PARA #03 - File #042

Ghosts, specters, phantoms, spooks, poltergeists, spirits... by any name, these unearthly beings are rarely seen, but are no less real. With the passage of the Paranormal Activity Reduction Act in 2012, highly skilled facilitators, under the auspices of the United States Government, began their concerted efforts to transition all spectral beings into the afterlife in the name of compassion and humanity.

Attached to anchor points, these tortured souls are imprisoned between life and death... unable to continue to the afterlife... unable to return to their corporeal bodies. With humanity's new understanding of these ethereal beings, property owners can request assistance under PARA to rid themselves of unwanted spirits. Facilitators, working within the guidelines established by PARA, engage with the trapped souls, offering support, comfort, and closure to detach them from their anchor points and to facilitate their transition into the afterlife.

However, not all spectral beings long for release from their otherworldly prison. Some, often the most evil and malignant, seemingly delight in inflicting terror and hardship on those who can sense them. If spirits refuse to transition, PARA empowers the facilitators to forcibly transition the malevolent spirits by using the confluence to sever the connection to their anchor point.

A confluence between human and ghost is often a long and exhausting struggle. Only the bravest, most powerful facilitators dare to attempt a confluence with an apparition, for once human and spirit merge, there was no retreat... and there can be only one survivor.

These are selected transcripts from cases involving two of PARA's most powerful and decorated facilitators as they engaged in combat with evil spirits... risking their very souls to defeat the spiteful ghouls that dwell among the living.

Robert A. Milner; Case Manager--Southwest Region: Please state for the record your name, ranking, and position.

David M. Jefferies; Facilitator: David Jefferies... level ten facilitator.

Halbert C. Buzga; Recorder: Hal Buzga... level eight... transcription recorder.

Christina L. Willder; Recorder: Chrissie Willder... level eight visuals recorder.

RM: Thank you everyone for making time in your busy schedules. I'll try to keep the debrief as short as possible because I'm sure we all want to get out of here for the weekend. This debrief is related to case number forty-two, the facilitation of the Jilted Bride, on the fourth of May this year. I'd like to extend my thanks to Facilitator Jefferies for his assist on this case.

DJ: Glad to help.

RM: Great. Hal, can you give us the setup and origin for the record?

HB: Sure. Recorder Willder and I arrived at the Flamingo, room 25173, room 173 on the 25^th floor, about twenty minutes before facilitator Jefferies was scheduled to arrive. We knew we only had one shot at this, or we were going to have to wait another year, so Chrissie and I wanted to scope out the room. It helped that we knew the exact time and place the Jilted Bride would appear, so we were able pick good spots where we could easily observe but be out of facilitator Jefferies' way. On May fourth, 2006, at 14:00, the origin, Ms. Lily Chatham, thirty-one, was to be married to her longtime boyfriend, Troy Wells, thirty-nine. Unfortunately for Ms. Chatham, the night before in the casino, Mr. Wells won 22.65 million dollars on the Megabucks Slot Machine and left the casino in the company of an unknown woman, later identified as Mandy Klassen. The time of the jackpot was 02:14. Hotel security video shows that while Ms. Chatham was sleeping in her room, Mr. Wells went to the casino to gamble. Nobody in the wedding party was aware of this until after the fact. After receiving the news the next morning, Ms. Chatham, in a fit of despondency, took her life in the room's bathroom. PARA became involved when, in 2013, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Hughes sued the hotel for mental anguish after Mrs. Hughes observed the Jilted Bride crying and taking her life. The hotel settled out of court for an undisclosed amount. After the incident, hotel management reached out to PARA to facilitate the spirit. Formal tests were not performed, but Mrs. Hughes's accurate description of the Jilted Bride and her reported ability to hear her crying indicate that Mrs. Hughes is at least a level eight sensitive. We don't know when the Jilted Bride began manifesting, but each year since 2013, on May fourth at 11:42, Ms. Chatham reappears in room 25173, fully structured, where she cries on the bed for sixty-five seconds before entering the bathroom, at which time she again slices her wrists open before disappearing. 11:42 is approximately thirty minutes after Ms. Chatham told her family that her fiancé had left the casino the previous night with another woman and is believed to be her time of death. All attempts to transition the Jilted Bride have failed. Hotel management has been keeping the room empty on May fourth since 2013 to prevent a repeat of the incident, however, with the new guidelines for dealing with intransigent apparitions, the hotel has asked us to increase our efforts to transition the spirit.

RM: Thanks Hal. Good summary. Anything to add, Facilitator Jefferies?

DJ: No.

RM: I assume you were briefed by Hal and Chrissie upon arrival?

DJ: I was. I'd reviewed the case file on the flight out, so I had a pretty good picture of the situation.

RM: Great! Can you give me your thoughts on the origin?

DJ: She was a very sad woman who didn't know how to let go.

RM: Yes. A very tragic situation. Your report suggests this facilitation was different than your previous forced transition. Would you agree?

DJ: Are you referring to the Southern Horsewoman?

RM: Yes.

DJ: The primary difference is this spirit didn't actively resist transition. I think she wanted to let go, to transition, but couldn't.

