THE HAUNTING PAST NON EXISTENT MYSTERY

THE HAUNTING PAST: THE NON-EXISTENT MYSTERY Tami and I were just a few cases, past the "Double Trouble" mystery, and were just wrapping up another case, when Mr. Brown brought us a "special" case. Just as Tami and I were feeling relieved to be RID of our last case, due to all of the human deceit involved, we HAD been looking forward, to the promised, short, rest, which Mr. Brown had been promising, for so long. Still, it seems that our "reputation" was beginning to preceed us. Tami, myself, and Ghost Ship One, seemed to be the only "force", in the world, which was treating "haunted" properties, and people, as serious, subject, matter. In this case, though, we were in for the most unusual case, to date. In this case, too, Mr. Brown gave us a "first", by letting the "victim" fill us in, on the case. Her name was Maria and, although one could not tell it, either by her wardrobe, nor her career choice (Seems she worked with new product development, at some corporation), Maria was, otherwise, every bit the Roman-Catholic, which she said she was. Maria's wardrobe might be "modern", but her jewelry, make-up, and so on, were classic, and, very much, within the rules, for the Roman Catholic church. It seems that she also had an apartment, and her career was on the rise. Still, she admitted that her, eventual, goal, was to find a good man, and raise a family. Now, came the problem. Although Maria had "put in the hours", studied, and EARNED her position, in industry, a shocking bit, of her past, had, recently, reared its "ugly head". Maria would say "A creature came to me, one night, and spoke of things, which only my immediate family know about. Then once the creature had my attention, it "introduced" itself, as something called a "Messenger Demon", and said its purpose was to inform me that, at a pre-specified date, my part, of some "contract", would be "due, and payable"." When Tami would ask "How do you know it was a demon, and not just some whack-job, in costume?", Maria would say "When I asked for proof, it showed me its true form. It was right out of my worst nightmares. Wings, horns, fangs, and all" By Maria's overall description, it seemed that this creature was much the same as the "Enforcer Demon", who had been assigned to make sure that the frauds had been dealt with, by human justice. When Tami asked Maria for any details, of this "contract", all that Maria could say was that the "Messenger" had said for her to prepare to put her things in order. Swell! How cryptic could a message be? After speaking to Maria, Tami and I did our usual research, but came up with all the usual answers. Thousands of legends, and lore, on a wide variety of "contracts". Even Mr. Browns ever-efficient secretary came up with nothing useful. There were just too many cross-references. Then, we made a decision. Maybe not a "good" decision, but the best we had, in this situation. Remembering which human foods the Enforcer Demon had enjoyed, most, during its last visit, too Earth, Tami and I ordered a sort-of buffet, which we, then, set up, in a warehouse (To avoid potential, prying, eyes). We, then, used a "Request for Information" spell, and were relieved at the results. Granted, the entrance was the classic form, designed to scare most mortals, into submission, what with the bright fire, and the growl, and all, but Tami and I were relieved when our "friend", the Enforcer Demon, showed up. It even kept to its end of our previous agreement. One in which the creature retained its natural form. Since the Enforcer was our guest, Tami and I took "submissive" roles, as we served the creature enough food for its too relax, and prepare to answer questions. Once the Demon had its fill, of the food, it said "Yes, I KNOW of your request I even made a point, of checking our own records, before answering your summons." When Tami said "Well, that saves time. Now, what can you tell us?" The demon would say "It is most simple, indeed. A Contract was signed, 390 years ago, which gave a mortal un-limited powers, over others, in return for a price." When Tami asked "Let me guess. The woman sold her soul, to the devil. But, HOW does this relate to Maria?" The Enforcer said "According to the record, the ancestor wanted revenge, on someone, bad enough, that the woman signed a contract which sold not just her soul, but generations, of her descendants souls, as well." When Tami asked "I thought the rule was that a person could only sell their own soul?" The Enforcer would say "Normally, you are most correct, however, the Bargainer Demon saw a chance to "make some points", with "the Boss", so the Bargainer made a deal, which would guarantee a steady supply, of souls, in the coming years". When Tami asked "Is that even legal?" the Enforcer would say "Normally, I would say not, but the Bargainer was most shrewed, in making the deal." This is when I asked "Whats the "out"." When the Enforcer would ask "What is this "out"?" Tami would say "He means that, in ALL contracts, there is an "out" clause. A clause which free's the signer from the contract." The Enforcer would say "You mean, a way to terminate the family contract, right?" When Tami would say "Right. HOW do we get Maria OUT of the contract". Although Tami and I had done some very strange things, in past cases, in order too place the dead back in peace full rest, when the Enforcer spoke of the only way, which it knew of, to end the contract, Tami and I decided that this would be too far, for each of us to go. Still, we gave the demon our thanks, for the information, then it said "Call on