My Death Would Suck Without You
October 30
“Yes,” Dan said evenly. “I did skip school yesterday. And I’m going to skip it again today. Uncle Bill, unfortunately I don’t have a lot of time to explain everything to you and what I am about to tell you – well, the standard reaction is to either think we’re crazy or addicts.”
William Regan folded his arms across his chest and regarded his nephew with narrowed eyes. “I’m listening.”
“Ah… okay. One. Ghosts are real. Two. Witches are real. Three. Mart and Trixie and I can see the ghosts and seem to be some kind of witches and-or warlocks. You can decide on the terminology for yourself. Uh… four. Your girlfriend is up to no good. She’s probably a witch, and she’s possessed by the spirit of her own great-something-grandfather who has this insane obsession with his dead wife, Sarah Sligo. With the ghost of Sarah’s help, we’re hoping to defeat him without serious collateral damage. People have died before and we’re definitely not on board with that happening again.”
For a long moment, Regan said nothing. He turned and walked across the den to pick up his cell phone. Dan watched him warily, wondering if his uncle was planning to call someone and have him committed.
“Ah, yes. This is Bill Regan, Daniel Mangan’s guardian. I got the message you left on my voicemail. I’m sorry I didn’t call in yesterday. My nephew is ill. It looks like maybe he’s got this flu bug that’s going around. He won’t be at school again today and it’s doubtful he’ll make it tomorrow, either… Yes… Yes. Thank you. I’ll be sure to tell him.” He ended the call and looked back at Dan. “Your school secretary wants you to know it’s your responsibility to contact your teachers about any make-up work. Also? She hopes you feel better soon.”
“Uh… huh. Thanks.” Dan was at a total loss. “Uncle Bill? You… uh… you want to… talk about this?”
Regan blew out a breath. “I’d like a lot more details, yes.”
“Details? You… believe me?”
“Well, I knew something was going on with Melanie. Honestly, I was starting to think maybe she was using me to get the lay of the land here and planning to rob the Wheelers. Steal some of their more valuable artwork or something. As much as I like to flatter myself about what a great guy I am, I don’t think any woman’s gonna be this instantly crazy about me.”
Dan blinked, flabbergasted. “But… ghosts? Witches?”
“It would certainly explain a lot. Your great-grandmother was a witch. Used to scare the bejeebies out of me when I was a little boy. I’ll tell you what, Danny, if there’s anyone you never want to mess with, it’s an old Celtic witch. She died when I was… five or six, I guess, but it took me years to quit having nightmares about her.”
“We… we had an evil witch for a grandmother?”
“Evil? I don’t think she was particularly evil. But you did not want to cross her, that’s for sure. She’d curse you and all sorts of crap would happen. Your hair would fall out, your business would fail, your wife would run off with your brother. Or sister...”
“And you never thought to tell me this?” Dan demanded in disbelief.
Regan shrugged one shoulder and picked up his mug from the kitchen table. “She died before you were born. And it’s not really the kind of conversation that casually comes up over dinner, anyway. ‘How was your day at school, Danny? Oh, by the way, your great-grandmother was a scary as all get-out witch. Please pass the green beans.’” He took a sip of his coffee before continuing. “So… start at the beginning and tell me everything. I should’ve known something was up when we uncovered that bizarre diary glued to the wall.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Honey, we need you to go to Di’s séance tonight,” Trixie said seriously. “You know a lot more about what’s going on than she does, and if somehow something… happens, you’ll probably realize it faster than anyone else and can call us for help. Meanwhile, we’ll be at Lisgard House getting ready for Melanie to make her move.”
“But I feel like I need to be with you guys! I don’t like thinking I’m ditching you when you may really need me.”
“You aren’t ditching us. You’re helping Di, so that’s one less thing we have to worry about. Okay?”
Honey’s expression revealed her reluctance to go along with Trixie’s request, but finally, she nodded her agreement. She picked listlessly at the food on her tray and sighed. Not typically a fan of the cafeteria lunches on most days, she found her appetite even more diminished than usual.
“Good. All right. After school, Mart and I will be going straight to Lisgard House. Dan’s already there. I think-“
“Hey, Trixie? Sorry to interrupt, but you got a minute?” Trixie turned to see Frankie DeMonte hovering a few feet behind her. She was pulling on a long lock of her bright pink and green hair and frowning. “Only, I need to talk to you,” she added with a roll of her eyes.
“Yeah?”
“Okay… so I figure I owe you one. You know, ‘cause of that time you proved it wasn’t me that was stealing from the office and kept me from getting sent off to juvie. Anyway… I thought you should know. Jerry and Blake and Mike, they’re plannin’ something. I don’t know exactly what, but they were talkin’ about how you and your friends have been hangin’ at the old Lisgard place and they went over there once already and trashed it, I guess? But now they’re sayin’ how they’re gonna like jump you guys or something. So… I’d be careful, if I was you.” Frankie’s lips twisted into a sour grimace. “Yeah. So. Now we’re even, okay?”
“Uh, yeah. Okay. Thanks.” Trixie watched as the other girl wandered away. She turned back to Honey and sighed. “Ugh. This is just what we need!”
“What do you want to do about it?” Honey asked worriedly.
