Chapter 10
Doug White remained in a coma at the Hotville Memorial hospital. Thoughts of a recovery were now seldom mentioned and the horrific thought of a funeral crept into the conscious thoughts of his grieving family.
Steve Webster had joined Bobby White at the hospital and if there had been any doubts they were a couple; those doubts were now gone. Neither Steve nor Bobby were quite certain when their relationship had gone from dicking around to actually loving one another but at some point it had happened just the same. Bobby was thrilled that Steve was going to be a father; a parent with Jane Wilifar and Jane was thrilled that Bobby was thrilled. They felt that they all had issues in their own lives that they needed to work on to be better people but still they felt certain the three of them would be good parents to the baby that the Legman had given a second chance at life.
Billy Bingo came to the hospital to let the family know that Samantha Wilder was in jail and would be there for 3 to 6 months and that when she should be released he would make sure that she would not be a threat to Doug or anyone. As Billy talked to Doug’s parents he noticed Steve and Bobby in an embrace. Then he noticed the worn, beaten, looks on the faces of Doug’s parents. Billy suddenly realized that he had taken Doug’s recovery for granted; but Doug’s family was now doubtful of such a recovery.
———
Billy left from talking with Doug’s parents and walked over to talk with Benjamin. “Stan Wakes is dead and Samantha Wilder is doing time.”
Benjamin nodded. “Now if Doug would just come out of his coma.”
“What are the doctors saying?”
“Each day he is closer to death and his recovery is less likely. If he does not come out of the coma soon the talk will change from his recovery to bringing his suffering to an end; my parent’s suffering to an end, though it will never be such phrased.”
A woman walked up next to Billy from no where. “There was a day in my mind when my parents decided to buy lots in a cemetery. It was a strange day.”
Benjamin walked away from Billy to go to the restroom. Billy guessed Benjamin had retreated to hide himself in the restroom so Billy would not see his tears. Billy had seen the tears forming and the strain in his face.
The woman continued speaking. “It made me so angry. I thought my parents, especially my mother, was planning for her death. In my mind the buying of those funeral plots were like inviting death. I thought if I could just stop the buying of those plots that I could change the future. Wasn’t that silly?”
Billy nodded. “Is your mom sick?”
“She has had various health problems most of her life and I feared she was giving up. Besides buying the lots, she had also started giving things away. Then it was like she had lost her mind. And my mom was always so smart. It was so strange.”
Billy asked, “Alzheimer’s?”
“No. It was grief. Dad and I were killed in an automobile wreck. The plots were for our funeral but in our mind it was us who had to bury her. We went to her grave. We put flowers on her grave religiously. We grieved for her. And at some point we realized that we were ghost haunting the people we love. We realized that it was he and I who were dead.”
Billy pulled out a cellphone to pretend that he was talking on it, so it would not appear he was talking to himself, when he said, “I am so sorry.”
The woman said, “The line between life and death, reality and imagination, is a very thin line. But there are powers that intervene. Someone made us think mom had died from our imaginary world so that our imaginary world would stop bending her reality.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know. As I have gone from my imaginary world of the living to face the reality that I am dead, I now walk with the dead and I hear voices from the shadows. Those voices now tell me that you are a god. Can you help me go to heaven? I want to leave the shadows of death and go to heaven.”
The Legman emerged from within Billy and he vanished from the physical world and into the metaphysical world. He took the woman into his arms. “I am not the God to whom you pray. I am not allowed in his heaven or even into my own mighty realm, my own heaven. But I do have a place in the out lands, a lesser realm, where the space alien witches are not allowed and where your mind might become better in understanding.”
“Space alien witches? I do not understand.”
“There is no reason that you should until you remember, but still, just know. You are welcome to my lesser realm where you will be protected while there.”
“Will I be able to see the people I love when I am there?”
“Your loved ones are not there. But it is not a prison. You might find it a nice refuge from the shadows of death; but you may return to the shadows as you wish to search for those you love.”
