Satan’s Mirror

The Dawson Ghost Hunts – 6
Catch up on the ghost hunts so far here in the The Dawson Ghost hunts page.

“My hands told me not to write today. Fandango’s picture prompt forced me into it. Well, get ready for a demonic little tale.”

I wrote this story in answer to the following prompts:
Fandango’s Flash Fiction Challenge #103 — The picture above
FOWC with Fandango — Unicorn
Word of the Day Challenge — Media
Ragtag Daily Prompt — Eloquent
Three Things Challenge #496 – Many – Other – Few

Satan’s Mirror

Natalie Dawson appeared just like many other twenty-somethings as she stepped off the bus after a shopping trip. In truth, few people shared her abilities. Wearing a khaki flowery skirt, white vest and cardigan, she was enjoying the warm spring day.

As the bus rumbled by and the pedestrians thinned out, Natalie found herself quite alone. Turning into an avenue lined with old gnarled Linden trees and white-walled houses, she felt she was coming to the end of a good day. Then a scream split the air and shook her to the core.

The cry of terror thrust open Natalie’s third eye and flooded her with images of an angry man stalking a woman with her baby. Being a medium, she was used to such events. Although they weren’t usually thrust upon her quite like this. Forcing her bags into one hand, she grabbed her phone from her cardigan pocket and put in a call to her husband. “Hey, Larry darling. I know this is normally your job, but grab the ghost hunting equipment get your butt over to 8 Lime Tree Ave, now!”

“Okay, I just made it home from my delivery route. I’ll grab the gear and be right there. What’s going on?” Larry replied.

“No time, just hurry up.” Natalie pocketed her phone and ran up the garden path. Arriving at the blue double-glazed door, she knocked twice using the brass knocker. The second hit caused the door to swing open.

Natalie felt a wall of malevolent energy slam into her chest; driving the air from her lungs, leaving her gasping.

Somewhere inside the female screamed again.

“Come on, Larry!” Natalie sucked in deep breaths and plunged into a house. Dropping her shopping beneath the coat rack, she summoned all her energy into remaining calm. At the same time, her attention was taken by the ‘L-shaped’ oak staircase. The dark force was somewhere above her

In confirmation, the upper house was filled with the sound of breaking glass. Unseen objects shattered as a demonic growl rumbled through the very foundations of the building.

“Wow! Somebody really made you mad spirit. They piss in your ectoplasm or something?” Natalie whispered as she made her way up the stairs. Rounding the bend, she caught a movement and dropped to her knees. A small rocking horse flashed past her head, splintering against the wall.

Tingling with adrenaline and dread, Natalie placed her hands on the broken rocking horse. At once her conscious flashed through a stream of time until she was stood in a Victorian nursery. The door thundered open allowing a woman in a smock dress to staggering inside. She was bleeding from the mouth and holding a baby in her arms. A tall man boiling with rage pursued her inside. “No!” Natalie cried but it was no use. She was a spectator in her visions and never able to stop events unfolding. It was all over in seconds, the man murdered both the woman and child and vanished into the ether as the vision ended.

Sickened by what she’d seen, Natalie steeled herself and continued upstairs. On the landing, she knew she was still too low. Looking around revealed a ladder heading into a loft. Something hammering into the floor above, caused her to flinch as she ran to the ladder began to climb.

The attic was a large, bearing a wood-beamed ceiling and planked walls. The dark floors covered in shattered wine glasses.

Natalie climbed the last rungs and felt her focus snap toward white material hovering three feet off the floor. A young lady in a white sports dress and trainers, suspended in midair like a living piñata.

She screamed as she was spun around by an unseen force whose dark energy filled the room like smoke from a raging fire.

“I order you to put – the – girl – down, now!” Natalie demanded taking a strong stance as footsteps thundered across the floor below.

The girl slammed into the floor, then spun into the air where she floated once more.

“Holy crap! I’ve watched a lot of media about paranormal and legendary things. The unicorn doesn’t exist but it seems angry poltergeists do!” remarked Larry Dawson emerging into the attic alongside his wife. Still wearing his navy delivery uniform.

“That’s an eloquent way to put it!” Natalie remarked. Taking a camera from him she began to film the floating teenager. “Who are you, spirit? You showed me what you did. Now, give me your name and tell me what you want?”

“Damn the energies thick in here!” Larry flicked on a tri-field metre and watched it go nuts with flashing lights and whistles as the electromagnetic energy went off the charts. Switching it off, he engaged the spirit box instead. “Spirit, put the girl down and use this to talk!” he ordered.

Loud crackling static issue from the machine until it was broken by a growling voice. ‘Curse you, witch. This does not concern you and death will be your friend if you do not leave!’  

“Scumbag!” Larry took a step forward, “My wife is not a witch. She is a benevolent wonderful soul with a heavenly gift — you will respect her and you will put this girl down, now!”

