Human vs. Phantom

Chapter- 9 Episode- 8

Chapter- 9

Episode- 8

Don’t piss off the fairy folk II

“hey, were you up all night?” asked Reeve rubbing the sleep away from his eyes, as he woke up.

“yes, I was working on the Book of Darkness.” He answered in his low exhausted voice. His eye bags were getting more and more visible and his eyeballs were red from the lack of sleep.

“did you get anything?” he asked again.

“ya, I think I do actually.” He answered a bit happy for his hard work but still lethargic.

“Are you sure about it, that it will work?” asked Reeve.

“Pretty sure.” Poor Jim answered again.

“shall we role then?” Reeve said.

“take a shower first, you smell bad.” was Jim’s response to him.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The drive to Juliane’s home was long, about half an hour from the motel. It was the holiday season. The roads were decorated and lightened with beautiful fairy lights, and people were crowding the roads, buying stuff for their family and friends, but for the holiday means more crown on the road and more time to find and to rent a room. They barely get the room that they are staying in now, that too at double the cost they usually pay for the rooms they stay at.

They were in the car when Reeve started reading out from a journal he had in his hand.

“According to Christian beliefs, to exorcise the fairy from a human body we will need some salve, incense sticks of aelfthone plant and bishop wort and lupin plant, and also some drinks to tempt the fairy spirit.” He spoke.

“Okay, I’ll arrange that. I know a place where we can get them. What else will you need?” Reeve asked.

“Smoke was believed to be an effective method to drive the elf out of a person, they don’t want to be seen by any ordinary human so they will hide behind the smoke, only through that, the fairy will leave a human body. So, we’ll need something that belches smoke.” Jim answered his brother to which Reeve responded,

“Okay, I'll arrange that too.”

Reeve took the car to a shop which was called The Occult Emporium. The shop was one of the renowned places to buy Wiccan magic herbs. Although the costs were high the owner knew the value of magic, the herbs he sold were a hundred percent pure. And the herbs one wants, it can be brought here.

Jim was waiting in the car while Reeve made a quick run for the list of ingredients his brother told him to get.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

“Will everything be okay after this?” Thomas asked, worried about his daughter’s health.

“don’t worry we do this every day. She will be good again.” Jim said with empathy tapping on the poor father’s shoulder.

“We should have taken her to the hospital, I don’t want to lose her,” Thomas said again heartbroken.

“Have faith in us, and in your god, she will be fine.”

“we will need you to do something before we start the process. Close every door and window of the house.” Reeve said to Juliane and Thomas who were contemplating their decision in believing faith over science.

They were inside the room which was decorated with princess stuff from any place the eyes could reach, where the little girl was asleep on her bed, her body looked much skinnier and weak, then the previous day they visited her. Her eyes had dark circles around them making her eyeballs look more inside her sockets, it was scary to look at, almost like her life has been sucked out of her body. It looked like her soul is fading away, she looked like a leaf fallen on the land writhing slowly from its green freshness to dead red. Reeve lit the incense sticks in the room and the herbs they bought in a clay pot. While the smoke was expanding in the room as the herbs burned, they were closing the door and windows of the room.

Jim walked to the girl and put an iron cross on her body, and recited a binding spell to keep the fairy spirit to possess anyone else in the room, that was the basis of an exorcism.

Just as the iron touched the little girl’s body, the area on her skin started burning, it was fuming. Juliane was weeping to see the horror her daughter was in. seeing how that piece of iron was hurting her precious and frail daughter, she started weeping even more.

“it’s okay Juliane, it will burn her skin a little but she will be better once it’s over.” Thomas supported his wife with his hand round her shoulder, giving it a slight tap. While she hid her face in his chest. It is painful for a parent to see their child suffer.

Jim started the exorcism, “Exorcizamus te, Omnis immundus spiritus, aelfe, Omnis satanica potestas, mnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica.” The evil was locked in her body unable to move, was bounded and locked inside her body struggling to move out. Even though the fumes coming from her burning skin was mixing up with the smoke in the room, but still, the pungent smell from it was suffocating. Staying in that room was strangling.

“Juliane, Thomas please go out of the room, this is not something you should see,” Reeve said to them. While Jim was continuing his chant, he had a bottle in his hand filled with alcohol to tempt the spirit and to cast it in that glass bottle, with the help of the spell and herbs.

“Ergo, omnis legio diabolica, adiuramus te…cessa decipere humanas creaturas, eisque æternæ perditionìs venenum propinare…Vade, satana, aelfe, inventor et magister omnis fallaciæ, hostis humanæ salutis…Humiliare sub potenti manu Dei; contremisce et effuge, invocato a nobis sancto et terribili nomine…quem inferi tremunt…Ab insidiis diaboli, libera nos, Domine. Ut Ecclesiam tuam secura tibi facias libertate servire, te rogamus, audi nos.”

As the chant completed the smoke started to clear from the room along with the pungent flesh burning smell. The iron crucifix was no longer claiming to be dangerous for her. Her skin was red and burned, but it wasn’t burning anymore.

