3.

Sandra Kingston was in a hurry to get home. It was late, dark, and wet. The town park provided the quickest route home, a route Sandra usually avoided during the day never mind late at night. Being in such a hurry she decided to go through that park anyway. What were the chances something bad would happen to her on the first and only time she would go through that park at night?

The first few seconds upon entering the park, Sandra walked slowly being weary of her surroundings. The darkness ensured that every little nuance around her would make her turn and gasp with fear, whether it was the wind rustling the trees and shrubbery or the movement of traffic on the roads near to the park. Sandra began to talk to herself trying to find the motivation and strength to move a little quicker without fear and actually get to where she wanted to go.

'Get your head together, come on. At this rate it will take longer to get home.'

Picking up speed she began making headway in getting to where she needed to go. Sandra got so close to her exit from the park that it made her talk to herself once again.

'Nearly there ... thank God.'

Just as she thought she was to get through the park without incident, it happened. The 'it' shocked and scared her so much that it knocked Sandra off her feet. Standing next to the nearby lake was a young girl crying and she was so wet that it seemed like she had only just come out of the water.

Quickly gathering herself Sandra made her way over to the little girl. Noticing how grey the young girl looked and putting that down to the low level of lighting in the park Sandra asked the girl if she was alright.

'I want my mommy' responded the girl before continuing 'will you take me to my mommy?'

The little girl took Sandra by the hand.

'Sure' replied Sandra without thought looking at the girl's hand which now was holding on to her own hand.

A bright white light coming from where Sandra had entered the park distracted her. She figured that the light she could see must be headlights from a car shining into the park from the nearby road. The girl began to lead Sandra out of the park through the exit she had previously been heading towards.

Having left the park, the streetlamps should have provided sufficient light to see all around in every direction but instead it was actually getting darker. Sandra soon found herself stepping in puddles. It had been raining prior to the beginning of Sandra's journey but it was strange that the puddles were becoming larger and more frequent despite the fact that the rain had long since stopped.

This place Sandra found herself walking through at this point was and is no park, nor was it any road leading away from the park. It was most definitely not a street that leads the way home. Sandra had been led to the dungeons of the underworld. Her complexion and clothing had now become as grey as that little girl, a little girl who no longer held Sandra's hand. She was gone, now replaced by a crowd of grayness, replaced by lost souls of which Sandra was now one.

In the lake of that park ... Sandra lay face down. She had entered the park of her own accord but the same cannot be said for how she left, for she had entered as a live living person. She had tripped and had fallen into the lake where she drowned. Being unaware that she had died, her soul had been led to the dungeons of the underworld.

4.

Philip Daily. Fifty-three years old. Just a little under six feet tall in height while also being more than a little on the heavy side. Lacking hair on top of his head, short and pepper dashed sides and back, filthy rich and single. Always comes across as confident and loud though that may be more of a defensive mechanism than anything else. He regularly uses escort agencies more so for company than anything else and for Philip, the company he acquired usually went no further than having a pleasant evening out.

On one evening in particular, Phillip was out at a restaurant with a very beautiful lady, someone who had never previously accompanied him. She had dark shoulder length hair, while being elegantly dressed as well as quite possibly being the most intelligent of all the ladies to have ever accompanied Phillip, something that he was most happy with.

Feeling more confidence than usual within himself on the inside, Phillip was able to be a bit more himself on the outside on this particular evening rather than trying to come across as something more than what he is. There would be no need to fake his own intelligence or be as loud as he regularly would be. Feeling so free, Phillip could also feel like he didn't have to go for the 'user friendly' choice on the menu. He could and would order the lobster and not feel silly tackling it in front of his companion. On previous occasions when dining with other ladies, Phillip had always ordered meals which had no potential for making him look silly digging into.

Soon after the arrival of the main courses, the laughing began. Tackling the claw, Phillip made a mess. If this had happened on any other night with any other companion Phillip would really have felt silly, stupid and that would have angered or embarrassed him, but this night was different. What made him feel so different? Was it his new companion? Or was it something else?

It didn't take long for the laughter to change to something else entirely when Phillip crossed his arms into his chest and the whole of his face turned as red as or even more red than his cheeks already were.

'Are you alright' his companion asked calmly before continuing with a little panic in her voice 'Philip, are you ok?'

A member of staff approached asking 'is he choking?'

'I don't think so; I think he is having a heart attack', she got up and moved over to Phillip before calling out 'are there any doctors present?'

Phillip stood before collapsing. There were screams and gasps from the surrounding tables and Phillip's companion knelt at his side attempting to aid him but there was nothing anyone could do. Phillip would not make it.

Philip's spirit, his ghost stood only feet away from where his body lay. To his right, a bright white light emanated. He took one step toward this light which seemed to call him with a peaceful calm, but something caught Phillip's attention preventing him from moving any closer to that bright white light.

