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A warm, gentle appeared on Carlos's face as he talked about what happened next. It was apparent to me that he enjoyed recalling this part of the story. This is the way he says it happened:173Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL7SLt80WDy
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The musty taste of dirt and mold lingered on Carlos's tongue as he slowly opened his eyes. The Plastic Room floor was hard and gritty, but it felt cool and soothing to his battle-weary body, and he suddenly realized that, yes, he was alive even though every fiber of his being ached with fatigue.
He strained his tired eyes to focus in the dim light of the basement and could barely make out the figure of someone standing nearby, but for some reason, he felt no hatred toward this new presence.
The sweet, soft scent of roses lingered in the air, and Carlos felt a new sensation of peacefulness and warmth caressing his spirit. Standing before him was a teenage ghost girl, her presence exuding an aura of mystery and allure. She was dressed in quintessential '60s-style garb, with a denim jacket adorned with patches and pins, and a peace-sign pendant hanging from a leather cord around her neck. Her tie-dyed faded jeans added to her retro ensemble, capturing the essence of the late '60s counterculture. Her hairstyle reflected that era as well, with long, flowing locks cascading down her back in loose waves. Her eyes, done up in '60s-style makeup with dark eyeliner and mascara, held a captivating allure, mysterious and exotic. Despite her ghostly form, she radiated a warm, tan complexion, a stark contrast to the pale white appearance of some of the other ghosts roaming the halls.
A moan escaped Carlos's lips as he placed his palms flat against the floor and pushed his tired frame into an upright position, crossing his ankles in front of him and sitting like an Indian in front of a campfire.
He looked up at the girl and grinned sheepishly, and when she returned his smile, for some reason unknown to Carlos, it made him blush. He could feel the heat in his cheeks as they glowed a rosy pink, and for a brief moment, he felt an oneness with the girl before him.
"Sunflower," he said as he gazed into those dark, haunting eyes, but she didn't answer. She just stared down at him, and suddenly he noticed a small tear form on her cheek and glide down her face, a little puff of smoke rising as it landed on the floor at her feet.
"Don't cry!" Carlos pleaded as he started to climb to his feet. "Everything's okay!"
Suddenly he realized that even though he was looking directly at the girl, he could also see the old metal shelves that lined the Plastic Room wall behind her.
The smile faded from her face, and her eyes bored into the amazed handyman's as if searching his soul. She stretched her hand out, and Carlos, more from reflex than fear, flinched backward but regained his composure and leaned forward.
As her hand touched his forehead, a cold, but yet warm, feeling of satisfying comfort embraced the warrior who, just a short while ago, had battled the demons of Hell and won. Carlos again stared into her eyes, and the smile returned to her face.
"Way to go, Carlos! You totally sealed the pit, man, but you gotta find Jacqueline's bod now!"
"How?"
"Don't sweat it, man! You'll dig the answer soon enough!" Sunflower told him.
"Wilma and Inez are cool, man. You totally sealed up the pit before they got caught up in it."
"Inez?"
"You're already hip to the answer, Carlos. You've been blessed with some psychic mojo, man, so learn how to groove with it."173Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0dd0GF6zn5
Before her words could fade away, Sunflower gently withdrew her hand from Carlos's forehead, and, still smiling, she turned and moved through the threshold that led out of the Plastic Room. Scrambling to his feet, he ran to the door and searched the hallway in every direction, but the ghostly girl was nowhere in sight.
"You'll be back! I know you will," he whispered to the air, and suddenly, in his mind, he was aware of something splendid and wonderful.
"Inez?" The name wasn't familiar to Carlos, but it kept flashing him his mind's eye, and for a moment he wondered what it meant. Then suddenly he realized that it was a baby, but not just any baby. It was the name of Buck and Wilma's newborn baby girl! At that time Carlos had no idea that the baby was born only weighing one pound and fifteen ounces from being born so premature. Contemplating this new turn of events for a moment, Carlos finally put his arms into the air, shook his head in amazement, and wearily climbed the stairwell back into the main ballroom.
"Thank you, Lord!" he said as he strode past the ballroom and down the hallway.
Walking outside, he turned and locked the big, brass double doors and headed for home, the scent of roses lingering in the early morning air as he went. As far as Carlos was concerned, this whole matter was closed. The evil was contained. Satan and his followers were bound in Hell where they belonged. Everyone was safe now.
He had only one more task ahead of him, and that was to find the body of Jacqueline Windsor. He figured that his ghostly friends would lead him to the mutilated body in time so he could see that the woman received a decent burial.173Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWOvGFMjNQJ
