Forever Ash: The Witch Child of Helmach Creek (Frost & Flame Trilogy Book 1)

by Rick Kueber

  “A bear maybe?” asked Sarah. “No, this moved oddly, and I didn't hear a sound. It kinda frightened me... I wouldn't be frightened of a bear.” Katie responded without even thinking.

  “You were right Rick...tough girls.” Dr. Em said with a smile. “I mean no disrespect,” said Pastor Greene, “but, if you don't want to post pone this, I think we had better get things under way quickly, before the storm hits. Everyone agreed, and I held out the necklace towards the doc and her family.

  “I think it is right that you give it back to her.” said Dr. Emily. I didn't want to argue, and I really was speechless for a moment. My eyes welled up and I fought back the tears as I carefully placed the necklace and pendant around the neckline of the white dress just below where we had placed Ashley's blackened skull.

  While the pastor completed his blessings of Ash, the thunder sounded again, and the wind whipped up a dust devil of leaves that blew right up to us before dissipating. The winds began to howl as if the woods surrounding us were filled with tormented specters, circling in the distance. Then each of us saw it, a large shadowy mass moving through the woods. We quickened our pace, afraid we would be caught in the inevitable storm, but not afraid of the shadow. It seemed that this thing could no longer penetrate the area that had been smudged and blessed. Perhaps we had created an overabundance of positive energy, or perhaps it was because there was a lack of fear. It may have been the combination of all of these things.

  “Everyone gather around Elijah's coffin please.” I said as Jenn and I replaced the cedar lid. I then retrieved a small paper bag of nails and a hammer from behind Elijah's headstone. I drove the first nail, and then passed it on, until we had each taken our turn. Shari was the last, and with the final strike of the hammer, his coffin was sealed, and the lightning struck only feet behind us, with an earth shattering CRACK. Everyone ducked and flinched, covering their ears or their head with their hands.

  Those of us who weren't already facing that way, slowly turned to see where the lightning had struck. We all saw the smoldering, blackened mark on the ground not fifteen feet away, like when a bowling ball shaped bomb explodes in the hands of a cartoon coyote...but there was no coyote. There, was Ash.

  She stood there as beautiful and alive as we had ever seen her. A smile spread across her face, as she reached up with one hand and touched the ethereal necklace around her neck.

  “How did you know my last wish?” She asked with a hauntingly hollow voice, and then said something we did not expect. “You are my friends and family, I love each of you with the love and compassion you have taught me.” and with that her ghostly being fluttered and swirled, and was carried away into the winds like a blue eyed wisp of smoke.

  Everyone stared open-jawed at the spot where Ash had stood and the pastor even walked right up to it, and touched the ground where her feet had been. There had been no startling revelation, no pain, no hatred, no anger, and no fear. This meeting with Ashley was pure kindness and love.

  Sarah broke the silence. “Okay, that was not the girl in my dream last night.”

  We all began to smile, and Jennifer replied to her with, “That was Ashley Sue, and that will be, forever, Ash.” Our spirits were lightened, feeling this little burning girl was finding her happiness that she had been deprived of for so long. We finished sealing Ashley's coffin in the same manor we did Elijah's and when the last nail was driven, we all winced, but nothing happened. The caskets were lowered, and we all walked in circles around the graves and the dirt piles, one by one, taking turns, one shovel full at a time filling them in, until the piles had been moved and the graves were overfilled. The pastor had even taken part in the shoveling for a while, until he began speaking his preplanned funeral speech ending with

  “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust... from the earth, now returned to the earth, in the name of our heavenly father, amen”

  There was a disturbing low moaning howl in a place not too far away, and even though it chilled us to hear it, it also made us feel comforted that this shadow, whatever it may be would no longer be influencing or mentoring, or torturing young Ash.

  Once the pastor had finished, Dr. Em, Sarah, and Shari, each placed a single red rose on each of the graves. We all picked up our belongings, and walked reluctantly to the van and SUV. We said our good-byes and I handed the key to the lock and the key to the front door to Emily. She took them graciously, and thanked us many times over for all of our help. She even expressed that she would like to have a reunion of sorts this summer, here at the farm, where she wanted us each to pick an item to donate to the local history museum for their help, and one item each to keep as a memento, if we wanted. We agreed, and loved the idea of the museum having actual artifacts and the true story of Ashley Sue. I suggested we consider having a Halloween / Birthday party for Ash, and we all decided we would consider it.

  *** As we started to back out of the drive, we were given one last gift from Ash. There on the front porch, on her mother's lap, sat Ash, with her father sitting beside them. As they stood up to go into the house, Ashley turned to look at us over her shoulder one last time. The orangey fire welled up in her eyes and we could feel it piercing our souls. A shadow darkened the sky and passed quickly, like some rogue, fast moving cloud that only blocks the sun for a brief moment, and with that passing shadow, the fire in Ash's eyes dimmed. Ash turned back to her parents and as her father reached for the door knob, they faded from our sight...but never from our memory. None of our lives would ever be the same, but we had known that from the first moment we encountered the burning girl of Helmach House.

