by Dale Mayer
As if the message was wrong? Or as if you wanted to change something?
No, not like that, she said. It’s just not being able to forget them. Not being able to move on. Having them sit there in my thoughts and drag me down.
After you let go of somebody’s hand, what do you usually do?
Bewildered, she said, I give them their message. I usually give my hand a shake because it always buzzes.
So then you need to make sure, when you give your hand a shake, you’re mentally shaking off their energy too.
I do that too, she protested. But it doesn’t always seem to work.
Does it not work with any particular people?
She frowned, not quite understanding.
Is it always children for example?
She thought about that. It’s mostly children. But I don’t think it’s always children.
So maybe just the ones that touch you a little more?
She nodded. I think so. Like the little boy with the cone over his head. I’m sure he’s passed into the realm after this by now, she said sadly. But he was so full of life.
But death is not an end. We have to remember that. How often have you seen the cones?
She shrugged. Maybe a half dozen times?
He nodded. Interesting. Not very many people see those.
Why not?
That’s seeing the actual life force around a person. It’s one thing to give a message, and it’s another to see auras, but seeing that death cone is deeper than both.
Maybe, but it’s what I see, she said. I don’t have any training in this stuff. I just see what I see.
You’ve trained yourself. The more you use these abilities, the more abilities you have. They grow. They develop. They change over time, over distance.
That last one was a concept she almost grasped but struggled with. Over distance?
The time spectrum. In the energy world, time is of little consequence, as is distance. There are spaces between spaces, physical worlds related to nothing but more energy.
So you’re talking about the in-between?
What do you know about in-between?
Not much. A couple times I had some really bizarre experiences, and I wondered what the hell was going on, but I didn’t really stay long enough to see anything.
What was it like?
It was gray, almost a silvery light. I thought it was the dead zone, if there is such a thing, she said with a shallow laugh. And I know that makes no sense.
Interesting, because, if you can cross into that, there’s an awful lot you can do that you probably aren’t doing yet.
But what I am doing is already very confusing, she said. I’ve never pretended to be anybody other than somebody who could get messages.
Yet you say messages as if somebody is talking to you. Is that how it is for you?
She shook her head. No. I guess I don’t get messages. I get pictures, and I interpret those pictures into messages.
And how do you interpret the pictures into messages?
I just do, she said. It’s instinctive.
There was silence again. Then she became aware of a crawling sensation on her foot.
Don’t move, Stefan urged. See what it wants.
She stared in fascination as the spider slowly crept up her pant leg. It’s the same as the others.
It will be one of the others, he corrected. A little braver, it’s on a mission.
Could you at least tell me if it’s poisonous or not?
I don’t see any energy around it to confirm that, but every animal has a defense mechanism.
Well, I don’t really want to find out the hard way, she said. She felt herself tensing, everything inside her too. It’s one thing to see them at a distance, but it’s another thing for them to catch you unaware. Even after touching several of them. I’d really rather the messages came in the form of something less yucky.
But you’ve been seeing them for a long time, haven’t you?
She shook her head. No, I haven’t.
Remember the truth?
She frowned, her gaze never leaving the spider creeping slowly up to her knee. Of course I’ve seen spiders around, but I can’t say I recognize this spider.
This spider? Interesting. You’re picking up on this particular one?
I think you’re making too much of my words. I’m not saying anything exactly when I say that.
Of course you are, he said smoothly. Every word you say has meaning. And you know it.
Well, what is the meaning of every step this spider takes? She stretched out her leg, wishing the damn thing would fall off.
What are you really afraid of?
I don’t know, she said. It’s a creepy-crawly thing. I can’t stand it.
And yet you’re getting more perturbed with every one that you find. Why?
I don’t know, she cried out, her knee jiggling, instinctively trying to shake it off.
Don’t, Stefan ordered.
She sagged back on the couch and stared. Why not?
Push through the fear, he ordered. This spider is on a mission. We need to hear what it has to say. Don’t forget the little boy you saw. This spider could have another piece of the puzzle.
So you can see it?
If you would lift your eyes from the spider, you would see me too.
Hating to, but curious, and feeling compelled to follow his instructions, she lifted her gaze to stare at a glowing form in front of her. She frowned. Stefan?
He nodded, sending sparks flying off with the movement. Yes, it’s me. He motioned at the spider, little gold sparks flying toward it. There’s an energy about it. And the energy isn’t necessarily his.
What do you mean by that? she asked, her gaze returning to the spider. Do you think somebody is sending it to hurt me?
No, that’s your fear speaking. Look at it intently. What color is the aura?
She studied the spider, trying to separate from the fear choking her, looking at the color around a small ball. It was spotty. White, but it glows pink or lavender. The same as the others I saw.
Not quite. Take another look.
She peered a bit closer. Which was a little too easy to do because this thing was now midthigh. She could feel her heart slamming against her chest. I’m getting more terrified the longer I stay here, she said suddenly. It made no sense. She’d touched them several times now, and, although not her favorite activity, it didn’t make sense to be as afraid as she was now.
