Third Time's a Charm

by Michelle M. Pillow

  Her head jerked up, and her body began to move against her will. A smile forced its way over her mouth as she grinned. She swung her arms, kicked her legs, and shuffled her feet back and forth in time to the music. There was no way Vivien would have known this routine or half the moves her body performed, but here she was, dancing burlesque in the Warrick Theater like it was the 1920s.

  A smoky female voice began to sing, but Vivien’s heart pounded loudly in her ears and she barely heard the words. She felt more than saw other dancers with her. They stayed just behind her peripheral. People cheered. She tried to call out for her friends, but something had taken over her body and her consciousness was just along for the ride.

  Someone grabbed her hips from behind, and she was lifted into the air, her feet kicking high over her head before she was set back down. The force of it caused her to fall forward.

  Whatever it was let go of her, and she was caught by Lorna and Heather. The music and cheering stopped. Colors faded into the darkness of the theater in modern-day.

  “What was that?” Heather asked. “Where did you learn to dance like that?”

  Vivien breathed hard, and her heart pounded wildly. The dancing had been like a drug, a breathtaking, intoxicating feeling, and for a second, she wished the ride wasn’t over. There had been freedom in the performance.

  The sound of dancing feet in a music-less room caught her attention. Vivien turned to look behind her. The transparent image of Julia continued to perform the dance. But it was not Julia as she remembered her, not the grandmother in the floral-print dresses. This Julia was young and vibrant, and incredibly flexible. She swung her leg up and around with ease.

  William had a sick look on his face. He covered his mouth as he watched his grandmother lean over and shake her booty for the nonexistent crowd. “Please tell me I’m not seeing this. I’m going to have to poke my eyes out later if she takes her… omigod.”

  Julia reached behind her and unzipped her dress. She grabbed the hem and began to pull it over her head.

  “Grandma!” Heather scolded before Julia could show her retro bra and panties. “Come on.”

  The sound of Heather’s voice appeared to pull Julia from the memory. Julia disappeared, and the dress dropped to the floor before it also vanished.

  “Where did she go? Is she gone?” William asked. “Is it too late to take back wanting to see her?”

  “Is that what you meant when you talked about a residual haunting?” Lorna asked. “Ghost do things from the past, but they can’t really control it?”

  “No, she can control it, and I have never seen her do that before,” Heather said. “Julia is not a residual haunting. She is very much aware of what she does.”

  “What if we broke her?” Lorna asked. “What if the demon did something to her soul? You said she wasn’t as strong.”

  “That doesn’t explain why Viv suddenly knew how to dance like that.” Heather stayed close to Vivien, as if afraid she would start dancing again.

  “It’s like she was possessed,” William suggested.

  “That’s not funny,” Lorna said.

  William went to his girlfriend and cupped her face. He gave her a quick, reassuring kiss.

  “I don’t think he’s wrong,” Vivien put forth. “I couldn’t control my body. It felt like somebody wore me like a suit, forcing me to do those things. I had no say. It was fun, but I couldn’t stop myself. I don’t know how I stopped.”

  “Sorry that was me.” The voice came from beside the book. “It’s been so long since I inhabited a body, and I couldn’t resist when I found one open to possession.”

  Vivien turned at the sound.

  Julia still didn’t appear the way Vivien remembered her. She was younger, more like the pictures she had seen in Heather’s old trunk of family photos. Julia wore a pantsuit with high-waisted trousers and what looked to be a smaller version of a man’s shirt and suit vest. A gold chain dangled from one of her vest pockets. There was always something glamourous about how women looked in the 1920s, with finger-waved, bobbed haircuts and deep red lipstick. Even with her translucent state muting the colors, Vivien saw the details of Julia’s face.

  “Grandma Julia?” William slowly crept forward and lifted his hand to feel the air around the spirit.

  Julia faced her grandson and lifted her hand to hover near his. She didn’t touch him. “Look at you, Mr. Hard-boiled.”

  “Um, Heather?” William asked, leaning away as Julia moved her hand closer to him.

