by Alexie Aaron
“Mia Cooper!” the woman admonished. “We don’t swear, and that word will get you lines to copy, miss.”
Stephen snickered, “Bad, Mia.”
“Oh, don’t act high and mighty, Mr. Peep Show.”
Mia giggled as the young Murphy turned bright red.
“Come on, there’s not much time, and there’s so much to teach you,” the woman said.
Mia and Murphy followed her inside the cottage. Even though Mia’s senses were muted in her bilocated state, she got the idea that the cottage was warm from the blazing fire on the hearth. She saw a pie cooling on the table. The woman picked it up, after grabbing two tea towels to protect her hands, and moved it to the counter.
“Sit,” she said pointing to the chairs. “I’m Maat. I’m the first Em.”
Murphy pulled out the chair for Mia and then sat down in his.
“You’re a gentleman in the making, Stephen,” Maat observed. “Mia, you need to polish your manners like Stephen here.”
“Suck up,” Mia said under her breath.
Maat heard her, and the exchange amused her, so she let it go. “I’ve asked the girls to bring you here to request a few things of you, dear. I know you have a lot of questions, and I’ll answer them if we have the time.”
“K.”
“Okay, or yes would be the answer I was looking for, Mia.”
Murphy snickered and kicked the leg of her chair.
“Yes, ma’am,” Mia revised.
“You have to stop digging up Mr. Gilbert. He will only confuse his children. Let him lie in my garden where I can watch over him until the children cross over.”
“He died in the fire. The same one the children died in,” Mia said.
“He started the fire to burn the children,” Maat corrected. “He also started the fire that John Ashe’s father was blamed for, but there’s not much we can do about that now, can we?”
Mia was horrified. “Those poor children. Where’s the justice?”
“Don’t worry, justice is at hand. The reason for the gathering is to finally bring the children to their reward. We don’t need sad painful thoughts getting in the way of their passage through the woods. As far as they know, the woods caught fire from a lightning strike. They didn’t see Gilbert pour cheap whisky on the path and light it with his cigar.”
“What about the truth setting you free?” Stephen squeaked out, his vocal chords tight with the reemergence of his youth.
“As a teacher, I present the facts in a way to bring about the best in my children. Horrifying them with stories of how this place was really settled would do little to give them the pride and courage to improve the land. Sure, there is a reckoning, but we’ll leave it to God, shall we?”
“I’m not sure you’re right, but I bow to your experience as a teacher,” Mia said. “I will tell my father to stop digging, and we will return the soil to the grave and let it settle.”
“Thank you. Now, the children. True, you have unearthed their bones. This is more than I had hoped could happen. I’m sure they will be given a safe place to rest.”
Mia nodded her head.
“Good, but they won’t leave the woods until you bring them out. The girls will help. Holly and Molly – their parents had no imagination – will help you.”
“I’ll need to return to my body first,” Mia said.
“Yes, I agree. Let’s do this soon. The other children are becoming quite a handful for me to look after. It’s time to send them on too.”
“About the children…” Mia started.
“You want to know how they can be here, or why they are here?” Maat asked.
“Well, yes, it is quite unusual for spirits to travel, in some cases, great distances from where their remains were interred.”
Maat clapped her hands together. “Well, it’s quite a story. Let me serve you some pie, we’ll sit down at the fire, and I’ll tell you what I know. You’ll have to figure out the rest.” The woman moved to the counter.
Mia took this time to look at Stephen Murphy in the candlelight. He had sandy blonde hair plastered into place by some foul-smelling cream. His eyes were the same steely gray that Mia was used to. The freckles on the thin well-washed cheeks were new though. Plus the goody-two-shoe attitude was refreshing, if not irritating, to behold.
Murphy gazed upon the little girl who was studying him so seriously. He saw a stubborn child of six or seven. Her hair was matted where a brush hadn’t been seen since her last bath. She scratched unbecomingly at a mosquito bite on her arm with bitten nails. Mia’s eyes, however, shone, lighting up her unwashed face. Her pale-pink, full lips were set off with laugh lines. Mia may have had a childhood of parental neglect, but she did find humor in the simplest of things.
“What?” she asked.
“Nothing,” he said and looked away.
Maat set the plates of pie in front of them. Mia was surprised she could smell the aroma of apples. She looked at the woman. Maat’s eyes twinkled. Mia picked up a fork ready to dig in.
Stephen grabbed her hand and said, “Prayers first.”
Mia wanted to tell him were he could stick his prayers, but instead followed his lead.
Maat watched the two of them and smiled. She didn’t see ghost and ghost hunter or would-be lovers, for that matter; she saw siblings. This recognition would be very disturbing to the adult Mia and Murphy, so Maat chose to keep this to herself. “When you’re finished, rinse your plates and forks, and come and sit with me by the fire. I’ll tell you all about Himmel and my connection to it,” she promised.
Mia picked up her fork and dove into the sweet pie, ignoring Murphy’s admonishments of manners, and the use of her napkin.
