Talisman

by S. E. Akers

  “Shiloh, I hope you don’t mind, but Mr. and Mrs. Dyson came by last night. Rob and Evelyn had doctor’s appointments today and hated they weren’t going to be able to come to Caiden’s viewing. I didn’t think you all would mind, so I let them see him late last night. They were actually the first ones to sign the book. See, right over here,” Mr. Ramsey said as he pointed to their signatures. “They thought the world of your father.”

  I felt fortunate I was able to keep most of my tears under control, but upon hearing the Dyson’s genuinely came to see my father off like that, my luck ran out. Tearfully, I thought about how in a small-town like Welch, most people who came to these things treated a funeral more like a “social gathering” followed by “free food” — not all — but a good number of them. Their gesture tugged at my heartstrings as I took a tissue from my purse to dab the corners of my eyes.

  “That was so kind of them…I don’t mind at all,” I replied. I was glad they were officially “the first”. Mr. Ramsey gave me an endearing smile and started to walk away. I quickly grabbed his arm.

  “Don’t mention this to my mother. I’ll tell her when the time is right — like Mother’s Day,” I announced and headed into the viewing room.

  My eyes honed in on the room’s obvious centerpiece. The somber sounds of a piano playing in the background flooded my ears. I walked along the red velvet runner in a daze. Though the room was very bright and full of beautiful flowers, it seemed cold and dismal. My heart pounded faster and faster with every step I took, until I’d finally reached the elaborate, dark walnut coffin.

  I stood there and gazed at my father. The funeral home had done an excellent job. The handsome, but weathered coalminer looked soft and angelic resting against the pillows of tufted white satin that surrounded his upper body. He lay there, dressed for the last time looking his Sunday best — decked out in his favorite black suit and a new, crisp-collared white dress shirt. He was even wearing my favorite necktie, a modern harlequin design accented with muted fall colors. I found that triviality very pleasing. His hair was styled just as he preferred it, parted perfectly and flowing softly towards the left. I remembered worrying about that last night, hoping whoever fixed it would get it right. I softly ran my fingers along his cheekbone. His skin felt cold — ice-cold — like I had grabbed something out of the fridge. Though I’d found it somewhat startling, my fingers never flinched. I guessed for some reason I expected it to be warmer, since his face was radiating a subtle glow. The make-up may have fooled my eyes, but my heart was well aware of its artificial source. Nevertheless, he looked at peace.

  I felt a tear stream down my cheek as I thought about my father’s blue-green eyes, his kind eyes, while I gazed at his closed lids. How they would light up whenever he smiled. How energizing and uplifting they were. I’ll never see them again. I feared I would forget them and not be able to conjure them up in my mind at will. Their memory had been replaced with the image of them on that fateful night — two murky pools of darkness. The pain in his eyes would torment me forever. My hands clinched the side of his casket. I have to know who did this to you! I heard some people dawdling up the aisle behind me. I took a deep breath and looked down at my father once again. And how did you know about Adamas?

  No sooner than I’d turned around, I was bombarded with hugs and profound condolences. So many people were flooding in to pay their respects to my father that it was overwhelming. A wave of anxiety took hold of me abruptly, and I found myself struggling to even speak, let alone reciprocate any affection. Finally, after the first group of attendees had passed, I managed to sneak off to the powder room to pull myself together.

  As I emerged several minutes later, somewhat refreshed, I caught my first glimpse of Mike Riverside, huddled up in a corner by the main entrance consoling Chloe. The last time I’d seen Mike was when he was being dragged off through the woods. Tanner Grey claimed that, “Mike was possessed by the Onyx”, but nevertheless, I hadn’t absolved him from the part he’d played in the evening’s harrowing events. Realistically, I knew my anger was misplaced, but I couldn’t help it. His presence annoyed me, especially knowing that he (well, his soul, that is) had kept me from getting help for my father.

  Mike scanned the room in all directions. I couldn’t tell if he was searching for someone, or if he was just nervous. As our eyes met, I realized it was a combination of both. Mike’s face became pale, and he seemed fidgety.

