Tainted Souls

Chapter 1 - Realization

"Five more minutes Aileen!" my mom shouted at me as I exited the slide. I was 6 years old playing on the playground just a couple blocks away from my house. I just looked back at my mom and nodded. It was a clear, fresh spring day in early May. I worked my way back up the ladder to ride the slide down again. The constant breeze present made me glad that I was wearing jeans and not a skirt my mom wished I wore more of.

When I reached the top of the ladder and stood on the platform I looked around the playground. A couple benches down from my mom was an elderly man in overalls and a green hat, having a slight transparent look to him, looking at him I was overcome with a form of incompleteness and longing. He must have noticed my glance at him as he looked straight at me with more force than people usually do. I closed my eyes for a couple seconds and opened them back up and I could no longer see the man. As a 6 year old I did not think too much about it, I was just glad that I didn't have to confront whoever it was that was giving me an off vibe.

I quickly launched myself down the slide and twirled down in its spiral as I headed towards the ground. Once I was on my feet I ran to my mom, a bit eager to head home and distance myself from the older man. She marked her place in the book she was reading with a business card from our dentist.

Upon leaving the park I felt like I was being watched, so I turned around and saw the same man standing next to a tree in the distance. I pulled at my mom's left arm sleeve asking her, "Do you see that man? The one by the tree?" pointing towards the specific tree.

She looked around in the distance, "No Aileen, I don't see anyone there, you must just be tired from playing," she concluded. When I looked back in the distance after looking at my mother I could no longer see him. I couldn't tell if it was my imagination, but I was too fearful to find out who it was and didn't persist any further. If my mom couldn't see him, it must not be something to worry about.

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This was the first time I can remember seeing a spirit that has been trapped on our plane of existence for one reason or another. It wouldn't be the last time either. It took me a while to understand that I can see these spirits and how that I could help them move on into 'the light.' I still have dreams of this memory, they used to frighten me, but now I am more comfortable with the situation and do my best to assist these spirits with my gift.