  “Does she normally look like this?” Vivien asked.

  “Sometimes.” Heather gave a long sigh. “Her clothes and age change. This incarnation is a bit of a handful.”

  “You never said.” Vivien thought Grandma looking like a 1920s bootlegger would have warranted a mention.

  Heather shrugged. “No one asked.”

  “Seriously, Heather,” William insisted, taking a slow step back as Julia kept inching closer to him. “I think there is something wrong with Grandma.”

  “Hard-boiled means you’re a manly man,” Heather said. “Don’t you ever watch historical dramas?”

  “No. I watch football,” William stated.

  “Wow, Julia, I was expecting you to look…” Vivien couldn’t take her eyes away from Julia. This was a ghost. An honest-to-goodness, not-trying-to-kill-her, interactive spirit. She’d been expecting a much older woman.

  “Older? Sorry, doll, my last chapter was not as fun as this one,” Julia answered, her voice sounding surprisingly clear. “This is the era that defined my life. Oh, the sneaking around, the dancing, the parties, slinging hooch. William, be a good boy and butt me.”

  “No.” William recoiled.

  “Fine. I’ll do it myself.” Julia lifted her hand, and a lit cigarette appeared between her fingers. “That mother of yours did not raise much of a gentleman. Can’t even get a lady a cigarette.”

  “Hi, Mrs. Warrick, I’m Lorna. I found one of your rings.” Lorna lifted her hand to show the ring to the spirit. Her voice trembled a little, and Vivien knew her friend was nervous.

  “I know. I led you to it,” Julia answered, her tone slightly dismissing. To Heather, she said, “Took you long enough to summon me. What’s a lady got to do to get attention around here? Dance a hoochie-coochie?”

  “No. Definitely not,” William muttered.

  “I haven’t been ignoring you. In fact, I have been trying to get your attention. You kept disappearing on me. The last thing you told me was we’d all been brought together for a reason, that we are meant to help each other heal from our individual pains.” Heather moved closer to Julia, clearly not as stunned as the others when being faced with the otherworldly being. “We found the book. We found the altar. As far as I know it is still underneath the stage. I haven’t been able to get back down there again to check.”

  “Yeah, I locked it. You don’t need that old thing. It’s just a prop,” Julia interjected.

  “We found the rings,” Heather continued. “We found each other. I thought I understood what we were supposed to do with that, but now I’m not so sure.”

  “You have the book,” Julia dismissed, taking a long drag off her cigarette. Smoke filtered from between her lips, but there was no smell as it dissipated into the air. “It’s all spelled out in there. I don’t think I can make it any clearer. Though the demon? What was the reason for that? Playing with those creatures is a little advanced. It was very careless of you to let it run loose in here. I would suggest you figure out the basics first.”

  “We didn’t mean to summon a demon,” Vivien said.

  “Oh, then you must be much more careful, doll,” Julia quipped. She waved her hand in the air, and the cigarette disappeared. The spirit slowly walked toward Lorna as if to study her face. “I’m glad you got to see that ex of yours for what he was. When I heard the whispers of your story, I knew you needed my Heather as much as she needs you and Vivien. It looks like you found peace. Have you found peace?”

&nb
sp; “Yes.” Lorna nodded. “I have, thank you.”

  Julia poked a transparent finger at Lorna’s arm. Lorna gave a small jump of surprise at the contact, much to Julia’s amusement. The spirit began to laugh, tossing back her head in her merriment.

  “She’s found a new boyfriend too,” Vivien added. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re looking at your new granddaughter by marriage.”

  “You always were a bit of a gossip,” Julia told Vivien with a wink. “I like it.”

  “Hey, at least let me ask her before you all assume,” William said.

  Lorna actually turned a little red at the conversation.

  “Sorry.” Vivien gave them a look of contrition. “Sometimes my psychic senses get the best of me.”

  “Can we get this conversation back on track?” Heather interrupted the banter. “Grandma, is the demon gone?”

  “What a silly question.” Julia arched a brow. “Is it out of the realm of existence? No, of course not. What is death for a demon? But if you want to know if it’s off this plane of existence, then yes. You exorcised it.”

