A Girl Between (13 page)

When I woke up the next day, I felt as stiff as a board.  Even
though I felt like crap, I was starving, so I dragged myself out of bed and
went downstairs to get some breakfast.  The first thing I saw was a note for me
on the kitchen table:  
Tess - Mercy called.  She said to call her back
immediately
.

I gulped down some orange juice and then went to call her.  The
phone rang the moment I put my hand on the receiver.  “Hello” I answered.

“Oh, my God, is that you, Tess?”

“Yeah, it’s me,” I answered.

“How are you doing?  What happened to you yesterday?” Mercy
asked.

“Other than feeling like every muscle is screaming at me,
I’m doing all right.  By the way, were you at the fair?  I didn’t see you,” I
asked.

“Yeah, I was there last night.  My mom has a thing about
roller coasters.  Any time we are near a roller coaster, she has to go on it.  Anyway,
we were on the last…..”

I interrupted, “Mercy!  You were on the last roller coaster
ride last night?  I saw what happened.  Is your mom doing OK?  And how about
you?  Did you get hurt?”

Mercy sighed and answered, “We’re doing OK, but I was scared
to death.  Did you see what happened to it?”

“Yeah, it was terrible.  I saw the last two cars hanging
right off the tracks.  Where were you guys sitting?” I asked.

“We were IN the last car.  It’s weird.  When we first got
on, my mom insisted that we sit in the front car for some reason.  She said she
had a bad feeling about riding in the back.  I told her she was crazy.  We
always sit in the last car because it feels like it whips around faster.  Anyway,
she ended up following me to the back car and we buckled in.  The ride started
up and was really whipping around when suddenly it came to a stop, BANG.  It
stopped so quickly I hit my head and my mom wacked her knees.  When that
happened, we just knew something was very wrong.  We decided to get out of
there fast.

“A guy on the ground was shouting up that everything was OK;
that it was just a mechanical problem.  We thought he was full of crap.  We
told the people around us to climb down with us, but they wouldn’t listen.  So
we got out of the car and crawled along the rail to a repair ladder that was on
the trestle.  Then, we climbed down the ladder.  I have to say, I was scared
out of my mind.  Even though I like roller coasters, I’m not crazy about
heights.”  Mercy’s voice was uncharacteristically anxious as she was telling
me.  Usually, nothing bothers her.

“Did you end up seeing what happened to that last car?” I
asked in a quiet voice.

“Yeah, that was horrible.  The man that was hanging out of
that car had been sitting right behind us.” 

“By the way, Mercy, have you heard anything about Ian
Miller?  I went with him and we got separated during all the commotion last
night.  We were stuck on the Ferris wheel and I ended up falling off.  That was
the last I saw of him.”  I was trying to keep my voice from sounding shaky.

“No, I didn’t see him there, Tess.  But if you’re OK, he
can’t be doing too badly.  Just keep on trying to call him.”

I sighed.  “Do you know what happened in the rest of the
fairgrounds?”

“Only a little.  We got out of the park as soon as we got
down to the ground.  I just knew something was up so we got out of there as
fast as possible.  We could see some weird things start to happen as we were
leaving the fair and I could smell smoke.  I heard about your episode in the
Ferris wheel.  Your aunt mentioned to me that you’re pretty banged up, but
otherwise OK.”

“I’ll live, which is more than I can say for some of the
others,” I responded.

“Tess, one reason I called you is because I’ve been thinking
that we should pay a visit to your friend, Miss Cassie,” Mercy remarked.

“Really?  Why now?” I asked.  Miss Cassie was the last thing
on my mind at this moment.

“From what you were telling me about Miss Cassie, I think
she could shed some light on things here in town.  I also think she may be able
to tell us something about what happened at the fair,” Mercy answered.

“You think she might actually know something about what
happened?  I don’t know about that,” I answered.

Mercy exclaimed, “Tess, you have to admit that what happened
was not normal, like from an earthquake or a lightning or something.  It
certainly wouldn’t hurt to go talk to her.  Can you get out today for a while?”

