The Starfish Talisman

by Lark Griffing

  “What can she do to me, really? She doesn’t really exist. I mean, I know that you say she is a ghost, but she can’t hurt me, can she?”

  “What are those?” Chase asked, as he pointed to the punctures in her neck where the cat pierced her with his claws in the night.

  “That’s where the cat scratched me. You know that. I had the bad dream, and when I woke up, the cat was laying on my chest.”

  “Your dream was about Ariana hurting you, right?” asked Chase. “And then the cat was hurting you.”

  “Are you telling me that the cat is Ariana?”

  “Reagan, hasn’t Willow been telling you since you arrived not to go on the fourth floor?”

  “I didn’t. I never went there.”

  “I know you didn’t, but you did let something out from there. Something that had been locked in that place for over a hundred and fifty years.”

  “Because Ariana died up there, you think her ghost has been trapped up there?” Reagan shook her head in disbelief.

  “Not only did she die up there, but she stayed up there.”

  “Wait, you mean she wasn’t buried or anything? Are you telling me they left her body up there to rot? That’s disgusting. Honestly, that had to get really disgusting, didn’t it?”

  “That’s the strange thing. Her body didn’t decompose. At least, that’s the story. There was never a smell. The family shut the door and forbid anyone to go up there. They just pretended that nothing had ever happened, and they went on with their lives.”

  “Wait, you said Ariana caused trouble some years back. What happened?”

  “Your father,” said Emma

  “What do you mean, my father?”

  “You remember the story of when your dad’s collie died? The day your dad almost drowned?” asked Emma, putting down her knitting. Reagan nodded.

  “No one knows what really happened, except for Willow and me. Your father had met a beautiful girl down on the rocks at the ocean. He would go down there daily to see her. Willow kept telling him that something wasn’t right with this picture, but he wouldn’t listen. Then one day, I don’t know why, but he realized that something didn’t add up. He said he met the girl’s sister, and she warned him to stay away because the girl wasn’t well. He acknowledged that the house held, what he called memories, but he had a hard time accepting the fact that spirits from the past haunted his home. Anyhow, the more Willow tried to warn him about the girl he was seeing, the more bad things were happening to her. She was burned by a candle that just toppled for no reason off a shelf. She fell down the basement stairs, and one time, she was bitten by a wolf under the dining room table.”

  “So, you’re saying that Ariana did these things? But wasn’t she locked up?”

  Emma poured more tea in her cup and rose to refill Reagan’s. Reagan shook her head impatiently, urging Emma to go on. Emma settled back resigned to finishing the sordid story.

  “Over the years she had been gaining power. She was able to reach beyond her attic prison. One day, your dad confronted the woman on the beach. He insisted that she go into town with him, that she go anywhere with him other than the rocks, and if she didn’t, he could no longer see her. The woman flew into a rage and pushed your father off of the rocks. He lost his balance and fell into the ocean. The seas were high that day, and he was having trouble keeping his head above water. His collie jumped in to try to save him. The dog managed to pull him to shore, but the dog had gotten too much salt water in his lungs. The poor thing died, and your dad died a little, too. He cursed the girl, he cursed the house, and he cursed the town. He stayed long enough to graduate high school, then he left and never came back. Willow was devastated, and so were their parents.”

  “Why did they stay? Why didn’t they leave that cursed place? How can Willow still live there?”

  “Because that is her home, your home. Your family has lived there for generations. Your ancestors have been married there, babies have been born there, and people have grown old and died there. That house has been filled with many, many happy memories. Adelaide’s spirit walks that house and people have enjoyed her goodwill for years. Ariana has just gained strength in the last forty years or so.”

  “Isn’t there a way to get rid of her?”

  “Yes, but Willow has never wanted it done.”

  “Why the hell not? After what happened to her brother?”