RM: That's what other facilitators have said as well, but nothing we said to her seemed to help. [Smiling] Of course, the fact that we could interact with her for only about two minutes once a year didn't work in our favor.

DJ: I'm sure.

RM: So, what happened when you arrived at the hotel?

DJ: The recorders introduced themselves, and we made ready for Lily to appear.

RM: When the Jilted Bride manifested, you spoke to her?

DJ: Yes.

RM: You tried to convince her to transition?

DJ: I did.

RM: Hal, can you read back the conversation?

HB: Sure.

[Transcript begins]

DJ: Lily... I'm David. I'm here to help you.

Lily Chatham: [Sobbing] Go away! Leave me alone!

DJ: I can't do that. You can't stay here anymore.

LC: [Sobbing] I said leave me alone!

DJ: [Sitting on bed beside LC] Lily... listen to me. I can help you. I want to help you.

LC: [Sobbing] Nobody can help me! Nobody cares about me!

DJ: That's not true. I'm here because I care about you, and I want to help you.

LC: [Wailing] How? My husband, the man I was supposed to marry, has left! I don't know where he's gone, I don't know who the woman is he left with... I don't know anything! Why would he do that? I loved him! He said he loved me!

DJ: I know, but clearly he didn't. I know that's hard to hear, but it's true. If he loved you, he would've stayed, married you, and tried to make you happy.

LC: [Sniffing] See? You just said it yourself... nobody cares about me.

DJ: I didn't say that. I said he didn't love you... and that's true. You deserve better than him.

LC: [Sniffing] Maybe I don't.

DJ: Of course you do. He was an idiot. Millions of guys would probably be happy to marry you. Troy doesn't deserve someone like you.

LC: I don't understand why he left. I tried to be good to him. I'd do anything for him. I'd save myself for him... but... he didn't want me.

DJ: I'm sorry.

LC: [Rising from bed] I wish I were dead!

DJ: [Rising and pulling LC into an embrace] Lily... no! You can't go into the bathroom.

[Transcript pauses]

RM: [Interrupting] Is this when you held her?

DJ: Sometime around now, yes.

CW: Yes.

RM: [Studying sketch of DJ and LC embracing] Not a bad looking woman. Maybe a little mousy.

CW: I tried to capture her grief.

RM: Did her spectral aura increase during the embrace?

CW: No... not that I could distinguish anyway.

RM: Interesting. Sorry to interrupt. Please continue, Hal.

[Transcript resumes]

LC: [Struggling] Let go of me!

DJ: [Holding LC] It's okay, Lily. It's okay.

LC: [Sobbing] It's not okay! Troy left me... left me for another woman!

DJ: I know, and I'm sorry. As I said, he was an idiot. He didn't know what he had.

LC: [Holding DJ] Do you think he'll come back?

DJ: No.

LC: [Sobbing] No?

DJ: No. I'm sorry.

LC: [Sobbing] Then I have nothing to live for!

DJ: Lily... listen to me. [Pause while LC tries to stop sobbing] Listen. Do you know where you are?

LC: [Nodding] Las Vegas.

DJ: Do you know when?

LC: [Nodding] My wedding day... or what was going to be my wedding day.

DJ: No. I'm sorry... but you're not.

LC: [Looking around, confused] I'm not? Where am I?

DJ: Not where. When.

LC: When?

DJ: When. It's not 2006... it's 2017. You took your life in 2006, after you found out that Troy left with another woman, and you're stuck here, your spirit is stuck here reliving this moment over and over again. I can help you move on.

LC: [Long pause, shocked] My spirit? [Pause] Am I... dead?

DJ: Yes. I'm sorry.

LC: [Surprised, fear] I'm dead?

DJ: Yes... but I can help you. I can help end your pain.

LC: [Disbelieving while struggling to escape embrace] I'm dead? I can't be dead! I must be dreaming! This is all a dream! Tomorrow, I'll wake up and everything will be okay! Troy and I will get married, and we'll grow old and be happy together!

DJ: [Embracing LC] No. It's 2017.

LC: [Struggling] No! That can't be right! He's going to marry me and--

DJ: [Interrupting] No! Lily... he can't marry you.

LC: [Struggling] He said he loved me! I'm going to wake up any moment and everything--

DJ: [Interrupting] No... you won't. There is nothing here for you now but pain. Let me help you.

LC: [Struggling] No! No! I can't be dead! How can I be talking to you if I'm dead?

DJ: Because I have the ability to talk to those like you.

LC: [Pause, stops struggling] Those like me? Am I a... ghost?

DJ: In a manner of speaking... yes. You're stuck in a loop, Lily. You're reliving your wedding day over and over again. I can help you break that loop. I can help you go to the ether, the afterlife, where everything--

LC: [Interrupting] Heaven?

DJ: We don't know... but if there is a heaven, I'm sure it'll be waiting for you.

LC: [Staring] How are you holding me if I'm a ghost?

DJ: I told you... I have an ability. To me, you're as real as any woman.

LC: [Looking around room] Who are they?

DJ: They're here to help you too.

LC: Can they see me?

DJ: Yes... see and hear you, but they can't touch or speak to you.

