*Note: this work is an 18 chapter novella, not a collection of shorts, best started at chapter one. Rating PG13*
"Did any of you bring something of Egon's?" Ray asks his assembled friends as they prepare to contact Egon's ghost.
"You're something of Egon's," Venkman grumbles, finishing his margarita.
"Anything he gave you or anything that reminds you of him?" Ray rolls his eyes at Peter.
Ray already has some offerings set up in the center of the pentagram. A fresh container of the matzo ball soup. An old chipped pair of Egon's black and silver wire rimmed glasses that he'd left behind that Ray had never been able to throw away. A picture of Egon that Ray had taken on an anniversary trip to the Kennedy Space Center. A picture of Callie and her kids that Ray downloaded off Bookface and printed out. Some Cheese-Its in a glass beaker. A chunk of lion's mane mushroom, one of Egon's favorite fungi. A battered name tag patch that reads: SPENGLER.
Janine drops a wrapped snack cake and a small packet of envelopes in the center of the floor, "I brought a Twinkie, of course, and here are a couple letters that he wrote me. I feel like he knew Gozer was going to get him. He sent me these all in his final year. I thought something with his handwriting might help? But...Ray, don't read them. They don't make total sense. He said some things about you that you might not want to know. He wasn't himself."
Winston pulls out a Twinkie, too, sets it next to Janine's with a chuckle. Then a photo of all four Ghostbusters looking young, handsome and victorious. Taken right after the Manhattan Cross-Rip, the 1984 Gozer invasion. And then an envelope.
He says, "I also have a weird letter from Spengler. This was waiting for me when I got back from his place in Oklahoma last time. He must have mailed it right before he died. You can read it if you want, Ray. It's a bunch of numbers. Not anything I can interpret. Might mean something to you?"
Venkman has Egon's ancient Columbia sweatshirt. He doesn't mention how he came to have it or why he's kept it all this time. He also brought a Twinkie, which he tosses into the circle with a crinkly plop. A copy of Egon's third PhD dissertation which is as thick as a phonebook. And a faded color picture of the two of them in a little silver frame.
"Look at the short shorts on you, Pete," Winston says, grinning at circa 1980 Venkman in the photo.
"Look at Spengler's 'fro," Peter deflects. "I had great legs, you can say it, Winston."
"Still do," Janine gives him a quick pat on the thigh for old times' sake.
They're too old and boney butted to sit on the floor these days, so they're sitting around the sacred circle in wooden dining chairs. There's a fifth chair left empty for Egon. Ray has encircled the room with white candles and quartz crystals, rosemary sprigs for remembrance. He's burning amber incense with herbs for focus and strength. They hold hands and close their eyes. Ray says a prayer asking the Universe for them to be protected from harm. Then Ray states aloud his intention to draw only Dr Egon Spengler to their circle and only if he wishes to come of his free will.
They don't wait long. The Ouija board oculus starts sliding to the letter J, then U-L-Y.
"July" says Raymond
The oculus spells out the current year.
"2024," Ray reads. "Is that how long the traps can hold Gozer?"
YOU ARE READING
Ghostbusters: Resurrection
FanfictionWith the help of his husband Egon's ghost, Dr. Ray Stantz has to save the world...again. It begins with books. One morning, Ray comes downstairs from his apartment above the shop and finds a perfectly balanced, 6 foot 2 inch tall, symmetrical stack...