  “Because Willow understands the pain that Ariana felt. I think she feels sorry for her. Ariana was always second fiddle to the beautiful, kind, and graceful Adelaide. She didn’t feel as loved, and she was an outcast. Willow grew up much the same way. She didn’t have a sister that she lived in the shadow of, but Willow was always a little different. Because she’s artistic, she didn’t fit in well with this tight knit, conservative community. Her peers made fun of her, and she spent much of her life feeling very lonely. Now, she is a recluse, with very few close friends. Cora Rose and Willow have a grudging respectful relationship, and I have become friends with Willow over the years. I think Willow prefers the house’s ghosts to people. She understands them, and they are part of her world and her history. My guess is you have always had friends, so this would be pretty hard for you to understand.”

  Reagan thought about it for a few minutes as the three of them sat in a companionable silence.

  “Honestly, I don’t know what to think anymore,” said Reagan. “My head is spinning, I’m confused, and I just feel like curling up and going to sleep.”

  “That’s not a bad idea. Your mind is overwhelmed, and you need to heal, both physically and emotionally. Also, the tea and the incense have calmed you, and your body is responding to its relaxing powers. Why don’t you curl up on the couch and take a nap? Chase and I will start dinner so when you wake up, there will be something to eat. After that, we will go over to the house and pick up a some of your things. You are going to stay in our guest room for a couple of days. Does that sound like a good idea?” Reagan nodded gratefully. Chase stood up and Reagan stretched out on the couch. He covered her carefully with the blanket and kissed her cheeks. Within seconds, Reagan was fast asleep.

  Chapter 22

  Reagan woke to the smell of chicken soup simmering. She opened her eyes and saw Emma turn to look at her, dusting her flour covered hands on her jeans.

  “How are you feeling?” asked Emma as she crossed the floor toward Reagan.

  “Hungry,” Reagan replied as she sniffed the air appreciatively.

  “The food will be ready in a bit. Can I get you anything right now?”

  “I would like water, but I can get it. Can I help you with anything in the kitchen?”

  Emma appraised her and nodded. She showed Reagan how to roll the dough she had mixed and how to cut it into dumplings. Once they had them all cut, Emma dusted them again with flour, then turned the fire up higher under the chicken stock. The fragrant herbs that simmered in the soup filled the room. Once the pot was at a rolling boil, they carefully loaded the dumplings into the stock. Reagan stirred the soup gently, forcing the dumplings apart so they would cook separately.

  “Can I ask you a couple of questions?” Reagan asked Emma.

  “Of course, Reagan, you can ask me anything, and I won’t lie to you. You must remember that the truths I tell you might be hard for you to accept. Deal?”

  “Deal. Okay, so why do you have Ariana’s journal?”

  “I wondered when you would ask that. The Widow Hobbs was my ancestor. Just like your family has lived in the big house on the cliff, my family has lived here in this cottage. Each of us lives with our own curses. Our family has only ever produced girls, and our husbands all passed early. I am the first to have produced a son. I was hoping that meant the curse had passed, and that my husband would not suffer the same fate as all the husbands in this family, but it was not to be.” Emma swiped her flour-covered hands on a towel, taking a minute to compose herself. “The gossip about town is our family was cursed because the Widow Hobbs had practiced b
lack magic. They claim this is why Ariana went insane. Our family has tried for generations to swing the town’s perception of the healing arts. People only wanted to come to us under the cover of darkness, afraid of being ostracized, even though everyone came to us for help. At least now I am respected and loved in this town, so slowly, I think the curse is being broken. I just wish it would have happened before Chase’s father died.” Emma was quiet for a minute. Reagan waited patiently.

  “Anyhow, the Widow Hobbs helped to deliver Ariana’s babies, and then cared for her in the beginning as she became more and more mentally ill. At one point, Ariana gave the book to the widow for safe keeping. I think she wanted her side of the story told. When Ariana spiraled into the depths of madness, the Widow Hobbs refused to come back to the house, but the book has been in our family for ages, and we have protected it as it was trusted to us for safe keeping. You said you had two questions. What is the other one?”