“What can we do? I guess if they show up looking for trouble, we’ll… I dunno. Get Sarah to scare them off?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dan met the professor at the door. He blocked his way, holding up one hand. “Before you come inside, we need to talk.”
“Oh?” Professor Lee blinked and then nodded. “Uh… out here?”
“It would be better.” Dan joined the older man on the porch. He surveyed the empty, weed-infested yard for a moment and shook his head slightly.
“We’re alone, I take it?”
“Yeah. The ghosts seem to have all gone underground for now. Or… almost all.”
“Almost all?”
“Almost. Professor… you said you don’t know anything about your dad. Nothing at all?”
“Nothing. My mother refused to ever say a thing about him. Why are you asking?”
“Because… look. I really don’t know how to tell you this, but Sarah says you’re a Sligo. Or a Lisgard, if you prefer. She says Stella Macy and Oliver Lisgard were your grandparents, and Philip Macy-“
“Philip Macy is my father?”
“Yeah.”
“So, you’ve… you’ve spoken with Sarah… and this is what she told you?”
“She’s told us a lot,” Dan informed him quietly. “She was the one who stopped you from opening the trunk. She wasn’t sure what you were after and she was afraid you were trying to pick up where your granddad left off. He apparently wanted to control her and was trying to use some pretty wicked black magic to do it. He also summoned Luke Sligo… and that didn’t end well at all.”
Professor Lee stepped back and leaned weakly up against the porch rail. It gave an unsteady wobble under his weight and he straightened quickly. “How? How does Sarah even know this?”
“She’s a witch. And a ghost. And… you want to come in and speak to her yourself?”
“Yes. Yes. I – I suppose that would be the uh… sensible thing to do.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“So? What do you think?”
“It… looks like you built a carnival fun house in your den!” Honey exclaimed as she took in the surprisingly elaborate set.
Di laughed at that. “You’re more right than you know. I based this off photos of the Haunted Mansion at Disney World.”
“Seriously?”
“Yep. And I’m gonna be using the script from their séance room word for word. I figure, if Disney’s been doing it for decades without actually summoning anything unwanted, it’s safe for us to use here.”
“You have the actual script?”
“Serpents and spiders, tail of a rat... Call in the spirits, wherever they're at. Rap on a table, it's time to respond... Send us a message from somewhere beyond. Goblins and ghoulies from last Halloween... Awaken the spirits with your tambourine! Creepies and crawlies, toads in a pond... Let there be music from regions beyond! Wizards and witches, wherever you dwell... Give us a hint by ringing a bell. All hail the might and wisdom of Wikipedia!” Di grinned crookedly and cocked her head toward the curved staircase in the hall. “C’mon. I need to get myself changed over into Madame Diana’s gypsy garb. And I need to show you what I want you to do during the séance itself. When the time comes. You get to be the tambourine and bell.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Twilight fell upon the Hudson River valley in the form of a dying sun half-hidden by a hazy blanket of reddish clouds. A chill mist hung in the air, drifting slowly along, obscuring all in its path as the dark, shadowy night took hold. Mart, Trixie, and Dan stood side by side on the front porch of Lisgard House, faintly illuminated by a single candle burning in an old jar carefully placed on the railing. They said nothing as a small blue sedan pulled up off the drive and stopped.
The driver’s side door opened and a man climbed slowly out. He straightened and even in the low light, they could feel his baleful stare. His passenger pushed open her door and joined him. “Well,” she said, her voice amused. “This is it, then? This is all that’s left of the old guard? Three children who have done nothing but make mistake after mistake as they bumbled along?”
Dan squeezed Trixie’s fingers, a reminder to remain calm. “Good evening, Luke,” he said with a politeness that was entirely feigned. “We’ve been expecting you.”
“I’ve been following you, you know,” the woman continued. “Watching you. Assessing you. You have no idea what you’re doing or who you’re dealing with.”
Philip Macy snorted loudly at that. “Stupid fools,” he sneered. “How easy it’s been to string you along. You’ve dismissed me from the start. I’m just a doddering, new age hippie, right? Some old crank with his rocks and charms.”
Trixie tilted her head to one side. “Dude. I hate to break this to you… but really, we didn’t even give you that much thought. You were just the guy with awful taste in clothes who owns a shop with some stuff we needed.”
“Sis,” Mart murmured softly. “Remember the plan. Don’t antagonize them.”
“I have been playing you!” Philip declared triumphantly. “My spells have misdirected you. My messages to the spirit world have turned them against you!”
“And now here you are,” Melanie added, still smiling, though the gesture was cold and cruel. “All alone. What, one wonders, could you possibly be planning to do?”
Regan stepped through the door and into the small pool of candlelight. “What makes you think they’re all alone?” he asked as he moved to make room for the professor to join them as well.
Melanie threw back her head and laughed. “What? You, Bill? Do you plan to whistle for your precious horses and have them trample me? Or maybe the math professor here could hurl a calculus problem my way?”
“Hello, Father,” Professor Lee said quietly.
Philip flicked one hand in a dismissive gesture. “Don’t think to appeal to my familial instincts, boy. I assure you. I have none.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” The professor turned and beckoned behind him. An older woman moved out of the shadows to stand next to him. “Grandmother Stella has told me enough about you to know I was better off not knowing of our… connection.”
