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Scene #67
Hannah squeezed her eyelids tight and covered her ears to shut out
the crackling static inside her head. Sometimes it worked.
Tonight the white noise intensified. The sheer strength of this
spirit overwhelmed her. Nausea rolled high in her stomach.
Turning to her side, she gulped air and waited for her pulse to
slow. The noise softened. She braced herself for the ghost to
speak. Last week it'd been a distraught parent who'd died before
telling his son he loved him. Four days before that an executed
criminal sought forgiveness for his horrendous acts against
society. If she didn't get a reprieve from the haunting spirits,
she'd end up in a padded cell. Her breathing calmed when the
room became quiet. “Mama, where are you?” A chill slid down
Hannah's arms, hearing a little girl's tremulous voice. “Please
mama. Papa needs you.” She opened herself to the strong
force invading her body. Soon she'd lose control over her mind.
She directed all her energy solely on the child. A hazy image
materialized beside her bed. About five years old, the girl wore a
long calico dress from the pioneer era. Despite her exhaustion,
excitement, accompanied by a raw fear, surged through Hannah. A
sense of déjà vu grasped her throat. How did she know this child?
She explored every minute detail of the little girl. Dark
blonde hair. A worried look in the nut brown eyes. A rush of
adrenaline zapped her. “How can I help you, Rachel?” Sweet
Jesus. How had she known the little girl's name? “Please,
come home with me. Papa needs you. We can't find my mama.”
A snake like shiver crawled up Hannah's spine. “Where did your
mama go?” “You know. The Indians took her.” Hannah
reeled from the energy of the child's emotions. Worry, anger, but
most powerful was the sheer terror. Her strength dissipated with
each passing moment, even though sleep claimed her. “Come visit
tomorrow, Rachel, and we'll talk more.” “No! You must come
now.” Hannah struggled to pull herself away from Rachel's
psychic vigor. Powerless to move, she watched with dreaded
fascination as the child grasped her fingers and gasped when her
body levitated off the bed. Rachel tugged her hand and they
floated through a blanket of darkness filled with crystal sparkles.
Hannah opened her mouth to protest. Words stuck in her
throat. This had never happened. She didn't have enough knowledge
of the psychic world to handle an out-of-body experience.
Sensations swirled through her head. Dizziness. A kaleidoscope of
stars spiraled toward her. A roller coaster ride through space.
Suddenly they were falling too fast. Terror like she'd never known
filled her. She clung to the small hand as if her life depended on
it. Perhaps it did. Suddenly the stars dimmed, and
then vanished. Rachel dropped Hannah's hand and left her
descending through the darkness alone. Hannah's present life
passed before her eyes. Her mother's loving smile. Childhood
friends. Matt, the one man she'd always love but would never be
hers because he belonged to another. Was she dying?
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