“I’ve come to call it Mr. Shadowman. It has never touched me in a physical sense. It gave me a few nasty nightmares, though. Can you describe it, and what did it do to you?” Lar started to say something when I facepalmed myself, “Marlene. I need to check on her. I’ll be right back, don’t go anywhere.”
“What about that thing? You’re not leaving me to the creature, are you?” Lar pleaded.
Reaching out, I put a hand on his shoulder, “I won’t leave you to Mr. Shadowman, but I have to check on Marlene. The lights should keep it at bay.” After giving Lar’s shoulder a momentary squeeze of my hand, I left to check on Marlene.
Marlene was still on the ground outside. I knelt beside her and called out her name, “Marlene.” The expression on her face changed slightly, but she was still unconscious. This time with a bit of my will, “Marlene.” She started to come around.
Groggily she spoke, “Nathan, I am supposed to tell you…” The realization hit her. “Nathan!” She screamed. “What was that? It looked like a monster.”
“Marlene, you’re fine. It is gone and can’t attack you out here.” At least I hope it can’t. “Can you walk? I have another ghost who needs my attention.” Marlene stood and steadied herself and shook her head. We traveled back to where Lar lay in the middle of the stage. As we made our way, I turned on every light in our path. The theater became bright and cheery. The people who pay the bills will not be happy about the electric bill this month. As we approached Lar, Marlene ran up to him and began checking his condition. “Is there anything you can do for him?”
“Sorry, Nathan, but I skipped class the day they taught how to heal the dead in nursing school.”
“Your presence alone has brought comfort to my wounds,” Lar said with a little too much syrup.
“Nice try, soldier boy, but I am a married woman.”
“Did not your vows say, ‘until death do us part?’ Lar countered.
“Well, yes, but in my heart, we are still married.”
Lar sat up a bit and pressed his point, “Being a ghost can be so lonely. Why not ease our loneliness in fine company? Until your husband crosses over, of course.”
Marlene looked a bit confused. This is quite enjoyable to watch, but I must finish cleaning the theater and figure out what to do about Lar. “Okay. Break it up, you two. I have no desire to explain to my wife why her ghost mother is dating a long-dead soldier who used to live in my head.” Marlene broke herself out of her confusion, and Lar gave me a look and said, “Why did you say that? I was making good time with her.”
“No, you weren’t!” Marlene exclaimed.
Lar replied, “Did I talk out loud? I’ll be more careful next time.”
“Nathan, what are you going to do with him? I don’t think you can leave him here on the stage.”
“You’re right. I would be tripping over him during the performances. Help me get him to his feet. I’ll take him to the empty dressing room. There is a cot he can rest on.” Marlene and I muscled Lar to his feet. He was even heavier than Marlene. “Let’s do this. I am starting to feel hungry, and I don’t want to have a low blood sugar episode.” We are able to help Lar into the dressing room and on to the cot. While Lar was lying down, Marlene began looking at his wounds. Every time she looked under a bandage, a look of worry and disgust covered her face. While all this took place, I began eating my lunch. It felt wonderful to finally put something down my throat. At the bottom of the bag, I found a note from Charlene. It read, “We need to talk.” That’s it. No explanation. This can’t be good. A thousand worries began flooding my mind.
“Nathan, can I talk to you outside?” Being a little distracted by the note, I only grunted my agreement to Marlene’s request.
We stepped outside into the hallway. Reading the note over and over again, I could not glean any further information.
“Hello, Nathan, are you there? Earth to, Nathan, come in, Nathan.”
Snapping out of my funk, “You’re coming in loud and clear. I have you five-by-five.” Marlene gave me a “we are not amused look,” as I asked, “What’s on your mind?”
“Two things. First, I don’t like the way Lar’s wounds look. They have the look of chemical burns, but he’s not solid. I don’t understand.”
“Do you think they’ll heal?”
“I honestly don’t know,” Marlene answered with worry in her voice.
“I guess we’ll have to play it by ear. What did you want to talk to me about?”
“Charlene sent me to tell you not to worry about the note in your lunch. She realized it could read a bit harsh. She needs to talk and didn’t want to ambush you when you see her.” Marlene stated matter-of-factly.
