Curse of Remorse

by Waggoner, Robert C.

  No one thought to check the kids to see if they could see or not, but in the meantime at school, nothing had changed as they were all in a special class with their teacher.

  Sam was so pleased that he paid the bill out of his own pocket. While they waited for their lunch to come, the leader made a phone call as directed. He then told Sam if it would be acceptable to set up a small room at the school gym for a crew that was coming later that evening. Sam said he would check with the school after lunch and get back to him.

  Around six pm Peter woke up and thought it was morning. He noticed it was dark and then looked at his watch realizing it was night and not morning. James T woke up and stretched his arms and looked at his watch. He said, “I am powerfully hungry and how about you Peter?”

  “Yes, but first let me take a hot shower. Meanwhile would you check without lab and see what they have in the way of a report on the magnetic reading where we were?” James grunted an affirmative and thirty minutes later they were entering the café for dinner. They both noticed the café was filled up with what looked like locals rather than news hounds. A buzz of happy talking was heard and it came mostly from old timers who obviously had their voices back.

  Their table was still empty with the reserve sign on it much to Peters and James T satisfaction. Both had forgotten to look what the special was but Rex the owner hurried over and told them what they wanted to know: Lasagna was on for the night.

  In no time they were feasting on a nice salad and garlic bread while waiting for the arrival of the main course. James T brought Peter up to date on the lab and said that satellite coverage revealed a decrease in magnetic anomaly at the site but was increasing a short distance away directly over Ralph’s house.

  Peter said, “We are just beginning to make our presence known and now he is up to something. I feel it in my bones he will try to show us his power over the environment rather than a people thing.” They left it there as the nice smell of lasagna arrived bubbling with goodness and it was every bit as tasty as it smelled.

  The mayor was home having dinner with her family and explaining what she knew to Stan and her son Brian. After she went through what she knew her husband asked, “I know the seniors have their voices back but do you think Peter and James T have what it takes to thwart the curse on Brian and his friends?”

  “No way to know that and it is my guess Peter doesn’t know either. I see it this way. They are dueling with each other and when the time comes for the ultimate show down we can only hope good wins out over evil.” Stan nodded his head and Brian sat there listening to the back and forth. His thoughts were along the same line and he hurried to finish so he could call Ann. To Brian’s liking things were heating up between him and Ann.

  ***

  Ralph walked into the kitchen where his mother was stirring her latest brew. He asked her, “Are you about ready mom?” She sent him a message that all was about ready to go and she just needed one more thing to throw in the pot and that only takes a few minutes. Ralph sat down at the table and watched his mother work. The last thing she threw into the pot was some chicken feet. He marveled at the fact she was over one hundred and thirty. She was without a doubt, the oldest person on the planet and still going strong. He himself felt like a kid both mentally and physically. When he was around other people he pretended to show his age, but in reality he was as fit as a thirty five year old. His glance took in the old kitchen where wood cupboards painted an awful green housed some of the most sacred herbs and spices that he knew of. The knowledge she packed about nature and its botany would astound a leading botanist.

  She turned to him and sent him message the brew was ready and he could begin at any time to begin the process. He rose and took half a bed sheet and draped it across his head over the pot so as to trap the fumes drifting up. He inhaled five times and then began his chant with the sheet removed and eyes closed. His mother joined him mentally and soon over the town of Remorse a halo appeared. At first it could be hardly seen as the late evening snow had trickled to a crawl. Soon the sky cleared and a bluish orange glow formed for eyes to see. The Army guys were moving some of their equipment into the gym when they looked up to see the halo forming above them. They had removed their snowmobile suits and were dressed warmly, but soon they felt the air around them warm up.

  Two of them stopped and stood looking up at a scene reminisce of an aurora borealis seen in the Arctic. One of them dropped his box and ran to the gym to get the captain. Soon all four of them were outside starring at the sky that glistened blue to orange and circled around them. The captain dug out his cell and called his superior in Virginia. He failed to make contact as the magnetic disturbance interfered with his cell phone. He decided to wait a few minutes and see what developed. It wasn’t long before he unzipped his coat and felt the temperature definitely rising. Snow started to melt off the gym roof as if a spring thaw had arrived. The captain realized something was afoot and ran to the gym door to find a land line. While he was gone, the other three stood quietly while taking off their winter coats slowly walking to their van.

  Down at the café where Peter and James T sat eating, they both saw water dripping off the roof. Some of the other patrons were going outside to see what the weather was doing. By the time Peter and James T made it outside, he felt the temperature must have been close to seventy degrees. And then it dawned on him that Ralph and Co. were at work again. Then the shock really hit him and James T as they looked at one another: control the weather?

