The Spirit Who Loved Me: Spirit Whispers Book One (13 page)

But my spirit guide was nowhere to be seen.

Chapter 17

I blinked several
times waiting for my eyes to adjust. The overhead florescent lights were blinding, and I used my hand to shade my eyes. Looking about myself, I realized that I was in a hallway of some sort.

“This seems so familiar,” I said to myself. I tapped my temple in an attempt to jar my memory. Nothing. Oh, well, maybe it will come to me.

Double doors lined each side of the hallway, which seemed to stretch into infinity. I stole a look behind me to be sure, and it too stretched as far as my eyes could see. I shrugged my shoulders and started walking. It seemed like the sensible thing to do. I hummed along in time to the echoes of my footsteps. I continued to pass door after door without a care, nary a pause, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Up head, as far as I could see, the bright lights dimmed and flickered. I started to walk slightly faster, curious about any difference whatsoever in this strange monochromic place. After what felt like hours, I found myself standing on the edge between the light and darkness. I took one hesitant step forward. When nothing happened, I took another and then another. I waited. I turned around, facing back the way I’d come, the brightness already beginning to hurt my eyes, already apparently adjusting to the dark. I had no desire to go back. I turned myself around and started walking again with only the sounds of my echoing footsteps to keep me company.

Minutes later, I felt compelled by one of the doors on the right; I stared at it curiously as if I were seeing one for the first time. How many times have you used a door and never really looked at it? I placed my hands on the cool, silver metal of the double door, giving the handle a gentle push.

Air heavy with moisture and the scent of salt washed over me, a brisk wind pulling my hair horizontal behind me. A pregnant moon sat low in a starlit sky. White capped waves rolled on the shoreline. I kicked off my sneakers, already full of coarse sand, immediately running over to place my toes in the salt water. I loved the sensation as the waves returned to the body of the ocean, pulling the sand out from underneath my feet, tickling them. I began to walk along the shoreline in the moonlight, sloshing in the water. I saw the light of a fire a short distance away and knew that was where I was supposed to be.

“What took you
so long, girl? Get over here and give me some sugar!”

I started running over to my granny, throwing my arms around her before kissing her on the cheek.

“What are you doing here, Granny?”

“You asked me.”

“I did?”

She laughed. “You did. Come on, morning will be breaking soon.”

I followed her across the cool sand towards the fire.

“Well, this is interesting.”

“You’re telling me. But this is your special place. It’s your very own creation.”

I raised my eyebrows. “My creation?”

“This is one of your soul’s most favorite places to be.” My granny beamed. “When you were traveling down the hallway In-Between, you crossed one of the thresholds of consciousness. You’re becoming more aware of your true nature.”

“Oh, you mean, when the hallway changed from the brightness to the darkness?”

My grandmother had walked around to the other side of the fire, and sat down heavily on a rich mahogany colored leather couch. “Oh, this just feels wonderful.” She turned her attention back to me. “Yes, ma’am.” She patted the leather next to her. “You should come sit.”

“In a minute.” I walked around the fire, gazing transfixed at the ocean, the moonlight playing on the surface.

“So what did you want to talk about, Krystal?”

What did I want to talk about? I wondered myself. Why had my soul asked my granny to be here? And why didn’t I remember? I turned back around, facing Granny. My fingers brushed against the back of another leather couch, this one smaller and the size of a loveseat. The leather was soft like butter, and I imagined what it would feel like to melt into the seats.

“So I met this Spiral Spider yesterday. Abel hates him, I can tell he does. Why?”

Granny shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “Abel doesn’t hate him. Abel just doesn’t approve of Spiral’s methodology all the time.” She paused and added as an afterthought, “Most of the time, really.” She stiffened her spine and looked me in the eyes. “Spiral’s a good teacher, but he can be tricky. Don’t forget that.”

“Do I have to work with him? Can’t I just work with Abel?”

