Paranormal Summer (Indigo Moon Rising) (19 page)

Before the sun set, the kids left the farm and started walking down the dirt road to the cabin. Ryan still hadn't asked about the property. They didn't think they were any closer to finding out about who Emmy was and what could have happened to Elizabeth.

As they entered from the dirt road, the path was becoming less concealed by their trekking in and out over the last few days. It was much easier to move through the thick bush, and it was still light out. When they arrived, the cabin didn't seem so vexing. Just sad. The pond was more like a bog, muddy, and they watched as a turtle ran from beside the cabin from where the garden had been, back to the muck. A large dark shadow fell over the ground. The three looked up and a large bird circled above them three times and flew off. Darkness was falling and the sounds of the night began to make the scene that they were in feel like in a horror movie.

Ryan went into the large room of the cabin and sat down on the floor, opened his backpack and took out a candle and a box of matches and set them on the floor. He dug around and found his digital recorder, pressed play and slipped it into his shirt pocket. He motioned for the girls and they sat down in a circle, knee to knee. Jillian took a deep breath and sighed deeply. She picked up the box and took out a match. She struck it against the side and held it a moment. Touching the match to the wick, the flame grew and she blew out the match. Just as they had done the first night, Jillian positioned her hands above her knees, Sonya took her hand, and in turn Ryan took both of the girl's hands, completing the circle.

Jillian began, "Emmy. Are you here? We have come back. We want to help."

Ryan began to look down, and it was like he was listening to something. His eyes were darting back and forth. The temperature began to drop. Jillian was trying to prepare herself to feel Emmy's grief. She began to breathe differently, short, sharp breaths. Her brow wrinkled. She knew something was different. She started feeling angry, mad, and hurt. Overwhelming feelings all tangled together.
"
You don't want to help me. You want to laugh at my expense,
"
Jillian said, channeling Emmy. This time, Jillian was aware of what she was saying,
"
Leave me be."

Ryan was watching Jillian. "Emmy, why do you say we don't want to help you? We have been trying to find out who you were when you were alive."

"
Don't lie to me; I see it in your eyes. You know the truth," she said to Ryan. "The others didn't care about us, either. You led them here,”
she said, as Jillian began to cry.

"We are not lying. We want to help you find Elizabeth so you can be together," Ryan said watching Jillian, wanting to physically see Emmy again. "What others are you talking about?"

"Those disgusting hoodlums,"
she yelled, as Ryan watched her face morph into Emmys, but this time it was red and angry. As he focused, it was as if he was seeing the cabin from her perspective. She was in the large room and heard someone approaching. There was a commotion on the front porch and three people walked in. It was two boys and one girl.

Ryan watched the vision unfold; he was standing in Emmy's shoes now. The three walked around, acting like they owned the place. One boy kicked the table, which collapsed and fell to the floor. He threw the chair at the window, breaking the glass, and then flicked a cigarette butt. It landed on the floor. The other boy, who was much taller, yelled "Hey there, we've come to get you! Release you from the chains that bind. Now, where is a good hiding place? In the chimney, or the wall? What a dump," he said as he peed in the corner. After he zipped himself up, he whipped around and within inches of where Jillian had fallen through, he got sucked into the floor. Swearing, he pulled himself out of the broken floorboards, the other two laughing hysterically at him. The one kid pulled a lighter out of his pocket and handed to the one who had fallen. He knelt down and stuck it inside the hole and pulled out a book and held it up. His eyes got wide and the three of them started to laugh. The white hair boy smiled and said, “The time is at hand.”

"Oh no,"
Emmy said.

Ryan began to feel sick. He recognized the book; it was just like Emmy's. He closed his eyes and shook his head. He let go of the girl's hands breaking the circle. The vision stopped. Jillian was silent; her chin was to her chest. She raised her head and stared at Ryan.

"Would somebody please tell me what's going on?" Sonya begged. "I can see, well I can't see, but I know Emmy was talking through Jillian again. Why is she so upset? Ryan, what did you see this time?"

"Someone was here, in the cabin," he said, pulling his flashlight from his backpack and shining it towards the broken table, then the broken window. Over there was the cigarette butt. Then absolute confirmation, there was the other hole in the floorboards.

"Oh my God, who was it?" Sonya asked, starting to get scared, thinking they might still be around.

"Do you know Deryk Pleshick? It was him, Crazy Roberta and that other kid, Gage. How did they know about the cabin? Have you guys told anybody?" Ryan yelled. He knew what kind of kids they were; he was concerned for everyone's safety, including Emmy and Elizabeth.

"Not me, I don't know anybody but you two, and my aunt and uncle. I haven't told them anything about this," Jillian said, shaking her head.

"No, not a word." Sonya said, knowing that this could mean real trouble for all of them. Those kids had been such a problem to the town, and they didn't care. She couldn't even think of a word to call them. However, zombies came to mind.

Ryan took a deep breath, knowing that this might be their last chance to help. "Okay then, Jillian I need you to concentrate. Focus on Emmy. She needs to focus on how much she loved Elizabeth. Only those wonderful feelings. She needs to see her, feel her in her arms, rocking her, kissing her baby girl. Can you do that? Can you help her bring back those memories?” Ryan asked, squeezing her hand.

