Echoes

Part 25

         "River Whitestone Spiritual Services," answered a calm, collected voice. "How may I help you?"

"Hi, um...can I please speak to River Whitestone?" I asked. I felt like I had cotton in my mouth.

"This is she."

"Hi I...um...I just saw your video," I managed. "I need help. With. Help with. I need help with some things."

"Sounds like it," she said, her voice softening. "Honey you sound like you're really suffering."

"I'm very scared," I admitted. "Something's after me."

"I understand, I do," she replied. "You're having trouble accepting what's happening. It's more common than you think."

Jesus, had this woman seriously just picked up on what had happened regarding my breakup with Asher?

"It's difficult," I said. "But my trouble predates what just happened."

"Oh I know," she replied. "Trouble started about nine months ago, am I right?"

My jaw practically dropped. I had first seen the Shadow Man ten months ago. "Yes," was all I could bring myself to say.

"I'd venture to say that ever since then you've been experiencing things, frightening things."

"Yes. Waking nightmares, regular nightmares. I've been seeing things that I know couldn't possibly be there," I blurted out. I never imagined that I could speak so freely on this issue, but something about the way this woman spoke and seemed to understand made me feel as if it was safe to be honest. "I've got a baby and I swear she talks sometimes. And she looks at me like she knows things. Like she understands things."

"That girl's got some darkness in her, that's for sure," River replied. "That same darkness that's surrounded you."

By now, my eyes were starting to water. A strange mix of fear, panic, relief, and validation was coursing through my veins.

"He's after us, isn't he?" I asked. "Or at least after me. I saw myself bleeding like I'd been cut open. I think he might try to kill me."

"Yes he is. He's been after you, honey," she said softly. "But you don't need to worry, we can get this fixed. I just need you to come over here and talk to me."

"Yes, of course," I nodded. "When can I come in? You're probably so booked, as good of a psychic as you obviously are."

"I am booked solid, honey," she admitted. By now I was unable to hold back my tears.

"But this is an emergency," she continued. "If you don't get this taken care of it'll destroy you. I'm gonna reschedule one of my regular psychic readings to fit you in."

"Thank you so much!" I sobbed.

"Of course, honey. You can come in next Tuesday at noon."

"Wonderful. Thank you. What are your rates?"

"Stuff like this, the real serious stuff, is done on a donation-basis. Bring what you can afford to give."

"Okay," I said, nodding vigorously despite the fact that I knew she couldn't see me.

"Alright. For now, you go get you some sage, some salt and the stones mentioned in the Protection Recipe on the homepage and put them to use. That should keep you safe and sound till you can come over and see me."

"I will," I promised.

***

I walked back into the living room to find Giselle giggling hysterically at something.

"You okay sweetheart?" I asked.

"Momma!" she said gleefully. She started moving her walker backwards towards me. It was strange, why didn't she just turn around and walk towards me like she always did? I pursed my lips in consternation as I wondered whether or not it was normal for a ten-month-old baby to be able to walk backwards towards someone they couldn't see. Adults could do it with dubious success by paying attention to the voice of the person they wanted to go towards. But a baby that was less than a year old? That seemed unlikely. Giselle continued to move step by step in a straight line across the living room, inching her way directly towards me.

"What are you doing, honey?" I asked before laughing at myself. Why was I asking her that? She couldn't fully understand the question, let alone answer it.

"Momma," she said again with a giggle. Her laughter was starting to sound maniacal, as if she were becoming frantic. "Where's Momma?"

Worried she forgot how to maneuver her walker to turn around I went to her. I stopped her walker and turned her around to face me. She looked up at me and I saw that there were tears in her eyes.

"It's okay baby," I whispered. "Mommy's right here."

Giselle pointed, and I instinctively turned to the direction in which she pointed. That was when I noticed them, three Barbie Dolls on the armchair. Well, the torsos of three Barbies anyway. They had all been dismembered, with their bobble-heads and limbs scattered on the floor in front of the chair. 

When I left the living room, the Barbies had been on the travel station connected to Giselle's walker. She could have gotten to the chair and placed them there certainly, but how could she have pulled them apart like that? She wasn't strong enough to do more than take off the heads, if that. And how in the world would she think to do something like that to her dolls anyway?

When I turned around again Giselle was still pointing, staring at the Barbies.

"Giselle, look at me," I said. "Mommy's right here."

"No that's Momma," she said, still pointing and staring. A chill ran up my spine and I felt my blood run cold. I would have screamed had my shock been even a small bit higher than it was. I had asked River and myself whether or not Shadow Man wanted to kill me, and I think he gave Giselle the answer. The dismembered dolls were more than likely his intended method for snuffing me out. A choice clearly made to maximize the amount of fear he could feast upon as he destroyed my body. 

I clenched my jaw as I looked at Giselle. She was clearly scared, and it was this thing's fault. "Fuck you," I said, knowing full well it could likely hear me. "Okay? Fuck you. You can mess with me all you want but you are not going to scare my child. I'm not afraid of you anymore. Time to starve, jackass."

I scooped up Giselle without a second thought and took her to her crib. "It's okay, baby," I reminded her. "Mommy's getting rid of the bad man soon. He'll never scare you again."

She was still shedding tears, but she wasn't sobbing, something that had always accompanied tears she'd shed in the past. But I couldn't think of that right now. Right now I needed to put her in a safe place where she couldn't get into any trouble and give Zoe a call. I left a voicemail message asking her to pick up the herbs and stones I needed at the health food store suggested by River's website. "This breakup has done a number on me," I said. "I want to add this stuff to my bath tonight, I've heard it relieves stress."

Zoe did as I asked, and as soon as she was asleep I went about the business of scattering sage, salt, and the other herbs over the entrances and windows throughout the house. As directed, I placed the stones near the entrance to all rooms with inhabitants, including Zoe's. I knew she would ask questions tomorrow, but that was okay. 

Within a week, the Shadow Man would be faced. Whatever happened would either end this nightmare once and for all, or result in something so big that it wouldn't take any convincing for others to believe in his existence.