Shani Struthers - 44 Gilmore Street

She turned to face him. As she did, he lifted her chin and planted a kiss on her lips.

Breaking away, he murmured, “Don’t you ever wonder if you’ve been here before? Who you could have been?”

She thought again about what Ness had said.

“No.”

She couldn’t just blame Cash – Ellie’s big sad eyes had got to her as well.

“It’d be cool to meet Ailsa,” Ellie had said when Ruby called her back, “for her to be the one to regress me, but it’s Psychic Surveys I came to about my case and I’d really like it if Psychic Surveys could oversee it at least.”

“Because of our reputation?”

“Well, yeah, like I said, it’s good.”

Ruby had to admit to a grudging admiration for how determined Ellie was. She reminded her of herself. Determination was a necessary ingredient to make a business like Psychic Surveys succeed. It was no mean feat to get the paranormal to be taken seriously by the general public, not to be laughed at, or to be ridiculed or indeed feared. And in the end, she supposed that was another reason why she’d allowed herself to be roped in – their similarity – why she was sitting here with a notepad on her lap, her pen at the ready.

Ness’s sitting room was a decent size given she lived in a tiny terraced house. It wasn’t dissimilar to the one in Gilmore Street, although its classic red brick Victorian exterior was a little easier on the eye. As curious as she was about Ellie, she was even more curious about being admitted into Ness’s inner sanctum. She couldn’t believe it when Ness had suggested her house as a venue. She preferred to keep her private life just that – private. Of the team, Theo knew her the best; their friendship went back to the late nineties. But if she was aware of anything significant in Ness’s past – anything responsible for her enduring sombreness – she wasn’t saying. And why should she? Ruby respected that decision. Even so, looking around someone’s home was like looking at ‘them’. It reflected who they were, their tastes and personality. Ness’s, however, was minimalist. There were barely any knick-knacks or photographs, no mirrors either, just one in the hallway. Disappointingly, there were no clues to the deeper person at all.

Ailsa, a short but imposing woman, dressed in natural shades of cream and brown, had an obvious penchant for owls. She had owls of the metallic variety hanging from her earlobes, and one attached to a chain around her neck. Catching Ruby looking at them, she informed her they were her spirit ‘power animal’ – a Shamanic term for a spirit guide.

“I’ve got a dog,” Ruby replied, referring to Jed.

“I know.” Ailsa’s voice was conspiratorial almost.

How she knew that was another mystery. Jed wasn’t in the room. He was off playing in some sun-dappled meadow somewhere, or so Ruby liked to think. She didn’t sense a psychic connection with the woman – there was no meeting of the minds, not on her behalf anyway. Whatever the case, as Theo had said, Ness wouldn’t recommend someone who wasn’t the real deal.

“Let’s get started shall we?” Like Ness, Ailsa had an air of authority about her; a confidence in what she was doing. A belief . Ruby wondered if she thought the same about her or whether it was something that came with age.

She caught Ailsa looking at her, one eyebrow raised. Ruby winced. Perhaps it was insensitive to think confidence only came with age.

“Ness, Ruby, are you happy to stay in the room?”

“If the client doesn’t mind,” answered Ness.

Ellie glanced nervously at Ruby. “Please stay.”

Ailsa again took charge. “Ellie, if we’re going to be successful, it’s vitally important you feel relaxed whilst I regress you. If it suits you to have other people in the room then that’s fine, I don’t mind a jot, but you must be sure.”

Ellie graced her with a shy smile. “I’m sure.” She looked much younger than her years suddenly, little more than a teenager. Instead of being irritated with her, Ruby felt a pang of sympathy. When they had talked on the phone prior to this appointment, Ellie had informed her she’d had another insight into her ‘past’.

“There was blood,” she said.

“Your blood?” queried Ruby.

“I think so, who else would it belong to?”

“Was there anyone else in the room with you?”

Ellie had faltered. “There was, but I can’t see who it is, not yet.”

“Dreams are strange, we all know that,” countered Ruby.

“So are snapshots. That’s what this was.”

Ailsa, who had had the case explained to her, including this event, saw no need to quiz the client further. She preferred to ‘learn’ on the job.

The curtains had been pulled together, although not fully. A thin sliver of light was allowed in, lending the atmosphere an almost ethereal touch.

“Lie back on the couch, Ellie,” Ailsa instructed, “place the pillow under your head, close your eyes and make yourself comfortable.” She had previously removed her shoes, revealing pale grey socks with a hole in the toe of one.

“You and I need to connect,” continued Ailsa, “and we do that by breathing together, in for five seconds, and out for five seconds. That’s it, that’s correct. And again.”

Ruby found herself joining in the breathing exercise, which was repeated several times.

“Good, good, that’s wonderful,” praised Ailsa, her voice low, monotone even and as relaxing as the breathing itself. “Now we’re going to count backwards from ten to one, and with each number you’ll be going deeper into yourself, down, down, and further down.” The word ‘down’ was emphasised each time it was said. “Ten and down, nine and down, eight and down, good, good, that’s right, going down, deeper and deeper down, seven and down…”

In the dimness of the room, Ruby felt herself growing drowsy too. Sensing this, Ness gently nudged her, a reminder to stay alert, to focus.

When they had reached ‘one’, Ailsa started talking about a passageway and asked Ellie to describe it.

“Erm… the wallpaper it’s got flowers on it but it’s not pretty. It’s brown as if it’s stained with nicotine or something. There are floorboards beneath my feet and some sort of runner. It’s dark and dingy too. Above me there’s a light, a bare bulb, it’s swaying slightly, as if it’s caught in a breeze.”

“Good, good,” Ailsa was nothing if not encouraging. “Don’t be afraid, walk down that passageway, right to the end, that’s it. Notice how it slopes down. At the end of the passageway is a lift. The doors are open, step inside. On the right is a panel with numbers on it. Can you see it?”

“Yes,” Ellie responded, her voice distinctly drowsy.

“How many numbers are on it?”

“Six.”

Ailsa looked impressed. “Six? That’s good. Which number appeals to you the most?”

There was silence for a moment, Ellie clearly thinking about it.

“Take your time, there’s no rush, none at all, ask for guidance if you like, from your higher power. Six is the number of lives you’ve lived before, which one is it that you want to know more about?”

At last Ellie answered. “Six.”

“Six,” Ailsa repeated, “the life just before this one. Let’s go back there, shall we? Press the button with six on it and watch as the lift doors close and we descend, down through the floors, down, down, further down until we reach floor six, the lift lowering gently, taking you to where you want to be.”

Ruby yawned; it really was hard to keep your eyes open. Ailsa’s voice was so soporific. She’d love nothing more than to curl up on the sofa too and fall into a deep sleep – a dreamless sleep that is and not a past life.