Late that night, Gabby was reading in bed to get herself more relaxed. It was a book about local hiking trails, most of which were in New Jersey. She could overhear the conversation that her parents were having as they got ready for bed.
"I just hope that thing that happened to me last night doesn't happen to me again tonight," said Raul.
"What thing?" asked Isabella.
"That heaviness in my chest and that darkness I see whenever I wake up."
"Raul, if that keeps happening, you should see a doctor. It could be that sleep apnea that I read about in that magazine."
Isabella opened the door to check up on her daughter.
"You remember to take your vitamins, Habichuela?" she asked.
"Mom, I'm twenty-three," said Gabby, "You don't need to remind me."
"Yes, but you'll always be little to me. I can't help it. Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
Gabby waited an hour and a half until 11:30 – Almost The Witching Hour but not quite. And then it was time to do what she had been waiting for all day.
She got out of bed and opened up her roomy closet. There it was: a small table with a green cloth along with a wooden case. She took these items out and placed them on the floor in front of her bed. She opened up the case and took out the following items: a censor, an incense stick, some candles, some bowls, a container of salt, a pitcher of water and a bag of dirt. Last but not least, she took out the ceremonial double-bladed knife known as the athame.
She arranged the alter so that the censor with the incense was facing east, the candle that was reserved for the alter was facing south, the bowls of water and salt were facing west and the bowl of dirt was facing north. She herself would face east, in the direction of the rising sun. She placed four white candles in a circle around the altar, making sure they aligned with the cardinal directions. When she sat down, she placed her hand on the athame. She closed her eyes and tried to chase away the stresses and thoughts of that day. Her mind wasn't on the past or the future. It wasn't in the far away. It was in the here and now. Her room. Her ritual. That ritual's intentions. Most of all, she was grounding herself, gaining power from the floor, which was attached to the house, which was attached to the green earth.
Once she completed five minutes of meditation, she felt like she had all the power she needed. She stood up with the athame and drew a circle around the candles and alter. The circle showed itself with a soft beam of light that etched itself into the carpet as she traced it. The circle wasn't perfect but it did its job. Now was the time to light the four candles. She took out her gas station lighter and circled the area once more.
"I call forth to you Spirits of Air from the East. Bring me your breath of life, your wisdom and your cooling breeze." She lit the candle and, immediately, tiny spirits were drawn to the circle. These spirits were little blobs that were translucent-to-grey, some of them small and round, others slightly bigger with cute, little torsos.
She continued to the south.
"I call forth to you, Spirits of Fire from the South. Bring me your purifying energy that both destroys and creates." She lit the south candle, which brought forth the tiny orange-and-red fire spirits in their own little flurry.
She continued west.
"I call forth to you, Spirits of Water from the West. Bring me your flow of cleansing and healing." She lit the west candle, causing the blue water spirits to congregate. They resembled perspiration on a windshield, except with little faces.
She continued north.
"I call forth to you, Spirits of Earth from the North. Bring me your endurance, strength and fertility." She lit the north candle, summoning the green earth spirits. The spirits swirled in their own column like blades of grass cast into the air by a leaf blower.
Once she was done, she sat in front of the alter to complete the beginning part of the ritual. She took a spoonful of salt and stirred it into the bowl of water. She then lit the purple candle. She was going to commune with the dead tonight.
"Lord and Lady, I call to you to protect me and instill in me the power and wisdom to navigate this space between spaces, this window to the other worlds." She looked up toward the billowing smoke from her censer. In her heart, she knew that the gods would receive her message this way. She pressed her hands to the alter and took a deep breathe. "Gertrude. I am calling to you, Gertrude. Can you hear me, Gertrude?"
A few seconds passed and then she got an answer.
"Hello, Gabby," said a kindly, middle-aged woman's voice, "It's been quite some time."
"What have you been up to lately?"
"Just the usual ghost things. Wandering around aimlessly, doing things that maybe get you noticed."
"And it hasn't gotten old over these past one-hundred-and-six years?"
"Surprisingly, it hasn't."
"Well, I have a few things to tell you tonight. First one is that I got a job with a company that I've always wanted to work for."
"Oh, good for you! What kind of company is it?"
"It's called 'Ghostbusters.'"
"And what do they do with ghosts, exactly?"
"They hunt them, specifically the ones giving people trouble."
"And how exactly do you hunt things that are already dead?"
"With proton beams. Think of it this way: It's a bit like those people who ride horses and hunt foxes with dogs, except instead of horses, there's a car and instead of regular guns, there's proton guns. And instead of a dog, they have a slimy green ghost that doesn't really do anything besides eat."
"Ah, I see. And what is it that you do there?"