“she is now fine. Look after her she might wake up soon.” Reeve said coming out of the room with Jim, holding the glass bottle in his hands, other stuff was with Jim, to where Julie and Thomas were sitting waiting for their daughter to come back to them.

“thank you so much, Reeve and Jim. I don’t know what would have happened if you guys weren’t here.” Juliane thanked the boys.

“What happened to her Mr. Beaver?” Thomas asked.

“I will be good if you don’t know. The thing you guys should know for now is that she is now fine and will soon be good, so look after her. She will feel weak and sick for some days.” Jim said and just like that, they walked out of their home.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

“ah… it was easier than I thought,” Reeve said in his hoarse but content voice.

“I know right, we didn’t have to do much, and most of all we cured it before anyone could die,” Jim said tickled pink.

“How good it would be to have such good days of work,” Reeve commented.

“what was that huh, back there? ‘Have faith in God?’ dude, you don’t believe in god.” Jim asked.

“I just told them what they needed to hear; it was for their own good.” Reeve said and again added, “now what do you wanna do next?”

“use the codex to translate the Book of Darkness as much as I can,” Jim responded.

“of course, Mr. nerd” he nudged and continued, “but I meant where do you wanna roll next?”

“I think until we have a lead or a case we should just stay in the motel. This time the room and bed are quite comfy. What’s say? I am too tired to be on-road right now.” Jim expressed his mind.

“I'm cool with it, also, I wanted to see the city. There are very few places that I haven’t been to, and this is one of them. And for starters, I am gonna go to the restaurant we went to yesterday. Come with me let’s get drunk today, it’s a good day, after all, you will feel more bit relaxed. With how much work you are doing, you will get wrinkles.” Reeve said and Jim lazily replied.

“you carry on I'm not in the mood, I’ll just have a beer and a good long sleep. But why are you going back to that restaurant, it’s gonna take you a long time, the place will be crowded as hell.” Jim spoke.

“oh… the threesome? Now I remember.” Jim teased his brother.

“uh-huh.” Reeve nodded his head smirking.

“good for you, enjoy,” Jim said yawning as he walked inside the bathroom.

“what about dinner?” Reeve asked from the room so his voice could reach his brother.

“I get for myself when I'm hungry,” Jim said in a loud exerted voice.

“I’ll order for you something, eat before you sleep, you look like you are losing weight, eat more,” Reeve said.

“Okay, thanks. I’ll eat it.” Jim replied.

“Okay, then I’ll role.”

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Next morning,

“Rise and shine sleeping beauty,” said Reeve the next morning as he came back to the room. He looked all messy, with his hair unkempt, eyes looked a bit drowsy and his t-shirt, it was wrinkled as if he wrings it and wore it back on and lipstick marks can be seen on it too, they were quite brazen. A person standing at a mile can smell the scent of s*x from him, he did have a wonderful erotic night.

“You are now coming back? What time is it?” Jim asked covering his yawn with his hands.

“eight,” Reeve replied to him.

“what it’s morning already?” Jim said suddenly opening his eyes and sitting up on the bed.

“you slept good, now get up I've brought you breakfast. you didn’t have dinner, did you? The sandwiches are still on the table.” Reeve asked.

“I did,” Jim replied.

“don’t lie, I can see the eyes bags, saying that you worked all night didn’t you. You look like a zombie.” Reeve said worried, “take it, it’s is a vitamin tonic for you, take care of your health.” He said giving him a small bottle.

“ahh… thanks.” Jim took it from his hands and drank it empty.

“by the way, I got a message from Juliane last night, she has invited us to her home for a party tomorrow,” Reeve told.

“party, what’s the occasion?” Jim asked.

“Lily’s sixth birthday,” Reeve replied.

“Okay, we’ll be going there then?” Jim doubted.

“I guess we don’t have any choice, and we can have free cake, what’s better than that.”

“How was your threesome last night?” Jim asked.

“hot and dirty.” He said with a dirty look biting his lips, then added. “You would have enjoyed the night if you were there, she had many friends with her in the restaurant.”

“I am not interested in these things. But it’s good that at least you are enjoying.” Jim responded plainly.

“I know you need a permanent romance, not a one-time fling, but you know in this work nothing is permanent. You know we can’t afford relationships.” Reeve said upfront.

“you know about me a lot, huh?” Jim said ignoring his brother.

“did you forget, I am the older one?”

- - - - - - - - - -

The next day, they went to the party they were invited to, at the noon. The whole house was decorated and crowded with kids and adults. They were late so the cake has already been cut. The kids were dancing and playing while songs were playing loudly.

“It's been a long day

And there's still work to do

She's pulling at me saying

"Dad, I need you

There's a ball at the castle

And I've been invited

And I need to practice my dancing

Oh, please, Daddy, please"

So, I will dance with Cinderella

While she is here in my arms

'Cause I know something the prince never knew

Oh, I will dance with Cinderella

I don't wanna miss even one song

'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight

And she'll be gone

She says he's a nice guy and I'd be impressed

She wants to know if I approve of her dress

She says,

"Dad, the prom is just one week away

And I need to practice my dancing

Oh,…”