Familiar Spirit

“If you didn’t think I was here—why did you come?” she asked.

Pete looked uncomfortable. “I wanted to have a look around,” he said. “That’s all.”

Sarah smiled, feeling a surge of empathy. He was curious, of course. It was surprising he had waited so long. In his position, she would have done the same thing. “Come on in,” she said. “I’ll show you around. Don’t get your hopes up, though. The place feels pretty empty to me. I’m starting to wonder if—”

He was looking at her curiously. “You’re not having doubts?”

Sarah shrugged, uncomfortable. “It just seems so silly now. In the light of day, as it were. I was just sitting in the front room thinking how comfortable I was here, and what a nice place it was to live . . .”

“That doesn’t make what happened before any less real.”

“I know.” She laughed. “It seems odd, having me be the skeptic, and you arguing for the supernatural.”

“I wasn’t—”

“Come on in.”

He followed her into the house and she closed the door. “Would you like a beer?”

He hesitated long enough that she had turned back towards the refrigerator to get one when he stopped her. “I thought there was a pentacle drawn on the bedroom floor?” His voice was sharp.

Sarah looked through the bedroom door, following his gaze. “There was. I got rid of it. I couldn’t stand looking at it anymore. I thought I told you.”

“No. I kind of wish you’d left it, though. We could have used it for protection.”

Sarah tensed. “What do you mean? It’s not good to leave them after they’ve been used—the spirits might turn them to their own uses. I thought you might have run across that piece of information in your reading.”

He shrugged, still staring into the bedroom, a thoughtful look on his face.

“What are you thinking, Pete?”

Without looking around at her, Pete reached into the pocket of his corduroy jacket and pulled out a small, paperback book. “There’s a License to Depart given here—that’s the spell to send spirits away again. I thought I might recite it and see what happens.”

Like an atheist making a prayer and then waiting impatiently for God’s answer, she thought. She was annoyed.

“Why do that now? Why waste energy on the small stuff?” she asked. “I thought the plan was to learn as much as we could from all the experts, read all the books, and then work up a ritual and put everything we had into it—to give it our best shot.”

“But what have we got to lose by saying a simple License to Depart? It may be the only thing necessary. It’s the sort of thing that Valerie might have forgotten to do.” He was looking at her now, so calmly and earnestly that she wanted to shake him.

“What we’ve got to lose is our faith,” Sarah said. She sighed. “Not that you have any to begin with. You think of all this as very unreal, don’t you? Just something to do to humor Sarah. Do you think that by saying a few magic words you can make me feel all better?”

“Is that what you think?”

“Pete, will you quit that? Quit being so detached! You can’t have it both ways—you can’t be involved without believing. You’re the one who keeps telling me that magic requires belief. At least Valerie believes—she may be crazy, but she knows that Jade is for real. She knows that she summoned him up with words and ritual, so it makes sense to believe that some other words and rituals will send him back. I don’t trust Valerie, but I think that working together we might have a chance. But you . . .” She bit her lip. “I don’t know, Pete. I really appreciate your help and your friendship and everything, but I don’t know if you can help me now. Sometimes you even make me doubt Jade’s existence—and that’s no good. You make me doubt what I know.”

Pete looked distracted. “Did you hear that?” he asked. “A voice. Is there someone else in the house?”

Sarah shook her head, and then went cold as Pete turned his head rapidly from side to side as if expecting to catch someone trying to sneak past. “There is someone here,” he said softly. “Spying on us. And whispering and laughing, as if we couldn’t hear! Now where the hell is he hiding?”

“Let’s get out of here,” Sarah said.

A broad smile spread over Pete’s face; he looked much as he did when he won at cards. “It’s Jade,” he said, scarcely above a whisper. “That’s it, isn’t it? It’s him. There really is someone here. It’s amazing.” He sounded fascinated.

“Pete, let’s go. Now.”

He shook his head and gazed around the room, still with that expectant, pleased look on his face. “Hello,” he murmured. “Hello, hello. Will it manifest itself physically?”

“Christ,” Sarah muttered. She took Pete’s arm and tugged, but with no effect. “Pete, please. It’s not a game—you don’t understand what could happen—you don’t realize its power—”

“No, I don’t, but I’m starting to. I’m ready for him.” He looked down at her with a kindly expression and patted her hand. “Go on, if it upsets you. There’s no need for you to stay through this. Wait out in the car.”

“Pete, please!”