CHAPTER 2
A gentle breeze swayed the curtains in eight-year-old Tommy’s bedroom. Sharp spears of early-morning sunlight danced across the floor next to his bed in rhythm to the softly swaying curtains. Every now and then, the wind would blow the curtain open just far enough to send the brilliant beams of light across his bed. They almost reached Tommy’s serene face as he slept.
A cacophony of early morning birds announced the beginning of the new day. Tommy didn’t stir. Today was the first day of his summer vacation. Yesterday had been a long, action-packed one. After school, he had played soccer with his friends until his mother came to pick him up.
The breeze blew the curtain open a little wider, and a burst of sunshine raced across Tommy’s face. He winced slightly and then returned to his smooth breathing.
Tommy was very short for his age. Although, his larger than life presence with his friends easily made up for his humble size. He was very popular with them. They felt energized around him. Although, on occasion, his friends might call him a “Mommas Boy.” It didn’t bother him. He assumed that they called him that because he had no father. Even so, he’d smile happily as it made him think of his mother. He often wondered about his father, although he’d never known him. From time to time, he would ask her about him.
She would frown and say, “Sweetie, he left us before you were born. Maybe, someday he’ll come back. For now, we are your family – you, me, and your grandma. We love you very much.”
They were all the family he had ever known, except of course for Thomas.
A small ghost of a smile formed on Tommy’s lips as if he had heard one of his mother’s jokes or had enjoyed a nice walk in the park with her. His breathing continued softly.
His mother, Catherine was sleeping in the main bedroom just on the other side of the kitchen. He didn’t know how much she struggled to make ends meet. Although he always felt loved and never wanted for more.
A shadow crept slowly across the floor and then up the side of the bed. The sunlight that had danced across the floor just a few seconds before was gone. Only small slivers of light bounced along the edge of the shadow as it moved closer and closer to Tommy. The shadow belonged to Thomas.
Tommy lay motionless as Thomas sat down on the edge of the bed. Tommy continued to breathe softly as his little body slid ever so slightly towards the spot where Thomas sat.
Thomas quietly watched Tommy as he slept. Thomas looked around the room and saw poster after poster of superheroes. He recognized some of them from when he was a young boy. It was a time when good was much easier to discern from evil. That was a long time ago.
He smiled at the thought that this little boy, who believed so much in superheroes, would one day become one himself.
“Perhaps a better name might be Supernatural Hero,” he whispered.
Tommy inhaled deeply and then let it out slowly with a faint sigh. Perhaps that was Tommy saying goodbye to the dream world. In that world, Tommy was always the hero (at least most of the time).
Thomas could tell when Tommy was waking up. First, he would stretch his legs, then his arms and then his tongue would make a funny clicking sound as it clung to the roof of his mouth and then let go.
He smiled as Tommy began to rouse from his sleep.
Tommy started his stretching and followed with his tongue clicking sounds.
“Are you afraid of ghosts?” asked Thomas.
Tommy smiled widely and then opened his eyes, squinting to keep the sun at bay.
“Thomas!”
Tommy sat up and hugged his favorite person sitting next to him.
“Those are pretty bright pajamas that you’re wearing there,” said Thomas.
Tommy laughed.
“These are my new pajamas. Mom gave them to me yesterday after we left the park. Look at all of the soccer balls,” said Tommy as he pointed to his sleeves painted with scores of soccer balls.
“Nice,” said Thomas.
Tommy looked towards the partially open door. Just to the right hung a poster of a superhero, above a large dresser drawer.
“Does Mom know that you’re here?”
Thomas followed Tommy’s gaze towards the door and then briefly glanced at the open window. A breeze kept the curtains gently swaying from side to side. The sun mixed randomly with the leaves to cast diffused patterns on the floor.
“Nope. Our little secret. She doesn’t much care for me.”
Tommy half smiled and sat up higher as he leaned back against the headboard.
“I’m glad that you’re here.”
He rubbed his eyes then stretched out his arms wide and yawned.
“Not all of them. Some of those ghosts are very scary.”
Thomas scrunched his forehead in confusion.
“What?”
“You asked me if I was afraid of ghosts.”
“Oh yes, yes,” said Thomas while trying to suppress the urge to yawn.
Tommy smiled.
“Are you afraid of me?”
“Of course not.”
“That’s good.”
“I’m not afraid of the ghosts at Grandma’s house either. I know that they won’t hurt me.”
“Those ghosts at your Grandma’s believe that they have some unfinished business that keeps them from going to heaven.”
“That’s what Grandma told me. She said the ghosts that visit her are there for help. She prays for them so that they can go to heaven. There is a whole bunch of them there.”
“You can see them?”
“Yes. Those ghosts look like regular people with a bright light inside.” Tommy looked up at Thomas. “Some are brighter than others.”
“What about me? I mean, what do I look like to you?”
Tommy smiled.
“You look like…” Tommy hesitated.
Thomas leaned forward.
“An old man?”
Tommy’s smile faded.
Thomas smiled and then tickled Tommy.
Tommy giggled and squirmed with laughter.
“Okay, you were saying,” said Thomas.
“Well, you have a bright white light where your heart is,” said Tommy as he pointed to Thomas’s chest.
“What happens when you hold my hand?”
Thomas reached for Tommy’s hand.
Tommy pulled back his hand and looked down.
“It’s okay, Tommy.”
“Sometimes people get mad when I touch them.”
“I won’t get angry. I promise.”
Tommy reached for Thomas’s hand and laid it gently on top.
Thomas felt a tingling sensation on his hand and closed his eyes.
