“Yes. Our Ruby is still in danger.”
35 – Paper mushrooms
HALF-A-DOZEN CARS were parked in the tree-lined street.
Jill had sat in the car with her partner and watched an elderly lady pottering around in her garden, a lush garden with a plush green lawn and large palm trees guarding the old dear’s house. Life could be so simple for some. But they weren’t interested in the old lady. They were focused on following the man after he collected the letter. Jill was pleased when he disposed of the letter, although he didn’t destroy the evidence as she had instructed. He just crumbled it up and threw it on the old lady’s plush lawn. It stood out like a solitary large mushroom.
Her partner had retrieved the crumbled ball.
They watched as the man entered the block of units further down the street and emerged from the block in a panicked state. They’d heard the sirens but followed him. They had their own plan for this individual, but the plan could not be executed. She had placed the needle back in her handbag.
They felt for the elderly man who was minding his own business. He was pruning a tree in his front yard when Oram attacked him. It was a ferocious attack. Jill had placed her hand on her partner’s lap.
“There is nothing we can do,” Jill said. “Look, a police vehicle is approaching.”
They drove off. Jill looked back and saw two police officers burst from their vehicle with guns pointed in the direction of the altercation. It would’ve been good if they shot him. Jill had wondered if he’d done what was required.
Jill had closed her eyes and sought peace.
It didn’t come.
<°)))><
Jill stared out the window on the drive home, feeling disconnected. A fear of death had come on her suddenly. It was a common fear they told her. She was in her early forties, too young to die. Her partner had encouraged her to join his spiritual journey. He had come from a violent background, and his journey had brought release and peace from his past. Had taken his anxiety away. But there was that time where he needed medication. She had obliged. He blamed the moon.
She had resisted for years, but fear was crippling her—wrong, negative thoughts—so she stepped on to her partner’s pathway and sought advice from a psychic, a clairvoyant. It was then she started hearing a voice, a guiding voice. The psychic had called on her angels and spiritual guides. A connection took place. But now the connection seemed to be weakening. Were her guides too busy for her?
The spiritual guides had cured her. She no longer feared death but looked forward to it as the continuation of a journey—a betterment. They’d taken the anxiety away although she still felt the tightness in her chest when she thought of the magistrate. The psychic said she must have been vulnerable and oversensitive at the time of the magistrate event for it to leave such scarring. Jill wasn’t sure about her emotional makeup then, although she remembered being rundown and fatigued, but she knew the scar needed to be healed. She needed to do something about it.
Her partner and spiritual guides convinced her that the magistrate needed to be dealt with. Sometimes she thought she was overreacting. But the anxiety started with him. She could have ended up in jail. It’s the justice system, her partner told her. Corrupt and evil.
They followed the magistrate home a few times and came close to being spotted by him, so they needed to review the strategy. Then her partner found a picture of the magistrate and his daughter at a fundraising function. He had recently retired. A new strategy had presented itself.
Why the hatred was still there she wasn’t sure. Anxiety did strange things to people and their mind. Her partner had changed her. She didn’t feel the darkness of the fear any more, but she sensed something else growing inside her, its tentacles slowly engulfing her. She was trapped and the Jill Winter she once knew was receding, being lured away.
Her hands reached out to a nothingness. Nothing to connect to.
Why was she starting to feel disconnected?
<°)))><
The next day, Jill sat in front of her magic mirror seeking connection. She picked up a cloth and rubbed it over the black mirror until the glass glistened. She looked pale and haggard.
Where’s your energy?
She stared at her reflection and saw something hideous standing behind her. Fear jumped into her heart.
The thing was large, green, and scaly, with deep, penetrating eyes. She’d seen it before. The entity came and stood next to her. She could feel its acidity breath hot on her neck. The creature’s thoughts penetrated her mind.
The girl is still alive. This should not be.
Jill closed her eyes and tried to will the creature away.
I can strengthen you.
Jill sensed the anger, the hurt, and the bitterness. It wasn’t only the doctor, the magistrate. The past had done the damage.
I can strengthen you.
The psychic told her that the enemy would try and disfigure the spiritual guides.
Yes, this is what’s happening.
The creature’s thoughts continued to invade her mind, confirming her suspicions. She understood. The enemy was trying to draw her away from the light. She must keep her eyes shut.
She needed to get reconnected. Her mind told the spiritual guide to have its way with her. Her head fell forward on the dressing table. She sensed vibrations all around her and shook. Something entered her. She raised her head and looked in the mirror. She looked different.
Jill Winter looked different.
<°)))><
Jill walked out on the back porch. The sky was darkening. She looked down toward the bay, at the lights on the water buoys which stood out in the greyness of the approaching evening. Her partner sat there, a steaming mug in his hand.
“I didn’t hear the offer of a hot drink come my way.”
He turned around and looked at Jill.
“I came in to see you, but you seemed out of it. I spoke to you but you didn’t answer, so I thought it best not to disturb you. I sensed there was something happening spiritually.”
