The Sisters: The Curse of Gabriel's Gardens

The Christmas Mystery

"Oh, the weather outside is shitty, but the fire is hella pretty;

And since my wi-fi is slow, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!"

Alexis laughed. Diane's freestyle parodies of famous Christmas songs was an integral part of decorating the Christmas tree in the Warren sisters' home. Diane did it since Alexis could remember; when they were little girls, she was always quietly singing Jingle bells, Batman smells so Reverend Warren couldn't hear her, then the girls would burst into giggling.

"Last Christmas, I gave you... nothing since I am broke as hell," Alexis sang and Diane started to laugh, just like she did twelve years ago.

Despite the strictly atheist nature of the whole city, Christmas could be celebrated. But all that was left of it was an empty shell of shallowness and unrestrained spending. All spiritual values of the holiday were gone, even the idea of peaceful Christmas spent with the family and friends was abolished. Christmas in Gabriel's Gardens meant huge sales, Santas in supermarkets offering the best deals, never-ending queues and children screaming for the latest toys cunningly released around December.

Alexis always felt the melancholy when watching old movies with Christmas portrayed as a day of family and love. Today's idea of Christmas was to spend thousands of dollars on useless, overpriced things and tons of food, then eat and drink until you drop and show love to your relatives by buying them as much things as possible. This idea of consumerist, shallow Christmas disgusted Alexis to the maximum.

Fortunately, Reverend Warren showed them the true nature of the holiday before they could be spoiled by the cheap gloss of the standard Christmas in Gabriel's Gardens. Reverend wasn't a rich man, so their Christmases were usually humble. That, however, didn't mean they were completely without presents - the holy man was always able to save some money to buy a few books for Alexis and some nice clothing for Diane.

Warren always placed the Christmas tree in front of his pulpit in his underground church. The rice lights always beautifully illuminated the underground premise and created unforgettable atmosphere. Warren wasn't very fond of Santa Clause, taking him as a symbol of consumerist American Christmas. Instead, he told the little girls stories about baby Jesus; the idea of him being the central character of Christmas was already present in several European countries and Warren liked the idea very much.

After the sisters accepted the idea of baby Jesus, Diane briefly started to behave aggressively towards any Santas she met; she had to abolish this behavior soon after.

Even though the girls moved out, they still came to have a Christmas dinner with their father every year. But instead of a huge pine tree in front of the pulpit, there was only a small plastic tree in Warren's living room. It always made Alexis sad for some reason, as if the tiny tree was a symbol of the gap between the girls and the holy man after they moved to their own flat.

"Last year, I celebrated Christmas as a girl for the last time," Alexis sighed. "This is my first year in the role of a taken woman. First year as an adult, Dee."

"So I can finally get legally plastered for Christmas!" Diane cheered. "Just kidding," she added after seeing his sister's judgmental look. "A hangover is a thing I really don't want to experience again."

Alexis felt obligated to change the subject; Diane's darker days were still a sensitive matter and none of the girls wanted to remind themselves about it. "I have to get something big for Annie," she said. "Just recently, I found out that I missed her birthday when I... well, after the fight with Kyle. And now I feel terrible for it."

Diane rolled her eyes. "I was expecting that Annie would come up sooner or later."

"I'm sorry," Alexis blushed. "I know how miserable you have to feel... lately, I'm all about Annie and I feel that I'm overlooking you. Once again, I apologize."

"C'mon, Lex, I meant it as a joke," Diane calmed her down. "We both love Annie, don't we? Only in different kinds of way. I would actually love if she came to celebrate Christmas with us."

Alexis' eyes brightened. "You know what? This year, I want to make all-family Christmas. Like during the good old days. We'll place a tree in Father's church and we can celebrate it everyone together - you, me, Father, Annie and Gus. I think that Annie and Augustus are also tired of celebrating Christmas on their own. I guess they're mostly remembering their parents and are more sad than happy."

"You know what? I love that idea!" Diane smiled. "Why being two, two and one when we can be five? You'll get to spend time with both me and Annie without leaving Gus on his own."

"Let's make it a surprise," Alexis smirked.

"I agree."

The girls completed decorating their own tree and spent a while appreciating their work. They also used small angel-shaped decorations they purchased during their trip outside Gabriel's Gardens; the city prohibited selling anything with religious motives. Owning and using such things wasn't illegal, but the girls felt the pleasant rebellion anyway.

"I think we did good, right?" Diane said.

"As always."

"Time to get some rest," Diane turned on the TV. During the Christmas time, the girls were careful with TV, radio and other medias. The shows were drowned in endless blocks of annoying Christmas ads, usually stupid and intrusive. One of such was on air when the TV screen came to life. It depicted two young children, a boy and a girl, in Santa hats merrily singing an annoying song:

Bring me a gift, bring me another,

Come and make us happy, money don't matter!

Their parents were right beside them, handing them numerous toys with wide smiles on their faces. The ad promoted a huge shopping centre in Icaria.

"That's it. This bullshit is too much for my nerves," Diane uttered and shut the TV off again.

"Besides that, there's more interesting thing to watch," Alexis smiled, looking at Dante who entered the room and curiously stared at the Christmas tree. He carefully approached it and started to wiggle his tail. He haven't seen something so interesting and shiny in his entire life.

<<>>

The girls decided to walk Dante instead of watching the horrendous programme the TV offered. They had to wear jackets; the temperatures were sinking, but there was no snow despite the location of the city in the northern part of California. Every time there wasn't any snow on Christmas, Alexis felt a sting of disappointment. They experienced white Christmas a few times when they were little. There was nothing more magical than seeing the city covered in innocent white; it seemed to cover all the sins.

"I was thinking," Diane said. "And yes, I know it's a dangerous thing to do."

Alexis smiled. "Yes? About what?"

"When we talked about family Christmas," she said. "No matter if we bring Father, Annie and Gus, we'd still be incomplete. You know what I'm talking about."

Her sister's expression changed to serious. "Our mother."

Diane nodded. "You promised. Promised that once we settle things with Kyle, we'll start looking for our mother. And now, it's two months and we still managed to do nothing. I understand that lots of things happened. Your condition after you had to do... you know what. Then you started to date Annie. But I want to know, Lex. Who was she? Why did she leave us with Warren?

"She probably had some good reasons," Alexis muttered.

"Do you think she wants us to find her?"

Alexis shrugged. "I have no idea. We already solved countless mysteries, so I think that we'd be able to find her if we tried hard enough... the question is, do we really want to find her? What's better - to know the truth, no matter how harsh it is, or to live in uncertainty?"

"I vote for truth," Diane voiced.

Dante didn't seem to understand the seriousness of the situation. He just ran through the Serenity Square and examine the new things in the environment he wasn't used to; he seemed to be fascinated by Christmas decorations and lights.

"What if we learn something awful?" Alexis said. "Maybe there's a reason Warren doesn't talk about her."

"Think about it," Diane replied. "What's the worst thing we can learn? Our mom was a hooker? Or a criminal? Murderer? Supervillain? A Directioner?"

"I'm especially afraid that we'll learn something unpleasant about this," Alexis looked at her feather-shaped insignia. "I'm not afraid that our mother is a horrible person. You know that Father rarely talks about her, but when he does, it's always in a positive way. They were friends, it seems."

"Do you think our mother has similar powers?" Diane had a hard time controlling Dante who was fascinated by a street seller of Christmas decorations. "Or that there's some sort of curse connected to it?"

"Honestly? Alexis sighed. "I have no idea. I don't even know where should we start. It kind of infuriates me that Father knows everything - her name, personality, her possible powers - but isn't willing to tell us anything. I respect it, however. I think that our mother asked him to not tell us anything."

"In that case, she doesn't want us to find her," Diane uttered. "Great."

"Or she wanted us to find her by ourselves when we grow up to be old and smart enough," Alexis objected. "That makes much more sense. She wanted us to find her once we're ready."

"Ready for what?"

Alexis shrugged.

After a while, Diane suggested: "What about a little walk to Father's church? We can tell him about our Christmas plans and subtly guide the conversation towards our mother. Maybe he'll be more expansive now, when we're adult women and saved the city."

Her sister smirked. "You want to walk the whole distance between Serenity Square and West Haven? Without taking a TEx? You're growing up, Dee."

<<>>

Reverend Ignatius Warren was sitting on the first bench of his underground church, looking at the figure of crucified Jesus above the pulpit. He remembered that he was sitting on exactly the same spot when he was approached by a young woman holding two newborn human beings in her arms.

He remembered her face which used to be beautiful, but when he saw her for the last time before she left, it was deformed by months of debilitating pregnancy and depressions. That woman had to go through a lot and he knew that. Her golden eyes, usually bright and beautiful, at that time withered and surrounded by dark circles, stared right at him as she conveyed her request.

I... I love them more than my own life, so I want to... I have to do whatever will be the best for them. Could you take care of them, Reverend?

The two tiny babies grew up to become beautiful young women with amazing strengths and talents. He remembered the symbol on the woman's hand which resembled a hourglass. He wasn't really surprised when the girls started to discover paranormal powers during their childhood.

What would you do if I accepted your request?

I would travel somewhere far away. I would start a new life since I can't live in this city any longer. It's connected to too many horrible memories and I would go insane if I stayed. I know that I'm probably too selfish and I'm so ashamed for it...

There was nothing to consider. He took Alexis and Diane into his guardianship and raised them as his own. The beginnings were hard since he had no experience with children; fortunately, he had friends to help him. Alyssa Lafayette was one of them. He sometimes drowned in doubts that living with an old man instead of actual parents will scar the girls somehow. Fortunately, it didn't happen.

