The Hathaway

Group Encounter

“Tell me everything,” Andi insisted. “Everything.”

“There isn't much to tell.” Ben looked to me for support. I gestured for him to go on, so he took a deep breath and continued. “We were..umm, kissing on the front steps when we arrived home last night, and I suddenly sensed a presence watching us. I looked up and saw the figure standing on the landing. You saw it too, right?”

“I did,” I answered. “Very indistinct, and as soon as I saw him, he turned and seemed to walk to the door.”

“He?” Andi asked. How did you know it was male?”

“I just knew,” I told her, “Although, I didn't really know until the second time we saw him.”

“Second time? Where?” She seemed upset by this. “What were you doing?”

“In the study,” Ben answered. “We were...umm..”

“We had searched the house,” I picked up, “and were enjoying Miss M's gift some more in the living room. We decided to finish things off in the study since we hadn't...well that's when Ben saw him again.”

“I felt some sort of resistance as I approached the doorway, and didn't feel I could enter. When I looked in the room I could just make him out in the far corner. He got more and more visible as I stared, and especially once Joey arrived and started kissing me.” He looked at me, as if he couldn't go on.

“It was weird, he was like a statue, not moving, not responding.” I smiled at him. “He usually flinches when I kiss the back of his neck, he's a little ticklish there.” I reached up and ran a finger along the back of his collar and he did indeed jump. I turned to Helmut with a smirk and said, “See, no butt plug needed.”

He moved as if he were going to respond, but Andi stopped him by saying, “Then what?” It was clear that she was not going to allow an interruption, even a playful one.

“Well,” I continued, “I faced him and opened myself to hear what he had to say, you know, the same way I did with the boys in the Basement. That's when I figured out he was male, when he started moving toward me.”

“Yeah, that's when I jumped in front of him and scared him away.” Ben looked at me as if to apologize. “It just didn't feel right. Usually Joey's the one who can sense their intentions, but he didn't seem to get it that this guy was not exactly friendly. Anyways, he just disappeared, Poof.”

“And that was the last you saw of him?” She was doubtful and asked, “weren't you afraid he'd come back once you were asleep?”

“Nah,” Ben smiled at me as he told her, “Joey got some salt from the kitchen and poured a big circle around the bed.”

She smiled and said, “Good idea, I'm glad you remembered that little trick.” She thought for a moment and asked, “When he disappeared, how exactly did that happen?”

Ben closed his eyes, trying to visualize. “It was like he shattered into a thousand pieces.”

“What happened to the pieces?” she asked.

“They just kind of evaporated, at least most of them did.” He looked at me for confirmation. “But some of them seemed to scatter to dark corners and shadows within the room. It happened so fast, and I can't be sure, sorry.”

“That's very good, Ben. I think you have told me enough to have an idea of what went on. One more thing.” She hesitated. “Was anything disturbed in the study during the night?”

“I don't know, we never went in this morning.” Turning to me he asked, “Have you checked it today?”

“No, I came straight to the bedroom when I got home, and then we came here.”

Andi nodded. “We need to check. In the mean time, I think it would be a good idea to smudge the house and do a cleansing ritual. I think I have everything I need for those two things.”

“Ok,” I responded, “When would you like to do them? It would be best if we could get it done before the kids arrive next week.”

She laughed. “Tonight. Unless you want to spend the night here. I think Ben was right and you are not safe there. The salt will protect you while you sleep, but you would need to refresh it every night, and the moment you step outside of it you become vulnerable.”

“Alright, we can do it after supper,” I agreed. “But why the urgency? None of the other ghosts we have run into were such a problem, and I can assure you, with all the renovations that have been going on, there are no hidden rooms to house another harpy ghoul thing like Mariah.”

“No,” she assured me, “This is nothing like that. You do have a regular ghost with this guy, but some ghosts are actively malevolent and can actually hurt you. Remember how physical the interactions with the boys could get?”