me, anytime. I enjoy visiting your world. But, back to business". In the next moment, it faded away. With the contract information in hand, Tami and I would make another stop, at an herbal supplies shop, before visiting the local coven. After acquiring the supplies, we travelled to the local covens "headquarters", where, instead of telling the covens leader why we had come, she asked "YOU know why we have come". When the priestess would say "We are aware." When Tami waived me forward, with the container, the priestess would say "You honor us, now I will honor you. The Enforcer was NOT correct in saying that there was only one way too break the contract." When Tami would say "I am listening", The priestess would say "The Enforcer knows only what evil allows it to know. Evil only knows evil. There is, however, an alternative, IF you are willing to face the consequences". When Tami would ask "WHAT consequences?" The priestess would say "If you follow this course, of action, you will disrupt the current time-line. The consequences are too vast to contemplate." When Tami would ask "How bad could it, possibly, be?" the priestess would say "IT could be as small as a rainy day, instead of a sunny day" When Tami asked "At worst?" The priestess would say "The two of you could either end up NOT being born, or you could end up married" When Tami took a look at me, and at my belly, I knew what she was visioning. She was visioning me to be like her uncles. Married men, who carried enough extra weight too make up a second, or third, person. When I reminded Tami that we were on assignment, and obligated to atleast TRY too help our client, Tami agreed. This is when Tami made the arrangements, with the coven, while I monitored the supplies packing, in case we ended up spending some serious time, in the past. After one case caught us off-guard, and we ended up 200 years in the past, for weeks, without even our tooth-brushes, when we returned to the present, we did not even report in, until after hot showers, and dental care. Since the priestess had suggested more time-travel, too prevent the contract, and, thereby FREE Maria, of the contract, I wanted too make sure we had what we might need. I did have too laugh at the idea, that someone had decided too place disposable batteries in the packs. I guess that the people, who designed the original packs just did not understand that radio, cell-phones, and G.P.S., were MODERN inventions. Besides, WHO would we call, centuries before the phone was invented. No, I re-designed the packs to contain, primarily, rations, and hygiene products. After the ration packs, and supplies, were ready, Tami and I were fitted with our "travel-wardrobe". This way, we would blend in with the natives. What astonished both of us was the location spell, which the priestess would use, to send us trough time. A coven elder would say that the care, being used, by the coven, was due to the "sloppy" techniques used by science agencies, on previous missions. Stupid scientists thought that all they had to do, in the past, was shown modern credentials, and they would be accepted, by people who lived before magic had given way to science. To date, eleven teams, and 35 scientists, had gone into the past, and been killed, after being condemned as "witches". This is why, not only did the coven choose the correct date, to send us to, but the Wiccans were most careful to choose an access point, which locals were known too avoid. By this assignment, Tami did not have to be reminded, to put her hair up, and pose as a boy, in other time frames. She had learned, from the case of the lighthouse, that, in the past, women were seen-and-not-heard. Still, the look, of annoyance, on the womans face, as her corsete bound her breasts in, made me want to smile. Tami said she would never get used to these items, no matter how "required" they were. Before we stepped through the time-tunnel, the priestess showed us a view, of where we would land. The coven had selected a cave, which was roomy enough for our supplies. The "tricky" part, as the Wiccans would say, was landing us at the right POINT in time. When Tami saw how difficult the task was proving, she suggested "Why not set us down a week, or two, beforehand? This way, even if the time is not exact, we can be in place, too avert the deal." When the Wiccans agreed on this, the portal was open, and this is when, too our surprise, the Enforcer demon would materialize, and ASK the Wiccans "May I accompany them?" When the priestess, surprisingly, said "Certainly", the three of us stepped through time, with very little complication. The only thing we found odd, about the tunnel, was how easy it was to pass even our supplies through the device. Both at Wiccan headquarters, and in the past, in the cave, we have to muscle the supplies across the floor. Inside the tunnel, though, it was as if the supplies rode, on a cushion, of air. It was only AFTER we arrived, in the past, that we found that the Enforcer had brought along a piece of electronics. I was about too remind the creature that, in this time, electronics do not exist, when it received a signal, and told us "We have three weeks to avert the deal. After that, time moves forward". Even worse yet, with no internet, Tami could not call up information, for us to track. According to the demon, its electronic thing could only track dates, demons, and prospects, for recruitment. This is when we decided to split into two groups. The Enforcer would take on the Bargainer, while Tami and I tried to talk the woman OUT of the contract. Over the next two weeks, though, Tami