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Sojourey: A
Wanderer
Charde’ Jones
Do you ever get a chill up your spine or feel as is someone
is watching you? Do you wake up in the middle of the night
hearing faint noises but nothing appears to be there? Do
you believe you have a soul? What about life after death?
Do ghosts wander about the earth or do we turn into dust?
This is a fictional tale of what goes on in the realm we do
not see. There are all around us, even affecting our
A Short Story
decisions. But who has the real power, them or us?
Please rate 1-5, 1 being
boring, 5 being an Part 1: After Breath
exciting story.
Part 2: Battle Axe
adriennetkd@yahoo.com
Part 3: A Death In The Family
Submit by the date below

2/12/2010
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Part 1: After Breath

Charde’ Jones

One moment he was feeling as he normally did, in agonizing pain, he had the smell of hospital engulf
his nostrils; it literally smelled sick in the room. As he coughed his vision began to blur again. It was
becoming more and more difficult to open his eyes. But every time these dizzy spells came upon him he
grew fearful. The grave was calling to him, deaths shadow was upon him, to the point where he could
see it pacing in his room, waiting. He tried not to close eyes, because it would touch him, he tried not to
be alone, because it would taunt him.

What at first was a shadow was not unmistakably a man now in the corner full of darkness; he could
only see his outline. The man was completely black, except for the silver in his eyes. But not a silver
shine, or a grey, it was unearthly, like a color you would find on the moon. Every day as his sickness
progressed the man took form, pacing the room, standing perfectly still in the corner, watching, waiting.

Days went by, the doctor was checking on him less and less. He was constantly alone. Tonight was
different however, there was no shadow. Nothing wrong with a little sleep, he felt the same chill but did
not see any harm on resting. The figure constantly kept him awake, so he shut his eyes. As soon as he
did closed his eyes every ounce of warmth left his body, alarmed at the sudden draft he opened his eyes
quickly. He was freezing, but he was not shivering, he reached to call for a nurse, but he could not move
any of his limbs. He looked around, no one in the room, not even the shadow. The only thing he could
move was his eyes, he looked upon the monitor, and his heart rate had dropped. He could not call on
anyone to revive him, because he could not speak, nor move. So, he just lay there, and he began to be
sad, because no one ever came into the room to check on his lifeless body. He felt no pain anymore, just
cold. He looked at the clock on the wall; it read 8:47pm. He tried but could not move. He sat there in his
lifeless body for hours, he began thinking about everything that had ever happened in his life,
everything he could have done different, everyone he should have loved, everyone he should have left
behind...Then he thought, ‘none of that matters now, and no one’s coming to get me.’

Finally a nurse walked in to check his pulse, she felt for his vital signs, and looked on the monitor.
“Doctor!” she screamed. ‘A little late’, he thought, as he glanced toward the clock. 8:48pm it read.
Bizarre, what seemed to be hours, had only been maybe 30 seconds, he did not understand what was
going on. So the doctor and nurses began to try and revive him.

“Clear!” flat line. Over and over they shouted, over and over nothing, he still could not move, nor talk, or
even shiver. The doctor and nurses voices were beginning to sound bizarre as well, like how you would
expect someone to sound if you could turn the volume down, and then his own thoughts became
exceptionally loud. Nothing like when you think to yourself, it seemed like he was speaking aloud. So as
he experimented he tried to breathe, but he could not do it, he tried to just make the sound of air
blowing, but could not do it. He seemed to do these things for hours to amuse himself, but the clock
only read 8:55pm when the doctor pronounced him non –responsive, and therefore dead.

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When the Doctor said this he began wondering if this would be where he always lay. Just as the
thought crossed his mind, he saw something twinkling in the ceiling, like the reflection of a diamond. As
he stared the reflection became larger, like someone from another room was perfectly using mirrors,
the sun, and the world’s largest diamond to make beautiful rainbows, and light patterns on the ceiling.
He thought to himself, ‘if I could get out of this bed I would like to see what that is.’ Just as loud and
clear his own thoughts were to himself, he heard another voice sounding as if it was coming from within
him,

“Is that what you would like?” His eyes moved around to see where the noise came from and it landed
on the shadow man, who now was a great tall man made up of trillions of black gnat's that struggled to
stay in one figure. The man was more inquisitive than afraid, because he did not understand.

