“Hey! Be careful with that candle, lady!” From the bar, Dennis shot Evelyn a look in the basement speakeasy of Levi’s restaurant.
She glared at him, but quickly turned back to her work. She had just finished meditating and was not about to let some offhand comment uncenter her.
Dennis had been the bartender at the speakeasy for as long as Evelyn had been using it as her place to conduct her readings. Through the years she had brought in candles, herbs, incense, cards—whatever was necessary to perform the divination. Dennis was a skeptic, and one who voice his opposition at every new thing Evelyn brought in. And yet, she knew that if the chips were down, he would have her back.
Placing the white candle on the table in front of her, Evelyn pulled an ornately painted ceramic bowl from her bag near her feet and placed that on the table as well. Again reaching from her bag, she dug out some mandrake and sprinkled it into the bowl. Then, grabbing the candle, she dripped the melted wax into the bowl over the herb as she recited:
Guiding spirits, come to me.
I ask you now to hear my plea.
What darkness hides, I cannot see.
Allow the scene to come to me.
The speakeasy surrounding her faded to black. The next thing Evelyn knew, she was upstairs in the kitchen. The room was bustling as they tried to prepare for the morning breakfast rush. The kitchen manager took the lead, telling the young man working the skillet to put on another round of eggs. Meanwhile, the dish washer stacked the clean dishes back on the shelves, within reach for when the cooks finished. Waitresses came and went through the swinging doors, calling out orders as they came.
Evelyn wasn’t sure who exactly she was supposed to follow, but she was patient. As was the case with a lot of her visions, if she gave it time the truth was always revealed. In this particular case, she felt a draw from someone in the room. Like a physical force pushing her in a certain direction.
It took a few minutes of watching the kitchen staff work, but she finally pinpointed that the person who drew her to this vision was the young man at the skillet. She had met him only once before, but she couldn’t quite remember his name. It was something like—
“Tommy!” the managed bellowed. “How’re those hash browns doing? You keeping an eye on them?”
That was it. Tommy.
“Yes, sir,” he said. “They’re just about done.”
“Grab a plate and throw them on,” the manager said. “I’ve got the rest of this plate ready to go and I want it all hot when the girls serve it.”
There was nothing particularly captivating about Tommy. Nothing that stood out to Evelyn as something to watch for. No hidden resentment or anger that seemed to be bubbling under the surface. There was a sense of timidness to him that could put him in danger of being a target, but what young adult didn’t have the same attributes? Even Levi, who she guessed was only a few years older than Tommy, had his own brand of shyness. And he had experienced things most people couldn’t even dream up.
The kitchen door swung open and Evelyn was surprised when one of the waitresses passed through her. Then again, if this was a vision, then that made sense.
Except, it didn’t feel like a vision. Everything felt very real. She reached down and touched the cold surface of the stainless steel countertop, feeling the goosebumps prickle up and down her arm as she did.
No, this wasn’t a vision. But then, what was it? Because none of the kitchen staff seemed to notice her. And the way the waitress stepped right through her without even a look in her direction, meant that she was connecting with Tommy in a different way. A psychic connection, but one that transported her to a different plane other than the one she normally occupied. One that was a thin veil over the real world.
She wondered how she ended up in the alternate plane when her intention—as well as the spell she had cast—did not specify removing her from the world that she belonged to. Something had gone wrong.
Or someone had interfered.
Maybe whatever spell that blocked Evelyn’s vision of the crossroads also somehow redirected her spell and sent her to this alternate plane. And if that was the case, then whoever they were dealing with was very powerful.
Tommy worked through the breakfast rush before he was relieved for a few hours. As he walked toward the back door to exit into the alley, Evelyn tested a theory she had been thinking of as she watched him work.
What if she forced them apart? Would the psychic connection break, thus sending her back to her own plane?
She planted her feet on the ground and refused to move as Tommy walked further away from her. Except, the magic didn’t work exactly like she thought. Tommy was calling the shots and Evelyn was forced to follow. The further he got from her, the more she felt an invisible force push her to follow him. Reluctantly, her feet moved and she was forced to keep up with him.
Down on 12th Street, Evelyn had barely enough time to jump on the trolley as it took off. It was disorienting to think about being able to pass through people, but luckily she could. If not, then there would be no room for her on the busy trolley.
As the trolley rolled out of town, making many stops along the way, Evelyn noticed a shadow lurking near Tommy’s seat. When he got off at his stop, it followed, not seeming to pay any mind to Evelyn trailing behind.
Tommy lived around the corner from the corner Evelyn had seen in her partial vision the night before. His proximity to that corner meant something, but Evelyn couldn’t figure out what. And the idea that they hadn’t yet identified the person powerful enough to block her visions was frightening.
Once inside Tommy’s house, he went to the bedroom and began to undress out of his white kitchen uniform. Evelyn hung back in the living room, giving him some privacy. At least she was able to give him some space.
She looked around. The house was drab. Simple. Nearly completely unfurnished. While it wasn’t dirty, it wasn’t clean, either. To a degree, it looked like nobody lived there at all. Cobwebs littered the corners. Dust and dead bugs lined the windowsills.
Right away, Evelyn figured that Tommy worked so much that he didn’t have time to clean even his own house. Then again, it occurred to her that Tommy seemed to always be working at Meyer’s Place.
“Dad? What are you—how is this…?”
The sound of Tommy’s voice drew Evelyn into the bedroom, no matter what he may or may not have been wearing. As it turned out, he had already changed his clothes before he started speaking.
But there wasn’t anyone else in the room with them. Tommy faced the corner, where the shadow from the trolley lingered. The longer she stared, however, the more it took the shape of an older man, one who looked strikingly similar to Tommy himself.
“You’re the reason I’m dead,” the shadow said. “I traded my soul so you could have a modest life and now look what you’ve done with my sacrifice.”
Tommy looked heartbroken. “Dad. I’m sorry. I’m doing the best I can, but there just wasn’t anything you left me to keep up with the bills and—”
“This isn’t my fault,” the shadow roared.
Traded his soul? Evelyn wondered to herself. If that were the case, then perhaps they were they dealing with a crossroads demon? The first vision she had was at the crossroads of two streets only a few houses away.
And if they were dealing with a crossroads demon, that would mean that the shadow was actually a phantom, sent to drive Tommy into insanity. It needed to be stopped, before it could convince Tommy of any falsehoods.
“I gave up everything for you and you’re no better off than you were when I was alive,” the phantom roared.
Tommy sunk to the floor, tears welling in his eyes. “Dad. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry! I’ll do better. I promise.”
Evelyn’s heart sank for the young man. He didn’t deserve the torment. Especially when it was purely the words of the phantom and not Tommy’s actual father, like he was being led to believe. But as much as Evelyn wanted to say something to stop the torment, she couldn’t. Even she felt a piece of herself breaking as the phantom haunted Tommy.
There was only so much a spirit could take before it broke.