What should I tell them when they grow up?

The less, the better. I have a feeling that if they'd want to find me, they'll do it someday. And I'll be ready to accept them - I'll be probably feeling better by then. Father... you have no idea what you did for me. I'll be eternally grateful for it.

He was trying to imagine how she'd look now. She is... thirty-nine or forty now. Did she find the beauty she lost during those gruesome months? Did she manage to heal her damaged soul? How often does she think about her daughters? Warren knew her well, so he supposed that she thinks about them daily. Does she regret her decision?

His thoughts were interrupted by a sound of footsteps. A second later, he was approached by a young dog happily wiggling his tail and attempting to lick his face. "Dante!" Warren laughed. "I'm glad to see you. Where are the charming ladies that usually accompany you?"

"I don't know, there's just us," Diane smiled. "Greetings, Father."

The girls told Warren their plan about inviting Anna and Augustus for the Christmas eve. "Of course you too, Dante," Alexis said after the dog demanded attention by barking. "Our family is gonna be especially big this year. But in that case, we'll have to get some gifts also for Dante."

"Sssh! He can hear you," Warren smiled. "Let's keep it a surprise."

The twins and their adoptive father started to plan for Christmas Eve. The whole matter was a little tricky since it involved smuggling the Christmas tree and the decorations to the secret sanctuary. Officially, the address contained only a tiny boutique selling cheap clothes.

"I have to admit I am excited like a little boy!" Warren said.

"So are we," Diane nodded. "I'm always excited about Christmas. If it means I'm childish, so be it."

The girls were thinking about how to redirect the conversation to their mother, but later, they made a silent agreement that they'll leave it for now. Digging in the past could easily ruin this cheerful moment. Besides that, there was only a small chance that Warren would be more open this time.

<<>>

They came home after several hours in Warren's pleasant presence. In the flat's hallway, they encountered Anna accompanying an old woman. She was in her seventies, thin and fragile, walking with tiny steps. Her hair was still dark brown only because of a dye and she was dressed in a fuzzy gray sweater.

"But Annie...!" the woman yowled. Her voice was just as weak and fragile as her body. "I thought you will be able to help me. You are the only one who can help me..."

Anna sighed. "Mrs. Chandler," she said patiently. "Joseph is deceased for twelve years already. There's no way he could steal something from you."

"Deceased...?" the old woman widened her eyes. "No. He was there at night. He took my money."

"No, he wasn't. You must've misplaced it somewhere."

"Deceased..." Mrs. Chandler repeated. "Are you really sure...?"

"Yes. Now go and make something to eat. You'll feel horrible if you stop eating."

The woman turned away, still muttering the word deceased, disappeared into her flat and closed the door. Anna noticed the sisters and smiled grimly. "Greetings, girls."

Alexis greeted her girlfriend with a quick kiss. "Who was that, darling?" she asked.

The impaired girl sighed again. "This is Gertrude Chandler," she replied. "She's our neighbor since I can remember. She was one of the people who helped us after the accident. That was while she was still in the right mind. I called her Auntie Trudi and liked her so much. But now..."

"Now what?"

"Alzheimer's disease," Anna replied. "It started pretty innocently. But I should explain it from the start. She has a family, but they live in the Centre and don't care about her unless they can get some money from her. She's already old and she has trouble with walking, so when I grew up, I decided it's time to repay all the favors she did for me. She lives alone and me and Gus basically take care of her. We do all the bureaucracy for her, shop for food, we're basically here for her whenever she needs us.

"Everything was good until... two years ago, I guess. At first, she just occassionally forgot something, we took it as funny episodes. But then it started to get worse. She started to forget what day it is, but not in that way when you're not sure whether it's Thursday or Wednesday. She often lived weeks ahead. But we're still not there. The time gaps eventually grew bigger and it got to the point that she lived twenty years in the past, talking about events and people that happened before I was born."

"That sounds scary... but I also sympathize with her," Alexis said. "It has to be horrible, living with such disease. I mean, my brain is the most important thing I have and I'd probably rather die than watch it dissolve like this. Just imagining it gives me chills."

"But it went even further," Anna continued. "During the last months, it seems that she's slowly losing touch with reality. She's not able to keep anything in her mind. She forgets to eat and it causes her to wither. She often calls me to solve problems that only exist in her mind and I have no clue what to do. And most importantly, she often talks about her husband who died twelve years ago."

"Really...?"

"She's getting her monthly income in retirement; it's not that much, but it's enough to keep her alive. But lately, she complains that Joseph, her late husband, takes her money and uses it to buy alcohol. She often refuses to accept that he's already dead. She usually misplaces the money somewhere and we manage to find it, but not always. She probably puts the money in some kind of secret hideout and then forgets about it completely."

"Did you know that man before he died?" Alexis asked.

"Yes, but I barely remember him. All I remember is that he was a friendly and kind-hearted man who sometimes lent me their grandchildren's toys. But apparently, he was also an alcoholic. Gus told me that he remembers some of his drunk episodes. It's nothing good."

"Annie... you basically help an old person even though you don't have to," Alexis said. "Do I need to say how kind it is? This... this is one of the reasons why I fell in love with you," she hugged Anna tightly. "I suppose it requires immense amounts of patience and generosity."

Anna nodded. "Yes, it's really hard sometimes. I... I'm afraid that it won't take long. She's already very old and her mind is betraying her more and more often. Maybe it'll be a release from suffering, who knows." Anna's devastated face and tone of voice implied that after all, she shares some bond with the old woman.

<<>>

"That almost sounds like a case for us, if the ghost didn't exist only in her mind," Alexis said as soon as she returned home with Diane. She opened a can of dog food and poured its contents into a bowl, then placed it on Dante's standard eating spot. The pup was, however, still fascinated by the Christmas tree and didn't even notice the food. Alexis sighed and moved the bowl closer to the tree; Dante finally started to eat while still keeping an eye on the tree.

"That's unfair," Diane said. "He likes the tree more than me."

"Maybe if you put on that sparkly top with glitter you had when you were fourteen..." Alexis said.

Diane groaned. "You promised to never mention it again."

"I'm still thinking about that old lady," Alexis sat on the couch and observed Dante eating his lunch. "Being trapped in your own twisted version of reality where time means nothing... it sounds like the worst curse, and it isn't even paranormal in origin. I'm scared of death, more than you can imagine. But maybe it's better to die earlier than spending your last years not recognizing even the closest people."

"I think you're the last person that should worry about being senile," Diane smirked. "As far as I know, the chances rapidly decrease when you use your brain regularly. And your brain is in the overdrive almost all the time, so I'm not afraid that it'll atrophy someday."

Alexis laughed. "I hope so. The brain is an interesting organ indeed. It works tirelessly twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, until you take an important exam or fall in love."

"Love should have a warning sticker, like cigarettes. Warning: Feelings can seriously damage your brain and mental health."

"Well, I think that love is only dangerous as long it's not returned. My crush on Marlene was really devastating, but now, with Annie, it's something completely different. It's like I'm growing as a person when I'm with her. She completes me, motivates, inspires."

"Let me just grab some popcorn so I can eat something during your in-love rants," Diane uttered.

"Oh yeah, I'm back at it again," Alexis sighed. "Sorry."

Diane shrugged. "I don't mind, actually. Still a better love story than Twilight."

"I hope that Annie won't turn into a werewolf someday," Alexis laughed. "I'd have to use a silver bullet, but I doubt if I'd be able to do it since I'm done with killing my love interests for the rest of my life."

"It's nice to see that you are able to joke about it," Diane said. "Maybe Annie is really a good influence for you. There's no better person when it comes to dealing with shitty situations."

"I may look like I'm over it," Alexis muttered, "but it's still there. In my thoughts and dreams, really often. I'm happy again thanks to you and Annie, but those memories from Arlington Tower still linger inside of me. I'm afraid that they'll swell up within me and turn into something horrible. If there's anything worse than turning senile, it's spending life in a constant state of depression."

"I said it earlier and I'll say it again," Diane pointed her finger at Alexis' chest and poked her with every word. "You. Think. Too. Much. It's goddamn two months, Jesus! And you were forced to kill a girl you loved. Do you really expect it to go away within weeks? Some people take years to recover completely. Just be patient, sis. Annie's love and my excellent sense of humor will help you."

"Thanks, Diane," Alexis smiled.

"Besides that, it's not the right time to be depressed!" Diane pulled a Santa hat seemingly out of nowhere and put it on her head. Alexis bursted out laughing. "Both Santa and baby Jesus don't bring presents to girls who cry all the time!"

"The real question is if I can get off with a murder in the first place," Alexis noted.

"They have a separate list for people like us," Diane said. "You know: Good children, Bad children and Children who occasionally have to kill someone to save the city from huge ass demons."

"You're really a clown," Alexis kept laughing.

Diane shrugged. "Someone in our family has to be the funny one."

<<>>

The next day, Alexis decided to visit Anna in her home. She knocked on her door which was soon opened by Augustus. The man scanned her with his eyes behind glasses. "Hey," he said. "Uhm... are you Annie's girlfriend, or is it the other one?

"It's me," Alexis replied.

"I hope you aren't pushing her into anything inappropriate," Gus muttered. "You can't get her pregnant, but I don't want my sis to start living sexually at eighteen. I think she has still time for that."

Alexis smiled. "You care about your sister a lot, right?"

