THE HAUNTING PAST GHOST MYSTERY

THE HAUNTING PAST: THE GHOST MYSTERY Talk about a unique "cold" case, when Tami and I took on the "case", of helping a ghost, nothing could be more unusual than the facts of this case. After traveling America, by air, on numerous cases, all of which were, atleast in part, supernatural, Tami and I had become so exhausted, in our searches, that all we wanted was a simple period of rest. This is why we applied for, and Mr. Brown, reluctantly, approved, our request, for some "down time". Tami and I were just "burned out", on chasing, and being chased by, all manner of ghost, and ghoul. Tami and I even hoped that, when the agency made reservations, for us, at a modern resort, that it would be impossible to find spirit activity in such a new place. No-sooner had Tami and I settled in, and had gone out, for a relaxing stroll, on a guest walking path, under a starlit sky, when we met a gentleman, who was dressed in late 18th century apparel. When the gentleman approached Tami annd I, asking for our help, he begged our apologies, for his dress, however, he said that his mission was listed as "undercover". Just to humor the man, I asked the basic questions, while Tami took some notes. If the man were being honest with us, there was no way that we could confirm his story. According to the man, he said "My name is Donald West, and I am a professor of Temporal, and Historical, studies. I am degreed from both Harvard, and Yale, and my position is that of Field Research. I travel to various time periods, and either verify, or dis-prove, rumors, and such materials" If what he told us was true, then Donald West would not even be born, for centuries to come. As for his outfit, he said his latest assignment had been in the mid-1700's America. His assignment was either to find proof, that accused women were, in fact, "Devil Worshippers", or if the women had been falsely accused, by both peers, and history According to Donald West, he had spent months, undercover, trying to find answers. All he found, though, were educated women, who served as local healers, and mid-wives. When he sent his last report, to the future, the orders were sent for Dr. West to track down a "very powerful" woman. The administrators, in the distant future, wanted verifiable proof of whether the woman was, in fact, summoning demons, and using potions, on victims, or if the womans family name had been slandered, needlessly, for centuries. When Tami asked what had happened, Donald West said that all he remembered was traveling to the area, where history said the woman had lived. He was perplexed, though, when locals would not even speak of the woman, let alone give directions. According to Donald West "I had a devil of a time, finding the homestead, just as I had spent weeks searching the local coutryside, for the village. Although I was certain that I was being followed, everytime I used my Life Signs indicator, all it showed was local animal life." Donald West would continue "When I found the homestead, I dont know what I expected to find, yet what I found was not what I expected. In fact, what I found caused me to doubt the very history, of Earth". When Tami asked "Why is that?" Donald West said "According to official history, the witch lived in a lavish, manor, house, with servants, and slaves, to do her bidding. The woman was acused of having both "daytime", and "evening" jewels, and she only wore fine linen" When Tami asked "What did you really find?" Donald West said "I found a simple, two story, farm house. No servants. No slaves, No demons. Just a hearty woman, who worked her farm, along with her family. True, while her family was "away", a couple of times, I did search the house, and I did find recipes, and spell, books, but I found nothing which was harmful, or demonic. That is, not until the day when, during my own search, I noticed a village man sneak into the house, and leave a large volume, on the table. After the man left, I examined the volume, and noticed that it was written in a very old language. Although my own language skills are limited, past the 12th century A.D., I was able to read enough to know that this was a book, of curses" When Tami asked "What did you do?" Donald West said "I hid the book, in a storage bin, then went to ask the man his reason for leaving the book" When Tami asked "And?" Donald West said "He was bigger, and heavier, than I, but I remember catching him, at which point the man shot some arrows in my direction" "Okay, now it was becoming interesting", as Donald West said "I tried to encourage him to explain his reasons, for leaving the volume, but he told me to go back to the farm. He said that I would be called upon, to