IN THE SUN
Chapter 21: Fix You
I led the group back through the fields and to the courtyard, a little less afraid than I had been the first time out there. The hall was empty, so I went into the lobby to find David and Brian playing cards at one of the tables.
"Hey," I called. "You guys seen the rest of the group?"
"Yeah, they're ghost hunting, too," David hooked a thumb over his left shoulder and down the other hall. "Apparently one of the fifth-floor rooms has a lot of activity, as well."
"Who else is with him? Cindy...."
"Cindy-- yeah-- and the other crewman."
"Thanks." I'd reached the front desk at that point. "Hey, I was wondering if you could tell me anything about the spirits that reside here, specifically a-a slave named Elijah. Late twenties, he--"
"Oh, yes, the one Margaret Browning was having the affair with. Well, for one thing, did you know they had an illegitimate son together? His name was William."
"Yeah...." I swallowed hard, nodding. "Yeah, I know. Fled to Vancouver when he was sixteen."
"That's right. Anyway, is there anything specifically you'd like to know?"
"I need a burial site for him. A-and for Margaret Browning, as well, please. Is William buried in Vancouver?"
"William is indeed buried in Vancouver, aaaand....." Tanya wracked her memory. "Well..... Margaret, I know for sure, is buried here in New Orleans-- the same cemetery Louis Armstrong is buried in, as a matter of fact-- but Elijah...... now, him, I just don't know." She clicked her tongue and shook her head.
"Is there anyone that would know? Like, a public record, or something...."
"You can check the major library tomorrow if you like. They open at nine."
"That sounds perfect, thank you. Oh- and one last thing. Did Elijah have a last name?"
"Washington. Elijah Isaac Washington."
"Wha--" I was pleasantly surprised at the fact she knew all that. I smiled. "Thank you."
"Thank that psychic boyfriend of yours," Tanya grinned. "He was the one who told me."
"Yeah," I chuckled. "Leave it to him."
I rejoined the others at the sofas and relayed the information to them, but I was desperate for some water, so I found a fountain just down the first hall, where I could still see my group. The elevator doors dinged as I finished, and Nick rounded the corner with Cindy and the other crewman.
"Nick!" I grinned, reaching out for him, and his whole face lit up as he hurriedly scooped me up into a hug. "You find anything good?"
"Did we!" Nick slid an arm around my shoulder and led me back into the lobby. "Margaret's upstairs in room five-oh-eight, did you know?" He was about to continue when all of a sudden, I stopped in my tracks, my breath catching in my throat.
Nick didn't need to ask. He saw him, too.
Elijah stood in the lobby, peering over an oblivious David's shoulder at his hand. Looking up, Elijah saw us and, without breaking eye contact, he rose and walked out to the courtyard.
"Nick--" I grabbed his hand and sprinted out the back doors in time to watch Elijah disappear into the great oak. "Oh, God. Oh, God...." I clutched at my stomach. "He's here. Nick, he's here..... he's....." I broke into a run again, heading straight for the last place I saw Elijah.
"Liza. Liza! I'm not too sure about this."
Collapsing in front of the giant tree, I buried my hands into the dirt. "Help me." I turned and saw Brian staring at me, confused. "Brian, help me! Somebody, please, just help me!"
Falling down on my right, Brian said not a word as he, too, began digging. Behind me, Chris called back to Michael for lights, and within moments, we could see what we were doing. Cindy got down on her hands and knees on my left and helped.
"Liza, what are we look--"
"Oh, Jesus....." My stomach tied itself into a knot as I hit something hard. I started crying because I didn't have to keep digging to know what I'd find, but I did it anyway. The hole we'd made was nearly to my elbows. Brushing away dirt and rocks and twigs, the skull of an adult male came into view. Brian made a sound next to me, his hand flying to his mouth.
"Fuck, man...." David was breathing hard, watching us as we unearthed a full skeleton. Clothing still hung about him, and around his neck was a noose.
"Oh, no, no....." I sobbed, falling back into a sitting position. "Elijah."
We called it a night then, too exhausted (physically and emotionally) to continue. Wrapping Elijah's remains in the same blanket Tanya had gotten me after my attack, we carried him upstairs and kept him in one of the extra drawers in the room Nick and I shared. On the way upstairs, I realized the noose was still in there with him. I gently pulled it off when we got back to the room, cleared the dirt from my arms then went back downstairs and burned the noose in the fireplace. I was still a little uneasy about leaving Elijah in the room with us because I really didn't want to have to deal with any more spirits that night, but fortunately, he was still, and Nick and I were able to get some decent rest.
