celebration
The theater was packed, and the show was ready to start. It would be another stellar production from the superhero factory. At least that’s what Sy called them. They’d been putting those movies out for some years now.
He was glad they came to the theater. They could have streamed it from home, but Nikki needed the time away. She’d been working hard lately, and it was good to see her happy. He leaned over and whispered to her.
“Hey, girl, you ready for the show?”
“Yeah, Papaw. This is the last in the series. Should be good.”
He looked over at Patty on the other side of his granddaughter and smiled. Sy had to be the luckiest man alive, to have both of these wonderful girls by his side. He was sure he was the envy of all.
The lights began to dim and the screen came alive. A reminder to turn off all cell phones for the kindness of your neighbor flashed across in flickering black and white light. It had the appearance of old celluloid film, crackling like an open fire. Just like the ghosts he’d seen.
He still couldn't believe he was privileged to see such things. It gave you a new appreciation of what was going on in the spirit world—a very active place, to say the least.
He watched wide-eyed as the screen changed to something else. A word from local sponsors flashed across, then he blinked as he saw in huge letters:
* * *
COME TO THE GRAND REOPENING OF PA-RUDY’S.
FREE BAR-B-QUE AND DRINKS.
DON’T MISS IT. FRIDAY NIGHT OFF ROUTE 8.
* * *
The message stayed for longer than Sy thought it should. He heard whoops and cries from all around him, people saying they wouldn’t miss it for the world, can’t wait, and damned if they’d miss free drinks. One said they knew the cook, and the food was fantastic.
Sy waited for the message to go, but it kept hanging around. He figured Nikki would be getting upset by the ad keeping her from seeing her movie, but she seemed as mesmerized as everybody else. He couldn't understand why he wasn’t. Didn’t anyone seem to notice this thing wasn’t going away?
Then, he saw someone he hadn’t seen for over thirteen years. Sadie appeared from nowhere, her celluloid appearance like the feature presentation. She hovered in front of him, but no one seemed to see her except him. She smiled and spoke.
“Sy. The spirits are gathering. Peter has opened the barrier and gathered them. He doesn’t know this yet, but it’s starting. All are gathering on Rebecca.” She looked at Nikki. “Our child will finish what has begun. See to it she is where she needs to be before the battle begins. Protect her, Sy. She’s the one, as was told many years before. The one will come, and Rebecca will fall. The day is coming. Go and prepare.”
He nodded. “I will.” Sy watched as she faded. “Wait. Don’t go.”
He wanted to talk to her, to try to get a sense of what she was doing or where she was going. But, as was the case with ghosts, they intervened when needed but never gave much more. Her form vanished completely.
The movie started again, and the ad disappeared from the screen. Nikki and Patty seemed oblivious to what just happened. He hoped Allen and Sage were making preparation as well.
What about Peter though? He wondered how all this was affecting him. Sy would need to talk to him when he got home. He wanted to go now but decided against it. Better to let Nikki enjoy her movie.
It looked like everything was falling into place. All these people, ripe for Rebecca’s picking. They had no idea what was coming.
He did.
This time, though, unlike thirteen years ago, he’d be ready for anything.
Sage noticed the cemetery had suddenly sprung to life. All the spirits were walking the grounds, but instead of aimlessly moving around, they were taking to the sky in a swirling fashion.
They were gathering, like the Parts did when they were active.
This was strange.
Something had happened to cause this, but what? Maybe it was the artifact Rebecca held. The bigger question was, how to use this to their advantage?
He looked up to see Allen floating to the ground in front of him. Sage regarded him with a nod.
“Have you noticed the ghost activity, Sage?”
“Yes, something’s up. But I’m not sure what’s causing it.”
“I think I may know. Peter or Nikki, maybe both, are calling them. They probably don’t even know they’re doing it. Strange how they’re swirling in the same fashion as the Mixed Parts.”
Sage nodded. “I thought the same thing. It’s not their usual way. Almost like they’re preparing for something. The thing I can’t grasp is how are we going to use them to get to Rebecca? If Calypso didn’t work, then what chance do the ghosts have?”
Allen sighed. “Nikki’s not quite ready. I doubt she’d be ready even if we had years to prepare. We’ll need her, though, along with Peter. If the two of them together are strong enough to bring the ghosts to Rebecca, then maybe we can figure out a way to get the artifact from her. It’s the only chance we have.”
“I agree, Allen. They are. Have you told them about Rebecca? How she can’t be destroyed?”
Allen sighed. “No. But hopefully they won’t have to get close to her. We’re the ones who will do it. Subdue her somehow. It’s the only way.”
“Well, Allen, at least Nikki can dispatch Samson and his helpers. We’ve seen her do it. Maybe she could at least slow Rebecca down enough to give us access to the artifact.”
