08: Chasing Lost Souls

III: Spiritual Lessons

But there’s a world beyond what we can see and touch,
and that world lives by its own laws. What may be impossible
in this very ordinary world is very possible there,
and sometimes the boundaries between the two worlds disappear,
and then who can say what is possible and impossible?

David Eddings

Don’t take life too seriously.
Punch it in the face when it needs a good hit.
Laugh at it.

Colleen Hoover

“So,” Ioana announced, sweeping her arm at the large, imposing structure, “this is the Algonquin Hotel. In the hundred years it’s stood, it has accumulated a few mysterious sounds, settling beams and numerous mysteries. If you can’t find something to test here, you never will.”

“We’re ready,” Logan said. “Lead on and let’s see how this plays out.”

“So, I’m curious. What did you discover since yesterday when I identified your mystery guest? I’m not trying to be nosy, but I don’t have to remind you you’re the first to ever deal with these things firsthand. You can teach the rest of us how we should continue.”

“We learned a lot about Mattie!” Jie giggled.

Ioana raised her brow. “It sounds like there’s a story there.”

“There is,” Leslie said. “Once we discovered how to relate to her, and invited her to join our Pod, she’s been very active.”

“And she can do some amazing things in the bedroom!” Aiesha continued.

“Are you sure that’s a sensible idea?” Ioana pressed.

“It seemed fairly straightforward,” Logan said. “When we welcomed her, she completely changed. Before she simply tagged along, attempting to get as near us as possible, now she’s an active member of our group. Not only does she help us, she proved to our parents our ideas are valid and follows instructions incredibly well. Though we’re a little confused over what she can observe. She seems to recognize anything we refer too—though we do a lot of pointing, just to be sure.”

“Like most of these details, no one really knows. While I can communicate with these beings, it’s limited to what they’re willing to disclose—which is normally related to why they’re condemned to remain where they died.” She opened and held the revolving glass door as they entered. “But it seems they can only see auras, but more like Jie than Ai.”

“What about solid objects, like refrigerators, lamps and cookies?”

“If all they see are auras, then those items would only be apparent when they block other auras.” They watched as the rickety old elevator descended, ignoring the other visitors accompanying them. “They’re more an impediment than distinct things. But again, that’s mostly conjecture, based on those I’ve dealt with. For whatever reason, your Mattie seems to be an exception, and frankly, that scares me. While it’s intriguing, she’s an unknown, and in the spirit world, unknowns tend to be especially dangerous.”

“We knew she isn’t like any other disembodied spirits when she traveled from where she died to find us, and then didn’t defend herself when attacked.”

“I’m guessing she never passed on because she missed those like her. From what I’ve seen, you four seem ... inordinately close.” The elevator finally arrived, so once those on it exited, they entered, along with the other patrons, still listening to them.”

“We are,” Leslie admitted. “While we can’t quite tell what the others are thinking, we can literally feel their emotions, so it’s pretty damn close. If someone thinks something is funny, we’ll all laugh, and when we make love, or kiss, the sensations are practically overwhelming.”

“That’s beneficial, because it strengthens each of you, but I’m sure there are unpleasant side effects too.” She observed the floor display as they ascended. “For example, your emotions are addictive as they reinforce each other. They’re like a drug, clouding your thinking and obscuring your objectives. It’s difficult being objective when your mood is always heightened by each other’s.”

Ioana glanced at her watch. “But we don’t have time to review it now. We can discuss the details later, but what’s your plan of attack?”

“Well, from what we learned from Mattie, we have a few different alternatives. What we really need to learn is how these entities utilize the energy they gain and what the effects of those uses are.”

“So, what are you assuming,” she pressed, watching the floor display as they ascended.

“The assumption is they’re tied to the location where they died—which we’ve disproven with Mattie. That leaves only three options. The first is that, if we provide sufficient energy, they’ll pass on. But again, our experience casts doubt on that presumption. And finally, what we haven’t yet attempted,...” the elevator dinged, and the doors slowly opened. They exited, the other hotel guests trailing them to hear the end of the story. “Is to simply eliminate one entirely. So, we’re wondering what it entails, what’s the physical cost to us, and what happens when a non-living thing actually dies.”

“All excellent points,” she concurred, “and another reason I’m eager to see you in action.” They met someone in a hotel uniform standing guard by room 423. “Hello, John, here is my team of experts.”

