Tulpa: Pt. 1

By George M. Talbot

It seems Reeces dead twin brother Hayden, tragically and horrifically killed when the twins were only seven years old has come back to stay. He protects and helps Reece throughout his life, but is he what he appears to be? Reece is kidnapped while on a business trip in Brazil and is missing for a while. But is it really Reece who comes back, or someone else?

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Aug 28, 2007
• ISBN: 9781467019422

George M. Talbot

George M Talbot is a multi genre author and was published in magazines and newspapers, before turning his hand to writing books. He is a prolific author having fully written thirteen books in seven years and with four more currently in progress and all of them were written while in full time employment. He confesses to being obsessed with writing, and as soon as he finishes one he is compelled to start another. He has run two business ventures, one as a professional photographer, and an IT business. He still enjoys photography as one of his hobbies, along with the designing and building of Hi Fi loudspeakers

Book preview

© 2007 George M. Talbot. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 8/21/2007

ISBN: 978-1-4343-2326-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4670-1942-2 (e)

Printed in the United States of America

Bloomington, Indiana

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

Contents

Thanks

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

About the Author

Thanks

To the following readers, I give sincere and equal thanks for their support and positive feedback:

Brenda Howton, Graham Coles, Valerie Rashbrook, Roy Summersgil, David Brighty, Michael Churchyard, Valerie Hunt, Leigh Trotman.

Chapter 1

She saw her eyes reflected in the polished Brass plate bearing the exalted name Reece Pendleton in white lettering and she could smell the freshly applied polish on the solid Oak door; her stomach tightened a little because he was in there.

For some inexplicable reason she had always felt uneasy in his presence even though he was very good looking for a man of his age and had always been the perfect gentleman. Indeed he always treated everyone with respect kindness and courtesy, but it had never helped her to lose the sensation and so she took a deep breath knocked on his door and waited.

There was no answer which was most unusual, because he was famed for his efficiency. She knocked again a little louder and waited for his permission to enter, but it did not come. She turned to look at the clock and saw that it was 9.10 am; surely he must be in because he was never late.

She was nervous, but she had important papers for him that needed his signature urgently and so she forced herself to knock one final time, if he did not answer she would slip in and leave them on his desk.

No answer was forthcoming, gingerly she entered the huge plush office and quickly crossed the room silently upon the thick carpet that compressed under her feet like soft grass and placed the papers on his desk that was sited close to the window which looked out high over London.

Wendy had always loved this view because the panorama was so spectacular. She stood by the window for a minute or two looking out on a very bright sunny urban landscape lit by rays of golden light which made some of the taller modern glass structures look like giant crystals. In the silence of the virtually soundproof office she smiled contentedly, and then she turned to leave.

‘God!’ she exclaimed in shock, because there at his desk sat her boss.

‘Well thank you!’ he laughed, ‘but there is no need for formality, you may call me Reece!’ he grinned.

Wendy was caught completely off guard and was unable to reply or even to laugh. ‘I…I…!’ she stammered.

‘I know, you were daydreaming and did not hear me come in, please don’t worry my dear because there is nothing wrong with having a little daydream now and then, we all do it, even me at times!’ he said smiling to put her at ease, and she recovered to some extent.

‘Thank you, I am very sorry but I had some important papers for you to sign, just there!’ she said pointing to them.

‘Yes I noticed them, do you need me to sign immediately or may I have just a few moments to sort myself out, because I have my dear old friend Gavin Courtney coming you see…you shall meet him in a few minutes. We are going out for an hour or so and I could bring them out to you before we leave?’

She was shocked that he being the king of the empire, so to speak, had bothered even to ask her. ‘Why yes certainly, but you do remember that you have an important meeting with Mr Chow this morning?’

He smiled, ‘Yes I do remember, but we shall be back in plenty of time, thank you Wendy.’

Still feeling a little shaken she managed a smile and she got out as quickly as decorum would allow. Now outside his door she gasped for air, ‘How did he do it, how?’ she asked herself as she crossed the outer office to her desk.

Julie who shared the office with her saw her pale complexion and was concerned. ‘You don’t look well, or is it something else?’ she asked thinking that there might have been some sort of trouble.

