---

Continued…

---

“We don’t know how else we can track her again.” The old lady gave me a kind frown. 

“But isn’t there another way?” I fell back into my seat, scared at what this all meant. 

“We could wait until she finds a new target” Sir Barber explained. “But we don’t know how long that will be. We don’t even know where that will be. If she finds a new target, we can’t even say if we will detect her. We were lucky we picked up on her while we were still here in Peetsurg. You are lucky we picked up on here while we were here. Remember, we are here in Peetsurg for a different matter.” 

“But aren’t you here looking for your daughter?” I looked to the manager, then to the elderly couple. “Isn’t the Julietta who you are looking for.” 

“We are in fact tracking down our daughter.” Lady Hannah confirmed. “But the Julietta is not our daughter. The Julietta is just an oddity we sensed during our search. Our daughter is a much bigger concern for us.” 

The old man gave a disappointed look to Lady Hannah. 

“Not that you are not our concern, mind you.” Lady Hannah realized and reassured me. “We need to make sure you are safe. And that this old legend doesn’t claim another victim. But capturing our daughter is an extremely high priority. She is a danger to this world. And if we are faced with a choice between stopping our daughter or the Julietta, we know that our priorities are of greater importance. Not that it should ever come to that. They are two different matters. These things shouldn’t cross one another. So don’t worry.” 

“You have a wonderful way of making someone feel safe, Hannah.” Sir Barber smirked. 

“He mentioned Lily, so I thought it best to let him know why we are actually here.” Lady Hannah did not like being analyzed. The old man just smiled at that. 

“It is of utmost importance that the Julietta is stopped once and for all” the old man reassured. “It is a rare chance that people of our industry even get the opportunity to encounter such a rare case like the Julietta. These incidents always slip between the cracks, so it is a must that we take action while we can. The enchantment placed upon you is one of the most odd I’ve ever felt, and so we know the importance of making sure you are well. We won’t let her take you, son. But for us to help you, you’re going to have to help us. Do you understand?” Sir Barber gave me a patient stare. 

These two were willing to help me deal with Julie’s curse. But I knew what they were asking of me. To face Julie again. Well, actually, to lure Julie out like I was some sort of bait. The idea was a little demeaning, but I understood its effect. 

Still, the thought of facing Julie again made me tremble. Just being with her before was already confusing and frustrating. But now with the knowledge of what she could actually be… What she could actually do… What they were actually asking me to face… 

I didn’t want to face her. I couldn’t. She was not just a mere woman. She was something unnatural. A haunting spirit. And they wanted me to be the bait to lure that out. Like a sacrifice to something dark. To something I didn’t understand. 

“We understand if you don’t wish to get involved anymore.” Sir Barber must have noticed my hesitation. “This is not an easy thing we ask of you. To expose yourself to a haunting spirit. No common person would ever agree to such a request. We know. 

“But the curse. That is simply not going to go away. And there is no telling when it will start to corrupt your body, your mind, or even your soul. Maybe it will. Maybe it won’t. But something has taken over you. I felt it. Even Jean has felt it. And once it begins to take full effect, you may not be able to distinct your true memories from the memories that Julietta wants you to remember. You’ll be convinced of another reality so much that you may cease to exist in this one. 

“So, the question is, what do you want to do about the curse? Because unfortunately, there is no other way we know on how to lift the curse, except for finding the Julietta and finally laying her sad spirit to rest.” 

Sir Barber fell quiet after that. Everybody fell quiet. We all knew what the best road forward involved. I knew what it involved. Facing Julie. Facing the haunting spirit. Facing the Julietta. And if I refused, she would eventually take my soul in the long run. Did I have much of a choice? 

“What if I refuse?” I asked. 

“We have no other means of locating the Julietta.” The old lady told me. “So, we would just resume with tracking our daughter.” 

The choice was really mine to make. There was nothing else Sir Barber and Lady Hannah could do without my help. 

Julie. 

I saw her face again. Her gentle smile. I remembered the warmth of having her near. Of when we sat on the couch, enjoying our silence. It was the warmest I had felt in such a long time. Such a very long time. 

I looked up. The three of them were watching me. I almost forgot what we were all doing, seated at this table. Me, the hotel manager, the elderly couple. Was the curse already taking affect? That pitiful shame I knew I had inside wanted to enjoy the thoughts of Julie. It wanted to take over. I had to stop it 

“Alright.” I spoke up. “How do we go about this?” 

The other three slowly looked to each other, then nodded in confirmation. Barber and Hannah stared at each other for longer. Sorting through thoughts it seemed. Sir Barber was the first to speak. 

“Luring out the Julietta is our first concern. Nothing can be done until we first locate her and be sure we have her in the present.” 

“The fact that we know she can completely disappear explains the elusive nature of the Julietta” Lady Hannah added. “It’s fair to say that she can probably conjure up traces of herself and not be completely present unless she chooses to be. Demons from other worlds have been able to interact here without their full presence.” 

“But I don’t feel that she is of the other worldly existence” Sir Barber commented. So, demon-like qualities are not guaranteed.” 

