ANGELS AND GHOSTS
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Different Dimensions Connecting

They drove in silence, all women immersed in their own thoughts.

Mia was still coming to grips with the possibility that she may have passed away, and her new lover had saved her life. Her new lover was a clear and precise thinker, she was sensible, and she had made the admission that she had been stopped by a flickering, hovering light on that fateful night. Mia closed her eyes, and with the girl on her mind, she reached out to the girl. I want to help you, so please help me understand …

Jasmine felt uncomfortable, yet buoyant. The incident from twenty-three years ago was firmly in her mind, and for the first time in her life, she embraced the memory. Up until now, Jasmine had always thought of the incident as an aberration, something that had set her apart from everyone else, something that meant she was different or abnormal. Jasmine had indeed felt a flush of relief, for on this day, she had met someone who’d had an eerily similar experience. The young woman sitting in the front passenger seat was nervous and fidgety, although when she had gone under hypnosis, Jasmine could feel something happening, almost sensed the spirit reaching out for the hypnotised woman; grasping, trying to connect, trying to establish a link between two distinctly different worlds. She remembered reading that when someone dies, they become 21 grams lighter, and the unproven theory suggested that the 21 grams was the soul, or the spirit leaving the body. Whether that was true or simply an old wives’ tale didn’t matter, for Jasmine had indeed come into contact with a restless spirit, and it was becoming increasingly apparent that her new acquaintance could, maybe, possibly be just about to come into contact with the spirit of a dead girl.

Rachael had never been a believer, for if God was all-knowing and all-powerful, why did he continually let bad shit happen? Was he a sadist? Did he enjoy seeing people fuck everything up? If he was all-powerful, why couldn’t he organise things so that everybody was nice to everybody else? If there was a God, well God should love her, for she’d cleaned up a few of his fuck-up’s, twenty-two of them to be precise; Hey God, how ya doing? Are you okay if I send this evil prick to Hell? If there wasn’t a God, what was this all about then? Two women had suffered near-death incidents, and then they’d been visited, or more to the point, they’d been hassled by restless spirits.

As Rachael pulled the car over onto the gravel siding, she frowned, suspecting that her perception of reality might be just about to receive a major overhaul. “This is the spot Jasmine, about six hundred yards in.” Rachael said quietly.

The three women got out and faced the forest, Jasmine unsettled yet expectant; Mia nervous, although pleased that this puzzling period of her life might be nearing its conclusion; while Rachael stared into the forest, thinking about the flickering, hovering light that was responsible for them all standing at the entrance of the forest.

“Will Mia need to lie down Jasmine, because I’ve got a blanket in the boot.”

“Yes, please bring it.”

Rachael helped Mia and then Jasmine up the embankment, then the other two fell into line as Rachael led them through the forest.

As they came into the clearing, Mia stopped and pointed at a tree. “I found the rope by that tree,” then she swung her finger to the right, “And the grave is behind that cluster of trees.”

“Okay, we might set up right in the middle; can I have the blanket?”

Jasmine spread the blanket out and faced Mia, “Whenever you’re ready, lie down and make yourself comfortable.”

As Mia lay down, she pulled the bracelet out of her pocket and then clasped it in her right hand.

Jasmine faced Rachael. “I need you out of Mia’s line of vision, and obviously, I’ll need you to be completely silent during this.”

“Sure.” Rachael said as she skulked away and sat fifty yards behind Mia.

Jasmine produced the spinning disc and set it in motion, then said calmly, “Now Mia, I want you to focus on this, keep your eyes on it and clear any thoughts from your mind.”

Rachael had never seen hypnosis performed (except for the TV show hypnotist’s who got their guests to act like chickens) and she was curious as Jasmine held the spinning disc in front of Mia’s eyes; Jasmine speaking to her in a soothing whisper, the voice too quiet for Rachael to hear what she was saying.

Minutes ticked by, Jasmine’s voice more robust all of a sudden. “Mia, can you hear me?”