“I can’t move.”

“And what would you do if you could?” asked the gnats all at the same time.

“I guess I would go to find out where that light is coming from. But do you know where it leads?”

“Oh yes. I’ve known for quite some time, and I know you would not want to go there. “It said with
great terror in its voice.

“Why not? What is it?” the man asked curious.

“A great power that consumes past souls.”

“How do you know this? Who are you?” the man said, even though the thing was answering him it
sounded crazed. Why should he believe this stranger that stocked him?

“I’ve known for quite some time.” The thing answered agitated, “but if you don’t believe me I can give
you the power to find out.”

“But who are you?”

“I am Ahlarm. Do you want to be able to move from your bed?”

“Yes.” The man answered; even if he did not follow after the light at least he would no longer be stuck in
this disease infested hospital. Ahlarm’s strangely shaped mouth, anyways I believe that’s what it was,
smiled, and replied,

“Well are you afraid of anything?” The man thought long and hard and said,
“I don’t believe so, I was afraid of you when you did not talk.”

“You are afraid of silent creatures?” Then the shadow Ahlarm approached him, he was uglier than the
man first perceived. He kissed the man’s ear, and a gnat flew inside. Immediately the man lifted his arm
to swat the gnat away. Ahlarm gave him a cold grimace. Then the man realized he could move. He
turned towards the light, although Ahlarm told him not to go to it, he could not help it, besides Ahlarm
does not look like he could even survive in beauty such as that. So he walked into the corner where the

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light became brighter, then he stepped into the wall, which he found to his surprise he could do, at any
rate the light was even brighter in the wall. He kept following it until he seemed to appear in the sky.

In the sky everything had this beautiful reflection of light, like the world up there was made up of
mirrors, but he could not find where the source of light was coming from, until he saw overhead,
woman and man-like creatures with eagle wings flying to and from a certain area. He made his way
towards the mass. It was a mass of men and women, children, young and elderly like himself who all
apparently just died. Some were wearing hospital gowns, some were wearing shirts that were torn, and
some were pacing and wiping fresh tears from their faces. He saw some running away back towards the
earth; he saw some running towards a large gate, about half a mile high and a whole mile across, it
seemed to be made all up of one pearl. In the front at the center of where all the people seemed to be
gathering towards was a large light marvel. It seemed to be a seat made up of lightning, but pure
lightning, on earth lighting comes in bolts, this was just pure lightning all in one mass, ever flowing and
not burning anything. Upon the lighting chair was the diamond light. That’s exactly what it looked like to
the man, a sun inside of a diamond. He began to cry, it was so beautiful, and nothing on earth was like it.

To the right of the diamond light was a man on fire dressed in a translucent white royal robe. There
was nothing on his head except wooly locks of fire. The fire coming from the man burned as brightly as
the diamond’s light, and no heat came from him. He was also holding a book that would not catch fire.
The book was strange because its bindings were large, as if it held thousands of pages, but it only held
one large page. The man who died did not know who they were, but was certain that the reason that all
the creatures, and men and women were gathering was because of these two wonders. He saw
creatures that looked as if they belonged in fairytales, and ones that looked much worse. Then he saw a
man just like him go away from the two wonders in great distress. He began to feel alarmed, and did not
wasn’t to face the lights anymore. So he went sightseeing in this strange place.

He was amazed at the craftsmanship of the gates. There was an engraving on the gates but in a strange
language he couldn’t read, he couldn’t even recognize the alphabet from any cultures. He had a feeling
he was not supposed to touch the gates, but the more he stared the more he just had to touch them. He
placed his hand upon the gate and nothing happened. He pushed the gate open just a little bit. Still
nothing. He began to push the door open, it made a sound like thunder, but it was only the sound of the
gate dragging on the street made up of gold. The focus on him was like when a whole class room is quite
and then a child drags his nails on the chalk board. A lion was near him with eagle wings, and a very
alien face, but long arms and possible thumbs like a man. It grabbed him up with a growl saying, “None
can enter without finding the light.”

