Déjà vu Spirit Vision: Déjà vu, #2

By JT Baxter

  Travis should have known things would never be the same too much had changed externally and internally. The external elements were for the most part adaptable. People come and go; some remain within the periphery of our life circle while others fade away. At least that's how he perceived it, and that was the problem.

It would be an understatement to say this past year has been interesting so much has happened and altered. Too many questions were left unanswered. How much of what took place was he responsible for and had the final toll been assessed or is there still more to come?

The journey continues in the visualizations and melodic interpretations of something alien yet strangely familiar. Why have we forgotten?

• Language: English
• Publisher: JT Baxter
• Release date: Dec 8, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223536567

JT Baxter

Born and raised in a small town in England, he stepped out into the world and became a world traveler. They say my unique writing style has proven to be exciting and compassionate, with an intuitive understanding of women’s emotional desires and what they look for in men. So don’t believe everything you read, I get surprised all the time.

Book preview

Prologue

Travis should have known things were never going to be the same, too much had changed, externally and internally. The external elements were for the most part, adaptable. People come and go; some stay longer than others. Some remain within the periphery of our life circle and others fade away. At least, that’s how he perceived it to be and that was the problem, Deb. Where is she? It’s been six months.

Sam. Sam is great; finally got to go dig in the dirt in Mexico alongside Dr. Samuels and reading into her emails she is enjoying every minute of it. Julie and Mac, still the newlyweds, building their life together. Travis missed her, he missed Mac too and occasionally wondered how he was adjusting to Julie’s morning ritual of pulling back the drapes and opening the blinds.

It would be an understatement to say this past year had been interesting; so much had happened, changed, and altered. Too many questions were left unanswered. How much of what took place was he responsible for, and had the final toll been assessed or was there still more to come?

In part, that was his reason for inviting Professor Tanner to visit with him at his home in Pensacola. To assess all the ins and outs, the twists and turns, events and conclusions, facts over supposition, and possibly gain a better understanding of the gift Sarah had endowed him with. That was also a question pending an answer, it was a gift, wasn’t it? Travis required answers.

At first, he had thought he was imagining things and due to his concern and conviction to find Sam, simply brushed other thoughts to the side. A lot was going on and the complexity of his instinctual awareness of what was at the time irrelevant information, although perplexing, did not gain his focus. But, having found Sam, if anything, his concerns have increased about this seemingly new ability he has acquired.

It all started in dribs and drabs. A little bit here and a little bit there. Conscious thoughts transferred from those he was surrounded by, speaking to or merely passing on the street. Strangers, acquaintances, it made little difference. Somehow, he knew what they were thinking and as he had learned by accident and inquisitive experiment, it goes much deeper than that.

Chapter 1

Travis:

Having returned from his latest assignment three days ago, Travis had not found much joy in the redundancy of housecleaning. Only a real necessity in light of the fact that he had invited Professor Tanner to be his house guest for a few days. That was his motivation, even so, not a great motivator. John was a guy and Travis reminded himself it was only because of his sister Julie and her interpretation of his housekeeping standards that pushed him even now to make an effort. He could hire a house cleaner. That thought held merit and was considered until he remembered how Julie had moved his things around and he had trouble finding them. No, the thought was dismissed right there and then and filed under, it’s not worth the disruption, I’ll do it myself. Not an inspiring conclusion but heck he was almost finished and so what if he had more important things he should be getting on with like, preparing his dive equipment, going through the photographs taken during these assignments, selecting which ones to include and writing the backstories. After all, that was how he got paid. Which allowed him to live the lifestyle he had become accustomed to living. What was wrong with a bit of dust anyway?

His assignment had been Madagascar. A large island off the southeast coast of Africa. That had lasted four weeks with an additional ten days exploring the waters around the Seychelles. It was a twofer; two separate assignments wrapped up in one trip, a double-dipper as far as the pay was concerned. Almost seven weeks away, it surprised him that the dust bunnies were not larger and had not fornicated quite as much as he had suspected they might. A good thing really, he thought they were squatters. Maybe he should invest in one of those robotic vacuum sweepers. He pondered the thought and concluded; it would certainly curtail their activities.