Gus blushed a little. "I have to. She's the only living member of my family, so it's for sure that I care about her. I knew that she'll start dating one day, but still, I don't want her to end up with a wrong person. However, I like you. You seem smart and mature."

The girl smirked. "That's more words than I've heard you speak until now."

"Sorry if I seem kinda rude sometimes," Augustus said. "I'm pretty picky when it comes to people I talk to, and let's be honest, you two annoyed me a bit in the beginning. But then I got to know you a little and I realized that you're actually nice. And let's be honest - the fact that Annie fell in love with you indicates that you're an exceptional person. She's as picky as me."

"Thank you, Gus."

"No. I thank you, Alexis. Annie told me a few times that she's afraid she'll never find a true love, since nobody would be willing to date a cripple. I kept telling her that it's nonsense, but I was a bit afraid, too. This is Gabriel's Gardens, a city where everyone demands perfection. The majority of men aren't willing to date an impaired woman since she's not able to reflect his social status." Gus smiled. "But Annie cheated the system again and found a girlfriend. That fits her really well."

Alexis wondered what made Augustus so friendly of all sudden, but she was glad for it. She wondered how can someone so sweet and kind-hearted like Anna have a sibling that's so grumpy and reclusive. But now she started to realize that the first impression can be deceiving sometimes.

The girl wasn't a shallow person, but she had to reluctantly admit that even Gus' look contributed to the assumption. The man looked like a stereotypical movie hacker with gaunt figure, greasy, neck-long hair, thin-framed glasses and acne problem. She realized that Augustus is still single at twenty-five. She had never actually think about that, but now it seemed unfair towards him. His undying devotion towards his sister gave away how good at heart he actually is.

"Gus, I wanted to talk to you anyway," Alexis smiled at him.

"Really? I thought your primary goal is making out with Annie," Gus muttered and turned into his old, grumpy self for a second. Alexis had to giggle.

"I have to admit that your sister's lips are a masterpiece, but I also came because of you. What are your plans for Christmas Eve?" she asked.

Gus shrugged. "As always. Spend it with Annie, remember our family a bit..."

"I have an offer for you," the girl said. "We want to invite Annie to celebrate Christmas with us in Reverend Warren's secret church. We did it when we were little and we miss these times. Father also agrees with it, so if you don't mind...?"

The man gave her a sad smile. "Of course. Annie will sure enjoy it."

Alexis tried to act surprised. "What? You aren't coming?"

"It's not like you'd want me there, right?"

"That's where you're wrong," Alexis smiled. "As my future brother-in-law, you're already a part of my family, therefore, I want you to come. Did you really think that we'd allow you to celebrate Christmas alone?"

Gus blushed again. "Well... I don't know... but... really? If you don't mind, I'd love to come! I've spoke with Reverend Warren several times - I was seeking support from various sources after the accident. He's indeed a kind and wise man. Now you should go. Annie is waiting for you."

<<>>

Alexis entered Anna's room and closed the door. Then she made two long steps towards Anna sitting by her computer, put Anna's head into her hands and gave her a long, passionate kiss that left them both breathless. When there was someone else with them, they limited their affection to sweet words and quick, shy kisses. But when the door behind them closed, they could let the flame of their love burn to the fullest.

After endless minutes of kissing, fondling and hugging, Alexis relocated her lips from Anna's mouth to her neck. She heard Anna's quiet moan as her lips touched the soft skin.

"Lex, you pervert," Anna voiced. "Isn't this a little too much already?"

Alexis realized that she probably really went too far and stopped.

"I didn't tell you to stop," Anna noted.

After another while, the girls were staring at each other with bright red faces. "Let me tell you a secret," Anna said. "When I met you for the first time, I thought you were shy. Your look is way too deceiving."

"You were right, I am shy," Alexis replied. "But there's no need to be shy when I'm alone with my girlfriend. I am already comfortable with you."

Anna laughed. "God, I love you so much."

They leaned towards each other, ready for another round. They were, however, interrupted by someone knocking at the door. Anna rolled her eyes. "Something is telling us to stop sinning," she noted.

The girl drove her wheelchair towards the door and opened. Mrs. Chandler was standing in the hallway with a scared, insecure expression in her wrinkled face. "Annie," she said. "He took my money again."

Anna sighed. "Joseph?"

The woman nodded.

Alexis offered her a hand. "Mrs. Chandler, we haven't met yet," she said. "My name is Alexis Warren and I live one floor above you. I am Anna's... best friend. Anna told me that your husband died a long time ago. It's all in your head. It couldn't be him."

Gertrude reluctantly accepted Alexis' hand; the girl was afraid to squeeze the hand because the bones inside it seemed to be as fragile as thin wooden sticks. "He can't be dead," she insisted more firmly than yesterday. "I saw him at night. He took all my money and now he's getting drunk somewhere. I have to get it back."

"I'm sure your money is somewhere in your house," Anna said. "Lex? Please, come with me. I can't reach higher places, maybe you'll be able to find something."

The woman allowed the girls to go inside her flat. Even though Gardens were a supermodern city, Gertrude's home was archaic and old-fashioned. The unidentified smell of old age lingered in the air. The furniture was ancient and hand-made, still standing even after many years of use. There were almost no electronics in the house, except a small TV, a radio and an old-fashioned cellphone (still with buttons).

Alexis looked at the numerous wooden closets, wardrobes and cabinets. "It's no wonder she always misplaces the money," she said. "There are million possible places to hide them."

"Examine the upper level, I'll go for the lower," Anna said.

Gertrude was silently watching the girls searching for the lost cash. At first, Alexis felt bad for invading the woman's personal belongings, but then she remembered it's for her own good. She didn't want to take anything, more like the exact opposite.

She didn't find the lost money. Instead, she found several disturbing notes written with the woman's shaky handwriting. One of them was on a small piece of paper placed on a kitchen table:

Please, give me my money back and don't drink. DON'T DRINK. Please.

More notes were written in the desk calendar in Gertrude's bedroom. The paper calendar was a rare sight since most people just used their phones; the woman, however, used the calendar decorated by pictures of kittens, to keep a diary of her damaged mind:

December 12: Took my money again. Went drinking. Didn't come back.

December 13: He didn't come home. Nowhere to be found all day.

December 14: Visited me at night. Took money and left.

And so on. Alexis felt shivering in her spine. The old woman probably lived in a constant state of belief that her husband is still alive. She imagined how would it be if she kept seeing Marlene everywhere despite the fact that she sent her to the other side.

Even though she barely knew the woman, her sensitive side started to take charge. She put the calendar down and left the flat before she could burst into tears.

<<>>

"Pretty horrible, isn't it?" Anna said when the both girls returned to Anna's flat. Alexis' craving for intimacy was gone. She was still shook and disturbed.

"She lives in these delusions constantly?" Alexis asked.

"No. She has also brighter days where she's a bit dizzy, but not completely mixed up. Every time I knock at her door to bring her food, it's like a lottery. Who will open? A kind-hearted woman in a right mind, or a human wreck constantly babbling about her dead husband? She's so addled sometimes that she knocks at my door five times a day to return me the food I buy her. It can get pretty frustrating."

"And what about her family?" Alexis asked. "You said they live in The Centre, right? That's just a few TEx stops away. Why don't they take care of her?"

Anna shrugged. "As I said, they don't care about her anymore. Her only son married and has kids; I tell you, they're nothing but ill-bred, spoiled brats. It's no wonder. Their father has about as much emotion as Kristen Stewart - he always looks at me like I'm some kind of criminal for helping his poor mother. They only arrive once a month. Guess which day?"

Alexis told her to go on using a gesture.

"Exactly a day after she receives her retirement pension! Those people are goddamn vultures. Auntie Trudi isn't strong enough to oppose them. She doesn't realize that they only use her to eat for free and get some money from her. These little brats are puppy eyes experts and the old lady can never say no to them. They always leave with their pockets full of candies and with new toys. Auntie has barely enough money left for herself. If it was possible, I'd say they take the remaining money, not Joseph!"

Alexis frowned. "This is horrible. Is it even possible that they have such disrespect towards old age?!" her face went red, but this time not because of amorous arousal. The sparks in her eyes and clenched lips gave away her anger. "Call me once they arrive next time. I want to tell her something with all honesty. What would the old lady do if there wasn't you and Gus?"

Anna sighed. "She'd probably starve to death."

"That's great. Really great," Alexis said. "She gives half of the money to her vulturous family and misplaces the second half somewhere. This really doesn't look good."

"Fortunately, Gus takes some money from her as soon as she gets the pension. We use it to buy her food and other needful things. It's the only way how can we be sure she won't lose it or give it away."

"That's a good idea," Alexis nodded.

"Milow, her son, doesn't think so," Anna replied with a bitter smile. "He accused Gus that he abuses the old woman's condition to take money from her and use it for his own good. Would you believe that? He accused Gus of something he does every month! They got into a heated argument, I've never seen Gus so enraged in my life. Milow even threatened to call the cops, but Auntie prevented him. He was so pissed that even his mother took the side of Gus and me!" she laughed.

Alexis joined her. "For some reason, I can't imagine angry Augustus."

"It's not a nice sight. He's usually all bottled up, but when he finally snaps, it's like Vesuvius exploding. Milow is much older and taller than Gus, but that day, he was shaking like a chihuahua! Gus' rant was priceless. He told them only the truth, but these parasites couldn't accept it!"

"I'm starting to see Gus from his better side," Alexis said. "He's an awesome person, even though it's not visible at the first glance."