As soon as the creature picked him up it just as quickly put him down directly in front of the two
wonders. The man at the right began reading everything that the man had ever done in order that he
had done them, then the reason he did it. Every time he needed to turn the page he would just close the
book and open it again, and new words were in his book. Then he began reading of all the man’s
grudges, as he began reading the wrongs others had done to the old man, Ahlarm and another dark
spirit came forth with chains and locks in their hands. The spirit that the man did not recognize began to
address the diamond light,

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“He is one of us, I have invested a great deal on my brother, and I want my full return.” Then he began
quoting the man on every false promise he had ever made to pay back his old friends, or forgotten
family members. The spirit ended it saying “...so he has worn these most of his life, and he must keep
them according to your own word.” Then Ahlarm said aloud without looking at either wonders, but
keeping perfect eye contact with the man,

“His spirit is dead, he never knew you.” Again he game him that uneasy smile, “Did we give false
testimony?” The man does not know what to say, he is greatly alarmed, he opens his mouth to defend
himself and low and behold, the gnat that Ahlarm put inside of his ear fly’s out of his mouth. Ahlarm
laughed and said, “The wages of sin is death! Where is your payment?” Then a voice seeming to come
from within you but as loud as lightning striking right beside you said, “Son is his name in your book?”
The diamond light was addressing the man with the book. The man on fire opened the book and replied,
“I don’t know him, I’ve gone to his house many times, but he never answered, I visited him at work
before, but he would not even acknowledge me. Take him away from me.”

Ahlarm and his companion began quickly draping their captive in the chains they brought with him,
and to each they would add a lock that’s keyhole would disappear as soon as they locked it. The man
cried out, “No he tricked me! I never had a chance to understand before I came here!” Then Ahlarm and
his companion began singing as they dragged the man away,

“The man with the book prayed every day, and sent his word even your way, and shut our mouths as
not to say, but even than you can't obey!” They chanted this all the way back to earth. When they
arrived back to earth it was completely different. It was a scene from a horror movie. Spirits like the
ones in heaven all around, and the dark spirits were in abundance, and when they passed by one they
would look at him and chant “ours, mine, yours, forever!” He passed many ghosts looking at him with
fearful faces, wearing chains that weighed them down.

“Why do they stay? Where are you leading me?”

“He was brought unto the master, just as you will be and perhaps you to will be given something to do
on the surface.” Then the other spirit kicked the man down and scoffed,

“Not likely!” There was not much talking at all, the man just watched as they led him down below
graves, underground passing worms and animals that dwell there. They went down past caves, and
below caverns, lower and lower they descended, until they passed nothing living. They traveled like this
for a long while, with no light, and no talking until they finally came to a volcano crater inside of an
underground cavern. The crater was hot, and had steam and smoke coming from it, it smelled of sulfur,
also, it had strange noises coming from it, like a million screams, one hundred thousand cries, one
thousand minds going insane, and one hundred souls turning inside out. From the crater was a vent
about ten more miles long, and it was the high way to hell. There were many dark spirits coming in and
out. Some were descending to the depths, or ascending to the top, and they brought men, and chains,
and lists. Chained up judged souls were shivering and grinding their teeth with a terrified look on their
faces. They screamed and tried to run, but the chains they carried were too heavy to run anywhere.

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There was a disfigured woman at the mouth of the crater. She was tall and slender, she appeared to
be beautiful, and she was naked, but when you looked at her face her face was burned to the third
degree, a whole half of her face. And her body, upon inspection, had boils and burns. So she looked evil
beautiful. In her hands she held an old brown list written on parchment, and it unrolled to be one
thousand feet long. On every space of the paper a name was written. She also had a chain locked on her
ankle attached to a great sleeping dragon that never rose up; he just tossed and turned but never
awoke. When Ahlarm brought the man all the way to the mouth of the crater they stopped. The woman
grabbed the man’s face and kissed him on his forehead, but her kiss burned like boiling water, and it left
a mark on his head. Before he could complain she spoke to him.

“You would be glad to have it, oh unimportant one, it is the last kiss you will ever have.” Then she
turned to Ahlarm, “What assignment could your lord Beelzebub ever have for him? He is a worthless
fly.” So they led him to the center of earth, where the god of this world has many nations under
allegiance.

A ghost woman came up shivering, and shaking and her pupils were as big as her whole eye were. The
spirit with the parchment asked, “Where are your escorts?”

