Dark and Dangerous ...Part 2 ...Phantasmagoric Vision
― Malachi Martin
I’m sitting in the Grenadier Restaurant surrounded by ghosts of long dead soldiers and Suze, the opposing counsel in the upcoming court battle, is calmly spreading marmalade on her Ennglish Muffin while denying the reality of other worldly spirits.
“The Crown Prosecutor will probably hope for a judgment and a fine—a warning to the Church to back off future witch hunts,” she says matter-of -factly.
“Is that what you think this is?” I respond hotly. “That doesn’t do justice to either the Church’s position or the reputation of Father Malachi.”
She raises her eyebrows, surprised at my emoting.
“He took a huge risk, Jake—could have proceeded more slowly.”
I’m already shaking my head. “You know how these things go, Suze—yeah, they could have dragged it out and made the girl suffer for seven years—like some of the cases I’ve seen.”
“Yeah, too bad they didn’t—the girl’s dead.”
“A seizure brought about by her own parents’ ignorance,” I counter, “—starving her and withholding her meds—totally convinced she just needed spiritual intervention.”
“Isn’t that what you’ve been saying, Jake?”
“No, damn it!” I slam my fist on the table and the silverware jumps. A few nearby diners move to other tables.
“Nicely done,” she smirks. “That’ll win you points at trial.”
“I’m sorry,” I groan and lower my voice to a harsh whisper.
“Lisle was on anti-convulsive meds and severely dehydrated and malnourished. Then her parents suddenly took her off her drugs. She had a seizure and a coronary event—not Father Malachi’s fault.”
“Maybe not, but then again, he could have insisted on a doctor being present.”
“A doctor was present, and this was only the second session—he spent at most, six hours in total with her.”
“I’m sure the Crown attorney won’t see it that way. Face it, Jake—this is going to be a career buster. I’m surprised you took the case.”
I shrug dejectedly.“Yeah well, I admire Father Malachi and I’m not going to see him hung out to dry.”
“You may have no choice,” She cautions.
I lean back in my chair and look at the trees. The blood red Maples look ominous in the morning haze.
I shiver visualizing Grenadier skeletons in the murky depths of the pond and The Awful Monster’s leering face.
It’s past midnight and I’m still up, preparing Father Malachi’s defense.
The orange hunter moon stares at me through the black window.
Suddenly, a high-pitched shriek splits the silence.
“No—Get away!” Cyn’s screaming from the bed and my blood freezes.
I’m out of the study and into the bedroom. I grab Cyn and shake her awake. She’s sobbing and gasping.
“Shh, it’s okay—just a bad dream,” I tell her.
She’s trembling like a leaf, clinging for dear life. Sobs wrack her body. I hold her and let her cry.
Eventually, the spasms abate, her body goes calm and the room gets quiet.
“Can you talk now?”
She nods.
“Do you want me to get you a drink?”
“No!” her fingers coil tightly around my wrist, nails digging into my skin. “Don’t leave me.”
“Okay, I won’t go—I’m here.”
Her eyes are frantic and wild—hair disheveled and damp with sweat.
“What happened?”
“Faces—a parade of…hideous faces.” She begins to cry.
“It was a nightmare,” I whisper softly.
“NO!” she shouts, “I’m telling you, Jake, it was real. This demon talked to me in this robotic voice—it was horrible.”
“What did he say?”
“It was so dark—I was frantic—I wanted to turn on the lamp, but I couldn’t move. It was like he was wrestling with me.”
“I’m sorry, Cyn.”
“He mocked me, Jake. He said, You want to see light? Then let the Phantasmagoric Vision begin. “And then a parade of demonic faces began—all leering at me. They were cackling like witches, saying, I want to be as good as you and they were sneering.”
I wrapped my arms around her, swaddling her and holding her securely.
“You know the worse part, Jake? I was totally vulnerable—I had no defense against them.”
She began to cry again.
The worse thing was I felt helpless too. We’re both being oppressed by forces greater than us.
We needed an intervention and my law degree meant nothing in this situation. We needed bigger, more powerful weapons.