Philip clenched his fists. “What are you doing here, Mother? I told you to stay out of this. It's time for the Macy family to take its rightful place in history!”
“Good grief!” Alicia Belden said as she took her place next to the others. “Really, Philip. You were a snot when you were a boy and age has done nothing whatsoever to improve you.”
“Enough of this!” Melanie suddenly thundered. She held up her arms, closed her eyes, and began a low chant.
“Oh, shut it,” Alicia snapped. “Do you think anyone here cares?”
Melanie moved forward, her face a mask of hatred. “Is that a gun?” she asked with a harsh laugh. “You cannot be foolish enough to think that you can hurt me with that?”
Alicia glanced at the pistol in her hand and gave it a small, casual wave. “It was a gift,” she said with a slight shrug. “From a friend who believed all women should carry more than one kind of protection around.” She raised her arm and held the weapon steady. “No. I recognize this is an ineffective instrument against Luke Sligo, but it doesn’t mean I can’t inflict some serious damage on you, missy.”
“I will crush you!”
“Please. Get over yourself. Could you possibly be more tiresome? Boo-hoo-hoo. Your wife never loved you. Obviously a woman of sense. But chasing her through the centuries because you can’t handle death without her? To what end? It’s not like becoming a raging stalker was going to somehow endear you to her. Hundreds of years and she still wants absolutely nothing to do with you.”
Melanie growled low. Her hand shot out, fingers bent like talons, as she hissed a few words.
Trixie glanced at Dan and he gave her an almost imperceptible nod. She skipped lightly down the steps and stopped in front of the angry woman. “Yeah. That’s not gonna work here. Sorry. We put so many spells and charms on this property in the last twenty-four hours or so? You wouldn’t even be able to pull off a simple parlor trick at this point. And see, all this… talking? It’s just been to distract you.”
Melanie’s eyes narrowed to slits and she increased her volume. “Et percutiam te. Delebo te!”
“Uh, huh. Not working… You are, however, now trapped. We kept you busy so my friend Lester over there? He had time to complete the circle after you drove in.”
Philip whirled around to see the boy standing behind him. “You can’t keep us here!”
“You?” Trixie said. “No. You could just walk out. But Melanie? As long as she’s serving as Luke’s human costume? She won’t be able to pass that line of salt and sage.”
“I will destroy you all!” Melanie bellowed.
“Would that be before or after you crush us?” Trixie asked with a half-smile. “Luke? This is it. End of the line. My family has been dealing with you for way too long, and really? We are so over you.”
Philip’s lips twisted into a snarl. “What do you possibly think you could do, little girl? You think a few random spells from Sarah’s old journals could really stop us?”
“Oh, I think we can definitely… stop you.”
“What? You? And this band of nobodies?”
“Ah, come on. Please, please, please ask me ‘You and what army?’”
Melanie let out a sharp, wordless howl.
“Because,” Trixie continued, “if you ask, then I get to say… this one!”
And suddenly, they were there, all around the circle, a ring of spirits, joined shoulder to shoulder.
“Funny thing. As we were… bumbling around making mistake after mistake? It seems we made some friends, too. Just so you know? I’d watch out for that one in particular. She may look like a sweet kindergarten teacher, but she’ll go bat-crap bonkers on you in a snap.”
“Impossible!” Philip cried. “I turned them! I banished them!”
Vernon Parker stepped forward and eyed the man with disdain. “You did nothing of the sort, you warlock wannabe. We only let you think you had.”
Trixie turned toward the house. “And guess what? We’ve saved the very best for last.”
With a strong gust of wind that shook the treetops, Sarah Sligo appeared.
“Yep,” Trixie said. “She’s free. And Luke? I gotta warn you. Man, is this lady pissed.”
Dan and Mart rushed down the steps to Trixie’s side. She grabbed their hands and closed her eyes. She heard a shout she thought belonged to Philip Macy, but she forced all thoughts of him away as she focused on a single purpose. Luke Sligo, I banish you forever from this Earth. She felt a resistance, like a wall of stone that stood in her way. In her mind, she reached out for her brother and Dan. She gathered their strength with hers, held fast to the warmth of love that she knew surrounded her, just as Sarah had instructed.
She sensed a darkness pushing at her, attempting to take control. Luke Sligo, I banish you forever from this Earth. The darkness pushed harder. It was like a physical thing, a hand that sought to choke the very breath from her lungs. Luke Sligo, I banish you forever from this Earth! It was cold and empty and… evil. It was a blackness that threatened to overwhelm her.
But then, there was something else, as well. In her head, she could see them. All of them. Dan and Mart, Alicia, the professor, Regan, Stella. They were there, like individual beacons of light, helping her to push back against the dark.
Glowing strongest of all was Sarah, and it seemed to Trixie then that she could feel the presence of her family, generations stretching back to the beginning, standing with her there, like a shield of protection keeping her safe.
Time stopped. Everything stopped. Trixie opened her eyes to a scene of chaos, suspended. Philip surrounded by spirits, cowering before them. Melanie, arms thrown wide, mouth opened in furious scream. Dry leaves blown up in the air and frozen in place.
“Luke Sligo,” Trixie said calmly into the utter silence. “I banish you forever from this Earth.”
