THE HAUNTING PAST MYSTERY OF MY OWN PAST MYSTERY

THE HAUNTING PAST: MY OWN PAST MYSTERY The llast thing I, vividly, recall, of the "present", was that fact that, after Tami and I de-barked our plane, Tami had gone her way, and I had grabbed some fast food, before returning to my own place. At this point and, in a way, I was looking forward to some time off. Still, Tami and I had a bet going on. TTami's bet was that, with the back-log, of cases, still awaiting attention, that our "vacation" would last only about three days. By contrast, my own wager was that the "vacation" would last for five days (seven, tops). The only part, of the wager, that Tami and I agreed on, was that, within seven days, we would be back, at work. That evening, though, the last thing I recall doing was setting my alarm clock, then my head, hitting the pillow. After that, I was "dead to the woorld". NEVER did I dream that I would "wake up", in my childhood bedroom, in the middle of the night. (And, WHHAT was that blue light?) I guess that, at first, I did not believe that this was real due to the fact that I have a LONG memory, of dreams, so vivid, that my conscious mind has to remind me that I am dreaming. Excellent case in point: I, often, dream of the days when my mothher remained alive. In many, of these dreams, my sister (and middle of three children), is driving the family car, while mother is on the passenger side, front seat. (My mother never had a drivers license due to the fact that she was so close, to legally blind, that her "reading" coonsisted of "Talking Books", reecorded on cassette tapes. The "ancestors" of modern, audio books, recorded on compact disc). Anyway, the dreams, usually, progress, normally, with mother making plans, while my sister (who is four years my senior) drives the car. The strange thing, about such dreams is that the dreams play out exactly like real life, with mother and daughter discussing matters, while "baby brother" just seems to be along, for the ride. It always seems that the dream continues on, until the point where our mother is telling me hoow long I can be out, after sunset. It is, never, until I remind my mother that I am a grown man, then remind the woman "You have been dead, for twenty yeras", that I snap out of the dream, and return to this reality. This is the primary reason why I was not overly cooncerned, to be back in my childhood bedroom, within this "dream". It would not be, however, until I rose, from my bed, and observe my surroundings, that I would look back at my bed, and see my childhood self, sleepinng in the bed. As for the climate, of the room, I can only think that it must have been near summer, or unusually warm weather, since my bedroom window was open. Then, I sensed something else, in the room. Something I was un-certain of, yet something, which frightened me. Then I saw "them". The spirits of the departed. Spirits which seemed to understand, LONG before I ever knew, that I had an open mind, and that, one day, I would realize that spirits were "real". Un-fortunately, at the time in question, all that I knew was that the spirits scared me out, of my bedroom, night after night. It was typical for my mother to find me in my sisters bedroom, come morning. Ofcourse, though, I was nowehere near the only "gifted" member, of the family. There was one night, that mother had mentioned, from time to time. The time, when my sister awoke, screaming that there was a strange man, standing inn the bedroom doorway. When mother appearred, in the doorway, my sister would cry out "Mom, you just walked right THROUGH the man". Although a search, of the house, would reveal no presense, of intruders, it would not be until father returned home, that mother would find out that the man had been robbed, by an assailant, whose description was, eerily, similar, to my sisters description. Ofcourse, sometimes, we wondered if the house, itself, was "possessed". After all, during the years, when we lived, in the house, and even during the heat, of summer, the homes master bedroom remained ice cold, especially during the night. And, do not let Tami and my own, previosu adventures fool any one. In fact, even I was no "angel", even during my childhood. Yes, like all children, I had my share, of "rampages". Although the reason is long forgotten, I do remember that, one day, during a tantrum, I smashed the glass out oof our homes rear, sccreen, door. I dont remember the details, but I remember being discreetly punished, for the action. I do believe that it was sometime, after this, that our parents were informed that, when my sisters and I had temperatures, or "ridiculous" tantrums, that these times would set off "seizures", in our brains. As a result, for several YEARS, my sisters and I swallowed Dialtin pills, which would control any "seizures". As for my "epic achievement", of childhood, I really have no idea what this might have been. It might have been the factthat, in arrt class, my drawings were, always, thhe last, which the teachers collected, however, my drawings seemed to earn the highest grades. That is, atleast in art class, and due to the fact that my drawings were, always so detailed, to the point where neither teachers, nor our parents, had to ask what my pcitures showed. It seems that, even at a young age, I was detail-oriented. But, ofcourse, I had my "grand disasters", as well. Including