The Calling: A Paranormal Mystery Vol. I (6 page)

“Look Lizzy, I don’t know if we have time for that. We have to help Tina. She picked it up at my house.  This is the last thing Tina needs in her life! I feel so terrible and helpless. I feel like it’s my fault.”

“Ok, ok, calm down! We can head up there tomorrow morning and do a blessing on the apartment if you want to.  Will the other tenants cooperate? I mean we need to go through the whole place to be sure.” Lizzy felt her anxiety creeping in, a dark emptiness she got when she felt she had failed at something. She felt guilty and out of her realm of knowledge.

What was I thinking when I thought I could just bless a house and make it all better?  I’m such and idiot, and now I’m getting in deeper into this and I have no idea what the hell I am doing!
Lizzy put her head in her hand feeling completely defeated.

“I obviously don’t really know what I’m doing.  I don’t know if I can help them or not.  I’ll call you when I get off work and we’ll make a plan,” Lizzy said softly.

“Lizzy, don’t get down on yourself.  I can hear it in your voice.  There was no way for us to know this spirit moved on.  I still needed the house blessed.  I do feel more protected now and you helped set that up.  I know this is all new to you, but you are an Ordained Minister and wasn’t this kind of thing one of the reasons you went through Ordination?  You wanted to help people spiritually?” 

Lizzy wasn’t sure anymore about anything.  Her eclectic, Metaphysical/Christian belief system seemed sometimes created more questions than answers.  Lizzy couldn’t get comfortable in her chair and couldn’t concentrate on her work.  Breathing deeply, she said a little prayer for direction.  She felt totally lost.

Like a sprinter waiting for the starting gun to fire, at five minutes to five, Lizzy was gathered up and ready to go.  She had been distracted all afternoon.  The feelings of insecurity hung inside her like an old dress. 

After a long disjointed day, Lizzy was relieved to arrive home.  She kicked off her shoes and headed straight for her bag.  She made sure everything she needed for the blessing was there. 
My little bag of tricks,
she thought, as she patted the bag feeling she had done all she could for now when she had an idea.  She grabbed the phone and called Karen, “Hello, I have an idea.”

“Hello, tell me,” said Karen.

“I think we need a Medium to go with us tomorrow. I just feel like my radar is completely off.  I was so proud of myself after we did your house blessing.  When I realized the spirit wasn’t even there anymore and I hadn’t picked up on that, I felt, well, like a failure.  I would just like to have some additional confirmation or even better some real information from the spirit if we can get it. I don’t think I’m that person.  I don’t see dead people.  That has never been my gift even though I wished it were. I hear them once in awhile but I’m just not consistent.”

“You’re not a failure Lizzy.  You’re so damn hard on yourself.  You can’t be an expert at everything. I’ve heard you lament this before.  You don’t see dead people, so what.”

“I guess. My idea is to call my friend Janet and see if she can join us.  I know it’s short notice but I wanted to check with you before I asked her.”  Lizzy tapped her fingers on the table hoping her idea would go off well.

“It’s fine with me. You certainly don’t need my permission Lizzy.  We are just doing our best to deal with a strange situation.  I think we all feel out of sorts at this point. The more the merrier I say!”

“I’ll call Janet.  I’ll pick you up at 8:00 am tomorrow morning and we’ll drive to Tina’s. If Janet can go, she’ll be with me.”

“Sounds good Lizzy. I’ll call Tina and see you in the morning.”

Lizzy felt a little funny calling Janet and blurting this idea out but she just had a feeling Janet could help them.  Janet had always known she had some unique gifts.  Ever since she was a little girl, she would hear voices, see images and would get goose bumps down her arms when she had a premonition or psychic impression.  She had told Lizzy of a couple experiences she felt she had with the spirit world.  She believed she had communicated with a friend’s husband who had passed suddenly.  She also had encountered what she believed to be a young apparition of a boy in her friend’s yard. 

“You know I’m not a professional or anything, right?”  said Janet.

“Who’s professional here?” Lizzy spouted.  “We need to help Tina and I feel that you might pick up on some information that could help us. I feel like my radar is off and you seem to have a natural talent for this.” Lizzy paced the floor in excitement as she talked to Janet and began to see her mish mash of a plan taking some shape.