Tommy’s eyes widened as he saw the globe of light near Thomas’s heart grow brighter and brighter.
Thomas opened his eyes and smiled.
“See Tommy? That’s your superpower - thank you.”
Tommy smiled broadly and hugged Thomas.
“I wish my grandma could see me the way that you do,” said Tommy as he looked down at his hands.
“In her own way, I think she does.”
Tommy smiled and looked up at Thomas.
“I love my grandma. I love it when we visit Grandma. She and I talk about what happens when people die and that some turn into ghosts.”
Thomas smiled broadly.
“I guess that’s one way to look at it.”
“She told me that some ghosts don’t even know that they’re dead.”
“That’s a myth.”
“A myth?”
The smile on Thomas’s face went a little crooked.
“It’s an untruth,” said Thomas, his smile returning.”
“Look, Tommy, when a person dies, it’s like suddenly opening their eyes for the first time. They see things as they are, not as they believe them to be. They all know that they are dead. How can they not?”
Thomas looked away for a second, then back to Tommy. “I guess maybe it could be that they just don’t want to admit it.”
Tommy blinked.
Thomas would sometimes forget that he was talking to an eight-year-old boy. Tommy was a lot more grown up than the average eight-year-old was. No matter, he thought. He’ll understand it eventually.
“What else did your grandmother say?”
“She says that sometimes it’s hard to tell the good ones from the bad ones.”
“She pointed to a man once and said that he was evil. But when I looked at him, he was almost as bright as you are right now. He hardly had any black smoke around him. I thought he was a good person, not an evil person like Grandma thought.”
“Sounds like you already know how to tell the difference for yourself. Most people are not evil.”
Tommy rushed on. He wanted to tell Thomas all about what he and his grandmother had talked about before it was time for Thomas to leave.
“Grandma told me that I shouldn’t talk to ghosts. She said that I should just ignore them.”
“Does that work?”
“Sometimes.”
“What do you do if they don’t leave?”
“Grandma said that I should just say a prayer for them so that they can move on.”
“Is that what you do?”
“Yes, most of the time I do, but sometimes there are too many of them.”
A stiff breeze rustled the curtains and caused the door to open a little wider. Tommy looked at the door.
“Mom?”
There was no answer.
Tommy looked back at Thomas.
“Mom doesn’t like to talk about ghosts.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know. Grandma told me that Mom used to see ghosts just like I do.”
Tommy took a deep breath and then continued.
“Now she takes medicine so that she can’t see them anymore.”
“Not everyone can see ghosts. Many people have a hard time even believing in them. But some of those who do believe in them are afraid of them. Maybe your mom is just afraid of them.”
Tommy looked down and sighed.
Thomas reached to Tommy’s chin and gently raised Tommy’s head.
“What’s wrong?”
Tommy took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
“Sometimes, I’m afraid of them too.”
Thomas looked intently at Tommy and waited for him to continue.
“I had a dream the other night. It was scary. There was a man, a very shadowy man. He wasn’t alive. He wanted to hurt Mom. He wasn’t trying to hurt me. He wanted to hurt her. I was afraid of him.”
Thomas leaned in closer.
“You do understand that even a shadowy man can’t hurt you.”
Tommy looked down at his hand and then back at Thomas.
“I guess,” he whispered. “I’m not afraid of those ghosts that visit Grandma. That shadowy man was different from those ghosts. He was cold. He was icy cold. He was mean, really mean.”
Thomas moved uncomfortably.
“Tommy you must believe me. Those dark beings can’t harm you. You must believe this. You must trust me. I promise you,” Thomas almost shouted.
Tommy’s eyes widened. He had never seen Thomas get upset before.
Thomas reached for Tommy and hugged him tightly. Tommy reached around and hugged Thomas even tighter. He tried to let go, but Tommy clung fast.
“Tommy, I believe in you. I believe in the light inside of you. I love you.”
Tommy let go of Thomas and looked up at him.
“But when I told Grandma about it, she got angry with me. She said that I should stop talking to the ghosts. She said that I had dreamt about demons. It scared me.”
“Oh, Tommy. She means well. Your grandmother is a firm believer in her faith. She believes that the souls that she prays for are stuck.”
“Grandma said that they’re in Purgatory.”
“Yes. It’s not exactly a place. It’s where a soul is not quite pure enough to enter into heaven. At least that’s what she believes.”
“Don’t you believe that too?”
“Tommy, it’s what you believe that’s important. What I believe doesn't matter.”
“Grandma believes in demons, I guess.”
“Don’t breathe life into those things that your grandmother believes. Does this make sense?”
“Kind of,” said Tommy with a sigh. “I couldn’t even talk to Mom about that dream. I started to tell her, and she just rolled her eyes. She said that I was spending too much time talking to Grandma. She said that Grandma was filling my head up with nonsense.”
“Tommy, you’re fine. I’m confident that both your grandmother and your mother love you just the way you are. You have such an incredible gift. You may not realize it yet, but there is a fire inside you that burns brightly. You don’t have to be afraid. There is nothing in the ‘ghostly’ realm that can harm you. You have to believe that. Anything that happens to you only makes you stronger. I have no doubt that you will realize this for yourself soon enough. I-” started Thomas.
The telephone rang loudly from the kitchen.
They both looked at the door as the phone clanged away.
“It’s Mom’s phone.”
Thomas moved to stand
“I better go. I’m sure that your mother doesn’t want me here.”
Tommy frowned.
“Please don’t go. Not yet, please!”
“I’ll be back, Tommy. I promise.”
“We are going to Grandma’s house today for a few days. Will you visit me there?”
Thomas smiled.