“I have none.”

“How did you make it past the guard on the other side?”

“I let them rape me until they were tired. They became so tired they fell asleep, then I hid in the vent of
the volcano for some time, finally I made my way, while dragging my chains silently back to the other
side.” She said this rocking front to back and clenching her jaw as hard as possible. The woman with the
burns on her face smiled and replied,

“So Beelzebub did not have an assignment for you?”

“No.” Then the woman reached into her mouth and pulled out a folded piece of paper that was a faded
shade of red and spoke to the girl again.

“I am Asherah, Captain of the doorway, I work for Jezebel. She will give you an assignment if you bring
back this,” she waved the paper around in her hand, “wet with blood.” The woman took it eagerly, and
bowed before Asherah.

“Thank you Queen.” She rose up and made her way dragging her chains back up thru the caverns and
caves, all the way up, back thru the graves, until she could finally see the sky again.

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Part 2: Battle Axe

The woman resurfaced in a vaguely familiar city. By the street signs and land marks she determined it
was Chicago, her old home. The woman tried to remember things from before her last breath, but most
of her memories were filled of horrible things she had seen in the center of the earth. She held her
folded paper thinking to herself, ‘Now where can I go to get blood.Hospital? No that would not please
Jezebel or Asherah. Abortions. Yes a clinic. I’ve been to one before,’ she thought to herself. Then she
began to make her way to Rogers Park where there was a Planned Parent Hood. She saw from far away
where the building would be a huge spider like creature with a woman’s face hovering overhead, casting
webs that shot thru the building and hung over it. As people who were breathing walked in and out of
the building they would unknowingly walk into these webs, and the webs would stick to their minds. The
webs were thoughts from the spider. She approached the spider and bowed before entering the
building. The Spider hissed,

“What do you want, judged soul?” The woman trembling responded,

“I have come by assignment of Jezebel with permission of Asherah to dip this in human blood.” She said
holding up the red folded parchment above her head. Across the street were about twelve people
shouting and holding signs that boycotted abortion. Among the twelve there were two women, and one
man who had a bright light coming from within their bodies. And in the middle of these three was
another Spirit who had no form to himself. The woman could see this all from across the street. The
Spirit in the middle of them obviously had great power. It hovered in all directions only among the three.
She had not seen a Higher Spirit since she was in the realm of judgment. The Higher Spirit seemed to
turn its focus to the woman and the Spider. Than it turned back towards his peoples and said,

“Your enemy conspires against you. “ The voice they heard sounded as if it came from within. So the
man in the group closed his eyes to become more in tune with the voice and shut out distractions, he
said,

“I confuse the plans of the enemy right now. The children shall live and not die. Jezebel will not have
another sacrificed baby.” As soon as he said this the Higher Spirit blew a strong breath, he was the first
spirit that the woman saw breathe at all, and the wind from his breath took away the parchment. The
woman shrieked and ran after. The wind was carrying it towards the group of boycotters, but before it
reached them a Great black bear with a man’s face caught it up in his paws. The woman ran straight into
the bears back, and he turned as struck her with his paw. The bear carried the list back to the Spider and
gave it to her. The higher Spirit spoke again.

“Speak in my language.” The three heard this clearly inside of them. But the two women thought to
themselves ‘They will think I’m mad’, so they didn’t say anything. The man however looked left and right
and took a deep breath, and started to speak in an alien language. When the two women heard him
they became encouraged and opened their mouths as well. When they did the Higher Spirit was the one
actually speaking the language, but the three were only opening their mouths and being a transmitter
for the High Spirit.

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The bear became alarmed, and when he did Ahlarm came up out of the ground. Ahlarm addressed the
bear.

“Strongman, you take the list and quickly dip it in the blood, and I will stop there attack.” So bear turned
back towards the building and Ahlarm approached the group. But the Higher Spirit said

“I have the Spirit of Power.” And it came out of the woman’s, mouth. Ahlarm could not approach the
group, so instead he went towards the other boycotters and caused them to stare at the group and be
shocked at their strange demonstration of prayer, because, the spirits were unseen. The other
boycotters started talking amongst themselves.

“They’re crazy. What the heck are they speaking Arabic?”

