Calliope: The Function (Short Four) By Imani Wagner

In Part Four of the Calliope Short Story Series, Calliope and Ellie go to Mya's party per Dr. Delvaux's psychic advice. Find out what happens! - IW.

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I was from a neighborhood in Chicago called Hyde Park. I stayed in a tall old brown brick building with about fourteen other tenants. The apartments were quite large for the price. I had always loved my home and refused to move after three long years. My neighbor, Mindy, lived at the end of the hallway on my floor. She had lived there the past ten years and had seen everyone else come and go.

Mindy was an old asian woman who had sworn to protect me from any corrupt man she had ever seen me bring home. In her eyes all men were corrupt and up to no good. She would catch us just as we’re about to enter my apartment. She’d make squinty eyes at me, dab a fist from one eye to the other and point to whoever my man friend was that evening. My response was always the same. I’d laugh and we’d both disappear into the little worlds we’d created in our cozy apartments.

I thought about her as Ellie and I headed out for Mya’s house party. As if on cue, she popped her little head through the door. I always noticed her deep purple buzz cut first, and then the large thick pink glasses that framed her round face. Mindy was about sixty years old, but the only wrinkles she had were the ones that creased her forehead any time she peaked over those bifocals.

“Hey Mindy!” I greeted her with a wide smile and a dramatic wave.

“Calliope, make sure you lock your door. Mr. Henry was walking through the halls in his underwear again,” she said.

“That’s just not right,” I shook my head as I turned the key in the doorknob.

“The last time I saw him he said it was because he was doing laundry. I reported him to management again,” She said as she stepped out over the threshold of her door. “But be safe sweety, I’ll look out for you when you come in.” Mindy didn’t have any children, but in many ways she was still a mother.

“See you later, Mindy.” As I walked to the elevator, I realized Ellie was no longer with me. I couldn’t see her, but somehow she still felt close. I knew that if I concentrated on a thought of her she would come. Dr. Delvaux mentioned something about me having a spirit world. I wasn’t sure what the specifics were on that, but since I first saw Ellie my mind has felt open towards something bigger than my own understanding.

The drive to Mya’s house was just fifteen minutes down fifty-third street. When I reached her front door I could hear music spilling from out of the house. Ellie showed up immediately, and together we stumbled into a small sea of dancing bodies. All of the furniture in the living room had been moved against the wall. Everyone stood in its center, cups in hand as they moved their hips from left to right. It was dark, but the house was lit up with colorful LED lights. People wore glow in the dark necklaces, and someone walked up and fastened one around my neck. The room smelled like tobacco and weed. Patchouli incense laced the air. Anyone who knew Mya knew that she loved patchouli, and often smelled of it herself.

I floated through the crowd with Ellie until we found ourselves in the kitchen. There was a beer pong game that had everyone whooping and hollering. I could see into the den where a group of people were concentrated on an active game of pool. “Hey, Calli,” a familiar voice called out from the far side of the room.

“Azrael, hey! I didn’t know you were going to be here.”

“Oh you know, I'm always at a function.” Azrael leaned in to hug me. His men’s Chanel cologne clung to him as he wrapped his big arms around my shoulders. My knees threatened to buckle underneath me. He pulled back, but held onto me as he spoke, “How have you been? I feel like we haven't seen each other in a while.”

“It’s only been a couple weeks Azrael,” we laughed together. He always laughed with his whole face. His teeth were bright and beautiful, and all anyone could ever do was stare at him when he showed them like that. We had been friends since we were in high school, but it felt like we had always known each other. I kept my hands wrapped around his waist as he looked down at me. “I missed you too. I’ve been good. How’s the job treating you?”

Azrael was a cop. He had only been in the game for little over a year now, but he was finally out in the field. “Honestly, it’s kind of boring right now. Mostly patrolling, but you know I'm always hoping for a little action.”

I had almost forgotten Ellie was with me until she touched my arm. I jumped a little. I don’t think I had ever felt anything like that before. It was like someone had firmly pressed a feather against my skin. Ellie pulled her hand back quickly, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” She said this as she clapped her hands together with excitement. I’m realizing maybe this is who she was before Delton, a bubbly-clapping-giggling redhead girl. “I hadn’t actually touched a living person before, that was wild,” she laughed as though she’d been electrified with thrill.

“You good, Calli?” Azrael looked at me in confusion, “You just spaced out for a minute.” All the sound in the room was loud again. I hadn’t even realized that when Ellie and I spoke to each other everything else surrounding us muffled out like we had stepped into another room and shut the door behind us.

“Yes, I'm good, sorry. I actually wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Yeah sure, let’s find somewhere quiet.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me through the crowd with him. Ellie grabbed my other hand as she followed behind us. When I looked back at her she made kissing faces at me. I could do nothing but hide the grinning smile that was threatening my poker face. I rolled my eyes at her as hard as I could.

We walked into someone’s bedroom. Everything was navy blue and black, and I could tell we were in Mya’s little brother’s room. Azrael sat on the bed, but I hesitated a little before finally sitting. It was a teenage boys room after all, and it smelled sweaty. Ellie walked around looking at all of the posters of different music artists that hung on every wall.