give "testimony", at the womans trial" "Shortly after I turned back, in the direction of the farm, I felt stabbing pains, in my chest. A moment later, I saw my body, penetrated by eight arrows, while the man was standing over me, saying "Now, the witch will PAY" Donald West promised us "I TRIED to give testimony, at the womans trial, but the people just ignored me, like I wasn't even there" The woman would be convicted, and she, and her family, would be burned, at the stake, while the family home was torched, and the land was deeded to the womans primary accuser. When Tami asked "Why didn't you just return to your "future"?" Donald West said "I would have LOVED to have done that, except that, without flesh-and-blood hands, I could not work my equipment. This is why I sought the two of you, out" Now, it was becoming interesting, as Donald West told us "You dont know it, yet, but your work will bring real respect to the field of paranormal investigations. In years to come, you will become recognized experts, in your field" When Tami said "Let me guess. A few lines, in the history books?" Donald West would say "Try volumes. Your work wil bring legitimacy to a field, which most people, of this time, just scoff at." I know why Tami found all of this humorous. After all, we were speaking with the ghost of a mann, who might not even be born, for as much as 400 years. Despite this, the man was, somehow, trapped, in our time, since he was murdered, in the 1700's. In our report, to the agency, requesting instruction, Tami and I had to find most creative ways to word our report. After all, even we would not have believed a report which stated "Scientist, who will not be born, for about 400 years, was sent to the 1700's, on assignment, to learn the facts, about a womans alleged "guilt", over witchcraft. Scientist mudered after spotting intruder, in home of accused witch, planting evidence. How do we proceed with this investigation?" When Tami submitted our "report", Mr. Brown contacted us, asking "Have you verified the mans identity, yet" Tami was first to ask "HOW do we do that? The man says he wont even be born, for centuries, to come" Mr. Brown would, calmly, remind us that, according to Donald West, he had contact, with various persons, while tracking the accused. Maybe there was some hope, of evidence, there. Tami, softly, suggested, to me "I guess we can, atleast, contact some of the peoples descendents, and check some old records." When I asked Mr. Brown "How do we verify the mans identity?" Mr. Brown, calm and professional, asked "HOW would you confirm what has not happened, yet?" Mr. Brown was right. The most we could do was verify if Donald West had, in fact, visited 1700's colonial America. Tami and I knew our "vacation" was over, when Mr. Brown said "I will arrange in-flight re-fuelling, and notify the pilots" An hour later, Tami and I met with our pilots, just outside the local air force hangar, and the pilots told us that, since the air force was washing down its own planes, and ours was available, our plane had been washed, inside and out, and deodorized. Once on-board, the pilot told us that take-off would be in about 10 minutes, with re-fuelling, about an hour later. (Since ours was not a combat aircraft, we were low-priority, for air force re-fuelling. Usually, this meant that Ghost Ship One would be down to about 10 gallons, before being re-fuelled) I think the reason why neither Tami, nor I, felt good, abut this case,, was because we had no background, on this haunting. All we had was a ghost, who was dressed, in period clothing, and who claimed to be from the future. Landing at the closest air force base, we found fliers, about a colonial festival, and a clerk, who said that people werew dressing "really weird", for the event. (This gave Tami and I an idea) When Tami read the pamphlet, then showed our ghost some photo's, Donald said "I should fit right in" Tami added that WE would have the ghosts "flank" Although our rental car was an automatic (Airport Security had "quarantined" all motor vehicles, arriving by air, since some one had phoned in a "tip", saying a car was flying in, loaded with high explosives) But, the worst part, about the rental car, was its total lack of engine power. Maybe the car was getting 75 miles per gallon, but this came at the price of moving along a highway, at just 15 miles per hour (and this was with my foot to the floor-boards, on the gas pedal). When pulled over, by an officer, for driving too SLOW, I challenged the officer, saying "See if YOU can get this thing going over 20 miles per hour" As a precaution, the officer had Tami and I wait, in the rear, of his patrol car, while he tested our rental. After