I rose the next morning with Robert on my mind; wondering how the rest of his night went.
He had already left by that time, so I ate my breakfast alone. A few days ago I would have been happy that he was gone, but after the heartbreaking blow he received last night, I was a little worried.
There was nothing I could do, even if he was here, so I decided to get ready to check in at the fortune teller caravan.
I continued going through all of the morning rituals of a mortal; still feeling absolutely nothing in the shower.
Recalling what Doreen told me the last time I was there, I hoped that I would make a good medium. Even though at the moment, I had no idea how to contact other spirits.
As I entered the caravan, another of my grandmother’s favorite sayings popped into my head…”Sometimes you have to walk on faith.” I decided to trust that I would be able to do what Doreen suggested that I could.
“Boy am I glad to see you!” Doreen said as soon as I entered. “I hoped that you had not crossed over yet. I need you today.”
Still not used to terms like ‘ crossing over’, I quietly thought about that statement and listened as she continued talking.
“We have an important appointment today…” she began sitting down next to a large crystal ball.
She waved her hands in large circles until the ball lit up. “I received a call from a distraught mother. Apparently her daughter died mysteriously and she needs me to contact her daughter’s spirit to find out how she passed.”
I sat down in the chair across from Doreen and watched her glaze into the ball. “This is where you come in,” she said, her eyes never leaving the ball.
“Gazing into the ball when I first got here this morning, I discovered that the daughter is what is considered a lost spirit. I cannot locate her. She is stuck somewhere in the spiritual realm and I need you to go and get her.”
I finally broke my silence, “Spiritual realm? Doreen…I don’t know anything about that!”
“Maybe not, but when the mother gets here, I’ll call on nearby spirits, that would be you…to visit the spiritual realm and then I will recite a spell-”
“But I don’t know how to get there!” I interrupted, not hiding the uncertainty in my voice.
“But my dear, you already are there…well sorta. You’re a spirit that is straddling the line between the living world and the spiritual. You are in both places at once.”
Doreen suddenly appeared very excited. “Do you know what this means? This opens us up to a whole new clientele!” She said clapping her hands.
I was not so excited…and Doreen picked up on that. “What’s wrong?” She asked as if it was odd for me to be hesitant. Before I could answer, she continued explaining, “You can go back and forth between the two realms. Today, I will need you to go for the first time.”
“That’s just it Doreen…I don’t know how to go!”
I continued, “And if I’m straddling the line, how come I’ve never been there?”
“Because you don’t sleep. We are all closest to the spiritual realm when we sleep and even closer during a full moon. Also, until now…you weren’t aware of it. I will send you there today. Once you’ve been there, you’ll be able to come and go as you wish.”
I still had questions, but it was too late. Our client had arrived.
“Good morning Ms. Healy,” Doreen said in greeting. “Just have a seat and I’ll be right with you.”
Marsha Healy sat in the empty chair across from Doreen and I.
“Can you remind me of what brings you here today?” Doreen asked.
Doreen and I listened closely as Marsha explained.
“As I said on the phone…it’s my daughter Desirae. She was found dead about a month ago. She appeared to have been bitten by something and the police wrote it off as some sort of animal bite… I’m not convinced.”
“Well, I’m here to get to the bottom of it. Please have a seat ma’am.” Doreen said pointing out the chair that I was currently sitting in.
Marsha stood up and began walking over as she finished her explanation, “Her wounds were not like any animal bite that I have seen. I think that there’s something much more sinister behind her death.”
I hurried out of the chair as Marsha sat down. “I just…I just need answers and I saw on a TV show that psychics can sometimes serve as mediums. Can you contact her?”
I was just about to say, ‘no’, although I am sure that Marsha would not have heard me. She did not even seem aware that I was even there. But Doreen spoke up before I could even open my mouth to respond. “Yes, yes…of course,” came her confident voice. I could tell that she had no doubt. I prayed that she was right.
“Let us begin,” she said, once again placing her hands on the crystal ball. Marsha leaned in closer trying to see whatever it was that Doreen saw.
Doreen’s voice took on a creepy, rapid whisper as she chanted a few words in what sounded like a foreign language.
Finally she was speaking in English again, ”If there are any spirits amongst us, I call on you to enter the spiritual realm and locate this lost soul.” She said into the crystal ball. “What is your daughter’s name?” Doreen asked Marsha.
“Uh, Desirae…Desirae Healy,” Marsha said into the crystal ball as if to help it locate her daughter.
Doreen continued, “Spirits, I ask for your help in bringing back the spirit of Desirae Healy…help her find her way here…back to her loved one.” The ball lit up, but nothing happened.
Doreen began to chant once again. I just stood there, wondering what was supposed to happen. I was sure that what Doreen was attempting to do would fail.
The ball lost its light, and I was ready to give up. Suddenly, I felt a strong pull…
“It’s happening!”
Those were the last words I heard Doreen speak.
