One of the children’s mother's friends had turned up in a flattering black dress for a New Year’s reunion, and it really looked to be pricey and attractive, and utterly out of reach of her budget. The mother asked about the details, after the champagne had made her friend talkative. It was a dress she had noticed on the internet and ordered home from China. Even with the extra VAT and duty expenses paid, the dress was still much cheaper than you would expect if you didn’t know better.
”Marlene, there’s someone on the way.”
The serious looking manager came up to her.
”Is it Anders?”
”I don’t know. I don’t think so. It was an adult.”
Marlene went out to pick up her things. If only it was not anything serious.
The manager was cross. She aired her annoyance to others in the room.
”In fact, she shouldn’t take personal calls on the office phone.”
One of the others came to her defense.
”She probably hasn’t been charging her own phone.”
The lack of charging was not the problem. Marlene had not been paying the phone bill. There were so many things to be paid. She hadn’t been paying her TV license contribution to the tenants’ association, so Maja could not watch television, but she still had her books.
She went out onto the street, hoping not to be discovered by the others if it was something embarrassing. Who would show up at work to talk to her? It had to be something special. She had to check out herself in case she had won the grand prize in the lottery.
Marlene had hardly come up from the steps to the basement before a police car stopped at the curb. It had to be the officers wanting to meet her. Something unusual must have happened.
Both officers got out of the car, and one made a weak gesture to his cap, which in the old days would have been a salute. Yet it was meant to signal respect. Not considered a criminal, she hoped they had noticed it down from the basement window, where they certainly kept an eye on what was going on.
”Excuse me, but are you Marlene Mortensen?”
”Yes.”
”You have a son, Anders?”
”Yes.”
”He had an accident. We'd better drive you to the hospital.”
”What about Maja?”
”Your daughter?”
The officer was obviously oriented.
”Yes, she is at home.”
”Alone?”
”I thought Anders was with her.”
”Then we'd better run past your apartment.”
Did cops really still act that formally? Well, it could also be a signal of respect. Marlene was really getting nervous.
”What happened?”
”Please just get into the car first.”
The officer gestured. It was only a suggestion. Not that she was being arrested. The tone was also very friendly.
While one officer drove the car, the other told her what had happened in general terms. He had settled in beside Marlene in the back seat. Waiting to say anything until she had sat down herself was certainly no accident.
”Your son has been rushed to the hospital. He probably fell off the roof of the building you live in.”
Marlene was about to faint, but she recovered herself with difficulty.
”Is he dead?”
”We don’t know yet.”
The policeman lied. Usually, policemen can’t say that. But he did so to avoid her panicking, and causing an emergency. If Marlene only got the full truth at the hospital, the shock would come gradually over time. Right now, it was bad enough to realize your son was severely injured and taken to the hospital. The ultimate realization could wait a little and was regarded as a humanitarian consideration.
There were always two officers delivering this type of message. Not just to confirm the message was delivered, but one could never foresee how such a message would be received. People are different. Some pass out. Others shut down completely, so you can’t be sure how matters will be perceived once you’ve revealed the terrible news. Then there are those who become aggressive. They fling their arms wildly, and must be held firmly until they come to their senses. It’s best if the poor victim is sitting calmly down when the message is delivered.
They pulled over near the apartment’s stairway. The street was now cleaned. Marlene was getting out of the car.
”Are you going up with me?”
Whether it was a leading question didn’t matter.
”It was our intention. But we can stay outside the apartment, if you want to be alone with your daughter.”
They went up on the fifth floor. Marlene rang the bell, and Maja came to the door.
”Who is it?”
She was told not to let anyone in, but there was still a mail slot in the door, even though all mail now was delivered downstairs in the designated P.O. mailboxes. Marlene bent down a little to the slot.
”It's Mom. You can open up now, Maja.”
Marlene could recognize her voice. She opened the door.
”You have not put on the security chain?”
”I thought Anders was coming. Why are you here, Mom?”
Her mother knelt down.
”Anders is hurt. The officers here are taking us over to the hospital, where Anders has been hospitalized.”
”What happened?”
Maja was horrified. Marlene looked up at one of the officers.
”He has fallen and hurt himself badly. Come on, let's go to the hospital.”
”One of us can stay here with... Maja.”
”No, it’d be best if we are all together now.”
”Then I’ll call for more men. It’s perhaps best they check the apartment here while we are at the hospital. You can leave the door open.”
They walked down the stairs and out to the car. There were people in the hallway looking through door gaps to see how the what was going on. Luckily, only a few people were home.
In the car, one of the officers asked Maja a question.
”Shouldn’t you be in kindergarten today, Maja?”
”Yes, but I had a cold.”
