A Haunted Moment

Chapter Five

All of us but Travis sat at the kitchen table as Gabbie fixed us breakfast. "Um, we better hurry this up 'cause all these seances got the house acting up," Harriet said and Bruce shook his head, "Never mind that every one of the deaths that happened in this house happened on a full moon. Which means, we have less than four days." Ben sat beside me, "Didn't Madame Leota say something about needing an object they possessed?"

Bruce looked at him, "How are you gonna find an object someone possessed when you don't know who the 'someone' is?" Harriet smiled, "Now, there is something very special that I can do. It's quite extraordinary. My spirit will leave my body and go into the ghost realm, where I can get a look at the spirit. A reverse seance, if you will." Bruce smiled, "A reverse seance? Count me in!"

Harriet shook her head, "Bruce, it's very dangerous. Not just anyone can do a reverse seance." I rubbed my temples, "Just say astral projection." Ben nodded, "You don't need to use all these words as if you just invented them. It's ridiculous." Harriet looked offended, "Astral projection? Have you ever heard of astral projection? Is that in your Bible?" Harriet looked at Kent and I sighed loudly, "I'm no longer hungry. Thanks anyway, Gabbie. I'll be in the seance room." Ben grabbed my arm and I nodded, "I'll be okay, Ben." I walked out of the room and sat in my Baba's chair in the seance room, setting my head in my hands. 

Madame Leota appeared, "You are filled with grief, my dear. You know that it is dangerous." I sighed, "I know Madame Leota. I...I just can't believe that all this time, Mateo was suffering." Leota sighed, "I know how you must feel. Thinking that your beloved was at peace, only to find that his spirit is in this house, terrified of the evil who murdered him." I laughed dryly, "The bad part is...I don't grieve his death. I've come to terms with it." Leota frowned, "Then what do you grieve?" I sighed, "I grieve over the fact that he has to continue living in fear even beyond his death." Leota nodded, "You grieve for the lost souls in this house." I nodded, "And most of all. I grieve for the evil ghost that became that way. He wasn't born like that, something or someone made him that way. I grieve for him." 

Leota looked thoughtful, "Maybe the evil can not harm you as we all thought. He has no power over your grief because it's not your grief you feel for. It's the people around you. I was right. You are the key to our saving." Everyone walked in, causing Leota to go dormant, and sat down, Kent started, "Dark spirit, whoever you are, Harriet's coming for you. That's got some mojo to it. A little Dragon's blood? Yerba Santa? What are we talking about?" 

Harriet kept waving her incense around, "Sage from Cosco." I smirked with my eyes closed, "And a bit of Gracey blood." Harriet gasped, "You tampered with my stuff!" I shrugged and opened my eyes, "A bit of Plan B made its way into our favor tonight." Harriet huffed, "When I leave my body and look at this dark spirit, I don't want anyone else jumping in it. Not that I think it will get to that. Now that the 'Mistress Gracey' put her blood into this, she more than likely will be going through the reverse seance as well. I've done it a thousand times."

Bruce sounded like he was amused, "You see, if you say it like that, it makes me feel like you've never done it." Harriet's voice squeaked, "Yes, I have! I've probably done it, like, ten thousand times." Bruce was definitely amused, "Why elevate it to that level? Then I don't believe it at all. How am I gonna get into this."

I looked at Ben, seeing he was equally done with their arguing and Harriet grabbed a bell, "Now, if I'm gone for more than ten minutes, ring this bell. If I get lost, it I'll help me find my way back. See, I have to be very raw in order to go into the other side. This is a picture of my dog that tragically moved to live on a farm." Gabbie cleared her throat and Harriet whispered, "Actually he got hit by a car. Bursted like a water balloon" I sighed, looking down at my hands, "I was to bear a son." Gabbie gasped softly as Ben grabbed my hand and I teared up, "After Mateo passed, I was so heartbroken that I suffered a miscarriage. I blamed myself for three years until I came to terms that our son was at peace."

Harriet looked sad, "We're going to start. Hopefully, Carmella does not accomplish the reverse seance and she stays here. Spirits, I come with curious intentions," I closed my eyes and Harriet continued, "Creak open the door to your dimension. Protect my body as I leave this helm. For now, my spirit will enter the ghost realm."

I felt myself floating and I opened my eyes and screamed as I saw Ben in front of me, causing him to scream. Ben took a deep breath, "Damn it, Carmella! You can't this once just listen to me!?" I scoffed, "Looks who's talking! You're so filled with grief you could fill a bathtub and it would overflow!" Ben sarcastically responded, "That's such a good comeback!" The door creaked and we both looked over as he landed on the ground and I saw my Baba.

I gasped, "Baba?" Baba looked hopeful, "Eleanor?" I smiled sadly, "It's Carmella, Baba. We need your help, please." Baba looked frightened and he ran away, "You shouldn't be here Melly." Ben and I opened the door and looked out into the hall to see lots of ghosts. Baba looked back at me with an apologetic look and Ben whispered harshly, "Gracey, wait! We want to talk to you." Baba disappeared into a mirror and we both ran over, stopping in front of it. 

Ben stopped for a moment and then ran into it, groaning as he touched his forehead. I snickered and Ben playfully glared at me, "Hush."