  The Special Forces captain returned outside the gym and was astounded that the weather had turned so warm. Water was dripping everywhere and he noticed that a stream was beginning to run down the street. He told his team that Washington was sending another team up by helicopter and should be here within an hour or so. In addition he told them to continue setting up their command center and that he’d contacted the phone company to send down a crew to install some land lines. The captain walked away deep in thought as he watched the snow rapidly melt everywhere and above him the circle of electrical particles rotated clockwise over the town.

  Ralph and his mother, with the black cat sticking out of his coat neck, looked towards town at their handy work. Ralph said, “Mom, have you ever seen a more beautiful sight in your life?” Mother replied, sending him a short statement, “They’d best not make me mad or they will really see what we can do.”

  ***

  Candice was standing at her motel window watching the roof dripping and water standing in puddles. She was on the landline with her editor Jim at the office telling him about what she was viewing out the window after informing him of the day’s activities in the meadow. He’d listened carefully and told her to write it up and he would send a helicopter up for the videos. He told her he didn’t want to take a chance on direct feed and some editing would need to happen. Also have the boys film the melt off and send a preliminary story of the happenings especially with the electrical force above the town. And then he said, “Our Washington source tells us that the intelligence community and the Army are on location in town at the school gym. Why don’t you go snoop around a bit.”

  After hanging up Candice thought the situation was getting a bit out of hand. However, she felt a bit more comfortable with the government being involved. Then it dawned on her that the government might apply a news blackout with the idea that panic might occur with the magic being able to control the weather. Be that as it may she put on her jacket and snow boots and left the motel to see what was going on at the school gym.

  Peter and James T, meanwhile, were on the computer talking to their associates down south. While the report was about what he expected, that is, an anomaly of substantial strength, electrical in substance, was centered over the town of Remorse. None of their colleagues understood what was happening and they were waiting for the next satellite to pass by for an update.

  Peter turned to James T and asked, “James T have you any thoughts as to these phenomena?”

  “Y
ou know,” James T contemplated the question, “I have no damn idea what is happening here,” he said with a vengeance. “However, let’s look at it like we have an understanding of what happened. We need an atmospheric disturbance to counter act the force field over the town. I think if we involve the kids in a circle and use their positive force, along with our power we might have a chance to take on the magnetic field.”

  “We have nothing to lose and how about we set up at the school just outside the gym. I’ll see the mayor and tell Sam what we are planning. Meanwhile I need to research the area of magnetic force in magic to see what we need in the way of material for a session.

  After hearing what Peter had planned for tomorrow morning at school, Veronica was talking to her son about the session the next day. He told her he would call Ann and pass the word.

  Later that night after the lights were out and the town was mostly sleeping, dream land came to the kids. They were being led by a voice and a colored light to a destination unknown. A blissful look on each face denoted a heightened adventure coming. It seemed the colored fog had mostly faded away and it became clear that they were moving steadily downward and slowing up a little. Ann was first to point her arm at the area that looked like their landing place. A large grassy field lay ahead and in the middle of it was a dome structure that at first looked small but as they approached the area, they could all see that it was rather large, but not giant in size. It was not one color but many colors that were pyramidal in shape, changed slowly from one color to the next like a blinking neon sign. Everything looked what you might see at home as the grass was green and a circle around the dome was checkerboard black and white of what appeared as tiles.

  The flight down was slowing and when the ground came closer all the kids came down feet first with a very soft landing. A humming noise was heard and the voice had ceased. Everyone stood there without moving, just looking at each other. Brian was the first to speak and said, “Let’s not panic here guys. I don’t feel threatened and let’s wait for some clue to show us the way from here.”

  Ann said, “I for one feel good and I could stay here for a long time. It’s warm, pleasant and I expect a welcome party to show up at any time.” And as if she called, a door rolled up and a soothing voice said to enter please. All were holding hands with Brian and Ann leading the way inside.

  Inside was nothing like they had ever seen or imagined. As they walked in the floor, in squares, changed color to lead the way towards the middle of the dome. From inside the dome contained only one color for the dome walls: light yellow with the floor an off- red almost a violet color. Brain said, “I feel that we are going downhill a little as they slowly walked towards the middle of the dome.” The other agreed and the further they walked the more downhill it became. It never appeared they were leaving the dome, but soon a spiral effect was felt as they walked. The spiral effect left them a bit dizzy and as if they had missed some time and space, they stopped when the floor quit changing color. In front on them in a stark blue room sat four sofas in a square with a glass table in the middle. It was apparent they were to sit down around the table. Sitting on the table were glasses and a large picture filled with a liquid orange in color.

  Paul was the first to sit down and as he felt a little thirsty, the glass in front of him with the pitcher poised above it, filled three quarters full and the pitcher returned to the table. The rest of the kids sat down and the pitcher filled their glasses too. Brian was first to comment and said, “Now that is what I call service. I wonder who or what is controlling us and the action around us?” Just as he finished saying that, a voice came from a surround sound system saying, “Welcome and do not be alarmed. To explain in your words, you are in another dimension parallel to your own. You are, and rightfully so, wondering how and why, but as you will see, all will be clear in a short while. Meanwhile enjoy your orange juice and you will be joined shortly by an entity not unlike yourselves.”