“What are you saying, what are you guys doing?” They asked the three, but the three shut their eyes
and began speaking louder doing their best to ignore the others. When the Spirit saw that Ahlarm was
trying to distract them he spoke inside the group again. ‘Call for my counsel’, they all thought. Then one
of the women opened her mouth and said,

“Lord send your angels to take flight against the principality over this place.” Immediately out of the
clouds came twenty men with eagle wings coming down on horses. Ten holding up flaming swords, and
ten holding bows and flaming arrows. Before they even reached the ground they began shooting arrows
at the Spider. As they passed overhead one Arrow shot from above hit Ahlarm directly in his mouth. He
could not speak anymore, and about 100 gnats flew and scattered. Ahlarm ran back down from where
he came from. The Strongman however did not move. He pulled a battle axe from inside of his stomach
and protected the Spiders webs for as long as he could. The Spider Flung webs to tie up the Angels with.
Then the Strongman would strike them with his axe, so ten angels were being brutally attacked, but the
other ten were destroying webs. As they sleighed webs and burned them with their weapons men and
women started making their way out of the building shaking their heads as if they had a cold chill, but
invisible webs fell to the floor as they did this. The more people that came out the Spider could not hold
onto its building. When the other ten Angels saw these they easily broke the spider’s webs around their
bodies. As the people came out of the building four passed with a small faint light coming out of their
bodies, similar to the tree people praying but there light was much brighter. The Higher Spirit said to
them while He had their attention

“Join.” On hearing this on their insides two cried and quickly walked away, because they wanted to join
but thought less of themselves for even thinking of being there. Again the Spirit spoke to the two
left.”Join.” One thought to herself, ‘I don’t even know how to pray anymore, God would not hear me’,
so she stared longingly and walked away. But the last women kept on looking at them, with her hand on
her abdomen. Then she joined there group in tears. When she did join ten more angels came down with
maces and they came down shouting! They all together struck one of the spider’s legs until it fell off. So
they severed the Spiders legs and all the angels shouted for that victory. When they shouted so did the
four praying saying

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“Hallelujah!” When they did all the electricity went out in the building. So all the workers closed up for
the day, and everyone who was going to have the surgery went home. When the four saw the people
coming out they sang because of their joy. Then the woman who joined later started praying again.

“I speak like to these children. Alisha will live and not die. Malachi will live and not die. Javon Jr. will live
and not die. Elizabeth will live!” She kept praying but a woman and man with no light on the inside of
them stopped and stared, the man watching began crying. The couple was very young, about age 18 at
the most.

“My names Javon.” said the young man in astonishment. Then the girl crying said,

“They think I am having a boy. Who are you praying to?” the couple asked. When they did, the whole
battle stopped, the angels did not move all the spirits were still, even the dark ones. The judged soul
who had been watching all of this stood perfectly still as well. The man in the group opened up his
mouth and the Higher Spirit spoke thru him.

“There is a God who loves humanity. He does not want anyone to perish, or to do wrong but He longs
that they would even be treated well and highly esteemed as his children. Men and women do so much
evil though, that they are not worthy of a righteous God. But He being their creator sent them someone
to make up for their wrongs. His only Son came down and was a blood sacrifice for men of all time. His
name was Jesus. He lived a Holy life and was the atonement for sin. After he died he even rose again in
three days defeating death giving his followers power and authority over evil in the world. All you have
to do is except Jesus’ gift with your mouth and let him Lord over your life. In exchange for your love he
gives you eternal life, victory on earth, and peace.” The young man Javon had heard this story before
and this was the first time he believed

“I need a savior” he said.

“I need Jesus.” His girl said crying holding her belly. When these words left their mouths the Man on fire
who held the book came down with his Hands open. The judged women was afraid because last time
she saw him He was sitting in judgment. But this time she saw him He was giving grace to these two
people. They prayed after the man, who told the story saying,