  “I understand that you think Adelaide haunts the house, and that Ariana takes the form of the cat. But what about the wolves? I mean, there were wolves under the table. I saw them. They snapped at me.” Reagan shuddered at the memory.

  “I think the wolves are something completely different, but Ariana has learned to harness them and use them. For centuries, the native people indigenous to this land have had a legend about a pack of spirit wolves. There are a couple of places in that house which offer a portal to places and things we don’t understand. Under the dining room table is one. There is also one down in the basement.”

  “The room with the big locked door.”

  “Yes, you want to stay away from that place. I have had to cleanse that many, many times.”

  “Cleanse? What are you talking about?”

  “I purified the house. We will do it again tonight. When we go over to get some of your things, we will burn sage and hang rosemary wreaths. It will help keep things under control.” Reagan looked dubious but decided the only thing she could do right now was to trust Emma.

  After dinner, Emma, Chase, and Reagan climbed in Emma’s truck. Wiley jumped in the bed, eager to go for a ride. The drive over the Willow’s house was silent, each contemplating their own thoughts. Chase clasped Reagan’s hand, gritting his teeth at times because Reagan unconsciously gripped his hand to the point of almost crushing his fingers. Outwardly, she tried to look calm, but her hands betrayed her fears.

  Once they got to the house, Wiley jumped out and stayed glued to Reagan’s side. As they approached the porch, Emma lit a twist of sage and let the smoke curl up into the rafters. Chase took Reagan’s key and unlocked the front door. Reagan’s heart was pounding against the walls of her chest. As they walked through the kitchen, the sage burning fragrantly, Wiley trotted ahead, wagging his tail. He sat in the middle of the kitchen and offered his paw to no one in particular. Emma spoke up.

  “I’m sorry Adelaide, if the sage is bothering you. I need to purify the house because Ariana is causing trouble here. Please forgive me for your discomfort.”

  Reagan looked at Emma in disbelief. This was so weird. Everything she had ever believed in was being shattered in just a couple weeks. She still felt like she was going slightly mad, but she followed along for the ride.

  Chase dropped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. A door upstairs slammed. Emma moved her way into the dining room. She placed ground sage under each chair at the dining room table, allowing the smoke to curl and fill the space below. As they turned to leave, Wiley wheeled around and sounded a low, deep growl. His hackles raised. His tail grew straight.

  “It’s okay, Wiley. They are restless and uncomfortable,” Emma soothed.

  They made their way up the stairs, smudging every room with the sage smoke, Emma muttering soft words under her breath. When they reached Reagan’s room Emma stopped at the entrance, then backed up a step. Her eyes flashed with anger, and she motioned for the kids to get behind her. Wiley moved up next to Emma, his teeth bared.

  “Mom, what is it?” Chase whispered. He moved closer to his mom, wanting to protect her, but she pressed him back. A cold draft blew from the room, forcing the sage smoke back into their faces. The burning end glowed brightly, then faded. Emma quickly lit the sage again, coaxing it into a brighter flame.

  She reached into the market bag that hung from her shoulder and extracted a rosemary wreath. An angry hiss came from under the bed. Wiley entered the room, stiff-legged, growling louder, his lips curled on top of his nose. Emma moved sideways into the room, Chase and Reagan following. Emma motioned for them to move around the perimeter, leaving the path from the bed to the hallway clear. As the sage smoke filled the room, the hiss turned into a low growling yowl. The cat was angry. Emma moved to the other side of the bed and reached the rosemary wreath out in front of her. The cat hissed again, low and throaty. Emma pushed the wreath under the bed and threw ground sage leaves under for good measure. Then she thrust the still smoldering sage bundle under. The cat howled and ran for the hallway and up the stairs to the fourth floor. A door slammed, and a woman screamed. Then all was quiet.

  Reagan gathered the things she needed to spend the next couple of nights at Emma’s house. Chase stayed by her side the entire time. Reagan was surprised at how frightened she was to go down the hall to the bathroom to get her toiletries. Emma sensed her hesitation and went with her, carrying the smoking sage bundle. Before they went back downstairs, Emma hung a rosemary wreath on Reagan’s door and shut it firmly.