”So your big brother was looking after you?”
”Sometimes.”
She knew she had to be cautious. Her mother came up with an additional explanation.
”They could hardly do without me at work today.”
”What about the rest of the family?”
It was clear the officer did not have time to dig deeper into the archives. That was good. Marlene replied.
”My father is dead, and I don’t associate with my mother... for the moment.”
”I see.”
The police officer could well have questioned her further, but social networking and other relevant authorities would probably come into play now.
They went into the hospital reception desk. One of the officers went ahead.
”I’ll go and ask at the counter. If you will wait here in the meantime?”
It didn’t take long for him to get the message. He came back quickly.
”We will join you in walking over to his ward.”
When they came to the right place, a doctor appeared. It was a woman. The officer went to meet her and explained something. The doctor glanced over at the waiting party. Then the officer returned.
”Marlene, it is best if you talk to the doctor yourself.”
Maja interfered.
”I want to see Anders, too.”
”No, it’s best your mother goes first.”
”You can wait here a little while with these nice officers, Maja.”
Maja understood she should not complicate matters further. She bowed her head.
The doctor waited for Marlene to come over to her. Then she pointed with the clipboard in the direction of the corridor beyond, and they went together but quickly turned round a corner.
Soon after they went into an office. The doctor closed the door behind them. Marlene sat down in front of a desk with the doctor on t
he other side. She apparently would not see Anders right away.
”Are they going to operate?”
The doctor tapped the manila folder in the tabletop as if to get the papers to fall into place, but it was an entirely superfluous gesture for the transparent folder was thin and the few papers lay perfect inside. It was perhaps to gain time; also the fact that she cleared her throat for the bad news to come.
”Marlene... May I speak plainly with you?”
”Yes, please do.”
”It is just that... Anders was dead upon arrival.”
”Dead? Is my son... dead?”
Now it was good she was sitting down.
”Yes, but he didn't suffer. He must have died immediately. He probably fell from your apartment. He was found just below your balcony. You live on the top floor, if I understand correctly?”
”Yes, but... why...?”
”The police must try to find out, with discretion. They were well aware your son was dead when he was brought in, but didn’t want to put it all so bluntly right away. I can well understand that tact. But there it is.”
The doctor stamped the transparent folder once again. A sign of closure.
”Well, then...”
”We have a couch nearby if you need to lie down a little.”
Marlene was feverish.
”No, no, I’d better get back to Maja, my daughter. She’s waiting with the officers out there.”
”Yes, she is. I won’t interfere with how your daughter will hear the news. You know her best.”
”Yes... They... they were very close, she and Anders.”
”I can imagine. It's hard, indeed.”
Marlene pulled herself together. She had to. For Maja's sake, if nothing else. On the whole, there was a great deal she had to handle after this. Otherwise things would completely fall apart. That should not happen. No, it really shouldn’t. As if in a daze, she went back.
”Mom!”
Maja would rather have run over to meet Marlene, but she didn’t. The mother looked so deeply disturbed in her face. This was serious, very serious.
”Mom? Have you seen Anders?”
”No, Maja, not... yet... but later...”
”How is he?”
”He is not here anymore. He is dead.”
”Dead?”
Half of Maja’s world crashed into the ground. Yes, more than that, but some time would pass before she really became aware of it.
”But... how then... with... it all, I mean?”
And she was right.
On the way home, the officer needed to ask something.
”And you didn’t see your brother at home, Maja?”
”No... I must have slept a little.”
He didn’t ask about the details today. It could wait until later. By all accounts, it was just someone falling down with no criminal involvement.
The policemen accompanied Marlene and Maja all the way back to the apartment.
”We should probably ask some more questions later. If you need help with the funeral, we can also arrange that.”
”Thank you... thank you.”
”Well then, goodbye. We extend our condolences on behalf of the police force.”
This greeting was again accompanied by a couple of raised fingers to the cap, this time to say goodbye.
They returned to the station, together with the crew, who had gone through the apartment while they had been at the hospital.
”There’s no doubt. There was a fresh rupture of a couple of steps on the old rusty ladder previously used to clean the chimney from the outside. For some reason the boy must have climbed it and then fell when the steps gave way. If the girl has been present she must have been sleeping.”
”She probably was. She even said so.”
”Surely also the best, if she was spared the experience. Maybe she doesn’t need to be told in detail what has happened, and we know now what caused the tragedy.”
”Maybe a kite was stuck up there?”
”It’s hard to tell, and it’ll probably never be solved. But fortunately we don’t have to, as there is nothing to suggest a crime had happened.”
Chapter 9
BIG SISTER
”Where are you, Maja?”
Anders looked around. He was in a place recalling their old apartment before they moved. He had not yet realized how things were.