  The first half of our trip home was mostly silent with the radio playing quietly in the background, until one particular song came on and Jenn turned up the volume and began to rock out to the classic tune “Only the Good Die Young”. One by one we began to sing, completely off key, along with the lyrics, and though parts of the song should have been depressing, they weren't. That song became a reminder of our experiences, and it wasn't really the entirety of the song, as much as it was the key bits and pieces of the lyrics. Those words and phrases brought to mind good memories. From that song on, the rest of the trip was nonstop chatter and laughter, talking about the future and reliving the past.

  *** It was only a few days after our return home when the team, Theo, and Dr. Em's family reunited at the doc's home to recant our tales and fill in the missing pieces of each other's stories. It was in the midst of the evening, when we were all enjoying ourselves that Katie spoke up.

  “I know you have all noticed that I have been a bit of a basket case lately.”

  “Oh, no... we weren't thinking that at all.” I said trying to be as honest and reassuring as I could. “This has been as stressful of an experience as I think anyone could imagine. No one thinks you handled yourself any different than anybody else, and I could tell you had a real connection with Ash. I mean a stronger connection than the rest of us.” Jennifer conveyed what we all were feeling.

  “Well, there may be a reason for that, and actually...” Katie began again. “.. I have been an emotional mess, but with good reason.”

  “Of course you have good reason. It sounds like you all did.” interjected Sarah. “Ugh!” Katie spluffed. “No... You don't get it. What I'm trying to say here is....wait for it...” Her eyes darted from friend to friend as her smile widened to near impossible size, even for Katie, “I'M PREGNANT!”

  The shouting of congratulations and hugs and tears all began. “What's weird to me, and you may not believe it, but somehow, I think Ashley knew it all along.” Katie remarked with a devilish grin. I wondered if Ash had known. Had she felt a connection with Katie because she was going to be a mom, and that is something Ash had never had? Did she know how her mother had died, or did her father tell her that it was her fault? So many thoughts, hypotheses, and questions ran through my mind, but I chose to keep them to myself...for now.

  My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and looked at the screen, without seemi
ng obvious. There was a notification. I had a new email, and the subject line on the notification read, “Numerous spirits scaring our patrons. Please help!” I slid the phone back into my pocket, and looking up, I caught Katie's attention.

  “What's up?” She asked casually.

  “Nothing that can't wait until tomorrow.” I grinned at my friend and hugged her congratulating her once again. Throughout the rest of the evening, the conversation ran from topic to topic, but never hit a low. Everything was as it should be. All seemed right with the world, even if only for that one night.

  *** I don't think any of us could say what was the most rewarding, the help and understanding we gave to a family, past and present, or what we received. They were both priceless. We had grown, we had changed forever, and we had become better people in so many ways.

  This was far from our first brush with the other side of reality, though it was, and remains one of the most incredibly active hauntings we have ever experienced. Though Ash had found her peace, there are memories and questions that still haunt us all. But, for us, life goes on, requests still need our attention, and we put as much effort into every investigation regardless of the degree of activity, the lack thereof, or the outcome.

  The case of The Burning Girl was horrific, and this world is filled with horrors like it. We were blessed to have been able to be a part of the solution. For every case we disprove, there are a hundred or more real hauntings out there, waiting to be discovered... waiting for help... waiting to find peace.

  Our work as a team is far from finished.

  Epilogue:

  Ashley Sue Helmach Her life, her death, her power, and her incredible story will never leave us, and the child who spent more than the past century as a nonexistent girl, a ghost and legend with no name, had now become the pillar of strength and compassion for so many. She had become known to those who used to fear the terrifying Legend of the Witch Child of Helmach Creek, as Ashley Sue- the miracle of Helmach House.

  For my team and I it was far more than just stories, legends, and experiences. Now and then Jenn, Katie, Theo and I will randomly mention… “I think I had a visit last night”, or the other day, or at the ball field… Our Ash will never completely leave us, and her visits are no longer something to be feared, but something to cherish. I have often wondered if she ‘visits’ others as well. This young child has taught us so much, and we have become friends across time and dimension.

  We had formed a bond of friendship that, to this day, remains, and she had created a place to stay in our hearts... FOREVER ASH.

  KATIE COLLINS

  Katie Collins was born and raised locally in southern Indiana. Her interest in the paranormal began around the age of 8, when she had her first personal paranormal experience involving the spirit of her Grandmother. Katie joined the EVP team and quickly grew to be an integral part of the group. Known to be the "McGuyver" of the EVP team, she always has a backup flashlight, batteries or spare roll of duct tape in her equipment case (pink of course).

  As a level headed and forward thinking member of EVP, she's always looking for an explanation behind paranormal happenings. Katie has also been known to be quiet at times and is an excellent observer, though she can also cutup and infuse sarcasm in her rhetoric as well as any team member.

  The mother of a young toddler, she has a maternal and sympathetic approach to investigating, and is readily aware when a situation needs to be handled cautiously and sensitively.

  Like all of EVP’s members, Katie is a great asset to the team on many levels, such as paranormal, social, research, and planning, and she can be individualized by one obvious constant… Katie loves PINK.

