Chapter 23
Lucy had put a lot of thought into how to make Joel and Jesse get along. They’d been enemies for a long time, and that was putting it mildly, but she truly believed that the key to getting them to cross over was to forgive each other. And to forgive themselves.
She’d also thought a lot about Fillis ever since the boys had mentioned her. She sounded like a wonderful woman. Lucy thought it was adorable that they called her Second Mama, and she must be an amazing lady since she loved both the Union and Confederate soldiers.
It occurred to Lucy that she might have seen Fillis before. There were lots of people dressed in costumes around here, but she seemed to recall a black lady in her forties or fifties hanging around Steinwehr Avenue. She was often near The Regimental Quartermaster, where Joel and Jesse had once claimed they worked, which was right next to The Gettysburg Ghost Lab. Lucy chuckled at the irony. She thought back to the day she first saw Jesse when he was playing shoot-’em-up with that kid. Was Fillis there that day? Lucy vaguely remembered seeing someone who could have been her.
Lucy ventured out on her lunch break a few times, and one day she finally saw a woman who might be Fillis sitting on the front steps of one of the historic buildings.
Lucy looked down at the older woman where she sat with a Confederate soldier. If this lady was Fillis, then the soldier beside her was probably dead. The woman smiled encouragingly at Lucy, waiting patiently for her to speak.
“Are-are you…Fillis?” Lucy asked uncertainly.
“Yes, I sure am!” Fillis said warmly. “And you must be Lucy!”
Lucy exhaled with relief. “Yes. Yes, that’s me.”
“So you’re the famous Lucy!” the soldier said. “We’ve all heard so much about you.”
“You have?” Lucy asked. Though she was getting used to speaking to the deceased, it was still a little unnerving to be talking to two more people who had passed on. But here they were, sitting out in broad daylight.
“Oh, sure. You’re big news around these parts,” he said with a grin. “And you’re every bit as pretty as they said you were.”
Lucy blushed and looked down.
”I”m Adam,” he said. ”Friend of Joel”s. I know Jesse, too, but not real well. Nice guy, no matter what Joel says.”
Lucy chuckled, still feeling a little nervous. Fillis smiled and gestured at the steps. “Come. Sit down. You know we won’t bite,” she said with a wink.
Lucy nodded and sat next to Fillis. “It’s so nice to meet you. Joel and Jesse both speak very highly of you. They love you to death! I-I mean…I didn’t mean––”
Fillis and Adam both laughed good-naturedly, and Lucy felt more at ease. She was learning that most ghosts seemed to have a good sense of humor about their situation. After all, humor was one of the only things they had left.
“That’s one of the few things they have in common,” Lucy said.
“Ain’t that the truth!” Fillis said, shaking her head. “I don’t know what to do with those two.”
“Do you think it’s possible for them to ever get along?”
“Anything’s possible, I ’spose.”
“I think they have to make up in order to cross over,” Lucy said thoughtfully. “And that’s the thing. They seem to be able to get along when they’re not talking about the war and what happened. There’s times I can almost imagine them being friends.”
Adam snorted loudly. Lucy giggled and looked over at him. “I know, I know. But really. When they’re distracted, when they get to talking about other things, they kind of get along. But when they talk about what happened and how they died…”
“They lose their shit!” Fillis said.
“Exactly!” Lucy said with a laugh. “I just wish there was some way to get them to actually talk about what happened. Talk, not scream at each other.”
“Been a long time,” Fillis said wearily. “Hard to imagine they’ll ever get it together. Guess they have to eventually. Can’t be spirits floatin’ around forever.”
Lucy looked at Fillis thoughtfully. “You’ve been here a long time, too. Do you know why you’re stuck here?”
Fillis smiled at Lucy with great affection. “Don’t you worry about me, honey.” Her tone was soft, but it was clear that she did not want to discuss this any further.
Lucy nodded, but was already determined to help Fillis if she was ever successful in getting Joel and Jesse to cross over. Fillis always looked out for everybody else, but who was taking care of her?
“Jesse never wants to go to Devil’s Den,” Lucy said. “I mean, I can understand why.”
“You know what happened then?” Fillis asked.
“Yes. They told me.”
“Bet that was a fun conversation,” Fillis noted sarcastically.
“Oh, yeah. There was a lot of yelling involved. I just think maybe if I can get them both to go to Devil’s Den and really hash it out, it might help. They need to talk about what happened, and maybe my being there will help them get through it.”
Fillis nodded. “Maybe.”
“I don’t know,” Adam said. “I don’t think it would go over too well.”
“Maybe not,” Lucy agreed. “But it might be worth a shot. I wouldn’t even try it if they had the physical ability to hurt each other.” They both behaved like gentlemen around her most of the time, but if she put them in the volatile environment of where they’d died, they might really get crazy. But they couldn’t throw punches or anything, and they were already dead so there was only so much they could do to each other.
“Joel goes to Devil’s Den all the time,” Fillis said, looking worried. “But I don’t know if we could get Jesse to go there.”
“You could get him to go there, Lucy,” Adam said with a sly smile. “He’d do anything for you.”
Fillis shot Adam a warning look and Lucy wasn’t sure why.
“I think he’d do anything for his Second Mama, too,” Lucy said. “I mean, if you think it’s a good idea, would you be willing to help me get them to go?”
“Of course. I’d do anything if I thought it might help them,” Fillis said. “But you really want to go with them to Devil’s Den?”
“I do,” Lucy said with determination. “I think it will be good for them.”
“Well, all right then. I say we corner them and order them to go to Devil’s Den to work out their issues!”
“Sounds like a plan!” Lucy said.
Fillis looked at Lucy with great fondness. “You’re a sweet girl. You’re very patient with them. They’re lucky to have you around.”
“I should say the same to you, Fillis! They’d be lost without you.”
“I mean it, honey. You’ve got them talking somewhat civilly to each other, and that’s more than they done in the last hunnert years. They usually just avoid each other, and I agree that’s no good. I think they both feel bad about what happened, and they won’t admit it. They’re good boys. Both of ’em, and they were forced to do some horrible things. Things they’re reminded of every time they look at each other.”
Lucy nodded sadly.
“They need this, Lucy. It’s been too long. They need to go home.” Fillis looked tired. Lucy figured it had been too long for her, too. “But girl?”
“Yes?”
“Don’t get your hopes up too high. Them two are damned stubborn!”
“I know,” Lucy said, sounding worried. “I know.”