Focus on that energy, Stefan ordered.
She could feel her energies easing back, almost as if he’d done something to calm her down. As she looked at the pink around the spider, it seemed to glow brighter and brighter. She stared in awe. Why is it glowing? To her amazement the spider was no longer driving her fear higher and higher. What did you do to me so that I lost that panic?
Trying to help calm you down so you can see the purpose behind this spider’s visit.
And if I can’t?
You’ll get dozens and dozens more spiders until you do hear and understand why this is happening.
The thought of her walls crawling with these spiders was enough to make her cringe again. Instantly a calming wave rode down her spine. She sagged against her couch. That’s you, isn’t it?
Yes, it is. This is too important to not sort though.
There are layers of pink, she announced. And it completely surrounds the spider, despite every step he takes. There’s pink energy flying off.
And what about the eyes? Do you see anything in the eyes?
I don’t want to look that close, she said, shuddering. Besides, spiders have too damn many eyes.
Look in the general direction, he said in exasperation. Did you ever think somebody is using a spider to call for help?
You mean, that little boy is using the spiders? She shook her head. No idea. I was thinking it might be someone else, showing me the boy’s plight so I could help—because they weren’t in a position to. Realizing Stefan would
want more explanation than that, she hastily added, Maybe so I could help him.
Mommy?
She froze, and, on the heels of his first cry, the little boy cried out again in her head, “Mommy, Mommy. Where are you?
She didn’t think it was possible to sink any deeper into the couch, but it was as if everything inside her drained out her big toe, and she was completely weak as she heard that voice over and over again. Finally she couldn’t stand it, and her maternal instinct kicked in. Mommy is here. It’s okay. Mommy is here.
She could feel Stefan’s sudden silence as everything inside him strained to hear what she heard. She wanted him to; she wanted Stefan’s take on what was happening. She held out her hand and said, I don’t know if this will help.
Stefan placed his hand on hers. Energy bolted up her arm, to her shoulder, across her chest and split, going up and down throughout her body.
The little boy’s voice morphed into a vision. The same little boy was lying on his bed, playing with what looked like little trucks and cars. His bed was rumpled. There was a window with a curtain. For all intents and purposes, he looked well fed and more or less okay—as in he wasn’t tied up or chained.
What’s the matter, little one?
He kept his head down as if not wanting to admit what the problem was.
Are you scared?
The little boy’s head nodded up and down. I am scared.
Why is that? she asked.
I wanted to find my mommy, and they got mad.
Her heart ached. How do you know your mommy is missing?
He gave a tiny shrug, the T-shirt over his small body barely rippled at the movement. I know she’s missing because she’s not here. She’s supposed to be here with me.
She could feel Stefan urging her to stay calm and to keep talking. She wondered if he could see the same vision. She felt a squeeze on her shoulders, realizing he could, indeed, see. She released a gentle breath and asked, What have you done to find her?
The little boy’s face scrunched up. He wiped his cheek, but his face was still downcast, so she couldn’t see who he was.
She searched the vision, looking for something that would give her a location for this little guy. Can you tell me what you did?
You’ll laugh, he whispered.
She whispered right back, My name is Queenie, and I will believe you.
There was silence for a moment, and then he said, I asked the spiders to find her.
Queenie froze, feeling the spiders. The one on her leg had somehow crawled up her arm, and she hadn’t even noticed. It sat on her elbow and stared at her. She couldn’t watch it and the vision of the little boy at the same time, so she kept her eyes on the boy. How would the spiders know how to find her?
I gave them some of my blood and told them to go find my mommy.
Do the spiders always listen?
Most of the time, he whispered, his voice getting fainter and fainter. But it’s hard for them.
Did you tell anyone else what you did?
His head bobbed up and down.
And what did they do?
They laughed, he said, his voice barely audible. Then they locked my door.
She could see the vision starting to fade. Do you know where you live? she asked urgently.
The little boy shook his head. No. It’s just a house.
Do you know what city? Do you know what town? Do you know what block you live on? Do you know your phone number?
The vision got fainter and fainter.
Look at me, she cried gently. Look at me.
Slowly, ever-so-slowly, he raised his face so he could look at her, his lips moving as he tried to speak, … but no words came out, … and then he was gone.
But it had been long enough. It had been long enough for her to see his face and to know her nightmare had just gotten so much worse.
She could feel Stefan wrapping her in his arms, but she was past moving; she was frozen, locked in place, because that little boy’s face was a mirror image of his father’s. Kirk. That little boy, locked in a bedroom, who’d spoken to spiders, was her own son. Reese.
The world closed down to the one solid fact she couldn’t let go of. Her son was alive. And that meant everything for the last three and a half years had been a lie. A lie somebody had perpetrated on her.
And what about the pinkish-lavender energy she’d believed in her innermost being was the spirit of her dead son?
