The Monsters of the Mind

Part 29

I did as she asked.

I walked into the small room and found both the lighter and the small purse that had been hers - that I had found in my bedside drawer the second night I had been here. I flicked the lighter alive, the flame glowing brightly in the darkness, and brought the cloth purse to the edge of the flame. The fire was greedy, hungrily eating at the cloth like a starved man - tearing it apart from the edge to the metal clasps. I dropped it into the dirt, watching as the fire continued to swallow the fabric.

"At least Amy now has some rest," another familiar voice spoke.

I jumped again, turning to see another familiar spirit.

Like Amy Bell had been, Dr. Oliver Bose's spirit had turned a beautiful pale blue as well. He looked much cleaner - his clothing crisp and form fitting agian - and the rope was gone from his neck, replaced by his healthcare badge.

"Are you ready to go again?" he asked, a smile forming his features.

"I never got to say goodbye to Amy," I spoke, the truth of how quickly they vanished from this world coming into full force.

"She understands," Dr. Bose bowed his head, "she would've liked to say goodbye to you as well, but time is running short. We must go now. Jimmy is still around - and Hugo knows that Amy is gone."

I nodded, standing up with the lighter still in my hand and following Dr. Bose quickly into the hallway.

It was a repeat process like it had been with Amy. I followed Dr. Bose as he raced in the mirrors, forcing me to follow him without his protective demeanour I had felt during our very first encounter. He, to, would turn different corners - leading me deeper and deeper into the mirrored maze, stopping every so often to make sure I was still following him.

He led me into another dark room - this one with no mirrors that I could see. There was a small side table in the far corner, a bottle of Diazepam sitting there - covered in dust and cobwebs.

"What's with the medicine?" I asked, "I thought I would need to destroy your badge..."

"The diazepam was used to treat Jimmy," Dr. Bose explained, "It was the reason why he started spreading lies about me - that bottle caused my death in the end."

I nodded, though I wasn't sure if I understood or not. I entered the room and broke the bottle onto the table before lighting it. The liquid medication swallowed the flames, pushing them higher than the child's purse did. 

"Come, Miss Martin," another spirit called for my attention, "It is time to free me so I may be with my brother and sister again."

It was Harvey Hall. He, like Amy and Dr. Bose, had returned to his normal form - free of the blood that had drained from his throat onto the crisp clean button-down shirt he wore. His pipe was back in his hand, the tip in his mouth as a smile made his pencil thin mustache lift in joy. His spirit - too - had turned to that pale blue.

"Are you ready?" I asked him, happy to see him again for one last time.

"More than ready," Harvey grinned, turning and moving into the mirrored hallway.

I followed him as I did the other two, knowing what was expected of me. As I followed Harvey to our new destination, I realized that Hugo Punch hadn't seen me at all during this final area. It seemed like he had completely vanished.

Harvey stopped in the middle of the hallway, pulling out of the mirror. 

"It's in there," Harvey pointed to the reflective surface, "There's a secret latch on the mirror that will permit you entry. But you must hurry."