  I overheard him tell Chloe, “You look like you need some air,” and then he swiftly ushered her outside. Funny thing though, he looked back my way repeatedly, almost fixated on me.

  Whatever…He’d just better make sure that his eyes are the only thing on “my side” of the room!

  Even though Tanner Grey had assured me that Mike wouldn’t remember anything about that night, his actions fueled my suspicions. Was there a slight chance he actually did remember what had happened? I intended to question him when the opportunity presented itself. Something’s making him act funny. However this, I thought realistically, is not the time, nor the place.

  As I headed down the hall, I spotted Uriah Hatfield and nodded to him. He gave me a gentle nudge as we passed each other. I supposed that his little gesture was the gruff old security guard’s way of expressing his sympathy. Though I had to admit, it was the first time I’d ever seen a hint of a smile on his normally, grumpy face.

  When I reentered the viewing room, I was astounded by how packed it was. Friends and local residents were entering the room in droves. There really wasn’t enough room for everyone. Surely, most of them were here just for the wake portion. I could tell a lot of the miners had taken off early for lunch, just so they could stop by and pay their respects to Daddy. They poured into the funeral home, sporting their finest coal-stained “bank clothes”. There were so many of them it was starting to look like a union meeting. Daddy would have been touched.

  As I stood back out of the crowd’s way, I felt a couple of steady taps on my shoulder. I turned to see Samuel, who gave me a firm hug as he cozied up beside me. I smiled as I took in his out-of-the-ordinary attire. Samuel looked very sharp in his three-piece dark-gray suit. His normally stubble-speckled face was clean-shaven, and I even caught a woodsy scent of fresh pine trees.

  “How’s my girl holding up?” Samuel asked uncertainly.

  “I’m okay…I guess.” I looked around the room and sighed. “Samuel, do you think people would mind if I told everyone to leave, so I can climb inside the casket with Daddy and cuddle with him one last time…like when I was four?”

  Samuel let out a laugh and shook his head.

  “You can stay, of course,” I added. “After all, someone will have to make sure my mother doesn’t try to lock me inside the casket.”

  Samuel put his hand over his mouth to cover his grin. “I’m glad to see you haven’t lost your sense of humor,” he chuckled.

  I shot him a serious look. “I wasn’t kidding.”

  Samuel and I stood there and watched as more people arrived, just as others were leaving. We chitchatted about how nice Daddy looked and commented on all the lovely arrangements people had sent.

  My mind drifted off into another daze. I started thinking about the vision I’d had at the dance when I went “flower-picking” in Kara’s bouquet. It dawned on me as I looked around the room, feeling stricken with an unbearable amount of grief, that this was what I’d seen. I remembered the strikes of the piano keys, the brightly lit room, and the colorful rays of light as they passed through the stained glass windows and danced on my hands. The lavender spider mum I’d focused in on was from one of the countless flower baskets scattered around the somber space.

  I’d seen my father’s death, in a roundabout way. I know Tanner Grey said the visions occurred randomly, but why couldn’t that one have been a little clearer?

  Again, I felt another small tap on my shoulder and turned to apologize to Samuel for ignoring him. But it wasn’t Samuel. Apparently, he had wandered away while I stood the
re lost in the thoughts of my vision. Instead, I found myself looking into the eyes of none other than Tyler Smith.

  “I’m so sorry, Shiloh,” Ty said softly. “I couldn’t believe it when I heard the news. Are you okay?”

  No sense in putting up a front for him.

  “I’m doing as good as to be expected, I suppose. Right now, I feel pretty empty inside, but full of sadness…both at the same time.” Ty gave me a somewhat unexpected, lingering hug.

  “Now I know why I didn’t hear from you the other night,” Ty said, somber and confident.

  My eyes closed unconsciously as Ty held me in his arms. That was kind-of-the-reason. Why bring up the fact that Mike had been possessed by some supernatural being called “the Onyx” and tried to kill me while my father lay there dying? If by some small chance Ty believed me, he’d be on his butt again like white on rice. I really didn’t think another one of their “smack-downs” would be appropriate for a funeral, so I played along.

  “Yeah,” I agreed.

