EPILOGUE
Vanessa and Annie sat on the porch chairs, Gustav on the rail. It was the wee hours. The stars and crickets were out.
The ex-lawyer mused, “You know, one of the nicest things about today was leaving the legal mess for someone else to clean up, for once.”
Vanessa smiled. “Everyone is going to have to lay low for a while. The TV cameras got everybody before the equipment failed. Allen said that we made world coverage.”
“Dears, all will work out in time. It did for me, didn’t it? Besides, wouldn’t this be a perfect opportunity for you to put some real meat on your bones again? You’re much too skinny, you know.”
Being dead didn’t stop Gustav from ruminating and calculating. It would take more than a heart attack to stop that. “I suppose we are all stuck for the duration, at least until the others shuffle off their respective mortal coils. I’m a bit concerned about something, though.”
Vanessa tilted her head and gave a curious smile. “Yes, Dear Gustav? What might that be?”
“Did the ‘alignment’ that now has rendered greater sight and spiritual bonding to all of the mortal members of the Fitzgalen Family also endow them with similar longevity as Ryan currently enjoys?”
Annie raised her brows and exclaimed, “Oh my stars! I was hoping to have you come for a visit soon. I’ll tell the soldiers not to wait up supper.”
“Gustav! Could that really be? Are we here for generations’ worth of time?”
“I suspect so, my lady. The power of the field in that Navy experiment wasn’t all of what turned the time trick for Ryan back at Pearl Harbor. It was you and your own natural talents. Lord, the money I could have made with you in Hollywood! Ah, well. Guess we’ll be together for a while.”
“Vanessa, does he talk like that all the time?”
“Sadly, yes.” Vanessa leaned back on the chair. Annie took her hand, half in sympathy, half in amusement, and in whole appreciation of sensing physical contact with another entity. Vanessa smiled again. “Look, Annie, the sun is rising.”
It was a beautiful last sunrise for Annie. All three watched the colors change and enjoyed the songs of the birds that had dared to return to the Homestead (Jays, mostly). The light revealed the torn up ground due to both planted charges and military hardware. There were to be no tourists coming in today. Something about it being a crime scene, though no one knew exactly what crime had been committed. The forensics people hadn’t arrived yet, and the officials were keeping the scene as untouched as possible. Just as well, for the three spirits wanted the peace and quiet.
“Well, I guess I’d better stir my stumps. My children are waiting for me. Part of me hasn’t seen them in a very long time and misses them sorely. Besides, I’d like a long talk with Private Jed Patterson. I hear he dances nice.” Annie winked at Gustav and Vanessa. They left the porch and began to walk east.
“Why, you little tease, you. What about Archibald?”
“Not to worry, Dear. I’ve no idea what the other side is going to be like. I want to see everyone: the soldiers, Archibald, Jason and Rebecca, my folks, my slaves...No, those nice people who worked for us once. I was just pulling your leg, Soul Sister. Jed has mended all fences, as far as I’m concerned. Now it’s my turn to do the same with him. One hundred feet.
Gustav groused, “We’ll pass on your goodbyes to all of the others. The lazy butts are probably still sleeping.”
“Annie, please find Natalie for me and thank her for all she did. She made all the difference yesterday. Oh yes, tell her I apologize for not following her directions on making contact with you. She’ll understand. By the way, Natalie’s the only spirit I’ve ever seen that came back once she crossed over. Might you talk to her about how she did that? Dearest friend, I am going to miss our chats terribly. You don’t know how much yon have helped me, or how many times.” One hundred fifty feet.
“You children listen to this old lady. Your Family is the most precious thing you have. Now it has the two of you as their guardian angels. If I can be of any help, like Natalie was and if the Lord allows it, you will see me again on this side of the Pearly Gates. Until then, Vanessa, Gustav, I love you both, with all my heart.”
Two spirits continued to walk down the road. “You know, Gustav, I preferred you in that Union uniform.” Vanessa blinked. Gustav was now wearing the uniform he had died in. “Son of a BITCH! How did you do that?”
Gustav looked down. “I don’t know, just sort of pictured myself as I looked decorating the shrubbery yesterday.”
“Do you mean to tell me that I’ve been wearing the same damned dress for decades and decades and you come along being able to change outfits on a whim? PARDON ME? You tell me right now and I mean now, buster, how you did that! Don’t give ME that smirky look. How would you like to walk all the way back to the hotel?”
Gustav hadn’t thought about that. “Very well, my dear. I’ll tell you what. I’ll figure out what I just did and teach it to you. Now, how do you do that instant travel thing?”
“First things first. I want to impress Ryan tonight. Think we can walk into town and pick through a Frederick’s catalog?”