AN:
This chapter deals with some religious beliefs. Now, I'm not Christian or Roman Catholic, and I'm not sure what religion the Hardys subscribe to either. I have used some of the Catholic beliefs (According to research from Google, so don't give it too much weight...lol) to match the story.

Why do the Dead Stay Behind?

The next day, they went to church and sat on the pews at the back, waiting for the Sunday service to end so they could speak to the pastor afterwards.

Father Hendricks noticed them right away and ambled over to them with a bright smile on his face. "Frank and Joe Hardy, how are you, boys?"

"We're alright, thank you, father," Frank said. "Um, we were wondering if you could maybe answer some questions for us?"

"Yes, of course. This way," Father Hendricks agreed immediately and ushered them towards a set of isolated pews, away from the scattered and departing congregation. "What would you like to know?"

"Uh, we were at Morton's farm yesterday," Frank began, getting straight to the point. "We got trapped inside their old barn with a really weird freaky tornado. It came out of nowhere and kinda sent everything inside the barn up in the air then collapsed the entire building to the ground when it finally left."

"Chet and his parents told us about some strange things that have been going on, afterwards," Joe added. "They said they were afraid that their place might be haunted, they told us about the sounds and the sightings…"

"Ah," Father Hendricks nodded when Joe trailed off. "Now you're wondering what you just experienced."

"We were hoping you might have an idea about that sort of thing," Frank elaborated. "I mean, we aren't sure the things we saw and the Mortons have experienced have any sort of rational explanation."

"I understand," Father said. "There are things in life that can be explained away by scientific facts or just by observing the course of nature, and the rest of course, by choosing to have faith in God. But sometimes, something comes along that cannot really be explained by any of those means, such as this inexplicable and unnatural phenomenon or the mysterious sounds and sights the Mortons have been experiencing," he summarised their inquiry. "And you're hoping the church might have an insight."

"Yes, Father," Joe replied. "Chet's parents said you visited them already."

"I have, yes," Father Hendricks sighed, a wave of sadness darkening his expression. "The loss of a child is a tragedy no matter how you look at it," he said softly. "Now, I'm not saying that there aren't things that roam around among us that do not belong in the world of the living, but, most of the time, unbearable and crippling grief has a way of manifesting in the strangest manner in all of us, in very different ways."

"You mean they could be imagining seeing or hearing Iola because they are still grieving?"

"It's not that simple. We all have our own ways of processing emotions. Shock and sorrow are very potent and painful emotions, and the human mind would always try to heal by finding something that would ease away that pain. So, if seeing, hearing and experiencing her presence could ease away the pain of her loss, even for a short moment, then one's mind might believe in that illusion for that moment of peace," Father Hendricks explained. "But, as I mentioned, there are other forces among us that prey on emotions such as grief, loss and suffering of the living souls. They can latch onto them, use them and make it worse, and drown the living in all sorts of negative emotions for their own gain. These could be evil spirits or demons, and they feed off on that suffering."

"How do you deal with that kind of interference?"

"I go to them, I talk to them and listen to them when they open up to me, and ultimately I remind them that we are all in our God's hands and that we need to have faith in Him, for it is all part of his plan," said the pastor. "Ghosts and spirits and all kinds of otherworldly forces aren't for any of us to deal with, which is why it is a sin according to the Bible. They do not have a place among the living, and they gain power here only if we give it to them. It is up to us to pray for our departed, it is up to us to live our lives to the best we can in adherence to our faith, but it is not for us to meddle in the affairs of Heaven, Hell and the In-Between, that is the territory of the God Himself."

"Is there, um, anything you can do to make Chet and his parents safe?" Joe asked hesitantly, not sure if he was intruding on something private. "Because Father, they might not survive if something like that tornado would hit them again,"

"I promised to visit Morton's farm again," the pastor smiled. "I will bless their home with holy water and pray with them for their child, that she may find peace, but apart from that, the rest is in their Faith and the Hands of our Lord."

It was apparent to both of them that there was nothing much to be gained from Father Hendricks after that. He had given them his perception of the events according to his beliefs, even though it really didn't leave them with much information to go on.

"Thank you for your time, Father," Frank said politely.

"My pleasure," said the pastor. "It would be good for you boys to visit the services more often too," he continued gently as he walked with them to the large double doors that stayed open. "Mortons aren't the only ones who feel the loss of Iola Morton, she was your friend too. The church is always open to any who seek guidance in dark times."

...

"I didn't realise Halloween is just around the corner," Joe mused as they walked across the town, taking in the festive decor that was starting to liven up all the buildings and the pavements. Jack-o-lanterns, skeletons, witches and zombies were starting to pop up in every corner, looking more fun and silly in the daylight than spooky and frightening as they were meant to be.

"We haven't really been out much, since…well," Frank trailed off, without really mentioning Iola's death, to which Joe was grateful.

He hadn't really had a moment of peace to deal with his feelings towards her sudden death. Not really. Soon after her funeral, they had both been involved neck-deep in the investigation that led to her killer's capture and subsequent death. And, from the next day on, he had started to suffer nightmares - the same, scary and relentless dream every night to the point he dreaded closing his eyes even for a moment. The talk with the pastor had driven the point home that he needed to take some time and properly grieve for the girl who owned his heart and took a piece of it with her when she died.

But he couldn't. Not when a strange, yet determined guiding instinct deep within him screamed at him in his every waking moment, that he had a job to do - a job that entailed finding peace for a lost and scared soul before he found some solace for himself.

"You okay?"

Frank's soft query brought him back to the present and he realised he had been quiet for a while, lost in his own thoughts. "Yeah. Feels weird even thinking about doing stuff without her, you know," he said, looking at the mall longingly as they walked slowly past it. "We went costume hunting together last year and the year before that."

"I remember that tacky get-up," Frank snorted. "I'm forever scarred seeing your hairy legs and flat chest sticking out of that tiny nurse costume."

"Excuse you," Joe said in mock indignation. "My legs were perfect and she started drooling over my pecs, after she almost had a coronary laughing her ass off, but still, that was a dare, and I won." he declared.

"What did you win?" Frank managed to gasp out loud between the bouts of laughter.

"She wore that to go out with me while I wore the Frankenstein costume." Joe grinned.

"Thank God for that," Frank teased. "Dad would have gone bankrupt paying for therapy sessions for all the kids and adults in our block otherwise."

Joe laughed along with his brother, feeling lighthearted and happy in what felt like a lifetime. They both walked in companionable silence after the moment of levity faded. There were a lot of fond memories he had made with Iola during the brief two years he had been dating her and even more from the years he had known her, Joe reflected. He felt his heart break all over again to think that she was only a collection of all those melancholic memories now and that she would never be there to add any new ones to life as time marched on in her absence.

He shook himself out of his bleak thoughts with effort and turned to Frank. "So, where to now?"

"I was thinking about the Library?" Frank said, nodding at the ancient, two-story building next to the Mall. "Might have some books about folklore and legends about the supernatural."

Something stirred in his memory when he heard those words. "Wait," he said, stopping and looking around, trying to recall where exactly they needed to go from there. "How about that antique shop, the one called Galina's Emporium? I've seen they've got some really old books in there."

"When have you been inside that place?" Frank raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Iola dragged me in there once," he admitted sheepishly. "She was looking for a locket or something, we were there more than an hour, I don't think she found what she wanted."

"Let's go have a look, then."