”Are you here, Maja?”
Anders went round and searched, but he felt different. He definitely was not himself. Something had happened, and he was somehow aware of that.
”Have you been hiding?”
”She's not here, Anders.”
A girl a little older than himself appeared in the living room. He did not recall she had been there before, but now suddenly she was.
”Who are you?”
”Dorrit.”
The girl came over to him. Anders thought she seemed familiar.
”I believe I've seen you before?”
”Do you really remember me?”
”Then it’s true?”
”It sure is. I’m your sister.”
”I thought so. I wondered where you were. Why did you suddenly disappear? You could have visited us. I missed you. Do you live with Dad?”
”No, I most certainly do not! I never want to have anything more to do with him! We were with him too much as it was. So much so, that’s the main reason why I'm here.”
”Yes! He was a domineering brute. I don’t remember him all that well. But he's gone now, and that’s probably also for the best.”
”If he had left a little earlier, I might not be here. Well, none of them would have lasted in the long run. There wasn’t a damn thing that was acceptable in that hellhole.”
”Is that our home you’re talking about?”
”Home? That was no home at all, goddammit! It was a dump and a battlefield. A gloomy and worn down waiting room.”
”This place reminds me of it.”
”Yes, it’s what you knew, and it usually gets to be the case afterwards.”
Anders looked around.
”It's not so bad. Well, it’s a little shabby and worn. But not much more so than what we have now. Some of the things seem to be the same. Where did you get those?”
”It doesn’t depend upon things. I could pretty much live with that. A home is something else. Something completely different. It’s the mood. The experience. The concern. The presence. The sensibility. The caring. Everything that holds things together. There was never any of that, because it all went into booze and violence. So I had to leave and wait for the second round.”
”What do you mean?”
”What do I mean? They never told you? Those bastards never gave you the proper message? No, I can damn well imagine. They wouldn’t have the courage to do that. They could offer us and each other so many other things. But to come to terms with things, and admit to it as it was,…. No way! They could never amount to that!”
”Now I think it’s you, who’s being aggressive... Dorrit.”
”Yes, I know damn well, and that is also the eternal curse that’s been hanging over my head, which I did not realize until it was too late. When you kick the bucket, things become frozen. They stay in the condition you were in before the transition and forced to replay this tiny part of your soul contribution. You spend your time constantly thinking about it, and running through the same conflict pattern, because there’s no way out, you see. That’s how it is. A croc of shit!”
”You’re very unforgiving.”
”Yes, God damn right I am! And, for me, it can’t be any other way. Redemption requires something special. You need to put it all behind you. That’s almost impossible to achieve, because you have cut yourself off from everything to influence the situation. If I had known this, I probably wouldn’t have chosen that way out. But I have at least been considerate enough not to come back and bother my relatives as other souls sometimes do, appearing as ghosts. It was my own choice, then,
and that falls back upon me.”
”So you mean... that you...?”
”Yes, I took my own life. Damn right I did. No, if you ask, I wouldn’t have done it now. But I felt I had to, as things looked so bleak. No prospect that it could get any better. I could’ve gone back and avenged myself, but they had it hard enough anyway. I am not completely heartless.”
”So we are dead, here... where we are?”
”You can’t die completely. We are the part that remains, or, at least, some of it. The earthly shroud in the incarnation we come from. Yes indeed, it’s a closed chapter. What about you, Anders? How did you get here? You must’ve left something back there that disturbs your peace of mind?”
”Yes, yes, I have to admit, you’re right. I remember what happened. I fell off a roof when I tried to get my sister back to safety. I failed.”
”Is she also running around somewhere here in Limbo?”
”No, no, she didn’t die. She somehow got herself back down to safely, afterwards. But the question is for how long.”
”I can see that you were very attached to her.”
”Yes, she needed me.”
”That explains the situation.”
”What do you mean?”
”The reason why you’re here.”
”Is there any particular reason that we are here? Right now?”
”Forget the 'right now' business. There’s no regular calendar here. Everything is floating. Everything goes in circles.”
”I don’t really know what you mean.”
”No, it’s not so easy to understand. But if you had been given a death that you could accept... If you were dead in the fullness of days as they called in the old days... Or, if you’d been sick and gotten used to the idea... Or if you were in balance and had some peace of mind with yourself... Yes, then you would probably have found the proper way to the other side without any problems. That happens to most people. We hope that for all people. But, unfortunately, you and I have unfinished business here. We find it difficult to detach ourselves from our past existences. We have unresolved issues. And, the worst thing about that is that they may well continue to be unresolved. Well, at least, maybe not in your case.”
Paragon- Ghost Hunters Page 7
