The Forging

by Jeffrey Hancock

  She crossed her arms under her breasts, “Are you done with the self-pity?”

  She is right. Self-pity is getting me nowhere. “Yes. Yes, I am.” With my decision, I feel a new confidence. The turnaround was quick, but I have always been quicker than I look.

  “With all of the stresses in your life, your self-imposed barriers are finally beginning to break down. Whether you realize it yet or not, you have potential, but before we can start, you need to deal with Mark Galos. Know this. He is more than he appears. And remember you have made me proud and if they knew what you have done, Charlene, John, and Moiraine would be proud of you too.”

  “What did I do to make you or more importantly, my family proud?”

  “You chose not to pull the trigger. You had more than enough reason to murder the son-of-a-bitch, yet you did not. It is easy to kill a man who deserves it. It is difficult to show him mercy, especially if no one will ever know what you did. Well, I know what you did. So, I want to give this back to you as a reward.” She reached into the clutch bag she was carrying and pulled out a simple gold band and offered it to me.

  “How did you know I chose not to murder mister psychopath?”

  “You have so many questions, and I don’t have the time. I’ll tell you this would all go easier if you would only go with the flow.” I took the ring. It is warm to the touch. I looked at the inscription on the interior surface; it read “Together Forever.” It is my ring.

  “How did you get this?”

  “Mark tossed it away after the robbery. I picked it up, and I have been waiting for the right time to return it to you.”

  It slipped right on and nestled into the indentation on my finger as though it was never missing. “I can’t thank you enough for my ring back. It means a great deal to me. Silly, I know, to be emotionally tied to an object.”

  “Is it? Your daughter, Moiraine, such a sweet and gentle child, has been carrying the teddy bear with her since that terrible day. Did you know she has been taking it to school every day in her back-pack?”

  “No, I didn’t know.” Guilt struck me at the realization I had not been as observant with her as I should have been.

  “I wouldn’t concern yourself with it. It is harmless and she, in her own way, is trying to make your burdens lighter. She knows you are hurting because of your wife’s plight. Remember your daughter’s love can be a source of strength just as your wife’s love is.”

  I looked in the distance, “I don’t know where to go to from here.”

  She placed her hand on my shoulder, and I looked back to her, “I can’t tell you, but I have faith in you.”

  “Thank you. It has been too long since a lady has said those words to me. It is comforting. Too little comfort has been mine lately.” I smiled at her, even though it felt hollow. “You say things as she would.”

  “Well, she is a woman of a gentle nature, and gentle-natured women think alike, but more importantly, she is right for you. I can see both she and your daughter have had an exponential effect on your growth as a man.” She smiled back at me and said, “I approve of them. I think this is enough for the time being, Nathan.” She stood with her proclamation.

  “What is it you want from me?” I stood also.

  “Why, Nathan, I want you to become a hero,” she started walking away.

  “Heroes often die.”

  “Not the smart ones,” she said over her shoulder. She had made her way to a crowd of people and started to disappear from my sight.

  This has been one strange encounter. How strange? Compared to seeing ghosts? Not so much. It is way past time to do some right thinking. She said there is more to Mark than there appears to be. I must break down this problem. Do one step at a time. It works for both problem solving and square dancing. How can I protect my family? How do I deal with Mark himself? How do I live with myself if I fail the first task but accomplish the second? If I win the day on all fronts, I can go back to my life? If I fail both tasks, all I’ll have is oblivion.

  Simple. Why have I been stressing?

  In my dreams, I have been less than impotent protecting my family, and he finds us if we run. Change the game. Think outside the box. I must turn things around.

  Lightbulb.

  It might work. I must marry the plan with intent and action. I started for my car at a pace close to a power-walk. Karma is right. I needed to stop see-sawing and act. My first step is to confront Mark Galo’s parents. Queue ominous music. The theme to Alfred Hitchcock Presents started playing in my head The Funeral March of a Marionette,” I wonder if Mr. K R A P is trying to tell me something?