“What if I should find my family? Will they be welcome to your lesser realm?”
“If while traveling from my House of Light back into the shadows and you find your family you are welcome to show them to the half area where everyone is welcome. It is not forbidden so long as the House Rules are followed; but understand, without permission they can’t enter the main House.”
“I am hearing voices. Some are saying to trust you as they have guided me to you but now I hear other voices and they are telling me to beware your mark. They say you might curse me where I might never enter heaven.”
The Legman looked at his old friend who was confused and remembered nothing of their past. Jessica Atajay was already marked where she could never enter heaven but he thought it was best to not tell her until he thought she was ready to know.
The Legman said, “Powerful witches and gods do sometimes leave marks when they help people. It is not intentional. I can sometimes remove the lesser marks but there is one mark in particular that I can not yet remove. It would not be I who might curse you with that mark as the voices might be suggesting, but the higher space alien witches that even other space alien witches know nothing about. Those H-SPAWS have been known to mark those who I help. And it is true, the mark of Iapetus, the mark that seals my realm, that keeps people from both entering and leaving its bounds, also can seal even the true God’s Heaven from the deserving. But there again it is not God or his angels or his gate keepers or even his Complex itself that respects the mark but simply it is a trick, a bit of reprogramming, that creates a gate that even St. Peter can’t see. The mark prevents people from reaching the real gate as instead they go to the fake gate. I’d like to forget about the mark and I should have warned you. I pray that someday I can find the spell to do a bit of reprogramming myself to lift the mark and cast the mark out of this computer program. But that is just a dream and I should be better mindful to remember that cursed mark and warn people before I help them.”
“Computer Program?”
“The world is, was, and has always been digital; computer like. When the ancient ones emerged from chaos, the intellectual energy that was and is them, created an intellectual world from the images in their minds. The foundations of those images that creates our seeming realities is a type of computer code which we all alter with our thoughts and our activities. The lesser gods and witches have other abilities to alter the code in a different and often a more amazing way.”
“So we aren’t real? We are just characters in a video game?”
“Of course we are real. It is the idea that this is a clay based world that is intentionally misleading. The ancient ones emerged from the chaos first and are the oldest, but we all emerged from the chaos. Our souls are real. Our souls are not figments of this computer program where we are trapped; where we are prisoners. That is not to say that there are not figments in the computer program, but be mindful that you are real. If somehow you were to escape this computer program beyond the halls of the heavens, you would still exist. But that is not true of everyone. There are figments in this computer program.”
“Why do you tell me so much? You do not even know me.”
“Because I do know you and you know me. I want you remember. Remember!”
“I can’t.”
“You will. You came to me because on some level you do remember.” The Legman screamed but it was more than just a scream. “Remember!” His voice was an attempt at magic in the ether; a scream followed by a whisper. “Please remember.”
Jessica Atajay held her head. She swooned. She lifted into the air and turned in a full circle around. “I have been marked by the H-SPAWS?”
“Right. You already have that mark and lesser marks that closes the gates of heaven to you. I am going to put a map in your mind where you will know how to return to my lesser realm.” The Legman put his hand to Jessica’s head. “Do you see the map?”
“I do see the map and the flags on the map of where I need to take care to avoid the SPAWS. Thank you Legman.” Jessica Atajay vanished.
The Legman then vanished from the metaphysical world and back into the physical world and into Billy. To Billy it was just as though the woman had vanished. Billy had no idea of what the Legman had told her. Red eyed Benjamin emerged from the bathroom. Billy thought there must be a way to save Doug from dying but he had no idea how.
Linda Webster stepped out of an elevator. She looked at her son with Bobby and then looked at Billy. She walked over to Billy. She said, “They are saying that Doug might die. I’ve tried the healing spells that I know but I am not strong and they will not work for me.”
“Can I try the spells?”
“Yes, but they are not Amberline Darko quality. Do not be disappointed if they do not work for you either.”