Allen considered this. “I think she could.” He paused. “I think she’s the one.”
Sage raised his eyebrows. “You seem sure. More so than before. Have you seen something in her?”
“It may be a hunch, but she displays many of the attributes. Clairvoyance, necromancy, all the good traits. She only needs to build her confidence. That’s where I come in.”
Suddenly, the ghosts above them began to shift direction.
Sage regarded them. “What do you think they’re doing?”
“Not sure. It looks like they’re moving away.”
The ghosts continued to swirl but slowly made their way to the perimeter of the cemetery. They began disappearing into the night in single file until they were all gone.
“Should we follow?” Allen said.
“Yes. I’m curious to see where they’re going. But I have a suspicion it will lead to a familiar front door.”
It was close to ten o’clock when Sy pulled in to his driveway. Immediately, he noticed something out of the ordinary.
His trailer was surrounded by ghosts. They flashed and flickered in and out of existence, all like old celluloid. It was like one of the films he watched as a kid in the local bijou, the one they tore down years ago after a fire. But he remembered catching the old monster flicks with his dad.
Seeing the ghosts brought back the memories of being fascinated and scared at the same time.
Sy noticed Patty and Nikki looking at the scene, wide-eyed and unsure.
“What do you make of it, Sy?”
“I don’t know, Patty. Maybe Peter had a breakthrough? He said he’d be practicing.”
“They’re so pretty, Papaw. Kind of scary too.”
“I didn’t tell you all, but when we were in the theater, I was visited by Sadie.”
“What? Your wife? You haven’t seen her since the Revival,” Patty said.
“I know. It took me by surprise. She gave me a message about a battle to come. She said Nikki would have a part in it, maybe bigger than we realize.”
“Me? Who’s Sadie?”
Patty squeezed her hand. “She’s your first Mamaw, but she’s dead now.”
“Really? I’d like to meet her. I could probably do it too, just like I do with Mom.”
“I’m sure you can, but right now, we have to get inside and see what Peter’s up to,” Sy said. He shut the car off and got out.
One of the ghosts walked right through him, making him wince. They felt wispy, like a breeze blowing by with only a hint of them being there. A flash of bright light, and they were by you.
Nikki and Patty headed for the front door ahead of him. The ghosts stayed mostly to the yard, floating up and down the hill to the river bank and all around the back of the house. Luckily, the neighbors were gone to their other vacation home, or they’d be getting quite the show.
When they entered the house, the ghosts were still there, all over the living room and floating up and down the halls. Peter sat in the dark, staring at the spectacle.
“Hey, Pete, what’s going on here?”
Peter looked up, startled for a moment. “Hey, Sy. I don’t know. I was practicing and, well…looks like it was successful. Only problem is, I don’t know how to turn it off.”
Sy watched as one of the ghosts stopped and regarded Nikki for a moment, who brushed it away, clearly annoyed. She was like a magnet for them, he supposed.
“They seem to like you, Nikki,” Patty said.
“I guess, but I’d rather see my mom or Ben. I don’t know any of these people.”
“Hey, Pete. Do you think you can at least reduce some of the traffic?”
“I don’t know, Sy. I can’t exactly figure any magic words or wave a wand to get rid of them. These powers are cool, but there doesn’t seem to be any kind of instruction book for it. If you know something I don’t, then I’m all ears.”
Sy shook his head, then turned on the lights. It didn’t help, only made the ghosts look a little dimmer. Then, he watched as the ghosts gathered around Nikki.
Still annoyed, she attempted to swat them away, but they kept coming. He crouched beside her.
“Hey, Nikki, maybe you could do something. Do you think you could get them to follow you?”
“I don’t know, Papaw. How?”
“Maybe your mom and brother can help,” Patty said.
Sy grinned at her. “Yes, good idea, Patty. Go ahead. See if it works.”
“Definitely. I could use all the help I can get,” Peter said.
Nikki groaned. “All right, I’ll try. Mom, Ben, are you there?”
There was a shuffling of the ghosts in the hallway. They moved to the side like they were being commanded to do so. Some vanished through the walls, appearing again on the front lawn. So strange and magical.
Between the others, Nicole appeared. Her appearance was of the murdered Nicole, marred by the wound on her head. She held Ben, his legs missing, the bottom of his torso a jagged edge of flesh. They flashed like the other ghosts, making their appearance look especially eerie. But when they reached Nikki, they suddenly became whole again. It was as if her presence brought some normality to their crazy existence.
Nicole looked down at Nikki. Sy could see her mouthing words slower than they should be, like one of those old kung fu movies where the words were badly dubbed over in English.
She smiled at Nikki. “What do you need, baby?”
Ben pulled away and jumped into Nikki’s arm, cooing and trying to cuddle with her.
“Hey, Mom. Can you make them all stop? I mean, make them at least go away from the house anyway.”
