Chapter 3: Carol's First Revenge

The Grotto had gotten a referral from what must have been an older girl’s version of our Grotto. Filene would do the jumps and stay with me while remaining invisible. But first I had to visit one of the few non-dead people who knew about The Grotto.

We met with the one she called Mr. X. Filene said she wanted me to learn how to control my glamour. She explained, “Without that control, the living can see you but when they try to touch you they find that your image is as insubstantial as fog.

“Mr. X, please touch Carol.”

I expected to feel him touch me but his hand passed through my glamour. Neither of us felt anything. “Now Carol, think ‘body solid.’ I will help as little as necessary. Mr. X, please touch Carol.” This time his touch felt normal.

“How much of that was your doing?” I asked.

“About half. We need to practice the hard part. Keep your body solid, but make your arm as insubstantial as fog. Nod when you think you might have it.”

It took 10 tries before it worked. Then I alternated solid and thin as air 10 times in a row. “Carol, please thank Mr. X and return us both.” I did what Filene asked.

Back in The Grotto, Filene commented that this was the first time I ever took someone back to The Grotto with me. “Now get busy and learn the script.”

I went through the motions while reading. I tried to remember my lines without looking. Filene was proud of me. She added, “This is one-on-one live theater so there are no do-overs. Feel free to adlib get him to agree.” Filene told me several tricks about inflicting pain and I was ready.

It was 6:00 pm when I rang Bill Mack’s doorbell. “Sorry to bother you sir, but could you please get me a glass of water?”

I followed him inside and sat on a chair at his kitchen table. He handed me a bottle of water. As I started drinking he said, “You are much too young to be out walking out here so late in the day.”

“So true. But I am merely a messenger. You can call me Carol, but please think of me as the Grimm Reaper for pedophile rapists.”

“Take your water and leave. I will not be talked to like that.”

“I will say worse than that. Please try to escort me out your front door.”

He tried to take my hand. But found his hand was trying to take hold of a handful of air. He tried to pick me up. His hands went through my body. “What are you?” he demanded.

“As I said earlier, I am a messenger. You will be dead before 8:00 tomorrow morning. If you are cooperative you will die without pain at 11:00 tonight.” He wanted to say something but I stopped him. “Shut the fuck up and listen. Yesterday you killed Soi and almost killed her sister, Mia. They were found early this morning. Mia is in the ICU and is expected to survive. You have at most 14 hours to live. If I were you I would put a gun to my head and die without pain in three hours.”

“Little girl, that will not happen.”

“How well do you handle pain?” Invisible Filene handed me a hammer and I smashed one of his fingernails really hard.

His words are best not printed here. “That was my first sample. Are you ready to listen to my demand?

He said he would listen. “I have one more pain sample. It feels like your hand is stuck on a red-hot stove top. If you agree to put a gun to your head at 11:00 I won’t need to use it. If you refuse your quicker death, you will be in more pain than you can imagine until your death at 8:00 am. Your call.”

I told him to open his safe and tell me what is inside. “Gold bars, some jewelry and about $100,000 in cash.”

“Put the cash in a paper bag and leave it on the table. Where do you keep the drugs you have for sale.” He showed me. “Now write your will and leave everything to Mia’s parents. Include everything you can think of except the cash in the bag and your drugs. Say you are sorry for their pain and that you are unable to live with what you did.”

“It’s hard to write with damaged fingers.”

“Sorry. I will fix that little problem. Feel better? Good. Start writing.”

He did a good job. “Make one copy and mail the original to your lawyer. I will put it in the mail tonight.”

“You will make a video of your remorseful suicide. Here is the script. You will notice one little lie. Read it to me ... Good. Now turn the paper over and say it again.

“It is now time to set up your video camera. You need to do it yourself. Start the camera recording and use the little monitor screen to show most of your body as you speak.”

“My name is Bill Mack. I raped Soi Williams and killed her with this bat. I raped and almost killed her younger sister, Mai, the same way. I can never repay the Williams family properly. In my hand-written will which I mailed to my lawyer late this afternoon, I gave the Williams family all my worldly possessions. I am no longer fit to breathe earth’s air. Goodbye.” He took a gun and held it to his head and fired.