He surveyed the group, arching his brow. “They’re a little young.”

“Hopefully, that’ll help them catch your ghosts when they flee,” she countered. “But you won’t find this type of service anywhere else. After all, this is no mere cleansing. They can not only see these spirits they can battle and supposedly control them.”

“Then it’s about time we see what they can do,” he said, unlocking the door. He reached in and turned on the light, and as they filed in and glanced around, John blocked the onlookers from entered. “Authorized personnel only.”

The room definitely looked its age. The wallpaper, which still looked good, appeared to be the original early 20^th century design. The lamps were from another time, but the room was retrofitted with newer electronics. There was a modern flat-screen television—which stood in sharp contrast to the rest of the room.

“Yep, he’s here,” Jie cautioned.

“How big?” Leslie asked.

“Not that large, I’d say about four foot.” She again indicated the dimensions visually, which were notably noncircular, upright and distinctly unblob-like, appearing vaguely humanoid.

“I can even tell it’s personality,” Ai explained. “Its aura is red with a bit of black, which indicates a root chakra with hints of extreme fatigue. That signifies it’s decisive, quick to action and not likely to overthink things.”

“You’ll need to tell me those details,” Jie told her.

“Yeah, I think we should all know them,” Logan said. “Can you tell whether it’s hostile?”

“Not directly, but the root chakra implies it’s impulsive, so expect anything,” she cautioned, “especially since it’s so on edge.”

They surrounded it, with Jie standing behind it again flagging its location and actions. They worked out a series of hand signals so they could respond quickly. Aiesha was the one closest to the door. Given what happened with Mattie, Logan preferred Jie in that position, indicating how the entity responds. He stood near Ai, while Leslie was catty-corner from him, noting they were ready. Ioana remained by the door, intrigued as she watched the teens’ actions and strategies.

“Warn John he needs to clear the door. If it flees, we’ll likely be running from room to room, possibly climbing the stairs as we try to keep up. We’d rather not run over any guests.”

They waited as she did that, gently closing the door once she’d spoken to him when she nodded it was alright to begin.

“All right, A short burst to drain it, just as a warning,” He took a deep breath, “yet hopefully not enough to make it panic.”

“Careful,” Jie warned. “It’s jumpy. It’s bouncing back and forth, looking for a way out, but we have it cornered.” Once they began, Logan signaled them to cease after a few quick moments.

“Any change in its coloration?”

“Its blacker, demonstrating it’s more desperate,” Aiesha explained. “Let me try something.” She sang a single, prolonged note.

Leslie regarded her, still observing the others to keep track on the entity’s response. A B-note?”

“It’s calming, making one more contemplative. It’s already working, as it’s now displaying light-purple third-eye chakra tones.” Ai resumed her singing.

“Excellent,” Logan said. “Now apply a slightly longer energy boost, then step back to give it room, but keep an eye on it. I want to know how and when it responds.”

“It’s growing,” Jie said. Her eyes suddenly widened as Ai gasped, ending her calming tone.

“What’s happening?” Logan shouted.

“It ... it vanished.” Jie announced. “One moment it was there, vibrating excitedly, then it calmed and ... disappeared.”

“I’ve ... I’ve never seen a soul pass-on, but Mom described it from having observed several patients die over the years. It looks like that’s what happened. It didn’t just disappear, instead it moved before passing on, rapidly fading.”

“Excellent!” he said, grinning widely. “That’s what I was hoping for. I was prepared for anything, but that was our intent.”

“Wait?” Ioana said. “It’s already gone? Just like that?”

“We gave it a way out,” Logan whiped his hands on his shirt, “supplying the energy it needed to cross over, after establishing we could harm it, if necessary. I’m guessing it decided that moving on was its best option.”

“That wasn’t quite what you were looking for, though,” she countered, “You still don’t know how to respond with an aggressive one.”

“No, but this is the optimal strategy. If these things are trapped here, unable to pass on, then giving them just enough energy to make the crossover without encouraging them to fight seems the best option.”

“Damn! I’m impressed,” she said, rubbing her hands together. “You’ve certainly earned your pay. The hotel’s going to love this.”

Logan and the rest turned on her. “You never said anything about being paid for this?”

“Don’t worry, your remuneration, at least this time, is a dinner on the house in the main dining hall. Your choice of entrée.”

