Spirit Eyes (6 page)

Pearl, in a state of full alert, continued to stare at the strange man.

Come here
, he told her, using his mind.
I have a secret, but you can’t tell anyone
.

“I can’t. I have to go,” she yelled out. She stared for only a moment more, and then raced after her friends.

“Mrs. King, there’s a man over there. Pearl saw him and he wanted us to go to him,” Rachel yelled out.

“Where?”

Pearl came up and heard her friends telling the teacher about the man and chimed in. “By the baseball diamond. The other girls didn’t see him, though, so I think he’s one of my people.”

Mrs. King, obviously upset, cast a strange gaze Pearl’s way.

Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything.

“None of you other children saw this man?”

“No, ma’am,” they sang out in harmony.

“Is he still there, Pearl?”

She turned her head and stared over to where he had stood. “No.”

“Then, maybe it’s time for you to stop making things up.”

Pearl’s cheeks burned red and she lowered her head. A strange sensation whirled around her throat and she swallowed hard to stop it. It continued to grow, and unused to such powerful emotion, she realized she needed to cry.

Mrs. King glanced at the field and, assured no man stood there, told the children to run along.

“And Pearl. It’s wrong to lie.”

She fought the sensation much too long. She turned from Mrs. King and let hot tears fall.

* * * *

Later that evening, after the dinner dishes had been cleared and homework was underway, the telephone rang. Ruth took a sip of coffee, swallowed and answered.

“Hello.”

“Hello, Mrs. Adler? This is Rachel Townsend’s mother, Eve. She’s a friend of Pearls from school.”

It took a moment, but Ruth quickly placed Rachel’s face. “Yes, hi, how are you?”

“I’m fine. I just have a quick question about something that happened with the kids at school today.”

“Oh?”

“I’m concerned about—well, did Pearl tell you she saw a man near the playground this afternoon?”

“No, actually she didn’t.”

“I just want to make sure she didn’t see a pedophile or something. I talked with Mrs. King and she told me all about it.”

“Oh, boy.”

“What?” Mrs. Townsend asked.

“I didn’t want this to get out and really wish Mrs. King would have discussed this with me first.”

“Please, Mrs. Adler…”

“Call me Ruth.”

“Ruth, the problem is that my Rachel is a very sensitive child. Now, with Pearl telling tall tales about men in the field, why, I’m never going to get her to school.”

“Excuse me?”

“You have to know the stories of that area. It’s told that before the school was built, that part of town held bars and such. Rumor has it that during the early 1950’s a man was killed in the German American Club located right where the baseball field is, and then it was burned to the ground.”

“No, I didn’t know that.” Ruth coughed and swallowed feeling her throat tighten.

“The historical society has a picture of him on the wall. I assumed you knew and told the story to Pearl.”

“I’m sorry, Eve, but I’m not in the habit of telling my daughter gruesome tales of old. Gangsters getting whacked in local bars and then burned, as enticing as that seems, doesn’t cut it for bedtime stories around here.”

“Please don’t get upset, Mrs. Adler—Ruth. There’s no need to be so defensive. I’d want someone to call me if my daughter was telling lies to scare the other kids.”

“Telling lies? How dare you?” Ruth braced herself against the kitchen counter.
Calm down…
She now ranted with anger she was sure only a protective mother bear could understand.
“In my opinion, you are a rotten, insensitive person, cruelly accusing my daughter of being dishonest. I’ll have you know that I will be speaking to Mrs. King, and if you breathe a word of this to the other parents, I will take it straight to the school board.”

“I can see this conversation is going nowhere,” Mrs. Townsend said. “Please keep Pearl away from Rachel. Like I said, she’s very sensitive and doesn’t need to be frightened by a classmate.”

Ruth hung up, livid.

“Mommy?” Pearl sidled up next to her. Holding a sheet of homework, she asked, “Was long division as hellish for you as it is for me?”

“Pearl, I’ve told you to stop the swearing.” She knew she was misplacing her anger, and after an anxious, apologetic look, she knelt down in front of her and wrapped her in her arms.

“Who was that you were talking to, Mommy?” she asked as she pulled away.

Pearl’s smoldering, dark eyes were a dead giveaway to the inner turmoil she suffered, and a smile would be like putting a drop of water onto an inferno.