and I came to understand the reason WHY the woman had made the deal. Just because she was twenty-five years old, and not yet married, and having no children, the woman was considered an outcast, in her village. A place where girls were married off, at fourteen, and had their first child, at age fifteen. When Tami spoke too the woman, she found out WHY the woman had not yet taken a husband. It seems that the village match-makers wanted her to marry in her own "station". Having grown up, on the hard lands, of the prairie, though, the woman wanted MORE than just a farmer, for a husband. She wanted MORE from her man, and she was not about to settle for less. No matter how much her body YEARNED for a mans touch. When Tami suggested that the woman pawn the lands her parents had left to her, and move to a place, where her thoughts would be accepted, Tami had forgotten that, in THIS time period, only MEN could BUY, SELL, and PAWN. Women were property, as were children. This is when Tami worked another of her "deals". Finding a man, whom the woman trusted, but NOT "loved", Tami had the woman place her land in the mans name, then instructed the man to travel to another village, to PAWN the lands. The two would, then, split the profits: 75% for the lady, and 25%, of the man. While we were doing this, the Enforcer located the Bargainer, and had to report the creature, for manipulating humans into making deals. The Enforcer even had to step in, twice, to prevent a gross mis-carriage, of justice. In one case, two men were quarrelling, over a woman, and the Bargainer was, discreetly, doing everything possible too encourage the men to KILL one another. The Enforcer knew the RULES, and the RULES said that demons could only act, if humans ASKED for action. When the Enforcer stepped in, reminding the Bargainer of the RULES, the Bargainer backed off, and the men decided that the woman was not worth fighting over. Shortly after this, the Enforcer had to beat the Bargainer, severely, as the Bargainer tricked a woman into "public disclosure", in order to raise funds, to feed her family with. Like the Enforcer said, the RULES stated that humans must REQUEST interaction, for deals to take place. Demons were not allowed to act like sales-people. Once the Bargainer was reprimanded, the Enforcer altered events just enough so that it would seem that the woman had nothing more than a momentary, mental, lapse. "No harm, No foul" When it was time for the womans generational contract to be made, the Enforcer steered the Bargainer away from the village, and sent it off, for some "better prospects". At the womans home, Tami and I felt a sort-of "shiver", of wind, and hoped this meant that history had changed. When the Enforcer met us, back at the cave, it smiled as it said "The deed is done". With this, the three of us just waited for the portal too re-open, so we could return home. Coming back, through the portal, was the easy part. The hard part was what we found, when we tried to report in, to base. To say that we were shocked, too find the Brown Agency no-longer in existence, was one thing. Too find that it was replaced with a Dominatrix Parlor, was something else. When Tami and I returned too the coven, the priestess already had the information, which we sought. According to the covens "database", although we had saved Maria from damnation, the problem was that the Bargainer had been sent to a person, who held a grudge, against another. The Bargain was that the victims newly married wife was too be cursed to be barren. This would present a problem since, according too history, two, of the couples daughters, had left home, at early ages, and made their ways, as best they could. One had traveled East, while the other went West. These women would, eventually, be the ancestors, of both Mr. Brown, and Mr. Blue. Tami had no-sooner asked "How do we FIX this?", the Enforcer showed up, asking about the same thing. This time, the Wiccans would provide us with DETAILED directions, on what to do, and when. When we prepared too travel, again, the priestess asked the demon "WHY do you wish to use our travel methods? You have the ability, on your own" The Enforcer would admit "I like your method better. Less bumps. More comfortable" Back in the past, it turns out that the task would be even simpler than we could have hoped. When the Enforcer found the Bargainer trying to trick one child into killing another child, over some toy, while, at the same time, trying to convince a man too have sex, with his daughter, while the mother was away, the Enforcer was not-so-polite, this time. The Enforcer DRAGGED the Bargainer back to Hades, as viciously as possible, while reminding it "We ONLY recruit those who WANT our help." From the moment, when the Enforcer dragged the Bargainer away, history was changed, again. With another "puff of wind", Tami and I felt a positive change, coming over us. Although we were prepared to wait for our "travelling companion", to join us, the Enforcer sent us a "message", saying it would meet us, in the present. Back in our own time, Tami made a point of asking the priestess to verify how time had been affected. The priestess would promise that all we knew was back to normal. Returning to base, though, and submitting our report, which included that fat that Maria was free of her contract, Mr. Brown would ask "Who is this Maria, and why are you claiming that we changed her fate?" Strange that only Tami and I, alone, remembered the assignment. This is when Mr. Brown would suggest that we take that week, that we wanted. The case we had worked, now, never existed.