Chapter 50

Visitation Dreams

(Andrea Tulley)

The mind is a truly remarkable organ, capable of inspiring people to new and greater heights. It is also capable of helping to mask the pain that people feel by the death of a loved one by simply pretending that the loved one is still there, still talking to you.

For days after the death of her mother, Andrea was numb. She felt nothing, just hollow and empty where the image of her mother should be.

During that time, she had checked out of reality. In fact, had it not been for Frank, Andrea was fairly certain that she would not have eaten or drunk anything.

So it was, a mother grieving the loss of her own mother, and in so doing abandoning her own daughter in the process.

That’s why on the third night, things changed.

For that was the first night that Andrea saw her mother.

A ghost.

Apparently, this is not too uncommon of an event to befall people who are grieving the loss of a loved one. In Andrea’s case, this dream seemed all too real. The reason why this dream above all others seemed too real was the fact that Andrea heard her mother say and do things that she never had in life.

“You must stop this,” the voice of mother Julie rang out in her mind.

Of course, the voice belonged to her dead mother. A mother that they were in the process of trying to bury. Well other people were worrying about burying her, for Andrea, it was all she could do to get up and go through the motions of life.

“STOP!”

Her mother shouted with such force and zeal that even upon waking from her dream induced state she could still feel the presence of her mother.

A faint scent of honey and sunlight lingered in the air. That was the only reference to the fact that her mother had been there, these were the scents that drew Andrea most vividly to her mother. So it is only logical now that her mind would pull up those scents to associate with imagining the presence of her mother. At least, that was what Andrea had pulled together later on, after the visits became more real. More unbelievable.

At first the words from her mother were known, simple warnings mirroring those same words that Frank was using.

“Stop this self-loathing and listen.”

Andrea of course did not listen, or at least she tried to pretend that she wasn’t capable of listening. Her mother was a ghost after all.

“I know you can see and hear me. You are of the kind.”

Hearing that, Andrea felt her heartbeat faster.

Badump, badump.

Hearing the words, Andrea felt a whole string of emotions come to her. Exhilaration for finally being recognized by her mother, anger that her mother only recognized her now after her death, and most importantly she felt empty as the recognition was now meaningless.

“I knew it.” Andrea shouted, turning around and pointing at the now scared visceral image of her grandmother.

“Knew what?” Frank called out from the other room.

“Nothing, just remembering something.” Andrea said, her mind feeling like it was close to being at the breaking point.

“Oh dear, I didn’t know. You have to believe me, I didn’t know you could actually see. Not until now.”

“That’s!” Julie yelled, then catching herself to look out the room to where Frank’s voice had come from, she calmed herself and hissed, “that’s bullshit, and you know it.”

“Language!” Julie hissed back in the same terse tone.

Hearing that, Andrea could only chuckle at the act. That was so like her mother, to go pull the wool over your eyes for years, lie to you, deceive you, then when you show anger at how you were treated, she had the audacity to cry foul at your use of language.

“I told you. I friggin’ told you that I could see ghosts, just like you and aunt Wendy, but you both swore that I was just making it up.”

“Dear, but that’s the thing. You couldn’t. At least you couldn’t when we had controlled tests. We tried, on multiple occasions to get you to see. We would send you into the other room when Uncle Chester was around, and you never saw him.”

“Uncle Chester? Didn’t he die when I was three?”

“He did, and he was the ghost that helped guide both me and aunt Wendy in the way.”

“Okay, well now that you know I have the sight, what do you want from me? Got any great wisdom from the beyond?” Andrea posed, somewhat jokingly, trying to get over just how tense and awkward this whole situation had become.

Hearing that Julie’s body posture changed. It was subtle, her stance tightened up, her body became more erect. While she had been calm and casual a moment ago, it was clear that Julie was preparing to tell her something that she wouldn’t like to hear.

This was the same posture she took when she told Andrea in no uncertain terms that James was no good and would leave her at the first sign of trouble. It was also the same stance and posture she took when there was something particularly stressful that she needed to address, rather than leaving it to Phil.

Seeing the shift in her posture, Andrea realized that she wasn’t going to like what she heard next.

“As a matter of fact, I do, though I don’t think you are ready to hear it.”

“What, do you want me to just break down and cry? Beg you to tell me?” Andrea asked, tears forming in her eyes as she realized that even in death her mother didn’t think she was good enough. “It’s because I’m not good enough, not like my successful brothers or sister, I was the one that had to come back. I tried and I failed, just as you predicted. As you all but bragged about.”

With that tears began to fall, as the mental connection Andrea had a moment ago was now shattered, and the solid image of her mother began to shatter and break apart.

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That was the first meeting.

Then as time went on, the images and messages from her mother became more frequent and erratic.

“Look I’m sorry, but you must stop this. There is something you need to hear, but you aren’t ready for it, at least not yet.” Julie’s ghost pleaded with Andrea.

At this point, Andrea just went deeper into herself. Choosing to ignore her mother, though it became harder and harder to do so, as the more distraught she became, the more her mother’s words seemed to resonate with her mind.