When Greg smelled the perfume in his apartment and felt weird like someone was watching him his first and only reaction was to bolt.  It’s funny how fast a person can move when they are scared. Greg packed a bag for the weekend and was in the seat of his car in 4 minutes flat.  He was fifteen minutes from his parent’s house.   He took a deep breath,
Calm down dude! You don’t even believe in ghosts! 
His parents, Tom and Deanna Hoskins, lived a few miles out of town.  Greg called his Mother. “Mom? It’s me, your son.”

“I know who you are Greg, you goof ball!” Deanna said laughing out loud.  “If my caller ID didn’t clue me in, uhm let’s see, my keen intuition as your mother probably recognized your voice!” 

“I’m coming home for the weekend.” He said flatly.

Deanna could hear in his voice that he was stressed about something.  “Ok, Son, we’d love to have you.  Is everything all right?”

“Yes.  Everything is fine, just fine.   My neighbors have just been a little noisy this last few weeks and I’m tired and thought I might sleep better there.”

“Oh, so the girls are partying harder than the boy these days, huh?” Deanna said with a little sarcasm.

“I guess,” Greg said quietly.  

“Are you on your way now?” Deanna asked.

“Yes, is that ok?” Greg said feeling an odd sense of panic.

“Of course it’s OK!  We’re just getting ready to run out to Rudy’s for dinner.   If you want to join us then meet us there, we should be there in about 15 minutes.” 

“Will do, Mom.” Greg hung up the phone and pressed down hard on the accelerator.  He wanted to get as much distance between him and his apartment as he could.  His mind took off like a horse out of the gate. 
What was that perfume I smelled? If there really was a spirit in in the building, can we get rid of it somehow? Should I move?”
The questions flooding his head simultaneously.

“Shake it off man!” Greg said out loud.  He reached over and cranked up the radio. Rudy’s Café was just a few miles away and he could relax with his family.  He felt odd and a little light headed but his stomach had calmed down.  He was actually surprised by his reaction to the whole incident at the apartment. 
Fear is a funny animal,
he thought. When he believed the girls were being loud and inconsiderate he was simply annoyed. When he realized they weren’t the culprits, a cascade of feelings had taken over.  He didn’t think he even believed in spirits or that kind of stuff, but he knew in his gut that those girls were not lying to him.  He wasn’t the one making the noises and he believed them when they told him they weren’t doing it either. He pushed down any guilty feelings about leaving the girls there by themselves.  All he knew is he absolutely had to get out of there.  He pulled into Rudy’s Café on old Hwy 45.  His parents would be there shortly and maybe he would begin to feel normal again. 

After dinner, Greg followed his parents back to the house.  He had hardly spoken through dinner, which was a complete deviation from his normal jovial, social self.  Tom and Deanna talked about it briefly on their way home and concluded that he must be exhausted from his neighbor’s partying.  

The three of them walked into their living room and were hit immediately with a strong aroma.  The blood drained from Greg’s face immediately.  The only other person in the room that seemed as shocked and alarmed as Greg, strangely, was his father.

“Why does our house smell like Love’s Baby Soft?” Deanna blurted out.

Tom couldn’t move.  He stood frozen in his living room unable to take another breath.  He reached over and put his hand on the back of his La-Z-Boy to steady himself.  Deanna was smiling when she turned around until she saw her husband and son’s faces. “What is it you two? You’re white as ghosts!” 

Greg and Tom looked at each other in horror but didn’t respond.  “Tom, Greg, what is the matter with you two?”  Her brows furrowed over her bright blue eyes.   Tom and Greg simultaneously said “Nothing!”  

Deanna flipped the lock on the living room window and opened it as wide as it would go.  “Now, we’ll get a little fresh air in here!”  She walked to the kitchen and put their leftovers into the refrigerator.

Tom held his breath for another moment and then moved slowly into his chair. 

“I’m going to take a shower Dad, and hit the sack.  I’ve had a really long week,” said Greg. 

Tom just nodded still unable to speak. 