With a roar that shook the ground beneath them, nearly knocking them from their feet, Melanie burst into flame and in moments, was gone.
Trixie gasped and dropped to her knees, sucking in the air she so desperately needed. She was only dimly aware of Dan’s arm wrapped tightly around her, of his soft whispers of reassurance.
“It is done! I am finally free!” Sarah’s voice was filled with joy and amazement. With one last smile of gratitude and love, she shimmered and faded away. Trixie felt tears prick at her eyes with the sudden melancholy sense of loss, knowing Sarah was truly gone for good.
Alicia Belden marched down the porch steps and crossed the wide yard. “Well! That happened,” she announced. She bent down and smacked Philip’s cheek several times with the back of her hand. “Oh, wake up, you dundering idiot. It’s over. Really! A grown man, fainting!”
Shouts from somewhere beyond the tree line caught their attention. Alicia straightened with a small frown. Three boys in dark clothing and black masks raced up the drive, yelling loudly.
“Are you freaking kidding me?” Mart demanded incredulously. “Jerry Vanderhoef! We know it’s you!”
The lead boy stopped. He raised his hand and tossed a small object toward the house, shouting out a profanity laced curse before turning away. Whether by accident or aim, the object struck the jar on the porch, knocking it down. It shattered as it hit the top step and the old, dry, decaying wood ignited with a brilliant flash. The fire raced up the porch rails as Regan grabbed Stella’s arm and pulled her to safety.
“Oh, for Heaven’s sake!” Alicia muttered. “Someone better call the fire department.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Di stood near her open door, thanking her guests as they raved about the “awesomely cool” séance. They each assured her they were looking forward to returning the following night for the Halloween bash, destined to be “the most epic party in Sleepyside history.” She smiled graciously at their enthusiastic compliments, trading an amused look with Honey.
“Hey!” Jeannie Morris exclaimed suddenly, pointing off into the distance. “Look at that glow in the sky! I think something’s on fire!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I’m willing to bet I lost my job tonight,” Dan remarked, shaking his head as they stood in a small circle, watching Lisgard House burn. In the distance, they could hear the wail of the fire engines, but they knew the trucks would arrive too late this time. The house would not be saved. At this point, the primary concern would be to keep the blaze from spreading.
Trixie leaned against him, letting her head rest wearily on his shoulder. “Part of me thinks we should be sad to see everything going up in flames like this, but mostly, it kinda seems like good riddance. You know? Luke is gone. Sarah’s gone. This house was never really a happy place and now it’s going, too.”
“At least it’s finally all over,” Mart said. “We won.”
“We didn’t save Melanie, though,” Dan pointed out grimly. “I hate that there was another sacrifice.”
Alicia took a drag of her cigarette then waved it in front of her. “Eh. She was beyond saving. There was nothing you could do to help her. Only Luke could have released her, but his last evil act was to take that poor girl with him. There’s no sense beating yourself up over it, though. You can’t change anything and you can’t bring her back.” She sighed heavily. “I’m going to leave now, dears. I’ll help Stella get that waste of a son home.”
“What’s going to happen to him?” Trixie asked. “I mean, now that this is all over?”
“If Stella takes my advice, they’ll pack up and move somewhere south. Florida, maybe. Philip’s a broken man now. All his delusions popped like a party balloon. He really ought to find some place quiet to live out the rest of his life. Hopefully your professor friend won’t get the noble and wild idea that he can reform him or some such nonsense.”
“No. I don’t think that will happen,” Mart said, glancing over to where Professor Lee stood, speaking quietly with his grandmother. “Probably he’ll be glad to see him go.”
“Hey, uh, kids?”
They turned to see Vernon standing a few feet away, regarding them soberly.
“Very Headless Vern,” Trixie murmured with a small smile. “We haven’t thanked you yet, have we? You really came through for us.”
“Humph. Well. We may be dead, but this is still our town, too, and we’re ready to fight for it.” He paused, seeming hesitant to continue.
“Is something wrong, Vernon?” Dan prompted.
“Yeah. Maybe. Listen. That girl. The one you toasted?”
Trixie winced at his words, but nodded. “Yeah?”
“She was no witch. Possessed, sure, but… all her power came straight from Luke.”
“Are you sure? How could you tell?”
“Because she looked like a lady, but she was all Luke and nothin’ but Luke.” Vernon glanced around the yard before returning his gaze to them. “I’ve been talkin’ with a lot of folks. Those rumors? I don’t think they were anything started by Philip Macy, and they’re pretty damn specific. An evil witch is coming to Sleepyside. Coming to Sleepyside. She hasn’t been here all along and you’ve told me Luke’s been here since the beginning of the month, at least, yeah?”
Trixie felt her stomach drop. “Are you trying to say Melanie wasn’t the evil that the spirits have been warning us about? That it’s still out there?”
“Yeah, sweetheart. That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
David let himself into his house with a small groan. It was late. He was exhausted. He knew he reeked of smoke and his head was pounding. He wanted nothing more than a hot shower and many hours of sleep. The entire day had been nothing but one stunning, gut-wrenching revelation after another.
It was just as he set his keys on the small table in his hallway that he realized he was not alone. There was a figure sitting on his sofa. He patted his pocket, scrambling for his phone, ready to call the police. The woman rose and turned and David stared at her in shock.
