Chapter Twenty One of "Samuel Light, Spiritual Detective: The Shasta Caper," is now posted on www.johnpirillo.com

Samuel Light, Spiritual Detective: The Shasta Caper
by John Pirillo
Chapter Twenty-One

"Okay." Samuel said, his voice firm with determination, his eyes locked onto Nanny's. "So where do you fit in all these....occurrences?"

"Guide." She stated simply.

"What?"

"Guide. I know how to get you where you're going."

Samuel and Jimbo exchanged glances. Samuel was ready to leave that moment. Something about the way she said it unnerved him, and that didn't happen often. But Jimbo was grinning from ear to ear. A social Christmas gift being dropped into his lap. A date on the adventure. Samuel sighed. "Jimbo!"

Jimbo didn't relent. "She's got the rights of this, parnter. It's here territory, not ours. Who could be a better guide for us?"

Samuel tried to do his evil stare at Jimbo who just grinned back, undaunted. Finally, Samuel let go of it. Not because of Jimbo so much, but because M was standing behind Nanny and shaking her head over and over and giving Samuel the naughty boy finger, which he hated, and she knew it.

Women were the same everywhere. Even the dead ones, he fumed.

"Okay. Say you guide us."

"Yes!" Jimbo let slip out!" Quickly recovering. "I mean, that sounds logical."

Samuel glared at him a moment, then looked back at Nanny who was laughing lightly at the interplay between the two of them.

"What?"

"You two remind me of an old married couple the way you go back and forth."

Jimbo lost his grin. "A what  you say!"

She stood firm. "Look, I am somewhat intuitive and I know the mountain from the top to the bottom. She leaned closer and whispered in a conspiratorial voice. I also know where suspected entrances are into the mountain.

"How?" Samuel asked, equally determined to stand his ground now, even though Al was also shaking a finger at him now and rolling his eyes.

"Rumors and lots of kooks that come here to enter the mountain and a few who vanish a long time, then come back, but never say where from."

"Then what good would that do us?" Jimbo asked, kind of amused at her matter of factness.

"Because I backtracked them." She said with a note of finality. "All the way."

Samuel was now more convinced, but still leary. "You said they. There's been more than one?"

"Oh yeah. Since I've been here there's  been at least six or so groups who've gone up the mountain and never come back, or come back later."

"Doesn't the Park check up on stuff like that?" Jimbo asked.

"Yes. But if they can't find anything, how can they protest. They haven't done anything wrong, except not come back when everyone was expecting them. Stranger things go on here. There's an old Indian tribe, distantly related to my own, that goes up the mountain on the full moons and dances to the God of the Mountain, praying for peace."

Samuel smiled. The Shasta Angel. So he wasn't the only one who could see the incarnation of Light.

"And I suppose you've talked with them too." Samuel asked, curious about her sources.

"Actually, I followed them one night, my imagination and curiosity burning as bright as a campfire on a Halloween night."

"That bright, huh?" Jimbo laughed.

She laughed back and clapped a hand on his. He smiled brightly at her, his hormones dancing at that moment with more than thoughts of jaunting up the mountain.

"Oh, so much more so."

She looked at Abbie when she returned with a huge mug of steaming coffee. "Thanks, Abbie. You're a star!"

"Oh, ain't I ever honey babe." Abbie chuckled, then looked at Samuel and Jimbo. "Anything more for you two?"

Jimbo's eyes were on a triple burger across the aisle at another table that a Ranger was piling sides on. "One of those to start." He pointed, and then a mountain of fries and ketchup to go with it."

Abbie wrote it down. "Got it."

She started off. "And a bucket of Doctor Pepper!" He added.

She looked back at him. "You is one big eater, fellah!"

"Oh that's just a snack." He bragged.

She laughed and headed into the kitchen. They could hear her holler at the cook, letting him know to peel several dozen potatoes and stack up the burgs.

Nanny looked at Jimbo. "You won't be able to eat like that up on the mountain."

"Eat, drink and be merry. For tomorrow we die." Jimbo said with a solemn voice.

Nanny's face paled.

Jimbo barked with laughter. "Just joking is all.

Samuel shook his head

Then he glanced to his right. Lady Marantha stood there in the exact same spot that he had seen Nanny before, her eyes staring directly at him. She gestured.

Samuel looked to his friend. "Gotta go to the bathroom."

"Sure thing." Jimbo said, sliding over.

Samuel got up and headed for the bathrooms. As he did Lady Marantha walked beside him. She gestured to the door in the back of the hall. It went outside. He opened it and shut it. She walked through the door and joined him. "Well, that certainly answers a lot." He explained to no one in particular, then leaned against the porch railing and looked at her.

"Spill."

"You mustn't go there."

"Why?"

"Death awaits those who are not careful."

"Trust me. I'm careful." He told her.

Her image wavered a moment as if she were made of snowflakes and were scattered momentarily.

"Why?"

"Waku dwells there."

Samuel straightened up. "You're saying God lives in Mount Shasta? Kind of a tight squeeze, isn't it?"

"Waku is not God. Waku is...Waku."

Samuel looked away from her. From the corner of his eyes he could see through her to the back door. "You're a projection."

"Yes. How do you know?"

"Seen plenty. Usually recognize them. How'd you pull that trick in Denny's?"

"Not a trick. I was there."