Billy said, “Sylvia Trundle suggested that I might be a lesser god after she met the Legman when I—that is the Legman was doing the memory spell. Then I just now talked to a ghost who suggested that I am a god. Is that possible?”
“It is possible but you must understand that very powerful witches are sometimes mistaken for gods.”
Suddenly the Legman took over Billy and looked upon Linda with a smile and a look that caused Linda to know the difference. She knew it was no longer Billy standing in front of her. The Legman said, “If Billy or I were to bring Doug back to life, the gate to heaven might be closed to Doug. Even if the spell itself might not mark him there is a force that might intentionally mark him so that he might not get into heaven.”
Linda asked, “He might not get into heaven anyway. Isn’t it better to risk marking him than to let him die?”
“The protection of God and the angels is important to mortals and the mortals are important to God. Sometimes I do forget. I have forgotten. But if we stand any chance of defeating…” The Legman hesitated and changed what he had been about to say. As far as he knew Linda was only aware of the lesser human witches. He believed she knew nothing about the space alien witches. He thought for her own protection perhaps her not knowing about the SPAWS and H-SPAWS was probably best. The Legman said, “If we stand any chance of defeating the forces of evil then we must be mindful of God. We should not betray the importance of God and man to each other.”
“But I ask again, how do you know that Doug’s own mortal sins have not already closed the gates of heaven to Doug?”
The Legman considered that most beings, people, be they witches or mortals, in this digital computer like prison had no idea how the system worked. He felt Linda would be a good ally but she wasn’t ready to learn the truths of God and heaven any more than she was ready to face the space alien witches.
The Legman said, “Of course I don’t know whether the gates will be opened for him. All I can do is remove any minor marks from him that might prevent his entry and make sure that I do not accidentally cause a mark that I can’t remove.” The Legman took care not to mention the Iapetus Mark although that was the mark that most concerned him.
“So just on the chance that Doug might go to heaven you will let him die?”
“There is no true death. We are all on a journey and the journey takes us where the journey does. Of course I wish that his journey should continue with the people that he loves and who very much loves him. Their grief will sadden Billy and I will also be saddened; but we must all find happiness in our journey and where that journey takes us. Sadness is fleeting.”
Linda asked, “And what is your journey?”
“I want to defeat the forces of evil.”
“And what if that is not possible? Isn’t evil always with us? Are the lines between good and evil always so clear. I love Billy but he is not a saint and I doubt that you are either. God knows that I am not so good as to be worthy of God’s blessings and I will never pretend that I am.”
“It is the worst evil of which I speak and not the joyful frolicking of witch, man, or beast. To defeating the worst evil, all things are possible though never easy.”
Linda stared at the Legman and considered that he was also Billy. Linda thought about her friend Amberline Darko and how she had become Jackie. She wished she could talk to Amberline through Jackie the same as she was now talking to the Legman through Billy. Amberline Darko and Frank Bingo had brought the reincarnation of a god into this world. But which god? Linda had read that the lesser gods tended to be more in line with Lucifer than the greater God but then there the Legman was worried that Doug might be separated from God and denied the salvation of heaven.
The Legman said, “Even if you are figuring out who I am–I can see the wheels in your head turning– it is important for Billy to not know who I am and who he is for once Billy knows then we become one.”
“And why would that be a bad thing?”
“I am powerful right now. I can come out when I need to come out to protect Billy. But if Billy were to totally take over then I might not have the power to protect myself.”
“Why? Why would you think that is a danger?”
“I’ve lived lives where I never learned to use my power. There is a chance Billy can’t focus to learn what he needs to know to make the magic work.”
“What if Billy becomes powerful without having to summon forward his knowledge, your knowledge, of when he was you?”
“Well, that will change everything. If he learns to use the power then we will merge in that way and then he will know what I know. That is a different process from me becoming one with Billy and my forgetting everything.” The Legman didn’t tell Linda how the space alien witches play with people’s memories and where the true danger to Billy and himself might come if they drop their guard.