Maggie:

Mac considered he was living the dream. His personal life felt euphoric and the Adams Mining Industries main office was running like a well-oiled machine. It didn’t take long for Maggie to get up to speed and take hold of the reins and Mac quickly realized how indispensable she had become. He had not reached the point of abandoning the office for more than a couple of days yet, but he felt confident Maggie could handle everything. Mac and his dad joked about how redundant they were now with Maggie at the helm. It was a good thing they assured her, as they both watched with pride in her ability to multitask the many different facets of the entire management operation. Besides, Mac had a thousand reasons not to spend time sitting behind a desk shuffling paper and they all involved Julie.

Sam:

It was true, Sam couldn’t have been happier. Well, there were a few things she could think of that would blissfully increase the intensity of her pleasure and knowing Travis had arrived home, geographically even if not physically brought them closer together. That was the thing, the fly in the ointment. She had only been working on the dig with Charlie, Dr. Charles Samuels, for about two and a half months. Would he grant her some time off? The thought was complicated: he was a fascinating man and had taught her a lot even if his tactility at times, was a little overbearing. He was a married man twice her age at least and at first Sam had considered it fatherly in nature.

John:

Basking in the notoriety of peer-reviewed success Professor Tanner welcomed the opportunity, and enthusiastically accepted the invitation he had received from Travis. It arrived not a moment too soon as far as he was concerned because opportunities like this were once in a lifetime or rarer. If he could only convince Travis to submit to a series of hypnosis it could potentially unlock many of the mysteries surrounding the connections between life and the afterlife. Both exist, not only in the theoretical, not anymore, he had produced the proof needed to solidify opinion. But as far as he was concerned, and his contemporaries, this was just the beginning. The door had been opened; who would be the first to step through and make further connections? Professor Tanner considered it a stroke of bad luck that Travis appeared unavailable and unwilling to assist with his research, at least up until now. Perhaps his luck was changing?

Travis:

Travis had a hard time explaining it to himself, he missed Deb. Sure, he could and indeed had, accepted the relationship was over. That didn’t mean his feelings of affection and his concern for her well-being had disintegrated. Ghosting him as she had, seemed to him to be cruel and unusual punishment. Yes, he knew he had behaved badly at times and he could have in hindsight handled himself differently, but what he said or did not say, what he did or did not do, should not qualify him for this extremely harsh punishment. It also contained a flaw, what if it was not punishment? What if his instinctual concern was correct? Therein lay the quandary, where would he even begin his investigation? Would an investigation be contrived to be an infraction, an intrusion or welcomed. How could he know?

Julie:

Julie sat quietly in the shade of a tall tree; one of the many scattered randomly and yet perfectly about the gardens surrounding the elegant house. The scene was breathtaking, and she imagined would provide inspiration to any landscape artist. It looked beautiful and yet knowing now what she didn’t know before, felt like a sharp blade had slashed through the canvas.

Travis:

And then there was Sam. Sam without Anne. Travis had finished writing both backstories. Selected the photographs and put each set on separate thumb drives and placed them inside Fed-Ex overnight express envelopes ready for pick up tomorrow morning. His dive gear was washed, hung in the garage to dry and his camera equipment had been cleaned and repackaged in preparation for the next adventure.

Sam had been a surprise, a very pleasant surprise. No, that didn’t quite capture his thoughts adequately. Sam was.... (rephrase). Sam is.... Intelligent, witty, interesting, passionate and a stick of dynamite, as in a blast that he now loved to be around. Who would have guessed? Their time together, while he was playing cat and mouse with the sharks off the coast of Costa Rica went by way too fast. But was crammed to the brim with delightful discoveries and building heart-tugging memories.

But they each had to let go of the other. Sam wanted to play in the dirt. He loves to play in the water. Two opposing elements and unless they both wanted to take up mud wrestling...... Well, right about now Travis might consider a career change.... He missed her that much, but he reminded himself she was happy. He knew how that felt and no matter how he felt right now he knew he had no right to steal that away. To be passionate about the work you do and find happiness while doing it, is.... There has to be a word for that, but his mind remains focused on dynamite and the blast of mud wrestling with her.

