As beautiful as a floating young lady spirit is, people had begun to walk back to their desks or think about other things. The moment Lavender Mary spoke of what she saw the precinct froze. People appeared from every room and listened in a still yet frenzied state. Ghosts are naturally poetic and she did not speak fast enough to keep some from crying out 'WHERE?!'

Lenny knew she would go at her own pace and probably did not hear the cries of his fellow officers. Behind his back he gestured with his hand a 'hold on for a moment' signal. He could sense what she was sacrificing, something huge, to come to him. He imagined her using up her entire ghostly credit card on this visit and afterward she may never be able to come back. He let her speak at her own pace but she was soon forthcoming.

"In a derelict mansion near the wharf, once beautiful, now ugly, across the valley in Town By The Sea, I saw them. The mansion stands in a dark place, surrounded by crumbling buildings. There is a basement- they were preparing to leave for somewhere and the children were frozen in a trance their eyes moving, their mouths open but unable to move or cry. I saw all of this, and many voices came to me over the winds and I heard you. I had to come."

Every officer knew where this mansion was- but it wasn't lived in it was a wreck from a former era of past glory. The Town By The Sea police informed them on the phone they had shined flashlights into it a few hours ago but it appeared to have not been disturbed in years. It's next door lot was a vacant salt storehouse. The other side an abandoned spice market. The windows were broken or boarded up and they had already searched around it and there were no signs of life. That information didn't matter now. They obviously missed something. Calls went out, the alarms were triggered- off duty officers were summoned to help from towns all over the area. The Town By The Sea officers were called and told to be prepared for an assault. Everywhere in this circle of life the people became ready for what was their war to win their children back.

Lenny's team suited up in riot gear and trucks were called and on the way. Lenny himself thanked Lavender Mary from the depths of his soul- people were calling to him...

She reached out to Lenny, her face sad, her light fading.

"After all this time, can't you take a moment?"

She reached out and he wasn't quite sure what she meant but suddenly she was "real" and actually felt warm to the touch. He felt a strange twinge of memory and youth. They began to dance.

As they took a turn around the main entrance the officers readied for a battle with an unknown enemy. Mary and Lenny swung ‘round- the bells that followed her were enough music and out of the corner of his eye Lenny saw crews rushing out doors in helmets and armored gear with guns and red flashing lights arriving outside. As the last of them ran through the doors Mary twirled once more and let Lenny go. As she raised her hand good-bye, she faded.

Pretty girl to skeleton, then darkness.

The noise and reality came crashing back and swept Lenny away with the people and gear that roared over the valley to the sea like a flashing river of red. He wiped away a tear that gathered in his eye.

Check out the previous parts of Happily Ever Over right here.