No answer.

“Hello Mia, this is Jasmine, can you hear me?”

“Yes.”

“Mia, we’re out at the site where you discovered the grave.”

Mia’s eyes were closed, and she seemed to be concentrating, then her brow furrowed in confusion. “Ohh, she’s here.”

“Who’s here?”

“I, me, I’m lying in a ditch and the blond girl is by my side.”

Jasmine thought about it, then asked, “Have you been hit by a car?”

“I don’t know, but the girl is by my side.”

“Is she helping you?”

“She is, ummm …” Mia drew in a breath and then exhaled stutteringly, as she said, “She is … the girl … she is connecting with me.”

Jasmine was certain that Mia had gone under, so her presumption was that she wasn’t dealing with conscious Mia, she was dealing with sub-conscious Mia. Even though she had endured a very similar experience to the one Mia was dealing with, the phrase, she is connecting with me … scared the shit out of her. Jasmine was afraid that this hypnosis session could catapult her back to the most unsettling and confusing experience she had ever had, and for the second time in her life, she could be drawn into an alternative reality that very few people ever saw. She had sensed the girl’s spirit lingering when she put Mia under hypnosis not even two hours ago, but now, out here in the forest where the girl’s remains had been recovered, the spirit’s presence was even stronger. Her instincts were screaming at her, Stop right now, because this could fuck you up big time Mamma! … yet her gentle and caring nature was urging her, Hey, come on girl, step up. You helped the boy, so now help this girl … and her conscience advised solemnly, Help her, you know she’s here …

Jasmine drew in a breath and patted her chest to try and compose herself, then she asked, “Mia, can you see her?”

“No.”

In order for Mia to understand her, Jasmine knew that she had to be clear and precise. “Mia, how do you know the girl is by your side?”

“She wants me to go with her.”

“Go where, do you know where the girl wants to take you?”

“Yes.”

“Where does the girl want to take you?”

“Across the road.”

“Does the girl want to take you across the road to the place where she was buried?”

“Ummm, I, I can see the site.”

“Mia, tell me what you see.”

“I’m in a clearing, and there’s lots of trees around.”

“Can you see yourself?”

“No.”

“Can you see anybody?”

Mia seemed to be concentrating, her closed eyelids twitching and fluttering as she said, “I see a woman, a young woman who is … who is … arhhh, the young woman is naked.”

Rachael looked up, surprised that Mia’s normally quiet, nervous voice seemed clear yet bland.

“Does this young woman have blond hair?” Jasmine asked.

“No, she has dark hair.”

Jasmine was just about to speak, when Mia added, “She’s laughing.”

“The dark-haired young woman, the dark-haired, naked woman is laughing?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know why the dark-haired woman is laughing?”

“There is a man, a young man, and he is laughing too.”

“Mia, why are the dark-haired woman and the young man laughing?”

“Her, her …” Mia paused, seemingly concentrating again.

Jasmine waited then began repeating, “Mia, can you tell me-”

“Her name is Jenny.” Mia said abruptly.

“The dark-haired woman’s name is Jenny?”

“No, the blond girl’s name is Jenny.”

“Can you see the blond-haired girl?”

“Yes.”

“Is the blond-haired girl okay?”

“Yes.”

Jasmine was intrigued, and she knew that her questions or statements needed to be precise to push this forward. She began cautiously, “The blond-haired girl could be-”

Mia’s brow furrowed, her eyelids fluttering rapidly, then she spat out, “Wait, she’s not okay!”

“What’s wrong, what’s happening to Jenny?”

“She wants them to let her go.”

“Jenny wants the dark-haired woman and the young man to let her go?”

“Yes.”

“What are they doing to Jen-”

“Two men,” Mia cut in. “Two young men, one of them is holding her, and the other one is ripping her dress off.”

“You can see two young men?”

“Yes, and the dark-haired woman.”

“What are they doing to Jenny?”