the incident, with the overhead, paralell bars. These are the kinds of bars which military recruitment shows, on television, with soldiers climbing ladders. then crossing a space, above the ground, by using hand-over-hand motions. Now, ofcourse, our grade school had a smaller set, of these bars, for the small kids, like me. Teachers would remind the smaller of us, to stay AWAY from the larger set, due to risk of injury. But, no, do you think we listened to the teacherrs? As memory serves, a group, of us students were told, on a bright, sunny, day, that we were "chicken" enough that we would not attempt the older students cross-bars. What I did not realize was that, since our schools cross-bars were made of metal, they could get very HOT, in the sun. Well, when this three foot "shorty" tried the six foot tall unit, I remember burning my hand, on a rung, then landing, oon my left arm, breaking my wrist, just as cleanly as if a butcherr had sliced it. These were the memories, which came back to me, as I wondered what I was doing, in this extended, and very realistic, dream. After a bit of investigating, I found out the reason behind my nightly excursions, to my sisters bedroom. The spirits had sensed that I was "open", and had hoped to gain my attention, while I slept. What the spirits did noot realize was that these attempts, at contact, caused this child nightmares, whicch, in turn, caused me to flee, into my sisters bedroom. Now, as an adult, and watching this, as though on a movie screen, I would watch as my family went about their business, as night turned into morning. Too my surprise, I found thhat the childhood version, of myself, had far more friends, and much better times, with these friends, than I remembered. One thing I will, never, forget was the "punishment", which a room, full of first graders, put thhose poor teachers through, as the teachers TRIED to teach students the twelve months of the year. For some reason, though, I had an especially rough time remembering that September, noot October, followed August. In fact, I had to recite the months, three times, maybe four times, before I got it right. This, despite the fact that the classrroom had pretty, cardbboard, flowers, on the walls, listing not just the twelve months, but with each students name, and birthdate, written on a flower petal. This school was even modern enough that the boys restroom actually had REAL urinals, and toilets, which had working stall doors. (This would be totally un-like the publicc school restrooms, in schools where I spent most of my youth. Schools where the urinals were nothing more than oil drums, cut in half, and the toilets were ucky to have doors, at all.) Although I watched my younger self going through lifes paces, as a child, I did notice how often I looked about, as though trying to catch a glimpse, of something, which I THOUGHT was watching me. It would seem that the spirit world was watching me, even as a child. The spirits seemed to want me to be aware of their presense. Sometimes, I wonder if this might have had something to do with some of the knock-down, drag out, fights, our parents had. What I did noot know was that our mother was even more "in tune", with the spirit world, than myself, and my sisters, were. I think that the spirits gravest mistake was the suggestion, of whispering into my mothers ear, while she slept, that the spirits needed her aid. These "messages", our mother incorporated into her dreams, and became the foundation, for atleast soome, of her accusations, that our father was off, dating other women. True, eventually, after being acccused of the act, father then committed the act, but what astonished my adult self was how much the spirit world had been involved in the decision. What my adult self also noticed was hoow, even on clear, sunny, days, what I was witness too seemed dark, and shadowy. Even whe I tried my tried-and-tru method, of saying, aloud "This was forty years ago!", it was odd how, this time, the trick did not work. It was odd, but, somehow, I remained in the past. Strange thing was that, while the younger versions, of my family, went about daily life, including maels, and television, none of them seemed to notice that I was watching them. This despite the fact that I thought I was standing in their midst. And, there remained the question, of why everything was so dark, and gloomy. As an investigator, with several cases "undeer my belt", I performed what I thought would be the best version, of Tami and myself, by searching the property, for clues. After what seemed like WEEKS, of "research, I concluded that it had never been the property, which had drawn the spirits to my family. It was my own familys "sixth sense". Between my fathers German intellect, which gave the man the ability to both read, and understand, his employers blue-prints, as well as our mother, passing on some sort of "telepathic" genes, to her children, it would seem that our home had become some sort oof "sup-magnet", for spirit activity. Although it was, probbably true, that this knowledge would noot have affected our parrents divorce, in any way, however, this knowledge DID explain other thhings. Case in point: Our father was born just months after the great stock marrket crash, of 1929. This would mean that most of his childhood would be spent surviving the first Great Depression, of