Chapter Four
"Join me, Jeannie," said the glowing purple entity. "Together, the world will be our oyster."
"I have no interest in conquest," said Jeannie. I must not show fear, Jeannie thought, even as the butterflies were churning in her stomach. I must be strong.
"Do you not feel trapped by this disgusting … mortal … existence of yours?"
"I have marched with Caesar and Napolean," Jeannie replied. "I have witnessed the rise and fall of empires.
"I know from experience that ALL empires fall eventually," Jeannie concluded. "Conquest holds no appeal for me."
"You and I are of the same flesh!" the entity exclaimed, now clearly agitated.
"And that … is where the similarity between us ends," said Jeannie calmly.
"DAMN YOU, JEANNIE!" the entity roared. With that, the entity fired an energy ball at Jeannie's legs. Jeannie dematerialized just long enough to allow the ball to pass harmlessly through her body.
Jeannie pressed her hands together, as if in prayer. She then chanted an incantation in ancient Persian. All at once, the purple entity floating before her was enveloped in a column of blue light.
Before the entity could react, Jeannie blinked. The column and the entity vanished into thin air.
That takes care of the entity, Jeannie thought.
The entity entered this house through a portal, Jeannie thought further. I must find the portal and seal it.
Jeannie placed her hand on the living room wall and mouthed another incantation.
Images of the entity and a strangely-dressed teenage girl sitting on the floor of her bedroom filled Jeannie's mind. The girl sat in darkness within a ring of lit votive candles.
The girl was chanting in an ancient tongue that was unknown even to the equally ancient Jeannie.
The bedroom, Jeannie concluded. With that, Jeannie folded her arms in front of her, blinked and disappeared into thin air.
Outside, Tony Jr. watched as lights flickered from inside the house.
After a while, the flickering lights ceased.
It's quiet, Tony Jr. thought. I'd better go check on Mom.
"Mom? Mom?" Tony Jr. cried as he made his way through the house, searching for Jeannie.
As he entered the bedroom, he was greeted by the sight of Jeannie lying passed out on the floor, unconscious.
"MOM!" Tony Jr. screamed as he rushed to the side of the fallen Jeannie. He shook her shoulder, trying to rouse her.
Jeannie stirred, opened her eyes, and looked around the room.
"Mom, are you all right?" Tony Jr. asked frantically.
"I am well, my son," Jeannie replied weakly, gasping for breath. "I am not injured."
Tony Jr. breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad you're all right," he said.
Jeannie sat up. "The demon has been exorcised … and banished to whence he came," she said. "The house is now cleansed."
"You can DO that?" Tony Jr. asked, raising his eyebrows.
"My mission is to serve and protect … you and your father," Jeannie replied calmly.
My father … Her master, Tony Jr. thought.
"I am trained to fight supernatural entities," Jeannie continued. "It is part and parcel of protecting the two of you.
"That said, it is an encounter that I neither seek out … nor desire," said Jeannie.
The front door opened. Roger entered the house and closed the door behind him, carrying a bag of groceries.
"Yoo Hoo! Anyone home?" Roger cried out to the empty living room.
"Uncle Roger…" Tony Jr. exclaimed.
Jeannie touched a finger to her lips, bidding Tony Jr. silent. Not a word. "We are in the bedroom, Colonel Healey," Jeannie called out from the bedroom.
"Anything happen while I was gone?" Roger asked as he entered the bedroom.
Jeannie stood up and brushed herself off. "It was nothing that we could not handle," she replied with an impish smile
THE END