The Legman then vanished back into Billy and Billy stared at Linda. “What just happened?”
Linda said, “The Legman was here in your body. He is afraid that if we heal Doug then we might mark him in a way that will close the gates of heaven to Doug. It is a danger. The more powerful the witch is then the greater the danger is that a spell the witch uses on someone will mark them; the subject of the spell. I suspect there was quite a bit that the Legman was not telling me. I sense there is lurking a danger beyond what he me. He only spoke in terms of good and evil without telling me what that true danger is but I feel that there is a more concrete danger than just the abstract concepts of good verses evil.”
“So the Legman could heal Doug but he will not. I don’t understand. God is a loving God. I can’t believe that he would reject Doug just because the Legman healed Doug. I can’t believe that is a real danger.”
Linda realized the naivety of Billy and guessed the Legman might have thought the same of herself. Linda said, “I understand what you are saying but we would be foolish to ignore what the Legman told me.”
“So we should do nothing? It does not feel right that we should not do everything possible to help Doug.”
“I know. If a mortal cured him or a lesser witch such as me cured him, I am sure it would mean nothing. It would hardly mark him. I would not think it would close the gates of heaven to him. But I don’t have the knowledge or the power.”
Billy asked, “What if Kane Bishop saved him?”
“No. Kane is too powerful and evil.”
Billy nodded. “Yeah, I don’t even know why I mentioned Kane other than I am grasping at straws.”
Linda said, “As bad as I hate to do it I am going to have to contact the elders. I need their advice and maybe the name of someone who I can contact. I’ve got to get my nerve up to talk to the elders.”
- ****
- Back at her home, with great trepidation, Linda Webster crawled into her attic. She walked around stacks of boxes and to a bookcase. She pulled a silver lever that was designed in the shape of a shoe and the red bookcase opened to a secret room in her attic. The room had been designed by her for her mother.
Linda’s mother had been a powerful witch and from that Linda had been brought into her mother’s Coven: The SteelOwl Coven. Linda, herself, wasn’t a shapeshifter. Her own powers were very limited and she could die the same way as any other mortal. Her mother had been killed in a sword fight with the witch vampire Alicia Silver. Alicia had cut off the head of Linda’s mother, Myrtle Claven, in a fight as Myrtle had tried to save her son from the corrupting influences of Alicia.
Linda stared at her mother’s room. The room was designed by Linda but the magical part of the room had to be done by her half-brother since it was to be a surprise for their mother. At that time she and her brother were more close than they are now. Linda’s brother was able to use his magic to make a room that in actual space was just 12 foot by 12 foot to be 120 foot by 120 foot. Linda remembered he was very proud that he had been able to make the spell work and that the spell stuck.
The magical room contained a white canopy bed, a white dresser and mirror, a red chest of drawers, a black couch, and her mother’s favorite magical rocking chair made of fossilized black wood from another world and a simply sewn, human made, red cushion for the seat and the back. Her mother would never explain to her which world. Linda touched the rocking chair with her finger to cause it to rock. She imagined her mother sitting in the chair as it rocked. Linda smiled as she considered how much she missed her mother.
This was the first time that Linda had managed to enter the room since her mother’s death. The Crystal Ball which was used to contact the elders was in the Center of a white table in the room just as her mother had left it the last time she had consulted with the elders through the Crystal Ball. Linda looked at her mother’s Library that lined shelves in the room. It was not nearly the library that Amberline Darko owned but Linda considered that if the Elders would allow it then the library might be of benefit to Billy. Amberline’s Library would better serve Billy but she did not know where that Library was hidden.
Linda felt butterflies in her stomach as she walked over to the table and sat down at the Crystal Ball. She whispered to herself, “I am so scared that I will accidentally anger them. If they turn me into some creature like a rabbit or a frog or a turtle I am going to be so pissed.”