  As our embrace broke, I gazed back at him and hinted a coy smile. Yet again, he was looking as fine as he did on the night of the Homecoming Dance. Dress clothes certainly suit him, I noted silently. But I would take him in a sweaty t-shirt and jeans any day of the week. I lowered my head slightly when I felt my face start to flush.

  “I’m glad you were able to come,” I replied appreciatively.

  “A lot of us wanted to come, but Mrs. Tuttle wasn’t giving out passes to just anyone. You know how she is. Mike got one because his father was your dad’s boss. She was about to tell Katie, ‘no’, when she started tearing up and informed Mrs. Tuttle that, ‘she be had to be there for her bosom friend’. She’s outside trying to find a place to park. She’ll be here in a second.”

  Mrs. Tuttle, our school’s guidance counselor (and affectionately called “the warden”), was a stickler about attendance. She hated funerals. Since everyone pretty much knew everybody in town, she thought a funeral was the perfect way for students to skip out on a half-day of school. You had to have a pretty good reason to attend one if you weren’t a family member.

  “So, why did she let you come?” I asked. What could he have possibly said to persuade her?

  “I, um…I kind of told her you were my um…girlfriend,” he confessed. “You know, so she’d let me come.”

  Ty seemed a bit embarrassed. Now I was even more curious. Was it from having to tell her that, or me? I decided to probe deeper into his little bomb of an admission.

  “And she believed you?” I asked with a restrained grin and a playful note of skepticism. Ty caught onto the motive behind my inquiry. He smiled and held his head up high.

  “She didn’t doubt it for a second…not after she told me that she’d seen us dancing the other night,” Ty added with a grin.

  “Oh,” I mumbled softly, now feeling a bit embarrassed myself.

  “Hey, um speaking of the other night…What’s up with Mike?” Ty asked, sounding more than a little suspicious.

  “I don’t know,” I replied cautiously, not even looking in Ty’s direction. “I haven’t talked to him since Saturday night. Why?”

  Ty continued, “I spoke to him when he was leaving Mrs. Tuttle’s office and he acted, I don’t know…nervous? I figured it was because of our fight the other night. So when I saw him outside a minute ago, I tried to make peace by waving at him. He just turned his head and ignored me. Something’s up.”

  I listened to his assessment of Mike’s behavior. I had a thought of my own, actually three. Was it possible Mike remembered what happened that night? Or, was he feeling the way Tanner Grey had described after being “occupied” by the Onyx? It sure sounded like a supernatural hangover-from-Hell to me. Or even worse, was his head still clouded from the effects of the ruby-spiked cologne? I hope not! I withdrew myself from our conversation to further contemplate my theories. Ty noticed that I was in deep thought about something.

  “Shi…Mike didn’t try anything the other night? I mean…he didn’t come on to you, did he?” Ty asked, his eyes every bit as flared as his nostrils.

  “No, no,” I insisted. “Trust me. He was a completely different person when he took me home.” Well, I wasn’t lying.

  “Good,” Ty replied, seeming relieved. Just then, Katie ran over crying and threw her arms around me.

  “Oh, Shi! I’m so sorry about your daddy!” She sounded completely winded. “I tried to call you all day yesterday. Why wouldn’t you call me back? I was so worried about you!” Katie rambled. She was so wrought with emotion that she had worked herself into a tizzy. “I even drove out to your house last night, but Charlotte wouldn’t let me in. THAT WITCH! Are you okay? Hey, who broke the front window?”

  I took her hands and gave them a tight squeeze. “Katie, I didn’t feel like talking about Daddy…to anyone.” I looked at both of them apologetically. “I just needed some space, that’s all. Charlotte didn’t tell me that you had stopped by.” Like that was a big surprise. Katie should’ve figured that.

  Katie wiped her tears with her hands and nodded understandingly. Ty noticed she didn’t have any tissues and left in search of some. Katie took a deep breath and quickly switched gears.

  “So, that’s your ‘boyfriend’ now?” my BFF questioned. “Apparently, there’s a lot we need to catch up on, or so goes the rumors.”

  Her playful insinuation made me blush. “What rumor?” I asked cluelessly.