The next morning I called my father and had him hunt down our family tree. I needed proof that Margaret Rachelle Browning was indeed my relative in order to have her unearthed. When he faxed it to the hotel, I raced down to City Hall to get permission from the judge to take my great-great-great aunt out of the ground.
That only took two hours. I was worn out but I kept running. Next stop: the cemetery. Everyone had caught up to me then; at first it was just me, Mike, Will and Nick, but come the time we arrived at the cemetery, everyone else had caught up. Phil and Cole were so confused, and Chris had to fill them in on the way there. It took an hour to get Maggie from the ground; her box was old and rusted in places, and we got it into the back of the hearse and immediately took it to a funeral home down the road. And that's when I realized I'd forgotten Elijah.
Nick and I hauled ass back to the hotel. He kept the car running out front; I raced upstairs, scooped up the remains and jumped back in the car. We made it in time, fortunately; they were closing soon, and Elijah and Maggie were the last ones for the day. The funeral home wasn't sure what they could do for Elijah, since there was only skeleton, and skeleton tended to be a little more difficult to cremate than flesh, but they promised to have them ready for us by five that evening.
It was three o'clock and we finally were able to slow down enough to breathe. We took a moment in the main room at the funeral home. Collapsing on the sofa next to Nick, I put my head in his lap and buried my face in my arms with a moan. "This is really wearing me out, man."
Nick chuckled, stroking my hair. "Tell me about it."
I rolled over onto my back-- I'd nearly forgotten about the wounds, and I drew in a sharp breath as I got a dull twang of pain-- then adjusted myself so I could look up at Nick.
"We should scatter them in the fields outside the slave quarters."
"That's a great place to do it," Chris agreed from across the coffee table.
"Guys," Brian piped up. "All this ghost stuff and running around town has made me kinda hungry." There were sounds of agreement from everyone. "Let's go eat while we wait for Maggie and Elijah."
We found a nice restaurant nearby and when we were done, we went back to get the remains. They were stored in two separate urns; I carried Maggie's urn in my lap and Chris held on to Elijah's as Nick drove. All the way back to the hotel I couldn't stop thinking about how terrible it must have been for them, for everyone who had to suffer the way Aunt Maggie and Elijah and little William did, the people who saw the evil and error in their social structure. I sincerely hoped that this one small act would help bring even a tiny piece of justice to the whole situation.
The hotel was quiet when we got back, which was unusual for a Sunday afternoon, apparently. Everyone agreed to meet back at the lobby in an hour and a half for Elijah and Maggie's service. I showered quickly, and Nick went in when I was done. The eleven of us met back downstairs at seven and ventured out into the fields. The sun was halfway through setting for the evening, and it was beautiful. Perfect night for a memorial. Most of us dressed in black for the occasion; Nick held onto Elijah's urn and I held Maggie's as the group gathered out before us.
"Okay," I sighed. "Um.... I've never really done anything like this before. I mean....." I chuckled then. "I'm not Catholic, I don't know any prayers or anything like that..... Chris, would you....?"
"I'd be honored, honey," Chris smiled, bowing his head. We all followed suit, and Chris cleared his throat. "Almighty God, You love everything You have made and judge us with infinite mercy and justice. We rejoice in Your promises of pardon, joy and peace to all those who love you. In Your mercy, turn the darkness of death into the dawn of new life, and the sorrow of parting into the joy of heaven; through our Savior Jesus Christ, who died, rose again, and lives forevermore. May you keep Elijah Isaac Washington and Margaret Rachelle Browning in Your Kingdom forever. Amen."
"Amen," the group echoed.
"You ready?" I asked Nick.
"When you are, love."
I nodded. Releasing the top to Maggie's urn, I watched the ashes take to the air; Nick was close behind, opening up Elijah's urn, and as the last pieces fell and danced on the wind, we set down the empty canisters. Tears sprung to my eyes then, and I wiped at them with the back of my hand; Nick, seeing this, wrapped his arms around me. I slid my arms around his waist as we watched Maggie and Elijah drift away with the wind.
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MUSIC:
This chapter was inspired by two separate songs. The scene in which they discover Elijah's remains underneath the oak was inspired by the song "Hide and Seek" by Imogen Heap. The song is about grief, heartbreak and betrayal, which is what Elijah and Maggie went through at the hands of Maggie's husband, Paul Browning. Liza is overcome by the "unfairness," the grief, of the situation, of finding Elijah's remains.
The double-memorial service was partially inspired by the song "Fix You," by Coldplay, which is what I ended up naming this chapter. It's a beautiful and heartbreaking song, and the ending is explosive; I kept hearing it over and over when I wrote the memorial service scene.