The Haunts

Levy paced around the store, waiting for the week-long storm to end. After spending an extended amount of time away from home, he realized it was time to return to his crappy life. Tired of going into an old bathroom trying to salvage an ancient toilet brush. No wonder Gilbert refused to let anyone use the restroom. Levy held up a tuft of hair, unsure if it had belonged to a human or a bear, as he sat on the toilet bowl. It’s an utter disaster in here! Levy stood to look over his reflection in the mirror, noticing that he had indeed grown a few inches higher while being trapped in the Haunts. He had noted having his grandma’s clear eyes, his mother’s prominent forehead, and his father’s thin lips and nose. Flexing what little muscles he had, dispite his scrawny frame.

The bathroom door nudged wider than Corvus, still as a crow, waddled in. He looked up quizzically at Levy.

“Are you still angry? Levy said, looking over from the filthy bathroom sink as he wiped his hair and face free of soap and water with a damp, crusty towel.

Corvus didn’t bother to squawk; he merely turned around and strutted away with his tail feathers going from side to side.

Gilbert threw open the bathroom door, thinking Levy had done washing himself. The old geezer took enough bombardment of swearing from the young man, making the old man wish he had knocked before entering. Blushing, the shopkeeper blatantly ignored the young man’s rants and presented Levy with a new wardrobe so that he could at least venture outside with something to wear other than the ratty old clothes that came out of a garbage bin.

Gilbert yelled through the locked bathroom door after he left the bathroom. “I brought you some new clothes from a nearby thrift store. Only, I had to guess your measurements though, so don’t be mad if some items aren’t snug or are a size too big; I’m not so sure about the boots either.” He dropped them in a pile and turned away, grumbling under his breath for being taken for granted.

“So, this is all you got?” Levy, garbed only in a wet hand towel, quickly opened the bathroom door and scrutinized the pile of used clothes composed of two pairs of pants, a sweater, three decent t-shirts, a lumberjack jacket, socks, and a non-insulated pair of gumbo boots. He sighed and wondered what it would be like to own something that someone else hadn’t worn before. He really had no choice considering that when he was languishing in that impenetrable coffin for six months, all of his clothes and his belongings had either dissolved or rotted, which only led to more questions why he hadn’t rotted like them while trapped in that confined place for such a disturbingly long period. Again, he had wondered, Why and what the heck would they do that?

“Well, you could always venture outside naked,” Gilbert humorously snorted as he adjusted his glasses. “Besides,” he added, “there’s no way you’ll ever wear my clothes or what Corvus wears. If you want to keep inconspicuous as you walk around.”

So, without a word, Levy took the clothes off and used his bare foot to close the bathroom door with a bang. “If I can wear gothic or a woman’s skirt in public, I think I could handle wearing clothing from the Renaissance era. Of course, Corvus is rather smaller than I am, and so his clothes would never fit.”

“Good point; I never considered that.” Gilbert nodded to himself.

Levy was more than prepared to leave the store. He was getting cabin fever, and three people (even if one was still as a crow) in one tiny paranormal novelty shop were just too much for him to endure. Corvus sat on his perch and preened himself while monitoring Levy. The minute Levy went to touch the door and turned the lock to leave Corvus squawking, Gilbert was standing next to Levy. and gave him a hard stare.

“If I stay, I’ll just go crazy here with guilt,” he said, looking up at the shopkeeper. “I need to get home and see how Ma is doing. She must be worried sick, and it’s not like you have a phone in here to call her.”

Gilbert kept scowling down at Levy, saying, “You haven’t even finished your training, and you’ve barely studied the occult books I gave you to read.”

“Yeah, about that,” Levy said, rubbing the back of his head and making a nervous smile. “I read little into all that scribble, and it just felt like it was apparently a bunch of bullshit.”

“Do you mean such worthless drivel?” Gilbert’s hands blazed with a blue flame. Then, with a quick flick of his wrists, the fire died away. “Arcane knowledge encrypted so that you have to work at it to uncover the truth.”

“Oh yeah,” Levy smirked, “which is what exactly? That it’s all phony baloney? Slide of hand? Parlour tricks?”

Gilbert pointed at Levy’s chest, where his heart was, and said, “It all stems from within you and would manifest outward.”

“U-huh, that all sounds almost believable,” Levy retorted with sarcasm, trying again to reach out and unlock the front door. “I’m sure that I’ll make an apt pupil one day, but for now, I’m not buying it.”

Gilbert’s hand braced as the door closed. “You’re also not very well dressed for this weather.”

“I’ll manage. Besides, I thought that you two were supposed to be my friends. I mean, you can’t keep me trapped in here.”

“True,” Gilbert bent close to Levy, “but you can at least have the decency to say goodbye to Corvus.” He looked over Levy’s shoulder and nodded in the crow’s direction.

Levy stole a look over to where Corvus was, who was still on his perch, preening himself. “I’m not sure if he likes me anymore since I lost his blade. He seemed fond of it. Plus, he hasn’t even changed back into human form since we left through the Haunts.”