“You have had an awakening. What you experienced before was a partial awakening, which was why you only saw or heard voices from time to time. I know that now, and I apologize for writing you off. I thought the gift ended with me, but I know it continues on in the line.”

Her mother kept talking to her, calling out to her.

By the end Andrea was so tired, and exhausted from everything that all she wanted to do was sleep. To avoid everything and to be able to rest contentedly.

The only problem was, that in her dreams, Andrea saw her mother in even more clarity. Her mother almost seemed to be alive in her dreams.

“If you stop fighting, this will go a lot easier.”

Finally, after a long time, of this, Andrea finally shot back, “fine, if it will get you to leave me alone so I can at least sleep in peace, then I’ll listen.”

Hearing that Julie nodded in agreement, as if she had expected this course of action to be the final outcome. It was both annoying and reminiscent as a thing that her mother would do, where she would grind you down slowly, until you finally saw things her way.

“First I need to tell you something. Our planet, mother Gia is at war with an alien parasite. She is dying, slowly being worn away…”

Sigh.

With this, Andrea remembered that new-wavy hippy talk that her mother was famous for expounding on. Part of why she married a farmer, as it was her way of feeling like she was part of nature.

“You must admit this, that you can feel it, the world is crying out for you. I can see it’s connection with you. Just as you should finally be able to see and feel it.” Julie noted.

Andrea wanted to scoff at the idea, but looking back, she couldn’t refute the claim. She did feel a deeper connection with the world around her. All around she could feel the faint micro-buzzes of electrical impulses and the like that now made up the world. A world that seemed to be slowly dying, or at least a world that seemed to slowly lose a hint of its magic by the further expanses of science.

“Yes,” was all Andrea could answer.

With that, Julie nodded and continued.

“Now this next part might hurt, but you need to listen to it all, before I tell it to you.” With that Julie stopped talking, her face taking on a serious expression that might otherwise seem comical had it not been for the fact that this was a dream.

“Okay,” Andrea replied, realizing that her mother wouldn’t continue this odd conversation in her dream, unless she replied in the affirmative.

Pausing, Julie stared at Andrea, then finally after a moment she nodded to herself and began talking.

“The world is dying, for years it didn’t know how to continue to fight back. Until it realized that She was not alone. That there were others who fought against the oppressors.”

Hearing this, Andrea could only sigh, as her mother went full on fanatic on her.

“Those who would stand against the oppressors fought a long losing war. But they are all fighters, each and every one of them. Your daughter is such a fighter.”

Tears.

At that Andrea could only cry. Here she was, having a dream with her dead mother, one where she could have all the questions answered. One where she finally hoped to be able to gain closure, to be able to live at peace with the passing of her mother. And what does her mother do but take the knife and twist it. Yes, Andrea loved her daughter. She loved Misha, there was no doubt in her mind that she loved her daughter.

Yet, here she was being told that the only reason her mother would even bother to talk to her now was that her daughter, who was a million times smarter than her, more talented than her, and had the world at her beck and call was chosen.

Honestly, that was the one thing that Andrea could not refute. Her daughter had been chosen, blessed with brilliance from birth and given a body and mind that were beyond compare.

With that, Andrea tried to turn away, tried to wake up.

“Now wait! You said that if I told you, you would listen to everything, Andrea Marie Tulley.” While her mother didn’t yell, her words still cut straight through Andrea’s very soul.

“Fine, then continue.” Andrea shot back, momentarily stopping herself from this.

Pausing for only a second, Julie gave another imperceptible nod of her head and continued. “There are three others, but so far, the best hope is your daughter. She is going to need you now more than ever. She has been corrupted by the invader but has not fully succumbed to its ways. You need to be there, to guide her, to help her fight back against the ancient enemy of worlds.”

“Ancient enemy of worlds?” Andrea asked, even to her this was one of those things that seemed incongruous enough to fully cause her mind to awaken, even from a deep slumber.

Then like that, the dream ended. Her dream of her conversation with her mother was still present, still tangible, but fleeting away quickly the way that dreams do on morning winds.

Opening her eyes, Andrea felt weak and pathetic.

She felt weak because she was not the chosen one, that even in her dreams, her dreams chose her daughter. Then she felt pathetic for being jealous of her own daughter, of the clear future she held that seemed to glow brighter than her destiny ever could. Misha was born for greater things, Andrea knew that ever since she began placing copper wiring into a bike helmet to be able to walk around freely. Then there was the way she had to wrap her hands in gloves with metal strips as well to allow her even more freedom of movement as well and that caused even more memories to appear in her mind.

“Will you?” Julie asked, her voice echoing from everywhere and nowhere all at once.

It was an open ended question, but one that Andrea instinctively knew what the question was meant for. Would she be there for her daughter, to help guide her in the ancient ways of the world.

Yet it was too much, it was all too much.

That night, she went walking.

There was no destination, not really, not at first.

Then finally she found herself going to the much shadier parts of town.

“Turn around, it’s not safe here.” Julie pressed.

“What, lest I go and ruin my chance to help out Misha?”

“She is your daughter.”

