Page 98 of The Unraveling of Julia

“What does that mean?”

“It’s an old Gaelic notion, close to my Irish heart. It began with the belief that there are places where the veil between the material and thespiritual world is thin. Those places traditionally exist in nature, but they can exist anywhere.”

“I don’t know if I want to do it,” Julia blurted out, nervous. “What would you do?”

“Let’s try something. You said you brought artifacts. Choose one for us to work with. Don’t think about it, just choose. Is there one that interests you, in particular?”

“Yes,” Julia answered, trying not to overthink.

“Please get it and hold it.”

Julia opened her purse and rummaged through the baggies with the hair, the passports, and the photographs. She slid out the photo of Patrizia’s broken arm, closed her purse, and held the photo. “Should I show it to you?”

“No. I’m not the medium, you are. Now close your eyes and focus on the picture.”

Julia did.

“We close our eyes because vision requires so much of the brain’s energy. When vision is foreclosed, other senses come to the fore. It’s why people reflexively close their eyes when smelling a flower or listening to music. For us, it’s the first step in communicating with a soul, whether alive, dead, or somewhere else on the spectrum of consciousness.”

Us?“Okay.”

“Now. Cleanse your mind of any thoughts but the picture. Focus only on that.”

Julia obeyed her, reproducing the image of baby Patrizia in her mind. She visualized the horrible swelling at the elbow, the dark bruising.

“Now, keep your focus and breathe deeply. Open your mind to your thoughts. Don’t force them to come to you. Rather,allowthem.”

Julia kept thinking of the injured elbow. She tried to slow her breathing and allow whatever came.

“Allowdeeper.”

Suddenly Julia felt an agonizing pain in her elbow. Her eyes flew open. She jumped up, clutching her elbow, gasping. “Ow! My arm! My arm hurts!”

“Julia, look at me.” Helen rose, pointing to her eyes, a clear and steady blue. “Come back now.”

“Make it stop!” Julia kept her eyes on Helen. She could hear the huffing of her own breath. She cradled her arm. The pain in her elbow began to dissipate.

“Keep looking at me.”

Julia felt the pain ebb away, then vanish. “What justhappened? Was that what happened to my mother? Is she dead? Did she do that to me?”

“The only person who can answer those questions is you.”

“I don’t know the answer!” Julia shot back, uncomprehending.

“Please, sit down.” Helen gestured to the couch.

“I don’t want to sit down! I want to understand what just happened!”

“Sit down and I’ll explain,” Helen said calmly.

“I was just in pain! Have you seen anything like that?”

“Yes, it happened to me before I understood and accepted my gift. You have remarkable abilities.” Helen smiled. “I don’t have the answers. You will in time, if we go forward and work together.”

“It sounds like therapy.”

“It’s not, but it may be therapeutic for you.”