"Hey! Don't you dare to fall in love with him," Anna smirked.

"I can't," Alexis objected. "I'm fully into girls. You're the bisexual here."

The impaired girl frowned. "Bisexual? I prefer the term homostraight!"

<<>>

Two days later, Alexis was in Anna's room again. A new episode of the girls' favorite show aired that day and the lovers were used to watching it together on Anna's enormous computer screen, holding hands and eating chocolate snacks. However, this week's episode was interrupted.

Anna paused the video and started listening; then she rolled her eyes. "It's them."

Alexis decided to watch through the main door's peephole. Her girlfriend was right - the door to Mrs. Chandler's home were open and the old lady was standing there accompanied by four people. The most prominent was a tall man with salt-and-pepper hair, manly face and stubble. His wife was short and a bit chubby with long, light-brown hair. Two young boys who came with them immediately rushed inside. They were about ten years old.

"I'm glad to see you!" Alexis heard Mrs. Chandler's voice through the door. She looked at her family with a happy smile. Anna was right - she probably didn't realize that all they wanted was food and money. She was probably lonely to the point she was willing to accept any kind of company.

"Granny! Do you want to see my letter for Santa?" one of the kids shouted. His intentions were clear - he hoped that the old woman will buy him one of these overpriced toys.

"Of course, Rich. Let me see," Gertrude replied.

"You are right," Alexis turned to Anna. "It's pretty disgusting."

Anna looked at her wristwatch. "Exactly in time," she said. Both girls returned to Anna's room to complete this week's episode. Right after, Alexis took Dante for a walk. She enjoyed the chilly breeze while trying to ignore big billboards advertising the best Christmas deals.

Later, she was approached by a man in a Santa costume with a leaflets advertising a huge shopping centre in Icaria. Alexis hated these "advertising Santas" with all her heart. "Ho ho ho!" the man yelled. "Have you been good this year, girl? I know a place where your dreams can come true!"

The girl looked him dead in the eye. "Actually, I've been pretty naughty. I killed a person and made out with a girl. So I'm not interested in your offers." She enjoyed the shocked expression in Santa's face and just casually walked away, trying to hold back laughter.

She came back home two hours later; she made the walk longer to enjoy the pleasant December weather a little more. She reached for a keycard, but stopped for a while after spotting two boys in front of the main door. She recognized Gertrude's grandsons. They were playing games on their phones and laughing.

"How many did ya get?" one of them asked.

"Nothing much," his brother replied and pulled several banknotes out of his pocket. "Not enough for Gangster's Oath 3. Man, that sucks," he said after counting the money.

"C'mon, man, you can get more," the first one smirked. "Gran is like an ATM. You just say a word and dinero is in your pocket. You have some more hours before we leave. You got it, man." They both laughed. "Don't you love these visits? You just act like a good boy and she falls for it completely."

"Too bad it probably won't last much longer. She's already one foot in the grave."

That was too much for Alexis. She approached the boys. "Aren't you ashamed? Mistreating your old grandma like this?" she said. "Anna was right. You're a bunch of spoiled brats."

"Who asked for your opinion, ugly ass?" one of the boy spat out.

The other one laughed. "That cripple next door seems to know us really well. And if you're really that into morals and shit, you should know that spying on other people is not nice!"

"It's a simple business," the first boy shrugged. "We don't force her to give us the money. She gives it voluntarily; her fault she's old, naive and senile. We'd be stupid if we didn't take it."

"And what about doing something in return?"

"We still have enough time before we'll have to work for money."

"Now get lost, ugly nerd. And send regards to your cripple friend."

They both laughed as Alexis tried to unlock the door with hands shaking with anger. One of the boys took a photo of her, then turned to his brother. "Man, let's make her a meme!"

Enraged Alexis quickly disappeared into the hallway and took an elevator to her floor.

<<>>

Night. Anna woke up from her sleep because of strange noises seemingly coming from the hallway. Her room was close to the main door, so she usually heard when something was happening outside her flat. She was fully awake within seconds and listened closely.

Yes. It was footsteps.

She looked at the digital clock on the wall. 3:06. Who the hell roams the hallway in the dead of night? she thought. She decided to learn more. She woke up her tablet computer and launched an app which was connected to a small camera in the main door. It was another one of Anna's inventions - the camera was inserted into the door, behind the metal name tag with their family name. One of the O's in "Lightfoot" was hollow and served as a lens of the camera. The girl used it as a peephole alternative since she couldn't reach the original one.

The camera came to life. Anna switched to the night vision mode.

The girl gasped. Auntie Trudi's door was open and there was a figure leaving her flat. It carefully closed the door - Anna heard a thump. Then the figure looked in the camera's direction.She tried not to scream as she recognized its face. She hadn't seen it in ages, but she was sure. It was a chubby old man with white hair, beard and bulbous red nose. He was wearing an old-fashioned brown jacket and a bowtie.

"Joseph Chandler," Anna voiced.

She remembered this face smiling at her, lending her interesting things, consoling her after the accident. There was no doubt, it was him. The dead man just casually took the stairs, heading down, and disappeared from the camera's line of sight.

"What the hell did I just see?" Anna said to herself.

Even though she worked with paranormal investigators (and dated one of them), she never thought about the possibility that there could be a bit of truth in Gertrude's words. She was sure that the sightings of her late husband only happened in her confused mind, but how would it explain what she had seen right now?

She was lying on her bed for a long time, thinking about the bizarre episode. She had to convince herself that it wasn't only a dream. That she really saw a dead man leaving Gertrude's flat.

She came to the conclusion that what she saw was real. It took her almost two hours to calm down her racing heartbeat and fall asleep again.

When Anna woke up in the morning, she had to think for a while before she could remember what happened that night. She had to convince herself that the strange encounter really happened once again. She opened the "peephole app" and checked the control panel to see when the app was used for the last time. There was an entry with today's date accompanied by time data: 03:07:26 AM - 03:09:18 AM.

She quickly got dressed and seated herself in her wheelchair, then drove straight to the main door.

"Annie?" she heard Augustus calling her. "Leaving already? What about breakfast?"

"It's important," the girl replied.

"You just wake up and your first steps are towards Alexis," Gus grumbled. "Maybe you don't even have to return home and just sleep with her."

Anna smirked. "I'll get to it one day."

Augustus probably didn't realize the second meaning of the sentence until Anna pointed it out. He rolled his eyes. "Maybe I was wrong after all. That Warren girl is a bad influence."

"It's not about Alexis. She just woke the dirty mind that has been always somewhere within me."

"Oh well."

Anna spoke with a more serious tone of voice. "I'll be back soon, bro. It's just... something happened at night and I think that Alexis and Diane should know about it."

Augustus raised his eyebrows. "Something paranormal?"

"Maybe. I'll tell you everything once I come home."

"Alright. Good luck."

<<>>

Alexis wasn't used to visits so early in the morning. This morning followed their standard routine - Diane was still asleep while Alexis started to prepare lunch. When Anna drove into Alexis' living room, it was a few minutes after eight.

"Come in, my love, don't be shy," Alexis smiled at her. Her smile froze when she noticed the strange expression in Anna's face. "Is something wrong?"

"Let's wake up Dee," Anna said. "It looks like a job for all of us."

Alexis smirked. "I'm gonna enjoy this."

She carefully opened the door to Diane's room; her sister was snoring loudly, dressed in panties and oversized black T-shirt. "God, how can she live in such a mess?" Anna commented on the condition of the room. "And I thought my room is messy."

Alexis took a deep breath. "WAKEY WAKEY!" she shouted.

Diane jumped on the bed, having no idea what's happening. When she realized, she gave Alexis an infuriated look. "You've gone totally crazy, sister!" she screamed. "You have no idea how much you scared me! You really went too far this time. Way too far."

The two lovers were in tears - not because they were moved, but out of laughter. Diane calmed down within seconds (that was also a vital part of her personality - her bursts of anger disappeared even quickler than food on her plate). "Let me just put some goddamn trousers on," Diane grumbled and joined Alexis and Anna several minutes later. The meeting was ready to start.

Anna told the girls about her night encounter.

Alexis frowned. "There are some weird things about it. Where should I start?"

"Oh no, speech incoming," Diane noted.

"The first problem - ghosts usually go right through walls, right?" Anna said. "It's weird when a ghost just opens door physically, if I'm not mistaken."

"Actually, this is one of the problems that can be explained," Alexis replied. "Ghosts are often seen doing things they were frequently doing when they were alive. When a ghost walks through the wall, it's probably because there used to be door when that person was alive; it seems that ghosts can't adapt to changes in the environment. So if Joseph Chandler lived in this house and opened the door frequently, he kept the habit even now, as a ghost."

"The strange thing is how could he open the door physically," Diane followed. "The case with Henry Rudger's revenge taught us that ghosts can hardly be seen and manipulate with things at the same time."

"Correct," Alexis nodded. "I give you A+."

"It didn't even look like a ghost," Anna said. "It wasn't transparent or anything. It looked like a normal, flesh-and-bone human being, except that it was a deceased person."

"I have a theory," Alexis said after getting lost in her thoughts for a while. "I'm not completely sure right now, but it's possible that Mrs. Chaldler has conjured a tulpa."

"Care to explain?" Diane frowned.

"Tulpas originated in Tibetian teachings," Alexis said. "It's basically a being that you create using the power of your mind. The monks say that if you intensively think about a person, an animal, or even a fictional character, visualize them in your mind and make yourself believe they're real, your mind can be strong enough to actually bring them to existence.