the 20th century. Our mother was born just seven years later, in about the middle of this tragic time, for America. It is, therefore, thhe coonsidered opinion, of myself, and my sisters, that this was a major, contributing, factor, for muchh of the stress, in family life. Ofoucrse, having three chhildren did not help matters. To our parents, the concept, of "too much money", was in-conceivable. Having survived a Great Depression, our parents were part of a generation, which had grown up, with nothing, and, therefore, could, never have "too much money". Since I knew that this was all "old history", and I knew all oof this to be fact, so this left the question of "WHAT was I, still, doing here?" Whenn I thought that I began hearing movement, in the family home, at night (sound, which did not wake my family), I ckecked the house, repeatedly, only to find shadowy mists, and dark objects. No human intruders. Each time I tried too "make ccontact", with the objects, though, "it" just moved away from me, or vanished. What I did not know, at that time, was what was going oon, in the real world. While I was off, in "dream-land", Mr. Brown had found some work, for Tami and I. Problem was that, while Tami was her normal, punctual, self, it seems that no one could reach ME. Although it would seem impossible that, when agents were sent, to check my place, the agents found no evidence, of struggle, forced entry, or soo on. The problem was that, although my bed was, slightly rumpled, there was no sign of myself. When the agents returned to base, to inform Mr. Brown, Mr. Brownn would inform Tami not to worry. "We will find him", then told his secretary to "Activate his tracker". As Mr. Brown, his secretary, and Tami, wattched, the personnel, in the electronic tracking section, went to the file, pulled out my tracking code, from my printed file, and fed the code into the ccomputer. Everyone, at the Brown Agency, knew that the tracking system worked corrrectly, since seven members, of staff, who were on duty, were being acctively tracked, while oon assignment. All present just found it odd, as in strange, hoow LONG it was taking the "progress bar", to process the command, even as the word "SEARCHING" flashed, on the display. Since the program, normally, takes a maximum, of thirty seconds, to locate a tracker, no matter where, on the globe an agent is, when the "progress bar" still flashed "SEARCHING", after five mnutes, Mr. Brown would be just preparing ti inquire, when Mr. Blue would suggest "Run full diagnostics. I want to know WHY the agent has noot been located, yet". Less that a minute later, a seperate screen would show "Diagnostics Complete. All Systems Functional". When Mr. Brown would say "Update status, on ALL projects, and personnel", the agents would comply, type in the commands and, within fifteen secoonds, the main board would, in fact, show ALL seven agents, on duty, were accounted for. When Mr. Brown would tell the technicians "Send diagnostic response request, to his tracker. Let us find out if the tracker has been "damaged"". Just fifteen seconds later, the diagnostic screen would show "No response". What both Mr. Brown, and Mr. Blue, knew was that, even if I, or anyone else, were injured, or deead, the diagnostic program would, still transmit "Signal Received". For some in-conceivable reason, though, the coomputerrs coulld not locate me, anywhhere, on Earth. This left the question of "HOW is this possible, in the twenty-first century?" As for myself, what even I did not think about, for awhile, was the fact that, maybe, just maybe, I was not "dreaming". Although I was certain that, in the twen-first century, as soon as the Brown Agency realized that I was not answering my pages, the agency would activate my tracker, and locate me, by its signal. Still, this left the question of "What if what I was seeing was NOT a dream?" What IF, somehow, I had been projected, or transported, back, in time, to the late 1960's? For one, hilarious, moment, I considered what it would mean, if I WERE trapped, in the 1960's. In the days before family homes had color television, or V.C.R.'s, home computers, or other, science fiction, devices. IF this were true, my tracker would be useless, since even this tracking technology was not created until decades after the late 1960's. Still, I pondered this posssibility, as I watched myself go about my youth, and wondering WHY I hhad done many of the things I had done. Things like the time when I suck behind the wheel, of my fathers car, and backed the right, rear, tire, into a ditch. (What was I thinking?) So many things I could, or SHOULD, have done differently (IF I did them, at all). What I do recall is that, from grade shool, right through to college, my worst subject, possible, was English class. To say that my grades were "horrible", would be a compliment. What my teachers could, never, understand, though was the reason why, since I failed English class, year after year, HOW could it be that my reading, and writing, class grades, were near the top of the class. Still, I wondered what my adult self was doing "Here". WHY was I watching my own childhood? Answers, I needed answers. This lead to the question, of "WHERE to find answers, in 1969?" When I considered contacting the local coven, I had to, quickly dismiss this cooncept, since, even as "Samantha Stevens", of "Bewitched" was