‘Definitely something else,’ she half laughed, and she sat down and explained what had happened. ‘There is just no way that he could have come in without my hearing him, it was like he just materialised out of thin air, but how did he do it?’

Julie frowned. ‘Funny you should ask that, you see I’ve worked for him ten years, and I can recall about three occasions when he did similar things, still he’s a very good boss you know but perhaps just a bit spooky?’

‘A bit spooky, it’s more than a bit spooky that a man could enter through a door that creaks very slightly, cross twenty feet of floor space, and then sit down in a noisy leather chair at a desk that is only inches from me without my seeing or hearing him, how did he manage that?’

Julie laughed. ‘Obviously it was as he said you were daydreaming, come on admit it!’

Wendy was annoyed. ‘I never daydream, never!’

Julie could not be bothered to get involved in a silly pointless argument and so she just kept quiet, but Wendy pressed it.

‘Surely you must have seen him come in here?’

‘No I never saw him, but then I was busy!’ she replied.

‘But he must have said good morning, I know that he always does that!’

Julie shrugged her shoulders. ‘He must have done I suppose, but I don’t remember, too busy!’

Seeing Julie’s reluctance to get involved she gave up. ‘It is just not possible, it’s not bloody possible!’ she muttered irritably.

Julie sat silent.

Fifteen minutes later Gavin arrived. Wendy saw him first, a man of about Reece’s age and he introduced himself to her and asked to see Reece. She quickly assessed the character of this fairly tall man of muscular physique, not handsome but having a very pleasant face and disposition.

She liked him immediately and took him directly to Mr Pendleton’s office, this time she did not feel uneasy when she knocked on the door and on this occasion the response was instantaneous. ‘Come in!’ She formally introduced Gavin and then smiled and closed the door behind her.

‘Now he is a normal man and a nice one, but there is something very wrong with Mr Pendleton. As you know I’m a bit of a medium, and I get a very similar feeling from him that I get from the spirits, very similar!’ said Wendy shuddering.

That was it; Julie was not prepared to let this go without comment. ‘With respect Wendy, but I don’t believe in that stuff and I cannot sit in silence and hear you brand Mr Reece as some kind of weird thing.

In all of my time working for him he has been a marvellous boss, the best in fact. To imply that he is not even human is grossly unkind and frankly stupid, some kind of spirit, utter nonsense. I am sorry if I have upset you Wendy but unlike most I never say it behind backs!’

To Julie’s surprise Wendy did not seem offended. ‘Thank you for your frankness, I appreciate it I really do, but with respect I truly do have the gift and I tell you that there is something not quite right about Mr Reece Pendleton.’

Julie sighed. ‘Perhaps you are right, but what you do not know is that he has suffered some very great tragedies in his life, you know family losses, could it be you are picking up on that?’

Wendy looked thoughtful. ‘Yes it could be that he has someone with him, I suppose I might be sensing their presence.’ Although not actually believing it, Julie nodded in agreement anyway, and the pair prudently drifted off the subject.

In the other office Reece and Gavin were talking. ‘I am getting careless in my old age Gavin, I came back when Wendy was in here, I never even bothered to check first!’ said Reece shaking his head.

Gavin smiled. ‘Well it is a sobering thought for both of us to know that not even you are perfect!’ he said totally seriously and without so much as a trace of sarcasm.

‘Indeed, but we have to remember that regardless of who or what we are we come into the world a complete and finished creation, and apart from learning, personality wise we are all we are going to be, and I am after all the fundamental essence of the fallible Reece Pendleton.’

Gavin laughed. ‘If I live to be a hundred years old I will never get used to that concept.’

‘Neither will I.’ smiled Reece. And as for how long I shall linger, that I have not yet decided.’

Gavin frowned. ‘That introduces another deep question and I ask it, can you decide to let go?’

‘I believe that I can, but there is the rub, because if I succeed how will I know if I have achieved it?’ replied Reece.

There was a pause of several minutes while each was lost in his own thoughts, but eventually Gavin broke the silence with a laugh. ‘I was wondering what an eavesdropper would make of our conversation?’

‘About the same as you when you first found out about me remember?’ asked Reece.

‘How could I not remember?’ was the reply.