"At the beginning, they just exist in the person's mind where they can talk to the said person, but if the person keeps imagining and interacting with the tulpa, they'll start to develop, gain their own personality and consciousness. And in the end, the tulpa can materialize in the real world and start acting as an individual being no longer dependant on the person who created them."

"So... you think that the old woman is a Buddhist monk who was able to bring her dead husband back to life by the sheer power of her imagination?"

Alexis sighed. "Not really. Let me explain a little more."

<<>>

"A person can create a tulpa unintentionally," Alexis continued explaining. "And Mrs. Chandler is a perfect subject. It's for sure that she's been thinking about her husband every day since he passed away. Annie, for how long had they been married? Do you know?"

Anna shrugged. "I think they married when they were about thirty."

"See?" Alexis nodded. "Imagine how hard must it be to lose a partner after forty years of marriage. That woman's world basically fell apart and the thoughts about her husbands were the only thing that kept her going. The thought could be so strong they accidentally brought Joseph back."

"And her Alzheimer's could contribute to it, right?" Anna said. "She stopped distinguishing her thoughts from reality, so she unconditionally believed that Joseph was there with her. Based on what you said, it could greatly accelerate tulpa's creation."

"Exactly."

Diane joined the talk. "So... what exactly is gonna happen next? The old lady probably conjured a grandpa out of her mind. What will he do now?"

"She probably got to the point where tulpa has its own consciousness," Alexis replied. "Right now, Joseph probably acts like an independent being. It probably started innocently - they just talked about everyday things, just as they used to when he was alive. But as he became stronger, he started to break away from Gertrude's thoughts and disobey her will. I think that he returned to the state he was when he died."

"So you're saying that he can really take her money and go drinking?" Diane frowned.

Alexis shrugged. "He's now an individual, sentient being, so he can do anything he wants. I'm afraid, though, that he may start to terrorize Gertrude. The most known case of tulpa tells about a French woman who spent some time in Tibet where she learned to create her own tulpa. She created one which looked like a little monk, but as soon as he broke the chains and started to live his own life, he started to psychically torture her.

"She had to get rid of him, but it can only be done by absorbing it into you again - he was created from your mind, so that's where he also disappears. Not gonna lie, she had a very hard time and almost lost her life while attempting that. But in the end, she succeeded and eliminated the tulpa."

"In that case, our outlooks are grim," Anna sighed. "I think Auntie Trudi is too weak both psychologically and physically. She won't be able to fight it."

"Does it mean that we're dealing with unpredictable something created by a senile mind of an old woman?" Diane muttered. "I think it will once again make a valuable entry to my diary."

"It's the most probable option," Alexis said. "But we don't know it for sure."

"Maybe that means that Auntie Trudi's mind isn't as damaged as we thought!" Anna noted with a glimpse of hope in her voice. "If Joseph really comes to her flat and steals her money, she's not mixed up. She's telling the truth. If we manage to get rid of tulpa, her condition should improve!"

"That's true," Alexis admitted. "Actually, it's a Catch 22. Gertrude's mind which clinged to the idea that her husband's alive created the tulpa which worsened her condition even further. However, if we manage to get rid of that spirit somehow, she should feel better again. But it won't be easy."

"Okay, Mrs. Brain," Diane said, "what's the plan?"

"We have to monitor Mrs. Chandler's home to see if Joseph visits it regularly," Alexis said. "If he does, we'll have to confront him. But eliminating him will be hard. As I mentioned earlier, Gertrude's mind created him, so it's also the only thing that can send him back. Maybe if we help her a bit, she'll be able to do it. But in the first place, we have to convince her. And that will be the hardest part."

"There are too many hard parts," Diane noted. "It's like playing Dark Souls."

Anna smirked. "Dark Souls isn't that hard."

"Maybe for a videogame freak like you."

<<>>

The first part of the plan involved installing a camera in Gertrude's house. To do so, they needed to have an excuse to visit her. Actually, they could just knock at her door and come in, but it was against their morals to take advantage of the old woman's naivety like this.

They decided to do some shopping for her. While Diane was walking Dante in a nearby park, the lovers went to a shopping mall and bought some basic groceries. Anna also took a few boxes of pre-cooked microwave food. "If she didn't have these ready-to-cooks, she'd probably starve to death," she explained. "It's not anything too tasty or healthy, but at least it keeps her alive."

"It's no problem for me to make one more serving when I cook, at least on the weekends," Alexis said. "She won't have to eat these chemicals again."

"Hey! Why didn't you offer this to me?" Anna said, seemingly angry. "You know that I adore your cooking and I'd be able to eat it every day."

"Come on. Augustus is also a good cook."

"And that's it. Gus is just a cook. He makes food and we eat it. You're something completely different. You put your heart and soul into it. You promoted cooking to an art. Your meals are always so perfectly balanced, the taste is always just right. It's like you're cuddling with the food."

"Come on," Alexis laughed. "You're just flattering me too much."

"I'm not. I swear. I can't wait to marry you. That way, you'd have to cook for me every day!"

"Your talks about marriage scare me a bit. What if I'm not a type for commitments?"

"In that case, I'm not a computer girl."

"You got me."

The girls returned home. They didn't have to carry the shopping bags - Anna improved her wheelchair by adding hooks to its sides where she could just hang the bags. "Using bad situations in your advantage is an art," she explained. "My motto is that there's something good in all bad."

They knocked at Mrs. Chandler's door. When the old woman opened, Anna greeted her with a bright smile. "Greetings!" she said. "We brought you some food, I saw that you're running out of it again."

"Annie," the old woman returned the smile. "You're an angel." She turned away and invited them in.

"An angel who kisses like a devil," Alexis smirked.

Her girlfriend blushed. "Don't say that!" she hissed. "Auntie Trudi is a bit... old-fashioned and who knows how would she react."

The girls started to realize their plan. Anna dragged the old woman's attention by endlessly talking about everything they've bought. In the meantime, Alexis installed a tiny camera into the woman's kitchen. She usually kept her money there, so if the tulpa comes to steal it again, it will come there.

Anna looked at Alexis who showed her thumbs up. The girl tried to align the camera so it could cover as much space as possible. Now it was up to Anna to test the connection.

"We'll be leaving now. Goodbye, Mrs. Chandler," Anna announced.

"Goodbye and thank you," the woman replied. "And you too, Alexis."

As soon as they entered Anna's flat, Alexis said: "She remembered my name."

"I also noticed it," Anna nodded. "It may not sound like a big deal, but in her case, it's pretty strange. She's probably not as forgetful as she may seem. That supports our theory that her mind is in a better condition than we thought. Maybe we'd be able to bring good old Auntie Trudi back after all..."

Alexis replied: "Besides that... I was thinking. You know that I have healing powers, to some degree. I can do nothing with serious injuries or illnesses, but maybe, if I spent some time with the old lady regularly, I could be able to fix her condition within a few months."

Anna opened her eyes wide. "You really could...?"

Alexis shrugged. "I can try."

"That would be the best Christmas gift for her," Anna smiled. "Now let's check the camera. If you messed up and its field of vision is crappy, we'd have to go there again and fix it."

Her girlfriend frowned. "Do you really have so little faith in me?"

<<>>

"Dashing through the snow, get the heck out of my way, you're so goddamn slow, and fat, what do you weigh?" Diane sang. "Only three days until Christmas, sis! Are you excited?"

"Uhm? Yes, yes," Alexis replied reluctantly. She installed the camera two days ago and Anna hadn't reported any unusual things so far. It was hard to focus on the Christmas spirit when there could be a potentially dangerous tulpa roaming the streets.

Diane rolled her eyes. "You need to sing a carol. Mandatorily."

"Come on, sis. You know I love Christmas, but..."

"Sing!"

Anna bursted into the flat just in time to save Alexis from the inescapable situation. "Love, I've got something!" she announced as soon as she saw the sisters. She drove towards them and showed them her tablet computer. "It looks like Joseph honored us with a visit again."

"Show us," Alexis said. Anna turned on the video recorded using the hidden camera.The recording was a little blurry and had a greenish hue due to the night vision. The time in the lower right corner said that the video was recorded at 02:43 AM.

Nothing was happening for a while. Then someone stepped in the room - it was really an old man in an old-fashioned suit with a bowtie. He started to scavenge the room; he opened one of the drawers which was supposed to contain cutlery. He pulled out an envelope. There was something written on it - it was impossible to read it on the recording, but Joseph did it for them.

"Joseph - please, don't take anything. Don't drink. Please," the figure said. Its voice was surprisingly young - it clearly didn't sound like a voice of an old man. The tulpa just laughed, opened the envelope and took something from it.

"Two Benjamin Franklins," Diane noted. "Two hundred dollars."

"At least he doesn't take everything at once," Anna said. "But still it's a pretty penny."

Joseph was about to leave, but he was stopped by a quiet, fragile voice: "Joseph...? You again? Please, don't take anything. I beg you. I have almost nothing left...!"

"I promise I'll return everything," Joseph replied; his voice was suddenly deeper and older.

"You never return anything!" Gertrude objected; she couldn't be seen since the camera didn't have her in its line of sight. "Please, give it back and stay here. I am tired of being worried about you!"

"Trudi, I promise that I'll return tomorrow and bring all the money back," Joseph replied. "We've been married for so long. Just go to sleep and trust me. I will come back, I promise."

Gertrude sighed and shuffled probably towards her bedroom.