showing the world that witchcraft was NOT "evil", Wiccans would have to wait, for another few decades, before winning acceptance, from the pubblic. Besides, HOW was I to contact the coven? Check the Yellow Pages, under "Witchcraft"? I could think of only one way, to establish contact. I would have to summon all of my psychic strength, to the maximum, and hpe this was enough to cross the barriers, of time, and space, and send a telepathic message, to the Wiccans. I just hoped I hhad enough energy, for the task. Back, in the real world, the Brown Agency was calling in all available information. The problem was that, even after 48 hours, of continuous effort, all that anyone could verify was that I had not been located. This is when Tami decided to add magick to the mix. Even while enroute, to the coven, Tami was calling, both to say she was coming, and to ask for a meeting. When th Wiccans only response was "We know", Tami would only hope that this meant that "All was well" When Tami rached coven headquarters, though, she was most annoyed when the Wiccan would not allow her to enter the coven, until my co-worker had calmed herself. The rationale: "We are working powerful magick, within. We must remain focused, both positive, and pure, of thought, in order for the magick to be successful". When Tami would say "Very well", oonly then would the Wiccan allow my co-worker entry. Thankfully, though, the coven was hard, at work, and had enough time to summarize their oown "report". Un-fortunately, the news was not positive. As the priestess would explain "We have searched both the present, and the future, and we find no evidence, of him, in either plane." When Tami would ask "Dont tell me he is in another dimension" The priestess would say "Such is not our belief. Besides, inter-dimensional travel would have left a notice-able "foot-print"." When Tami would suggest "Then, the past, wins, by default, right?" When the priestess would say "It would seem soo." Then add "The problem is, we just dont knoow wherre too start. If we knew when, and where, he was born, and where he was raised, we could be much more precise, in our search". Under normal circumstances Tami would, never, have given this information, to any one, however, since my parrtner felt that I was in some sort of "danger", Tami provided the Wiccans with much of my personal information. Information which I had shared with her, only in the strictest confidence. Still, in this case, Tami felt that my safety overrrode any privacy concerns.. Still, even when the Wiccans had this information, Tami would be left, to wait, and pace, inside a "holding room", while the Wiccans combined ingredients with their intellect, for hours, before the spell was ready. As the priestess would command "We shall begin at the moment of his birth, and this shall lead us to his time-line. Once we have established this, we may proceed, at an accelerated pace". Sure enough, and although she did not know why, Tami felt what my mother went through, in giving birth. Tami, absent-mindedly, carressed her own stomach, while considering what it was like, to have new life, growing inside her body. New life, which would spring forward, in the cold, snowing, pre-dawn hours, of a February morning. (Personal note: I have never understood what women find so "cute", about new born babies. Maybe this is just a mans point of view, but I ponder the question, at times). For just a moment, Tami envisioned it being herself, on that table, giving birth to my children. Thankfully, she shook off the feeling, and the vision, and FAST! If Mr. Brown even THOUGHT that Tami was having such thoughts, she knew it would be agency policy to re-assign each of us. Either that or our careers, with the agency, would be at an end. Still, Tami felt the "tinglings", as my childhood passed before the women, in the "mist". Oddly enough, even the Wiccans were surprised when they located ME, in first grade. When Tami asked "WHAT is he doing, there?", the priestess would suggest "Sisters, I am of the feeling that this man is supposed to LEARN something".. When the other sisters would agree, cautioning "He is only a child. What, possible, lesson, can he learn, from watching a child?" This is when the priestess would attempt to initiate contact, with me. When the priestess would ask "Can you hear me?", Even Tami was surprised when I asked "WHERE am I?" When the priestess would say "It seems that you have been summoned, to your own past." When I asked "No kidding?", then added "I would not have known, if you had not have told me". When the priestess asked "What is the last thing you remember, before you found yourself in the past?" When I summarized bedding down, in the 21st century, and waking, in the middle of the night, in my old bedroom, in the 1960's, the priestess would command "Show me, in slow motion". While I focused on the details, of my bedding down, the Wiccans, and Tami, would notice thhat I was thinkiing about Tami, and NOT in a professional way, either. When the priestess would command "Focus your thoughts", I would say "Sorry", and this is when the coven, and Tami, noticed something, in the details. When I would mention "yeah, I saw it. I just thought it was a shadow". This is when Tami noticed that the priestess would conjure one of those "Mist of Truth". When Tami, the priestess, and atleast five, other, Wiccans, would