“Mom?”
“Yes,” Dan said evenly. “I did skip school yesterday. And I’m going to skip it again today. Uncle Bill, unfortunately I don’t have a lot of time to explain everything to you and what I am about to tell you – well, the standard reaction is to either think we’re crazy or addicts.”
William Regan folded his arms across his chest and regarded his nephew with narrowed eyes. “I’m listening.”
“Ah… okay. One. Ghosts are real. Two. Witches are real. Three. Mart and Trixie and I can see the ghosts and seem to be some kind of witches and-or warlocks. You can decide on the terminology for yourself. Uh… four. Your girlfriend is up to no good. She’s probably a witch, and she’s possessed by the spirit of her own great-something-grandfather who has this insane obsession with his dead wife, Sarah Sligo. With the ghost of Sarah’s help, we’re hoping to defeat him without serious collateral damage. People have died before and we’re definitely not on board with that happening again.”
For a long moment, Regan said nothing. He turned and walked across the den to pick up his cell phone. Dan watched him warily, wondering if his uncle was planning to call someone and have him committed.
“Ah, yes. This is Bill Regan, Daniel Mangan’s guardian. I got the message you left on my voicemail. I’m sorry I didn’t call in yesterday. My nephew is ill. It looks like maybe he’s got this flu bug that’s going around. He won’t be at school again today and it’s doubtful he’ll make it tomorrow, either… Yes… Yes. Thank you. I’ll be sure to tell him.” He ended the call and looked back at Dan. “Your school secretary wants you to know it’s your responsibility to contact your teachers about any make-up work. Also? She hopes you feel better soon.”
“Uh… huh. Thanks.” Dan was at a total loss. “Uncle Bill? You… uh… you want to… talk about this?”
Regan blew out a breath. “I’d like a lot more details, yes.”
“Details? You… believe me?”
“Well, I knew something was going on with Melanie. Honestly, I was starting to think maybe she was using me to get the lay of the land here and planning to rob the Wheelers. Steal some of their more valuable artwork or something. As much as I like to flatter myself about what a great guy I am, I don’t think any woman’s gonna be this instantly crazy about me.”
Dan blinked, flabbergasted. “But… ghosts? Witches?”
“It would certainly explain a lot. Your great-grandmother was a witch. Used to scare the bejeebies out of me when I was a little boy. I’ll tell you what, Danny, if there’s anyone you never want to mess with, it’s an old Celtic witch. She died when I was… five or six, I guess, but it took me years to quit having nightmares about her.”
“We… we had an evil witch for a grandmother?”
“Evil? I don’t think she was particularly evil. But you did not want to cross her, that’s for sure. She’d curse you and all sorts of crap would happen. Your hair would fall out, your business would fail, your wife would run off with your brother. Or sister...”
“And you never thought to tell me this?” Dan demanded in disbelief.
Regan shrugged one shoulder and picked up his mug from the kitchen table. “She died before you were born. And it’s not really the kind of conversation that casually comes up over dinner, anyway. ‘How was your day at school, Danny? Oh, by the way, your great-grandmother was a scary as all get-out witch. Please pass the green beans.’” He took a sip of his coffee before continuing. “So… start at the beginning and tell me everything. I should’ve known something was up when we uncovered that bizarre diary glued to the wall.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Honey, we need you to go to Di’s séance tonight,” Trixie said seriously. “You know a lot more about what’s going on than she does, and if somehow something… happens, you’ll probably realize it faster than anyone else and can call us for help. Meanwhile, we’ll be at Lisgard House getting ready for Melanie to make her move.”
“But I feel like I need to be with you guys! I don’t like thinking I’m ditching you when you may really need me.”
“You aren’t ditching us. You’re helping Di, so that’s one less thing we have to worry about. Okay?”
Honey’s expression revealed her reluctance to go along with Trixie’s request, but finally, she nodded her agreement. She picked listlessly at the food on her tray and sighed. Not typically a fan of the cafeteria lunches on most days, she found her appetite even more diminished than usual.
“Good. All right. After school, Mart and I will be going straight to Lisgard House. Dan’s already there. I think-“
“Hey, Trixie? Sorry to interrupt, but you got a minute?” Trixie turned to see Frankie DeMonte hovering a few feet behind her. She was pulling on a long lock of her bright pink and green hair and frowning. “Only, I need to talk to you,” she added with a roll of her eyes.
“Yeah?”
“Okay… so I figure I owe you one. You know, ‘cause of that time you proved it wasn’t me that was stealing from the office and kept me from getting sent off to juvie. Anyway… I thought you should know. Jerry and Blake and Mike, they’re plannin’ something. I don’t know exactly what, but they were talkin’ about how you and your friends have been hangin’ at the old Lisgard place and they went over there once already and trashed it, I guess? But now they’re sayin’ how they’re gonna like jump you guys or something. So… I’d be careful, if I was you.” Frankie’s lips twisted into a sour grimace. “Yeah. So. Now we’re even, okay?”
“Uh, yeah. Okay. Thanks.” Trixie watched as the other girl wandered away. She turned back to Honey and sighed. “Ugh. This is just what we need!”
“What do you want to do about it?” Honey asked worriedly.
