When Love Hurts and Ghosts Linger (20 page)

“Levi, you need to take Jack home…”

“What I’m not leaving you here….”

“Just shut up and listen to me….” I snap “Please just do as I ask, this isn’t over, I can feel it, you need to go, go through to town to the end where there is a road, I don’t know how you get back but you will I promise you will”

“NO” he snaps back, “Look for fuck sake Robyn I am not leaving you here alone, we will stay together where we can both protect Jack do you understand me”

Wow I’m slightly shocked, I thought he would have been happy to get out of this place but he wants to stay here, with me. I see Ivan, he’s coming.

“Ok fine, I don’t know how to end this”

Ruth appears “You have life, he doesn’t so use it”

Ghosts appear behind me, like they have found some sort of strength to fight him, they are backing me, maybe it’s because he couldn’t take my soul, maybe it’s because I fought him, I don’t know but they are there, behind me as if to help me. I see some I recognise, ones I have seen before.

This is it, I have to end it now and then get the fuck out of here.

He approaches me slowly, he seems cautious of me and those around me, the souls or ghosts he has captured are no longer bowing to him, it could be my presence.

“No matter what happens, keep hold of Jack and stay out of the way” I tell Levi.

Everything is quiet; we are all still, stood there facing each-other in a stand-off sort of thing. I’m waiting for Ivan to make his move but he doesn’t budge, he just stares. Then, silence is broken, he speaks.

“You think you have the power to defeat me….” He laughs.

“I don’t claim to have any power but I will not give you what you want” I stand my ground.

His face turns and its evil, angry, in a blink he is there in-front of me grabbing me and throwing me across the floor. I look up at Levi who seems to want to run out to save me but I tell him no, he knows he needs to protect Jack.

“You are nothing, I will rise again and I will reign once more” he states as he lifts his hands into the air.

I stand to fight, I’m in so much pain, I got cuts and bruises all over from being thrown about, I see that, that thing that took Jack is behind me, he is watching with an evil smile on his face.

“You will rot in hell” I tell him.

He comes towards me and grabs my neck, why always the fucking neck!

“LEAVE MY MUMMY ALONE!” Jack screams.

He turns to look and I find the strength to punch him in the face, he cowers in pain and drops me. I stand before him, I find every piece of courage I have inside my body, I feel the wind of the hurricane blowing, it’s like an angry storm, it’s trying to distract me.

“You can conjure whatever storm you like but you will not beat me, he is my son, I love him, I will never let you take that away from me, you deserve to burn in hell, do you understand, you cannot have me and you cannot have him either, you have nothing, you are nothing, and you do not have the power to take my soul from me” my words are strong.

Ivan falls to the floor, it’s as if he has lost all strength, his followers retreat, I think I done it, they all seem so weak, in-front me they start disappearing as if they are or were nothing. 

I turn to the ghosts behind me “You’re free, go now, leave this place” I shout.

Without them he has no strength, no power, nothing, without my soul or Jack's he is weak, he begins to waste away before my eyes, like he is nothing. I see Jay, he comes towards me, he seems, well, whole again “You have to get out of here”

“Wait why hasn’t the wind stopped” I ask.

“Because his soul is dying, this place will collapse, it’s only a figment of his ghostly mind, RUN!” he shouts.

Ghosts seem to be whole again as they start to rise in the darkness above and leave. I grab Levi and Jack and we rung through the town, through the wind and the storm to get out. We end up back by the road where I was when I first got here.

“How do we get out?” Levi asks worried.

“I don’t know” I panic. “Jay how do we get out” I ask worried.

“I can only take one of you, I can’t take you all” he looks sad and scared.

“Don’t worry baby-girl we are here for you” a calm voice speaks.

I look “Mum? Dad?” tears fill my eyes, “But how are you here?”

“We are here to help you, everyone hold hands”

They smile softly at me; it makes me feel warm, loved, safe. We all hold hands and the wind is so strong I almost feel breathless, I close my eyes tightly and it goes dark.

I feel warm and I feel a light, I open my eyes, I’m lying on my kitchen floor, Jack is beside me in Levi’s arms.

“Oh thank god you’re back” the psychic hovers over me.

She helps us all up and I look around, they’ve gone, Jay, my Mum, my Dad, they have gone.

“Wondering where they are aren’t you?” she asks.

“Yes” I whisper all upset.

“They brought you here and went back to where they are at peace, you did that, you defeated him, now they’re all free” she smiles.

“But I wanted to say goodbye one last time” I sob.

“I’m sure they know that”

“How did I defeat him, how did I set them free?” I ask confused.

“Because you found strength against him, it weakened him and you weakened him to the point he could no longer fight back and those ghosts or souls he had captured felt his hold over them break, that’s how they managed to be free, plus the tie between you and Jack never broke” she smiles and strokes my cheek.

I look and see Levi, my heart skips a beat and then Jack comes running towards me so happy to see me.

“Mummy” he leaps wrapping his arms around me “I knew you would come and get me” he smiles.

“I will always come for you sweetheart and I will never let anyone take you away from me again” I hug him tight.

Levi joins us wrapping his arms around the both of us, it hurts but I don’t care, this is the best feeling in the world, that evil man, ghost, thing tried to destroy me and it was easy to drag me into that world because of my gift, which by the way I still have as the psychic gladly told me.

I now know that I have a bloodline direct to that psycho but I will never become like him, we are who we are because of the choices we make, there are good choices and there are bad choices, only we can decide which road to go down, we are in charge of our own future. I will always make sure I try and do my best to make the right choices.

“I love you” Levi says warmly.

“I love you more” 

“Not possible” he smiles.

“And I love you and you and you” Jack giggles.

Now, I know love isn’t a fairy tale, love is hard work, Levi and I have had our arguments and I’m sure in all of the years to come we will have many more. I have been hurt so many times and my gift made my life difficult, but I guess that I just had to wait for the right one to come along, the one who fits into my strange and weird puzzle.

Jack will continue to see Pete and we will continue with our awkwardness and arguing and things won’t always be easy, but that’s what I have come to learn as I’ve grown.

Everyone is sat around the kitchen table, they are smiling and laughing and maybe now things will be a little more normal, I know I will always have this gift but now that Ivan has gone maybe it will be a tad more normal.

I don’t know what I will see but I can hope it will not be anything like I have seen over the years. I go towards the window, the sun is shining brightly in the sky, I would have thought it would have been dark.

I need fresh air; I go down and out of the flat and stand outside the door. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, Levi and I will need to go to the hospital and get checked out I guess, how the fuck will we explain this? I giggle at the thought.

I feel a calm breeze go passed me, leaves surround my feet in an unusual way, like they are being guided, they lift into the air, swirling around up and up as they head towards the blue sky.

There in the clouds I see their faces, Jay’s, Ruth’s, Nan’s, Mum’s and Dad’s and faces of those who had asked for my help, they are free, they are at peace.

They are looking down on me, I smile knowing that no matter what, they will always be there to watch over us….forever.

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