Ghostwriting (14 page)

Isis shrugged. ‘If that is your will … it's entirely up to you, or rather, your attitude. A few months ago you didn't believe in ghosts. If you can embrace your own personal power as you have embraced
your psychic knowledge, then …' she gave a firm nod to reinforce her belief, ‘… a few months from now you will believe in true love.'

Shannon couldn't prevent tears from welling, and glancing at Billie she noted that she was teary, too, for Isis' claims rang so true. ‘How can you be so sure about the future?' This was more an admiring statement than a question.

Again Isis shrugged. ‘It is easy to be blasé about the future once you realise that you create it.' Isis smiled. ‘In my reality, for example, I know that you get the man and go on to great heights of success with your career. Is that what happens in your reality? We'll see.'

Both Billie and Shannon had silent tears streaming down their faces now. ‘You make it sound so simple,' Shannon wheezed and gave a sniffle, rummaging in her pocket for a tissue.

‘It
is
that simple.' Isis emphasised the fact. ‘You have a strong will, as does this one,' and she motioned to Billie who was looking a little more convinced with regard to Isis' gifts. ‘Know what you want and your will shall grant your every wish in life … good or bad, unfortunately.' The psychic gasped suddenly, which startled both Billie and Shannon. ‘Oh dear.' Isis looked about her warily and then to the house.

‘What is it?' Shannon began looking around also, although she had no idea what she was searching for.

‘Heartley's spirit was at large when the porthole in the pool was sealed,' she informed them.

‘How do you know that?' Billie challenged. Then all the hairs on Billie's arms and neck suddenly stood on end and she shivered as a cold rush of energy brushed past her. ‘Oh, crap, not again.' She moved closer to Isis, suddenly very glad to have her on the team.

‘Time for games is at an end.' Isis ushered them toward her car. ‘We'll discuss our strategy inside.'

‘But I've seen Heartley get inside a car before,' Billie stated for the record.

‘He won't get inside this car.' The psychic's smile was very reassuring.

 

Midnight was the hour the ritual would take place, for this was the time of day for banishing magic to be performed. Isis had nominated the date for the ritual, as it was a waning moon and thus the time of the month for letting go of things.

At present a north wind was blowing, which aided any ritual involving the finishing, closing and separating of things. A west wind would also suit their purpose, for with it came an energy of cleansing and purification, love and gentleness. As an east wind brought new beginnings, change, intellect and communication, and the south wind promoted fire, passion and strength, these were both unsuitable: if the wind changed in either of these
directions before they'd finished the ritual, it would have to be postponed to another day.

Between dusk and midnight they remained in the car, picking at a beautiful spread of finger food that Isis had brought along, as the psychic discussed what would unfold come the midnight hour.

All was quiet within the house until well after dark, when all of a sudden, every light in the house came on, and began flickering on and off in unison.

‘Oh, shit!' Simon wanted to hide.

‘Ignore it,' Isis instructed, paying the occurrence no heed herself. ‘He's just trying to intimidate us.'

‘Well, it's working,' Simon muttered, and as he did, the front door of the house opened.

Out flew a lamp fixture, still flickering with light despite the fact that it was no longer connected to a power source. The heavy item was on a collision course with the car.

Simon, expecting the window to shatter on impact, ducked.

A metre from its target, an unseen force surrounding the car repelled the lamp which began circling the vehicle.

‘What the hell happened there?' Billie couldn't believe her eyes.

Isis was tickled by the warrior woman's wonder. ‘All of life is but an interplay of energy and atoms.'

‘Oh,' said Billie, not wanting to seem thick.
What the fuck does that mean?

‘Here.' Isis pulled out, from a compartment in the car door, a collection of small purple satin pouches on long purple cords, which smelt heavenly. ‘These are amulets, or spells if you like, that will protect you from any evil intent Heartley may try to inflict upon you. Breathe deep the healing aroma, for it will cleanse your spirit and thus you shall be protected.' Isis placed one of the cords over Billie's head so that the pouch hung down over her heart. ‘These are especially important for you two,' she informed Billie and Shannon, ‘because you are both so highly psychic yourselves and therefore susceptible to attack.'