the officer drove a short distance, then returned, he said "I'm not surprised that car is so slow. That make, and model, are not for highways. Best you take the off-ramp, ahead, and use the side roads" When Tami asked "How far, to our destination?" The officer said "In THAT car, atleast three hours" When Tami and I were "rolling" again, the wind picked up, and the car slowed, to 10 miles per hour. In our joint opinion, Tami and I could have WALKED as fast as this car drove. We just sat back, in quiet annoyance, as we crept along, first the off-ramp, then the side-roads. Along the way, Donald West said "I can make better time, on foot. I will meet you at the festival" Tami and I were still of the opinion that, shoot, at the rate this car "handled", holding speed at just 8-10 miles per hour, even WE could have walked faster than this car drove. When even a few, local, jalopies passed us, on the side roads, Tami and I wondered what good 75 miles per gallon was, in a car which could be passed, by a bicycle. What should have been, at most, a one hour drive, turned into a five hour nightmare, even as we, eventually, had to stop, just to stretch. By the time we arrived, in town, Donald West had made plenty of progress, since his human form made him look right at home, in this crowd. By the time we joined up with Donald, Tami had, glady, placed the call, asking the rental agency for a different car. When an agency rep asked what was wrong, with our rental, Tami explained it this way "If we had sex, in this car, right now, our children would be graduating college, before we reached the next town" In-town, since Tami knew how even I felt, about the rental, Tami decided to be the one, to turn it in. I would de-brief Donald West. When Tami turned in the rental, and report her dis-like, Tami did not know which was worse. The clerks disgustingly bright atttude, or her conntinuing reference to the cars 75 miles per gallon performance. Granted, Tami and I had used almost no gas, between the airport, and the town, but the cost, in lost TIME. Tami would, later, admit, to me, that she was about to belt the clerk, when Tami handed in the keys, saying "We would rather walk. It will be faster" It would seem that THIS got the clerks attention. Tami would be allowed to select another car, at no extra cost. What baffled Tami and I, about this, latest, "case" was how locals reacted to our presense. While locals thought that Tami and I were just doing background, on the area, for an article, in a history magazine, we, and Ghost Ship One, found locals most accomodating. A farmer even allowed Ghost Ship Onne to move in, making a verticle landing, in a field, which the farmer said he was planning to re-plant, later. Tami, being her usual self, found "friends", and history, all around her. Even the Hall of Records was "thrown open", for anything she could not find, on the internet. I was shown various landmarks, from both good points, in history, and from bad points. In fact, Tami and I were welcomed, like returning family, atleast until we began asking if anyone had heard of a stranger, dying under "mysterious circumstances", on an old farm. Once our inquiries became more focused, it seems that our "welcome" ended. At first, I thought it was my lack of social skills. But only until Tami was turned away, from those she had been talking to. Only then did it become clear that locals did NOT want something investigated. The final proof was when the previously friendly farmer told our pilots to "Get off my land! If you dont, I will fill that hull full of buck-shot" This is when Ghost Ship One moved to a field, away from town, and Tami and I vid-linked, with the main office, to compare notes. Even Doctor Wests spirit began to wonder if he had done something, maybe even hurt someone, and he just didn't remember. Mr. Brown's secretary agreed with Tami and I, though, over the fact that locals were trying to hide something. This was obvious since our welcome had not turned "cold" until we began asking pointed questions. The secretary would inform us "As Mr. Brown informed you, earlier, we can only track birth, and death, records, specifically for those, born in the past, or present. As a result, since your "friend" will not even be born, maybe for a thousand years, there is no way to verify anything, about this" When Tami suggested "Why dont we "recon" the farm. It is the last place that Doctor West remembers being alive" Our pilot would come to us, saying "That is OUT!" When Tami asked "Why? Whats wrong?" The pilot would say "When we contacted base, to inform our superiors, of the sudden move, we received satellite recon photo's, which show that the farm you want to "visit" is, NOW, under