  The drive to Mark Galos parent’s house was agonizingly slow and filled my soul with dread. What am I going to find? Would my knock be answered with a shotgun blast to the face or tender mercy?

  There is plenty of parking on the street, so I found a spot close by. It is a long walk up to the front door made longer by my anxiety. Mark’s family home is a fine house, more like a mansion. It has two stories with tall white columns around the whole house. It had a red roof and red shutters. The porch extended all the way around the house like an old Southern mansion. It is a bit out of place here in America’s Finest City. Most of the older homes touted a Spanish Ranchero style.

  Arriving at the door, I rang the bell. A woman’s voice called out “Who is it? You are standing in a shadow, and I can’t see you.” I took a step back so she could see me.

  With my best humble look, “My name is Nathan Embers, madam. I testified at your son’s trial.”

  She gasped, “Get out of here. I don’t want you here. Leave before I call the police. Please leave. If Mark is following you… Get out of here. Oh God, please leave.” There is panic in her voice.

  “I will leave in a second. Let me have my say.”

  “No, leave my property now.”

  “I know Mark is in hiding here. Don’t ask me how. Tell him I’m sorry. Tell him I hold no grudge. He won his freedom fair and square. Ask him to please leave my family out of it. Kill me if he must, but to have mercy on my family.” I heard a bolt being thrown back and a lock turn. Mrs. Galos showed half her face through the chain, which kept her door from fully opening.

  “Mr. Embers, I don’t know what happened to my son, but I know what he is now. He is a monster. I know he shot your wife. He will be back to finish the job. I have no doubt. He almost killed me. I have no son. He is dead to me. Please leave before he thinks I am helping you and changes his mind about killing me,” She shut the door, threw the bolt, and locked it. She shouted through the door, “Please, go.”

  “I am going,” I turned and right in front of my eyes stood Mark Galos. My heart jumped. I immediately started to tremble as the fight or flight response kicked in. After a split-second, I noticed he looked different somehow. He didn’t look sick anymore. There is no craze look to his eyes. His expression is sorrowful.

  “Mr. Embers, why are you here?”

  “Your voice. It is the second voice I heard during the robbery. I don’t understand. It is like you are two different people.”

  “You can hear me! Finally, I can be heard. And no, the thing living in my body is not me. We are two different beings. I’m a man. He’s the beast.”

  “You have two personalities, like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?”

  “No, Mr. Embers. He was a voice I started hearing in my head. A voice not my own. Over the years he started to push me out. Tell me, Mr. Embers, do you think I’m dead? I think I am.”

  I reached out and touched him. It felt similar to when I shook hands with Ralph Daves. “Yes, Mark, you are dead and are a ghost.”

  “How can you talk to me? Never mind. The how is not important. You are in danger, Mr. Embers. He wants to kill you something fierce.”

  “Yeah, I am beginning to think that. Your mother is going to freak if I don’t leave. I will go someplace safe for us to talk. When I call you, please come.” I drove away.

  There is a place I know where I won’t be out of
place talking to the dead. Heading to the cemetery, about a mile from the Galos’ mansion, suddenly there was a blinking red light in my rearview mirror. Crap. With a closer look in the rearview mirror, I recognized the driver and passenger to be my favorite pair of detectives Frank Hawkins and Joe Hauser. How special. I pulled over and patiently waited for the forthcoming harassment.

  They approached my car one on each side. They had their suit jackets open, and the side where they holstered their guns was pulled back. Oh yes, I am one dangerous hombre. To be fair, it is standard practice. It still makes you nervous to think you can be riddled with bullets for the wrong move. Playing nice seems to be the order of the day. My hands are in plain sight on the steering wheel with my fingers spread. “What can I do for you fine officers today?”

  “Cut the crap, wiseass,” came from Frank. He opened my door and yanked me out and threw me against the hood of my car. He proceeded to cuff me and give a more complete frisking than the last time I went to the airport. When he was done with his version of rough foreplay, he pulled me to the curb. “Sit down.” As I struggled to sit down gracefully with my hands cuffed behind me, Frank had a sneer on his face. Joe, on the other hand, looked a little bored.