Joseph muttered something like "Wow, that was close" in that young voice again, then just put the money into his pocket and surprisingly swiftly left the room. A minute later, the camera captured a thump of closed door. The recording ended.

"Okay, that's all," Anna said.

Alexis frowned. "There are so many things wrong with this."

"Am I the only one who noticed his weird-ass voice?" Diane pointed out. "Either I was high, or his voice was constantly changing."

"I don't know about your narcotic usage, but it was changing," Anna nodded. "And I swear that I've hear that younger voice somewhere already."

"But what do we know about voices of tulpas?" Alexis objected. "Its physical form is fully dependant on how does the person imagine it. So maybe Gertrude portrayed him as an older man with younger voice. But that doesn't make the recording any less strange. Annie, would you be able to analyze the video and try to find something? Any detail that would be able to tell us more?"

Anna nodded. "I can try."

As soon as she finished speaking, Diane put a Santa hat on her head. Before the lovers could react, Diane pulled out two more from her pockets and crowned both girls who were initially confused about what's happening. "Much better!" Diane smiled. "You both look so cute in them. Now let's get into holiday spirit, because I need someone to help me with decorations! Move it, move it!"

Anna looked at Alexis and smirked. "You know what? Dee's right. You look too cute in that hat."

<<>>

The preparations for the Christmas Eve in Reverend Warren's secret church were in full career. The girls somehow managed to sneak in a big Christmas tree and several boxes of decorations without the authorities knowing. Alyssa would be probably able to hush up the whole thing since Reverend Warren was her old friend and she was an influential person in the Gabriel's Gardens Police Depot, but they didn't want to risk anything.

Since the holy man was already old and rheumatic, it was the girls' job to cover the walls in rice lights. The tiny lights were able to create pleasant, homely atmosphere, the true Christmas charm. It was probably the only case where Diane didn't mind working - she was gladly roaming the room with a short ladder, placing the lights on the right spot while singing her parody carols.

"I think it's beautiful," Reverend Warren said after seeing the Christmas tree he decorated with Alexis. It was modest, yet beautiful with an angel statue on top. The girl in a long white gown looked like it was watching over them, protecting them with her spread wings.

"So do I, Father," Alexis replied. "Do you think Annie will like it here?"

"I'm certain."

"I need a break," Diane announced. Everyone had to admit she did a good job; the lights and decorations were all on the right place. "Break and a pizza."

Alexis smiled. "We've already ordered it."

The food was delivered within minutes and the trio started to eat it. Alexis used the while to tell Warren about the mystery of Gertrude Chandler and her tulpa.

"It's strange, indeed," Warren took a bite of his cheese pizza. "Do you want my opinion? I think that the living human beings are capable of more malice than evil spirits. But I guess you've already learned it from your past adventures, am I right?"

"The worst thing is when living human beings and evil spirits join forces," Diane grinned.

"Are you hinting that the explanation doesn't necessarily have to be from the paranormal world?" Alexis said. "Well, I'm working with all possibilities, but..."

"I'm not hinting anything," Warren replied. "You are the investigator, after all."

"Thank you, Father."

In the afternoon, everything was prepared for the Christmas Eve, including the food Alexis was about to cook in Warren's humble kitchen. However, the girl knew that she'll have to solve the mystery of Auntie Trudi before the Christmas Eve, just for her peace ofmind.

Fortunately, the case seemed to be advancing. As soon as she left the underground church, she received a text message from Anna, saying that the girl was able to find something interesting... probably.

"Seems like our wheelchair miracle is onto something," Diane summed it.

Both girls rushed to Anna's flat. Anna was already waiting for them. Her left hand, however, was covered in a tight fingerless glove, most often used by people whose hand is aching or overworked. "Don't mind it," she said after she noticed the sisters' looks. "I just overworked my hand a little."

"I hope you were at least thinking about me," Alexis smirked.

"Wait, what...?" Anna's face went intensely red. "Jesus, Alexis!"

Her girlfriend laughed. "So, what did you find out? Tell us everything."

"I've done some investigation on my own," Anna replied. "First, I've examined the video, just as you told me. And I've noticed something strange, indeed. Take a look."

She played a snippet from the video taken by the hidden camera. The tulpa was about to take money from the envelope. He read Gertrude's message out loud using his young voice. Then he did something that the girls didn't notice earlier, it lasted only for a brief moment. The old man grabbed his cheek, stretched it a little, yanked the skin down and released it again.

"That's pretty sick," Diane noted. "That dude looks like he's adjusting his face."

<<>>

Anna looked at Alexis. "We're waiting for your explanation, darling."

Alexis, for this once, seemed to not have any. She tried it anyway. "Maybe... he's not used to the physical form yet and has to fix it from time to time," she guessed. "Or maybe it's just an unwitting gesture, some kind of habit he had while he was alive. But yes... when I look at it now, it seems that his face doesn't fit him perfectly. It seems quite saggy and somehow unnatural."

Anna nodded, then continued: "I've visited Auntie Trudi. I sent her to look for something which gave me enough time to examine the envelope. I didn't take anything from it, I swear! I just thought it's a right time for some good, old-fashioned criminalistics. I used a dactyloscopic powder on the envelope and found two sets of fingerprints. I've taken a sample from Gertrude's glass and found out that one of the fingerprints really belongs to her. The second, however, belongs to Joseph, or that thing pretending to be him."

"Do tulpas have fingerprints?" Diane wondered.

Alexis shrugged. "Theoretically, they're identical to the human they were based on, if the summoner imagines them as such. So they may have even fingerprints."

"But there is one more possibility to rule out," Anna said. "And it'd require your assistance."

The girl told her theory and Alexis remembered Warren's words:

I think that the living human beings are capable of more malice than evil spirits...

"Auntie Trudi told me that the next visit of her family is scheduled for tomorrow," Anna said. "We'll have to prepare. There'll be only one chance."

The next day, everything was ready. Alexis was hypnotizing her phone, waiting for a text from Annie. Finally, she received a simple text: NOW.

She left her flat and headed downstairs. Anna was right - Milow Chandler, his wife and two bratty sons were all there. One of the boys saw Alexis and poked his brother. "Look, the ugly is back," he jeered. "Someone should've told us that there'll be an ugly sweater competition."

Alexis was wearing a blue Christmas sweater with reindeers and mistletoe and wooly gloves, but there was an intention behind it. She was carrying two glasses filled with creamy yellow liquid and she didn't want to touch it with her bare hands.

"Mr. Chandler," she smiled at the man. "I've made some home-made eggnog and I want to test it on as much people as possible. Could you please be so kind and try it out? I've worked hard on it!"

"Dad isn't interested in your sludges!" one of the boys barked.

Milow ignored them. "I guess a little tasting can't hurt," he said without any expression. He took one of the glasses and drank its content. "It's actually good," he said and returned the glass. "The second one is for Sylvia, right?" he asked.

Alexis nodded and offered his wife the second glass. Sylvia emptied it and smiled at the girl. "You have some talent," she said. "It tastes really good."

"Thank you. You're being too kind," Alexis tried to blush a little. In fact, the eggnog was bought in the store for three dollars and she only used it as an excuse. She headed straight to Anna's flat; both her girlfriend and sister were already waiting there for her.

"So? Do you have it?" Anna asked zealously.

"Sure thing. Here you go," Alexis placed the glasses on Anna's workdesk and removed her gloves. Anna started to manipulate the glasses like a skilled criminalist. Using her hands in surgical gloves, she used a soft brush to put a layer of a dark gray powder on the glass. Then she blew it off. There was a perfectly visible fingerprint on the glass. "And here we go," the girl said.

She did the same with the second glass, then used a laser scanner she usually used for turning her real-life models and statues into computer models where she could work with them further. She scanned the fingerprint - it appeared on the computer screen. Anna tweaked the picture a little and saved it.

"Stop it." Alexis poked her sister who was constantly humming the CSI: Miami main theme.

Anna did the same with the remaining glass and then closely compared the fingerprints with those she found on the envelope. "Tulpa? Hell no," she smirked. "Our thief is actually Milow Chandler."

<<>>

"I've figured it out as soon as I examined the video closely," Anna explained. "When he adjusted his face, I realized that there is an explanation for it - he uses a latex mask, definitely not a high-quality one."

"So that's why does his face look so strange and unnatural," Alexis noted.

"Exactly. Another hint - look at his belly. An overweight person has their body fat distributed evenly on their body. This one, however, has only a bloated stomach - he looks more like a pregnant woman. It's clear that he tucked a pillow or something underneath his clothes. And the final hint - his voice and motion. He moves way too swiftly for an old person. And his voice? It's Milow's. That's why I thought I've already heard it somewhere. And see? I was right."

"He disguised yourself as Joseph, so even if he managed to wake Gertrude up, she'd claim she saw her dead husband stealing her money," Alexis said. "Nobody would believe her and blame it on her senility."

"We have to admit that sucker is pretty crafty," Diane noted.

"You did a great job, Annie," Alexis kissed her on the forehead. "So it seems that the case is solved. But what can we do now? Confront him? I mean, yes, we have the evidence, but still..."

Diane started to smile devilishly. Alexis knew it means that her sister isn't up to anything good. "I think I have an idea," she said. "We wouldn't have to confront that man, but ensure that he won't step into the old lady's flat anymore, at least at night. Sounds good, right?"

Anna imitated her smile. "I'm listening."

"But we'll have to invite a friend," Diane elaborated her plan. "Annie, lend me your phone?"

