Previously

The brothers never said a word but nodded yes and took off like two scared jack rabbits.

Uncle Albert said “Jason, you had better tell your Mum everything that has happened here tonight because there will be questions at your school in the next few days.” Then he said “Better get home, Mary will be getting worried about you again.”

I said “bye uncle” and the mist around me faded. I went home and said “Hi mum what's for supper?”

Mum said, “You have been to the cemetery again haven’t you Jason?”

“Yes Mum I have! But tonight I was glad that I was walking home that way or I would either be dead or at least in hospital if I was anywhere else!

Mum said, “Do you want to tell me about it or have supper first?”

I replied, “I am quite hungry Mum! Do you mind if I eat first?”

“No sweetheart, sit yourself down and I’ll dish up your meal. It's your favourite, potato and onion soup with croutons.”

“Thanks Mum,” I replied. I finished my soup and Mum had a plate of ice-cream and strawberries set in front of me the minute I finished my soup.

I said “Mum aren’t you eating?”

“No son, I've eaten earlier because I was quite hungry when I was cooking the soup, and couldn't hold out any longer smelling the onions cooking.”

I finished eating and helped mum clear the table and fill the dishwasher. Then we settled down into the lounge with a cup of hot chocolate and I started to tell Mum what had transpired from the time I got off the bus this morning 'till I walked in through the front door an hour ago.

Mum didn't interrupt me while I was telling her what happened. She then asked me If I had read any more of Dad's diaries?

I said, “No Mum. I was preoccupied with keeping an eye out for any trouble that Justin and his stupid brother David were up to.”

“Well you said that the principal was going to ring their Mum to make sure that they didn't get into any more trouble.”

“Yeah, well it looks like they were skylarking around the streets waiting for me to leave the school to go to work at the book shop after school finished.”I replied. “Mum, I think that their Mum would be too scared of Justin to keep him in line. Anyway they couldn't have done anything at that stage because my teacher Terry Brady, walked with me to the book shop. They must have guessed that I would take the short cut through the cemetery to save time to get home.

Mum said, “Do you want me to go to the school principal and have a word with him Jason, or would that make it worse?

“No! Uncle Albert said all I had to do is close my eyes and concentrated on him and he would know that I was in trouble, and he would immediately be there to help me with any trouble I was in.”

Mum said, “You be careful sweetheart, you're all I’ve got, so don't you get all brave will you?”

It was getting late and I decided to go to bed and read some more of Dad's diary entries, so I said goodnight to Mum and retire to my bedroom. I removed the diary from my school back- pack and laid on top of my bed, on top of the blankets, and started to read the next entry written on September the twenty-fifth of two thousand and five, it read:

'After yesterday's little episode I decided to go straight to the tombstone where I felt the cold spot and saw that mist around the grave site. I didn't know what to expect, so I walked right up to the tombstone and started reading the inscription on the front side of the stone with the torch that I made sure I had with me tonight, because I knew it would be quite dark by the time I was walking into the cemetery. It read - 'In loving memory of Albert Smith, seventeen hundred and seventy five to eighteen hundred and fifteen' I could not make out anything else it said because the inscriptions were very faded with the ravages of time.

As I touched the headstone I got what felt like an electric shock and my hand was stuck on the surface of the headstone and it got really cold. For some reason I felt really calm, and then I was engulfed in this white mist. It was then that I could hear someone speak, not as with a mouth but in my mind and it was as clear as a bell. And it said “Thomas I am your great uncle, and I have been waiting for you to come close enough to make contact with you. I am stuck here on the earth plane until I fulfill what I have to do before I get released.”

It seemed like I was dreaming but awake at the same time. I spoke in my normal voice, but could sort of hear him in my mind. I knew I had an uncle that died in the collapse of a mine but I had never really looked for his grave. All of a sudden I could let go of the tombstone and the mist faded and it seemed to lose its strength. So I decide to go home and tell Mary about it. I will have another go at communicating with my uncle's spirit tomorrow night.'

Dad passed away five years ago, and I wished he was still around because he was my hero. I was ten when we buried him and I was devastated. It took me weeks to come out of my depression. Anyway back to the present, It was ten pm and I decided to get some sleep because tomorrow was going to be a very stressful day. I went to sleep as soon as my head hit the pillow and did not remember having any dreams when I woke up the next morning morning.

It was six thirty am, so I dragged myself out of my warm bed and went to have a shower and make a cup of tea for Mum, have my breakfast and head off to school. I took the cup of tea up to Mum's room and knocked lightly on her door. “Room service.” I said.