Chapter Seventeen
“I was fortunate to have a full education,” Maat started off. “In the time in which I lived, educating a woman was deemed unnecessary, unless they needed to make their way in this world. Teaching was an accepted vocation by the elders of our church, and monies were set aside to send me to school on the condition that I return their investment by returning to teach the children of the parish. When I finished my education, there was too much unrest in Europe, and many of the prominent families chose to emigrate to this country. I went with them to teach their children.”
Murphy and Mia listened intently to the brief history of Maat’s life, hoping to glean a better understanding of the woman before them.
“Many years passed, and I traveled a good piece of this continent before finding this beautiful parcel of land. I put my earnings into hiring a good stone mason, and he erected me a safe home. Most of the original forest had been cleared by the farm folk. It’s hard to see it now, but my house stood on a sunny rise of land in between fields of rye and wheat. I opened my doors to the young children of the farmers and taught them how to cipher and read. This was quite uncommon in this area of the country at that time. I loved sharing my knowledge, and soon I had quite a little school set up. I taught two very bright children, Margaret and Marion. They were sisters and came from a family of free thinkers. They absorbed all I had to teach them and hungered for more. I talked their parents into sending them into Chicago to attend a progressive girls’ school. To my surprise they did. Long after I had passed on, they came back here and founded Himmel Elementary School. They were the second Ems.”
“My home had fallen to ruin, but the girls still tended to my garden. When the construction began on the school, the women took a stone from the crumbling walls of my home and insisted it be used as the cornerstone of the school building. They said that the new building needed something old in order to bring it luck.”
“So part of you became incorporated into the school,” Mia said. “Something old…”
“What the sister’s didn’t know was that by bringing in the stone, and incorporating it into the building, they also brought me.”
“Part of me thinks they knew,” Mia said.
“I thrived on the energy of the children. I greeted each child with a
hug whether they needed it or not. Of course they couldn’t feel me, but I hugged them still.”
“I think you inspired the teachers too,” Murphy said, picking at a loose thread in the seam of his wool pants.
“It was after the fire when I saw the caliber of the school’s teachers. The children had lost six friends. For many this was the first time they had experience the death of someone close to them. The Ems at the time decided that, instead of a memorial for the lost children, they would honor their lives. That was the first Appreciate Life Day. Several of the children participating in that first day grew up and returned to Himmel as teachers. The tradition of a yearly celebration of life continued for many years. But with the passage of time, the reason behind the day became lost, and eventually it was no longer part of the school year for these children,” Maat said sadly. “I found it harder and harder to inspire the teachers. They were being instructed to teach tests instead of preparing the youngsters for life.”
“Politics, pah,” Murphy said.
Maat took time to reach over and ruffle Stephen’s hair. “Yes, we are all victims of politics, but if we look hard enough, we can find a way to use the system, young man.”
“What did you do?” Mia asked.
“I retreated to my cottage, fell asleep, and the woods grew around me.”
“What woke you up?”
Maat smiled. “Holly and Molly came knocking on my door with a bouquet of flowers.”
Mia waited for a further explanation from Maat.
The woman rocked a bit in her chair and looked behind Mia. “Come on, don’t be shy. Tell the girl how you got here.”
The little girls giggled and pushed each other until Holly decided to become the spokesperson. “I’m Holly Maguire or, I should say, Doctor Maguire. I lived on this earth for ninety-three years. When I passed on, I was surprised to find my older sister Molly waiting for me. I thought that I would be entering the golden gates with her, but instead Molls talked me into visiting Himmel first. We were surprised upon arriving to find the school closed, but inside of it we discovered the spirits of several other children. They too had wanted to visit the school that held for them so many fond memories. One of the girls was Margaret. She had been haunting the place for some time. She got to talking about Maat and her influence on her and her sister. Molls and I decided to visit the old cottage.”
Mia looked at the child in wonder.
“Spit it out,” Maat ordered. “I can see you have a whopper of a question, Mia.”
Mia grimaced. “It’s just, all this talk about visiting the school and having conversations with other spirits well… even for me, this is a bit much.”
“That’s because you’re not dead, just impersonating a dead person. Stephen, I take it you’ve been pretty closed-mouthed about your plane of existence,” Maat observed.
Murphy just raised his hands, not saying a word.
“Mia, the afterlife is what you make of it. If Holly and Molly see it as an ice cream social, then it will be an ice cream social. The universe accommodates what’s in your heart and mind. The Ashes and Gilberts never could visualize anything beyond the burning woods. So they trapped themselves. It didn’t really matter if you found their bones or not. They have trapped themselves here.”
“So why all the stunts? Why lure us here?” Mia asked.
“You’re smarter than you look, girl,” Maat said laughing. “After much conversation and a lot more time, Holly and Molly convinced me that the six could be enticed out. We just needed the right person to do it. They trust you. You found them.”
“Okay, explain all the hijinks in the cul-de-sac.”
“That’s not my doing. Holly…” Maat urged.
“To finish my story. We came to the cottage and woke up Maat here. She nourished us with her love, and we brought it back to the school. Each spirit became giddy with happiness. We had so much happiness, we decided to spread it around. Teach the people to appreciate the life they have.”
“Okay, how is tossing thousands of marbles on top of the truck teaching us anything?”
