Chapter 2

Ed was furious with himself for not having noticed anything in the first few days. Lorraine had been quiet, spending a lot of time in their room or on the porch, putting the box to play all the time and Ed, thinking that it had been from the case that had tired her more than usual, had let her rest and canceled their celebration.

Lorraine had still been talking to him, even though she had been quieter. After Ed served her tea, she would take the little music box with her to their balcony, putting it to play, distancing herself from everything and everyone and the moments when she held her daughter Jude, the little girl seemed to be restless with the box, hiding her face on her mother's hair or, running to her father.

Her speech seemed slow and the woman had her blue eyes glazed when the melody would play and Ed often had to drag her in to eat something, and at night Ed would wake up and find her on the bathroom or in the living room, with the object and either followed him back to the bed without speaking or, would be a little skittish.

But a week later, Ed had begun to feel that something was wrong, not just with Lorraine, but with their house.

Ed had sensed the presence of something bad in their bedroom and would hear creaks on the floor at night, and then, had started to suspect the music box that, after investigating it and, with the right camera, had realized that the object emitted an evil energy, hidding himself somehow in Lorraine so Ed wouldn't feel him.

Picking it up on his hands and turning it, Ed had seen that someone, Lorraine, had scratched the bottom, leaving a name written, a clue. It was the same evil creature that had taken possession of the son of the McKenzie.

Ed had suspected that the spirit might have invaded the only object it had found in the attic, with the intention of possessing another person that night. Lorraine. The sweet, yet strong and sensitive Lorraine.

Knowing he couldn't wait to call the Church, and would have to put his skill into action again, he had taken advantage of the fact that Lorraine, or the spirit, had been in the bathroom, and picked up some white sheets, throwing them on the bed, until Lorraine appeared.

In a mixture of fury with himself and the spirit, and pain over what he would do, he had kissed the woman tightly, holding her wrists and distracting her until he was able to fasten her to the bed with the sheets tightly, seeing the body twisting and a voice that wasn't Lorraine's, screaming. In a hurry, he had gotten rid of all the objects from the bedroom and poured holy water on the empty space of the room, and over his wife, who writhed and shouted obscenities.

The thing then laughed and teased Ed, saying that he would never have Lorraine back and, telling the horrendous and perverse things he would do with her. But Ed had faith, and knew that Lorraine had faith in him.

"You'll never get your wife back. This body belongs to me and I'll do whatever I want with it." The distorted voice had said, with a mischievous smile on Lorraine's face before spitting on Ed, who had just wiped it off, ignoring his cross necklace that was floating and said earnestly, his eyes shining brightly:

"Lorraine, keep fighting, because I will also be fighting with you my love. I have faith, you have already given me the clue I needed, the other name of the evil spirit you wrote on the box." And then, he had left the room ignoring the screams and frames in the hall that were shaking.

That's why Ed was now in the kitchen with his Bible, preparing for what he was about to do. Exorcisms were dangerous and he was afraid that this could go wrong and he would end up hurting his wife, or worse. Without her, he couldn't survive.

With their daughter out of town with her grandmother, Ed took a deep breath and left the kitchen, climbing the stairs and heading into their bedroom, struggling to open the door that the spirit in Lorraine tried to close. Approaching her, he held his necklace with the cross for a moment, before touching Lorraine's forehead tenderly, for his wife was still there, inside the body that squirmed away from Ed's warm touch.

Then, splashing holy water on her, he opened the Bible and began the ritual.

-
Hours later, Ed was sitting on the bed with Lorraine lying on his lap. She was still shaken by all that had happened, and all Ed wanted was to protect her from everything and so he had a protective hand around her waist and the other, caressing her brown hair gently and mumbling words of love, after she had ventured on the event.

Lorraine had her eyes closed, her hands over Ed's leg, but she could feel her husband's eyes on her, as if watching her sleep and she smiled for the first time since the night she had held the music box.

In those days she had been possessed, she had felt impotent, invaded, because it was her job to feel these things, but everything had happened so fast that when she had sensed the evil presence, the spirit was already inside her, fighting Lorraine and using her, her husband and daughter, the people she loved the most.

She no longer felt so guilty, even because it had taken her some time to make Ed stop feeling guilty too. The box with the beautiful melody was in the museum of their basement now, but inside the protection glass, as much as the object was now free.

"It's okay, Ed. We'll be fine." Lorraine said, convicted, still with her eyes closed, lying over his left leg, her hand on his right knee.

"I know my love, but the will to protect you is too big..." Ed said, feeling his throat close and fighting back the tears, remembering his wife tied to the bed, but then he remembered Lorraine's words from a few minutes ago, who had used a tone of voice that made the last days fade out of their minds:

Don't go there, don't blame yourself. There was no way you could have known, all you wanted to do was give me a gift. I myself didn't have a chance to tell you that something was wrong and I believe it happened for a reason. And together we managed to overcome it.

Lorraine got up from his leg and approached Ed, placing a sweet kiss on his face and then, on his lips, making him smile and bury his hand in her curls, deepening the kiss that made both feel their bodies on fire with all the love, and passion as Ed's free hand ran up to her waist, pulling her gently over him, feeling her hand caress his leg as they continued to kiss.

When they broke the kiss, their hearts slowing down, Ed stroked his wife's face with his and she said:

"I love you Ed..."

"I love you too."

"Do you think we can find another music box with that melody?" She asked timidly. Despite the terrible event with the box, the melody was beautiful as well as Ed's intention.

Caressing his wife's hair and lacing his free hand with hers, he said tenderly flooded by the love he felt for his wife:

"But of course my love, let's look for another one, but this time, safe one. All I want is to see you smiling, always."

"I also want to see you smile always, your smile is beautiful Ed."

The next morning, Ed came down with Lorraine to their museum, passing by the various shelves with objects they had exorcised along the years, until they stood in front of the last acquired item, Lorraine's music box.

Ed had an arm around her waist, stroking it and holding her firmly, while Lorraine had her head resting on his chest, watching the object. A box so small that contained a melancholy but beautiful melody, but that also had caused so many problems to the paranormal investigators.

But Lorraine and Ed knew that all that had happened for a reason, that as bad as things were, together, the couple could be able to face anything, because God had united them and what God united, nothing could separate and the couple then exchanged a passionate kiss before they left, being greeted with a huge embrace from their daughter, Jude, seeing that everything seemed to be normal again.