“Someone from school. It was Rachel’s mom.”

“Did she tell you about the man I saw?” Her voice dripped with apprehension.

“Um, yep.” She pulled her close, again. “Why is it you didn’t tell me about it?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t get a chance, I guess.”

“Well, I can give you a chance right now.”

“Mommy, what is it you want me to do? Should I keep it quiet when I see my people?”

“Um…yeah, Pearl. I think that’s a very good idea from now on. I should have told you that in the beginning. No more telling anyone, okay? If you see them, I want you to tell only me.”

“Okay.” Pearl slid off as Ruth stood.

“I need help with my math,” Pearl said as she walked away.

Ruth rubbed her eyes. They’d been sore lately, and bloodshot. She coughed and felt sick. She headed to the bathroom and threw up.
Nerves. I’ve got to calm down.

On the last day for students, the schoolyard buzzed with excitement, full of tables holding tubs of ice cream and toppings. Everyone gathered for some fun. Parents, and teachers talked and laughed, while the kids stuffed themselves at the Parent’s Club annual ice cream social.

Pearl raced around with her friends, coming back up for second and then third helpings.

Ruth had volunteered months ago to help out, but now she wished she hadn’t. Her eyes still bothered her. A trip to the doctor did nothing to alleviate the watering and redness. On top of that, her fingers were sore. It felt as if she had hundreds of paper cuts on each one, but they appeared perfectly normal. Her hacking cough was no better, and now she’d developed chronic diarrhea. She’d lost ten pounds, and people were asking what was wrong with her.

“Sometimes, I wish I had something to tell people,” she said to Paul. “Maybe I should make something up.”

“Here, give me that scoop.” He put it in one of the empty tubs, walked her to a shaded spot, and sat her down on a bench. “We’ve done our share. I’ll go get the car.”

“Why?”

“I’m taking you to the doctor. If they can’t find anything wrong, then I want them to locate someone who will. It’s obvious you’re a very sick woman.”

“Oh, Paul. Don’t.” The mention of another doctor visit set off her increasing irritation with the medical profession. “It’s no use. I’ve seen so many doctors that there aren’t any more in the area to see. Some of them twice. When they see me coming, I swear they hide. They all say the same thing. I had a bad case of flu and now I’m rundown.”

Lotus, dropped off by a friend’s mother, ran up. “I was afraid I was going to miss this.” She threw her pile of books and papers onto Ruth’s lap without so much as a hello, and took off to get ice cream and visit with old teachers.

“Nothing like being appreciated,” Ruth laughed.

“She’s a teen. What can you say?”

“Oh, gees,” Ruth said. “There’s that Eve Townsend. What a piece of work she is. She thinks she runs this school. I can’t get what she said about Pearl out of my mind. She’s even trying to keep Rachel away from her. Who’s the adult and who’s the child in this scenario?” She glanced his way, exasperated. A small, dark haired woman came up to their table.

“We have a customer,” Paul said.

“I see that.”

They sauntered across the grass, Paul’s arm draped across Ruth’s shoulders.

The older Asian woman was dressed very strangely, and eyed Paul and Ruth.

“Sorry, ma’am,” Paul said. He tipped one of the empty tubs of ice cream. “We’re fresh out.”

As if she didn’t understand or speak English, she simply stared at them.

Ruth eyed her up and down, and realized she was dressed as they had in China many, many years before. “Is there something you need?” she asked.

Suddenly she knew – it was one of the ancestors. She swore she could see a resemblance to her baby, Pearl.

Slowly, the woman raised her arm, not saying a word, and when Ruth reached out, she placed a strange looking coin-like object, about the size of a half-dollar, in her hand. Still with no words exchanged, the woman turned and walked away. She ventured into the grassy area, and then turned by a building and out of their sight.

“Well, that was strange,” Paul said.

Ruth didn’t answer. She brought the object up to her eyes and studied it. Very old and worn, she studied the ancient Chinese characters.

She knew it was one of the ancestors, but she could never tell Paul that. He’d tell her she was being ridiculous. This was one of the greatest moments in her life, and she wouldn’t let it be spoiled by his disbelief.

Paul reached his hand out, “Here, let me see that thing.”

