This is the eighteenth part in a series, so if you have not already done so, you might want to read Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI, Part VII, Part VIII, Part IX, Part X, Part XI, Part XII, Part XIII, Part XIV, Part XV, Part XVI, and Part XVII before continuing.
After “Elara” checks one of her books, she talks me into buying sage, lavender, black salt, white candles, a bunch of crystals, and even an amulet for protection, all of which they just happen to sell. I should have known her solution would be for me to spend a bunch of money in her store. But I appear to be out of options, so I hand over the last of my savings and haul my smelly woo woo shit home.
Now I have a problem. After burning sage and lavender to “cleanse the space,” the next step is to sprinkle black salt on the windows and doorways to keep Addie’s ghost out of my house. Now, just how am I supposed to do that without my parents noticing and immediately sweeping it up?
I decided to pull out a ladder and sprinkle salt on the top ledge of the doorway, then I do the same with the windows. I’m not sure it’ll work the same, but it’ll have to do for now.
Then I put the candles all over the house and light them up.
The crystals would be harder to explain, so I put most of them in my room, but I hide a few throughout the house. Hopefully my parents won’t notice them until after I’ve busted this ghost.
With everything in place, and the candles burning, I plant my feet and say out loud, “You’re not welcome here, Addie. This is my house and my life. You need to get your shit together and move on.”
The whole house starts shaking so hard it feels like an earthquake. If we lived anywhere near a fault line, I would think it was an earthquake, but we don’t, and I’ve never felt an earthquake in my life.
I instinctively get low to avoid getting knocked on my ass. Then I remember that, in an earthquake, you’re supposed to stand in a doorway. I make for the nearest doorway, and hang on for dear life, but the stupid salt I sprinkled on the top of the doorframe spills on top of me and gets in my eyes.
I scream in pain as I try to dig the salt crystals out of my eyes.
Distantly, I hear thuds and crashes. Through my pain, it takes me a minute to realize the house is shaking so hard that things are falling off tables and shelves.
The candles! I remember with a start.
I had made sure to place them all far away from anything that could catch fire, but if things are moving around, I need to blow out all the candles.
Blinking furiously to try to get the salt out of my eyes, I try to squint through the pain in my eyes to see my way to the candles so I can start blowing them out.
As if on cue, I feel a sudden warmth near my right foot and smell smoke. I look down to see a candle has fallen and ignited the carpet next to me.
I squeal and stomp on the carpet, trying to smother the flame.
While I’m absorbed in that task, something heavy falls off a shelf and hits me on the head.
Everything goes black.
To be continued…