"I will try," Jillian said, taking a deep breath. She closed her eyes and began to breathe deeply and relax. After she had composed herself, she said, "Emmy I promise you, we are here to help. But our time may be limited. We had nothing to do with those other kids. Please help us. Start to think about Elizabeth. How beautiful she was. Her tiny fingers and toes. Her loving eyes that watched you everywhere you went. The sounds she made when she was happy. Feel yourself holding her in your arms and rocking her, kissing her again," Jillian started nodding. "I can feel it," she said, starting to cry tears of joy.

"Elizabeth Joy Masterson,
"
said Emmy's voice
, "
I had no idea what love was until you were born."
 
Jillian brought her arms up in front of her, as if she were cradling a baby, her head was down and she was rocking.

Ryan focused on Jillian, and as he did, the scene changed to one he had seen before. Emmy was in her garden, the woman showed up. Elizabeth, maybe a little over a year old, was playing in the garden with a handmade doll. Emmy and the woman went in the cabin. He focused his vision on staying outside this time to watch Elizabeth. She was watching a white butterfly. It was flitting from plant to plant. Elizabeth was trying to catch it. It would fly from one flower to another. She would crawl to where it landed, and as she got close, it would move onto another flower. It landed on the morning glories at the garden gate. Elizabeth almost got it. It moved on into the front yard, and landed on some clover. Elizabeth followed right along. It landed on some yellow jewel weed. Elizabeth was laughing, enjoying the game. The butterfly landed on some snake grass and she followed it, right on into the mud. She almost had it in her tiny fingers, but the butterfly moved further and so did Elizabeth, but she fell on all fours, the muck was up to her shoulders and hips. She started to panic, and tried to roll over. The husband in the woods stood watching the whole thing, doing nothing.

"Elizabeth!"
Emmy screamed, seeing her baby unable to free herself from the muck, struggling, until there was no trace left of her. Ryan's heart sank, and he began to cry. He got up off the floor grabbing Jillian and Sonya, dragging them out the front door. He ran with them to the front yard.

He looked at Sonya and held her by her shoulders. "Do what you do. Help heal this tragedy," he said, tears streaming down his cheeks. She was overwhelmed at the physical sensations she felt and closed her eyes. She kept calling out in her mind...Elizabeth. Ryan turned to Jillian, and walked her to the water’s edge and looked out calling, "Elizabeth, here's your mommy! Look around, look, she's right here. Come on Elizabeth, she's here waiting for you." He looked at Jillian, who under the moonlight now looked like Emmy.

She started crying,
"Elizabeth Joy Masterson, here I am. Mommy’s here,"
she called, her voice breaking from the pain. Her eyes scanned the pond, and finally stopping, she focused. She smiled and held out her arms and knelt down. Her fingertips motioned 'come here' and then she wrapped her arms in front of her chest, stood up and turned to Ryan and Sonya. Backlit by the moon, they could both see Emmy holding Elizabeth. The baby was looking at her mother’s face, her tiny fingers touching it. Her hands running through her golden blond hair, laughing, and then she laid her cheek against her mothers. They seemed to meld together. Emmy closed her eyes for a long second and opened them; looking at Ryan and said, "Thank you." As she took a deep breath, she smiled and held Elizabeth tighter. They faded, leaving Jillian standing there alone with the moon as her backdrop.

The next day as Jillian walked down Main Street, she felt a sense of pride from the community. The sidewalks were clean. There were old-fashioned street lights and hanging pots overflowing with flowers. The store fronts were all older and extremely well kept. Quaint.

She was sure she knew where she was going, and as she rounded the corner she could see the beautiful antique looking sign, “The What Not Shop,” hanging above the large store windows. They were adorned with aqua and blue stained glass. This motif ran both sides of the block, giving it symmetry. There was already a crowd gathering outside. A large, purple ribbon with a bow hung across the front doors. The local television station van was parked in front to publicize the opening.

Jillian walked a bit slower, feeling shy again. She saw Ryan walking towards the shop from the other direction and felt relieved. She knew that Sonya was already inside, helping out Doreen. Her aunt had left the house early this morning, filling her car with more boxes of her home-made herbals to sell in the store. As Jillian met Ryan, he offered her some of what he was eating, wiping his forehead.

“Well, there's hot and then there's HOT,” he said, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye and putting a napkin in his pants pocket. He must have been at Jorge's restaurant getting a bite to eat. As they stood there, at the side of the crowd, more people walked up. When the mayor arrived, he was complaining that he had to walk three blocks, because all the parking spaces had already been taken.

The anchorwoman for the TV station was very smartly dressed. She was tan with prominent white teeth and long, thick, black hair that was styled and sprayed in place. She wore a pink skirt and jacket with pink heels. Jillian wondered if she would shop here since she was thinking that it was going to be more of a hippie type store. Doreen stood beside her. She looked like an angel. She was tall and slender, with long, curly, ginger-red hair, and an ivory complexion, lightly kissed with freckles. She wore a flowered cotton dress that was light and airy, a sprinkling of jewelry, and flats. She was introduced on camera, and she gave a brief description of the store they had owned in Boston. She told of how they traveled down the coast and found this little town. They decided to pack up shop and move here. She talked about what kinds of things you could find inside. Then she and the mayor cut the ribbon, the crowd applauded, the doors swung open, and everyone flooded inside.