From: indexhtml@netscape.net   
      
   Story: All Hallowed’s Eve 2 of 2   
      
      
      
   by Bram Ransey   
   Part 2   
      
   VIII   
      
   My dreams are confused. Like every night since December, I dream of   
   coming back to my apartment and finding Ellen. Yet I also dream of   
   something else, a path down which I walked. It turns frequently, winding   
   me around, turning back upon itself. Weird.   
      
   I wake up feeling empty, maybe it was the dreams.   
      
   To clear my head, I go for a walk. I head out the door still in a daze.   
   My feet take me towards the university and its great walking paths.   
   Winding up near the library, I remember I have to prepare for class.   
      
   In this section of the course I stress research. I want the students to   
   be able to look at economic indicators and tell me what they mean for   
   bellwether companies. For this week's assignment, my students will have   
   to explain how specific companies responded to exchange rates over a   
   specific period. In order to assess the answers, I have to do a good bit   
   of the research myself, which means using the school's Nexis subscription.   
      
   Nexis has a wealth of articles from news sources and trade journals,   
   current to date. It's uncut powder for an information junkie. When I   
   enter the library, I decide to browse the stacks a bit. I used to just   
   wander through libraries, picking up books at random and reading. I   
   haven't done that in quite some time. I roam a bit, not finding anything   
   that sparks my interest.   
      
   In my obliviousness, I practically run over student.   
      
   "Hi Bill."   
      
   It takes me a moment to realize who she is, "Heather, I'm sorry I didn't   
   recognize you. You look so … different" She has a pony tail pulled   
   through a ball cap, a jean shirt, and casual pants. Different, but nice.   
      
   "Are you alright?"   
      
   "Sure, I feel fine, why?"   
      
   "Well, you're so deep in thought that you nearly walk into stationary   
   objects, and last night I could tell that part of you wasn't at the   
   party with the rest of us."   
      
   "I have been a bit distracted lately. It's nothing."   
      
   "Ok. I was serious when I said I am a good listener. So what brings you   
   here?" she asks.   
      
   "Oh, I'm preparing for this week's assignment. I'm having them use Nexis   
   for research. So I have to do my homework first.   
      
   "Don't all the profs have access to Nexis from home?"   
      
   "Yeah, the school gives me dial-up from home. I actually started out on   
   a walk this morning and ended up here. Since I have to do the research   
   anyway, I figured I might as well take the time now. Maybe the library   
   will inspire me."   
      
   "I know what you mean. Yet I don't think I'd come here if I could   
   research while still in my pj's."   
      
   Now that's a visual. What am I thinking? "You really did get made up for   
   the party, didn't you?"   
      
   "It was Sam's doing. I don't wear makeup very often, and never in those   
   amounts. It was fun to dress differently."   
      
   "You did look great. So what project are you working on here?"   
      
   "Oh, I came to see if there were any more books from the same period and   
   region as that first witchcraft book I found. There's only so much I   
   could find on the Internet, and we have an outstanding occult   
   collection. I'm trying to draw parallels among spells of the period. I   
   figure I'll drive all the excitement out of witchcraft, like every other   
   academic subject."   
      
   "No, it does sound interesting. I'd like to hear what you find, sometime."   
      
   "Yeah, maybe sometime. Well, we'd both should get back to work. I   
   wouldn't want to be responsible for your students not getting an   
   assignment."   
      
   "You're right. Good luck on the research."   
      
   "You too."   
      
   I find an empty workstation and begin to look up topics for my students.   
   I spend most of the day there, until five or so when I get restless.   
      
   My concentration is shot, so I go home and eat. The restlessness doesn't   
   really go away, but I manage to push it aside enough to design this   
   week's assignment. Amazingly, I don't think of Ellen until I get ready   
   for bed. Even my feeling unsettled cannot dispel her from my thoughts.   
      
   IX   
      
   It's strange how we never notice so many people until something calls   
   our attention to them. I've probably passed Heather hundreds of times on   
   campus and not known. Now it seems I cannot walk across the university's   
   grounds without seeing her.   
      
   My week is busy, meeting with clients, writing research reports, and   
   preparing for class on Thursday. Despite all the work, I find it   
   difficult to concentrate at times. Going out Saturday has unsettled   
   Ellen's ghost. She haunts dreams I cannot remember and flits about the   
   edge of my consciousness during the day. At least I don't see her   
   everywhere I turn, just this nagging feeling at the back of my mind.   
      
   Walking back to my car after Thursday's class I run across Heather.   
   "Hi." she says. "Are you feeling alright?"   
      
   "Yes. Why do you ask?"   
      
   "You looked disturbed while you were walking."   
      
   "I have been a bit troubled lately, but I actually feel quite well right   
   now."   
      
   "Well, I wanted to know if you'd like grab a bite to eat … to make up   
   for embarrassing you at the party."   
      
   "That's very nice of you, but you don't have to."   
      
   "I want to, really. Humor me."   
      
   "Sure, where were you thinking?"   
      
   "There's a little restaurant out on Darrow. They serve great steak and   
   have an excellent wine selection."   
      
   "Sounds like a plan. Are you ready now, or would you like me to pick you up?   
      
   "Pick me up about 6:30."   
      
   That gives me enough time to go home and get cleaned up. I change into   
   jeans and a sweater, getting rid of that noose I have to wear to impress   
   my clients. I take a moment to throw the coins, read the I-Ching. Chun,   
   Difficulty at the Beginning: the present is a time of chaos, the   
   superior person requests assistance and brings about order.   
      
   The coins also denote lines that waver, which form a second hexagram,   
   Hsien, Influence. Influence is achieved by the masculine taking the   
   initiative, yet remaining beneath the feminine. I understand Chun, my   
   mind is in chaos. And maybe Stace is right, maybe I do need some help to   
   bring some order back into my life. But Hsien, that's a bit too cryptic   
   for me. I still don’t quite get the idea behind wavering lines anyways.   
      
   My time to ponder the mysteries of the I-Ching is up, I need to get   
   moving or I'll be late. The drive is quick, and I have no trouble   
   finding her place though it's still light out.   
      
   X   
      
   Heather is waiting outside when I arrive. She's wearing a flannel shirt   
   unbuttoned to show a hint of cleavage and jeans that only accentuate her   
   curving hips. Her hair is pulled back loosely, framing her face. It's a   
   simple outfit, but I can't help watching her walk up to the car. She   
   gets in and we drive off. Darrow isn't far from her place. When we get   
   there, she directs me to alley parking.   
      
   We walk to a set of stairs leading down below street level. The sign   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)