“You would be surprised at the lengths we go to from Spirit to help you at times. It takes a village, Krystal. For every one of you living it can take a,” she stood from her seat, spanning her arms out wide, “a legion as numerous as the stars.”

“That’s unbelievable.”

“Doesn’t make it any less true,” she said sitting back down. “The world is a magical place to be, Krystal, if you’ll allow yourself to see it.”

Turning away from her, I thumbed along the bookshelves bordering along the outer perimeter of the couches. If it were really true that I could create a special place of my own making this would be it: warm beach, moonlit night, a roaring fire with its embers reaching for the heavens, leather couches, and book shelves adorned with hundreds of titles. I was in love with this place.

“It seems like there must be more to the story than Abel simply disagreeing with Spiral’s teaching methods. Abel didn’t show up for my lesson tonight either.”

She sighed. “True, there is more to the story.” She looked at me wryly. “Getting too smart for your own britches there, sugar.”

Finally giving in, I sat down in the loveseat. “Wow, this feels amazing.” I dug my toes into the sand. “So what happened?”

“Not much I can really tell you. It mainly pertains to past life gibberish.”

“So you’re not going to tell me?”

“I don’t see where it’s going to do you much good. The past is past. People talk about past lives and seem to think learning about them will solve all their problems. That’s not true. Each life time has its own challenges and lessons. I’ve watched people get stuck in those past life memories, missing out on what this lifetime has to offer, and that’s just a shame. Besides this business you’re speaking of happened a long time ago, from the last time Spiral incarnated.”

“From the last time he incarnated? How long ago was that?” My curiosity was peaked.

Granny closed her eyes in thought. “Oh, Lord have mercy, must have been ‘bout 400, 500 B.C. Ancient Carthage if my memory serves me right.”

“Wow. That was a long time ago. So, what does this have to do with me?”

“It has everything to do with you and nothing to do with you, all at the same time,” she laughed and leaned forward. “You’ve known Abel and Spiral practically from the beginning of time itself.”

“What do you mean?” I said in confusion. I could feel the beginning of a head ache blooming. “You just said past lives have no bearing on this life, but what you just said contradicts that.” I looked at her thoughtfully. “I think I have a right to know the truth, especially if it has something to do with me. Was I in Carthage?”

My grandmother looked at me in a way she never had on Earth, as if she were sizing me up. “The truth? The truth will only complicate matters further and confuse you.” She continued to analyze me. “The memories, the feelings, those run deep. Your soul remembers. All you really need to know is they both love you and have your best interests at heart.”

I wanted to scream in frustration. I stared at lump where my feet lay buried in the sand as I tried to get a hold of my temper. “All this talking in rhymes and riddles, doesn’t do me any good either. If anything it makes me more curious.”

“Let it lie, Krystal. I’m asking you to trust me on this.”

“I don’t know if I can.” I looked her in the eye. “If nothing else, tell me this. Who is Abel to me? Really? He’s more than my Spirit Guide, isn’t he?”

“You need to understand for all inclusive purposes, souls work in groups. Like a great big family. The souls take turns taking on different roles depending on the areas a soul wants and needs to work on. You’ve worked with Abel numerous times in just as many numerous scenarios. Nothing to worry yourself over.”

“Who said I was worried?”

“Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?” Granny looked up the sky as it lightened, the stars now washed away in the growing brightness of a rising sun. “It’s almost time for you to wake up.”

“Well, I was at Malcom’s yesterday, and his sister’s little spirit friend decided to put on a show for everybody. Candace said the spirit’s name was Cynthia Mae. Didn’t you know a lady with that name?”

“Ha!” Granny crowed. “Cyndy Mae? I knew her from church. She passed on several years back before Candace was even a thought. Helped her out a time or two when she was sickly.”

“Apparently, they go way back though. Cyndy Mae said that she was doing Candace a favor.”

“That’s common, Krystal. We all take care of one another. I hadn’t realized those two were so connected. I guess I’ll have to go catch up with Miss Cynthia Mae.” She winked at me.