heavily-armed guard" When Tami would ask "Why place it under armed guard?" Mr. Browns secretary would say "That is obvious. There is something on, or under, that property, which someone does NOT want to be made public" The pilot would say "You can forget military projects,, since there are no bases anywhere near here. This area is, strictly, civilian" Still, this left the question of "WHAT" it was, which warranted armed guards. When Tami asked the pilot "WHEN did the guards appear, on-watch?", the pilot confirmed "Not until you made your inquiries" The secretary would agree. When Tami would ask Dr. West "Before you went to the farm, to investigate the claims, of witchcraft, what did you see, or hear, or whom did you talk to, about the incident?' When Dr. West would say "I remember hearing locals talking. Even before the "trial" started. I heard people talking, like the accused had, already, been found guilty. I thought this was so odd since the only "evidence" was testimony" When Tami would ask "Why did you find this odd?" Dr. West would say "You, probably, wont believe this, but, centuries from now, when Earth is colonizing other planets, a dispute will arise, over a planet Earth thinks has not been colonized. It will only be after we lay claim, to the planet, that it wil be learned that one, of the alien races, which we have encountered, had estabished a mining colony, on the planet. A war would result, and Earth would lose three colonies before another, vastly superior race would intervene, ending the war, and "Spelling out" the rules, of space, for Earth. "Had we known the rules of contact, who knows how many lives coud have been spared" When Tami would ask "This superior race. Do they have a name?" Dr. West would say "I am sorry I have spoken, too much, already". When this information was passed on, to the secretary, the secretary asked Tami to ask the question, which was on everyones minds. The question of "Why would an alien race even bother with human affairs?" Dr. West would say "Earth has been under "observation", for thousands of years. When the overseeing race saw the civilizing, of the Germanic lands, which were abandoning fighting, over resources, and were trading, with other peoples, the alien race decided not to just bring law, to this world, but to observe the results, as well. As of the last conference, which I was present, the "one page summary", as you would call iit, contained 50,000 pages, just of highlights, of Earths history" When Tami asked "Okay, so they gave us laws to live by. WHY did they stop the war?" Dr. West would say "All they would tell us was that Earth was an experiment. The race wants to know if we are able to LEARN our true potential" When Tami asked "So, WHY didnt they just "get involved", when your group began time travel?" Dr. West would say "They decided it was a worthy project. They felt it was a sign, of intelligence, that we wanted to study the planets past. "Learn from the facts", as it were" When Tami asked "Then why didnt they save you, from whatever happened?" Dr. West would say " I THINK I was supposed to LEARN from the experience" When Tami asked "Learn what? What death is like?" Dr. West would say "I suspect more like "When NOT to challenge other peoples beliefs" When Tami asked "Say what?" Dr. West would say "When I spoke to the villagers, I questioned the need for evidence. Those I spoke with were, un-fortunately, devotedly religious people." When I asked "What makes you think this?" Dr. West would say "I realized this when I asked people to question testimony. Ask for facts. I should have known that, when people began turning away from me, that I had insulted their beliefs. I forgot I was not in my own time" I would suggest "After you questioned the churches position, you suspect you were followed, to the farm, and killed, for questioning the churches position?" Dr. West would say "I am afraid so. I think I was killed, to AVOID the church being suspected of wrong-doing" Tami would ask "Well, we have plenty of thoughts, here, but what we dont have is proof. Without even a body, we have no case" When Dr. West would ask "So, what do we do, now?" I was trying to think of a way, into the property, so that we could claim atleast some of the mans equipment, when Tami came up with an idea. She asked Dr. West "What if we placed a deliberate, yet coded, message, into a report? How long would it take to reach your time?" Dr. West would say "Each team has been provided, with such a coded message. I just dont know how ong it will take, for my time, to track us." When Tami would ask me "What harm could it do?" I agreed. Dr. West provided Tami with the code message, which we, then, applied to our