Billie had a chuckle at this, thinking the psychic was exaggerating as far as Billie herself was concerned.

‘What's so funny?' Isis queried in all seriousness. ‘In a few years you'll be making a very good living from the craft.'

‘Bullshit!' Billie's smile was so broad that she couldn't wipe it from her face, and was stunned to discover that she wanted to believe Isis. This little adventure had helped her to discover a whole new depth to life and she tried to imagine what a lifetime of such pursuits would do for the soul. She'd never even believed she had a soul before now.

‘It's up to you, Billie,' Isis replied, as she finished handing out the amulets.

‘Doesn't Jupiter get one?' Billie noticed he'd been bypassed.

Jupiter, being a mute, smiled at her concern and shook his head.

‘He is our channel,' Isis explained on her partner's behalf. ‘He shall draw Heartley back to the grave where his spirit belongs.'

 

At a quarter of the hour to midnight the party prepared to venture out.

The lamp had been joined in its flight around their vehicle by several household items, including a large metal toaster that Simon didn't fancy copping in the head.

‘Trust me, my sweet,' Isis appealed to Simon, her hand perched on the door handle. ‘He cannot harm you. He will try to frighten you, but it is an illusion. You make it real by believing Heartley's deception.'

‘Then by rights,' Shannon reasoned, ‘are we not reinforcing Heartley's power by performing a ritual, as the act acknowledges his existence.'

‘Oh, Heartley's spirit is real,' Isis clarified, ‘it is his power in the physical world that is an illusion. What power Heartley had in this world died with him. Remember that and we shall fare well.'

‘Perhaps I should stay.' Simon shied away from the challenge, having felt Heartley's wrath before.

‘We need you for numbers.' Shannon grabbed his hand to encourage him to be strong.

‘Yeah,' Billie shoved his knee with hers. ‘You're our west.'

Each member of their party had a designated direction to occupy during the ritual. West was Simon's position; Billie was to be south, Shannon was to be east and Isis was to stand to the north, where the gate to the recently fenced-off grave site was located. Jupiter would stand atop the grave itself, and his psychic wellbeing was assured so long as his companions maintained their positions throughout the ritual.

Isis didn't wait for Simon's resolve to strengthen; she knew he would come to the party. She opened her door and stepped outside.

All the circling paraphernalia dropped to the ground instantly, and the house fell into darkness.

Shannon, Billie and Simon weren't sure what was more unnerving, the paranormal episode or the still, dark silence that awaited them as they emerged from the warmth and protection of the luxurious car.

Heartley's choice of resting place wasn't too far from the house, but it seemed to take forever to reach it in the dark with only a couple of flashlights for guidance. The patch of property where the grave was located had become rather overgrown; it seemed Heartley's descendants had not gone to any great lengths to make it accessible. Fortunately, the men Simon had hired to erect a fence around the grave had cleared some of the scrub from around the raised stone, which had been cemented into the top.

Jupiter walked straight in through the open iron gate and sat himself upon the tombstone.

‘How can we be sure that Heartley will come?' Billie was not sceptical, just curious.

‘No disembodied spirit can resist an open medium … like moths to a flame they come.' Isis gently urged Billie to take up her position.

‘But why can't spirits resist him?'

‘Because in Jupiter lies the means to their true expression in the physical world,' Isis explained quickly, eager to get on with it.

But how can a ghost express himself through a mute?
Billie wanted to ask, but, feeling that she'd be pushing the friendship, she took up her position to the south of the gravesite.

Once everyone was in place, Isis began calling Heartley back to his grave and Jupiter's head dropped forward as he concentrated on grounding himself.

A surge of wind swept into their presence from the direction of the house. It shot past each member of the outer circle before rushing into the gravesite through the open gate and colliding with Jupiter with such force that the impact nearly knocked him over.

Isis immediately ran to close the gate, but to the horror of the three people looking on, Jupiter stood up and raced across to prevent her closing it. Isis slammed the gate shut, and locked it as Jupiter rammed into the iron bars and gripped them to rattle the gate and check its sturdiness.

