Martha’s vintage Mercedes W123 clattered to life in the dusty garage. Kind of Woman by Stevie Nicks resumed on the CD player, which had been the only modification to her deceased husband’s cherished automobile. Purchasing it new, he had meticulously maintained it. Although she would have preferred to upgrade, Martha kept it as a way to honor his memory.
She didn’t get out very much at night, so it took time to navigate the route. The drive back to the hospital gave Martha time to think. What had she witnessed standing in her office? Not what, but who? The strikingly beautiful image was seared into her memory. Although she’d been startled, upon reflection, Martha hadn’t felt threatened. She simply felt a sense of knowing. While sitting at a stoplight contemplating the experience, a wash of deeper understanding came over her. She had heard the warning spoken in her mind, but also sensed that an unspoken communication had occurred between her and the manifestation she’d just witnessed, like she had uploaded a compressed file that needed to be unzipped.
There was something coming. Something very powerful on the rise. But she knew she needed to set the big picture aside and focus on the immediate task—explaining to Clay what was happening to him right now. What would eventually happen through him. What they might be facing. After reading the documents more thoroughly, she knew he... they, urgently needed help.
Martha searched for the words she would use to explain it all and braced herself for the conversation as she parked her car and hurried in through the entrance. Although it was just a few seconds, it seemed to her the elevator took an unspeakably long time to reach the ground floor. She wished she’d taken the stairs but as the doors slid open, the empty elevator invited her in. She pressed the button for Clay’s floor and stepped back. She had learned over the years to center herself by taking deep breaths before a conversation like this. She needed to exude a sense of calm.
The doors opened and she stepped out with purpose. Clutching a bag hung over her left shoulder, she walked confidently to Clay’s room, stopping at the entrance to knock. Clay and Jackie looked up from their chairs and waved her in. Martha was surprised to see Officer Street standing at the foot of the bed, dressed in casual clothes. She couldn’t help but notice how handsome he looked wearing dark blue jeans, a plain black long-sleeved t-shirt, and work boots. His badge hung from his belt beside a sidearm. She didn’t know anything about guns, but it looked tellingly well-worn.
Michael smiled. “Can I get you a chair?”
Martha hustled toward them and around to the bed. “No, no, I have some documents I want to show you. Would you mind if I spread them out on the bed?”
“Feel free,” Clay replied.
Martha noticed Elena curled up asleep in a chair beside Jackie, her headphones on and a movie playing on her device. Martha sat down on the edge of the hospital bed facing them and pulled out the same wrinkled papers she had been clutching in her office. She pulled them apart from the staple and spread them out. The textured feel of linen parchment emanated from the photocopy of the manuscript in the soft light of the room. It seemed to have a gravity about it. As if drawn to it, Michael stepped forward. Also affected, Clay and Jackie slid their chairs closer and leaned in.
“Clay, I think I know a little more about what happened today,” Martha began.
He looked up expectantly, “Okay. Let’s have it.”
Jackie reached over and put her hand over his. They briefly made eye contact and Jackie gave him a reassuring smile and nod. When Michael leaned in, he rested his hand on Clay’s shoulder.
“I know this will sound foreign to you, but I found this document in my desk after I left the hospital this afternoon. It references an ancient manuscript that may help shed some light on what happened.” Martha paused to gather her thoughts. Where to begin...
“As I said earlier, we know that a Geist either chooses to stay or becomes stuck in the Earthly Realm. In my experience, this is usually due to an emotional attachment of some sort. It seems obvious now that, in your case, Evan chose to stay out of a sense of duty to protect Jackie and Elena. His devotion to them fueled his newfound ability to amalgamate with Clay.”
Jackie slid her hand off Clay’s, sat back, and crossed her arms. Martha noticed an unsettled look on her face. Being reminded once again that her dead fiancé’s spirit had occupied Clay brought on an obvious shift in her demeanor. Martha sensed a closeness had been growing between Jackie and Clay before she told them about the amalgamation. But now...
