When the skill ended, Elijah disappeared form their sight. And both parent were looking around.
"Elijah... Baby... Where are you? Papa's here. Please come back." Elijah's father covered his face with both hands, sobbing.
But Elijah's mother stood up and opened the little window of her store. Hoping I was still there.
And I was.
Because Elijah's part of the list.
"Hey...hey...you know something do you?" She said, looking at me desperately.
Elijah's father, looked up and saw his wife talking to me. And got curious too.
"What does she mean you know something?" His tone was more firmer.
Might as well say, he was suspicious of me.
"Please...tell us. We need to know."
I sighed and looked at them through the little window.
"Alright. But I wouldn't be able to talk for long. My parents are about to finish their talk with the priest." I said, and they both nodded.
They let me inside their house, Elijah was just beside them. Trying to hold their hands. But with the skill, he only passes through them.
We sat in the living room, and silence fell on us. It was awkward.
Truly awkward. Since I'm not particularly sociable with people older than me.
"So, you saw Elijah right? Able to touch him, to talk to him." I broke the silence and got straight to it.
They both nodded.
"Yes. He was there. Our baby was with us. But it was too short. I want our baby back." The mother started crying again, and was comforted by the husband.
I looked at them with sadness, losing someone wasn't that easy. But...their longing and regret is stopping their own sone from moving forward to the next place he needs to be.
"Stop, asking him to stay." I said firmly.
They looked at me with anger mixed with grief wasn't the best combo at all.
Elijah's father easily got to me with a few strides and grabbed me by the collar of my shirt.
"Let go! Why are you hurting my brother!" Alicia's rage was not like the others.
The glass of water on the coffee table started to ripple. I looked at towards Alicia and her eyes went red.
I swatted the man's hand away from me and immediately pulled Alicia to an embrace.
[WARNING! ALICIA'S RAGE METER HAS EXCEEDED THRESHOLD.]
[WARNING! CALM HER DOWN OR SHE'LL TURN INTO A VENGEFUL SPIRIT.]
"Hey...hey... I'm alright. Don't be angry. He didn't mean it. He was grieving." I pressed a kiss on Alicia's forehead, and thankfully, she calmed down.
"Is...that...our son? Is he angry because my husband grabbed you?" Elijah's mother misunderstood everything.
And I'm not letting this chance slip by.
"I'm here to help, not to scam you. And to be more accurate, I'm her for Elijah. You're grievances are trapping him. How long was he gone?"
I faced them looking offended. I have to act, not because I'm young, I'm easily overpowered.
"He...he....was gone for... Three months. But we still couldn't believe his gone." Elijah's mother said.
I sighed and calmed down. Not that I'm cold hearted or detached, but I've seen what a vengeful spirit can do. And what they'll lose.
"Three months?"
[THE BLACK PINS THEY'RE WEARING SYMBOLIZES GRIEF OR ONCE LOSS. BUT WEARING AFTER THE DEPARTED'S 40 DAYS TRAPS THEM.]
I looked at their pins. Then at them.
"That... that's keeping Elijah's soul trapped. It should have been buried together with him, or removed and buried separately on the 40th day. Why are you keeping it?"
I glared at them. I need to stand on my goal. Not gonna waver. Not gonna let their grief justify trapping a child's soul.
"This is holding him? You mean, if we never remove this, he'll be with us forever?" Elijah's mother got the wrong idea.
No...
She's only processing what matters to her. Not the real issue at hand.
Even smiling, hopefully, looking at the pin. Which irks me.
"Are you dumb? Do you know what happens to your son's soul if he's trapped here? He'll turn into a wandering ghosts. He will lose his identity, his memory of being your son. And a chance for a new life."
I blurted it all out in one breath. It may came stronger than intended but I need to snap them out of it.
"What? What do you mean by that?"
I sat on the chair, sighing repeatedly. I'm the young one here yet they're the ones having a hard time understanding what is my saying.
"Listen well, I'm not repeating anything. And I'll cut off any lingering connections you two have towards Elijah if I have to. To help him cross over."
I started explaining to them about Elijah's circumstances. Not just his but about souls trapped in general.
Their outcomes.
Their situation.
The needs to be done.
They were listening for once, and thank God. Because I'm already losing my patience.
I wanted to walk away and do summersaults, rather than repeating myself.
As the conversation went deeper, they started questioning who I am.
How do I know such things, like I've been doing this forever.
When in fact, it was just four months since I got the system.
Done little tasks, that doesn't take much time, that I didn't consider them a task at all.
While also, training myself not to scream like Mariah Carey's whistle when I'm startled or being chased by creatures, during research nights in the library.
My phone rang, mid explanation. My parents were done with their talks, and was looking for me now.
I told her I was just outside buying something.
Mother told me to meet them at the parking area, when I'm done.
I hang up the call after and looked at them.
"That's all, I know. So decide for yourself. If you really long for your son, do it the right way. Have a church mass done to pray for his soul, not hold onto him. Let him go. It doesn't mean that he crossed over he's gone. On the contrary, he'll always be with you. In your hearts."
After saying that....
I totally cringe deep inside. It's not something I would say normally.
But... situation asked for it.
What can I do?