  “Okay, spill it. Why did you go to the Galos’ home?” Frank asked it like he knew my answer before I gave it.

  “Truth. I had hoped they were in contact with Mark. I asked his mother to convey my apologies and to beg for mercy. I know his attack on my wife is only the first. He plans to kill my whole family.”

  “Is she going to send him this message?” asked Frank.

  “No. She is scared to death of her own son. She begged me to leave before he would see and take his vengeance out on her.”

  “Mr. Embers, you must admit it does smell a little fishy you talking with Mark’s parents,” Joe said with an easy-going tone in his voice.

  “It may smell fishy to you, but it’s only reasonable I try to get the word, anyway I can, to Mark. The hours are counting down until my wife dies, and I will try anything, including begging, to keep the same fate from my daughter.”

  “My condolences,” Joe bent his head down a moment. “Do you think he will come after your daughter too?” Joe is not taking all this personal. He’s only a man doing his job.

  “Without a doubt. If you had been the one who looked down the barrel into his eyes, you wouldn’t doubt either.” Sorrow hit me, and I hung my head down. “Can you let me go? I am trying to find a way out, and you are hindering me.”

  Frank snapped, “You’re trying to find a way out. Tell us where Mark is hiding. We will take care of him.”

  “Are you playing the same old tune again, Frank? Screwing up my testimony is all I did. The result: a crazy man was freed. What more do you want from me?” When nothing but silence came to my ear, I said, “Frank, I know why you are taking this so personally. The kids. Ralph told me once why you go ballistic when children are threatened.”

  Frank barked “You know nothing. You don’t get to talk to me about Ralph. Mention him again to me, and I’ll take you someplace without cameras.”

  “Your sister…,” Frank grabbed my arm and pulled me up and not in a friendly way. He pushed me back to their car. I stumbled a couple of times. He opened the back door and shoved me in. He didn’t even hold my head so to keeping from bumping my wee little noggin. He slammed the door shut. He yelled at Joe to get in.

  Joe walked around the car and started talking animatedly with Frank. Their voices are too muffled for me to hear what they are saying, but I think Joe didn’t agree with Frank’s plan. Frank got right in Joe’s face. Joe walked away and pulled out his cell phone. Frank paced back and forth a couple of times. Joe hung up his phone, turned back to Frank, and started talking with him again. Frank is not happy.

  Joe walked over to the back door and opened it. “Come on, let’s go.” He reached in and helped me out of the car. He is far gentler than Frank. He unlocked the cuffs. “Mr. Embers, you are free to go. The San Diego Police Department would like to extend an apology to you.” Joe leaned into me and said, “He has it bad. I don’t think he has slept since the shooting near the school. He can’t find the bastard. So, he’s taking it out on you. He’s a decent cop.”

  “I hear what you’re saying.” Frank was still pacing in front of the car. “The last thing I want is there to be bad blood between him and I. When this is over one way or another, and it will be over, tell him I hold no grudges. The oath to protect those kids still binds me. Even though I no longer work the corner, the promise is still in my heart. I also know you’re a working man doing his job, and I hold no grudges against you. You were doing your job with the bad cop bad cop routine.” Frank stopped pacing and looked me in the eye. Hard. He spat, then a little smile grew on his face. Oh, this is not even close to being over. Somehow, I could feel his thoughts. Even if the virtuous win the day and all is well in Mudville, he has marked me down in his book. Hopefully, he never gets a chance to strike a line through it.

  During the walk back to my car, I half expected Frank to put a round or two in my back. With the threat averted, I started old Jezebel up and left for the cemetery. It is about the only place one can go and look like you’re talking to someone who is not there, and no one will think twice on it. The rest of the drive happened without a hitch. I picked a grave at random and made the call. I thought of Mark Galos, said his name, and put a piece of my will behind it. True to form after the span of three heartbeats, the real Mark Galos stood before me.