“One man ripped her clothes off, and now he has some rope.”

Jasmine tensed, unsure of how to proceed. It seemed like Mia was watching the events unfolding, so Jasmine asked, “What is happening now?”

“One man pushed Jenny against the tree, and the other man is tying her hands up.”

Jasmine stumbled, knowing that she wasn’t equipped to be doing this, but also realising that she simply had to push it forward. “What do the men look like?”

“One man has short blond hair, and the other man is short and stocky and has dark hair, and the short, stocky man is angry.”

“Why is he angry?”

“He’s angry at Jenny.”

“Is he hurting Jenny?”

“Yes.”

“What is happening now?”

“One man is pulling his pants down.”

Jasmine tensed, then she asked timidly, “This man is going to rape Jenny?”

“No.” Mia replied solemnly.

“The man is not going to rape Jenny?”

Mia frowned, then said, “He is raping her.”

Rachael hunched over and bowed her face, sickened already by the tale, but also spooked by Mia’s bland, unemotional tone.

“What is the other man doing?” Jasmine asked.

“The other man is pulling his … ohhh …”

Jasmine allowed a few moments for Mia to finish her sentence, then as it appeared the sentence may have already finished, she asked, “What, what is the other man doing?”

Mia blew out a breath, then said, “Hello.”

The single word didn’t seem to fit into the unfolding event, and Jasmine shook her head as she asked, “Is there someone else there?”

Silence, Mia’s eyelids fluttering.

“Mia, you said, Hello; is there someone else there?”

Jasmine noticed Mia clenching the bracelet tightly.

“Mia, is there someone else there, can you see someone else?”

Moments ticked by, and Rachael moved up by Jasmine’s side and whispered, “Is she okay?”

Jasmine focussed on Mia and asked, “Mia, are you okay?”

Both women noticed Mia’s breathing increase rapidly, her chest rising and falling as she seemed to be in a state of distress.

“Mia, can you hear me?”

Rachael was becoming anxious, and she grabbed Jasmine’s arm, “You, you better stop this.”

Jasmine leant forward and stroked Mia’s forehead, then said soothingly, “Okay Mia, I’m going to bring you back now, so just relax, concentrate on what I’m telling you and focus on my voice.”

Mia blew out harshly, then surprisingly, her breathing gradually stabilised.

“Mia, listen to my voice, understand what I’m tell-”

“She’s here.” Mia said quietly.

“Who, who is here?”

Mia frowned, as if she was trying to concentrate, then she said, “Jenny is with me.”

“You can still see her?”

“Yes, well, I can see her, and Jenny can see them as well.”

“Jenny can see the two young men and the dark-haired girl?”

“Yes, yes, and she can see herself.”

Jasmine shook her head in confusion, then she asked uncertainly, “Jenny can see herself?”

“Yes.”

“Mia, can you explain to me how Jenny can see herself?”

“She’s watching with me.”

“Jenny’s watching with you?”

“Yes.”

“Mia, you said that you can’t see yourself, so please explain how you know that Jenny is watching with you.”

“I know she’s here.”

“Can you see her?”

“No.”

“Mia, please explain how you know she’s-”

“She’s frightened.” Mia said quietly.

“Jenny is frightened?”

“Yes.”

“What is Jenny frightened of?”

“She’s frightened about what happens next.”

“Can you speak to Jenny?”

“I don’t know.”

“Mia, if Jenny is watching with you, try and speak to her.”

Mia inhaled, blew out a breath, then she said cautiously, “Hello, my name is Mia, and I want to help you.”

Silence, Mia’s brow furrowing, her eyelids fluttering rapidly.

Jasmine looked at Rachael, and Rachael could see the confusion in her eyes, although both snapped their gazes back as Mia said blandly, “It’s Halloween.”

“Halloween, what is Halloween?” Jasmine asked.

“Her new friends were going to take her to a Halloween party.”

Totally spooked, Jasmine tried to piece it all together. Mia’s last two sentences could mean that she was actually communicating with a long dead girl.