  “Okay, good.” Heather nodded. “And when we called Sam, did we bring over a new kind of demon?”

  “Sam didn’t come. Glenn did,” Julia said. “You sent him packing as well. Good riddance.”

  “I’m talking about last night. We were at Vivien’s house, and we called Sam.” Heather moved to the side to stay within Julia’s eyeline when her grandmother would turn her attention to someone else.

  “I wasn’t invited.” Julia waved a hand in dismissal. To Lorna, she said, “Glenn is where he’s supposed to be.”

  “Where is that?” Lorna asked. Vivien felt her friend’s concern. Glenn was a top-notch asshat, but he was still the father of Lorna’s three children, and that bond would never completely go away.

  “Oh, no, doll, nice try.” Julia shook her finger at Lorna. “I’m not telling you about the afterlife. Some secrets you get after you die.”

  “Julia.” Vivien moved to get the ghost’s attention. “We need your help. I tried to bring Sam back.”

  “If it didn’t work, try again. It’s not like he’s going anywhere.” Julia pointed at the book. “I gave you everything you need.”

  “Grandma, please,” Heather pleaded. “We need you to listen to what we’re asking.”

  At the tone of her voice, Julia’s form shivered and she disappeared, only to rematerialize moments later as an older version of herself. This was closer to how Vivien remembered her. Her hair had streaks of gray but was still bobbed. Her body had widened, as bodies do with age, and she wore a dark skirt with a floral blouse. She had chunky jewelry, bold like her personality.

  The sassiness left Julia’s tone as she said, “Why do you look so worried, love?”

  “We tried to bring back Sam, Vivien’s first husband, who died over twenty years ago,” Heather said. “He came back, but he escaped the circle on the book and shot through Vivien’s living room, breaking things.”

  “You should draw the circle on the floor instead. It gives more room for the spirit to move around and not build too much energy,” Julia said. “The illustrations are just guides. You have to take them and make them your own. You’ll know what to do. Trust your instincts. What is meant to be will come to pass.”

  “Julia, that’s not everything. I messed up,” Vivien inserted. “When Lorna and Heather intended to do the séance so I could see Sam again and find closure, I secretly wanted him to come back.”

  She looked at her feet and touched the ring. Her statement wasn’t clear, and she knew that.

  “I…” Vivien took a deep breath. “I wanted him to come back from the dead. I thought the magic you gave us might help me do that.”

  Saying it out loud made her feel foolish.

  “I thought I could bring him back to life,” Vivien clarified further. When no one spoke, she finally forced her eyes up to meet Julia’s.

  Julia slowly shook her head. “That’s a different kind of death magic. Necromancy, zombies, soul displacements, nothing good comes from these things. And after twenty years, there would be nothing to bring back.”

  “I thought, I hoped I could bring him back as I remembered, as a living person,” Vivien said. “Why not? We have these powers. We know that the impossible is possible. If we’re together to heal, then that’s what I need to heal.”

  “No. That’s what you think you want,” Julia said. “There is no reversal for death. It’s the doorway to your next step. That fragility is what makes life beautiful. I recommend you not wish for that again.”

  “I think he might be trying to lure me to the other side,” Vivien said. She quickly told Julia what happened in the ocean and when crossing the street. “I think he tried to kill me, and in the moment, it didn’t occur to me to stop him.”

  “The only way for such a spell to work is for you to join him. He can’t join you.” Julia appeared concerned. Her hair grayed completely and wound into a bun as she stood before them, and her body became more transparent as if she were losing the energy to manifest. Her clothing shifted to a baggy housecoat and slippers.

  “How do we stop it,” Heather asked.

  “If Sam is truly trying to kill you because of a spell you cast, then you must séance him so he comes to you, make clear to him it’s over, trust yourselves, say your goodbyes, and send him on his way.” Julia’s voice had softened, and she shimmered slightly before disappearing.

  The overhead theater lights came back on with a flicker.

  “Julia?” Heather called. She looked around the theater. “I don’t see her.”