“What can we do? I guess if they show up looking for trouble, we’ll… I dunno. Get Sarah to scare them off?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dan met the professor at the door. He blocked his way, holding up one hand. “Before you come inside, we need to talk.”
“Oh?” Professor Lee blinked and then nodded. “Uh… out here?”
“It would be better.” Dan joined the older man on the porch. He surveyed the empty, weed-infested yard for a moment and shook his head slightly.
“We’re alone, I take it?”
“Yeah. The ghosts seem to have all gone underground for now. Or… almost all.”
“Almost all?”
“Almost. Professor… you said you don’t know anything about your dad. Nothing at all?”
“Nothing. My mother refused to ever say a thing about him. Why are you asking?”
“Because… look. I really don’t know how to tell you this, but Sarah says you’re a Sligo. Or a Lisgard, if you prefer. She says Stella Macy and Oliver Lisgard were your grandparents, and Philip Macy-“
“Philip Macy is my father?”
“Yeah.”
“So, you’ve… you’ve spoken with Sarah… and this is what she told you?”
“She’s told us a lot,” Dan informed him quietly. “She was the one who stopped you from opening the trunk. She wasn’t sure what you were after and she was afraid you were trying to pick up where your granddad left off. He apparently wanted to control her and was trying to use some pretty wicked black magic to do it. He also summoned Luke Sligo… and that didn’t end well at all.”
Professor Lee stepped back and leaned weakly up against the porch rail. It gave an unsteady wobble under his weight and he straightened quickly. “How? How does Sarah even know this?”
“She’s a witch. And a ghost. And… you want to come in and speak to her yourself?”
“Yes. Yes. I – I suppose that would be the uh… sensible thing to do.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“So? What do you think?”
“It… looks like you built a carnival fun house in your den!” Honey exclaimed as she took in the surprisingly elaborate set.
Di laughed at that. “You’re more right than you know. I based this off photos of the Haunted Mansion at Disney World.”
“Seriously?”
“Yep. And I’m gonna be using the script from their séance room word for word. I figure, if Disney’s been doing it for decades without actually summoning anything unwanted, it’s safe for us to use here.”
“You have the actual script?”
“Serpents and spiders, tail of a rat... Call in the spirits, wherever they're at. Rap on a table, it's time to respond... Send us a message from somewhere beyond. Goblins and ghoulies from last Halloween... Awaken the spirits with your tambourine! Creepies and crawlies, toads in a pond... Let there be music from regions beyond! Wizards and witches, wherever you dwell... Give us a hint by ringing a bell. All hail the might and wisdom of Wikipedia!” Di grinned crookedly and cocked her head toward the curved staircase in the hall. “C’mon. I need to get myself changed over into Madame Diana’s gypsy garb. And I need to show you what I want you to do during the séance itself. When the time comes. You get to be the tambourine and bell.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Twilight fell upon the Hudson River valley in the form of a dying sun half-hidden by a hazy blanket of reddish clouds. A chill mist hung in the air, drifting slowly along, obscuring all in its path as the dark, shadowy night took hold. Mart, Trixie, and Dan stood side by side on the front porch of Lisgard House, faintly illuminated by a single candle burning in an old jar carefully placed on the railing. They said nothing as a small blue sedan pulled up off the drive and stopped.
The driver’s side door opened and a man climbed slowly out. He straightened and even in the low light, they could feel his baleful stare. His passenger pushed open her door and joined him. “Well,” she said, her voice amused. “This is it, then? This is all that’s left of the old guard? Three children who have done nothing but make mistake after mistake as they bumbled along?”
Dan squeezed Trixie’s fingers, a reminder to remain calm. “Good evening, Luke,” he said with a politeness that was entirely feigned. “We’ve been expecting you.”
“I’ve been following you, you know,” the woman continued. “Watching you. Assessing you. You have no idea what you’re doing or who you’re dealing with.”
Philip Macy snorted loudly at that. “Stupid fools,” he sneered. “How easy it’s been to string you along. You’ve dismissed me from the start. I’m just a doddering, new age hippie, right? Some old crank with his rocks and charms.”
Trixie tilted her head to one side. “Dude. I hate to break this to you… but really, we didn’t even give you that much thought. You were just the guy with awful taste in clothes who owns a shop with some stuff we needed.”
“Sis,” Mart murmured softly. “Remember the plan. Don’t antagonize them.”
“I have been playing you!” Philip declared triumphantly. “My spells have misdirected you. My messages to the spirit world have turned them against you!”
“And now here you are,” Melanie added, still smiling, though the gesture was cold and cruel. “All alone. What, one wonders, could you possibly be planning to do?”
Regan stepped through the door and into the small pool of candlelight. “What makes you think they’re all alone?” he asked as he moved to make room for the professor to join them as well.
Melanie threw back her head and laughed. “What? You, Bill? Do you plan to whistle for your precious horses and have them trample me? Or maybe the math professor here could hurl a calculus problem my way?”
“Hello, Father,” Professor Lee said quietly.
Philip flicked one hand in a dismissive gesture. “Don’t think to appeal to my familial instincts, boy. I assure you. I have none.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” The professor turned and beckoned behind him. An older woman moved out of the shadows to stand next to him. “Grandmother Stella has told me enough about you to know I was better off not knowing of our… connection.”