enter the "mist", and call up details, of the shadow image, Tami was un-sure of just What she was observing. This is when the priestess would "Spell it out", for my co-worker. The shadow was, in reality, a "memory creature", whose purpose, when conjured, was to "teach" people about the present, by reviewing the persons past. For some, un-specified reason, though, there was a "lesson", which I was to learn, from my own childhood. What the "lesson" was, though, even the priestess did not know. When I would suggest "Maybe, I am supposed to learn that I was NOT a "saint", even as a child. If this is what the creature is showing me, then I must plead "Guilty as Charged". When the Wicans would agree "Doubtful. After all, we were, ALL "beasts", during childhood". True. Between in-securities, and tantrums, not a single person, on this planet, can claim to have been "saintly", as a child. Still, this left the question of "What was I doing, in the 1960's?" Even when I added up all of the stupid stuntts, I had pulled, during childhood, I still failed to come up with an answer. Sure, as a child, I was shy, tiny, and "withdrawn", but "Big Deal". All children are moody. No surprise, there. It was while I seemed "stuck", in the late 1960's, that the coven moved forward, in my life, to 1978. The year, when the child born, and either the childs father, or the fathers family, had LIED to a local hospital, about the new-borns mother's mother. In the "Mist of Truth", the coven, and Tami, watched as the fathers family, when asked about contacting the mothers mother, to be present, when her daughter gave birth, the family had told the hhospital "Her mother is dead". Hours after the childs birth, when the mothers own family had received word, of the childs birth, and arrived, at the hospital, with the new grand-mother stating her identity, hospital staff had told the mother "But you're dead! Ateast, thats what the family told us". When Tami would ask "How could they do such a thing?" The priestess would say "The human heart has many dark corners, just as the mind has." Then the priestess would suggest "Shall we continue?" When Tami agreed, (and I remained stuck reviewing my childhood), the "mist" moved on, to show the present. What neither Tami, nor the coven, could have known, was that a member, of the "extended" family, would be so "desperate", to cut my family out of everything, that a member had joined a coven, and, without proper training, had tried to induce a memory spell, designed to make family members forget any association, with the "superior" family. The problem, as the priestess would point out, was that "Without proper training, the cadet has created a spell, in which a family member is required to re-live significant memories, over and over, until they accept the "evil", which was visited upon them, decades before". When a sister would suggest "Why dont we just erase his memory, as the spell was designed to?" Tami would be the one to say "You have no idea how willful his memory can be. You would need an atoomic bomb, to erase his memory". Th priestess would concur "If we used such a powerful spell, it would wipe out everything he has, ever, known." It was when the Wiccans would be stumped, for a plan, that "Mother Superior" would show up, asking "May I be of any assistance?" Both Tami, and the Wiccans, knew that the woman was just being courteous. Moments later, and using some gestures, which none of us understood, it seems thhat "Mother Superior" not only "hauled" me back, from the 1960's, but that she, somehow, "reversed the spell", sending it back, upon the caster. "Mother Superior" promised, though, that the spell would last only a few days. After that, the caster would be left with just a horrible memory. Final "experience" notes: Although I truly felt that I was re-experiencing my life, as if watching a movie, I am sure that many would say that I just hallucinated the whole thing. However, if this is so, then HOW is it that the spell, cast by "Mother Superior", brought me back to the present? What did she do? Set off my alarm clock? I, also, cannot confirm any of the reports, that an in-law might have cast a spell, over me, either. As for what the "mist" had shown Tami, we left to wonder if it was the past, or just my memories. I suppose that only those, who were there, at the time, know the truth. The real "bummer", though, is the fact that, since Tami and I were, never, officially, assigned, to this case, we would receive not one penny, in compensation, for any of our work. After all, the Brown Agency only pays for work it assigns people to perform. On this, Mr. Brown, and Mr. Blue, are in complete agreement. I would, however, be allowed another forty-eight hours, to rest, from my "rest", before being re-assigned, to another case. Tami would promise that she would do the "preliminary" work, while I rested. When my head hit the pillow, I had to shake the image, of Tami, embracing me, and kissing me "Goodnight" (And PRAY that Mr. Brown NEVER found out). My main desire would be dream-LESS sleep. By the time I would wake up, my phone was "ringing up a storm". As soon as I saw the Caller I.D., I KNEW what it was. Whoever coined the phrase "No rest for the wicked", must have known that, one day, Tami and I would be mated, as a team. Oh, well, back to work, is what I thought as I picked up the receiver...