Greg took the stairs two at a time and locked the bathroom door behind him. The warm water felt good.  Greg took a deep breath and again told himself to calm down and stop letting his imagination get away with him.  On the other hand, his Mother recognized the perfume and said it by name. Greg had seen that his father was noticeably shaken. 
Did he feel something?
  Greg thought. 
Something what?
 
It’s just some perfume but why was it following me around
. And then it hit him like a ton of bricks,
Oh shit
,
it has followed me here!

Deanna came out of the kitchen and felt something weird in the air.  “Tom, do you feel that?” 

“What?” Tom finally croaked from his chair. 

“I don’t know exactly,” said Deanna, “I just feel kind of creepy. Why would the house smell like Love’s Baby Soft when we came home?  I haven’t smelled that perfume since I was in high school!” 

It was all Tom could do to shrug his shoulders.  He swallowed hard as the hairs on the back of his neck stood straight up.  He couldn’t move.  Deanna popped a DVD into the player. 

“Is Greg coming back down?”  

“I think he’s showering and going to bed.  That’s what he said,” Tom said quietly. 

Deanna leaned back into the sofa and hit play.  She loved having Greg home.

Greg sat straight up in bed.  Something startled him.  He looked at the clock, 3:33 am
.  Is that supposed to mean something?
  He wondered.  And then, there it was, four loud knocks on his bedroom door.  His heart was in his throat as he jumped out of bed and then cautiously put his hand on the doorknob and pulled the door open as fast as he could.  Across the hall, his father was doing the same thing.  They looked at each other dumb founded. 

“Dad,” asked Greg, “did you just knock on my door?”

Tom once again couldn’t speak.  His mouth was frozen.  All he could do was shake his head.  His heart was pounding so hard he thought he might just keel over right there in the doorway, right in front of his son and wife.  Greg could see Deanna now poking her head out from underneath Tom’s frozen arm.

“Greg, that’s not funny!” she said with her stern ‘you’re in trouble and I’m ready to use your middle name’ voice. 

“It wasn’t me, Mom, I swear!” Greg said. “Dad, should we check the rest of the house out?” 

Tom didn’t know why he was feeling so strange.  He looked at his son, who clearly heard the knocking and had no idea what to say.  He actually did not want to check out the rest of the house.  He wanted to push his heart back down out of his throat and run screaming from the house. 
Better toughen up!
he thought.

“Honey, we’re going to do a walk through and be right back,” Tom said slowly.

“Why? Do you think someone is in the house?” Deanna asked now beginning to panic. She thought Greg was playing a trick, she hadn’t thought for a minute that someone might be in the house.

“Honey, we don’t know.   We all heard the knocking, so I think it warrants checking out the rest of the house, don’t you?” Tom asked loudly.

“Yes, of course!” said Deanna. 

“Go inside the room and lock the door,” said.

Greg and Tom went room to room turning on the lights and checking the closets.  Oddly, this basic ritual seemed to calm Greg.  Tom peered into the bathroom and winced as he quickly pulled the shower curtain back, half expecting something to jump out at him.  He was immediately relieved when he confirmed the empty space behind the curtain.  Greg checked the guest room with the same results.  Father and son met each other at the top of the stairs after sweeping their second floor.  They gave each other a sideways glance and both laughed nervously.  Tom moved down the stairs first with Greg right behind him.  As they reached the landing, they both got a huge whiff of Love’s Baby Soft perfume.  Their eyes widened as they looked at each other again, not knowing what to say. 

Tom shook his head.  “Why is that smell here?”  Greg just shrugged, he had no idea what the smell was or what it meant.  All he knew is that whatever it was, it had followed him to his parent’s house and now they were being harassed!  He felt guilty.  What had he done?  He didn’t know if he should tell his Father or not. 
What if he just thinks I’m flat out crazy?

The house was clear and the two men had no explanation for what had happened.  Neither son nor father was saying everything he was thinking. 

“Ok, the coast seems clear.  Let’s hit the rack son!” Tom patted Greg on the back at the top of the stairs and headed to his room.  He was sure he wasn’t going to sleep one second the rest of the night.  He figured it would take him a few hours just to get his heart and mind to calm down.  Tom slid into bed.  Deanna cuddled up next to him and he hugged her close.

“There was nothing there of course,” he whispered. 

Deanna didn’t know what to think,  “Let’s get some sleep.”