She could feel her world closing in, everything becoming this black pinpoint of total darkness. That circle came ever closer and closer, and she knew, when it closed over her head, she would be out cold.
Her energy already so depleted, in her mind she whispered, Stefan, protect the spiders. They lead back to my son. And she fell unconscious.
*
Maddy? I need your help, Stefan ordered.
Maddy landed in the living room beside him. Can’t get a decent night’s sleep anyhow, can I? she said humorously. Her eyes landed on an illuminated figure in front of them. She dropped down beside Queenie and whispered, Oh, my goodness, what happened?
He explained the vision she’d seen, the truth that had been unlocked and how the spiders, even now, crawled into the room. And that he knew she’d lost a child several years ago.
Maddy looked around. My God! I’ve never seen this many spiders in one place.
Stefan continued. I had thought they would leave, not needed here once she got their message. But instead it’s like that connection and her request to me to protect the spiders has sent them all coming in at a run. He stared at the walls, even now turning black with spiders.
I’ve never really been one to love spiders, Maddy whispered, but I can see the energy within them. I can see the pink aura around them. Why? Is that energy coming from the spiders?
The little boy in the vision said he gave the spiders his blood so they could find his mother—so through his DNA, I presume, he said, his tone confused and yet exhilarated. Do you understand how powerful this little boy is? Of course it’s possible she’s not his mother but is simply receptive to his energy, he said, worried, as he stared down at the unconscious Queenie. In that case this will be incredibly hard on her.
What you mean is, how driven he is, Maddy corrected. He’s after his mother. And nothing on the face of this earth will stop him from achieving his goal. He can’t come to her himself, so he sent his soldiers to find her.
And he picked a hell of a soldier, Stefan whispered in awe. Spiders travel miles. They communicate on wavelengths we have no idea about. They understand things we can’t begin to. Somehow they found her. Does that mean the little boy is close by? I don’t know, he said, shaking his head. I was attached to her, trying to see the vision as she saw it. I saw more of a slice, a paler version of it. But there’s definitely a little boy in a room with a window and curtains. He was playing with trucks, but I detected his energy, weak and frail in his body.
And that could be because he’s pouring the bulk of his energy outward to his mother, Maddy said quietly. It doesn’t mean the little boy is in any danger or that he’s ill.
No. But, if Queenie is his mother, we have to wonder what happened to separate him from her.
Do you know her story?
No, not entirely. But I know somebody who does.
Well, you need to contact him, and we must get the details because I don’t know how to pull her out of this.
As they watched, spiders slowly crawled all over Queenie, almost like a blanket wrapping around her.
They aren’t going to bite her, are they? Maddy asked with a frown.
Stefan chuckled. Take a closer look.
She leaned in and then gasped softly. They are snuggled up, body against body, as if protecting her, she cried out in amazement.
I think that’s what they’re doing, now that they found their target. But they’re probably not sure what to do at this point. And that little boy won’t know either.
Her energy is very faint, Maddy wh
ispered. How the hell did she hold that vision for so long?
I think the question is more about, how is it that she accesses these visions? Her methodology is one I haven’t seen before.
Maddy turned to study his face.
He smiled at her. It’s like she opens a corridor. Just a quick in and out. She sees something in somebody’s psyche, and then she’s out again.
So they’re not visions?
I think she taps into their memories or their current position or possibly even their future. Maybe all three. Who really knows?
So that’s how she understands the answers to their questions? Then Maddy’s features paled with shock. She doesn’t open a worm hole, does she? Maddy asked in fascination. If she’s this talented to tap into somebody’s future and into their past, no wonder the little boy is as strong as he is—if he’s hers. She stared at Stefan. If he is, that’s incredible. But, if he isn’t, that’ll be a terrible shock for her.
Oh, I’m pretty sure he’s hers. The spiders alone prove that. He pulled Maddy back ever-so-slightly. It was a good thing they weren’t in physical form because the entire floor was covered in spiders.
They’re wrapping around her like a protective suit of armor, she said in awe. I’ve never seen anything like this.
I don’t think we ever will again. This is the son’s love for his mother. This is a mother’s love for her son. A bond that was denied and broken, or attempted to be broken, he said, correcting himself. And this just proves that love does beat everything else.
We have to help them, Maddy cried out.
I know. Can you boost her energy? Give her a dose of something?
Maddy studied the woman on the couch. Oh my, I don’t think it’s necessary, she said, her voice enthralled. Her energy is already strengthening, as if the spiders are giving their energy to her.
Or giving her the little bit of her son’s that they each have. Queenie was broken over the loss of her son. Which is to be expected. But that loss affected her abilities, so, when she tried to connect with his spirit, they’d changed. She not only opened up to her abilities, but she forged new pathways. She’d always had that communication with her son. She always kept that tunnel open, and, once the tunnel was cut with his separation from her, his supposed death, she took that energy and fired it off on many neural paths that we’ve never seen the likes of before.
