Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 87608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
“Allow no negativity to enter, collect it all, keep it all,” I said, then tapped the cork three times to wake it up.
Back inside, I rejoined James, taking a seat back on the table in front of him. He was watching me now, and his coloring, which had been ashen when I arrived, a sickly pale gray, was now improving. He didn’t have the lovely, warm tan his brother had, nor the burnished ivory of his daughter, but he no longer resembled a plague victim from the fourteenth century either. It was progress.
“Do me a favor, would you?”
James shrugged.
“Could you stand and use the smoke from the incense stick on the bottom of your feet and the palm of each hand?”
He did as I asked, and then I had him make circles in the air over his head, behind him, and finally in front.
“The past is behind you, the present is in your head. It’s where you stand and what you see, and the future is in front of you. We’re going to cleanse it all,” I said, and took first the incense stick and set it down in the other uncorked glass bottle, and then his hand, and walked him into the hall, where the wind tunnel was blowing chilled night air straight through the house from one end to the other. “Go now,” I said to the energy, to the weight of his grief and pain. “The memories remain, as does the love, but you are not welcome.”
He stood there, eyes closed, and I watched him breathe. I was very pleased with him.
When I glanced toward the door, there was a man there—a ghost—looking at me. He didn’t appear angry, just a bit confused.
“I’m so sorry,” I told him. “Normally, when people move into a house, they have a blessing, and you would have known then that it was time to go. I apologize, sir.”
He nodded.
I put my right hand over my heart. “We will take good care of your lovely home and treasure it and thank it for protecting and sheltering us.”
Another nod before he smiled, put on the fedora he was holding, and walked out into the night, disappearing in the moonlight. When I turned back to check on James, he and Lorne and Cass were all standing there, staring at me.
“This is why it’s so important to cleanse your space before you move in. You don’t want to miss letting others know that they don’t have to stay and watch over you, that you’re perfectly capable of taking care of yourselves.”
No one said a word.
I waved a dismissive hand at Lorne and Cass to continue with their cleansing, but instead, they both remained where they were. I was thinking they had questions.
“Who are you?” James asked.
“Oh, that’s true, we weren’t introduced,” I said cheerfully, walking over to him and holding out my hand. “I’m Xander Corey. It’s a pleasure.”
James took my hand. “The pleasure’s all mine.”
That was always good to hear, true or not.
Cass took a breath. “Who was that man?”
“A previous tenant of the house,” James replied, like it was all completely normal. “He’s left now because he knows we’ll care for his home.”
“I see.” Cass smiled at her father before turning to me. “But who precisely was he?”
“If you need to know that, you’ll have to go to the library or the country clerk. They can get you the records of all the past owners.”
“Maybe it was Mr. Braverman, who the house is named after.”
“No. Both Mr. and Mrs. Braverman were Black, and that gentleman was not.”
Cass’s mouth dropped open, as did her father’s.
“How do you know?” Lorne asked me.
“That the Bravermans were Black?”
“Yeah.”
“Because we studied them in school. Mr. Braverman was the first postmaster here, and Mrs. Braverman was the schoolteacher.”
Cass said, “Okay, then could we go find out? I’d really like to know.”
“That sounds like a mission for you and your father.”
She turned to him. “Could we do that next week?”
He nodded, smiling at his daughter. “That would be fun.”
“I would start not too far back,” I suggested. “He probably lived here not terribly long ago. His clothes definitely looked more 1940s than 1840s. But again, as a reminder, this is precisely why old houses need to be cleansed. You never know who’s still in your home, waiting to be told they can leave.”
“And how do you know that?” James asked me.
I waved my hand dismissively. “Everyone knows that.”
“No,” Lorne corrected me, “they really don’t.”
“Well, I’m very good friends with Father Dennis over at Saint Therese’s, and he’s called in to bless people’s homes when they move in all the time. Same with Rabbi Katz.”
“I’ll make sure I always do it forever from now on,” Cass assured me.
“It really is the best practice.”
After a moment, I realized no one was moving. All three of them were standing there just staring at me.