“Okay, what you said took about eight-hundred-forty-seven worries off my mind. Let’s return to Lar. I want to see how he’s doing.” He seems to be resting well if you can even say a ghost rests anywhere but his grave.
“Nathan, what are you going to do with him? I don’t think you can leave him here. The creature, what do you call it?”
“I call it Mr. Shadowman.”
“Whatever it is, it is no man. It looked more like a Lovecraftian horror all tentacles and mouths where the suckers are supposed to be. It scared me to dea… it scared me. Do you think it was eating Lar somehow?” Marlene asked with a chill in her voice.
“It is as good a guess as I could come up with. Can you stay here with him while I finish cleaning?”
Marlene grabbed the lone chair in the room and moved it by the cot and the resting Lar. “Of course, I can,” Marlene affirmed as she sat down, taking Lar’s hand. A huge question mark filled my mind. Nah, she is a nurse. Nurses give comfort when they can.
Rushing through the rest of the cleaning, I want to be out of there as quickly as I could. The alone time gave me a chance to come up with a plan. I did not know how long he would last here by himself. I decided to take Lar home. For some reason, the spirits which appear there no longer needed my active participation to linger. I can’t stay with him here the whole time he’s healing. If his wounds can be healed.
I checked-in often with Marlene to be sure Lar was doing okay. He was holding his own. After I finished cleaning the theater, my plan called for getting a cab and loading Lar in the backseat. Cabbies see all kinds of strange goings-on, so I am sure he won’t even give it a second glance if I am carrying an invisible man.
Marlene and I managed to move Lar outside. Pulling my phone out to call a cab, a light toot of the cab’s horn could be heard. Did Karma send me another cab? I opened the backdoor then went to help Lar.
“Here, Bub, let me help you with him.” He got out of the car and gave Marlene a little smile and said, “Ma’am.” The cab driver came around to the other side of Lar and started helping me to help him into the cab. “He sure looks worse for the wear. Where are we taking him? To the hospital?”
“Ah, no. We are taking him back to my place. The address is…”
“I remember where you live, Bub.” I hadn’t noticed at first, but he is the same cabbie who won’t take my money. Well, he damn will take it today. The cabbie started the car, and we all drove off. My head began swimming, and I started to shake. I’ve been sustaining Lar and Marlene too long. Taking my glucose tabs helped hold the shakes off, but I am not feeling well.
I whispered, “Marlene, can you fade out and meet us back at the house? Holding both you and Lar here is draining me of energy.”
“Won’t the cab driver wonder what happened to me? He did see me enter the cab.” Marlene whispered back.
“He did see you, didn’t he? Strange.” I took another tab. Only three tabs left. I hope they last. “Marlene, I’ll worry about it later. Please, fade.” Without a word, she faded, and I could feel the burden lift a bit. Lar appeared to sleep the rest of the drive home. “Lar, wake up. I need your help to get you in the house.” I exited the cab. As I started to walk around to the other side door, the cabbie was already opening it.
“Say, Bub, help push him
to me, and I will help him out.”
Doing as instructed, I reached in and pushed Lar toward the cabbie. Then I ran around to help the cabbie with the injured ghost. Lar had been roused by all the commotion, so he helped quite a bit. We made it to the front door of the house, and I put the key to lock and opened it. Marlene was right there waiting for us. “Marlene, I need a couple of glucose tabs out of my stash, please.” She wasted no time on my request. I threw a few tabs in my mouth and started chewing. Orange flavor. So much better than the grape.
Charlene walked up and asked, “Nathan’ where do you want to put him?”
“I think the recliner should do. I DON’T want to put him in our bed.” Working together, we managed to situate him in the recliner.
Moiraine came out of her room and asked, “How long until dinner, Mommy? Oh, hi, Grandma. Hello, Lar. Daddy, who’s the new ghost?”
Chapter Fifteen
I did a double take. “What? Moiraine, you can tell if someone’s a ghost? Even I can’t do that.”
“Sometimes. When is dinner?”
