R/Nosleep (Get Spooked)

Things Just Got A Lot More Complicated (Suburbia Part 9)

By u/firesidechats451

"Spirit guide?" I stared at Francesca. I thought I was finally getting answers, but now the questions were piling up. "What do you mean spirit guide?"

"It's exactly what it sounds like," Francesca said, her eyes still closed. "A spirit who guides me. Now, quiet please—I need to concentrate."

"Francesca." I crouched and took both her hands, startling her into opening her eyes. I caught her gaze and held it. "I trust you," I said, and it was the truth. "But I'm confused. I'm scared. Things are happening that I don't understand. So could you please explain what you're doing?"

Francesca looked like she was about to argue, but at last, she sighed. "I know you're right," she said. "I just—it's easier if I don't think about what I'm doing. I thought I'd left all this stuff behind." She waved at the occult items littering the countertops. "I want to get us safe and away from here as soon as possible."

"I get that," I said gently, letting go of her hands and sitting in front of her. "I do, too. But I can't help if I don't understand what you're doing. Can you explain just a little?"

Francesca searched my eyes, then laughed. "You're doing the thing."

"What thing?"

"The patient, reasonable thing. You do it with the kids you work with. It's always so weird to see you so even-keeled when you're such a hot-head at home. But it works." She took a deep breath. "Yeah. Okay, so, the world we live in," she said, patting the ground. "This solid world, it's not the only dimension. There are—well, theoretically an infinite amount. Some of them overlay or intersect with ours. You've heard about Faerie?"

I nodded.

"That's a dimension that intersects with ours, quite a bit, actually. The fey are physical beings like us, and they can move back and forth between their dimension and ours. But some dimensions can't accommodate physical beings. They're just—souls. Or energy. Or electromagnetic waves. On the rare occasion they pass into our dimension, most people can't see them."

"So, ghosts?"

"Some of them are ghosts." Francesca looked thoughtful. "Some of them have never been human. Simon's like that."

"Simon?" I asked.

"My spirit guide. I don't know his actual name—Simon's just what I call him. He takes the form of a raven. He's been there to help me ever since I was a child. But he can't always manifest in this dimension. So I have to go to him via astral projection."

"Astral projection," I echoed. "Is that—safe, here?"

"It has its risks," she said. "But I've done it before without a problem. And I'll admit, I'm relieved to have someone here to watch over me. I won't be aware of what's happening here while I'm projected. So you have to take care of me, okay?"

Francesca looked more earnest than I'd ever seen her. It suddenly struck me exactly what she was asking and how ill-equipped I was to do it.

"What do I do if something happens?" I asked, mouth dry.

"Try to buy time until I get back." Francesca took a deep breath and squared her shoulders before closing her eyes again. "You can touch me, even if I'm projected, so if things get bad, try to drag me out of harm's way. But if I'm quick, everything should be fine."

"Okay." I stood up, suddenly feeling antsy. "Okay, then. Be quick."

Francesca opened one eye. "See you soon." She winked, then closed her eye. Her face soon took on a relaxed expression and her breathing slowed. She was so still she might've been a statue.