Ghosts Of The Past

Chapter 8

Lily walked around the hospital a few weeks later in a daze. Ichabod had been gone for two weeks and she had done everything she could think of to try and keep herself occupied, but it was pointless. She couldn't stop thinking about him. It was like there was a hole in her heart and nothing would fill it. She refused to speak about it, periodically looking at the photos she had taken of them together on her cell phone. It was all she had left of him, and she would at least keep those memories.

Andrew had thankfully accepted that their relationship was over and no longer was chasing after her, but Lily missed his friendship. He at least gave her someone to talk to when she was lonely. For the most part, she spent her days at the hospital working and her evenings at home alone, listening to the silence of her house. She couldn't find any joy even in practicing her spells. One evening she was sitting in her kitchen as her doorbell rang. She was surprised to see her grandmother standing there.

Lily: Granny? How did you get here?

Granny: I took a taxi, now you go pay him, young lady. (Granny walked past Lily and into the kitchen as Lily went to grab her wallet and pay for the taxi)

Lily: Granny, what's the matter?

Granny: Lillian Katrina! You have been a shell of yourself for long enough! What happened?

Lily (covers her face): I had to let him go, Granny. This isn't where he belongs!

Granny: He belongs with YOU.

Lily: No! Katrina's spell said he would be revived and reunited with his Katrina!

Granny: And that was YOU. IT IS YOU LILLIAN! Think about it child. If Ichabod went back, he would have married Katrina and YOU wouldn't exist. Our entire family would not exist. He was YOUR destiny. Not Katrina Van Tassels!

Lily: But Granny you should have seen him. He didn't know anything about this time and he seemed so confused.

Granny: Lily. Ichabod was a learned man. Did you ever think maybe he WANTED to get all the information he could and he might have been overloaded? Perhaps he wanted you to work with him.

Lily (covering her face groaning): I am the BIGGEST IDIOT! (Granny shakes her head) I have to bring him home Granny.

Granny: And how do you suppose to do that, child.

Lily (thinks for a minute): Katrina's spell can send him back, maybe it can send me back too? (She jumps up and gets the journal reading it) Look. Katrina wrote that spells in reverse have a reverse effect. Granny! You are a genius! (She kisses Granny on the cheek) I just have to figure out when to go back to.

Lily drove Granny home the next morning and when she got back home, she went into her bedroom and started looking into what happened after Ichabod went back in time. She remembered the entry on September 5, 1781 in the journal. Granny had said they found Ichabod three days after he was attacked so he was probably attacked on the 2nd or 3rd. Lily googled information about Ichabod and was able to find his grave in the Tarrytown Cemetery. She wrote down the location and grabbed her keys and the journal to drive to the cemetery. But before the cemetery, she would stop at a local costume store and try to find appropriate dress for the end of the 18th century.

When she got to the cemetery late that night, she looked around to be sure no one was around and changed her clothes before getting out of the car. She smoothed her dress down and put her hair up into a bun on her head. She took a deep breath and started walking through the cemetery looking for Ichabod's grave with a lot candle in a lantern. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She felt like she was getting close and sure enough, she looked and saw and simple headstone.

ICHABOD BENNET CRANE
BORN AUGUST 18. 1751
DIED SEPTEMBER 11, 1781

Six days. He lived six days more. Lily fell to her knees as she touched the headstone. She looked at the journal and went to the page with the spell for resurrection. There were new pages behind it she hadn't seen before.

September 6, 1781

It worked, My Ichabod has returned to me, and my spell worked. But he is changed. He is no longer in pursuit of me. He speaks only of "Lillian". I assume she is my defendant who sent him back to me. He speaks of a love beyond time, but he doesn't want to be here. He begs me to cast a spell to send him home, but I cannot, for he is home.

Lily frowns reading.

September 8

David Williams has visited me twice. He has asked Papa for my hand but I will not. Not now that my Ichabod has returned. I told Ichabod about Mr. Williams and he told me to wed him. That is was my destiny. I told him HE was my destiny. Ichabod told me he was not in love with me anymore and that I needed to release him. I grew angry because Lillian had to release him, she could not have loved him. Ichabod told me she released him BECAUSE she loved him.

September 12

What have I done? Ichabod came to me and begged me to cast a spell to send him back to the 21st century and to Lillian. I couldn't do it. The spell did something to Ichabod, it made him... dark and unholy. I had no choice but to end his suffering. God forgive me. Lillian, if you read this, I tried but I wasn't strong enough to send him back. Please forgive me, child.

Lily wiped the tears from her face. That was all she wanted to read. She had to go back in time to save Ichabod and try to bring him home.

She stood on his grave with the journal in her hands and looked up and the night sky. She closed her eyes and began repeating the spell backwards. When she started repeating it for a third time, she felt he body begin to float as her eyes began to turn white. Lights flashed as she dropped to the ground, as everything around her went black.