The person addressing the Elders would never see or know who were the Elders—unless they had figured out an identity. The power of the Elders’ rulings was established by a concurrence within the Crystal Ball. The person addressing the elders might receive 15 different messages on how they might handle a situation if that is what the Crystal Ball computes. On the other hand the Elders might be forced into debate and reach a majority ruling on a matter and then the person would be left no choice but to do what they are told by the Crystal Ball to do. How the concurrence of whether the person would receive advice or an order depended on how the Elders were first addressed and how the Elders first responded to the address. Any order issued might go beyond the person addressing the Elders to all those who might be able to help execute the order.
The Master Crystal Ball was created by Amberline Darko’s ancestor, Merlyn Darko, and it spawned the Crytal Balls that were given to members accepted into the Coven. There was a question among some on how the Crystal Ball deciphered the concurrence but non went too far with their questioning as the Crystal Ball seemed to know when there were doubts.
So Linda stared at the Crystal Ball. For the first time in her life, Linda prepared to consult with the Elders. Her mother had consulted for her on occasion but she had never had the nerve to consult directly. She ran her hands over the Crystal Ball to turn it on.
Linda said, “I come for advice on two matters. I am afraid that a mortal by the name of Doug White might die and I want him to be saved.”
The Crystal Ball responded, “And the second matter.”
“As you might know Billy Bingo is a powerful witch, and perhaps even a lesser god. As Billy Bingo he does not know magic. However when his personality from a past life emerges, the Legman emerges, then that personality is a very powerful witch or god. I want to know if it is acceptable on whether I should allow Billy Bingo access to my mother’s books to begin to learn magic and if I might help him to the degree I am capable.”
The Crystal Ball answered. “We see that the Legman warned you that if he saves Doug then that might close the gates of heaven so that Doug might never be able to pass beyond those gates. We see that whether witch or god, the Legman is capable of good. We must warn you though that at times the Legman is very fickle and can be both brilliant and clumsy in thought. He has the power to remove any minor marks that a witch might put on Doug that would prevent Doug from entering heaven.”
A conflicting voice came from the Crystal Ball. “But the Legman is doubtful he can remove his own mark. His concern is real. And there is something I can’t see but a dark space; a hidden thought, a secret truth. Can any of you see beyond the dark space?”
There was no answer to the question.
A different voice came from the Crystal Ball. “I submit that the Legman might not be able to remove any marks that originate from the Legman curing Doug, but he would be able to remove any marks left by Billy.”
A different conflicting voice came from the Crystal Ball. “We do not want to test this theory for fear of failure. It is true that we might want to watch the Legman remove any marks left by Billy, but then what if he can’t. We are talking about not just the life of Doug White but the soul of Doug White. I say that we should have a lesser witch do what she can. A lesser witch would not cause the kind of marks of a more powerful witch and even one of us might be able to remove any marks that might be left.”
A voice came from the Crystal Ball. “But a lesser witch might not be able to save the life of Doug. If we are to try to save Doug should we not be sure that the witch is powerful enough so that there is no doubt that his life will be saved.”
A voice came from the Crystal Ball. “I doubt that Doug White stands much of a chance of going to heaven anyway.”
“Everything I see tells me that he is a good man.”
“He was having sex in an alleyway. Good man? I don’t think so.”
“God does not judge a person on their sex life. Look how pure the aura of Doug is. He is a good man.”
“We see a lot of good men walking in the Shadows of Death, living in their own imaginations, trapped in the purgatories they created for themselves. I say let Billy cast the spell to save Doug. All say Yea or Nay.”
“Yea say all so it is decided. Linda, allow Billy access to your mom’s library and teach Billy the spell to save Doug.”
Linda asked, “And what if the Legman prevents Billy from doing it?”
“Then what will be will be. We will grant no other witches permission to save Doug except Billy and perhaps you if you help him which is acceptable.”