Philip clenched his fists. “What are you doing here, Mother? I told you to stay out of this. It's time for the Macy family to take its rightful place in history!”
“Good grief!” Alicia Belden said as she took her place next to the others. “Really, Philip. You were a snot when you were a boy and age has done nothing whatsoever to improve you.”
“Enough of this!” Melanie suddenly thundered. She held up her arms, closed her eyes, and began a low chant.
“Oh, shut it,” Alicia snapped. “Do you think anyone here cares?”
Melanie moved forward, her face a mask of hatred. “Is that a gun?” she asked with a harsh laugh. “You cannot be foolish enough to think that you can hurt me with that?”
Alicia glanced at the pistol in her hand and gave it a small, casual wave. “It was a gift,” she said with a slight shrug. “From a friend who believed all women should carry more than one kind of protection around.” She raised her arm and held the weapon steady. “No. I recognize this is an ineffective instrument against Luke Sligo, but it doesn’t mean I can’t inflict some serious damage on you, missy.”
“I will crush you!”
“Please. Get over yourself. Could you possibly be more tiresome? Boo-hoo-hoo. Your wife never loved you. Obviously a woman of sense. But chasing her through the centuries because you can’t handle death without her? To what end? It’s not like becoming a raging stalker was going to somehow endear you to her. Hundreds of years and she still wants absolutely nothing to do with you.”
Melanie growled low. Her hand shot out, fingers bent like talons, as she hissed a few words.
Trixie glanced at Dan and he gave her an almost imperceptible nod. She skipped lightly down the steps and stopped in front of the angry woman. “Yeah. That’s not gonna work here. Sorry. We put so many spells and charms on this property in the last twenty-four hours or so? You wouldn’t even be able to pull off a simple parlor trick at this point. And see, all this… talking? It’s just been to distract you.”
Melanie’s eyes narrowed to slits and she increased her volume. “Et percutiam te. Delebo te!”
“Uh, huh. Not working… You are, however, now trapped. We kept you busy so my friend Lester over there? He had time to complete the circle after you drove in.”
Philip whirled around to see the boy standing behind him. “You can’t keep us here!”
“You?” Trixie said. “No. You could just walk out. But Melanie? As long as she’s serving as Luke’s human costume? She won’t be able to pass that line of salt and sage.”
“I will destroy you all!” Melanie bellowed.
“Would that be before or after you crush us?” Trixie asked with a half-smile. “Luke? This is it. End of the line. My family has been dealing with you for way too long, and really? We are so over you.”
Philip’s lips twisted into a snarl. “What do you possibly think you could do, little girl? You think a few random spells from Sarah’s old journals could really stop us?”
“Oh, I think we can definitely… stop you.”
“What? You? And this band of nobodies?”
“Ah, come on. Please, please, please ask me ‘You and what army?’”
Melanie let out a sharp, wordless howl.
“Because,” Trixie continued, “if you ask, then I get to say… this one!”
And suddenly, they were there, all around the circle, a ring of spirits, joined shoulder to shoulder.
“Funny thing. As we were… bumbling around making mistake after mistake? It seems we made some friends, too. Just so you know? I’d watch out for that one in particular. She may look like a sweet kindergarten teacher, but she’ll go bat-crap bonkers on you in a snap.”
“Impossible!” Philip cried. “I turned them! I banished them!”
Vernon Parker stepped forward and eyed the man with disdain. “You did nothing of the sort, you warlock wannabe. We only let you think you had.”
Trixie turned toward the house. “And guess what? We’ve saved the very best for last.”
With a strong gust of wind that shook the treetops, Sarah Sligo appeared.
“Yep,” Trixie said. “She’s free. And Luke? I gotta warn you. Man, is this lady pissed.”
Dan and Mart rushed down the steps to Trixie’s side. She grabbed their hands and closed her eyes. She heard a shout she thought belonged to Philip Macy, but she forced all thoughts of him away as she focused on a single purpose. Luke Sligo, I banish you forever from this Earth. She felt a resistance, like a wall of stone that stood in her way. In her mind, she reached out for her brother and Dan. She gathered their strength with hers, held fast to the warmth of love that she knew surrounded her, just as Sarah had instructed.
She sensed a darkness pushing at her, attempting to take control. Luke Sligo, I banish you forever from this Earth. The darkness pushed harder. It was like a physical thing, a hand that sought to choke the very breath from her lungs. Luke Sligo, I banish you forever from this Earth! It was cold and empty and… evil. It was a blackness that threatened to overwhelm her.
But then, there was something else, as well. In her head, she could see them. All of them. Dan and Mart, Alicia, the professor, Regan, Stella. They were there, like individual beacons of light, helping her to push back against the dark.
Glowing strongest of all was Sarah, and it seemed to Trixie then that she could feel the presence of her family, generations stretching back to the beginning, standing with her there, like a shield of protection keeping her safe.
Time stopped. Everything stopped. Trixie opened her eyes to a scene of chaos, suspended. Philip surrounded by spirits, cowering before them. Melanie, arms thrown wide, mouth opened in furious scream. Dry leaves blown up in the air and frozen in place.
“Luke Sligo,” Trixie said calmly into the utter silence. “I banish you forever from this Earth.”
With a roar that shook the ground beneath them, nearly knocking them from their feet, Melanie burst into flame and in moments, was gone.