What it was that had distracted Phillip was the sight of a young girl. This was no ordinary looking girl. She had a sinister almost pure evil look to her. She also looked like she did not belong to her surroundings. There were two other things about this girl which also grabbed Philip's attention. One was that she was looking directly at him. If Phillip was indeed dead, then how could this young girl possibly see him? The second thing was that this girl also looked almost completely grey. There was no colour to her at all.

'I can't find my mommy' she spoke before asking, 'will you help me find my mommy?'

'Sure' responded Phillip as he took her outstretched hand, she would lead him away from the light ...

5.

The nightmares were getting worse and becoming more frequent. It was getting so bad that Felicity was not getting much more than an hours sleep at a time. They were tearing her apart. If the dreams themselves weren't bad enough, there was the exhaustion from the lack of sleep and then there was her work. Trying to hold down a job and caring for her ten-month-old daughter too kept her busy during her waking hours.

The dreams themselves involved Felicity's own daughter Sinead. In reality Sinead was not yet one year old but in the dreams, she was no more than ten years old and as well as that she was also dead. The thought that her daughter would not live passed ten broke her heart and also played a huge part in what was tearing her apart.

Felicity could take it for granted that her nightmares were and are a reality, a future reality. Ever since that unearthly visit she had received she felt that she had a decision to make. A decision she didn't want to make. A decision which would mean either her daughter would become a lost soul taken to spend eternity in hell as a soul collector, arranging for the newly deceased to become lost then lead them to the dungeons of darkness to await their final journey to the burning depths of hell or possibly go on to have somewhat of a normal life, a life not knowing what could have been.

One thing that Felicity couldn't figure out was why it was only her daughter she was dreaming of. Where would Felicity herself be in nine to ten years' time? In Felicity's first dream, Sinead was looking for her before being taken and in her second dream Sinead led a stranger to the dungeons by asking him to help her find her mommy.

From the third dream onwards, the nightmares continued in the same vein as the second one. A ten-year-old Sinead would lead a newly lost soul to the dungeons of the underworld. None of these souls would have made it to the dungeons on their own accord. Felicity didn't want this to be in her daughter's future, no mother would want this for their child.

The best place Felicity could think of to start some course of change for the future was the local parish church, which was also the place where Sinead had been christened. She met with Father Evans, the parish priest. Father Evans had no cause to disbelieve what was to be told to him, instead he saw Felicity's situation as a challenge, good versus evil, a battle with which he was going to help Felicity and her daughter win.

One of the first offerings made to Felicity and Sinead from Father Evans was a prayer. A prayer to Saint Anthony, St. Anthony of course being the patron saint of lost things or more importantly of lost souls. It would be a prayer Felicity would tell her daughter each any every night and when Sinead was old enough, her mum had her memorize every single word of it. The prayer is as follows:

Prayer to Saint Anthony of Padua

Good St. Anthony, you were ever blessed with a deep affection for our Lady, Queen of Heaven. Help me to imitate your own dedication to the Mother of God. May the holy Virgin protect me amid the perils of life; assist me in my present need, and at the hour of death. Please offer in her honour the prayers I make to you as well as those the children of our Franciscan missions offer for me.

Pray the Our Father

Pray the Hail Mary

Pray the Glory Be

Over the years that followed, Father Evans provided whatever he could to Felicity and Sinead who both wore St Anthony medallions. Right up to and through Felicity's sickness, Father Evans was there. Cancer would get the better of Felicity and she succumbed to her illness on the day of Sinead's tenth birthday. This would also be the day when Satan would come collect on something he laid a claim to many years earlier.

Felicity passed away in a hospital bed on the day of her daughter's tenth birthday. Her soul, her spirit left the bed her body lay in and it made its way out into the hallway where her daughter Sinead sat waiting. Felicity firstly felt upset at the fact that she is leaving her daughter behind, and then she felt shock when Sinead looked right at her.

'Mommy' cried Sinead as she ran right to her mother's spirit.

Felicity was really surprised that not only could her daughter see her, but she could hold her too. When their embrace came to an end, Sinead held out her hand and both mother and daughter went for a walk. Their surrounding area soon darkened and became damp. Mother and daughter soon walked amongst a gathering of souls, souls almost grey in colour, then the two became separated.

Sinead called out for her mother and Felicity called out for her daughter, but they were never to be reunited for the night Satan visited Felicity all those years ago he had indeed laid a claim to Sinead, and in the event of her mother's death, Sinead would become his. Felicity never knew that she never really had an opportunity to stop her nightmares from becoming a reality.

Now it was time for Satan, El Diablo to collect on his claim. Sinead's complexion changed becoming dull and grey and she would now roam the dungeons of the underworld and beyond in search of her mother while innocently collecting souls along the way ...