“His energies are changing. He doesn’t like being challenged one —” Natalie shrieked as Larry was hit in the stomach by an unseen force, blasting him off his feet. Slamming against the wall, he fell still. The spirit box leapt from his hand and slid across the floor to Natalie’s feet. “Show yourself! Only cowards fight from the shadows.”

‘How dare you!’ Growled the dark spirit from the box.

“Oh, I dare. You are a coward! You choose to attack vulnerable people. Never giving them a chance by attacking from the shadows where they can’t see you or fight back.” Natalie stepped beside the floating teenager and smoothed her hair for a moment. “What made you kill your wife and baby son? Did you target them because they were unable to fight back — is that it?”

‘You know not what you speak of. You are in the realm of the devil now!’

Natalie felt the viscous, demonic energy right behind her. Icy cold tendrils of evil raked three scratches down her back leaving her skin burning. The darkness filled her vision and once again she was transported to the nursery. This time she was forced to stare upon the corpses of mother and baby amid the shattered crib. A second was all she could bear. With a cry of anguish, Natalie forced herself free of the vision and back into the attic. She was no longer standing; instead, curled in a shivering ball on the floor surrounded by the glass.

‘Did you see it?’

“Yes, I saw what you did. Your soul is as black as the worst demons! It’s time for you to go to the light, coward. Face up to your damnation!” Natalie climbed to her feet. “By the will of God, I banish you from this house and from Earth!”

‘Haha! You have no power over me. I will make you see it!’

Natalie felt a growing shock wave pass through her. The burning sensation clawed its way down her arm and again the darkness took her. The vision of the nursery reappeared, this time she was looking over the corpses toward the door. It was open revealing two identical figures. One in the hallway, the other, demonic, and looking back through a mirror on the wall. Natalie’s blood ran stone cold as she realised what she was seeing. The weight of death crushed down upon her ribcage. Ragged breaths tore from her lips as she fought free of the demons grasp.

“Natalie!”

Larry’s cries snapped her from the vision. Natalie lay on the floor again. Raising herself, she gasped for air. “Larry – holy – water – now!” She breathed as she crawled towards the loft hatch.

“Natalie, darling. We can’t beat this! It’s clawed your back and you’re bleeding we have to get out!”

‘Ha-ha! You’re one weak witch!’ jeered the demon.

“It’s not taking that girl! I won’t let it!” Natalie hauled herself on to the ladder and tumbled down to the floor below.

“I’m not – a witch!” Natalie used the ladder to haul herself up. A vase of roses smashed into the wall showering her in glass and water. “How romantic – you gave me roses!” Natalie retorted. She stalked down the hall, ignoring her injuries. There on the wall by the door to the former nursery was the same Victorian mirror. Reaching up to touch it, she felt as if she’d fallen into the Arctic Sea. Her body froze, she was locked in place holding the mirror.

‘You’ll never beat me!’

“Then you don’t know my precious wife very well, do you?” Larry jumped from the ladder and landed with a thump. “The last person to say that Natalie, lost his pants to her in a Game of Life. You’re about to lose your soul!” He lunged forward splashing the room and Natalie with holy water.

The water felt like fire to Natalie as it burned the demon away from her flesh. Snapping free of the dark energy, she seized the mirror and smashed it on the floor. The effort left her drained and she slumped against the wall.  

“Natalie, are you okay?” Larry dropped pulled her into a hug and kissed her for a tender moment.

“I’ll be fine. Go and see if the girls okay?” Natalie breathed a sigh of relief. She could no longer feel the dark energy in the home.

“What happened here?” Larry asked a few minutes later once Natalie and the young lady was seated in the lounge downstairs.  He was manning a bowl of warm water and soothing his wife’s wounds.

She was Emily Walkin, the daughter to the homeowner. “I’ve been feeling as if something was watching me for months. Things seem to move by themselves and I saw eyes everywhere. I don’t know what happened today. I came back from my tennis training and blacked out in the hallway as I went to shower and change. Next, I knew, I was floating in the attic and …” Emily glanced above her with residue fear. “The voice was telling the nasty things it would inflict upon me.”

“Did you touch the mirror?” Natalie asked with a grimace as Larry began swabbing her arm wounds.

“Yes, I straightened it as I passed by,” Emily confirmed.

“That’s it. I’m a medium. Mirrors can be portals to other dimensions and the darkest places said to exist. In this case, I think you had a portal to hell. That was no spirit or even a poltergeist up there — it was far too strong. Many years ago, it possessed a father and made him kill his wife and son. When you touched the mirror, you released it to attack again. Now, the mirror’s destroyed, the portal is gone. You’re safe here now.” Natalie said as Emily hugged her.

“You’re my hero. Thank you so much!” she said.

“Our, pleasure!” Natalie rose with Larry and led the way outside. The couple entered his van and drove home. Natalie smiled, knowing, she’d vanquished a demon and proved worthy of her mediumship powers.

The End

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