The Clairvoyant

Chapter Four: O Foule Spectre

   Mary picked out an ancient, leather bound book from her library. It was a very interesting work, titled Creatures of the Nether, by P.G. Anne. Mary had found the book, which seemed to have a layer of dust permanently embedded into it's leather skin, in a flea market of the I-4 highway during a trip to Florida. The author herself was long since dead, but Mary had the great privilege of meeting her great, great granddaughter, who she bought the volume from.

    Mary tried to ignore this novel for as long as she could, only perusing it's pages when absolutely necessary. A great charm existed within it, and at times she could feel great evil or great goodness radiating from it, as if the book itself had feelings and could have either good days or bad days. Depending upon it's mood of course.

   But Mary, tonight, needed reassurance and help; this volume was her only other chance, and she knew it would be dangerous to go into the Greenville House blindly, once more.

    So looping her Star of David around her neck, with a cup of hot chocolate in her hand, and Sekhmet perched on her lap, Mary entertained Father Thomas in the living room of her small apartment and read P. G. Anne's ideas and paranormal findings. It was three in the morning.

    Mary had been debating since she had returned home whether to open the fickle, picky, finicky book or not. She reached her decision at midnight and than spent fifteen minutes trying to psych herself up to touch it. Then there was the small matter of waking her new, Priestly friend up and waiting for him to arrive.

    Now, she read anything she came acros that might be important.

   Thomas found himself to be quite interested in Miss Ripley. As a priest, he had heard of many  people and houses that needed exorcisms, but he had not performed any himself. He was not at all confident in his abilities and planned to solely rely on the Lord's help. He believed mediums and psychics did the same. But Mary Ripley was so modest and yet so confident in her gifts that he sensed she relied on just herself alone. He marveled that while he, a man of God, had merely heard of such supernatural things, could barely believe in partaking in activities having to do with them, Mary, had actively communicated with that side her entire life and could stare calmly in the face of the devil.

    Mary was unnerved, however, by Father Thomas's intense study of her while she read, and she was relieved when she at last found a.l passage of great import. Even if it did chill her blood as nothing else ever had.

   She cleared her throatbefore she spoke. "Chapter Sixteen of Sixty, The Spectre.

   "Many believe Spectres to be invisible, playful entities, like certain poltergeists and spritely spirits. However, a true Spectre is the cross between a demon and a ghost. Pity the poor person whose gift is to communicate between the worlds, who comes across the powerful Spectre. Most, in the attempt to rid the abode of the creature... find themselves to be overwhelmed. Truly, most do not make it out alive, as their guman bodies, unlike their mind, cannot handle the strain.

    Spectres were first documented in Germany, in 1638. Helga Ofelheimburger had a brother posessed by the same entity that was so strong, it took over the local church, which lacked a viccor or reverend, and was strong enough to take up to three people at once into it's control. One was her brother, another was the town's blacksmith, and the third was a young boy of thirteen.

   "There is not much one can do to protect oneself from a Spectre. They are evil, and their power, ob the rare, but unfortunate occasion, is stronger than thirty telekinetic men. To defeat a Spectre and hope to live, or send it away, at the very least, to another dimension, one needs a strong walker of the worlds, and a holy man or woman of any faith. However, the two must reveal all secrets and forfeit any sinful activities or thoughts. The seven deadly sins must be avoided for three days prior to the attempted exorcism. Trust and confidence must be firmly established, for Spectres love to tease, play with, and manipulate weaknesses.

   "Another power that rivals any entities is love that is pure of heart, but while soulmates are rare, true lovers are rarer still.

   "To perform an exorcism on a Spectre, one must also bless the house. Burn sage, sprinkle or better yet, soak and flood the house, with holy water, bless every room, and crucify everything, is the only way for it to be done properly, before and after. And there must not be a rush on the holy person's part, for they might wish to spare the crosser's pain.

  "The crosser of the worlds, also known as the medium, or clairvoyant, will feel great pain, as they must force the Spectre to physically and mentally take partial control of their body. This person must be strong so that the foreign entity does not possess them. They must hold the Spectre at bay. And they cannot be tied down; material bindings do bot prove strength and point towards weakness. If it were safer for both human parties for the crosser to be tied down, then they should not take on nor challenge the Spectre to begin with.

   "Keep religious tokens on at all timesm as many as possible, and believe in them, put faith in them. Truth is what truly harms the Spectre."

  Mary took a breath, inhaling quickly, as she had not stopped her constant stream of words since she started. How was she to do this? She didn't trust anyone or anything. She hasn't trusted in years. Mary Ripley was the girl who saw ghosts and lived alone, who kept to herself and spoke as little as possible. She had no friends and no family - no family she acknowledged, that is.

   But Thomas Blundell was having his own self esteem problems. He hated seeing anyone in pain. It scared him and shook him severely. And he doubted Mary Ripley had come to terms with her past. He certainly couldn't tell her anyway, which meant he'd still be withholding truth simply because he was scared. One of the seven deadly sins and he had been basking in it for years.

    The two of them were silent, only Sekhmet's purring resounded through the room. They each faced their own problems, and had no idea how to solve them. Being truthful was terrifying. Yet if they were ever going to solve and heal the Greenville House, and avenge Sheriff Taylor and all the other victims of the Spectre, which they both vowed to do from the beginning, as for them it was something personal, they would do it if it killed them.

  "O foule Spectre, damn thee to Hell and Tartarous," Mary muttered under her breath. Father Thomas raised his eyebrows at her, a silent scolding question regarding her cursing. "Well Father, it seems we need to have some confession time with each other. Shall I crack open the liquor or make popcorn?"