The impaired girl blushed. "Maybe... it'd be better if I just dial the number you tell me." She endured Alexis' gaze full of questions. "What? Sometimes I do... research."

After a short phone call, the girls decided to play some PlayStation games to kill time before the guest arrives. Their waiting was over two hours later. Knocking at the door sounded through the flat and Alexis rushed to open. She saw a smiling chubby face of Minami Carrington.

"Good to see you again!" the half-Japanese girl announced. "I've heard you have a job for me." She was carrying a large black suitcase decorated by various button badges from TV shows, anime and bands.

They spent some more hours preparing their revenge. Minami loved the idea they were planning to execute. Her suitcase was filled by mysterious devices used to make simple movie tricks - hidden speakers, thumping machines and even a projection glass, a smaller version of a device she used to "conjure" a ghost in her house when the sisters came to investigate the "haunting" several weeks ago.

After everything was ready to use, Alexis announced: "Now we only have to get Gertrude out of her flat, so we can install these things. Her family is already gone, so it's only her. Any ideas?"

Anna raised her hand. "I'll take her out for a coffee. We used to do it often when I was younger and she was... in better condition. I hope she won't refuse."

"Good," Minami nodded. "Two hours. That's all I need."

Their plan slowly started to come together. Gertrude didn't refuse - actually, she was glad that her company was just for this once someone who's able to listen and not only eat her food and take her money. Anna learned many new things about the woman's past. Her talking ruled out the possibility that her mind is gone for good. Anna felt bad that the invitation was just an excuse so her friends could sneak inside the flat.

"You are such a charming girl, Anna," Gertrude told her with a smile. "Thank you. For everything."

In the meantime, Minami was frantically installing the devices inside the woman's flat. They were almost invisible, the less at night.

"Alright, the scene is set," Alexis smirked. "Now we should only set the bait." She grabbed the woman's phone and started to type a text message. It was a tiring job since she was already used to touchscreens, but in the end, she managed to type a message:

Milow,

the city paid me a bonus to my pension as a Christmas gift. Come and take your family with you! I will be waiting with something good.

She chose Milow in the contacts list and sent the message. "And now we wait."

<<>>

The four girls were all in Anna's room where they watched a livestream from Mrs. Chandler's home. They added several more hidden cameras - they knew that spying without permission is wrong and even illegal, but just for this once, they were willing to make an exception.

It was two in the morning and nothing happened so far. "Maybe he won't come today," Alexis muttered.

"He will," Anna ensured her. "He has a chance to take some cash before Christmas. Do you think he would pass it? I don't think so."

She was right. Half an hour later, the door opened and Milow, dressed as Joseph, stepped inside. Now that they knew it's only a disguise, he looked ridiculous. The latex mask modified to resemble Joseph only enough to fool the old lady needed to be constantly adjusted so it didn't cover the man's eyes. Milow let out a series of annoyed grunts as he reached the kitchen and searched for the envelope.

Minami grinned. "It's showtime."

She pressed a button on a small control panel in her hands. The hidden speakers in Gertrude's house came to life and said in a ghastly, old voice: "LEAVE!"

It was actually Diane who said it. Anna used a special software to distort her voice and make it sound like an old man. The girls fun while dubbing their fake ghost.

Milow stopped and looked around. "Who's there?" he voiced nervously. When nobody replied, he returned to his work and pulled out several banknotes from the envelope. "Bonus, yeah?" he muttered. "There's exactly the same amount as before! There's no way I'd go here tomorrow."

Minami pressed another button. "RETURN IT AND GO!"

The man jumped up; his mask almost fell off his face. "Who's here?" he called. "Don't mess with me, I!m armed! Show yourself!"

"LEAVE HER ALONE," the "ghost" said. Milow was already scared to death, but the girls had no mercy. "I didn't do so much preparation for nothing," Minami smirked and pressed another button. The hologram glass located on the wall next to the fridge activated and projected a blurry figure of an old man threatening the intruder. Milow hysterically screamed.

The "ghost" was actually Alexis dressed in an old jacket and wearing a white wig, recorded in front of a white wall and turned into a hologram. Minami blurred the image enough to erase any feminine features and leave only a vague, half-transparent figure resembling Joseph Chandler.

"RETURN THE MONEY AND GO!" the voice thundered. "AND DON'T YOU DARE TO COME HERE AT NIGHT AGAIN. SHE'S STILL UNDER MY PROTECTION."

The girls bursted into laughter as Milow quickly tucked the envelope back into the drawer and sprinted out of the kitchen. Minami turned off the hologram so the man couldn't grasp a chance to realize that something's wrong with the ghost, but the effect was already done. The man, heavily breathing and sobbing, tripped on his own feet and hit the floor face-first, which made the girls laugh even more.

"I think he had enough," Alexis said, wiping off tears of laughter.

"Nooo," Minami grinned and pushed another button. "YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF! MISTREATING MY BELOVED WIFE LIKE THIS! IF YOU DON'T MAKE IT RIGHT, IT'S NO PROBLEM FOR ME TO RELOCATE TO YOUR HOUSE! UNDERSTOOD?"

"U-understood," Milow squealed. He pulled his mask off since it was only hindering his progress and ran towards the main door, still sobbing in terror. Minami pushed one more button.

"AND YOU LOOK AWFUL IN THOSE CLOTHES."

Milow finally left the flat, rushing down the stairs. The girls laughed and gave each other high fives. "I hope that my debt from that fake haunting is repaid now," Minami said.

"Mission completed," Anna announced. "I don't think Joseph is gonna steal her money anymore."

<<>>

December 24th.

Alexis opened her eyes in the morning; it was six'o'clock and it was still dark outside. The bigger was the girl's surprise when she noticed that her room was brighter than usual.

The look from her window revealed her the reason. She gasped. The whole city was covered in a white curtain. The snowflakes were still falling down, contributing to the thick layer of snow already laying on the ground. Her childhood dream came true.

She quickly changed from her nightgown to casual clothing and put a winter jacket on. Then she rushed to the balcony and let the chilly wind and wet snowflakes strike her face. She didn't mind it at all. Actually, she found pleasure in watching the sleeping white city while feeling the true winter weather.

Alexis wouldn't admit it if anyone asked, but she was moved to tears for some strange reason. Maybe it reminded her of her childhood, maybe it was just because of the melancholy of the whole moment.

"So beautiful," she voiced. The city covered it snow suddenly looked innocent and peaceful, despite the awful things that happened there. Maybe it was her reward for contributing to its safety. Something up there probably wanted to make their Christmas as perfect as possible.

She had literally nothing to do - the girl scheduled all her chores so her Christmas day was completely free. So she just sat by the window, played music in her earbuds and watched the sun slowly rise, creating a sparkling show when its light touched the snow.

She almost screamed when her private moment was interrupted by Diane, dressed in a T-shirt with a writing "XMAS ROX", bursting into the living room. "The hype is real!" she shouted. "Sis, didya take a look outside?"

"That's what I've been doing for past two hours," Alexis said.

"Only ten more hours," Diane was excited like a little child. "Six hundred minutes. Thirty-six thousand seconds 'till the Christmas Eve with my favorite people! You don't seem excited at all. Come on!"

Alexis smiled. "I am, trust me. I'm just... kinda nervous."

"Christmas is not the time for being nervous!"

"Maybe I didn't choose my words well. Don't worry. I'll pull myself together."

Soon after, Anna entered the flat. She wasn't alone. Gertrude Chandler was with her, walking using her old wooden cane and smiling warmly.

"It seems that Joseph isn't stealing my money anymore," she said, then added: "How could he? He's gone for twelve years already. I had to misplace the money somewhere and my old dumb head was playing tricks on me!" she laughed. "Alexis, Annie, I'm sorry that you had to deal with it."

"We're not angry," Anna replied. "At least it allowed us to get some good karma."

"Well, that's probably all I wanted to say," Gertrude smiled. She was far away from the confused, fragile woman they got to know. "Now I need to return home and make some preparations for Christmas."

"Uhm... Mrs. Chandler?" Alexis said. "Do you want to spend Christmas with us? Nobody should be alone and I think we'll still have some space."

"That's okay," the old woman said, then smiled mysteriously. "Besides that, I won't be alone." She just left without any explanation.

"See?" Anna cheered. "We did it! There's nothing left to confuse her, so she slowly started recovering. We did another damn good job, girls. I'll have to tell Minami, too!"

"Our first Christmas gift," Alexis said. "Well, second, if you count in the snow."

"Everything feels like a miracle," Anna nodded. "It seems that today is a truly magical day."

"What 'bout some cheesy Christmas movies?" Diane offered. "Annie, come in, watch with us. What do we have here? Grinch? Home alone? Rudolph? Jingle All the Way?"

<<>>

After a day full of peace and Christmas movies, the girls, accompanied by Augustus, headed towards Reverend Warren's church. Anna was the only one who didn't know what's going on; the others wanted to keep it a secret. The impaired girl was confused, but played along.

They decided to not use any vehicle to get there. Enjoying the Christmas lights on the street lamps casting warm, yellow light on the snow was much better experience than riding in a crowded TEx. And they weren't alone. Many families took their children for a walk, willing to enjoy snow as much as possible. Who knows for how long it would last. Dante, who, of course, went with them intensively examined that wet, chilly thing that seemingly came out of nowhere. He seemed fascinated.

"This feels almost too perfect," Augustus noted. "Maybe I should start going out more."