  JENNIFER KIRSCH

  Jennifer is a 40 something mom of three and with the recent marriage of her oldest son, is now the proud mother-in-law to one. Jenn's interest in the paranormal began when she was only a small child. Her grandmother’s spirit would visit and comfort Jenn, while her father was away serving in the Vietnam War. Though as a child she didn't recognize it, Jennifer had a strong sensitivity to spirit activity.

  Growing up in a Christian household, her interest in the paranormal was squelched as a child, but was rekindled as an adult when she found herself living in a house that had a wide variety of frequent paranormal activity.

  While living in an actual haunted house, and EVP Investigations was still in its infancy, she contacted Rick Kueber to come investigate the house and was asked to join the group. Jennifer has been the Team's Lead Investigator ever since. Her interest in the paranormal has spread to her youngest child, who wants to follow in her footsteps.

  THEO KOSTARIDIS

  At 41 years old, and a sixth generation psychic with a long family ancestry of intuitives, Theo was born in Athens, Greece. He moved to the United States at the age of 4 and lived in Florida until after college, when he finally accepted his destiny of intuitive arts, accumulating 20 years of professional experience in psychic readings. In 2001 Theo moved to Evansville, Indiana and now resides in Henderson, KY. He has worked various psychic fairs in numerous states as well as New Age and Spiritual Shops. Over the years, Theo started by honing his natural abilities, and then became very proficient in the use of tarot cards, psychometry, tea leaf and Greek coffee readings, and a variety of other tools. Theo has become the talk of the psychic world in Indiana and hosts seminars and workshops at Barnes & Noble and other locales.

  Working with Evansville Vanderburgh Paranormal on several investigations as well as hosting seminars with E.V.P. as his invited guest speakers, Theo has become an integral part of the EVP family. Being a Trance Medium*, Theo specializes in communicating with those who have crossed over and channeling messages from your spirit guides and angels.

  *A Trance-Medium is a person who is in contact with spirits and communicates between the living & the dead. A spirit uses the medium's mind & body to communicate. The medium does not have clear recall of the messages conveyed while in an altered state; such people may sometimes work with an assistant. The assistant records the medium words as they are delivered.

  INTERNET LINKS:

  http://www.spiritualresearchfoundation.org/spirit ual-healing/salt-water-remedy http://www.paranormalhaze.com/best-ways-toget-rid-of-an-evil-spirit/

  Terms and Equipment:

  EMF: acronym for either electro-magnetic field, or frequency. EMFs are generated by many sources, both natural and manmade. The human body emits a natural e.m.f., while a cell phone or microwave oven would emit a man-made e.m.f. EMFs are measured with several different devices, and can have a wide range of strengths and ‘speeds’. Much like a sound wave, an electro-magnetic frequency is measured by the strength and frequency of its waves. An e.m.f. detector registering a .5 would represent a wave that occurred .5 times over the set length of time and space, whereas it would take an exponentially stronger e.m.f. to register a 1.5 on the same scale.

  Various EMF Detectors/meters used in paranormal investigating:

  K-II Meter

  MEL-Meter CELL SENSOR

  EVP: acronym for ‘electronic voice phenomenon’. Many times people experience hearing voices in a haunted location. An ‘e.v.p.’ is a voice or sound that is not heard by the human ear, but instead it picked up by electronic means, such as an audio or video recording device.

  Often times a paranormal researcher will use a digital recorder to perform an 'EVP Session'. This is a series of standard and site specific questions that will later be reviewed and scrutinized using high tech

  computer programs to detect any voice phenomenon that may occur randomly, or in response to the questions being asked. Any type of recording device can be used for these e.v.p. sessions, but a digital recorder records the audio into files that can be easily transferred to a computer for analyzing:

  Infra-Red Camera: often called I.R. cameras and 'night-vision', these

  cameras can film in complete darkness by capturing infra-red light that cannot be seen by the human eye, the video or photos captured by thes
e cameras often has a green cast, or will only be in black and white. While these images are not always the best for capturing shadow phenomenon, they are very helpful due to many investigations being done at night in complete darkness. Many times the un-natural movement of an object has been recorded using this type of camera. A series of infra-red lights can be seen surrounding the camera lens and though they are only seen when looking directly at the camera with the naked eye, the I.R. light allows the images to be recorded into a format that can be seen.

  Digital Laser Thermometer: this hand held tool uses a laser beam projected onto any object and reads its surface temperature. It can often be used to detect 'cold spots' and temperature fluctuations which may indicate paranormal activity. It can also be used to find the source of these temperature fluctuations, and at times can prove the opposite: that there is a logical reason behind an apparent cold or hot spot.

  Laser Grid : a laser grid is a series of laser beams that can be used to identify distant shadow movement that may not be obvious to the naked eye when lighting is minimal, or non-existent.

  RICK KUEBER

  Rick Kueber was raised Catholic, and has attended many different churches and denominations. He has always had a knack and immense love of science, graduating high school with more than a double major in science. This combination has given him an edge as a paranormal investigator and team leader.

  Rick has spent more than two decades in the construction industry working his way from an apprentice, journeyman, foreman, superintendent, and finally, a representative of hundreds of union workers. This leadership ability has been key in every aspect of his life.