“I agree” the hotel manager joined. “I didn’t feel that she was from the other worlds. Her mark on Dallas made that clear. It lacked the brunt I usually sense whenever I deal with such entities.” The elderly couple both acknowledged the manager’s comment. 

“Jean is right.” Sir Barber nodded. “She is of our world. But there is no denying her power. An old spirit like her has had time to grow in ways we do not know. And so, we must at least have her here entirely in the present. And you, son,” Barber looked to me, “are the only one who has experienced her in her complete presence. Hopefully you can get her to show her complete self again.” 

“If she does appear, what happens then?” I asked. 

“After the Julietta appears,” Lady Hannah spoke. “Then we contain her. Once of the Julietta is contained, then we will perform the passing ceremony.”  

Lady Hannah sighed after that. She looked towards Sir Barber who stared at her back. They seemed to be sorting through many thoughts again. Almost unsure of something. 

Jean, the hotel manager, noticed the elderly couple’s silent contemplation. 

“Will the passing ceremony work?” the manager asked. 

It took a moment before there was an answer. Lady Hannah turned towards the manager. 

“You know that not all passing rituals work for every soul. But there is a certain passing ceremony we know that can certainly shift a soul such as the Julietta. But we don’t exactly want to open that passage.” 

The manager seemed to understand what she meant. His face turned troubled and full of thought like the other two. 

“What is it?” My curiosity spoke out. All of this was already a lot to take in. I certainly had no clue what they were worried about. “What’s wrong with this passing ceremony?” 

They all looked to each other, almost hoping the other could explain. 

“It is a dangerous passage to open.” Sir Barber was not glad to say. “Many other souls could get taken through in the process. Especially ones close by.” He paused for a moment. “We… can all be easily shifted through that passage. It might be too risky to open. We do not only expose ourselves to that passage way, but innocents in close proximity to us are also at risk at being pulled into the…” 

“We have a place upstairs that will be safer to perform the ceremony” The manager quickly spoke. “Do you remember where we often deal with certain cases? There is a particular floor we use whenever I call you two.” 

They nodded in recognition. 

“That floor is isolated from the rest.” The manager continued. “And we have a particular space up there infused with certain protections that could help contain things. That is if we chose to open such a portal.” 

The three sat in silence again. Were they saying that they didn’t exactly have a surefire way to deal with the Julietta? There was so much I still didn’t know. 

“Why is this passing ceremony so dangerous? Does it have to be this one that is used? Is there another way?” I asked to clarify. 

“We don’t have what we need for a traditional passing ceremony” Lady Hannah explained. “If the Julietta is that very farmer’s daughter from the story, we don’t know of her resting place. Nor do we have what could ease her soul, such as the spirit of her lover, or father, or an heirloom that could bring her peace. Or, if she desires justice, we have no way to know what exact terms are required to satisfy her. And that’s all saying that the Julietta is that very daughter from the story. We don’t know the exact origin of the Julietta. We are only guessing at most. And so, the traditional passing just isn’t an option we have.” 

“And most passing rituals.” Sir Barber added, “are performed for the passing of one particular soul. For one certain individual. That gate is usually opened for that one soul being seen through. Think of it as a travel ticket with one specific name on it. That is why those passings are usually safer than others. Other souls are not at risk. But this particular passing we know will work for the Julietta… It doesn’t discriminate on who it chooses to take. It puts everyone at risk of passing over.” 

“What makes it different – this passing ceremony, I mean?” I was curious. 

Again. They all looked to each other. Was the nature of these things really that difficult to explain? Or was it forbidden? I got the sense that neither one of them wanted to be the one caught explaining the details. 

Lady Hannah broke the silence. “The traditional passings are like offerings. They’re opportunities given to the soul to finally rest, if they so choose to finally pass on. This other passing… It is not an offering. It is… Well, it is pretty much just us ripping open the doorway. And that doorway is a vicious vacuum. And it will take! Any soul it gets its hands on, it will take. It is not an offering for a ride. It is a forceful ripping away of your soul. And it is far more dangerous than anything else we can do to deal with the Julietta. But it is the only way we know that will work. And the only way that will hopefully lift your curse.” 

I noticed Sir Barber and the manager both watching Lady Hannah in a strange way during her explanation. Something seemed amiss. Or was I just not acknowledging the severity of that situation? 

It honestly sounded too dangerous of an option to consider. Was I at risk of my soul being taken away during the ceremony? 

“Isn’t there another way” I asked. 

“Unfortunately, no” Sir Barber answered. “If you want a chance to lift this curse, the only option we have is to get rid of the Julietta. Containment itself won’t work. She can vanish when unnoticed. That clearly shows that binding her spirit will do next to nothing. Nor will it cleanse you of her mark. This is something we are not so eager to execute. It puts us all at risk. But the Julietta is a long-wanted fugitive. And if we have the chance to finally end her reign, then we have a duty to fulfill that.” 

Lady Hannah stared up at Sir Barber for a moment. The old man then placed his hand upon hers until she clasped it. The first show of endearment I saw between the two. It truly emphasized the weight of what we were all about to get into. 

---

To be continued…

---

(Part 10-20) Hotel Mysteria 016 – Forgotten