  “Hey, Mark, you look like death warmed over.” He looked at me like a teacher does when a student gives an obviously wrong answer for the laughs. “Sorry, my life has been so screwed up lately I have to joke, or I would put a bullet through my brain.”

  “At least your body wasn’t stolen by a psychopath bent on freeing his friends.”

  “Point taken. Freeing his friends?” I asked.

  “Yes. I don’t know what it means. Every once in a while, I saw glimpses of him doing some high-level math. I’m no newbie, but it was some stuff I couldn’t comprehend, upper-end particle physics I think. As I said, I only got fleeting views of it.”

  “Say your family is pretty well off. Did he say why he wanted to start a life of crime? It seems to me like he could have shaken the old family money tree for money to buy drugs.”

  “He wasn’t looking for a high. He used the drugs to help him quiet my voice and finally push me all the way out.”

  “Well, that explains that. Sorry, continue.”

  “Why did this happen to me? Why me? I had plans, and I was getting there too.” His face showed the expression anyone gets when an injustice is perpetrated on them. It’s a question to the universe.

  “I don’t know what to tell you. I felt the same way when he pointed the gun to my head. If it’s any consolation to you, I have no qualms about trying to kill him when I face him at home. I must stop calling it, him. I must call the creature in the shell of Mark Galos. for that is what it is, a monster. What did he talk to you about when he was a voice in your head?”

  “He kept trying to convince me to take higher and higher levels of math and science. He gave me suggestions as to which other courses to take. We worked on the homework together. He pushed. I went willingly at first. Then he started to try and wrestle control from me. He is a persistent little bastard. The first time he took control, I was asleep. He got up and did some internet searches. My parents thought I was sleepwalking.” A quizzical look came to Mark’s face, “You are taking all this pretty well. I would think most people would be in disbelief.”

  “I can talk to ghosts, son. All this is no more than a raised eyebrow worth of weirdness to me. This thing, for lack of better words, the shell of Mark Galos must be smited, hard, fast, and repeatedly if necessary. Whatever it is, it must die.” I told my brain to start working on a plan. “The wheels in my head go round and round, round and round, round and round. The wheels in my head…” Mr. K R A P is doing a mashup today how c
lever. The music faded. I looked at the time on my cell. It is later than I thought. I needed to be home when Mo’s bus arrives. With a quick call to John, I asked him to head over to my house to take care of Mo if the traffic holds me up.

  “Mark, is there anything I can do for you before I run?”

  “I don’t know. Am I destined to being a ghost until the end of time?”

  “Can’t you move on to whatever is next?”

  “How do I do it?”

  “I have no idea, son. Wait.” I remembered the guy in the hospital he said he could hear something. “Mark, can you hear anything strange or unusual?”

  “I can hear something like singing, but it’s not with voices. It is hard to explain. It is faint.” Mark turned his head and looked back behind him.

  “Go to the sound, Mark. I don’t know what’s there. I don’t hear it. Maybe it is where you need to go.” Mark didn’t say another word; he turned his whole body to where I guess the direction the music came from and walked. After three steps, he was gone.

  I tried an experiment. I pictured Mark in my thoughts and began to call him back. My stomach started to turn, and I started to feel ill. All indications point to I can only call those ghosts which still walk the Earth. I raised one eyebrow and said, “Fascinating.”

  Returning to my car, I drove for home. Moiraine’s bus arrived moments after I arrived home. John and I waited at the curb for Mo to exit the bus. We all walked together up to the house.

  “Moiraine, put your school things away then go see your mom.” I asked John, “Are you ready? I think it is time we all say goodbye.”

  “You’re doing the right thing, Son.” John patted my shoulder as he passed me and headed to his daughter’s bedside. It is a long walk of only a few steps to my wife’s deathbed.

  She had a peaceful look as she is laying there. I touched her cheek. Gone is the electric sensation I always feel when I touch her or when she touches me.