Frizzy haired and overweight, sixteen year old Elizabeth Summers hears ghosts. She also reads people's auras and sees when something bad is headed their way. Unfortunately, she can't choose which ghosts visit her psychic hotline or when her paranorm...
"A banshee?" Julia shakes her head. "I don't believe in that moorish mythological bullshit."
Mason takes a sip of his coffee, before responding, "Neither does Dylan, but nonetheless, I heartily assure you, I heard a banshee the night me mother died."
Julia snorts derisively which causes Mason to look at her in earnest. "God's honest truth, luv. They exist. Not just in Scotland. They live everywhere, creeping in the heart of shadows."
"Really?" Slicing a banana into my cereal, I ask him to continue. "Please tell me about them. I would love to hear more of your story." Mason's a good storyteller and I have about a half an hour before Dylan's supposed to give me a ride to school. Julia's going to head up to the hospital later to see how Jerry's doing.
Settling more comfortably in his seat, Mason pauses, then dramatically continues. "I was a serious lad of fifteen. Not prone to fantasies, mind you. Me mum, she was a sturdy woman. Although she was no longer a lass, she was in good health." Mason discreetly appraises my grandmother, then continues. "Just like Julia."
Sipping her coffee, Julia looks over at Mason, suspicious of his use of the word sturdy, but doesn't say anything.
"What happened?" I prompt.
"The wind kept waking us up that night. I woke out of a deep sleep to the sound of keening outside. The noise rose and fell with the wind, sounding like it was right outside our first floor window. I decided it was the wind and went back to bed, but I couldn't sleep. As the night became increasingly stormy, there was banging on the door. I heard a commotion in the barn. I decided to check on the horses. Something had them riled and the dogs were baying in terror over the storm. That's when I heard it. Up on the roof. My mother came to the window, her face white as a sheet. When she looked out she saw the banshee."
"What did it look like?" I ask.
He paused, wiping a tear from his eye. "I don't know, Elizabeth. I only saw me mother scream with terror, and point at something on the rooftop before she collapsed."
Sighing deeply, he continues with his grim story. "They say if the banshee knocks on your door three times, then someone in your household is going to die. If you hear the banshee crying at the window, someone close to you will die - not neccesarily in your household, mind you. The victim never hears the banshee themselves. Some folklore say that if you see the banshee, you're the one who'll die. I don't know exactly what I heard that night, but the next morning, me poor mum was dead. The coroner said she died of a heart attack."
"Oh Mason, that's horrible." Wether she believes his tale or not, I can tell Julia's heart was moved by his story.
"I don't think the banshee killed my mother. I do believe it was her time. The fay spirit just filled it's deathly purpose."
"So you think it was a friendly spirit?" I ask.
"Friendly?" He laughs without mirth. "Do I think that creature was evil? No. But do I think it was friendly? Not a chance in hades. For all I know it scared me mum to death." He sighs. "Perhaps it was a self fulfilling prophecy."
Just then I hear Dylan's Mustang pull up and excuse myself. Outside, my boyfriend gently pulls me aside. "Be careful," he hisses, gesturing in the direction of his father. "He's mad as a cut snake."
"Dylan, I don't think your father's mad. I think he's in a lot of pain."
Dedicated to my beautiful Delta. She swam in the lake every day. 2002-2018💓
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