“The Haunts, to a changeling, are a terrible tax on their energies. He is trying to conserve his strength for the coming battle.”

“Battle? What’s this battle you’re blabbering about?”

“Yes, with Cailleach.” Gilbert couldn’t hide his exasperation. “Who else would it be with—your mama?”

“If I have been gone for six months, yeah, she is going to be doing more than just asking me a few questions.”

“Then you should at least take my parka.” Gilbert turned away and returned with this enormous jacket that looked like it had seen better days.

Levy held it at arm’s length and asked, “Did you change into a bear while wearing this?” He brushed off the bits of fur that had almost covered the jacket.

Gilbert shrugged, “I might have.

Levy made a face before he threw it back at Gilbert. “Then I think I’m going to pass on wearing it, but thanks anyway.”

“Also, there is just one more thing you should know.”

“What now?” Levy held his hands to his head.

“Well,” Gilbert said, looking to Corvus, who was cawing back and bobbing his head on his perch. “There is something I meant to tell you earlier. It’s about your time being cocooned in the Haunts by the imps.”

Levy gestured for him to hurry. He had places to people to see.

“You are the only person who has ever survived long-term exposure to being cocooned in the Haunts.”

“I figured that it’s because of this protection spell,” Levy said, holding up his hand, and the protection glyph gave off a faint luminance.

“Could be,” Gilbert rubbed his bearded chin, “but actually, I think it may be just you.”

“You mean that gift everyone’s been yammering at me?”

“Yes, perhaps.”

“Well, whatever it is, I didn’t want it. I never asked for it, and so it made no difference to me.” Levy struggled to open the shop door.

“You can’t resist this anymore, boy.” Gilbert helped Levy with the door and yelled after him as he hurried down the icy streets, “So you might as well embrace it.”

Levy lifted his hand, and without looking back, gave Gilbert the finger.

Corvus landed on Gilbert’s shoulder and cawed.

“Mmmm,” Gilbert nodded in agreement, “that was the smartest thing you’ve said all winter. Watch over him and make sure he’s going to be okay. Who knows what sort of exposure he had during his stay in the Haunts?”

The shopkeeper fretted as Corvus took to the air. He would have to consult his books for some answers to the questions that were rolling around in his head. The boy was maturing fast into a man, and so his powers were going to become something of a nuisance until he learned how to control them and to take command of their true potential.

Out on the cold winter streets, an area of less active bustling businesses, Levy thought that this had been the business core in its heyday, but as the small industrial town grew, so did its central point, where Levy’s father worked in real estate.

His chilly hands pushed deep into his pants pockets, and he headed straight for the downtown core in hopes of first seeing how his father was faring and whether the old man had missed him at all during his six-month absence. Perhaps he could also ask for some coins so he could take the bus back home, or if he was lucky, cab fare to see his Ma. The last thing he wanted to do was hitchhike back into the suburbs.

But as he walked past the people on the street, he noticed parasitic imps and small creatures that thrived in the Haunts. One lady that passed by was oblivious to the translucent, wormy beast that nested deep in her chest, sucking on her life force, something akin to a breastfeeding baby.

“What the-?” Levy placed his hand on his chest and stared down. On his body, there were these little filaments and frilly egg-like sacks clustered around his body. It was like he was slowly becoming a strange ecosphere for a translucent species of barnacle and coral reefs. He saw the iridescent fluttering of colours, like these invisible creatures that were common in the mortal world, but only he could see them. They covered him from toes to head, except for his hand with the protection signet. Nothing grew near it, and every time it glowed brighter, the translucent creatures would retreat.

“This is so strange,” he said, holding out his hands and looking at them with fascination. That was until he noticed a businessman shaking his head at him in disgust. The man’s thoughts were so legible to Levy. He thinks I’m on something. He lowered his arms and stuck them back in his pocket. But as the man passed by, Levy leaned into the spiritual parasites afflicting that man and scoffed. The man had these masses of hollow tubes sticking out of his nostrils and a massive, spongy-looking jelly creature stuck on the back of his head.

Levy turned away, more horrified by the man’s affliction than his own. At least his own appeared somewhat calm and harmless; the other fellow’s invaders looked destructive to their host.

When he turned the corner to the core district, he saw the webbing stretching over buildings and dripping goo on the overhead wires. The people infected by these invisible infestations were oblivious to what was happening to them. A homeless person passed by, all hunched over. He was looking like a hermit crab and carrying a group of invisible hosts and creatures swimming and living off him, occupying his whole being. Even the way the man walked showed he had a bigger burden attached to him.

“Levy?” A familiar voice disturbed his musings. Everything around him came back to earth. “Is that you, son?”

“Dad?” Levy felt his father’s arms wrap around him and hold him close in a tight embrace, something his father hadn’t done for quite some time.

“Is it me, or did you grow some?” His father held him at arm’s length, looking at him from head to foot. “What happened to you? Did you run off and join a cult?” He then stood back and took a good, long look at Levy. “Jesus, son, you look like crap.” What the Hell is going on?”