“Can we include our parents?” Aiesha pressed. “It would go a long way to helping them accept what we’re dealing with if they see others recognizing and rewarding our actions.”

“I think I can arrange it. Just be ready, because they’ll likely ask you to take out a few more,” Ioana cautioned.

“That’ll just provide us a more varied and thorough experience,” he countered.

“Man, it’ll be fun watching Mom and Dad’s reaction to it,” Leslie chuckled.

“I haven’t yet mentioned any of this to my parents,” Jie added. “That should be an interesting discussion.”

“We’re here if you need us,” Logan offered.

“Let me tell John we’re done. The hotel’s going to be pleased,” Ioana said, as she headed towards the door.

“I must say, that was certainly impressive,” Ioana continued, as they descended in the hotel’s elevator, “highlighting just what you’re capable of. The hotel has dealt with this entity for decades, as it often went on a tear, frightening tourists, who’d refuse to return or demanded refunds.”

“We’re definitely grateful,” John added, “as it will restore several rooms to full occupancy again.”

“Well, they weren’t all as simple as the first,” Leslie acknowledged, eyeing her brother, who seemed pensive and uncommunicative. “But none were particularly difficult, though cornering the spirits was certainly a challenge.”

“Well, as promised, here are the documents confirming what your Mattie told me.” She handed Logan a plain manila envelope. Opening it, he saw several typewritten papers, including photocopies of various official forms. Having confirmed it, he passed them along to Aiesha.

“I traced Mattie to the home she died in, on November 13^th, 1903. There’s also a death certificate for the last of her pod, at the same house, in 1891. One Marilyn Ellison.”

“She’s been alone, without anyone else supporting her, for a long time,” Jie noted, frowning, her brows furrowing. “It’s no wonder she was so hesitant to reach out, or so eager to join us once we offered to accept her.”

“There’s nothing documenting Thomas’s passing, but his wife, Wanda Trencott, perished in 1869. Unfortunately, the death certificate doesn’t note the home where she passed on. If you’ll remember, she departed soon after her husband, though we have no idea how long that time actually was.”

“Didn’t she mention a fifth member of her pod?” Logan inquired.

“She did, but she never mentioned a name or cause of death, and I couldn’t find anything identifying who it was or what became of them. Mattie’s home was far from where the others died, so I’m guessing she and Marilyn moved to escape the memories. It’s also entirely possible that, even with a name, it’s been lost. Remember, history is written by the survivors, who are often interested in burying those who didn’t.”

“Clearly, her attempt to flee was unsuccessful, if she’s still literally ‘haunted’ by their memories,” Aiesha observed.

“Still, it adds a lot more details of their existence, and given the times, Thomas could have perished quickly from any number of things. So, it may not have been anything relating to his central role in their pod.”

“Potentially, though it doesn’t rule it out either,” Leslie argued, lowing her voice and watching Logan’s responses.

“So, have you considered the other items we discussed?” Ioana asked. “Specifically, whether you’ll continue treating Mattie as just another one of you?”

They all glanced at Logan, before Aiesha responded. “Since she’s responding that way, we’ll maintain our relationship with her. Though, if that changes, we’ll adapt.”

“We’ll continuing watching her,” Leslie added, “but at this point, there’s little reason to expect she’s become dangerous. Even if she is, hopefully we’ll be able to respond quickly.”

“That may be unlikely,” Jie said, “especially if it happens when neither I nor Ai is nearby to warn you when it’s happening.”

“That is something to consider,” Ioana warned. “As I said, deceased spirits are not the confident, stable sorts, and they’re want to act out.”

“Ah,” John reflected. “I can certainly attest to that, though luckily, you’ve rectified it in our case.”

“I still don’t understand what this is all about,” Jonathon—Logan and Leslie’s father—complained, once everyone was finally seated and they’d taken everyone’s order.

“We told you.” Leslie fidgeted in place. “It’s related to what we did at home the other day.”

“It was when we first discovered we had our own ghost in our home,” Logan said. “We recognized it was there, but once Jie finished her search and explained how big it had grown, we realized we needed to act.”

“We then proceeded to chase it through the house, trying to corner it.” Aiesha added.

“The documents Ioana supplied definitely establish that Mattie’s real,” Leslie continued, “and has been in the area for well over a hundred years.”

“At first, I suspected it was likely Bowser,” Helen surmised. “I’m surprised you don’t remember him, as you both adored him.”