Ruth didn’t want to part with it, and she didn’t have to, because Paul was caught off guard by Lotus and Pearl running up. They grabbed his arms and begged him to be one of the targets for a pie-throwing contest. They used up all the left over whip cream by covering a paper plate with it and throwing it at the teachers and parents.

“Okay, okay, no problem. I’m coming.”

He looked at Ruth. “So what did that lady just give you?”

“What lady?” Lotus asked.

“Some strange Asian woman walked up to us, and she handed Mommy something and then she left. Gone.”

“Oh, no, not you now,” Lotus moaned. “Am I the only one in the family who doesn’t see ghosts? It’s bad enough being the only Asian kids in the area, now throw in a family of psychic misfits and
Pow
—instant nerd targets.”

“She wasn’t a ghost,” Paul said.

Ruth confirmed that. “No, she wasn’t. We both saw her. She walked that way.” She pointed into the grassy area.

Instantly Pearl scanned the area.

“That’s it, super freak,” Lotus said. “Use your x-ray vision to spot the alien.”

“Do you see anything?” Ruth asked Pearl as she lightly punched Lotus in the arm. “Knock it off,” she hissed at her.

“No, nothing unusual.” Losing interest quickly, the girls grabbed their father’s hands once again and pulled him to the contest.

Later that evening, Ruth took to the computer. Everyone seemed to have forgotten the woman and the coin she’d handed to her, which was wonderful, as far as she was concerned. This gave her a little time to do her research.

It took awhile, but she finally found a website that explained what the old charms were.

They were meant for protection
. After doing a rubbing on paper, she could make the details out better and couldn’t believe when she found the exact one.
The amulet’s purpose is to suppress evil spirits and avert misfortune. The Taoist Immortal Lu Tung-Pin holds a magic sword, which can kill ghosts or demons. He holds a whisk also, which gives him the ability to walk on clouds and fly to the heavens.
The words
zhu shen hui bi
meant
evade all the spirits
.

The other side had written on it
qu xie jiang fu,
which meant
Expel evil and send down good fortune
. She read further.
The Immortal Taoist Zhong Kui, a popular slayer of demons holds a sword, also. On his hat are devices that indicate unseen dangerous ghosts.

She wanted, in the worst way, to hold on to this treasure, but she knew who it was meant for, so she went to Pearl’s room to talk.

“Hey, kiddo. You busy?”

“When am I
not
busy?” Pearl answered.

“Ya know you don’t have to say everything I do.”

“I know.”

Ruth sat on Pearl’s bed and leaned back on her pink fairy pillow. Pearl did the same, next to her.

“I got this today,” she started out, “from that lady at the school.”

Pearl took it in her hand and to Ruth’s horror, her eyes rolled back in her head.

“Pearl!” She slapped her face slightly. “Wake up.”

Her eyes returned to normal, but Pearl lifted her head and spoke. “The line will remain unbroken. Oceans divide, mountains obscure, the heart bends to the will of God, never will it be unspoken.”

“Pearl?” Shocked, she removed the talisman from Pearl’s hand and immediately Pearl became her child again. She cradled Pearl’s face in her hands. “Sweetie, are you okay?”

“Yeah, why?”

“You don’t remember, just now, what you said?”

She looked confused. “No.”

“Pearl, I think this is to keep you safe from your people. I think you need it when you are in danger. I don’t want you to have it, though. It takes you away from me. If you feel ever—and I mean this—if you ever feel threatened or in danger, tell me, and I’ll give to you.”

“Sure, Mom.”

Ruth got up, went to the door, turned, and stared at her precious daughter. She would die for her. She would let the evil come to her before she’d let anything touch a hair on her baby’s head. She left, her soul frightened, her heart bending.

The Fourth of July in the town of Eberstark brought out all the bells and whistles the city officials could afford. Always a grand time, with parades, picnics and a glorious fireworks display, this year’s celebration proved extra special because the city was celebrating its own one hundred and fifty year anniversary.

Pearl helped lay their blanket down, but grew antsy. “Can I go play now?” She jumped around, begging to go to the playground.

Lotus, who now sat on the blanket, was texting her friends, oblivious to what was going on with her family. She showed signs of life once a group of giggling girls came over and whisked her away.