  “I don’t know if I will ever be able to sleep in there again,” Reagan said, sadly. “I loved that room.”

  “Trust me. You will. You need to learn to coexist with all things in life, not just the pleasant things.”

  “Yeah, well that may take a while. Is Ariana gone for good? What happened to her?”

  “No, I am afraid not. She is subdued, but she is no longer locked up on the fourth floor. She has been freed, and I am really not sure how to confine her again. I will have to think about it. You have some protection down here. These floors have been purified, but the fourth floor has not. On the other hand, don’t you think she should have a safe place of her own?” Emma reached out and brushed a strand of hair from Reagan’s eyes, looking at her earnestly.

  “But she was evil. She killed Adelaide.”

  “True, but there are two sides to every story. This is not the place to discuss it, but we will. In the meantime, think about how we treat people today with mental illness, and imagine how those same people would be treated a hundred and fifty years ago. It’s not a pretty thought.”

  Reagan got quiet and realized that Emma had a point. Still, Ariana was pure evil, and she didn’t seem to have reformed after death.

  They carried Reagan’s things down the stairs. Everything was quiet in the dining room. Leaving the sconce light on in the kitchen, Chase locked up, handing Reagan the key. Emma hung another rosemary wreath on the kitchen door, and they left for the cottage.

  Chapter 23

  Reagan spent the next two days at the cottage. She helped Emma make soap and tend to the garden. In the early morning, she helped to harvest lavender blossoms so Emma could make lavender oil and lavender salve. Wiley and Griff stayed close by Reagan’s side, keeping a constant watch over her. Chase went to work at the drugstore, coming home in the evenings to help with dinner. After the dinner dishes were cleaned, they sat together on the patio and watched the sun set over the bog.

  In the evening of the second day, the phone rang. Willow was home and wanted to check on Reagan and Wiley. Emma assured her everyone was fine.

  “Willow, do you need me to run Wiley over to you this evening? I think it would be better for Reagan to stay here one more night, but I know you would like for Wiley to be with you.”

  “No, that’s okay. I will stop by and pick him up. Now that Cora Rose isn’t here, there isn’t any damn food in the house. I need to pick up something for breakfast tomorrow. I noticed you did a cleansing. The rosemary wreaths are a nice touch. A litt
le feminine for my taste, but if they will do the trick, I welcome them. Thanks for your help.”

  “You’re welcome. If there is anything else you need, just let me know.”

  “What I needed was for Reagan not to meddle in things that were none of her business. Now that Ariana is out, things will be more difficult around here.”

  “Willow, it’s not Reagan’s fault, and you know it. She only did what any decent human being would do and that was help a distressed animal.”

  “I know, but damn, I can’t find the cat, and I am not sure what to do about Ariana. Adelaide is restless as hell, and things just feel off kilter.”

  “Adelaide is upset because of the cleansing. Just go about your business and see how things go. I’ll talk to Cora Rose and see if I can convince her to come back to cook your breakfast.”

  Willow snorted her lack of conviction that Emma could work that kind of magic.

  “I’ll see you in a little bit when I pick up Wiley.”

  Emma hung up the phone and turned around to see Reagan standing behind her, a tear running down her check. Emma opened her arms and Reagan threw herself into the welcoming hug.

  “It’s not your fault, honey. Willow knows you were only trying to help, and besides, Willow has lived in that house all of her life. It is not a surprise that this has finally happened. The cleansing should have moved an unwelcome spirit out of those rooms. Ariana should go back upstairs because that area is not contaminated with the sage smoke, and the strong presence of rosemary won’t be up there. Willow will spend the night in the house, and she will know if anything is awry.” Emma gently lifted Reagan’s chin so she could look in her eyes. Reagan’s lashes were wet with tears, her face touched with sadness.

  “Since you did the smoke thing, does this mean I won’t be attacked by sea gulls anymore?”