“No, she’s not, she’s some alien super weapon chosen by the world. Clearly, she has enough help already.” Andrea hissed, by now the destination that she would go was becoming clear in her mind. Everything from the drawn curtains to the spray-painted walls denoting this area was not safe for normal people.

It was the seedier section of town, the stretch of roads that everyone knew to steer clear of. Well, everyone that wanted to avoid such a lifestyle would avoid.

Andrea too had avoided this place, for all of her life. Yet, right now, she could almost feel the call of this place.

“Don’t, if you take this, then your connection to the world will be gone. Your birthright will be forfeited.”

“Maybe I don’t want to constantly hear my dead mother nagging me from the grave.” Andrea shot back.

That was when Julie paused in her hovering. No longer choosing to float by Andrea’s side.

Seeing it, Andrea realized that this was it, that her mother was correct. If she took something here, then her connection to the world would end. That all this pressure to be good, to support her daughter would be over, she would never have to worry about her mother saying the only good thing she ever did in her life was to have Misha. She would be free of such burdens. Better still, if it was good enough, she might even feel great at having the burdens of the world lifted from her shoulders, if only momentarily.

That was the final straw needed to push her forward, to make her change her life.

By doing this, she was certain that she would lose everything, her life, her job, her boyfriend, her connection with her daughter, and most importantly she would lose the pressure that constantly told her that even with her best efforts, she wasn’t good enough.

Then a miracle happened. Or at least what Andrea would later call a miracle.

For a moment, the enemy of the world, the unseen and unknown devourer of planets showed its head.

Whoosh!

The power went out, for a moment all the electromagnetic buzz and electricity of the world stopped pumping, and for a moment Andrea felt her mind fully connect with the world.

She saw everything, or so thought.

She saw the dinosaurs roaming the world, life growing and evolving freely. Then she felt the impact of the great asteroid, the way the world slowly began to rot and wither from the impact, and the subsequent dispersal of planet changing parasites.

Andrea felt the way the world felt itself slowly rotting away, as the planet’s connection to its children was slowly altered into a form that was horrific and unknown to mother Gia.

Then she felt and saw how the same thing happened to her daughter on her class field trip. Andrea saw and felt the horror that her daughter had, and then felt pride at the way she was able to fight it off. Yes, unlike every other being that had been exposed to the corruption, her daughter was the lone survivor. Even after it forced its way into her body, she still fought and resisted, instead forcing the taint to move to her will.

Seeing her daughter, more memories of the planet were shown.

Andrea saw how three special souls were floating lifelessly in space and were reached out for by the last vestiges of the world’s power. How Gia chose her out of all of the hundreds of millions of women around the world to hold that sacred soul.

In that moment, Andrea cried, as she realized that for years she had been looking at this backwards. For years she had looked at her own failures and limitations as signs that she had done something wrong. Her own mindset was wrong, she looked at Misha as a curse, of a person she could never hope to be worthy of. But that was not the case, as she was worthy, mother Gia told her so, and was finally able to show her this now.

That night, Andrea awoke, her face feeling pressed as she had apparently collapsed and fallen on the street, while she had her vision from mother earth herself.

When she arose, she saw just how close she had come to throwing it all away. She was just a street away from an infamous corner, one known for selling harder drugs.

Realizing what she had done, and what she was about to do, she felt ashamed.

At that moment, she ran home. Well ran to Frank, seeking him for guidance and assistance.

While he seemed to believe her, Andrea couldn’t help but feel his hands dance against her arms. Only after the touch did Andrea realize what he was doing, he was checking her for puncture wounds. At first Andrea wanted to cry out in anger, but then realized that she couldn’t quite blame him for his distrust.

That night, Andrea realized that while she hadn’t completely gone through and destroyed her life, she had been close, too close.

Andrea also realized that the bond she had with her daughter was nearly gone, as she didn’t even know where she was, nor how to get in contact with her.

Then to her surprise, the next day, while the rest of the world was still in darkness, there was her daughter coming and bringing the light with her.

It was at that moment, that Andrea swore to herself that she would do everything she could to protect her daughter, to show her of the old way and to help her protect mother Gia.

That was how she now found herself with her boyfriend watching a girl’s high school basketball game. Despite not liking the sport, she found that the game was rather interesting.

“Look at her. Already using the invader’s powers against themselves.” Julie said, pointing out how Misha was moving between the opposing basketball players, their arms and limbs intertwining as they fought for the ball. Each time they did, Andrea was surprised to see a faint trail of energy form from the opposing team players and get sucked into herself.

“What is she doing?” Andrea found herself asking.

Frank seeming excited to talk about basketball replied, “she is setting a pick. Now if you look, she blocked the defender, and now yes, see she rolled off her pick and made a basket.”

“Uh huh.” Andrea said, trying to be nice to Frank as her mother answered the real question she wanted to know.

“She is able to drain and restart the progress of her opponents. The more she does this the stronger the base people will be. The idea is that eventually people will evolve to be perfectly acceptable to the viruses that are going around…”

“Plural, as in more than one?” Andrea asked.

“Yes, actually this is called an and-one as she drew a foul while scoring the bucket…”