Spirit Caller 01 - Spirits Rising

belonged here, but I really do.” Tears welled up in my eyes, but I kept my head down so Jeremy wouldn’t see them. “God, Tobe came out there with a rifle.”
    Jeremy sidled up next to me, taking the wet dishes from the drip pan and drying them. “I think you’re so used to hiding that you just assume people are against you.”
    I tried to speak, but the stupid lump in my throat made it impossible. Stupid vision getting blurry. “Someone taped religious tracts to my door telling me people were against me. I just assumed it was my neighbours.”
    He put his hand on my shoulder. Orange-scented suds water dampened my shirt. “I saw the tracts in Manny’s basement. I don’t think it was your neighbours. I think it was one person. You can’t condemn us all for one man’s decision.”
    I took a deep breath and gave Jeremy a quick smile, before he could see the tears falling from my eyes. He squeezed my shoulder once more and I ignored the chills his touch gave me. Stupid idiot .
    We fell silent again, before Jeremy asked in a sober tone, “Can you stop the spirits?”
    I watched Mrs. Saunders push her walker across the paving-stone path I’d made around her yard, so that she could weed her spring tulips safely. Now, she bent down and picked up the fallen pieces of wood that the spirits had knocked over from her woodpile, one hand firmly on her walker, brakes on.
    I thought of Tobe and his sons, ready to defend me, even though I’d never stepped a foot in their house.
    I took a deep breath, and said, “I hope so.”

    CHAPTER 9: Allies And Graveyards

    I settled on the United Church Cemetery in St. Anthony as my last stand. First, it was the nearest graveyard to Manny’s house, where the original spell was cast. Second, the cemetery was just that—a cemetery. It was the last home of the dead. Dead attracts dead, so hopefully the benign spirits resting in the graveyard would soothe the awakened spirits and help calm them.
    All right, I was grasping, but I didn’t have a lot to work with. I could almost hear Mom’s voice in the back of my mind whispering how this was going to fail.
    But, it was the best option. Besides, it was the prettiest graveyard in the entire Northern peninsula. It was up on a hill, overlooking both the town and the bay. It looked like a place where a spirit would want to settle down for eternity.
    I had no idea if the spirits would return to Manny’s, re-form next to me, or actually be gone forever, but I decided getting into position was the best option.
    We drove the short trip from Wisemen’s Cove to St. Anthony. Jeremy sat in the back, so that Mrs. Saunders could sit in the front seat. Dark clouds hung in the air and mist sprayed the windshield. I picked up speed; the moose wouldn’t litter the secondary highway in this weather. They’d be smart and head to the woods.
    Still, just to be sure, I kept the high-beam lights on. Hitting a four hundred kilo animal would put a damper on my plans.
    The tight pressure behind my eyes slowly reformed, pulling and stabbing at my brain. I’d had several hours of complete and uninterrupted peace and my defences were prepared. I pushed my will and focus against the pressure and steadied my thoughts.
    I passed four white RCMP vehicles as I approached town, with another two parked in the Tim Horton’s parking lot. But the cops weren’t inside slurping down the stereotypical coffee and donuts; instead, two officers sat alert in each vehicle, with headlights on, and the cars idling, ready for a moment’s dash down the street.
    We turned up the hill, heading towards the graveyard. In the RCMP parking lot, several cars were parked.
    “Looks like they brought in help,” Jeremy said idly from the backseat. He let out a sigh. “I should be helping. Damn forced vacation.”
    “I’ve never seen so many Mounties in my life,” Mrs. Saunders said, disdain in her voice. “Bunch ’f foolishness this is, summoning up the dead. Don’t these youngsters have anything better to do?”
    With the rain and clouds, it was hard to tell when sundown would happen, but I’d made an educated guess by looking at Environment Canada’s website before I set out. The car’s clock said I had about twenty minutes to set up. It was cutting it close, but I didn’t want Mrs. Saunders to be outside in the rain any longer than she needed.
    I pulled the car off the road as best I could. A light mist was coming down, pretty normal for early September, so I’d made