report, to base. Then, the freakiest thing, ever, happened, to us. Two "security guards" materialized, on the plane, and asked "Please, come with us". When Tami asked "Where to?" a guard said "Not where. When". When Tami and I joined the "guards", our reality dissolved, around us, and was replaced with what looked like colonial America. When Tami asked "What?" The guard said "Dont worry. After you do it, a few times, you get used to it". The other guard pointed off, into the distance, then handed Tami and I, each, a pair of glasses, which, apparently, had laser-targetting built in. We watched as Dr. West asked the man his reason, for planting the "witchcraft" book, at the homestead, then watched as Dr. West, at the mans urging, began to return to the home. We watched Dr. West die, then the man, who planted the volume would say "Fool! No one challenges the authority, of the Lord, our God." and walked away. Tami and I, then, watched, and learned the reason why Dr. West could not find his resting place. We observed as no less, than five other "security guards", all "heavily" armed, reclaimed the doctors body. These guards, and our guards, exchanged a set of code words, then our guards offered to let us share the experience, of a soul being reunited with its body. When Tami asked "How? Where?" The guard would say "Even I dont understand the HOW, but the where is our own time". In a quest, for knowledge, Tami and I agreed to undertake the journey, if for no other reason than to find out what would become of mankind. I wont try to describe the place Tami and I were brought to, since no one would believe it, anyway. Al Tami and I could do was marvel at the beauty, of what a beautiful world Earth could be, if only we could abandon prejudice, and war. I, also, wont try to describe the process, by which Dr. Wests body, and spirit, were re-united. It was so far beyond our comprehension that even science fiction has, yet, to dream of it. After Dr. Wests body, and spirit, were reunited, the doctor, now flesh and bood, would escort Tami and I to a memorial, erected to honor our work. According to Dr. West "In time, your work will come to influence others into looking beyond the obvious, and questions, of sanity, will be replaced with questions of the need for such things, as war." When Tami would ask "Where are we. I mean what date?" Dr. West would say "We have not used your calendar for longer than I can remember." When the Doctor gave us a date, based upon the modern calendar, neither of us understood. This is when Tami would ask "Without the Roman calendar, HOW do you set your time-travel coordinates?" Dr. West would say "We have a computer, which makes the calculations. But, not a computer, as you think of them. Ours is organic, intelligent, and self-aware. Its computing speed is beyond anything else." When Tami asked "What will happen to you?" Dr. West would say "Board of Review. Most likely, six months, in prison, for violating several laws, of time-travel, including contacting the two of you. I will be fine, though. It has been years, since my last infraction. The real punishment goes to those who, routinely, violate the law." (Personally, I did not WANT to know what "real punishment" meant.) Before our guards returned us, to our time, they gave us some sort of pill, saying "Frequent time travel is terrible for digestion. Take these, and you will be fine". When Tami asked "If we dont take them?" The guard made a motion of a person being sick, in the toilet. Once we were returned to our present, our guards, pilotly, bowed, then turned away, and seemed to vanish into what looked like a "pool of water", in the air. The guards were right, though. The upset stomach lasted only a brief second, before the pills settled our stomachs. Even as Tami was wondering if we could get back to our "vacation", now, I wondered if there were other "patrols", out there. Maybe even watching us, now. How many historical events had patrols, such as Dr. West's, observed, over time? How much time did Earth have, before the war, which would, allegedly, almost destroy the planet, and lead to a complete re-building? If Tami and I were so good, at keeping secrets, HOW had the future known of us, at all? Oh, well, questions, to be answered, "in the future" In the distant future, Dr. West would be speaking to a collegue, who would ask "Do you think they suspect?" Dr. West would say "I doubt it. They are intelligent, and capable, but they live for facts, and evidence. By the time the truth makes itself known, it will be too late to change things. They were the right choice. I will give the council that much. We wil just have to wait, and see, what they do, with what they have learned".