“Oh, that was one of the boys,” Holly pushed a strand of hair back dramatically. “Boys are always looking for trouble.”
“Pah,” Murphy uttered.
“They were supposed to encourage the marble man to share his marbles not keep them hidden away,” Holly explained. “The comic book man is a lost cause. He cried. We made him feel bad. Him and that chubby man you answer to.”
“The cupcake lady laughed,” Molly pointed out. “And the scout lady likes our drawings,” she said smugly.
“The tea party was well received,” Mia admitted. “Mary Alison isn’t a fan though.”
Molly frowned.
“When the children stopped here on the way to and from their missions to do good,” Maat clarified, “they brought with them energy. The more children, the more energy.”
“We started to accumulate lots of spirits at the school. They were drifting in the ether. The energy of our happiness attracted them. They were drawn to the one thing that gave them great joy. Himmel,” Molly said.
“So why bring me here, like this?” Mia stood up.
“Come on, you must have enjoyed being a kid again,” Molly said. “You and your boyfriend.”
“He’s not my boyfriend. He is a friend and a boy but … nevermind.”
“We wanted to explain ourselves and have you help us bring out the six children. We’ll take it from there,” Holly assured her.
“Fine. I’ll do my best. Do you mind if my friends witness this?”
“The more the merrier. Stephen, you can come along and play with us if you want to, but Mia’s got to go back in her skin.”
“No, thank you. I have my trees to see to,” Murphy responded, trying hard to make his little boy voice gruff.
“Suit yourself,” Holly said and grabbed her sister’s hand and skipped out of the cottage.
Maat got up, smoothing her apron. “Thank you for the visit. Don’t be a stranger.”
“I take it you’re not leaving with the children,” Mia said.
“For some reason I’m supposed to be here. Whether it’s to watch Mr. Gilbert so he doesn’t get into mischief or to direct any latecomers on to their reward, I really don’t know. I’m happy here. This is my heaven.”
“If you change your mind, let me know,” Mia said.
“I will, child. Now go and enjoy your life. Appreciate each day. Stephen, your mother brought you up right, but try not to be such a prig,” Maat suggested and saw the pair of them to the door.
Mia and Murphy stepped off the porch and the cottage disappeared, although they still felt the love and the happiness of Maat’s presence surround them. And as they morphed back into the personas they had chosen for themselves, they took a moment to appreciate the time they had spent as children. Mia had learned she was a hoyden who could improve her manners a bit, and Murphy learned not to push his beliefs on others. A good example was more appreciated than a nag.
“Well, I hope my body will arrive soon. Are you going to stick around or do you want me to walk you back to the ley line?” Mia asked.
“Trees,” Murphy said walking away.
“You can spare a few more words. Some people use verbs in their sentences,” Mia teased the farmer, watching him fade away into the trees.
She moved in the direction of the school. The headlights of the truck greeted her as Cid backed the small semi into a parking place. Mia moved swiftly towards the truck.
Cid had no sooner shut off the ignition when Mia started to move in Ted’s arms.
“She’s back,” Ted said and waited for her to open her eyes.
“I’ll leave the two of you alone. I’m sure there is something I need to sort out in the back of the truck with noise suppression headphones on.”
Ted laughed. “I don’t see us getting into any hanky-panky in a schoolyard full of ghosties. Although, I appreciate the thought.”
“Who’s thinking
?” Mia murmured as she struggled to open her eyes. “Hello, Ted,” she said and snuggled close.
Cid slipped out of the truck and shut the door.
“Are you cold?” Ted asked, wrapping his arms around her.
“No, just happy to wake up in your arms.”
“I take it the wedding’s still on?” he asked.
“Oh yes,” Mia said and hugged him harder. “I already have a dress. I just need to find a groom.”
Surprised, Ted stuttered, “Will I do?”
“Do I make you happy?”
“Yes.”
“Check,” Mia responded. “Will you have me and hold me till death do us part?”
“I don’t intend on letting go even then,” Ted answered.
“Check and double check,” Mia said and kissed him. “I’ll consider you for the post.”
“So I haven’t got the job?”
“I still have several applicants to interview…”
Ted, feigning outrage, began to tickle her. “No more interviews for you!”
Mia laughed so hard, she began to hiccup. “Uncle. I give. You’ve got the job,” she squealed with delight.
Cid heard the happy laughter and felt a wave of relief wash over him. He couldn’t stand the thought of there being no Mia in his best friend’s life. He felt sorry for Murphy, but Ted, the tech, had captured Mia’s heart so completely that the obvious attraction between Mia and Murphy had changed into something perhaps more solid.
He heard a scratching on the pavement, and he abandoned his chores to spend some time with the axe-carrying man.
“What’s up?” Cid asked, not expecting an answer. He jumped down from the back of the truck and followed Murphy’s scratches and taps around the back of the school, where Murphy pointed out a large piece of fieldstone amongst the clay bricks.
“I’m sure this rock has a story to tell,” Cid said, moving his hand along the smooth face of the stone. “I bet you already know it. How about you enlightening me?” Cid said and sat down, ready to listen to a story told through the taps and scrapes of an axe held by the ghost of a farmer from Cold Creek Hollow.
