Gifted

by Campbell, Jamie

  “It only took us a few minutes to work it out. With the help of Rahni, I’m sure he would have figured it out pretty quickly. I don’t understand why he thought I couldn’t handle knowing that. It’s not like I’m a scaredy cat. It takes a fair bit to shake me.”

  “You know men. They are hard to work out. He probably thought he was being the big man of the house and protecting the womenfolk. It doesn’t change anything.”

  “I know. It just would have been good to be able to talk it all through with him. Now, all I have is questions and James isn’t here to answer them,” Cate said sadly.

  Their conversation was cut short by a loud knock on the front door. They hurried out to see who it was, meeting up with Blair in the foyer. Through the coloured glass on the side of the door, they could see the outline of a woman and something else they couldn’t quite make out.

  Blair opened the door. Standing on the porch was Louise and her small brown dog. Charlie bent down to pat him, she guessed he was probably a pure bred beagle. He was sitting patiently, waiting for his owner to move.

  “Cate, how are you?”

  “Fine Louise. How are you are? Just out for a walk, are you?” Cate replied. She had never seen Louise outside of her front yard. Her curiosity was in over drive.

  “I’m in a bit of a panic, actually. I was meant to fly to Brisbane this afternoon to see my elderly mother. The trouble is, my dog sitter just rang and said her kids had the chickenpox so she won’t be able to look after little Sammy here. I have nowhere else to go with him,” Louise spoke quickly and gave a sad look to Cate. “I was wondering if I could ask a very big favour of you?”

  “I’m sure we’ll be able to look after Sammy for a few days,” Cate felt sorry for the woman, even though they’d only ever spoken a handful of times before. “Does he have any special requirements?”

  “None, he’s a perfect little boy. I’m sure he won’t be any trouble at all. I will only be gone for two days. You are a champion. Thank you so much.” Louise handed the lead over and shoved it in Cate’s hand before turning and hurrying down the path.

  “Well, Rahni will be pleased anyway. She’s been wanting a dog for ages,” Cate commented. She looked down at the dog who was watching his owner leave. He cocked his head to the side, as if asking where she was going without him. Charlie thought for sure she saw a moment of panic run over his little face.

  They coaxed the dog inside and closed the door. Cate thought for a moment about what she had just taken on.

  “We don’t have any dog food! I’m going to have to run down to the store. What do you think he eats?”

  “I’m guessing probably the most gourmet dog food on the market,” Blair replied.

  “I’ll be back soon. Someone please keep an eye on Rahni. I won’t be long.”

  * * *

  The house was quiet in the midnight hour. Everyone had gone to bed a few hours earlier. The rain was pounding on the windows outside, a steady deluge that didn’t sound like it would let up any time soon.

  Charlie and Blair were asleep side by side. The main light was on, as Charlie still insisted every night. Blair had changed his tactics for trying to get her to sleep without it. Now, instead of complaining that he couldn’t sleep with it on, he had tried to guilt her into turning it off. He insisted it used far too much electricity and she should be thinking of the polar ice caps melting. It hadn’t worked. She responded by saying it was a matter of life or death. It was either her or the polar bears. He gave up.

  Now, as she was sleeping peacefully, Charlie tried to move her legs in her sleep. They wouldn’t budge. It woke her when her legs could feel the weight of something sitting at the edge of the bed. Without opening her eyes, she tried to kick it away. Her first thought was the dog had made his way upstairs and decided to sleep on the end of their bed. She didn’t mind, she just wanted some more space. It felt claustrophobic having her legs trapped.

  Under her breath, she moaned: “Move, Sammy.” He didn’t move. She tried a few more times but the weight wouldn’t budge. By now, she was wide awake. She sat up, thinking that she was going to have to physically pick up the dog for him to move over and give her some more room. He was probably used to getting his own way in his household.

  She adjusted her eyes to the light. She blinked a few times as she stared at the end of the bed. There wasn’t a beagle dog laying there. Instead, there was just a dent in the bed. She moved her leg to try and get underneath the area. It was met with resistance. It didn’t make sense to her. It was like someone was sitting on the bed. Then the realisation that someone probably was sitting on the bed hit her. She slid her legs away from the indentation and pushed Blair to wake up. After a few nudges, he finally sat up to see what her problem was.

  “There is someone sitting on the bed,” she whispered. He looked at the area.

  “You mean someone was sitting on the bed, there’s just a dent now. It was probably just the dog. Go back to sleep.”

  “It’s not the dog. Trying getting your leg underneath it. You’ll see what I mean.”

  Blair did as he was told and slid his legs over. Just like Charlie, he couldn’t move his legs underneath the indentation.

  “Crap! There is a weight there.”

  They stared at the end of the bed, unsure what to do. Charlie’s instincts were telling her to run but that meant she would have to pass by the end of the bed. She didn’t want to be any closer than she had to be. She pulled her legs up close to her and rested her arms on her knees. They kept staring at the dent until they felt the bed move. It rocked very gently for just a moment. In that instant, they saw the dent disappear.

  Blair moved his legs down to where the indentation had been and tried to get underneath it. This time, there was no resistance. Charlie watched on as he managed to move his legs from side to side. All signs that someone had been resting there were removed.