Trixie gasped and dropped to her knees, sucking in the air she so desperately needed. She was only dimly aware of Dan’s arm wrapped tightly around her, of his soft whispers of reassurance.
“It is done! I am finally free!” Sarah’s voice was filled with joy and amazement. With one last smile of gratitude and love, she shimmered and faded away. Trixie felt tears prick at her eyes with the sudden melancholy sense of loss, knowing Sarah was truly gone for good.
Alicia Belden marched down the porch steps and crossed the wide yard. “Well! That happened,” she announced. She bent down and smacked Philip’s cheek several times with the back of her hand. “Oh, wake up, you dundering idiot. It’s over. Really! A grown man, fainting!”
Shouts from somewhere beyond the tree line caught their attention. Alicia straightened with a small frown. Three boys in dark clothing and black masks raced up the drive, yelling loudly.
“Are you freaking kidding me?” Mart demanded incredulously. “Jerry Vanderhoef! We know it’s you!”
The lead boy stopped. He raised his hand and tossed a small object toward the house, shouting out a profanity laced curse before turning away. Whether by accident or aim, the object struck the jar on the porch, knocking it down. It shattered as it hit the top step and the old, dry, decaying wood ignited with a brilliant flash. The fire raced up the porch rails as Regan grabbed Stella’s arm and pulled her to safety.
“Oh, for Heaven’s sake!” Alicia muttered. “Someone better call the fire department.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Di stood near her open door, thanking her guests as they raved about the “awesomely cool” séance. They each assured her they were looking forward to returning the following night for the Halloween bash, destined to be “the most epic party in Sleepyside history.” She smiled graciously at their enthusiastic compliments, trading an amused look with Honey.
“Hey!” Jeannie Morris exclaimed suddenly, pointing off into the distance. “Look at that glow in the sky! I think something’s on fire!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I’m willing to bet I lost my job tonight,” Dan remarked, shaking his head as they stood in a small circle, watching Lisgard House burn. In the distance, they could hear the wail of the fire engines, but they knew the trucks would arrive too late this time. The house would not be saved. At this point, the primary concern would be to keep the blaze from spreading.
Trixie leaned against him, letting her head rest wearily on his shoulder. “Part of me thinks we should be sad to see everything going up in flames like this, but mostly, it kinda seems like good riddance. You know? Luke is gone. Sarah’s gone. This house was never really a happy place and now it’s going, too.”
“At least it’s finally all over,” Mart said. “We won.”
“We didn’t save Melanie, though,” Dan pointed out grimly. “I hate that there was another sacrifice.”
Alicia took a drag of her cigarette then waved it in front of her. “Eh. She was beyond saving. There was nothing you could do to help her. Only Luke could have released her, but his last evil act was to take that poor girl with him. There’s no sense beating yourself up over it, though. You can’t change anything and you can’t bring her back.” She sighed heavily. “I’m going to leave now, dears. I’ll help Stella get that waste of a son home.”
“What’s going to happen to him?” Trixie asked. “I mean, now that this is all over?”
“If Stella takes my advice, they’ll pack up and move somewhere south. Florida, maybe. Philip’s a broken man now. All his delusions popped like a party balloon. He really ought to find some place quiet to live out the rest of his life. Hopefully your professor friend won’t get the noble and wild idea that he can reform him or some such nonsense.”
“No. I don’t think that will happen,” Mart said, glancing over to where Professor Lee stood, speaking quietly with his grandmother. “Probably he’ll be glad to see him go.”
“Hey, uh, kids?”
They turned to see Vernon standing a few feet away, regarding them soberly.
“Very Headless Vern,” Trixie murmured with a small smile. “We haven’t thanked you yet, have we? You really came through for us.”
“Humph. Well. We may be dead, but this is still our town, too, and we’re ready to fight for it.” He paused, seeming hesitant to continue.
“Is something wrong, Vernon?” Dan prompted.
“Yeah. Maybe. Listen. That girl. The one you toasted?”
Trixie winced at his words, but nodded. “Yeah?”
“She was no witch. Possessed, sure, but… all her power came straight from Luke.”
“Are you sure? How could you tell?”
“Because she looked like a lady, but she was all Luke and nothin’ but Luke.” Vernon glanced around the yard before returning his gaze to them. “I’ve been talkin’ with a lot of folks. Those rumors? I don’t think they were anything started by Philip Macy, and they’re pretty damn specific. An evil witch is coming to Sleepyside. Coming to Sleepyside. She hasn’t been here all along and you’ve told me Luke’s been here since the beginning of the month, at least, yeah?”
Trixie felt her stomach drop. “Are you trying to say Melanie wasn’t the evil that the spirits have been warning us about? That it’s still out there?”
“Yeah, sweetheart. That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
David let himself into his house with a small groan. It was late. He was exhausted. He knew he reeked of smoke and his head was pounding. He wanted nothing more than a hot shower and many hours of sleep. The entire day had been nothing but one stunning, gut-wrenching revelation after another.
It was just as he set his keys on the small table in his hallway that he realized he was not alone. There was a figure sitting on his sofa. He patted his pocket, scrambling for his phone, ready to call the police. The woman rose and turned and David stared at her in shock.
“Mom?”