“Dear Father, I know I have sinned, and I know I don’t deserve your. But I thirst for you, and I repent of
my ways. Jesus come into my heart, Holy Spirit steer my life. Thank you for your gift. In Jesus name we
pray, Amen.” Jesus went over and hugged these two tightly. When Jesus let go of them he left some of
his light inside of them, and then he vanished. Then the angles danced and the Spider and the
strongman groaned. As they groaned a crafty angel maneuvered thru webs and had stolen the red list.
He brought it to the Higher Spirit which was their goal the entire time. The Holy Spirit engulfed the lift
and it turned white as snow. Then he opened it up and gave it to one of the angels who came on a
horse. He whispered something to the Angel and the Angel rode off towards the east. The judged soul
saw her assignment fly away and began to wonder who was going to come punish her. So she snuck
away during all of the action. She dragged her chains away thinking about what she had seen, because
she never seen anything like that before. She did not know that the spirits of light could defeat the

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darkness that tortured her. She remembered being in church on Easters when she was living. And she
remembered thinking the idea of Jesus was sillier than the bunny with eggs in his basket. But it was too
late now. She was a wandering ghost.

Part 3: A death in the family

She traveled from place to place seeing things and not understanding them, as if she were a child lost in
the city. She maneuvered around the city until she came to the Sears towers. It felt familiar because it
was her old place of work. She went inside and went up to the top of the building and out onto the roof
so maybe she could be alone for a moment. Here she saw a man with a business suite and his hair all
askew. He was panting and pacing, and his eyes were blood shot red as if he were crying. She saw the
look of despair in the man’s eyes. He was contemplating jumping off the building. She said to him

“Don’t do that! You will have to face judgment.” But the man could not hear her nor see her. She
grabbed him by the arm and his hairs stood on end. But even with that he could not really feel her. He
shivered. She shook him and shouted, “Please, don’t jump, I wish I was in your shoes no matter how bad
they are-“but before she could finish her statement he had jumped. He landed on top of a car crushing
the roof in. The height of the building was so immense that his skull and his neck and his back snapped
as soon as he hit the ground. She looked down upon his disfigured body, but as she peered over the
ledge she heard sobbing, the sound seemed as if it came from within her so she knew there was an
unliving thing on top of the roof with her. When she turned around, low and behold it was the business
man! He was pacing about in a panic, just as he was before. Then he ran towards the edge and jumped
again. She raced to the edge to see where he went but this time right before he hit the ground he
disappeared. Again she saw him pacing, so she decided to speak to him. “Are you alright?” Startled the
man turned towards her.

“What are you doing up here? Go down stairs. Leave me alone!” he continued his pacing.

“Please, what is wrong? Maybe there is something I can do?” she pleaded.

“There is nothing you can do. No one can help me. Just leave me alone. I’m going to end it. All this pain,
all this suffering, for what?” and with that he had jumped. Instantaneously he was again on top of the
tower. Again she spoke to him.

“Why do you want to jump?” he looked at her with a surprised look on his face,

“How did you get up here? Who are you?”

“I am not sure what my name is anymore.” She said sadly looking towards her chains. Than the man
examined her more closely. She was dressed in tattered clothes with ashes and suit all over her skin and
hair. She had chains wrapped around her body. He was terrified realizing she was a ghost. The man did
not say anything he just crept to the edge. “If you jump you will not stop your pain, you will just live in
the worst moment of your life until forever.” He shook his head and replied,

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“This can’t be happening. I’m seeing things now too? My life is not worth living, what would you know
about it if you’re dead?!” Then he jumped over. Again he was on top of the roof. She was going to tell
him he was already dead but she decided to leave him be. So that man stayed there, and is still there
killing himself thinking he will free himself but really he has enslaved himself to that rooftop.

So the judged woman traveled back down the building until she reached the 8th floor. There was
something about this floor so she wandered around until she came to a girl whose face she knew but
because she has so many bad memories it was impossible to think of anything good. She watched the
girl very closely knowing she represented a good thing. The Girl was a young beautiful lady, she had her
hair pulled back into a tight bun, she had a light brown complexion but eyes like an Asian; and she wore
a pencil skirt and a white button up. The ghost remembered I use to have eyes like that, then for a brief
moment the woman remembered she use to be Pilipino before she stopped breathing. The girl she
followed carried an empty brown cardboard box into an office and after they walked in the girl closed
the door behind her. The ghost hovered over the girls shoulder to see the papers she was rummaging
thru but as she did the young lady’s hairs stood on end and she looked over both shoulders. The ghost
leaned so closely over her shoulders that she bumped her. The girl sat up anxious and left the room.
Ghost woman wondered if the girl had felt her, also she started fumbling thru the papers looking for
some sort of clue why everything was vaguely familiar. Usually when the ghost touched things they
went back to their place as if no one had touched them, but these things remained settled and did not
move from where she put them. When the girl walked back into the office she began hyper ventilating
because she just went out to calm her nerves and when she walked right back in although no one was in
the room papers were scattered everywhere. The ghost actually was amused by this, but did not
understand why she could move those items and none others. The girl left her box behind and told
someone on her way towards the elevator,