Reece sighed. ‘Tell you what let’s not go out, we shall sit and reminisce, it might help me to decide what to do because it weighs heavily upon me. I will cancel all appointments for the rest of the day and try to put off Mr Chow, he would not have left yet anyway, I’ll do it now!’

Reece signed the important papers and then got up and went to inform Wendy directly rather than use the intercom, while Gavin sat bemused as he watched his friend go out the door, how strange it all was, if only the world could know and understand as he did.

Soon he was back. ‘Managed to put Chow off until tomorrow, luckily it suited him better anyway and so he was not displeased. Now Gavin can you remember the date of the revelation, the true one I mean?’

‘Indeed I can as you well know, but unbeknown to me it began a lot further back than that, I was about eight years old when it began but I did not find out until years later. Please let us go back to the very beginning!’ Reece smiled and the pair let their thoughts drift back in time.

line.psd

Twin boys were born to Emily and Todd Pendleton and they were named Hayden and Reece, Hayden was the eldest by only one minute. Their entry into the world was to the parents a wonderful double blessing because they arrived on the first anniversary of the founding of their very successful business.

The proud parents held a lavish party in their brand-new house and the twins were seen by everyone present as a double crown upon the event. Among the guests was a certain very successful lady who was well known for her eccentricity in occult areas; however she was well respected by most because those who took her advice seriously usually prospered.

This lady was much occupied with the beautiful twin boys and during the course of the evening she spent a lot more time with them than she did the rest of the guests. ‘Look at her with her head in their cot!’ laughed one of the other female guests.

‘Trust me these boys are very special, they have a most unusual aura about them!’ the lady replied very seriously.

‘Well I expect that’s because they need changing!’ a man laughed.

‘Fool, you are shallower than a puddle, if you had eyes to see you would wonder at this!’ said the lady angrily.

‘I wonder if you are insane!’ he replied with equal anger.

Everyone feared that a row was about to ensue to spoil the celebration, but the lady only sneered at the man in contempt for his ignorance, and then she went out into the garden to smoke a cigarette.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but the man was looking smug, believing that he had put her in her place, ‘Weird bitch!’ he murmured to himself.

The party with the exception of that one minor incident had been a great success and now that all of the guests had gone the happy couple stood by the twin’s cots admiring them. ‘All our own work!’ said Todd giving his wife a hug.

‘I think that God might have had something to do with it!’ Emily replied.

‘He better not had!’ said Todd looking sternly at his wife.

‘Oh you bad man, shhh he might hear you!’ she laughed.

Todd shook his head. ‘Not much chance of that, anyway I am more concerned about them hearing us, come on we had better go to bed because we have a heavy day ahead of us.’

‘Oh Todd do you suppose they will have long happy and successful lives, I worry so much about them because it’s such a wicked world and I feel guilty for bringing them into it?

Just then they both saw a shooting star streak past the window from east to west. Todd could see that Emily was disturbed by it but he quickly brushed the supposed portent aside. ‘See God is with our sons and he has proven it by sending his good luck sign to cheer you up!’ he said.

‘Good luck sign?’ queried his worried wife.

‘Certainly they are good luck everyone knows that, now come on or we will wake the babies, and that really would be very bad luck!’ he said hugging and kissing her, and happily off they went to bed.

During the first few months of their lives something remarkable became apparent, and that was what Todd called the Twin Factor. When one baby had colic or some other little upset the other even though free of it would display the same discomfort.

Friends and neighbours who had not witnessed their performances were sceptical, however one Sunday when the twins were about six months old the couple had a barbeque with twenty friends and neighbours present.

Reece was stung by a wasp and instantly Hayden cried out in sympathy with his brother and was inconsolable. Both babies were rushed off to hospital just in case he too had been stung and also to prevent him from going into shock with his brother. Fortunately Reece was resilient and recovered quickly as did Hayden.

Poor Emily who had always been a little neurotic became over vigilant for the safety of her sons and her nerves became affected. She could seldom take her eyes off them for fear that one might be hurt and the other suffer with him.

Todd saw the danger and he got a nanny to assist his wife with their care and Emily relaxed a little, but she remained overanxious.

By the time they were one year old it could be seen that the boys were exceptionally bright and they gave such entertainment at their first birthday