‘Come. We’ll talk while we eat.’
Dominique takes a seat as her host sets the table, then opens the Styrofoam containers, unleashing the aroma of fresh Italian food into the room.
‘You miss him, don’t you?’
Dominique breaks off a piece of bread and stuffs it into her mouth. ‘Miss who?’
Evelyn smiles, placing her palm on top of Dominique’s hand. ‘My dear, dancing around the truth will only wear both of us out. Do you know what necromancy is?’
‘No.’
‘Necromancy is the art of communicating with the souls of the dead. Some believe it’s a black art, but that all depends upon who’s doing the communicating. The practice can be traced back to the ancient Egyptians and their leader, Osiris, creator of Giza, who summoned the dead to obtain valuable guidance.’
‘So… you’re telling me you communicate with dead people?’
‘With their souls.’
Dominique scoops up a forkful of pasta. ‘I don’t mean to be skeptical, but-’
‘The body is made of physical matter. At creation, each of us is linked to a specific soul, our life force, or spirit, the energy force that strengthens the body-soul connection.’
‘Okay, let me stop you there. First, I’m not a very religious person. Second, Ouija boards and all that hokey crap give me the creeps.’
‘But you’ve used them recently, haven’t you?’
Dominique swallows hard.
‘Because you’re seeking answers to something.’
‘Yes.’
‘You want to know if Michael is still alive.’
Dominique holds back her tears. ‘I just need some sense of closure. You know, so I can go on.’
‘What does your heart tell you?’
She sits back, wringing her hands nervously against her thighs. ‘My heart tells me he’s alive. My brain says something else.’
For a long moment the old woman just stares. ‘I can guide you on part of your journey, Dominique, but I can’t give you all the answers. If I did, it could alter the future.’
‘What journey? What future? What the hell are you talking about?’
Evelyn contemplates. Says nothing.
‘I said what journey?’
‘Your journey, Dominique. Your destiny, and the destiny of your sons.’
‘Know what-I made a mistake. I’m not ready for this.’ She stands to leave.
‘Leave if you want, but it won’t change a thing; in fact, it will only make things worse. For whatever reason, a higher power has chosen you to be part of a greater good, just as I’ve been chosen to guide you. I’m not your enemy, Dominique, fear is the enemy-fear of the unknown. If you allow me, I can shine a light into the void and help eliminate your fear. I can give you the knowledge you seek.’
Dominique pauses, then sits back down. ‘Say what you have to say.’
‘The first thing we must overcome is your lack of trust. I’m not a screwball. I’m a psychiatrist who relies on science and scientific observation to guide me. At the same time, I come from a family whose maternal ancestors were always adept at inter-dimensional communication.’
Evelyn holds up a finger, stifling Dominique’s question. ‘To understand inter-dimensional communication, you must first accept that we are surrounded by energy, and energy is everything and all things, it is only our perception within this universe of energy that changes. This table, for example, appears solid, yet it is made up of atoms, all of which are in constant motion. If we examined an atom of this chair under a powerful microscope, we would see mostly empty space. High-speed particles-electrons-would zip by like asteroids, and if we could delve deeper, we’d see even tinier particles called quarks, which oscillate, expanding into other dimensions. Everything is energy and everything is in constant motion.
‘The speed at which a living human being perceives energy places us in the world of the physical, the world of the third dimension. Because physical density occupies space, its perception must be processed with time. For most of us, our physical surroundings are perceived within the limitations of our five senses. But there are higher dimensions that exist beyond these capabilities. Mathematically, eleven dimensions have been theorized, taking us into realms of what many have labeled the “spiritual.” Again, the common bond in all these dimensions is energy.
‘As I said, energy is all around us. Our senses may not perceive it, but this room is filled with energy. It emanates from our bodies as heat and brain waves. It bounces around this room in multitudes of frequencies. By discerning an energy pattern, we can tap into it, using devices such as radios and televisions, videophones and satellite dishes… devices that would have been labeled the work of the Devil when this city was first christened. But the mind is also a device, and by fine-tuning it, we can communicate with those who have moved on to higher dimensions of energy. Spirits are aspects of God, Dominique, and it is spirits that create souls. Death is not the end, but the beginning of a transitional stage. After we die, our perceptions change, expanding as we acquire the higher dimensions.’
‘How do you know these things?’
Evelyn’s face creases into a smile. ‘Because, my dear, I’ve been there. I’ve crossed over.’
Dominique feels her flesh crawl.
‘Happened many years ago when I was living in Miami, right after Hurricane Andrew. Once the storm had passed, I went outside to walk my basset hound, Oscar. Stepped right in a puddle of wet leaves and zap -never noticing the downed electrical wire. Charge must’ve hit me like a ton of bricks.’
Dominique looks at the older woman as if for the first time. ‘So what happened? Did you really die?’
‘As they say, I was dead as a doorknob. The first thing I remember is feeling free, every physical burden instantly gone. My consciousness floated above my body, and it was a strange sensation to look down at myself, sprawled across the sidewalk like a puppet who’d lost her strings. A lifeless body is never very flattering. And poor Oscar, barking his head off. You know, I think he actually sensed my spirit hovering overhead.’
‘Were you scared?’
‘Not in the least, and I’ve never been scared since.’
‘What happened next?’
‘My consciousness began moving through a dark tunnel, and up ahead, I could see a light. It was God’s light, and it bathed me in a kind of love I had never experienced before.’ She pauses. ‘This is making you uncomfortable?’
‘A little. If this is some sort of sales pitch to convert me-’
‘Believe me, I’m the last person to preach religion. Fact is, I died an atheist, and not a very happy one. Of course, none of that ever occurred to me, until I experienced the life review.’
‘The life review?’
‘It’s your entire existence, every moment, every deed, every thought and feeling of everyone you’ve ever been in contact with, and you don’t just experience it from your own perspective, but from that of others-the people you hurt, the people you helped. It was amazing and incredibly intense, some of it quite sad, but most of it wonderful, like being immersed in a sea of unconditional love. Still, I saw my shortcomings, and it was quite an awakening. And then I realized I wasn’t alone, that my parents’ souls were by my side. I didn’t want to leave, but they told me it wasn’t my time just yet, that I still had things I had to do in order to fulfill my mission in life. And suddenly, just like that, I was back in my body. It felt so heavy, like a lead suit, and I hurt terribly inside. I could hear and feel the paramedics working on me, and I felt sad, because I really wanted to stay with my parents.’
‘You said you came back to fulfill a mission?’
Evelyn sits back in her chair. ‘For years, I assumed my mission was simply to help people understand death. When I recovered from my injuries, I went to work on my first book. To date, I’ve interviewed eighty-seven people, all of whom shared similar near-death experiences with me. I’ve compiled a library of pertinent data, and I’ve written two best-sellers. Despite these postdeath successes, I always felt something was missing. And then my sister died.’