“I can’t do this. I’m going to have to comeback another time.” The ghost followed the girl at a
reasonable distance since her presence seemed to distress her. She followed the girl back to Archer
Heights and remembered the area as if from a dream, but really this was her old home. They walked in
together. And a man’s voice greeted the young girl.

“Hey. You brought in a draft with you.” The girl looked over her shoulder again because the whole time
she had an uncomfortable feeling like the way she felt at the office.

“Yeah. Look I could not do it. It felt like she was still there, and I just...” the girl paused as tears filled her
eyes but none fell. “..I’m sorry I just can’t touch her stuff. I don’t know how you sleep in that room.”

“What makes you think I sleep?” the man said solemnly. The ghost wanted to sigh, but she couldn’t.

“I’m sorry dad I just need to be alone.” The girl walked out of the room apparently to cry. The man
covered his face with his hands and massaged his forehead saying,

“You need to be alone, I hate being alone.” The ghost wanted to sigh but she couldn’t without breath.
She began to inspect the house. There were pictures up all around of a pretty Piña the black man who
sat at the table except in these pictures he was happy, and what apparently was their daughter. As she

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walked down the halls touching all of the pictures, and the pictures actually swinging from her touch she
realized…’This is ME. The reason why these things are being affected, why the girl could feel me is
because they are mine, or they use to be.’ Then, she wondered if she could find her name written
anywhere. She longed to have her identity back, because since she had left her body everyone
addressed her as fly, lost soul, wanderer, judged soul, and most often ghost. She searched for days but
could not find it. She found out that her old husband’s name was Marcus, and that her daughter’s name
was Jaleela but they did not mention her name, and tried not to talk about her. Finally eight days had
passed and someone had called for Jocelyn. Marcus answered,

“Oh April umm...Jocelyn passed two months ago….All I had was emails so if you were not on her list I
could not get in contact with you…We’re hanging in there….Don’t bother, just pray for Jaleela because
she’s only 17 and she’s taking this really hard.” Now after that telephone conversation with April,
Jocelyn knew her name. It didn’t change her fate it just defined her as something else besides judged.

Jaleela came into the house at 2:00 am and even though Marcus was awake he was too weary to
confront his daughter. So instead he went outside for a cigarette. Jaleela however, did not come inside
of the house alone. Marcus could not see it, but Jocelyn saw a familiar dark spirit enter with Jaleela. It
was one of those that carried chains to her on the day she followed the light to wrath. It followed
Jaleela closely and whispered things into her ears and the things he whispered sounded as if they were
coming from inside of Jaleela, it even imitated her voice, and the manner in which she spoke it said,

“He doesn’t care about me at all. I just remind him of her. How can I come in at 2am on Tuesday and he
doesn’t even notice? Mom would have thru a B***fit. “She sighed to herself as he planted these things
into her head. “It’s not like he’s more hurt than me. He’s going to be sleeping with women again; he’ll
probably meet some tramp and forget about me. But I will never have a mom again. I might as well go
start my own family. Maybe I could use Willis.” Willis is the boy whose house she had just left. “Willis
would be good for making babies. And who else is going to show me how to be a woman? Not dad. So I
might as well just give it to Willis. I’m the only virgin left in my group of friends anyways. We’ve been
dating for two whole months. He’s been there for me since she died.” Then her eyes filled up with tears
again. “Willis loves me. He’s the only one who loves me. Dad only cares about himself.” After the spirit
said these things to her she kept thinking about them over and over until she accepted them as her own
thoughts and agreed with it. Then out of the demons mouth he threw up a chain of self deception and
wrapped it around her feet.