  “They got up,” Blair declared.

  “That was weird.”

  “You can say that again.”

  Chapter 12

  “Okay, Rahni is safely at her friend Emily’s house. Her mother thought I was nuts sending the dog too, but she agreed anyway. Let’s get this blasted thing over and done with,” Cate said as she hung her keys on the holder.

  Charlie and Blair were making the final preparations for the séance. Melanie was expected to arrive at any moment. They had found a small table that was to be used during the ceremony and were ready to place it wherever they were told to. A nervous energy ran through them. In one way it was exciting to be having a real séance with a genuine psychic. On the other hand, it was terrifying to think they were going to be trying to communicate with the dead. Whatever was about to happen, they hoped they were ready for it.

  A heavy knock on the door caught their attention. Charlie hurried to the door to answer it. Melanie was hard to miss standing on the porch. With her long white hair and bright clothes, she would have stood out in the thickest of crowds. It was no wonder the spirits chose her to communicate through, she was easy to spot.

  “Charlie! Good evening. How are you, my dear?” She threw her arms around Charlie in a bear hug.

  “I’m very well, thank you. How are you? Ready for tonight?”

  “As ready as I will ever be. Is everyone here?”

  “Blair, Cate, and myself. Rahni has gone to a friend’s house for the night, as requested,” Charlie ushered her inside and into the kitchen where the others were waiting. Melanie greeted them just as she had Charlie, with a bear hug.

  “Where do we start?” Cate asked, ready for the show to get moving.

  “I think I will start by walking around the house. It will give me a feel for the atmosphere. As I am going, they will probably start to communicate with me. I will ask them to wait until we are formally ready to start. Once I have been through every room, I will decide where the strongest energies are,” Melanie replied.

  “I’ll take you for a tour,” Charlie volunteered. She and Blair had decide
d it would be best that Cate had as little to do with the woman as possible. For some reason, they just didn’t gel. She was sure Melanie would probably say the reason for that was something to do with having a negative encounter in a past life.

  Charlie showed her through every room of the downstairs of the house before doing the same upstairs. She had expected Melanie may have had a reaction to something in the green room but she wasn’t giving anything away. Besides uttering a few ‘Oh my’s’ along the way, Melanie was otherwise quiet. Charlie had expected more from the usually over the top woman.

  When they had completed their tour, they returned downstairs so Melanie could give her verdict.

  “This is a marvellous house! How fortunate you are to live with so much history dripping from the walls. We need to start the séance in the upstairs room. I think Charlie said you called it the upstairs living room? The energy is strongest there. Do you have the table?”

  “We do, I’ll carry it up,” Blair volunteered. They all walked upstairs and along the corridor until they were in the living room. Blair placed the small table in the middle of the room and arranged the chairs around it. When finished, Melanie nodded her approval before they all sat around in a circle.

  “Now, before we start, you must know how to protect yourself. Most likely, I will be too busy to help you if you’re overcome. First step is to surround yourself with a white light. If you could all close your eyes and imagine a brilliant white light surrounding yourself from head to foot. Really concentrate, this is extremely important. It may just save your life.”

  Blair swallowed, he didn’t like the sound of that. He hoped Melanie was just being melodramatic. They all concentrated on their lights, having second thoughts on whether they should have volunteered for this.

  “Now, we must all hold hands. Whatever you do, don’t break the circle. The circle is what will be protecting us. No evil spirits can enter the circle unless it’s broken.”

  “What happens if something goes wrong?” Charlie asked with dread.

  “If something happens, then try and concentrate on your white light. If that is strong enough, it will act as a shield. Failing that, I don’t know, run?”

  “Maybe we shouldn’t be doing this,” Cate said with a nervous voice. Melanie looked at her and squeezed her hand with a reassuring look on her face.

  “It will be okay. Just have faith and remember your white light. If you do nothing else tonight, just have an open mind.”

  They all held hands tightly. Palms were starting to get sweaty with the nervous anticipation. Melanie broke the circle only long enough to light three candles on the table, two more on the piano, and turn off the lights. She resumed her seat and took Cate’s hand on her left and Charlie’s on the right. The only sounds in the room were from the rain against the windows and Melanie’s deep breathing.

  Several minutes passed before anything happened. They all sat there, listening to the sounds of the breathing. They were a steady rhythm of inhaling and then exhaling. Then they started to become quicker, shallower. They jumped when she spoke.

  “I have a woman here who says she has been communicating with you already. She is quite elderly, a wise old woman. She says she is grounded in the house and has offered to try and protect us tonight.”

  Charlie tried to swallow a few times to get some moisture back in her mouth. She wasn’t sure if she was allowed to speak or not but tried anyway. “Does she have a name?”

  “Her name is Alice. She’s very clear,” Melanie smiled, her eyes still shut tight. She’s telling me she used to be a housekeeper here. She worked in the kitchen mainly, but also did some chores around the house. She really liked working here. She’s asking where the little girl is.”

  “Rahni is at her friend’s house, Alice. Thank you for sending the messages through her. Rahni told me you protect her. Thank you.” Charlie spoke aloud to the room.