I had aches and pains all over and I was wearing this stupid
brace.  I was supposed to be recuperating up in my room, but really, sitting
here at home by myself, all day long, would be deadly boring.  After a while,
I’d go crazy.  Auntie and Grandma were on a buying trip for the greenhouse
today and Annie’s at work, so I’d just have to sneak past Eve. “That’s a great
idea, Mercy.  I’ll need a ride though.”

“Are you sure you’re in good enough shape to go?” asked
Mercy.

“Of course, I’m fine,” I fibbed.

“My mom has a dentist appointment in town so she can drive
us to Miss Cassie’s place and then pick us up when she’s done.  How about we
get you in an hour?”

“Perfect.  I’ll be ready,” I responded.

As soon as I put the receiver down, I dialed the phone at
Ian’s house.

“Hello,” said a woman’s voice.

“Hello, I’m Tess Littleton.  I was at the fair with Ian last
night.  I’ve been trying to reach him.  May I speak to him?”

“Oh, my goodness!  Tess, I’m Mrs. Miller.  I’m afraid that
Ian was knocked unconscious at the fair.  I don’t know if you are aware that he
fell from the Ferris wheel.  He sustained a severe concussion along with some
other injuries.  He’s coming home today, but we’re asking his friends to wait a
day or two before seeing him because he can’t move his head at all.  In fact,
he didn’t wake up until this morning.”

I was so shocked that I didn’t know what to say.  I was just
thinking about poor Ian.

“Are you there, dear?  Ian did ask me to call you after he
woke up this morning.  I just got back from the hospital so I haven’t had a
chance to do it.  Are you all right?  He was very concerned about you.”

With a sense of guilt I answered, “Yes, Mrs. Miller, I’m all
right.  I hurt my neck a little and I have some aches and pains, but otherwise
I’m fine.  Could you please tell Ian that I’ll visit him as soon as he can have
visitors?”

“Yes, I will.  We’re picking him up in an hour.  I’ll be
sure and tell him that you’re doing all right.  He’ll be so relieved.”

Eve was on the phone so much, talking with her friends about
the fair that I had no problem slipping out.  I just left her a note on the
kitchen table explaining where I was going.  She’ll get pissed, but it’ll be
too late by then because I’ll already be gone.

When we arrived at Miss Cassie’s, we saw her sitting outside
in her rocking chair.  With her old lady shoes, hair in a bun and the red
gingham apron she could have been from the past century.

“Hello, dear.  It’s so nice that you came by to see me
again.  I figured I would see you at some point in time.  I hope you’re all right.
 I see you’ve hurt your neck,” Miss Cassie said quietly.

“Hello, Miss Cassie.  I’m doing OK.  I just had a little
accident.  By the way,” I responded, while politely gesturing toward Mercy,
“this is my good friend, Mercy Reed.”

Miss Cassie studied Mercy for a minute before she remarked,
“I know of you, Mercy Reed.”

Mercy looked surprised for a minute, but then she just
answered, “So nice to finally meet you, Miss Cassie.”

“Would you girls like to come in and join me for a cup of
tea and some pumpkin cake?” Miss Cassie asked.

“We would love to, Miss Cassie,” I answered.

Upon entering her house I was again struck by how familiar
it felt to me.  We sat down in her parlor while she brought in the tea and
cake. 

Miss Cassie turned to me, “So, Tessie, I presume you came
because you wanted to know about something.  What would you like to ask of me?”

I thought for a minute before I inquired, “Miss Cassie, do
you know anything about what happened at the Tri town fair last night?”

Miss Cassie looked gravely at us before answering, “Yes, I’m
afraid that I have heard all about the horrendous events that occurred at that
fair.”  She glanced at my neck before continuing, “I presume that is why you
are wearing a neck brace.”

“Yes, it is.  It doesn’t seem as if anything natural was
behind those strange events.  Do you have any idea how it happened?” I asked.

Miss Cassie gravely nodded her head. “Yes, I’m afraid that I
do.  I presume you have some other questions for me today.  I can tell you more
about the fair, but it may be easier to answer them later on within a certain
context.”

I guess that means she’s not ready to answer that question. 
OK, I’ll try something else.  “Miss Cassie, why did you call me Elsa the first
time I saw you?  Why do you know something about one of my past lives?”