“Ask Jenny what her new friends names are.”

Mia clutched and released the bracelet, then asked, “Jenny, what are your new friend’s names?”

Jasmine waited, then asked again, “Mia, ask Jenny what her new friend’s names are.”

Mia sighed, then said dejectedly, “They’re not her friends.”

“I understand Mia, but ask Jenny what their names are.”

“Jenny, I’m trying to help you,” Mia breathed out quietly. “What are the names of the people doing this to you?”

Rachael swept a hand through her hair, then froze when Mia spoke, the tone chillingly unemotional.

“The young woman is Cathy.”

“The young woman, the naked, young woman with dark hair, her name is Cathy?”

“Yes.”

“What about the men Mia, ask Jenny what the men’s names are.”

Mia remained silent for a few moments, then she said, “They all go to Middleton High.”

Jasmine tried to remain composed as she asked, “The short, stocky man, the man with blond hair and the young woman named Cathy all go to Middleton High?”

“Yes.”

“Mia, ask Jenny what the men’s names are.”

“Jenny tell me the names of the men who are hurting you.”

Mia concentrated, then said, “The man with blond hair is Johnno.”

“What about the other man, what is his name?”

Mia released a disheartened sigh, then said, “Jenny doesn’t know his name.”

Rachael was stunned by everything, although she had the presence of mind to tug on Jasmine’s sleeve as she whispered, “Ask her what year it is.”

“Mia, ask Jenny what year it is.”

“Jenny, what year did this happen?”

Seconds ticked by, Jasmine moved to ask again, “Mia, ask Jenny what year this is?”

“She, she can’t remember; she’s lost … she, she’s lost here … or somewhere.”

“Mia, tell Jenny that we need to replace the people who did this to her, so we need to know what year it is.”

“Jenny, what year is it?”

Silence again, then Mia grimacing.

“Mia, what is it?”

“The man, the short, stocky man is bashing Jenny with a rock.”

“You can see the short, stocky man bashing Jenny with a rock?”

“Yes … wait.”

Jasmine and Rachael froze, then Mia said quietly, “Jenny is sixteen.”

“Okay, thank-you Mia, but we need you to ask Jenny what year it is.”

Mia clutched and released the bracelet, drew in a breath, then said, “Jenny remembers Johnno saying that he was glad the Royals won, because he hates the Cardinals.”

Royals and Cardinals meant only one thing to Rachael; baseball. She pieced it together; Halloween/baseball, then dove for her cell, flicking, tapping, then staring. “Arrhh Jasmine, 1985, the Royals beat the Cardinals in the World Series.” Rachael whispered.

Flabbergasted, totally spooked, Jasmine tried to compose herself as she said, “Mia, ask Jenny if this is 1985.”

Mia closed her fist around the bracelet and said quietly, “She’s scared.”

“Jenny is scared?”

“Yes.”

“She’s scared about what the stocky man is doing to her?”

“No, Jenny knows that she can’t do anything about that,” Mia drew in another breath, then she said despondently, “She’s frightened about what happens next.”

Bewildered, Jasmine tried to control her racing mind, then she said compassionately, “Tell Jenny that we are trying to help her cross through, over to the other side.”

“Jenny, we’re trying to help you cross over.”

A moment of silence until Mia said, “She’s scared.”

“Mia, tell her not to be frightened, tell her that we will help her resettle, tell her that she will replace eternal rest on the other side.”

“Jenny, we’re trying to help you, and you’ll replace eternal rest on the other side.”

As moments ticked by, Rachael looked across to the area that had become the girl’s grave. A gentle breeze blew through the clearing, the breeze strong enough to scuttle a few dried leaves onto the blanket.

“She doesn’t want to go.” Mia said, then she added quietly, “Not yet.”

“Mia, tell Jenny we will replace her parents, and they will give her a proper burial, and then she can cross over and rest in peace.”

