felt a breeze at her nape, and she closed her eyes.
The fear had never really left her. Josh, who had been born with
his unique perception, had not been afraid. But to Darcy, knowing
that a very strange door was open was still a frightening
experience. She knew that she had to allow the sensations in, but
each time, it still seemed that cold fingers clutched her heart,
and it was a fight to do what she knew she did well.
They were not alone.
Talk to me,
she thought in silence.
But then her eyes popped open as she heard a rapping at the
table. She frowned, then felt a very physical force as the hands
grasping around the table all seemed to tighten as one. Elizabeth
spoke excitedly.
"We have made a communication! Rap again, please, if you are
with us."
A tap sounded.
Darcy looked around the table, doubting that any of the ghosts
were tapping. Matt, too, was looking around the table.
The presence that had been so near Darcy and so apparent
to her backed away. It didn't disappear; it simply receded.
"Are you the spirit we call the Lady in White?" Elizabeth
asked.
There was no response.
"Perhaps a soldier?"
There was another rapping.
Matt was staring at Darcy, a certain hostility apparent in his
eyes. Anger burst through her. He assumed that she was the one
somehow managing to tap the table.
"Did you live during Revolutionary Times," Elizabeth asked,
earnest concern in her voice.
No response. Matt was still staring at Darcy.
"The Civil War?" Elizabeth asked softly.
Another rap.
"Yes! Yes!" Elizabeth said, her eyes closed, her
concentration intense. ' 'We believe we know your story. You
fought hard, so hard, for what you believed to be a just cause. You
died here in this house. But you needn't stay and fight on. The war
is over. Peace has come. And the outcome, in the end, was right.
The only outcome that could be right, and the world has moved on.
We seek now to offer true justice and equality for all men. You may
rest in peace. Do you understand me? Can my words help you find
rest?"
Another rap, then a number of excited raps.
Penny whispered softly to Elizabeth. "We don't want our ghosts
to go away! We just want them to be happy."
"They're only happy when they're at peace!" Carter said, staring
at Penny with a strange smile.
"This is so exciting!" Mae whispered.
"Hush!" Elizabeth said, moaning softly. "We'll break me very
tenuous thread that is linking us to the entity."
There was a sound at the table, one of total impatience.
Matt.
"Please!" Elizabeth said. "Captain...you are a captain, right?"
she said, addressing the ghost.
There was nothing.
"Let us know. We're here for you," Elizabeth said.
There was another rap.
"Yes, you're a captain. A true gentleman, still righting for his
cause!"
There was suddenly the sound of a shriek. The table jumped.
The sound had come from Delilah. "Someone... something touched
my thigh!"
"The captain isn't such a gentleman," Clint suggested wryly.
The table jerked again.
Matt swore, and rose, breaking the circle. ' 'David, can you
just go ahead and hit the lights?" he asked.
The room was flooded with illumination. "Okay, who was touching
Delilah's legs?"
"Matt, we had contact, real contact," Elizabeth said,
dismayed.
"Oh, please!" Matt said.
"By one horny ghost," Carter suggested, amused.
Matt glared at him. "Not me!" Carter protested.
All eyes naturally turned to Clint.
"Not on your life!" he protested.
"I'm telling you, we contacted a Civil War soldier," Elizabeth
said stubbornly.
"Absolutely," Penny agreed. "And one of you destroyed our
communication. Matt, you just can't have those two around the next
time we have a seance. Delilah, we really have ghosts here."
Delilah shivered. "You do really believe that-that a captain
from the Civil War was in this room with us?''
"I must say," Jason remarked, "Everyone's hands were on the
table." From the way he spoke, it was difficult to tell if he was
impressed with the tapping, or merely curious as to how it
The fear had never really left her. Josh, who had been born with
his unique perception, had not been afraid. But to Darcy, knowing
that a very strange door was open was still a frightening
experience. She knew that she had to allow the sensations in, but
each time, it still seemed that cold fingers clutched her heart,
and it was a fight to do what she knew she did well.
They were not alone.
Talk to me,
she thought in silence.
But then her eyes popped open as she heard a rapping at the
table. She frowned, then felt a very physical force as the hands
grasping around the table all seemed to tighten as one. Elizabeth
spoke excitedly.
"We have made a communication! Rap again, please, if you are
with us."
A tap sounded.
Darcy looked around the table, doubting that any of the ghosts
were tapping. Matt, too, was looking around the table.
The presence that had been so near Darcy and so apparent
to her backed away. It didn't disappear; it simply receded.
"Are you the spirit we call the Lady in White?" Elizabeth
asked.
There was no response.
"Perhaps a soldier?"
There was another rapping.
Matt was staring at Darcy, a certain hostility apparent in his
eyes. Anger burst through her. He assumed that she was the one
somehow managing to tap the table.
"Did you live during Revolutionary Times," Elizabeth asked,
earnest concern in her voice.
No response. Matt was still staring at Darcy.
"The Civil War?" Elizabeth asked softly.
Another rap.
"Yes! Yes!" Elizabeth said, her eyes closed, her
concentration intense. ' 'We believe we know your story. You
fought hard, so hard, for what you believed to be a just cause. You
died here in this house. But you needn't stay and fight on. The war
is over. Peace has come. And the outcome, in the end, was right.
The only outcome that could be right, and the world has moved on.
We seek now to offer true justice and equality for all men. You may
rest in peace. Do you understand me? Can my words help you find
rest?"
Another rap, then a number of excited raps.
Penny whispered softly to Elizabeth. "We don't want our ghosts
to go away! We just want them to be happy."
"They're only happy when they're at peace!" Carter said, staring
at Penny with a strange smile.
"This is so exciting!" Mae whispered.
"Hush!" Elizabeth said, moaning softly. "We'll break me very
tenuous thread that is linking us to the entity."
There was a sound at the table, one of total impatience.
Matt.
"Please!" Elizabeth said. "Captain...you are a captain, right?"
she said, addressing the ghost.
There was nothing.
"Let us know. We're here for you," Elizabeth said.
There was another rap.
"Yes, you're a captain. A true gentleman, still righting for his
cause!"
There was suddenly the sound of a shriek. The table jumped.
The sound had come from Delilah. "Someone... something touched
my thigh!"
"The captain isn't such a gentleman," Clint suggested wryly.
The table jerked again.
Matt swore, and rose, breaking the circle. ' 'David, can you
just go ahead and hit the lights?" he asked.
The room was flooded with illumination. "Okay, who was touching
Delilah's legs?"
"Matt, we had contact, real contact," Elizabeth said,
dismayed.
"Oh, please!" Matt said.
"By one horny ghost," Carter suggested, amused.
Matt glared at him. "Not me!" Carter protested.
All eyes naturally turned to Clint.
"Not on your life!" he protested.
"I'm telling you, we contacted a Civil War soldier," Elizabeth
said stubbornly.
"Absolutely," Penny agreed. "And one of you destroyed our
communication. Matt, you just can't have those two around the next
time we have a seance. Delilah, we really have ghosts here."
Delilah shivered. "You do really believe that-that a captain
from the Civil War was in this room with us?''
"I must say," Jason remarked, "Everyone's hands were on the
table." From the way he spoke, it was difficult to tell if he was
impressed with the tapping, or merely curious as to how it
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