“Come in sweetheart and sit on the bed for a minute; I want to talk to you before you leave to go to school.”

“Yes Mum” I replied.

She said “Jason, I want you to call me on your mobile as soon as you get to school so I know that you are safe from those two idiots. Can you do that for me please?”

“Yes Mum, I promise that once I'm in the school grounds I will call you; and stop worrying about me, I can look after myself quite well Mum.”

“Alright darling you better get going.”

I gave Mum a kiss on the cheek and went back downstairs and had a piece of toast and a drink of milk and I was on my way.

I didn't go through the cemetery because I didn't want to be late for the school bus, and if I got caught up with my uncle Albert I would definitely be late for school. So I detoured the cemetery and headed to the normal bus stop and waited. It was only five minutes later and the bus pulled up. I got on and found my normal seat right at the front of the bus. It was something I did because I always liked to check out who was getting on the bus, so if there was some stand-over types getting on I had a chance to get off the bus and get into the school gate before they had a chance to to trap me, It didn't always work but it did nine times out of ten.

Anyway, the bus arrived at the school gates and there was no one to be seen outside the school grounds, At first I thought the bus might have been early but when I checked my watch it was right on time. As I got off the bus, I could see my teacher watching the gate from a vantage point so he could pounce on anyone who might want to cause trouble with the students getting of the school bus. I rang Mum and told her I was ok.

She said “Thanks Jason, love” and hung up.

I was followed off the bus by the rest of the students and made my way to my locker, As I walked past my teacher, Terry Brady he smiled and winked at me as if to say we have this under control. I smiled back and kept walking to the locker room at the side of the school. The lockers were quite a way from the classrooms. So if anyone wanted to cause trouble they had plenty of time to do it and take off before any help would be ther

I turned the corner of the hallway that leads to the lockers and saw the two people I really did not want to deal with this morning.

“Hi Justin” I said, expecting a torrent of swear words come out of his usually foul mouth, but that did not happen. He just stood there beside his stupid brother Dave and said “Smith I don't know what trick you played last night but you wont get away with it a second time.”

Justin said “Dave, go down the hall and stop any other kid coming down here, and if they try to come yell out to me. That should stop them dead in their fucking tracks.”

I said “Justin I don't want any trouble so just call your guard dog to come back here and we can sort this out like two reasonable people.”

“Too fuckin' late for that you smart arse. You're not getting out of this hall alive, I closed my eyes tight and hoped Justin wouldn't jump me while I tried to conjure up Uncle Albert.

I just said out loud “Uncle Albert, help!!” The second I called for help there was a white mist around me and my voice seemed to sound different when I spoke and opened my eyes to see Justin had pulled a twelve inch dagger type of knife and was ready to stab me in the chest with it, but just as he drew the knife to thrust it into my chest the knife went flying out of his hand and down the hall, right to where Dave was trying to hold back the other students.

Next thing I knew I was picking Justin up like he was nothing more than a rag doll and hoisted him up and held him up against the wall. He went as white as a sheet and said “What the fuck are you?”

The words that came out of my mouth were not mine but Uncle Albert's. “Listen you little shit-head, I will be with Jason from now on, so if you keep trying to hurt him I will stop you every time”.

Justin just stared at me and nodded but said nothing, I could not believe the strength I had still holding Justin up off the floor by his shirt. His feet were about a foot of the floor.

Albert then said through my voice box, “I'm going to let you go now but remember that I will be protecting Jason from now on”

While this was going on my teacher had Dave in a head-lock at the end of the hall, watching me use what appeared to be super strength and he wasn’t going to interfere because he could see I had control of what was happening. All this was on the security cameras that Terry, had the Janitor install yesterday after he got back from taking me to my work.

I let Justin down and he was very shaky on his legs. I said in my own voice “Justin give it up or next time you try to hurt me you will not be able to walk away.”

He said “Smith, what are you?”

I said “I told you last night, that it's my Uncle Albert’s spirit that is in me so give it up or you will get hurt, and I won't care.”

With that he walked slowly down to where Terry was waiting for him to take him to the principals office. All the students then put their things in their lockers and went to the classrooms about ten minutes late.

When I got to my classroom Terry was just walking in the door and when he saw me he said, “Jason, you and me are going to have a talk after school this afternoon.

I said “Yes sir.”

To be continued

Next time: Looking at the security tape of me holding Justin up against the wall.