“Joined a cult? Me? No, it’s nothing like that, dad. I was with my good friends, and everything is fine.” Levy played it cool, though he felt like crying; that would only prompt the truth, and no one (especially his father) would believe his story other than that it was a hallucination or a bad acid trip. “I’m just looking forward to getting back home to my bed.”

“What are you talking about?” His father’s face wore a look of confusion. “So, you don’t know what happened?”

“What?”

“Your grandmother’s house burned down, and your mother perished in that fire. The coroner said that she had died from smoke inhalation.”

Levy felt his legs buckle, but his father gripped him and brought him over to a seat where they could talk in private.

“How did this happen?” Levy was in shock.

“As far as I know, it’s all still under investigation.”

“I can’t believe it.” Levy read his father’s face. He was holding something else back. “What else do you have to tell me?”

“Who was that pretty young girl you always hung out with?” Levy’s father struggled to remember her name. “What was her name: Sherry or... Sheryl?”

“You mean Sheryl?”

“Yeah, her. Well, the thing is, they found her brutally murdered in her house the same night your Mom perished in the fire. The police have been looking for you for questioning. But you vanished. Don’t you find that a little strange?”

“No. Not as strange as you’d like to think,” Levy said, feeling a lump in his throat as he swallowed hard. “That’s…just horrible.” As tears welled up in Levy’s eyes, he closed them to everyone he had lost and loved. The three women in his life that he cared so much for are now gone—all because of that fucking Hag Goddess.

“Son, tell me,” His father said, placing his hand on Levy’s shoulder, “you had nothing to do with this, did you?”

Levy thought of being revived from a lengthy stay in the Haunts. He couldn’t tell anyone about that; who would believe him?

“No,” Levy spoke low and mournfully, “but where can I go? What can I do? I have no home. All that I loved is gone, and there’s no one around to care.”

Well, I care for you,” Levis’ father lied without flinching. “But we should do the right thing, son; we must clear this up first.”

Levy watched his father pull out his mobile phone and make a call. “I have an apartment out here. You can stay with me until we can work this out.”

“So, who the fuck are you calling?”

“I’m calling the police.”

Levy stood up in shock and asked, “Are you fucking deranged?”

“What’s the big deal? They’re just going to ask you some questions.”

“But I swear to you, I did nothing. I wasn’t even there when it happened; I was out here in the downtown area with some friends.” Levy couldn’t hold back anymore. “I mean, what if I can’t prove where I’ve been? They might just think I’m guilty and throw me in jail forever.”

“Okay, fine… Look, I’m hanging up now.” His father moved the cell down like he was being held up.

Levy sat back down and looked at his father for an uncomfortably long time.

“How about I call my lawyer friend to come with you down to the station to tell your side of the story? We’ll get this cleared up, and you’ll never have to spend a night in jail. You can stay with Megan and me.” His dad touched the side of his son’s face, adding, “Don’t you worry, this’ll all work out. I promise.”

“Thanks,” Levy gave his dad a faint smile and then looked around for a few minutes as his father made a call to his lawyer. “Dad, have you got any money on you? I could go for something to eat, or I’m going to faint. I haven’t eaten all day, and I could use something to ease my nervous stomach.”

“I don’t have any change or bills on me, but here—” His father held the cell up to his ear with one hand while fumbling into his jacket pocket for his wallet with the other. Once in his hand, he pried it open and withdrew his platinum-gold card, which he unabashedly handed over to Levy. “Go over to that little restaurant over there on the corner. They make the best cheese steak sandwiches, and while you’re there, bring me back a cup of coffee. We’re going to be here a while since my lawyer has me on hold.”

“Sure, dad, and thanks for everything.” Levy looked impressed at his father’s Platinum Gold Card and how much his father trusted him. Maybe, just maybe, he was all wrong about his old man. He went to the street corner and stopped at the crossing. He furrowed his brow and slowly turned back to ask his father how he liked his coffee. As Levy approached, he heard his father talking on his cell.

“Hello, Detective John Henley. Do you remember when you asked me to call you the second I came into contact with my son Levy?” His Dad listened for a bit and then nodded. “Yeah. Well, I sent him to get something to eat, but he’ll be back in maybe five or ten minutes.”

Levy backtracked around the corner to keep out of sight. He hoped his father wouldn’t notice him as he turned to hurry down the alleyway. After a few blocks, he stopped and tried to catch his breath. His lungs burned from sucking in the cold, and his mouth tasted as if he had been sucking on a lozenge made from a copper penny.

Unless I change my attire, I’m as good as busted. Even if I did nothing, they’d never believe my story. I am the perfect scapegoat.

Levy held up his father’s credit card and smiled.

He could put quite a dent in his father’s credit card before the old man could put a kibosh on his spending spree. One of Sheryl’s favourite little alternative Goth stores was just down the street, and to his recollection, her description of the place was that nothing they sold there was cheap.