Charlene spoke up with, “Soon, Moiraine.”
Turning to the cabbie, I asked, “Are you a ghost?”
“I wasn’t sure until I helped bring this guy here,” pointing to Lar.
“Very well, I can’t have you calling me Bub all the time. My name is Nathan, and you are?”
The cabbie spoke right up and stretched out his hand to shake, “My name is Anthony. You can call me Tony.” After that, introductions were made all around.
I started to conjecture, “You being a ghost explains a great deal. Trying to keep three ghosts in this plane was, for lack of a better word, draining. If you’re a ghost, what were you driving?”
“I don’t know, Bub, I mean, Nathan. That cab is the one I’ve been driving for fifteen plus years. It is kind of a second home.”
“Everybody wait right here,” I declared in my best Terminator voice, “I’ll be back.” Outside, I saw the cab was gone. Another head-scratcher. After explaining my findings, we all came to the conclusion, the cab must be a ghost too. “Okay, can anyone explain how I could travel all over the city in an ethereal jalopy?” I have an idea, but I could be missing something, like reality.
“Hey, Bub, that’s my cab you’re calling a jalopy. I kept it running and looking like new!”
“My apologies. To me, a car is just a thing to take you from point A to point B. I never was one of those guys to have fantasies about cars.”
Lar began to stir in the recliner and grimaced as he did, “What about me? I’m wounded here. What are we going to do about me?”
Marlene began rechecking Lar’s wounds. After she finished, “You’re doing okay, Lar. Try to relax. We are going to find a way to help you.” I heard the lie in her words, and by his expression, so did Lar; however, I could see he was pretending to believe Marlene. “Nathan, can I talk to you?” We moved to the bedroom. Marlene closed the door behind us. She turned to me and in a whisper, “His wounds are looking worse. In a living person, I would say he has flesh-eating bacteria or gangrene.”
“Best guess. How long do you believe Lar has?”
Marlene’s face had a grave look to it. “By morning, but remember, I worked on living people, not ghosts. I could be wrong.”
“Thank you for all you’ve done. I’ll handle it from here. I know what to do.” Walking back into the living room, I saw Tony had left, and Char was finishing up in the kitchen. Moiraine was setting the table, but not happy about it. Lar looked like he was resting. “Lar.” He opened his eyes and looked at me. I took hold of his hand, “It’s not good, my brain brother.”
“How bad?” Lar’s eyes locked on me clear and intense as he asked me.
“Morning or a few hours later, at best.”
“Nathan!” Marlene exclaimed. “What are you doing? You don’t tell someone such news so bluntly.”
Lar spoke to Marlene in a quiet but powerful way. “Yes, you do if you honor them. Nathan knows I would not want it any other way. Give me the news straight out and without any reservations.” Lar turned to me and gave my hand a squeeze. “Let me pass, or dismiss me, or do whatever it is you do to send me back. I am no use like this. The thought of going through all eternity as a crippled and scared ghost is too much to take. I try to hide it, but there is constant pain. I don’t want to hurt. I lived so many lives only to be a witness and not to affect the world. Nathan, somehow, you pushed me out of your mind.
“At last, I had a purpose again. I have been a teacher to you of many things. I have talked and laughed and flirted.” Lar turned to Marlene, and I could see her blushing. “I am ready. Let me go. Maybe the universe decided I have been punished enough, and I can finally rest. It would be pleasant to go believing I will be mourned.”
Squeezing Lar’s hand, as I said, “Of course, you will be mourned. For these many months, you have been a friend and a confidant. You have been a pain in the butt, too.” There are so many things I left unsaid as most men do, especially to each other, but they were not unthought or unfelt.
He waited a few moments as we looked at each other, then said, “I am ready.”
“Lar, one ghost told me, ‘I can hear something like singing, but it’s not with voices.’ Can you hear that?”
“No, I don’t hear any music, Nathan.”
“I have also heard from a different ghost. ‘All I hear is anguished sounds calling me.’ Do you hear anything like that?”
“I only hear you talking.”
“Maybe there is a third place. I don’t know what to tell you.”
“Then, let me fade.” Lar gave my hand one last squeeze.