“So what’s up,” Azrael asked. I wasn’t sure how to tell him that I could now see ghosts, because I pulled a string out of my ear. I couldn’t stop thinking about how absolutely nuts this whole situation sounded, but Azrael was my best friend. He knew everything about me already.

“Don’t be afraid, Calliope. He’s your friend, and he’s a cop. I think he’s why Dr. Delvaux told us to come to this party,” Ellie said. She walked over to the wood stained desk in the corner of the room and took a seat in the spinning chair. I moved slightly, and I hoped that Azrael hadn’t noticed.

“Okay, this is going to sound crazy so I'm just going to say it. A few days ago I pulled a string out of my ear, a nerve to be exact, and by the end of that day there was a dead girl following me around begging me to help her lock up her murderer husband, and now she’s saying that her body is hidden somewhere in a couch inside of a storage unit, and I don’t know how to actually find her body so that she can move on to wherever she’s supposed to go next. My doctor, who apparently is not just a doctor and can also see ghosts, told me to come to this party and I think it was so that you could help us find Ellie’s body.” I took one long breath after that and looked at Azrael as a spate of emotions flashed across his face. He seemed confused, then concerned, and then he let out a loud boastful laugh.

“Girl, what?” He looked at me with amusement. My eyes found Ellie. She winked at me and smiled a great big smile. Then, she spun around in the chair as fast as she could go. Azrael jumped and scooted himself as far as he could onto the twin bed until his back was against the wall. His breathing was heavy as he began to break out into an immediate sweat.

When Ellie was facing us again she slapped her hands against her legs and laughed until tears came out of her eyes. I took a quick note that ghosts could laugh, and now cry. “She’s laughing at you. Now, do you believe me?”

“Calliope, this is crazy.” Azrael’s eyes grew large with shock.

“Don’t I know it. But please focus. Her husband is Delton Marshall, and he’s still out there,” I said as I pulled him back to the edge of the bed.

“Wait, you said her name was Ellie? Ellie Marshall? The department’s been looking for her for almost a month now. You’re telling me she’s dead, and that her ghost is somewhere floating around the room, talking to you?”

“She’s dead, and she’s sitting over there in that chair hoping that you can help us.”

“He’s freaking out, Calliope.” Ellie seemed just as worried as I was. Had we made a mistake confiding in Azrael? I didn’t know what else to do. This wasn’t like the movies when things just miraculously worked out and officers didn’t ask questions. This was real life. The police department wasn't going to raid Delton Marshall’s storage unit just because his dead wife told me her body was rotting in an old couch. It was more likely that they would find her body, and then question me because I knew exactly where it was.

“Azrael, I need your help. We can’t go to anyone else.”

“Damn, I mean you couldn’t put in an anonymous tip or somethin’?” He stood, “Okay, we need a plan. They can’t search anything without a warrant, but they can’t get a warrant without a plausible reason.”

“Okay, so what can we do?” I was ready for the hard part to be over.

“We need to figure out what company Delton uses for storage.”

Ellie and I locked eyes, “Ellie said she doesn’t know. He kept everything from her,” I told him.

I didn’t get a chance to see Mya until we were on our way out of the door. “Calliope, hey girl! Thanks for coming,” Mya was good at reading a room, which was just one reason why I liked being around her, “Y'all leaving already?” She was careful not to look disappointed. Instead she seemed confused and curious. She looked at me and then at Azrael, and I remembered she couldn’t see Ellie.

“Yes, so sorry Mya. We have an emergency, but I promise we’ll make it up to you,” Azrael said, always there to save the day.

“Yes, we will. We’ll do something fun too! Maybe skating,” I asked her.

“Yeah that's cool! I like to skate.” She seemed thoroughly pleased with that idea, which made me feel better about leaving so early.

As people began to pool onto the front lawn, we joined them and made our way to my car. I threw my keys to Azrael, “Here, you drive. I’m too nervous.” We decided to try Hyde Park Self Storage first since it was actually in the neighborhood. Ellie explained to us that they lived up North but she was drawn south of Chicago. She thinks it means her body is located here. It made sense, because I saw Delton at The Cafe, which is just a few blocks away from the storage facility. I had no other answer for why he would drive all the way south just to come to our little coffee house.

I could feel Ellie in my head, “She wants you to go through the drive up storage,” I instructed Azrael. It was dark outside and well past midnight. The air was humid and hot, and thick with something unknown to me. I couldn’t understand anything I was feeling, but my chest felt heavy. I felt like I couldn’t breathe. “Stop, Azrael.”

I got out of the car and held onto the door for support. If I could catch enough of the outside air, maybe I could catch my breath too. I beat my palm against my chest to calm myself, to remind myself that I was alright, when I smelled something wafting and churning in my nose. Whatever it was got in my mouth, and I felt like I needed to vomit, “What the hell is that smell,” I asked anyone who was listening. My eyes were watering, and I began to feel disoriented.

Azrael got out of the car and helped me back into the passenger's seat. “We have to go, Calli. That smell means that there’s a dead body.”