Shirtwaist Ghosts Chapter 11 Conclusion

11

Hector wiped his forehead on the sleeve of his shirt and stood back to admire their handy work. The office on the eighth floor of the Harris building held every piece of ghost hunting equipment Hector and Marcos owned: full-spectrum camcorder, laser grid scope, infrared camera, EMF meter, Digital thermometer, and a digital recorder to catch any Electronic Voice Phenomena.

Most of the attention was centered around a silver bracelet with semi-precious stones laying in the middle of Allen's desk.

After going 'lights out', Hector and Marcos settled down for an EVP session alternately asking questions and addressing Margarita by name. They didn't hear any responses, so they finished the session, and left the equipment running for the night, hoping to catch something.

***

Time erased many things. She hung on to her name as long as she could, but eventually even that was lost in the snowy, black and white plane where she existed.

She was aware of some of the other girls who worked on as if nothing had happened. Familiar sounds, smells, and sights would gather in a burst of activity. Then fade away. It was dull, repetitive, yet hypnotic. It took every ounce of will for her to remember why she was here. Why she waited.

A brilliant silver gleam made her start. She gathered the fragments of herself around the most beautiful thing in the world and sighed.

She lingered as long as she was able. Focusing took so much energy.

She felt herself spreading out and becoming wispy when a presence, dark and blacker than the black and white plane she lived in, swirled close. Fear flicked across her consciousness as she was engulfed by its form. She was not alone. Hundreds, maybe thousands, wandered aimlessly in the oblivion with her.

***

Allen removed the face plate of the wall outlet behind his desk and tucked the bracelet in the recess. After staring at the bracelet for a moment, he searched the desk and unwrapped the packet of papers. On a blank piece of paper, an old key had been taped. Allen removed the yellowed brittle tape and placed the key beside the bracelet. He screwed the face plate back on. He sat back on his heels and thought, I hope this helps you find some peace.

***

Hector and Marcos sat at a long conference table in Scottish Rite Temple downtown analyzing the results from the paranormal investigation. They heard what sounded like a woman's sigh during the EVP session and forty minutes after they had left the building, the camera caught the sound and slight movement of the bracelet on the table.

Five minutes after the bracelet moved, a black mass darted across the screen, Marcos looked at Hector. “What the hell was that?”

Hector replayed the video several times, squinting hard at the screen before he replied, “I have no idea.”

A shout out to:

El Paso Ghost Tours at 877-GHOST10
Paranormal Posse
Paso del Norte Paranormal Society

In remembrance of the Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire victims. May they rest in peace.