The Regressor

(Novella, Horror, 22,000 words)

A young mother fights urges to murder her eight year old daughter.

After a consultation from a past life regressor, she learns she is possibly possessed by the spirit of her past life as a child serial killer.

Terry awoke from sweaty, awful dreams; a mixture of memories and future visions that were intangible and nightmarish. His eyes finally focussed on the sky outside his bedroom window. He guessed it was around nine am. The alarm hadn’t gone off, but it soon would. He eased his seventy two year old body up. It was Sunday morning. Sunday was a good day to visit the local Spiritualist church and do ‘the good work’.

His apartment felt empty and lonely. It could have been the 1950’s with its antique furniture and faded carpets. Framed photos lined the felted walls and sat on the mantle in the lounge. They showed Terry standing with different men, women and children. Though he looked younger in some photos, Terry betrayed a calm, constant knowing. He could have been of another age, another time.

Surrounding bookshelves revealed esoteric titles such as Psychic Phenomenon Today and Soul Travel. Framed thank you letters hung in between the photos. Some were handwritten, while others were more formal, from community organisations and police departments.

Terry was soon showering. Hot water ran over scars that cut across his back. He leaned his head under the gushing spout and thought about how much he enjoyed showers. As a spiritual man, he felt guilty enjoying little pleasures in a life otherwise devoted to the spiritual development of others.