“So you are aware of your past lives?  I had hoped that you
would eventually learn that about yourself.”  Miss Cassie settled down in her
chair before continuing, “I have lived many, many past lives myself.”

“You have?” I asked, quite surprised.

“Does everyone have many lives?” Mercy asked.

“Yes, although some people, or you can call them souls, have
had many more past lives than others.  Most souls evolve spiritually from one
life to the next, but some souls don’t.  For different reasons, they become
spiritual desolates.  They don’t progress at all.  In fact, they can even
regress,” Miss Cassie explained.

“Miss Cassie, why do you know all this?” I questioned.

Miss Cassie took a minute to readjust her shawl before
answering.  While she was doing that, her aura started to emerge.  A large
circle of beautiful shining gold encased her entire form.  It was stunning.  I
tried to look beyond the aura to her eyes but it was distracting.  I could feel
goodness, beauty, joy, wonder, kindness.  It was quite affecting.

Miss Cassie said, “I am no longer incarnating for the
purpose of spiritual evolution.”

“If you are no longer evolving through incarnation, then why
are you here as a person?” I asked.

Miss Cassie stopped and took a sip of her tea.  “Once your soul
has reached a high level of evolution, it is your duty is to help other souls
continue with their progression.”

I asked, “How do you help other souls?”

Miss Cassie’s eyes became very serious.  “There are many
things a higher soul or spirit can do.  The first thing I did upon reaching
that level, was to help other souls during the phase of
The Between
. 
The
Between
is the phase that souls spend between their lives.  This is a most
important stage in the progression of a soul.  It is the time when a soul may
initially rest from a difficult time as a being.  Eventually, the soul must
evaluate their life on earth.  Was their life of value to others or was their
life selfish and wasteful?  This is the kind of thing a soul must contemplate.”

Mercy asked, “During the time of
The Between
, do
souls have a say about when or if they come back to earth as a being?”

“During
The Between
, a higher spirit helps the soul
come to a decision about when to return to life on earth, where they choose to
be born, and for what reasons.  Of course, the primary reason a soul returns to
earth as a being is for spiritual growth and wisdom.  Souls can learn during
the state of
The Between
, however, much knowledge can only be acquired
through the pain and pleasure of living as a human,” Miss Cassie explained.

Mercy commented, “You said that some souls regress while
they are living.  Can’t you punish them or affect them in some way, so they do
what they’re supposed to do while on earth?”

“A soul determines their own path.  It cannot be interfered
with during their life time.  Upon death, depending upon the severity of their
regressions, they may spend their time in
The Between
undergoing
uncomfortable evaluations with other souls, or they may become involved in a
solitary kind of penitence.  Also, if a soul refuses to progress as planned,
they may be banned from returning to earth for a very long time. 

I
inquired, “Why are you posing as a human at this time and in this place?”

Miss
Cassie responded, “I am here as a spirit guide.”

“What is the purpose of a spirit guide?” Mercy asked Miss
Cassie

Miss Cassie voice took on a more severe tone before she responded,
“Spirit guides are required during times of tumult.  This is one such time.  I
am needed to monitor what is happening.”

Miss Cassie smiled, “Before we go on, I want to make sure
that all of this is making sense to you.  It is difficult for a soul-bound
person to comprehend at times.”

Mercy commented, “You’re sure right about that.”

“I can offer you some proof if that would help,” answered
Miss Cassie.

“What is it?” I wondered how she could prove this.

“My last life here on earth was when you were Elsa and you
lived here in Woodley in the 1600’s.  Mercy, you were also here.  Your name was
Faith at that time.” Miss Cassie regarded Mercy. 

“I knew about that,” Mercy admitted quietly.

I turned to her in surprise.  “You KNEW about that?”

Mercy replied, “Yes, my mom saw some unusual traits in me as
I was growing up.  She had a feeling that it had something to do with my past.  That’s
why she learned about regression hypnosis.  She hypnotized me also.”  Mercy
then looked gravely at me and stated, “We knew each other back then Tess.”

Miss Cassie affirmed, “Yes, both of you suffered greatly.  You
were two of the accused.”

“Accused of WHAT?”  I demanded.

“Witchcraft,” exclaimed Miss Cassie.