Martha continued, “Now, here is where it gets interesting. According to this article, a Geist can sense and connect with your energy. See, oftentimes, they draw energy from people in a heightened emotional state, which allows them to affect the living or their environment.”
“So, maybe that’s what happened with the electronics in the room,” Clay said, wondering what emotion Evan had been feeding off of. His memory of the moments before the electronics seized up were of Jackie when they had connected over vegetarianism. “Wait, could he have been jealous?”
Jackie shifted in her chair and turned her palms out, clearly uncomfortable. She gave Clay a confused look. “What would he have to be jealous of?”
Clay leaned back in his chair, shrugging slightly. “I don’t know. Was Evan a jealous man?”
“No, Clay, he was not,” she snapped back.
“Okay, okay, I just—”
She cut him off. “You just what? Assumed that because we were here and talking that we would... what?”
Clay let out a short sigh and didn’t answer right away. “I didn’t assume anything.” He held Jackie’s gaze until she turned away.
“Martha, since you can talk to Evan, can you clear this up for us? He always had a way with words,” Jackie asked, a serious edge to her voice.
“He is not here at the moment,” Martha replied. “I think we are focused on the wrong thing. Aside from causing mischief, these connections can work in other ways.”
“How so?” Michael asked, prompting them past the tension.
“If, for instance, a deceased spirit is lingering near a living loved one and they are both saddened by one’s departure, they will feed off one another. This is usually the cause of extended grieving periods. In my work, I mostly help survivors heal by encouraging the Geist to move on.”
Jackie shifted in her seat and tightened her crossed arms. Her eyes unfocused as she turned inward, appearing to wrestle with that notion.
Martha looked over to Jackie, silently acknowledging her inner conflict. She had seen it many times before—the love for a deceased relation combined with resentment because the deceased had still been present, holding on, stifling you, while you just wanted to get on with your life. She had intended on mentioning this so that Jackie could consider the notion. Not right now. Too much too soon. Seeing her reaction, Martha made a promise to herself to help Jackie by encouraging Evan to move on once this was all over—if, for some reason, he still lingered.
“The next case is extremely rare and what is discussed in this article,” Martha continued.
Jackie and Michael stared at the documents, but Clay looked her in the eyes, as if he understood what came next. He kept silent as Martha took the next step.
“Instead of being used to vent frustrations, the connection can be mutually beneficial when the emotions of the Geist and those of the living align.” Martha paused to let that sink in, then added, “If both the emotional state and the intentions of the deceased and living align, there can be a merging of energy. This bond is directly proportional to the strength and intensity of the emotion—as well as the emotional attachment to the intent.”
“Like saving a little girl,” Clay said.
“Yeah, but it’s not just a match of emotion and intent. That match must happen at the correct time and place. For instance, if you happened to be two blocks down the street and witnessed the pending tragedy too far away to help, then the amalgamation likely never would have occurred.”
Jackie looked up, “I’m sorry, what was that word?”
“Amalgamation. It is a word that describes this... process of combining. It has its etymological roots in alchemy. It is the term for, and the subject of the article we have here,” Martha pointed at the papers, “written by a Dr. Muska. Amalgamation is at the core of his hypothesis. I believe he is trying to describe a metaphysical combination.”
Clay started, then stopped again, stumbling on his thoughts. Everyone looked over at him. “Why... can’t I remember anything about the moments surrounding the... amalgamation?”
“I can’t say. You did hit your head and likely just have amnesia. I’ve found no mention of that so far.”
Clay formed his thoughts, beginning to understand. “In other words, if you are upset for the same reason a spirit is upset...” Clay paused to correct himself. “But upset in a good way, then your energies can bond depending on the time, location, and strength of the emotion, resulting in a brief occupation of your body by the ghost.”
“Well said,” Martha replied. “But it doesn’t stop there. Not only did you merge, but the combined energies assisted you in rescuing Elena.”