‘Give me the key, whore.' Jupiter surprised Billie and Shannon when he spoke.

Isis had backed up beyond his reach. ‘Your escapades in the physical world are hereby curtailed, Edmond Heartley. You can return to the light that spawned you, or you can remain confined to this wee patch of ground for all eternity. The choice is yours.'

Jupiter was seething, and the angrier and more red-faced he became the higher he lifted off the ground, rising until his whole body drifted above the height of the fence.

Simon backed up a couple of paces. ‘He's going to —'

‘He certainly is not,' Isis snapped, ‘so don't even suggest it. And don't break the circle. That's just what he wants.'

Jupiter floated over to the westerly side of the grave to taunt Simon. ‘Beat it, girl,' Jupiter hissed. ‘You fags are all chickenshit.'

Simon's expression hardened at the insult, and he resolved to stay put. He took two large steps forward to resume a position closer to the action. ‘But big, tough, abusive fellows like yourself really get me hot.' Simon blew a kiss to Jupiter and served him a wink.

The spirit quickly changed position and headed south, toward Billie. ‘Well, if it isn't my favourite victim.'

‘I kicked your arse —'

‘Billie, he's coming after you because he knows you're easily riled. Don't touch him,' Isis warned. ‘If you make contact with him through the bars, he'll use you as an outlet to escape.'

‘Ah.' Billie smiled with a new understanding. ‘Nice try, butthead, but I'm not biting.'

‘Be nice, Billie. We promised Katlin,' Shannon reminded her.

‘
Stupid, weak whore.
' Jupiter exaggerated every word as he headed east and into Shannon's quarter.

‘She forgives you, Heartley,' Shannon said tenderly. ‘You can stop being angry with yourself now, for she will seek no retribution in the next life. You have no need to fear moving on.'

‘She forgives me,' Jupiter snarled. ‘The two-timing bitch scared me to death!'

‘And you butchered her slowly, you sick motherfu —'

‘Billie!' Shannon appealed to her to refrain, and then looked back at Heartley. ‘Katlin never two-timed you, because she never loved you in the first place.'

‘Nor did my second wife,' Heartley grumbled, ‘although she deceived me into thinking that she did love me.' He sounded suddenly sad and betrayed.

‘None of it matters any more.' Isis drew Jupiter's attention. ‘Leave it in the past along with your guilt, fear, anger and greed. You can progress beyond this sorry state and be reborn —'

‘To live another loveless life?' Jupiter snapped.

‘That would depend,' Isis replied, surely, ‘on whether you are over that loveless experience, and whether you are ready to try loving others so that you might in turn be loved in a sincere, pure and respectful way.'

Jupiter was grumbling and was suddenly violently ill; to the uninformed it seemed as if he was rejecting Isis' notion, but his reaction meant that he was considering her suggestion.

‘I was very cruel to her when I could not get her to love me,' Jupiter gasped for air between words, ‘nor even tolerate my presence.'

‘But it wasn't that
you
couldn't win her heart.' Shannon intervened in the proceedings as she had intimate knowledge of his plight. ‘The fact was, no man could have won her heart! How can you possibly expect to run and win a race that has already been won, the prize already claimed.'

‘I know, I know,' he mumbled, reduced to tears. ‘But I punished her for her disdain toward me, which only made matters worse, and inside myself I became twisted by my desire to break her will. Was it any wonder that no one could truly love the monster I became?'

‘None of it matters any more,' Isis repeated, more gently this time. ‘Let it go, Edmond. Forgive yourself. Resolve to do, and know, better and move on.'

Jupiter said nothing. He just nodded and lowered himself back into a seated position on the gravestone.

‘Turn now to the light that beckons you, Edmond,' Isis instructed, ‘Go in peace, brother.'

‘Go in peace,' Shannon, Billie and Simon repeated after Isis.

Air streamed out of Jupiter in all directions, causing his hair and attire to billow in its wake, then a near-transparent white vapour flowed out of the medium and down over the gravestone, into which it was absorbed.