  “That was…” William let loose a long sigh. He stood with his arm around Lorna.

  “Vivien?” Lorna pushed away from William and rushed to her. She swiped her thumb over Vivien’s cheek, brushing aside a tear. “We’ll figure this out.”

  “Okay, let’s do this. Let’s séance Sam,” William stated, clearly wanting to fix the problem immediately. “You can tell him to move on, and we can end this.”

  Vivien was feeling drained from the energy it took to manifest Julia, and by looking at Lorna and Heather, they were feeling it too.

  “Okay,” Heather said, to Vivien’s surprise. She moved back toward the book to take her position for the new séance. “We’ll use the same verbiage but change Julia’s name to Sam.”

  William joined his sister. Lorna looked around the floor and picked up a couple of the papers with writing on them. She moved to sit on the floor.

  Vivien was the last to join them. She wasn’t ready to say goodbye to Sam. The idea hurt too much, but she also didn’t want to die so she resigned herself to reality. If there were no way to bring him back, she needed to return him where he belonged.

  As she sat down on the floor, a numbness overtook her. She barely felt Heather’s and Lorna’s hands. The energy hummed inside her, and the lights dimmed. It all felt like it happened to someone else. All hope was gone. This was really going to be goodbye.

  “I don’t think I can do this,” Vivien whispered to Heather, her entire body shaking.

  Heather squeezed her hand tight. “You got this. You’re one of the strongest women I know, Viv. This is for the best.”

  Vivien glanced at Lorna who nodded back to her in encouragement.

  “Spirits tethered to this plane we humbly seek your guidance,” Vivien felt herself saying the words with the others. “Spirits search amongst your numbers for the spirit we seek. We call forth Sam Stone from the great beyond.”

  The candles flickered. Their firelight projected into an image of bare feet standing on the book. She thought of Julia’s advice to draw a bigger circle for the spirit to move around, but it was too late. She felt her friends’ desire to help her. No it was more than a desire. It was a desperate need. They wanted to get this over with so they could save her.

  The candlelight reflected inside the ghost’s body, illuminating him from within. The light traveled up his naked calves to a pair of swim t
runks over his bare chest and arms. She knew it was Sam before his face was revealed.

  He looked at her. A smile curled his lips. Memories flooded her. The shadows of his form made it hard to see his eyes, but she didn’t feel threatened by him. This did not look like a man who wanted to kill her.

  He looked so young, too young to be dead.

  “It’s not fair that you were taken from me,” Vivien said. “I’ve missed you so much.”

  He didn’t speak as he stared at her, smiling.

  Now that he was here, she slipped her hands out of Lorna’s and Heather’s. She slowly stood. Sam’s eyes filled with light and became visible as his gaze lifted to follow her.

  “It was selfish of me to want you to come back. I shouldn’t have wished for that. I’m sure you’re much happier where you are.” Vivien didn’t know if it were true, but she hoped it were. Her friends came to stand beside her and looked up at Sam’s spirit. “I love you, Sam. I always will. Someday I’ll be with you again, but not now. I can’t come now. And I know that you can’t come back to me, not like I want. So I’m saying goodbye. I have to move on with my life, and you have to move on with your…”

  Her voice caught. She couldn’t finish the sentence. Julia said she had to make him understand.

  “There is only us.”

  “Only our hearts.”

  “I’ll be watching you. Save your heart for me. It’s mine.”

  Vivien had to be clear that they couldn’t be together, not when she belonged with the living, and Vivien wanted to be alive.

  “I’m going to date the neighbor.” Vivien felt the need to explain it to him. “He’s a nice guy. I deserve a nice guy. But that doesn’t mean I love you any less. I will never love you any less. It’s been twenty years since I lost you and I have to live my life. I can’t keep…”

  Her voice became choked in her throat, and she coughed.

  “It’s time,” Heather said, taking her hand as Lorna took the other. William stood by Lorna. Heather held up a piece of paper, and they read, “Spirit you have been found pure. We release you into the light. Go in peace and love.”