Mac:

Julie, don’t move! Mac had arrived home and asked one of the house staff where Julie was. Quickly he made his way out to the garden, eager to take her in his arms and feel her kiss on his lips. He repeated his command. Don’t move Julie! There in the grass, not three feet away from her legs he saw the deadly venomous Eastern Brown snake. An extremely aggressive snake and it was getting closer. Too close for Mac to stop and think about his own safety. If the snake had a plan and that plan involved Julie, he was not going to let it happen. He rushed to one side, getting closer in order to create a distraction and the snake took the bait. Now he was the target, but he knew full well that if Julie moved, the snake could change direction just as fast. Don’t move.

It was only now as Mac started backing away that she saw the snake pursuing him and she was traumatized. Frozen to the spot. She did not like snakes and always had a fear of anything that slithered and that thing looked terrifyingly big. It was about six feet in length but to Julie, it was more like ten.

In retrospect the event was short-lived. One of the gardeners assessed the situation, moved quickly and with a single blow from his gardening implement separated the snake’s head from the rest of its length. Mac took hold of Julie in his arms, and that’s when he felt the rigidity throughout her body. A reminder to Mac about how unfamiliar she still is with life in Australia. Where more things would kill ya than as wouldn’t. From Julie’s perspective, only one snake was dead, the other had her in its coils.

Chapter 2

She was determined not to let him see her cry and so quickly, after Mac had escorted her into the house Julie excused herself and went upstairs to the bedroom. Mac felt like he had been the knight in shining armor and saved the day. Well, he had with the help of the gardener. He stood in the conservatory confused as Julie swiftly abandoned him. It was not the greeting he had anticipated during his drive home from a long day at the office. He couldn’t think straight and felt like he needed a drink.

******

Travis arrived at the airport in time to meet the professor’s flight at 6.30 pm. From there he drove them to a restaurant for dinner, before taking John to his home near the beach. Most of the evening was filled with small talk, getting reacquainted and catching up on things and people they both knew. Nothing really; it was almost as if they had the need to size each other up, come to some sort of unspoken understanding within which unbeknown to John, Travis had the upper hand. He knew what John was thinking, an advantage he sometimes wished he didn’t have. It complicated the simplicities of simple conversation. Common misinterpretation which under normal circumstances presented opportunities for discovery. But when you can hear both their thoughts and their spoken words the complexity seems contrived when one does not conform to the other.

******

If Sam could give herself a swift kick in the rear, she would. She knew that when Charlie was in his tent and lay sleeping in his cot, it wasn’t his wife he was dreaming about. To pretend it was all innocent on her part was conceited and like a colander, it wouldn’t hold water. She had played her part well and risen to the top. Promoted to the rank of personal assistant. Taking care of his notes, writing up his reports, cataloging, inventorying, and making up the work schedules for the thirty diggers carried prestige but made her indispensable. And that is what he had said. He could not possibly spare her not now, not when everything was busy.

She was competent and she was capable and the title of personal assistant to the famous Dr. Charles Samuels would look great on her resume, but it placed her in a position of indispensability. An isolated spot of a single digit who apparently was irreplaceable and impossible to do without, even for a short period. Whereas, if she had remained among the ranks of the thirty diggers, he would have hardly noticed if she went AWOL for two or three weeks. Some of them did. Well, not two or three weeks, but if they could hitch a ride to the city for several days no one would miss them. So, the flirting was going to stop and so was the pandering to his selfish and manipulative ways. Indispensable my ass, she concluded with stern severity. If only she could kick herself.

******

It was hard for Julie to define how she felt exactly. It’s not like she was unaware of Maggie, Mac had talked about his involvement with her in both the past and present tense. She had met Maggie and Becca, and they were pleasant to be around. But until today? Maybe she had not understood correctly? It seemed to be an obvious conclusion, even so, not one she had reached and yet how could she have been so blind? Unwelcome memories; Steve and Stacy. Three years of deception. Mac and Maggie had lived in this house for two years. How could she not have been aware of that? Somehow it defiled her thoughts about everything and robbed her of the joy of living here and sharing a bed with Mac, which quite possibly is the same bed he had shared with Maggie.