“Goodbye, my friend. Be without pain.” Marlene started crying as I willed Lar to go back to the ether.
Char started putting dinner on the table. “What is all the yelling about, Mother?”
“Your husband killed Lar. He put him down like an ailing pet.” Marlene faded from our house.
“Nathan, what is my mother talking about? You killed him?”
“Lar was in pain, and he wanted to be released from his curse. If it was me, and there wasn’t any hope, I would have wanted the same from him. And if he was my friend, he would do the same.”
Charlene gasped, “Nathan, Lar is not an animal. He’s a man,” she said as she stood there looking at me holding the hot serving dish in her hand. She put the dish down fast and let out a curse word as she put one of her fingers to her mouth.
Moiraine exclaimed in glee, “Mommy said a naughty word!”
“We all say those words once in a while, Moiraine. It is nothing to be excited about.”
“You mean I can say that word, too, Mommy?”
“You may not!” Charlene went back to the kitchen to retrieve the rest of the dinner. After it was on the table, “Come and get it.” We all approached the dining room table with great anticipation of the minor feast.
As we ate, “Char, what is it you wanted to talk about?” I asked in between bites.
“We can talk about that later, Nathan.” Oh great! I can worry about it for who knows how long. “We got a call from Greentree Elementary this morning. They requested, told me really, they want to have a meeting about Moiraine.”
“What about? Did they say?”
“The only thing they told me, Nathan, is the district psychologist would be in on the meeting.”
I gave Moiraine my best mock evil-eye and asked, “So, Mo, have you been kissing the boys at school again?”
“Why would I be kissing boys? They’re yucky!”
“Mo, do you know why the school wants to talk to your mommy and me?” Mo was sort of ignoring me and paying more attention to her food. “Well?”
Mo only lifted her shoulders and hummed, “I don’t know,” through her full mouth.
I was extra tired from all my exertions today, so an early bedtime sounded great. Before I drifted off, my mind was abuzz with questions. How do I contain Ms. Headache Barbie, so it isn’t a threat t
o anyone? My mind drifted. Lizzy said salt could ward-off otherworldly creatures. I tried to clear my mind again. The memory of Moiraine in her nightmare prison washed over me. There she was, locked away from herself. As the memory of the painful episode faded, it struck me what to do. It’s a long shot, and it may not even work, but I hate doing nothing.
I rose out of bed and ran into the living room. Charlene had put Mo to bed only a few minutes before. I knocked on Mo’s door. A sleepy, “Come in,” greeted my ears. A ray of light from the living room cut Moiraine’s bedroom neatly in-half. “What is it, Daddy?”
“Can I have some of your paper, and can I use your drawing pencils?”
“Sure, Daddy. What do you need them for?”
“Oh, Daddy needs to make some plans.” I retrieved the items I needed quickly from Mo’s room and soon was gone. As I closed the door, “Sleep well, my daughter.”
Mo yawned as she spoke, “You always say things funny, Daddy. Goodnight.”
At the dining room table, I worked at a feverish pitch. When I finished, I surveyed my plans. Perfect. Now, to see if they work. I called John. “Hey, John. Yes, I know what time it is. I am sorry, but this can’t wait. I have a project for you tomorrow. Can I come by first thing? Great. Thanks, see you in the morning.” After my confab with John, I went to bed and slept well.
At the crack of dawn, I left the house to do some shopping for my project. As soon as I bought the supplies needed, I headed over to John’s” Laying out my plans before John, I asked, “What do you think? Can you do it?”
“Well, Nathan, your drawing is clear. Nice job that, by the way, but you are asking me to work with something I have never worked with before. I can’t promise you it will be as you plan, but I sure as heck will try.”
“I know you will be able to make this. I have faith in you, John.”
“That may be, but I am not sure I have faith in these hands anymore.” John looked at and flexed his hands. The arthritis in his hands looked painful. I hope I am not asking too much of him. He picked up the supplies and moved them to the garage. He quickly came back and grabbed the plans. “I need these, don’t I?” John shook the rolled-up plans over his head as he returned to his workroom.
The Calling Page 16