He looked directly at her. "You're Nanny's mother."

Lady Marantha got a frantic, distressed look, then vanished.

Chapter Twenty-One "Okay." Samuel said, his voice firm with determination, his eyes locked onto Nanny's. "So where do you fit in all these....occurrences?"

"Guide." She stated simply.

"What?"

"Guide. I know how to get you where you're going."

Samuel and Jimbo exchanged glances. Samuel was ready to leave that moment. Something about the way she said it unnerved him, and that didn't happen often. But Jimbo was grinning from ear to ear. A social Christmas gift being dropped into his lap. A date on the adventure. Samuel sighed. "Jimbo!"

Jimbo didn't relent. "She's got the rights of this, parnter. It's here territory, not ours. Who could be a better guide for us?"

Samuel tried to do his evil stare at Jimbo who just grinned back, undaunted. Finally, Samuel let go of it. Not because of Jimbo so much, but because M was standing behind Nanny and shaking her head over and over and giving Samuel the naughty boy finger, which he hated, and she knew it.

Women were the same everywhere. Even the dead ones, he fumed.

"Okay. Say you guide us."

"Yes!" Jimbo let slip out!" Quickly recovering. "I mean, that sounds logical."

Samuel glared at him a moment, then looked back at Nanny who was laughing lightly at the interplay between the two of them.

"What?"

"You two remind me of an old married couple the way you go back and forth."

Jimbo lost his grin. "A what  you say!"

She stood firm. "Look, I am somewhat intuitive and I know the mountain from the top to the bottom. She leaned closer and whispered in a conspiratorial voice. I also know where suspected entrances are into the mountain.

"How?" Samuel asked, equally determined to stand his ground now, even though Al was also shaking a finger at him now and rolling his eyes.

"Rumors and lots of kooks that come here to enter the mountain and a few who vanish a long time, then come back, but never say where from."

"Then what good would that do us?" Jimbo asked, kind of amused at her matter of factness.

"Because I backtracked them." She said with a note of finality. "All the way."

Samuel was now more convinced, but still leary. "You said they. There's been more than one?"

"Oh yeah. Since I've been here there's  been at least six or so groups who've gone up the mountain and never come back, or come back later."

"Doesn't the Park check up on stuff like that?" Jimbo asked.

"Yes. But if they can't find anything, how can they protest. They haven't done anything wrong, except not come back when everyone was expecting them. Stranger things go on here. There's an old Indian tribe, distantly related to my own, that goes up the mountain on the full moons and dances to the God of the Mountain, praying for peace."

Samuel smiled. The Shasta Angel. So he wasn't the only one who could see the incarnation of Light.

"And I suppose you've talked with them too." Samuel asked, curious about her sources.

"Actually, I followed them one night, my imagination and curiosity burning as bright as a campfire on a Halloween night."

"That bright, huh?" Jimbo laughed.

She laughed back and clapped a hand on his. He smiled brightly at her, his hormones dancing at that moment with more than thoughts of jaunting up the mountain.

"Oh, so much more so."

She looked at Abbie when she returned with a huge mug of steaming coffee. "Thanks, Abbie. You're a star!"

"Oh, ain't I ever honey babe." Abbie chuckled, then looked at Samuel and Jimbo. "Anything more for you two?"

Jimbo's eyes were on a triple burger across the aisle at another table that a Ranger was piling sides on. "One of those to start." He pointed, and then a mountain of fries and ketchup to go with it."

Abbie wrote it down. "Got it."

She started off. "And a bucket of Doctor Pepper!" He added.

She looked back at him. "You is one big eater, fellah!"

"Oh that's just a snack." He bragged.

She laughed and headed into the kitchen. They could hear her holler at the cook, letting him know to peel several dozen potatoes and stack up the burgs.

Nanny looked at Jimbo. "You won't be able to eat like that up on the mountain."

"Eat, drink and be merry. For tomorrow we die." Jimbo said with a solemn voice.

Nanny's face paled.

Jimbo barked with laughter. "Just joking is all.

Samuel shook his head

Then he glanced to his right. Lady Marantha stood there in the exact same spot that he had seen Nanny before, her eyes staring directly at him. She gestured.

Samuel looked to his friend. "Gotta go to the bathroom."

"Sure thing." Jimbo said, sliding over.

Samuel got up and headed for the bathrooms. As he did Lady Marantha walked beside him. She gestured to the door in the back of the hall. It went outside. He opened it and shut it. She walked through the door and joined him. "Well, that certainly answers a lot." He explained to no one in particular, then leaned against the porch railing and looked at her.

"Spill."

"You mustn't go there."

"Why?"

"Death awaits those who are not careful."

"Trust me. I'm careful." He told her.

Her image wavered a moment as if she were made of snowflakes and were scattered momentarily.

"Why?"

"Waku dwells there."

Samuel straightened up. "You're saying God lives in Mount Shasta? Kind of a tight squeeze, isn't it?"

"Waku is not God. Waku is...Waku."

Samuel looked away from her. From the corner of his eyes he could see through her to the back door. "You're a projection."

"Yes. How do you know?"

"Seen plenty. Usually recognize them. How'd you pull that trick in Denny's?"

"Not a trick. I was there."

He looked directly at her. "You're Nanny's mother."

Lady Marantha got a frantic, distressed look, then vanished.