“Cyndy also said something about me needing to be ready for something? Do have any idea what she meant?”

Granny’ eyes darkened. “Well, Krystal, I reckon that means she still hasn’t learned to stop running her mouth. Guess some things never change,” she huffed. “I love you, Krystal. We’ll talk again soon.”

“I don’t want to go,” I lamented, my eyes grazing over the fire, couches and books. “I want to stay here.”

Granny pulled me up to my feet and gave me a big hug. “This place is always here for you, as am I.” She kissed the center of my forehead.

In between one blink and the next, I was home.

It took a
moment for my eyes to adjust to my room. Abel was there, staring out of my window just as he’d done the first night I was made aware of his presence.

“So what happened back in Ancient Carthage?” I asked.

He turned to me, all seriousness, before finally breaking out into a tentative smile.
Nothing I’d care to relive that’s for sure. Where did you hear about Carthage? Spiral?

“No, I had a date with my granny. She was telling me about how we all go way back and said something about it. Has Spiral really not lived since then?”

That’s true. He considers himself more of a Master at this point and has not had a physical incarnation since.

“Oh.” I sighed and said a quick prayer that what I was about to say would come out right. “I don’t need to work with him, ya know, if you really don’t think that I should.”

Just then the alarm on my phone began to chime, and I reached over, turning it off. As I did so, Abel sat down next to me, taking my other hand in his own, and ran his thumb over my knuckles. I looked into his face and wished I knew what he was thinking.

Krystal, it’s not up to me. This is part of an agreement we all made before you even came to Earth. In fact, his face broke out in a big smile causing his teeth to glow in the low light of my room. You set this up.

“I did?”

Abel nodded, his eyes fixed on our two hands intertwined.

“And did I set this up too?” I asked, pointing from myself to him and back again. “Us?”

He raised his eyes to mine.
Surely you remember that…

“Oh, I remember you said something about my soul asking you to help me out. Did I ask you to be my guide? Why?”

We decided amongst ourselves. You and I work well together.

“When you say “decided amongst ourselves,” who else are we talking about?”

Just imagine all of the main players of your life all coming together and deciding which roles to play, deciding on individual and group aspirations, your goals. We are contracted together in an effort to meet our goals.

I shook my head. “Granny told me about soul families. She didn’t say anything about contracts.”

Don’t worry about it, Krystal.

“Well, it sounds like a big deal to me. Like contracts? What happens if someone doesn’t want to pursue what’s in their contract? What happens then?”

All depends. You are given the gift of free will. Usually, if a person is not moving in alignment of their soul’s desired path, their life reflects that, and they will get back on the right track on their own. Other times, all it takes is some gentle prodding from the Spirit Guides.

“And if that doesn’t work?”

Sometimes, a group of Spirit Guides and loved ones will appeal to Archangel Metatron to have a change made to a contract if the person’s soul gives permission. But that’s very rare.

I sat up, ram rod straight. “Wait a sec, there are angels too?”

Of, course. God’s gift to mankind, if you will.
He winked.
Everyone has an angel in their
corner.

“Holy shit,” I breathed. “So, does this angel always give permission?”

Abel pressed his lips together.
So many questions,
he chuckled.
Well, that depends upon each circumstance. I’ve known it to go either way.

Another question was on the tip of my tongue, but Abel took his index finger, touching it against my lips to shush me.

I kissed it. I kissed his finger without a moment’s hesitation, as if I’d done it a million times before. I took his hand, placing it on my side and wrapped my arms around him, burrowing my head into the crook of his neck. How could this be real? I mused. But all I knew was he felt real enough to me. I breathed him in, his sweet, musky scent tickling my nostrils. He pulled back from me, taking my hands and placing them in my lap. He took a shaky breath.

Krystal, you need to get ready for school. I will see you tonight and we’ll talk more
, he promised. Then he was gone from my sight, but not before I felt the gentle pressure of his kiss upon my head.