  “Alice, do you know you are related to Rahni?” Cate interrupted and waited for Melanie’s reply.

  “She’s saying yes. She says she recognised her spirit as kin when you moved in. She only wants to do what’s best for Rahni and your family. She doesn’t want to scare her or hurt any of you in any way.”

  “Why is she still here? Why doesn’t she pass over?” Charlie asked.

  There was a moment’s silence while they waited patiently for the response.

  “She likes the house. She says she was the most happiest here so why would she leave? I have to say, she’s not being tied here involuntarily. She genuinely wants to be here. She enjoys playing with Rahni and keeping up with the family. She sees herself as a bit of a protector,” Melanie paused. “She’s telling me there is a young girl here in spirit that is forcibly tied to the house. She’s trying to bring her forward but she is being held back by something. Alice is doing her best to help her but just can’t. There is a male force that is blocking her every time she tries. I have to say, this is not a good spirit.”

  Suddenly, the candles sitting on the table and piano went out, leaving them in complete darkness. Cate squealed with the shock. Blair instinctively let the hands go on either side of him and reached for the candles. He flicked the match and re-lit them as quickly as he could. His hands were shaking which made it more difficult. He hurried over to the piano and re-lit the ones there too.

  “Blair! You’re breaking the circle,” Charlie said with panic.

  “It’s okay, there are only good spirits here at the moment,” Melanie reassured.

  Just as the candles were re-lit, the door to the living room slammed shut with a loud, echoing, bang. The three of them stared at the door, waiting for something else to happen. They heard the distinct click of the door locking. When it went quiet, they turned their attention back to Melanie who had closed her eyes again. They gripped each other’s hands for protection.

  “I don’t think this girl’s energy is strong enough for her to come and directly speak with me. So far, all I know about her is from what Alice has told me. That isn’t much because she hasn’t been able to effectively communicate with the girl either. We will have to change tactics with her. Alice is stepping back a bit so she can come forward. She is helping her concentrate her energy. Remember, there is a strong presence with her and I don’t like the feel of him. From now on, don’t break the circle even if the candles go out. Understand?”

  “We do,” they replied together. They tightened their grip on each other’s hands and waited anxiously for their next instructions.

  “Now, I’m going to ask a question out loud. The young girl that is with us, can you please use all your energy to reply to us. You can use some of our energy if you need to. Can you please knock once for no and twice for yes? You only need to knock hard enough for us to hear. You can use the table, or the walls, or even the floor. Do you understand?”

  They held their breath and strained their ears to hear the knocking sound Melanie had requested. The candles flickered in the middle of the table. Just when they thought it wouldn’t work, they heard it - two faint knocks.

  “Excellent!” Melanie declared. “We just need you to be a bit louder, my dear. So when you knock again, can you please try to make it a bit stronger. I’m going to ask you a series of questions so we can try and help you. Did you live in this house?”

  They waited. Two knocks - yes.

  “I can feel that on the floor,” Blair said excitedly.

  “Were you happy here?” Melanie asked.

  One knock - no.

  “Did you die here?”

  Two knocks.

  “Were you killed by someone?”

  They strained, trying to hear the knocks. They were the faintest they had ever been. Eventually, they heard the two knocks in response.

  “Honey, you have to be a bit louder. Were you killed by someone?”

  This time, it was as clear as if someone had rapped on the table. Two, loud, knocks.

  “Okay, we understand. Thank you for being so clear. Remember, you can u
se all of our collective energies to make yourself stronger. Did you know your killer?”

  Two knocks for yes.

  “Are you happy to stay here?”

  One knock for no.

  “Melanie, can I ask her a question? I think I know who she is,” Charlie interrupted. She couldn’t believe how quickly the responses were coming. Never, in her wildest dreams, did she ever think that this was possible.

  “You may. Just be very clear with what you are asking and remember to use only yes or no kind of questions,” Melanie guided.

  “Is your name Eve?” Charlie asked the room. She could feel her heart racing in her chest.

  Two knocks.

  “Were your parents Lord and Lady Reign?”

  Two knocks. Charlie was getting excited with the responses. She continued on with the questions.

  “Did your parents build this house?”

  Two knocks.

  “Did you used to have the room by the stairs? The one that we call the green room?”

  Two knocks.

  “Did it used to be pink when you lived here?”

  Two knocks.

  “Did you like spending time with your sisters Joanna and Violet?”

  Two knocks.

  “Is there something in the garden that I have to find?”

  Two knocks.

  “Were you in the shower with me the other night?”

  Two knocks.

  “Was it you sitting on our bed last night?”

  One knock.

  “Have you always been here? Ever since you died?”

  Two knocks.

  “You must have met Harold then. Is it you that keeps scaring away all the women?”

  One knock.

  “Was your necked snapped? Is that how you were killed?”

  Two knocks came just as the table they were all seated around started rocking from side to side. Without realising it, they slid their chairs back a little to stop their legs being hit. The table continued to rock back and forth on its legs. The banging on the wooden floor was getting louder, a constant rhythm as each side of the table took turns in hitting the floor.