  * * *

  Coming in under the circle of energy the helicopter fought the disturbance and landed in the football field next to the school. Captain Richard Silva of the ground team waited for the rotors to stop before he ventured out to greet the person who would take command of the situation in Remorse. Captain Silva had never met the colonel and did recognize his name, but had a reputation as a straight shooter and a good leader of men. Colonel Ben Saynower ducked under the slowly turning blades and made his way to the Captain. They saluted and shook hands, turned and walked briskly towards the gym.

  Captain Silva was no small man but Colonel Saynower topped him by a few inches, but slimmer in stature. He was dressed in winter cameo clothing with a dark green stocking hat on. He was typical of that Army look of a colonel: tall, lean and with a square jaw under steely gray eyes and gray short hair. On the way to the gym, he asked, “Captain, any changes or additions since this field of energy began?”

  “None sir as most of the snow has melted and we are all set up in the gym for your instructions or orders.” They walked the rest of the way in silence, when, both noticed, a young woman bent on a task headed straight for them. The captain told his superior who it was and he told the captain to tell her no comment right now, but will send word when ready for a briefing.

  Candice got the message and told the captain thanks and please call her when the colonel was ready at the motel as cell phones still didn’t operate with the electrical force in place.

  Chapter 21

  The kids sat drinking what tasted like real orange juice waiting for something or someone to appear. None were anxious or nervous, just sitting there chatting like usual about the environment and the colors. It wasn’t long before there came an opening in the floor and up floated a sentient life form of some sort. Later Brian and Ann tried to explain what it looked like but both had their own idea what appeared in front of them or hovered might be a better word. Its form was anything but clear and it gave off the appearance of electrical particles more than human flesh. Its voice was clear enough and the kids said that it was not threatening or seemed to have any malice in mind, just conversation. Both agreed that it was about the size of an orange box and hovered just above the glass table. Colors were a mix of orange, yellow and blue. They said it flashed like a Christmas tree but only very slowly. The voice didn’t seem to come directly from it but from all around them.

  The first thing mentioned was, after it had told them not to be afraid and where they were now in another dimension, “We know you are wondering what you are doing here and why. Let me try to explain as best I can in your language, which by the way, leaves many doors open and interpretations on your part. But I will do my best. We, or some of us, are able to cross from one dimension to another at will. The curse put upon you disturbed the magnetic force paralleling our dimension allowing you to float in our space and time. This force field has upset the balance and we mean to put it right. We don’t like to interfere, but in this case we must. You have two among you that are working hard against a very strong evil force. The two men are doing their best to fight it, but unfortunately, they don’t have the strength to thwart or undue the curse put upon you and your small town. Consequently we are going to help stabilize the wrong and make it right. Please pass this on to the two men mentioned as their names are Peter and James T. The other thing is that this will take some time and when it happens, it will seem like the world is coming to an end, but in truth, it is just starting where it left off. After it is over, none of you will remember this conversation and life will return to normal as you have experienced it.”

  The next morning as usual, all the kids woke up feeling great and all couldn’t wait to tell their parents or guardian what had transpired in their dream last night. It was rapidly relayed to Peter and James T the message and they set the stage by having a breakfast meeting in the café’s meeting room, with all the notables and kids. Peter listened with attention as did James T. When the story was told by the kids, Peter thanked them and said for them to go to sch
ool as usual, but asked the parents and others to remain behind for a short talk. Candice stopped at the door way trying to catch Peter’s eye. He finally saw her and motioned her to come in and join them. He wanted a factual account and not speculation.

  Once the door was closed and Peter had their attention, he said, “I am not sure what to make of this accounting by the kids, and if indeed there is a tear in the dimension they speak of, but let’s assume for a minute that what they told us was what really the truth is. We had a plan for this morning using the kids and with some doings on our part try to combat the force field. However, due to what we heard and the government involved, I think we need to postpone our action until after I meet with the Army over at the school gym.”

  Paul’s grandfather spoke up first and said, “I sure hope you know what your doing Peter and James T. I would think it is about time to do a vigilante run on Ralph’s place and end this thing once and for all.”

  “No, no,” Peter said with a raised voice, “If we even went near the place without prior notice or if he felt some harm coming his way, you would not live to see the results. I fear he and his so called wife are vastly more powerful than you think. We need to fight fire with fire and not go off with the intention of wiping out his life.”

  Veronica said, “Let’s stay with Peter’s plan and see what happens; so far no real damage has been done other than our kids who can’t see and I for one need to keep the town safe as well.” All agreed and left to go about their individual business.