“Do I!” Helmut leaned back in his chair and rubbed the inside of his thigh. “Damn sad to see them go.”

“Exactly,” she continued. “Most ghosts manifest as small balls of light, orbs, but a few have lived lives where they have extinguished that inner light, and nothing remains but shadow. That's why I was concerned. If fragments of his shadow have embedded themselves in the study we need to drive them out. It won't destroy him, but it will keep him from harming you directly.”

“But who is he? And why is he bothering us?” Ben wanted answers, but I knew those would take time and research.

“I don't know,” Andi admitted, “But first things first, we need to make it safe for you boys to sleep in your own bed tonight. Anyone else want to tag along? The more intention we put behind a cleansing, the stronger it is.” Everyone agreed to join in.

Before we left Andi went to her room to gather a few things, and when she returned, she handed me a small fabric bag with various crystals and slips of paper in it. She called Ben over and said, “You protected him the last time a supernatural creature came for him. This is a talisman of protection and it won't be complete without a little bit of you in it.”

He suddenly turned beet red. “You're not asking me to...” he made a motion as if he were jerking off. “...like last time? Not here in front of everyone. I can tell you right now I won't be able to do it.”

She laughed and produced a pair of scissors. “No, nothing so personal, a lock of hair or some fingernail clippings will do for this one.” He kept both his nails and his hair short, but in the end, she managed to find some hair that was just long enough to trim. She added it to the bag, and placed it in my hand. Holding my hand in hers she mumbled some words I couldn't make out, and when she opened her eyes she smiled. “This should help. Keep it on you at all times, preferably against your skin.”

It was a beautiful August night, and the breeze coming off the ocean was the perfect remedy for the heat of the day. We took our time and enjoyed the voluptuous early evening air. The stars were just beginning to emerge in the fading light, and the glow of the crescent moon gave just enough light that we didn't need flashlights. We arrived at the front gate and began our walk up the driveway, when Ben suddenly stopped. “I can feel him. He's here somewhere.” We all looked around but couldn't see anything.

Andi closed her eyes and looked inward. “I can sense something, but it's guarded, It doesn't want to be seen.” She opened her eyes and looked at me. “When you tried to communicate with him did you issue any kind of invitation? I got a sense that he feels justified in being here.”

“I don't know. I just sort of cleared my mind and worked on a non-verbal level. I sent friendly feelings toward him and offered to listen to what he had to say. I suppose that could be interpreted as an invitation to engage with me.”

“That's enough.” She frowned. “That makes it harder to get rid of him. But you can close yourself to him and kind of rescind the invitation. We'll do that inside. I think we'll need to do it in the study. From what you've told me that will probably be his point of attachment.”

By now we were coming into view of the house, and as we made the curve in the driveway we all stopped at once. On the landing at the top of the front steps, we could all see the shadow figure blocking the door. It was as if he were daring us to try to enter.

“Holy...is that...?” Sylvia voiced the shock we were all feeling.

Helmut's response was a little more direct. “Not on my watch,” he muttered as he sprang forward and ran directly toward the ghost. Before he could reach the steps, the figure began to transform. He stretched out becoming more and more transparent as he got larger. He quickly became as large as the house itself and seemed to form a bubble around it. When Helmut reached this barrier he ran straight into it and fell to the ground, unable to penetrate it.

As we watched, the bubble contracted like shrink wrap, and seemed to be absorbed into structure itself. The house seemed muted for a moment, then all seemed normal. We ran to Helmut, and Thankfully he was unharmed. There was, however, an awful lot of swearing coming from him.

Andi stood back to consider the house while the rest of us helped Helmut up. “It's worse than I thought,” she said to herself. “He must have other resources beyond himself. I wonder...” She turned to Ben and asked, “Have you sensed any other spirits?”

“No,” he assured her, “Nothing at all until last night., and then only him.”

“Curious.” Seeing that Helmut was alright, she proceeded to climb the stairs. “Let's see if we can get in.”