"I'm their secretary. I answer calls and do the paperwork. It's not going to be for very long, though. Just three months."
"Well, it sounds like it's a good fit for you."
"Just make sure you behave yourself so that my mom and dad won't have to call them."
Gertrude laughed. "I'll try to be on my best behavior."
Gabby was nervous about bringing up this next subject but she knew that a ghost would be the most knowledgeable about this, certainly more knowledgeable than a living person. "The next thing I want to bring up is this weird thing that's been happening lately."
"Oh?"
"My dad has been experiencing these dreams where, at a certain point, they rewind back to the beginning and then when he wakes up, a dark creature with red, glowing eyes stares him in the face. When this happens, there is heaviness in his chest and he has a hard time moving, at least according to him."
"Oh no… It's a good thing you brought this up to me."
"You know something about this?"
"I don't know for sure, but I have been communing with other realms and lately, a witch has been heard in The Demon Realm – a witch that may be living in your neighborhood."
Gabby's skin prickled. It was bad enough having to worry about urban crime but now there was possible black magic afoot.
"This witch was heard praising the demons, treating them like they're her familiars. From the sounds of it, these demons have been fetching things for her. Although what it is they're fetching, I'm not sure."
"Maybe we shouldn't jump to conclusions. She may be doing something harmless with these… things… that the demons are fetching."
"If that's the case, then why is she using demons?"
"I mean… that does sound worrying. But I'm sure the business that I work for can solve this mystery and prevent anything bad from happening."
"Let's hope."
Gabby didn't want to close the ritual just yet. The events of that day brought forth a question that had been biting at her.
"Hey, Gertrude?"
"Yes, dear?"
"I know that people become ghosts when they die but are they ghosts before they're born? What are we like before we get physical bodies?"
Gertrude paused before answering. "Well, one school of thought says that there is one big universal consciousness that envelopes everything. Each one of us was a small shard in that consciousness, some of us newly-formed, others recycled from previous lifetimes. When one bit of the universal consciousness gets assigned a body, it is up to that body to decide what its purpose is and how to fulfill it. But that's just a theory."
"And yet you haven't fulfilled your life's purpose. That garden in the backyard still hasn't been built. And I feel like I've been too busy to do that, what with work and everything."
"Don't worry about me, dear. Worry about yourself and your wants. Believe me, you're in a better place to do so than I ever was."
Gertrude was correct. After all, Gabby had an education that prepared her for both the literal world and the work world. She mustn't squander it.
"I think I'm going to head for bed, Gertrude. I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow."
"Goodnight, Dear. Go off and do your things."
Gabby bid farewell to the nature spirits in reverse-clockwise direction, blew out the candles and put her supplies away. Another night of her parents not knowing that she practiced witchcraft. When she hopped into bed, she hoped that the sleep paralysis that her dad was experiencing wasn't related to that mysterious witch's activities. In the meantime, she could try to have good dreams in her dark, quiet room.
Meanwhile, in another part of the city, in another building, in another room, it was not dark and quiet. In fact, it was bright and loud, with the loudness coming from Janine's moaning. Debbie sat to her right side and held her right hand while Egon sat to her left side and held her left hand. Doctor Goulding sat on a wheelie stool between Janine's open legs while the nurse looked down at the mother-to-be's progress.
"Okay, Janine, you're doing great," reassured Doctor Goulding.
Poor Janine was a sweaty, huffing mess. She was no longer complaining of the infernal discomfort that she was feeling, even though by now, it must have been worse than ever. Now was the time for her to concentrate. She was exerting so much energy as she was bringing this new person to life. Egon was all too familiar with the world of death. Now he was learning that its polar opposite, the world of birth, could be just as messy and unpleasant.
"One more big push and you're ready to meet your baby! Are you ready?"
Janine nodded begrudgingly.
"One… two… three… PUSH!" said Dr. Goulding.
Janine gritted her teeth and gave it her all. She squeezed Egon's hand so hard that he thought that his fingers were going to snap in two. He had really underestimated her arm strength.
So, this was it, a turning point in Egon's life. He felt like he was going to enter a mysterious room and that there was no turning back because scary creatures were chasing him into it. The question was, was he ready? The answer was: It didn't matter. This was about to happen whether he wanted it to or not.
Once Janine was finished, she fell back and caught her breath. She turned her head and looked at Egon, incredibly exhausted but, judging by her little smile, incredibly relieved.
Doctor Goulding looked down at what was in her arms. The nurse did her own looking as well. The brief silence was broken by the piercing wails of a healthy infant. The doctor and nurse beamed with joy.
"Congratulations, Miss Melnitz," said Doctor Goulding, "It's a boy!"