Jocelyn watched all this in horror. She remembered thinking her father never loved her, and losing
her precious virginity on a guy she had just met. Jocelyn had such a bad relationship with her father, and
she always blamed it on him. The familiar turned to her and motioned for her to stay quite. When he did
this she had lost her ability to speak. Then he pointed to her chains and they tightened themselves
around her. The Spirit turned his head sideways like an owl does and said to her

“They’re mine. And so are you. “Then he turned his head back and he mused over his victory in this
house. Jocelyn knew he had every intention of taking her back to the depths, but she was determined to
communicate to her widowed husband before she left him. Outside his bed room door Marcus was

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smoking on his porch. And wrapped around his lungs though he could not see it was a chain whose links
were made up of black smoke. For every cigarette he smoke a link was added. Jocelyn approached
Marcus on the porch and touched his hand. A cold chill went thru his body. Then she took hold of the
chain and carefully unwrapped it and but around her own neck. As soon as she put it on herself the
chain materialized and became heavy like iron, also Marcus threw down the cigarette he was smoking
and flung the pack into the street. Jocelyn was strengthened by this and spoke to him.

“Marcus.” He could not hear her with his physical ears but he sensed something although he did not
know what it was. He just had a feeling someone was calling him from about a mile away. Again she said
“Marcus.” He turned and started to cry because he was feeling lonely and hopeless. So she touched him
and spoke to him at the same time “Marcus. I saw Jesus save someone. He can save you and Jaleela. Go
to Jesus, Marcus. I don’t want you to end up like me.” Marcus did not hear her, but he felt so uneasy
that the only thing he could think to do to calm his nerves was to read his dusty old bible. He went back
into his room and pulled his old bible from under his bed. He opened it up to Psalms 25. When he
opened his bible she saw light, like a diamonds reflection in a mirror coming from the book. It was
making the ceiling glittery. But Marcus could not see this. He only saw the truth. While he read an Angel
from heaven came down in a white robe, it had appeared to have the body of a Kingfish, and it swam
thru the air instead of flying with wings. It read the words out loud and the man read to himself, and
every now and then it would give incite as to what the passage meant. The familiar spirit sensed the
angel’s appearance and quickened his feet into the room.

“Why are you here? And what do you think you’re doing?” said the spirit with an angered look on his
face.

“I am here on assignment. “Then boldly he continued to read to the man without a second glance to the
Familiar who kept creeping further into the room.

“This man belongs to me as if you don’t know. I live in this house. Who are you to come inside?”

“I am Basi; I make God’s knowledge basic to man. Gabrielle is my head. The High and Mighty Spirit told
Gabrielle that this man Marcus has prayed for understanding. I was to deliver his understanding once he
picked up his bible. See, I have been waiting to fulfill this assignment for almost four years. I have not
influenced him to pick it up, or stopped you from binding him, yet I see no chains on him and his will is
to read; so do not stop me from carrying out the word I was sent to give.”

“So what am I to do? Wait until you win him over?! No. You will leave my house.”

“I have not stopped you from your assignment.” The angel said pointing to Jocelyn draped in chains.
“Dare you stop me from mine?”

“I have no concern with flies.” The Demon said this snarling. The demon pulled the horns out of his head
and jumped towards Basi swinging them like Sais. But Basi flipped in the air like a fish jumping out of
water and reached from the pages of the book and drew out a sword and blocked the Sais. “I am
Deceptunot!” He cried as he jumped back and forth swinging his Sais at his enemy. “I bind the living.” he

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said tearing a scale as he aimed to hook the fish on his mouth. “I have kept this family since the
ancestors came off of a slave ship. And you want to counsel the head of the household?” He said
indignantly, and with every attack Basi flipped and blocked was much faster.

“By Gabrielle’s orders!” He said then, like a shark, all in one move Basi nose dived toward Deceptunot
and struck his hands and his mouth; so he was badly injured. Deceptunot shook violently and Jocelyn
was afraid. She knew that soon he would take out his wrath on her since she was the only one weak left
to attack. She did not want to leave her family but she knew Basi would not help her, and it was good
enough that he was making the bible basic to her past husband. So once again she crept out before
anyone could notice. No time to kiss her family goodbye. No time to be reminiscent. The best place for
her was away from society, so she made her way to Shawnee National Forrest hoping to just be away
from anything that would take her back, so she wandered and dragged her chains gradually.

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