I See You

While performing Yoga, Darlene somehow put herself into a very deep wide eyed open trance. She drifted through a maze of sounds and patterns like you see on TV shows like Dr. Who (when he is time traveling). When she came to or thought she had come to herself, she was not on her Yoga mat or in her home. She could hear sounds like her TV she had left on in the family room of her home. Her next door neighbor working on a car in his driveway and cars driving up and down her street. She could even hear the music playing from one of the car radios. She walked a few steps to her right and nothing except bright white space. When she reached out and she felt nothing, not warm, cold, wet or dry, soft or hard.

She yelled and only heard her voice echo back to her. She jumped and did not feel anything solid below her feet. Nor did she sink into the white space. She was simply there suspended in space, wherever this white space happened to be in the universe. She hears the front door of her house open. Her husband called out to her as he always does when he arrives home from work. She responds however he can’t hear her. She can she him and when she reaches out, she can touch him however he cannot feel her hand and she does not feel his face. He calls out again this time louder with some urgency in the tone of his voice. Then Albert begins to phone some of her friends, she can hear both sides of the conversation. Her husband asks, “Did you see or speak with her today?” One friend said she had spoken with her briefly the only thing Darlene mentioned is that she was doing Yoga and wanted to complete her moves before she had to prepare dinner.

Now Albert (her husband) was really worried. Her car was in the driveway when he walks out and touches the hood it was cold. As he searched the house he saw where she had laid out a change of clothes to include clean underwear. The bath tub and sink were dry and clean. “Where can she be?” Darlene begins to cry as she watches Albert almost in tears frantically running through the house very confused about her not being there.

He finally calls the police and attempts to report her as missing. The officer tells him that the report cannot be filed until she does not show up for at least another 12 hours. Albert is now hysterical. He yells at the officer on the phone, “My wife is not here, her car is here, her clothes are here however she is not here! Yes, I have searched every room in my home she is not here. No one has seen her since I left for work this morning.

The person on the other line tells Albert to calm down and repeats there is nothing the police can do until at least another 12 hours. Now Albert is pacing crying out loud and begging God for mercy and assistance. Oh God where is she? Darlene is in tears as she tries again to reach out to him and speak to him. Now she is crying out to God. Oh dear God have I died? Is this the in between place souls go until the last days of earth? Of course, no answer from God. Darlene is not a religious person and really does not believe a lot of things Albert believes. He was raised by very devoted catholic parents. Darlene was raised by people who were almost atheist. She believes there is something greater than humans. However, does not belong to a church or believes in any particular doctrine or ideology.

Albert is so upset he cries himself to sleep. He awakes it is now early in the morning just before sunrise. He looks around the house again. This time in the bathroom there is a short message on the mirror written in the steam on the glass. The message reads: Albert I don’t know where I am. I can see you and hear you. Of course since the message is written on steam it fades very quickly.

Instead of calling the police this time Albert goes to the nearby parish priest. He is Catholic and believes in the mystery of things you cannot see or describe or be explained by science. Father Anthony listens to him as he explains how Darlene was not home when he returned home from work and is not home now. He also tells him about the note written on the bathroom mirror with steam around it. Father Anthony tells Albert to go pray in the sanctuary and he will join him shortly. While Albert is praying Father Anthony makes a phone call to the local Bishop of the region requesting assistance with this matter.

Albert is still praying when Father Anthony kneels besides him and also begins to pray. When finished he taps Albert on the shoulder and instructs him to go home and wait for his call. Bishop Mark the leading clergy of the region, calls Father Anthony and explains to him that he has called the Vatican and spoken with Father Serge who is an expert train in areas of the unknown (paranormal phenomena) as well as Exorcism. Albert, Father Serge is on his way to Atlanta from Rome as we speak. Please brother continue to pray, do not call the police again and if any of Darlene’s friends call tell them she has gone away to handle some family business. This is not an actual lie Albert thinks maybe stretching the truth a bit.

