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“Nice to meet you,” I replied, feeling Caius’ stare on both of us. I knew he was annoyed at the interruption, but I really didn’t mind. It was delaying whatever he had to show me.
“This is Father Nicholas,” Caius bellowed out, introducing him in an act of intrusion. “He handles all of the services here.”
My eyebrows raised at the job title as I dropped my hand. So, he was a Catholic priest who wasin on this?He was okay with sending people toPurgatory?
Sounded like something that every Catholic priest would typically be against. My judgment got the better of me on this one.
“Will you keep him in line?” Father Nicholas asked, motioning to Caius, who slightly rolled his head back in irritation.
“I—”
Caius cut me off abruptly. “She is only here for the Open House as a guest, Father. She’s not interested in committing.”
My head tilted at his words. Sure, he was more than correct, but the fact that he jumped in so quickly to shut down the idea had my mind spinning.
Father Nicholas nodded at the realization, still looking at me. “Die with the Lord in your heart, and you will gain eternal life.”
I gently smiled at the words I’ve heard thousands of times in Mass. I could practically recite the sentence in my sleep, and knowing how bored I used to get on Sunday mornings, I’m sure I did a few times.
Caius had clearly had enough of this conversation. “If you’ll excuse us,” he began, extending his hand palm up, waiting for me. He wanted to take me into the land of spirits, and I’d be crazy to not be at least a little bit terrified.
Before I could step down with Caius, Father Nicholas must have sensed my apprehension because he leaned over in my direction. “Here is a place that is unlike any other.”
That was an understatement.But he said it with a deeply rooted grin, one that was so earnest, I couldn’t push it away. I said my goodbyes to Father Nicholas as I took Caius’ hand and stepped down onto the path. As an act of security, I inched asclose as possible to Caius. I may be agreeing to whatever he wanted to show me, but I was still hyperaware of everything going on around us.
The edge of the sun’s glow rested on the horizon, and I knew we only had minutes before the ghosts appeared. Anxiety rushed through the beat of my pulse, so I mentally tried to cling to Caius for support.
“So, how did you…” I began, my voice hushed, fear coating every syllable.
Caius must’ve noticed because his head turned to face me as we walked. A small smile formed on his lips. He was amused.
“How did you get this job?” I asked without looking at him. My eyes were scanning the area around us, waiting for the inevitable.
He chuckled. “This isn’t a job.”
This isn’t a cemetery.
I squeezed my eyes shut, only briefly, as I tried to push away his words. Ever since the moment I met him, he has done nothing but try to tell me the truth. It was an odd realization.
Brushing a hand along his jaw, he continued. “I don’t work here. I never have. This,” he stretched out a hand, motioning to the grounds, “has been in my family for ages. It goes farther back than I could try to research.”
We continued walking, and I listened.
“It was passed down throughout the years. My ancestors, my grandparents, my parents, and now myself. I grew up here.”
I gave a confused look, quickly glancing his way. “Were you ever scared?”
He shook his head. “Never. The ghosts were always around. There was never a time when it didn’t seem normal.”
“Your parents didn’t try to protect you from it?”
“Why would they? There was nothing to protect me from. There was no point hiding it from me if I only had to become desensitized to it later.”
The concept was so foreign to me. A boy, now a man, that lived with ghosts every single night. He had answers to questions people fought their whole lives to discover.
And here he was, letting me in without hesitation.
Even though we were walking through the night, my heart surged with a new warmth.