The frown disappeared from Mia’s face, and she seemed settled, her eyelids still for the first time.

“Goodbye.” Mia whispered.

“What Mia, what did you say?” Jasmine asked.

“I was saying goodbye to Jenny.”

“Is Jenny crossing over?”

“No, she’s still scared, and she wants to stay with me.”

“Mia, tell her that she can’t stay with you, because you are in a different dimension; Jenny doesn’t belong in this world.”

“Ohhh, ohhh …”

“What is it Mia?”

“I, I can see her.”

“You did tell me that Mia, you told me that you could see the short stocky man hurting Jenny with a rock.”

“That Jenny is on the ground and she’s not moving, but now I can see the Jenny who was watching with me.”

Jasmine processed the statement, then shook her head, stunned. The possibility existed that Mia was looking at the spirit of the deceased girl. “Mia, you can see two Jenny’s; one who is on the ground and one who was watching with you?”

“Yes I can, but Jenny’s walking away now.”

“Is Jenny okay?”

“She, she’s crying.”

“Mia, tell her that she’s being very brave, and if she crosses over, she will replace peace.”

“Jenny, if you cross … ohhh … she’s sitting down.”

“Jenny is sitting down?”

“Yes.”

“Where, where is Jenny sitting down?”

Mia clenched her hand around the bracelet, then said, “By the rocks.”

“Jenny is sitting down next to the rocks?”

Mia sighed, then replied solemnly, “Jenny is sitting next to her grave.”

“Mia, ask Jenny why she is sitting by her grave.”

Mia blew out a breath and said, “I know why she’s there.”

“Tell me Mia, please tell me why Jenny is sitting by her grave?”

Mia clenched her right fist and said quietly, “She wants me to help her.”

Jasmine ran it through her mind. Mia had given them a step-by-step account of what had happened, although with the spirit of the girl now sitting by her grave, maybe this session had already given up as much information as it had available. Jasmine looked at Rachael and said, “I, I might bring her back.”

Rachael nodded, then went and stood by the grave. It was becoming apparent that a sixteen-year-old girl had been raped and bashed to death by two young men, then buried in a shallow grave. Rachael knew that unfortunately, that was real life, that kind of incident did happen in real life, it was the previous hour that didn’t fit in to her perception of real life. With Jasmines calm and soothing voice in the background, Rachael clenched her fists and made herself a promise; two new assignments were in her immediate future.

Rachael cocked her head as she heard Jasmine ask, “You okay Mia?”

She raced over as Mia pushed herself into a sitting position.

Mia winced, and ran a hand over her brow, then nodded, “Yes, I think so.”

Jasmine patted Mia’s hand as she asked, “Mia, Honey, do you remember anything?”

“No,” Mia replied, “Did something happen?”

“Yes, yes it did. Jenny showed you what happened, and she told you about the three people who hurt her.”

Mia looked up timidly and asked, “Jenny?”

“Ohhh yes, sorry,” Jasmine began, “You told me that the girl is sixteen and her name is Jenny.”

Mia bent her knees and wrapped her arms around her legs as she said quietly, “I, I don’t remember anything, but I feel like I saw her, or I met her, or … I’m not sure, it’s confusing.”

“Mia, Jenny showed you what happened to her, and then the last thing you said was that Jenny was sitting over there.”

Mia looked in the direction of the pointed finger, and then she pushed herself up and walked over to the grave.

Jasmine and Rachael stood together silently, watching her.

Enough time had passed for Jasmine to ask timidly, “Mia, are you okay?”

Mia stood staring at the grave as she mumbled, “She, she’s here.”

Jasmine walked over and faced her, then asked, “Who’s here?”

“The girl, I mean Jenny.”

Out of her skill set, beyond the pale of her comprehension, all the same, Jasmine asked, “Jenny is here?”

“Yes.” came the bland reply.