  “No, no. I said rumors,” Katie corrected. “Which one? The one about your intense dance with Ty? The one about Mike and Ty fighting over you in the parking lot? Or, how about the one about where Ty officially broke up with Kara, right after you left the dance with Mike?”

  OH CRAP! I started to stumble backward against the heavy red velvet drapes that sectioned off the viewing room. Katie steadied me on my feet.

  “Nuh-uh! Don’t go all ‘911’ until I get the ‘411’,” she demanded.

  As I thought about “me” being the “talk of the school”, the muscles in my face started to lock into a cringe.

  “How much is true?” Katie probed. “Some of it?”

  I shied away from her gaze, knowing what little make-up I’d put on this morning was about to crack off.

  A devilish smile crept over her face. “Not ALL of it?” Katie whispered, filled to the brim with delight.

  I sent a subtle confirming nod in her direction. “But I didn’t know about Ty breaking up with Kara.” That sounded pretty good rolling off my tongue.

  Katie giggled. “I guess I missed out on one heck of an evening!”

  I shook my head. “Honestly, you have NO IDEA.”

  In the midst of her amusement, I noticed some strange faces coming through the double-doors. When they cleared the entry, a shocking presence emerged.

  LAZARUS XCAVARE? What in the heck is “HE” doing HERE? I watched him make his way over to Charlotte and Chloe, who were seated in the front pew. Charlotte practically sprang out of her seat when he extended his hand. She shook off his cordial handshake and worked her “injured” right hand to her advantage. She held out her left one, angled down towards his face. He grinned as he caught her subtle hint. Lazarus gallantly lifted her hand to his lips and gave it a light kiss. He was really laying it on thick, and it was obvious by the way Charlotte was eating it up that he had her completely snowed. The scene was picturesque — the recently widowed, philandering spouse being comforted by the very wealthy and equally peculiar, soon-to-be new owner of the local mine, who by the way, was some sort of supernatural Talisman. After all, if she couldn’t get Chloe married into the Riverside family, she would have to have a back-up plan.

  The display was making me sick, but my own curiosity wouldn’t allow me to turn away. I noticed Charlotte’s smile hardening when Lazarus appeared to have asked her something. She searched around the room and pointed her finger, directly at me. Lazarus locked his eyes on me and after giving Chloe a hug, he began to weave through the crowd, headed my way. Needless to say, I p
anicked.

  OH SHIT!

  Ty had just returned with Katie’s tissues. While he tended to her, I moved my body behind them, securely out of Lazarus’ line of sight.

  What am I going to do? Tanner said for “me” not to go near “him”. He never told me what to do if “I” wasn’t the one doing the “approaching”!

  I crouched lower to the floor. I was attempting to sneak away when something grabbed a hold of my arm and jerked me into the next room, behind the heavy red velvet drapes. Startled, I turned around to see none other than Tanner Grey’s partner-in-crime, Beatrix Sutherland.

  “That was a close one,” Beatrix Sutherland sighed. “I’m sorry if I startled you, dear. We can’t have Lazarus coming in contact with you before all of your abilities emerge.”

  I stood there rightfully stunned and slightly amused by her newfound candor.

  “Ms. Sutherland, WHY didn’t you ever say…ANYTHING?” I questioned. She flashed a grin as she swiftly pulled me through the empty room and out a door that led into the hallway.

  “Let’s find a good place to hide you, dear…just until Lazarus leaves. Oh, and you can finally drop the formalities of etiquette and call me Beatrix, or simply Bea, dear. Especially with what all you’ve been through lately.” Quickly, she dragged me further down the hall and ushered me into the ladies powder room.

  “You sure can find your way around without a hitch,” I remarked, “for a blind lady.”

  Beatrix locked the door and turned towards me. I stared at her brown-hued eyes, which drifted aimlessly as they always did. I focused in on her forehead — the very spot where that “third-eye” had appeared in my vision. I started to laugh as I looked around at my surroundings. Just like in my vision, I was in of all places, a daggone bathroom.

  “Open it,” I demanded.

  Beatrix was hesitant, but she knew exactly what I was referring to. I decided to take a more polite approach.

  “I need to see it…Please?”