******

Domestication was not his forte however, Travis was a survivalist who had mastered the art of making coffee. Good morning John. Coffees brewed; how do you take it?

Morning, black, no sugar.

Travis had thought a lot late last night; after he had gotten into bed, on how to approach John about the various aspects of his research into paranormal activity. During their conversation last evening he had come to realize John had an agenda of his own. Which in itself was not an impasse but might require some strategic maneuvers if he had some. John was the expert; this was his field of study. Travis: Most of the time, felt like he was winging it and that had proved dangerous more than once. Thinking back to when he and Julie first discovered Sam was missing. Sitting down with Richard and Helen in their home when Helen had suggested he was both a lock and key. Summarizing that Sam gave an indication of being a lock and a key also had been in her professional opinion and belief, an impossibility. He now wanted to know why she had that thought and was able to reach that conclusion. Travis did not want to be alone; classed as an enigma, alien to all forms of normalcy. He needs to know just what the fuck is going on without becoming someone’s lab rat.

******

Julie brewed over her predicament for about an hour. She loved Mac and she was not going to be a victim. Love is transactional she determined. An amalgamation of consistency that bears the pattern of tessellation and fits together perfectly even amid all the unforeseen highs and lows. There was no room for doubt, at least none that she would be willing to accept. It either is or it isn’t, there are no in-betweens and Mac had a choice.

******

I am not sure why Helen used those terms, John re-laid to Travis, but I think I understand what she meant to imply. In layman’s terms, I’m more inclined to go with a transmitter and a receiver. Someone who can send messages and someone who can receive and understand them. But then, as you undoubtedly are aware there are those who like you, can send and receive. A transponder for lack of a better term. You can send and receive with an unusual understanding or ability to interpret the information you gather. Which, I might add is rare. Then again, maybe it isn’t as rare as a modern man thinks it is. For example take religion. All religions. Examine the prophets, the chosen ones, and some of the other main characters they were surrounded by. Take the great thinkers and philosophers’ history has produced. Most of the great geniuses whose intellectual capacity was light years ahead of their time and if you study them carefully you will discover some very interesting common threads. For example, they all professed or intimated an ability to converse with those we cannot see. How about you? Travis, do you still sense your ability to connect?

I’m not sure. The question caught him off-guard. Sam seems to be okay I guess. But as to her thoughts, her ‘connect ability,’ she hasn’t mentioned any more about it to me. As for me, I’ve been too busy and focused on my work and I have no idea if spirits can swim. Why would they, swim I mean when they can move through time and space at will?

So, Travis, you’re saying you’ve felt no sensation or possible contact with anyone, living or dead since you left England?

I wouldn’t go so far as to say that John. Sam and I have spent some time together and the contact was sensational.

******

When Julie came downstairs she found Mac in the study sitting behind his desk. Feet up on the desk, a drink in hand watching the television screen mounted over on the far wall. Without hesitation, in a dignified fashion she walked over and sat in a chair opposite him and waited to be acknowledged. It took Mac milliseconds to register her presence, a second or two to grab the remote control, turn off the television and a second or so more to rise from his seat. He had every intention to move from behind his desk and lay claim to the welcoming hug and sweet passionate kiss he had relished and until now been denied. But he didn’t get there. Julie’s first words stopped him in his tracks.

Mac. I need you to explain your relationship with Maggie and be honest. Do I need to be concerned?                  

Mac felt trapped. He did not want to lie; there had been moments. Instances of touch, reflection, imaginings, and thoughts but he had not pursued them, had not encouraged them although biblically he would be deemed as guilty as hell. Trapped in a snare of his own making and compelled by love to do the right thing.

******

Chapter 3

Travis, I need you to help me out here. I am not sure how much of what I do, you can understand. I do know you understand more than most people who are not directly involved in the research but honestly, on both counts it looks like Swiss cheese. Full of holes, I know things you don’t know and you possibly know things I don’t. So, how about we help each other.

"John, I do want answers, I want to understand but at what cost? You want me to agree to hypnosis, place me in a