Jasmine was spooked that Mia, in post-hypnotic state could still in be in touch with the girl, and she tried to stir up the memories from twenty-three years ago, some of the memories were vivid, and they would be with her forever; although others were hazy, little snippets that didn’t make sense.

“Mia, please tell me, how do you know Jenny is here?”

“I, I can feel her.”

“Mia, please explain that to me; in what way can you feel her?”

Mia looked to the Heaven’s, then a moment later shook her head. “I, I don’t know how to explain it.”

Jasmine ran a hand over Mia’s back as she whispered, “I understand.”

Mia gazed at her shyly and asked, “I told you what happened?”

“Yes, Jenny showed you what happened, and you saw the three people who did this to her.”

Mia stared at the ground, running it through her mind. She could feel a presence right at that moment, and she also remembered being aware of a solid connection, or an inter-lock, as if something, or someone had risen from the damaged parts of her brain and made themselves … available? Without looking up, Mia asked, “So we know who did this?”

Rachael glided over and stood in front of Mia. “From what you said, there might have been three people involved, two men and a woman who all went to Middleton High, and it might have happened in 1985.”

“Rachael,” Mia lifted her gaze to look at her, then she said with a quiet determination, “We have to replace them.”

“We’ll replace them,” Rachael agreed. “They’re going to fucking …” Rachael began, but she paused, blew out a breath and reeled herself in, then said quietly, “We’ll replace them.”

*

After dropping the others off, Rachael made the phone call, and thirty minutes later, Mark met her at a café.

“What’s going on?”

“I have reason to believe that the incident took place in 1985, maybe Halloween night.”

Mark sunk back into his chair as he asked, “How did you arrive at that conclusion?”

“Look, it’s really complicated, but get your troops to concentrate on 1985.”

“Okay, sure, but tell me what’s going on.”

“Get them to concentrate on 1985, and the girl, she may have been sixteen and her name could be Jenny.”

“You’ve lost me Rachael.”

“Jesus, I’ve had a really stressful day, so whoever is going through the missing person files, tell them to focus on sixteen-year-old girls named Jenny who went missing in late 1985.”

“How do you know this?”

“It’s freaky, I know, but this lady hypnotised Mia out at the site, and yeah, it was like Mia could see the incident unfolding.”

Mark shook his head and asked in surprise, “Yeah, you want me to pass that information on to the Feds?”

“Pass it on to whoever is dealing with it!” she replied bluntly.

“Rachael, the whisper is that the Feds think Mia’s a bit loopy anyway, so I don’t think they’ll buy this.”

“They don’t have to buy it, it’s a starting point; 1985 or late 1985, and the girl is sixteen and her name is Jenny!”

“Okay, I’ll pass it on, but they’re going to want to know where the information came from.”

“Well tell them! You can tell them about the hypnosis, because Mia hasn’t committed any crime or anything, she just has these dreams or visions or whatever the fuck they are; but the Feds need to know about this, because this puts them a couple of steps closer to identifying her.”

“Sure, but what if the information turns out to be incorrect?”

“Or looking at it the other way, what if it turns out to be correct?”

“Well I’ll pass it on, yeah,” Mark said as he lowered his gaze and rubbed his brow, “Rach…”

“What?”

“What are your feelings about Mia?”

“Jesus, I don’t know what to think.” Rachael sighed. “I saw the whole thing though, I saw her supposedly go under, and then she answered all the hypnotist’s questions and gave an account of what happened to this girl.”

“So what happened to her?”

“Leave that with me for the moment.”

“Rach, the more information you give me-”

“Mark,” she interrupted. “Just get them to identify her for fucksake! There’s a set of parents out there who would have been worried sick about a missing daughter for thirty years.”

“Alright, I will, but I guarantee that the Feds will want to speak to Mia about this.”

“She doesn’t know Jack-shit about what she said, because she was under hypnosis!”

“Well maybe they’ll want to speak to you and the hypnotist.”

“Sure, like you said, the information could be wrong, so let’s just cross one bridge at a time.”