* * *
Janet Silverton and her Aunt Tess Favor entered the waiting room area on the floor where Doug White struggled more and more to hold on to his life force. He was not ready to surrender his body to death. Still, he did not know how he could win his battle to live again. At times, moments, he dreamed in the world of imagination. At other times he astral projected to walk in the shadows of death and even beyond the shadows into the light to spy upon the living. Then there were times he could smell the hospital room and taste the aroma of bad hospital food and he could hear the voices in the room and even hear the footsteps on the floor tile. It was those times he most struggled to gasp for air on his own and to open his eyes and be back among the living so that all else seemed but a dream. He struggled. He ventured in thought that he was about to feel the thrill of victory and wake to again be with his family.
Tess walked over to talk with her friend Dr. Hassle while Janet walked over to talk to Benjamin White who was seated and working a crossword puzzle. Benjamin looked up to see Janet and put the puzzle down.
Janet asked, “How is Doug doing?”
“Not good. Dr. Hassle has told us the next few days may be critical.” Benjamin struggled to control his emotion.
“Can I see him?”
“Why? You do not know him.” Benjamin wasn’t sure why he wanted his words to sound so cold toward Janet.
“Doug came to the club because of me.”
“But it was not you who took him out into the alley.” Benjamin stood up.
Janet took Benjamin’s hand. “Are you angry with me because I disagreed with you on revenge?”
Benjamin turned what she said around. He asked, “Are you angry with me?”
Benjamin knew he had felt angry but he also knew that he needed to get over it. Benjamin considered that his anger did not even make much sense. “
Janet saw how tired Benjamin looked as she rubbed and patted his hand. For a moment Benjamin thought the hand gesture was about to turn into a hug. He pulled his hand away from Janet. He felt himself wanting to be comforted by her, but he didn’t like that feeling or at least that is what he told himself.
Janet said, “No. Sometimes I argue against shit that I, myself am feeling. I don’t know why. I sometimes sound like I am more confident or set on an issue than I really am.”
Benjamin took Janet’s hand and he led Janet to his brother’s hospital room. Together they entered the room and stepping apart they each stared at Doug. Janet saw at once how much Doug’s body had deteriorated. To Janet there seemed something odd about it. Janet walked over to Doug and touched his forehead. She took his hand. It felt lifeless but still he was alive. “He is fighting so hard to get back to you all.”
Billy Bingo walked into the hospital room. Billy walked over and touched Janet’s hand touching Doug’s hand. Billy said, “I think you and Doug will make a good couple. When he wakes up the two of you will fall deeply in love. Do you hear that Doug? Your neighbor Janet is here. She cares. She wants you to get better. Do you hear that Doug? You have a chance with Janet. You just have to find the strength to fight off what ever is stopping you from waking up.”
Doug thought, “Billy, if I could wake up then I sure as hell would.”
Billy wished that Doug might recover without his using magic. Billy wished there was a way that Doug could find the strength all on his own to find his way back to the land of the living. Linda had brought Billy her mother’s book on healing people. She had told him what the Elder’s had said but she had also told him what the Legman had said. What if he did something that prevented Doug from ever entering heaven? That was a horrible thought. Billy remembered his own church going days when he was small and he heard the bible stories written for children about heaven. There was a time that Billy thought even he might go to heaven some day but now Billy knew that his kind didn’t go to heaven. Still, that did not mean that he did not want Doug to be able to go to that peaceful, joyful, utopia in the sky which was how Billy thought of heaven.
Billy considered lesser spells that would give Doug a boost so that he could help himself. They were less likely to leave a mark that would prevent Doug from going to heaven. They would not bring Doug out of the coma but if the spell worked it would give Billy time to study up and work a more powerful spell with more care.
Janet removed her hand from Doug and Billy moved his hand to begin to massage Doug. He rubbed his earlobes.
Janet stared at Billy. “What on earth are you doing?”
Billy laughed. “I am trying to wake him up.”
Doug thought. “I would rather Janet be the one playing with my earlobes. Actually I would rather Janet be playing with something else of mine.”
Billy guessed he would need to try to work the spell in private.