Close to midnight Albert receives a call from Father Anthony. He is with Father Serge who has been sent from the Vatican. They ask permission to come to Albert’s home. Of course he says yes. When they arrive Father Anthony introduces Father Serge to Albert and they exchange the common pleasantries. Father Serge ask Albert have you moved anything around since your wife left. Albert answers no. Everything is the way I found it. Is this the first unexplainable occurrence that has happened in this home since you have lived here between you and your wife? He then opens his bible that is marked up and has several post-its where he has made notes about some of the verses and remarks about how they were used and when. Then he asks for permission to walk around the house with incense used in the church ceremonies Albert sure do what you must. As he walks around the house, he speaks in Latin waving the incense around. Albert who was not the best Sunday school student only understands about half of what he is saying. Father Anthony follows behind him repeating every verse Father Serge says. Albert follows behind them silent.

When they get to the bathroom the door opens on its own and another message is on the bathroom mirror written this time with Darlene’s favorite shade of lipstick bright red. It reads, Fathers I can see you and hear you. I am in a strange place, all bright white with no windows, doors or floor. Father Serge ask her is anyone else there with you? Darlene replies no. Do you know how you arrived in this place? Father Serge asked. Darlene says no Father. Then the message vanishes from the mirror. Father Serge looks with a very pensive expression on his face. Darlene is getting stronger the hold of the place has weakened. We may see her sooner than you think.

Now Fathers Serge and Anthony ask Albert to allow them some privacy for a moment. Albert moves on to his living room. The Fathers talk a brief while and then rejoin Albert. Father Serge says, “since the message was stronger written with something solid she is getting stronger.” The hold the place has on her is weakening. There is hope in this situation. He instructs Albert to continue to pray by the bathroom and burn Frankincense and Myrrh incense daily. Albert almost in tears is comforted by both the priest. Albert ask, “Where is Darlene fathers?” Father Serge answers she is in another dimension between this reality and another. Albert yells what Father? Please calm down Albert, Father Anthony puts his hand on his shoulder. There is so much we do not know about what happens outside of our present reality. Just know she is safe, misses you and we are going to do all we can to get her back into this reality as quickly as possible.

As the Fathers leave they look at each other with very perturbed expressions. Father Anthony inquires how can we get her back? Well, Father Serge replies we don’t exactly know I will need to consult with the Fathers in Rome who handle this sort of circumstance more regularly than I. My expertise is in Exorcism. I have only witnessed and worked with paranormal activity a few times. It appears in Europe we have had many occurrences like this and each one was is different.

At the parish Father Serge is on a conference call with several priest who have worked on such cases like this one in various parts of Europe. Each offering their insight and how they came to help retrieve the person from the unknown white or other space. One shared how he just asked the family members to continue to pray for the return of their loved one. When he sent another message to his family via writing in sand near their beach front home, he was instructed to pray to God to be returned to his family. In a few days they found him unconscious in his bed. He stayed in a coma for a week. The doctors could not explain why he went into a coma. Another priest shared that his case had some demonic influences. The person was in a dark space and was told to pray to God to be released from the place. In this case the family did not hear from the person for over a week. Suddenly after mass on Saturday of that week the person in the dark space was released after confessing to a serious crime he had committed in his youth.

Albert went to work as usual and did not have much to say to anyone. When asked about Darlene he said she had an emergency with her family and would be out of town for a while. Albert prayed by the bathroom door day and night pleading with God to bring Darlene back to him. He burned the incense as instructed by the priest. Darlene would leave messages written in lipstick on the bathroom mirror daily. Each one longer and the lipstick color bolder than the last.

Albert suggested to her to think only about returning to him and in her prayers plead with God for mercy to make it happen. Father Serge returned to Albert’s home one more time and repeated what he did before walking around the house with incense praying for God to intervene and bring Darlene home. Nothing happens and Darlene did not respond. When he left, he told Albert to continue to pray and he would continue to do research at the Vatican and keep in touch with Father Anthony. Albert did not give up hope. He continued to pray day and night by the bathroom door. A few days later Darlene just walks out of the bathroom as if she had been home all the time. They hugged, kissed and cried so glad to see each other. Darlene tells Albert she will be going to mass with him from now on at least once a week. She will also attend the classes at his parish and learn all she needs to learn about his faith so she can become a catholic.