"Definitely," Diane smirked. "What's worse than a twenty-five-years-old virgin?"

Gus raised his eyebrows. "Who said I'm a virgin?"

"That greasy hair and Moon craters on your face."

Anna couldn't help but burst into a short laughter, but then immediately started to defend her brother. "Hey, Dee, slow down," she said. "Gus doesn't deserve such treatment."

She was right. Gus tried to look good that day; he couldn't do anything about his acne problem, but at least he washed his hair and dressed into a black suit with blue tie even though the girls insisted that formal clothing wasn't necessary. They all had to admit he looked good, or at least much better than usual.

Not only Dante was fascinated by snow. Diane returned to her childhood years and threw snowballs at her friends during the whole journey. Apparently, she was the only one who found that funny, but that didn't discourage her. "You sound drunk," Alexis scolded her.

"I'm just high on Christmas spirit!" Diane shouted.

The remaining three rolled their eyes.

Finally, they reached their destination. Anna was more and more confused. "Your dad's church?" she frowned. "Now? Why?"

"You'll see," Alexis winked at her.

They undressed their coats in the clothes store which served as the church's gimmick and moved the panel in the warehouse, revealing the secret pathway. There was a ramp for impaired people, so Anna could drive to the church without any help. When she saw the interior, she gasped.

The underground space was illuminated by the familiar yellow light coming both from lights on the walls and from the big Christmas tree in front of the room. Loads of wrapped presents were arranged underneath it. Reverend Warren was standing in front of it in his traditional priest gown, smiling. The air smelled great because of the food in Reverend's oven which Alexis prepared the day before.

"Happy Christmas," Warren said.

"What's the meaning of this?" Anna looked surprised. "What's happening?"

"You don't like it?" Alexis put on a sad mask. "I tried so hard to organize all this. I just wanted to celebrate these Christmas as one big family. I thought we deserve it."

"I mean, yes, it's beautiful... but I'm dressed like a rover and I left my presents for y'all at home!"

"I brought them here," Gus smiled. "And if you need fancy clothing so badly, here you go." He handed his sister an elegant black blouse she often wore on her dates with Alexis.

Anna undressed her thick blue sweater and put on the blouse over her black T-shirt. Now she was fitting much more since Alexis was wearing an angelic white blouse with a black skirt while Diane had a black long-sleeved black dress with black stockings (nobody knew exactly where it came from). "You knew it all along!" Anna shouted at Augustus. "You traitor! Judas! Why didn't you tell me?"

"It wouldn't be a surprise," Gus smirked.

The girl suddenly looked touched. "I mean... I was secretly hoping for something like this. That I'll be able to celebrate this beautiful holiday with all of you. My brother, my girlfriend, my best friend. And of course you, Mr. Warren. But I'd never expect something like this. God... I don't want to cry, y'know?"

Alexis went to the kitchen and came back with a huge turkey. Soon after, lots of various snacks, cookies and other Christmas dishes followed. "No time for tears!" Alexis said. "Let's start with some good food!"

<<>>

Alexis didn't disappoint once again - the food was delicious, prepared with love and care.

"One more bite and my intestines would be splattered all over the walls," Diane noted.

"Please don't ruin the atmosphere with such disgusting claims anymore," Anna replied.

Reverend Warren gave a short speech about true meaning of Christmas - family, peace, forgiveness. Everyone listened to him closely and even said a prayer with him. All problems and fears were gone. Alexis lit a candle for Marlene to close the matter for good.

"Now it's time for presents!" Diane bursted out. "I know that they're not the most important, but they're still a vital part, aren't they?"

Warren laughed. "You are probably right, my child."

Before they could rush to the tree, Anna stopped them. "First of all, I want to show you my gift," she announced. "It's both for me and you." She took off the fingerless glove on her left hand and revealed that the limb probably wasn't aching - it covered a tattoo shaped like a yin-yang symbol. It was located on her hand in a similar fashion as the sisters' insignias.

"I just wanted to fit into the family a little bit more," she explained. "This symbol doesn't have any magical powers, but it makes me feel like a part of our trio a lot more. And it has a personal meaning for me, too. It symbolizes my life." She pointed at the black half of the symbol. "These are bad things in life. This white half are good things in life. This white dot in the black half means the good in everything bad. And the black dot in the white half represents the bad in everything good." Then she used her finger to circle the whole symbol. "And this is life. I hope you understand me."

"I do," Alexis said. "And I think you chose it perfectly."

"Welcome to the Sisterhood!" Diane raised her arm so her insignia was visible. Alexis and Anna did the same. The feather, the rose, the yin-yang. "One for all, all for one!"

"Now I feel a bit left out," Augustus smiled.

"Let's finally have these gifts!" Diane said and rushed to the tree. These Christmas presents were more expensive than usual since Alexis saved some of Gray Forrestal's money for this occassion.

Anna gave up her fight with tears after opening a pack from Alexis - it contained a huge wooden crate full of high-quality art supplies which could fuel her hobby for a really long time. "Alexis, you idiot!" she bursted out. "I know how much these things cost. Have you gone crazy?"

"Yes," Alexis smiled. "I'm crazy in love."

"I have only this and now I'm ashamed," Anna muttered and gave Alexis a pack containing four books. "You talked about them lately, so I decided to buy them."

"You know that books are what makes me happy the most when given as a gift," Alexis said and hugged Anna tightly. "Thank you, Annie."

"You know what? Take this," Anna removed a gentle golden ring from her finger. "It belonged to my mom before... you know. I have this ring and this pendant," she reached for a small, beautifully crafted crystal pendant hanging around her neck. "I'd love if you had the ring. I'll keep the pendant."

"Annie, I can't..." Alexis objected, but Anna put the ring on her finger without any hesitation. "Now it's yours," she said. "This way, our mom can be watching over both of us. I'm sure she would love you if she had the chance to meet you."

Diane poked Augustus. "This looks almost like proposal, doesn't it?"

"I wouldn't be even mad," the man shrugged.

They all enjoyed their presents (for Diane, it was mostly clothing, merchandise from her favorite music bands and legally purchased videogames) and spent many more hours by talking, eating and laughing. Everything about the day was perfect.

"Those were the best Christmas ever," Diane said. Everyone agreed. "We even realized that Gus is a pretty nice guy when you get to know him." The man laughed and gave her thumbs up.

"Darling? Look up," Alexis told Anna.

"Ha ha. Mistletoe. How original," the impaired girl rolled her eyes.

"But it still works," Alexis shrugged, pulled her girlfriend closer to her and gave her a long kiss.

<<>>

Gertrude Chandler was sitting in her living room, illuminated only by several candles, and slowly ate a piece of turkey Alexis prepared for her the day before. She had to admit that the girl really has a cooking talent. The room was filled by melancholy induced by dim lighting and Johnny Cash music, but she wasn't sad.

The old woman looked around the house. She was alone.

Time to change it.

She grabbed a wedding photo of her and Joseph. Gertrude used to be a beautiful woman back then. Joseph was a bit overweight, but his bright smile compensated it.

"How I wish you were here with me," she whispered.

"But I'm right here," a deep, male voice sounded through the room. Gertrude looked at Joseph's favorite chair, which was empty until now, with a smile. Joseph was there, in his old bowtie suit, returning the smile. "I'm here whenever you need me."

"I was so scared of you lately," Gertrude said. "You started drinking again... took my money..."

Joseph stopped her with raised hand. "That wasn't me, my beloved. But I can assure you that imposter will never return. It's just you and I. Like the good old times."

"Do you want to dance?" the woman asked.

"Sure."

If someone saw them right now, they'd only say Gertrude dancing on her own. But the woman didn't care. Her mind wasn't ill at all - it was strong enough to create her a company, even though it existed only in her imagination. But even though something only exists in your mind, it doesn't mean it's not real, right?

<<>>

Author's note

This story was largely based on real events. The old neighbor of my family, who lives on the same floor as we do, is also overlooked by her family and lives alone. Actually, me and my fam care about her more than her actual family does, just like Anna and Augustus do with her fictional version. And unfortunately, even the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease I described here are based on reality.

Mrs. Čečotková also has her "better" and "worse" days - during the worse ones, she keeps insisting that her dead husband is stealing her money and sometimes even visits all the local pubs to find him, which can be even dangerous for her. She receives a lunch every weekday from a local catering service, but she regularly forgets to eat during weekends, so I always have to visit her and make her something in the microwave, just so she won't pass out.

And yes, I want to spit in the face of her family and tell them how massive assholes they are. Just like Gertrude's family, they always come a day after the old lady receives her pension and God knows what happens there since she's usually really confused after the visit and often forgets that the whole thing happened. At least they didn't come to the point of stealing her money, but I have some doubts even in this field. They only care about her when it's absolutely inevitable.

Taking care of her is sometimes exhausting and the rambles of her damaged mind are getting on our nerves sometimes, but we'll not give up on her because if we don't do this, who will? I hope that karma will one day repay me all the shopping, microwave cooking, talking and all other things I did for her. And even if it doesn't, I don't care. I find pleasure in helping others.

I hope that at least someone found more in this story than just entertainment. I wanted to describe living with a person with Alzheimer's as closely as possible. I also wanted to say that these people shouldn't be condemned as loony geezers good for nothing. Even though their mind and bodies may have betrayed them, they still deserve respect for living long and meaningful lives. Don't make their lives harder than they are. They already have to fight with themselves, so try to offer them love and support instead. Even the slightest form of affection can mean everything to them.

PS: Don't tell my granny I said that.