The Eternal Tenant-part 9

I sat on the couch again, my brain was overwhelmed with so many different thoughts, with scenarios that could go wrong, Eveline's doubting voice. What was this hell I was trapped in? An astral projector? what the hell is even that? I buried my face in my hands, let out a sigh, and shut my eyes in despair. The fire crackled beside me, and the rain began to fall on the dry leaves outside. For a brief moment, I found peace in listening to these sounds, allowing my mind to escape from the terrible things I couldn't comprehend.

I laid down on the couch, one arm resting on my forehead and my other arm next to me, staring at the wooden ceiling of this cursed house. Oh how I wish I was still living in my old rusty car, I would've given anything to be back there, anything...

An hour or so went by; It felt like an eternity, then I heard the sound of Henry's car. I got up from the couch and went to open the door. Funny right? this house, this town was funny, I was a ghos.. sorry, ASTRAL PROJECTOR, out of my physical body yet I could still touch stuff. I opened the door to soaked Henry and Eveline. Eveline came in first, holding her bag, still full of candles and some weird plants and in the other hand, she had a jar with a lid, almost like an...urn. She smiled nervously and went inside. Henry followed, holding his head down, avoiding direct eye contact with me. I turned around and went after Eveline, she was sitting next to the fire, setting her stuff on the floor. I asked "Now what should we do?", she turned her head toward me and replied "Now darling, we will initiate a ritual".

She gave Henry some instructions and then they moved the couch and took everything out of the living room. Then Eveline took out of a piece of chalk and started drawing a circle on the floor in front of the fireplace, adding some symbols that didn't look friendly. She placed the candles carefully on each of the symbols and placed the urn in the middle. "I need a piece of your hair" she said to me. I reached out to my hair when she smiled softly and said "Your actual hair darling". "Oh she meant my corpse's hair" I said In my head. "I'll... bring some..." Henry said with utmost embarrassment in his voice and went toward the basement.

After he brought the hair, Eveline opened the jar/urn and put my hair inside it, along with the plants, then lit all the candles and sat outside the circle. "Come darling, stand inside of the circle" she said with a nervous tone. I was scared but I stepped in anyway, I needed to trust her. She explained "I am going to read some words and then..." she hesitated a bit and then continued "and then you'll going to get your...body back...". A smile formed on my lips, and suddenly a joyful tear slipped from my eye, resembling a pearl gliding down into the sea.

Eveline started. I couldn't comprehend a single word; she was speaking in a frightening ancient language, even Henry seemed startled. As she went on, the candles started to burn more intensely, a cold wind swirling inside even though all doors and windows were closed! But she continued without any hesitation, like she was made for this. The fire in the fireplace began to blaze wildly, I backed off a bit, but Eveline told me not to move, and she was right, I couldn't get hurt anyway.

The fire's intensity grew, with the candles burning as though they were part of a massive blaze. Suddenly a small dark circle appeared mid-air, gradually expanding until it became large enough for me to perceive its nature. It resembled a... black fog! Could that be... the veil??

I screamed at Eveline "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" my voice disappeared between the sounds of the fire blazing and the wind howling. But she looked at me with an embarrassed look on her face, she knew! I tried to get out of the circle, but I hit an invisible wall, I couldn't escape! The veil grew larger and larger and then it became the size of a door, an archway with the black fog twirling inside of it. In the heart of the black fog there was a small white light, shining through straight at my face. Eveline was still shouting the strange words and the veil was shifting with every word of her. I was panicking, the only thought in my head was that she wanted to kill me, send me over the veil, as if she wanted to ease my passing. But then why would she tell me that I was alive? an astral projector?

"Eveline please! I don't understand! what are you doing? why are you trying to kill me?" I cried. Eveline stopped saying the words momentarily, the fire was still blazing and the veil was there. Among all that sounds she screamed "When the white light reaches you, grasp its hand, merge with it, and hold on as tightly as you can!". "What???" I screamed and then she yelled back "Just do as I say! I can't keep the veil open for long! forgive me darling but this was the only way! I promise to bring you back!".

As she said this, I felt betrayed, but I have no other choice other than to listen to her, I was trapped. The white light started expanding and then it turned into a white hand and reached toward me. I hesitated but Eveline shouted "NOW!". I took the hand and all of a sudden I felt I'm so light weighted, like a feather flying in the wind...and then I felt that I am not in my human shape anymore, I felt different, like I could see all and hear all, and then I saw myself standing inside a thick black fog and a beautiful young woman standing in front of me. To my right there was the archway, enveloped in the same swirling black fog that surrounded us. "Hi, I'm Belle!" The girl said with a soft and pleasant smile on her face.

I was shocked, I mumbled "Belle...?". She smiled even more, "I see my reputation precedes me!". I was still looking at her with my mouth open, but she continued "We don't have much time! we need to finish the ritual with the help of Eveline, we have to do this together", I asked confusedly "What is happening? am I dying? I heard from Eveline that you died and became part of the veil! What is this ritual?". She replied "When this is all over, I believe Eveline will explain all to you. For now with have no time for discussions, we need to finish the ritual so I could break my sister's curse, It has been lingering on this town long enough, and then we should send back to the world of the living before it's too late".

I was even more confused but I agreed. "Take my hands..." Belle said and held my hand in hers, starting to mumble some words, her voice getting louder and louder, sounding like the words Eveline spoke. "Whatever happens next, I need you to hold on to me as hard as you can and then when I tell you to let go of me, let go of my hands, do You understand?" Belle said. I was scared and confused but I nodded my head as a sign of confirmation.

Belle and Eveline were yelling the same words as the fog began swirling more rapidly. In an instant, numerous figures emerged from the mist—ghosts of those long deceased, the damned, evil spirits. They clutched at me, attempting to drag me toward them. I remembered what Belle said, to cling to her with all my strength, so I held on tighter until she suddenly shouted, "Now! Let go." I let go and blacked out.