Paranormal Case 9

Chapter Twenty-Five

It was near 3:30 in the dead of night when a movement was detected coming from the main room of Valeria's suite. She could not tell if she had been sleeping and dreamed it or was awoken by the actual sound. Nevertheless, she was now fully conscious and anticipating any more tell-tale noises, the likes of a chair moving, which she thought she had heard. She waited, painfully, as the time continued on, uneventfully. As she tried to imagine what the sound may have been, she realized she was just too paralyzed with fear to get up to investigate the other room.

Then her heart just stopped as a woman suddenly appeared standing at the bedroom doorway!

It was her. The woman she had seen, twice sitting alone in the garden. Strikingly close-up now in her broad brimmed hat and full-length, off-white dress, the stranger walked casually up to the foot of the bed. Her youthful expression was mild, almost pleasant, as the attractive woman in her late twenties stood motionless, peering down at her.

Valeria was too frightened to breathe. Knowing who she was, and the back story of her restless wanderings at the hotel, only prompted her to be more guarded at attempting to speak to her. Yet, the beautiful face looked upon Valeria's face as an unfamiliar one, seemingly to question who she was. It was as if she had come to search for someone—anyone who might be there in the hotel to bring some closure to her pain or eternal grief. Was she constantly looking for Ramon?

Valeria slowly sat up in her bed and pushed herself back against the headboard with the mermaids. The woman, or apparition of one, remained still. Silent. In all of Valeria's studies of paranormal incidents involving spirits of the deceased, the tangible evidence was minimal, if however unexplained. But this was truly her first face to face experience with the energy of someone who had perished long before.

"Are you . . . Alida? " Valeria asked in a hoarse voice, barely a whisper.

The woman nodded, then lightly smiled. "I am," she whispered back.

"I have things to tell you. Things that . . . you must know."

The woman seemed surprised at this revelation.

"Are you Luciana?" she asked in a stronger voice, her warm expression changing to concern--possibly anger.

"No. No . . . I'm not. But I'm here tonight to tell you . . . some things about her."

"Why?" the spirit asked, more emphatically.

"Because it might . . . release you, Alida. Free you from your long hurting here."

"How could anything do that?" she asked, brushing back a whisp of her dark honey hair. She seemed more emboldened to listen but hung her head down while she looked at the foot of the bed blankly. Sadly.

"Well because the message I have has come from someone who feels very . . . responsible. For your . . . death. And this person has carried much guilt for many years. Even beyond death. As you have done."

"Ramon?"

"No. Alida. I'm sorry. Ramon died a lonely man. And not a decent man. You see . . . these were the words of Luciana . . . which I must share with you."

"Luciana? Then I do not wish to hear them." She swished her dress in turning and seemed to be ready to depart to room.

"Wait! Wait! You must, Alida. For your long suffering may stop. You must listen."

She turned back, now with her delicate hand on her hip.

"Then what did she tell you?"

The spirit then sat directly on the bed, though still looking down, feigning to not be interested. Valeria was surprised to feel the woman's weight seemed real, lightly pressing into the bed near her feet.

"She wanted you to know that . . . you were who Ramon always loved. Not her. But also . . . that he was a troubled man . . . He tried to kill Luciana, Alida. Very early during time together."

"Yes? . . . Why?"

"Because he was violent and disturbed. Someone you would have regretted marrying. He would have turned on you, the same. She is sure of it. And she wants you to know this."

"How do you know all this? Ramon treated me like a goddess."

"Perhaps. But why then, did he choose to be with another? Can't you see that as his bad character? And you never yet knew his violence."

"True . . . But I loved him."

"You were innocent. Blinded by that love, Alida. Later, when angry at Luciana, in a rage, he cut her throat with a knife! And that certainly could have been your fate had he stayed with you."

"But how do you know this to be true?"

"Luciana is my great grandmother. A spirit now . . .like you. She told me these things tonight another's voice . . . Ruby's voice."

"Ruby?"

"Yes."

The antiquated-dressed woman became silent. Pensive.

Valeria curiously asked, "Had you ever spoken to her?"

"No. But long after my death in the sea . . . I would hear a voice that tried to reach me. To talk to me. She told me her name was . . . Ruby . . . but I never listened. I sent her away many times."

"If you only had listened, Alida. You would have realized Ramon was a mistake . . . for both of you. A man not worth your love. Had you listened to Ruby, my great grandmother, Luciana, you would have been released from this suffering you've had. For so many years."

The woman looked deeply at her now. Searching Valeria's face and eyes. She seemed to be somewhat awakened.

"I am here to tell you. You would have begun your peace, Alida, as you deserved. . . many years ago."

The spirit moved off the bed and stood slowly. Valeria could see there were now tears in her eyes.

"What ever became of Luciana," she asked quietly.

"She survived Ramon's attack. And went on to live. But until her own end, she felt tremendous guilt and sorrow for you. The weight of your tragic death. She has always wanted you to know how undeserving Ramon was of your pure love. It's now ben a hundred years."

"There are no years for us, the dead. Only eternal feelings."

"Yes, but perhaps those feelings can change now, Alida. You no longer need to feel so sad. So cheated out of a love that never could have grown so pure . . . as your own innocent love."

The attractive woman stood and stepped away from the bed. She looked once more fulsomely at Valeria. She smiled briefly and seemed no longer to access her credibility. She then wiped her cheek and nodded slowly. There was a frozen moment of a last stare between them.

"Thank you," she said in a soft but ebullient voice.

Valeria watched as Alida then simply turned and began to walk out of the room as quietly as she had entered it. She then heard nothing. Only the sound of Pacific waves crashing on the beach in the distance. Within a quiet hour would begin the sunrise.

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