Revenants & Remains | ONC 2021

12: Resolve

I was uneasy, but resolved.

I told Pendelton and Elisa what I would need them to do, while giving them only the information they needed to know. Then I asked to speak with Thomas, alone.

After I knocked on the bedroom door, a small voice said, "Come in."

I sat down in the chair next to his bed, where he was sitting, holding a small book on his lap.

"How are you feeling?"

He shrugged and closed the little book of children's rhymes. "Things are very bad, aren't they?"

Rather than lie, I decided not to answer. "I need you to do me a favor," I said. "I need you to ask the nurse to stay with you, and look after you."

He angled his head and looked at me very thoughtfully for several moments. I began to feel uncomfortable. "Is this a trick? Are you trying to capture her?"

Clever boy. Under other circumstances, he may have been correct. "No," I said. "In fact, I'm trying to catch the bad one and I need her help to keep you safe while I do it."

"The bad one? You mean the one who always feels angry? The one who's trying to... bother me?"

So he did realize it. I nodded.

"The nurse doesn't like him at all." He made a face.

"So, will you ask her to help us?"

"I can ask her, but..."

"What?"

"I think the bad one is much stronger than her. I think she's a bit afraid of him, too." I thought about what Gertrude said. The brother's pull was strong. But so was mine. We'd see what happened when our forces were opposed.

Thomas put the book under his pillow. "Hm," he said, "maybe the new one can help also."

"The new one?" I asked cautiously.

"Yes. She came when you came, I think." He looked at me expectantly.

I felt a prickle at the back of my neck. "When I came?"

"Yes," he said. "Do you remember when I drew a picture for you?" I nodded. "She showed me that, so I drew it."

I had long ago pushed my ghosts aside, but now my long-held suspicions were verified. They were still there. They were still following me. Or at least one was.

"What else does she show you?"

"Well, she never stays for long and I usually don't understand the pictures. Mostly they're blurry." He picked up a pile of papers from the floor beside the bed and shuffled through until he found the one he was looking for. It was a simple drawing, in crayon, of a circular form with a line attached, which led upwards and disappeared off the page. It looked all the world to me like a yo-yo.

I wasn't prepared to ask more questions.

"Anyway, why do I need them to protect me?" Thomas asked. "What are you going to do?"

I stood up. "I'm going to have a little face to face chat with our unfriendly ghost." I tried to sound untroubled.

He crawled out of the bed then, saying, "Wait a moment," and went to the windowsill. Then he carried the small snail shell to me and solemnly placed it in my hand. "For good luck," he said.

**********

It was well into the afternoon when I seated myself in the drawing room before the fire. Pendelton hung further back, anxiously watching, for I'd told him only that I was going to act as bait for the ghost this time and he should only take action if I were in severe distress. The children were secured in their rooms partaking in rainy day activities, and Elisa was with Thomas. I hoped the nurse was, too.