LC: Why not?

DJ: Because they don't have that ability. Would you like us to help you?

LC: Why are they here?

DJ: The man is recording what we say, the woman is sketching us.

LC: And they can see me but not talk to me?

DJ: That's correct. Hal, say something to Lily.

HB: Hello Lily. I'm very sorry for what happened to you.

LC: I saw his lips move, but I didn't hear anything.

DJ: That's how it works. He said, 'Hello Lily. I'm very sorry for what happened to you.' Most people can't hear, see, or speak to you. A few can hear you, less can see you, and fewer still can talk to you.

LC: But you can? You can hear, see, talk to... and touch me?

DJ: Yes. To me, you're as real as anyone.

LC: Even though I'm a ghost?

DJ: Yes.

LC: Aren't you afraid of me?

DJ: [Smiling] No. Why would I be afraid of you?

LC: [Smiling] You shouldn't be. [Pause] To you I'm... not a ghost?

DJ: Yes. You glow like an angel, but otherwise, you seem perfectly real.

LC: An angel? I look like an angel?

DJ: [Smiling] Yes. A beautiful angel.

LC: How? Why?

DJ: It's called your spectral aura. All spirits have them.

LC: But other than my... aura... I seem real to you?

DJ: Yes. Because of my gift, you're as real as any living person. There are very few like me, maybe twenty in the whole world.

LC: And you can help me?

DJ: Yes. I can end your pain.

LC: How?

DJ: By helping you to let go of this moment, to accept what has happened and to move on.

LC: Move on? To where?

DJ: We don't know.

LC: [Long pause, staring] I'm afraid.

DJ: [Smiling] Nothing to be afraid of. Let me help you.

LC: [Trying to go to bathroom] No! I don't believe it! I don't believe I'm dead! It's some kind of trick!

DJ: [Pulling LC back by arm] Lily... you can't go into the bathroom. [Embracing LC again] It's true. I can help you. Please, let me help you.

LC: [Angry, shoving out embrace] I don't want your help!

DJ: [Holding LC by arm] Then you leave me no choice but to force transition you into the afterlife. I don't want to do that. Please, don't make me.

LC: You can force me? You'll kill me?

DJ: Not kill you. You're already dead, but yes, I can force your transition into the afterlife if you don't cooperate.

LC: Would you do that?

DJ: If you force me too.

LC: [Sobbing] You're just like everyone else! I just want to be wanted! That's all I've ever wanted!

DJ: [Embracing LC] I'm sorry.

LC: [Sobbing, embracing DJ] Why couldn't someone want me?

DJ: I don't know. If I'd known you, I'm sure I would have wanted you.

LC: [Sniffing, stepping out of DJ embrace] You would have?

DJ: Yes.

LC: [Sniffing] You would have wanted to be with me?

DJ: [Smiling] Yes. I'm sure of it.

LC: But... you're so... and I'm so plain and ugly.

DJ: You're not plain or ugly. I think you're beautiful.

LC: [Pause] Really? You think I'm beautiful?

DJ: I do. [Smiling] A beautiful angel.

LC: That's just my aura thing.

DJ: No. The aura is nothing but a shimmering light. The beauty... that comes from you.

LC: [Long pause, shy] Would you have... wanted...? [Shrug]

DJ: What? To date you?

LC: [Quietly] Yes.

DJ: Absolutely.

LC: You would?

DJ: Yes. Why wouldn't I?

LC: Because you're so big, like that guy in The Pacifier, and you're so... like a movie star... and I'm so... [Shrugs] and I work as an accountant... and I never dated much, so... [Shrugs]

DJ: I told you... I think you're a beautiful woman. Yes, I would have gladly dated you.

LC: Do you think you could have... loved me?

DJ: Maybe.

LC: [Faint smile] Do you think you would have, maybe, been willing to... marry me?

DJ: [Smiling] That would have been a bit of a problem. In 2006 I would have been... let's see... fourteen.

LC: [Pause] But if you were older?

DJ: I don't know you, but perhaps. I wish I could get to know you better.

LC: Even though I'm... ugly?

DJ: Lily... you're not ugly. I think you're a very beautiful and desirable woman.

LC: You think I'm... desirable?

DJ: Very much.

LC: [Long pause] Am I really dead?

DJ: Yes. I'm sorry.

LC: And I have to go... away?

DJ: Yes. I'm sorry, but you can't stay here anymore. Why would you want to? Why would you want to relive this pain over and over again?

LC: I don't.

DJ: Then let me help you.

LC: [Nodding slowly] I think I'd like that.

DJ: I'm glad. I don't want to see you suffer any longer.

LC: [Long pause] I just wish...

DJ: What?

LC: I just wish... I'd known what it was like.

DJ: What?

LC: Being with... a man.

DJ: Is that what you want?

LC: [Quietly] Yes. [Pause] Do you really think I'm beautiful? [Pause] Desirable? [Pause] Sexy?

DJ: Yes, Lily, I do. Guys like the sexy librarian. That's definitely you.

LC: I've never been with a man.

DJ: I know.

LC: Can you...?

DJ: What?