Part I: Working in the courtyard of his father and step-mothers apartment, Jimmy felt a tickle on the back of his neck. Looking up at the balcony to his step-brothers apartment he saw a strange elderly woman looking out. "God-dang it. Not another one. I told him he couldn't sublet any of his rooms. He's getting the family rate what more does he want?"

          By the time Jimmy had stomped up the stairs, the balcony was empty once again. He banged on the door. "Jack? For f's sake open this door! I am only going to give you one more chance." When there was no answer he left in a huff.

          Jack heard Jimmy yelling and peeped around the corner. He saw Jimmy leave. He knew he was late with the rent. But he was a little afraid to get near anyone living.

          Again Jack looked around the corner and mentally scoped out the path to his front door. He didn't want accidently touch anything that might get called back from the dead. And he made doubly sure the crazies from the cemetery weren't lurking around. His trip home took over an hour because of those idiots. Once more Jack checked out his route to his apartment and looked down at his hands. He rubbed them together anxiously. Yesterday after having worked all day with metal-handled tools he'd forgotten his condition and put on his leather gloves. After carrying several trash bags out to the dumpster ,he noticed a trail of blood drips leading from the shed to the refuse bins. Looking down in horror he saw his gloves were oozing blood. In a panic he threw them off. The gloves tore themselves apart at the seams. The pieces spurted blood and writhed on the ground. Running to the shed he started a fire in the burn barrel, got a metal shovel and tossed the gory leather chunks in the fire. He wondered how in the hell he was going to explain all this to Jimmy.

After a mad dash he gratefully closed his door. By putting plastic bags on his hands he fixed himself a meal. He wasn't sure what fresh fruit and vegetables would do, but after the gloves he wasn't taking any chances. For dessert he got himself a beer and sat down on the plastic covered couch. He used to hate the plastic but for last week he loved it. Jack took a long deep drink. Why did this happen? Why does it feel like I am being punished? Finishing the beer in a swallow he turned on the TV. It was a show about fantasy mages and wizards. Right. If they only knew. It was not two minutes before he fell asleep. As he slept a figure formed from a gray fog into a discrete character. It was an old lady in 1950's dress. She floated about the apartment before stopping next to Jack. She smiled lovingly down at him. It was at that moment there was a furious banging the door. "Jack, this is Jimmy. I know you are in there. Buster we have to talk. NOW! Jack groaned and started to snore. The ghost lady stood calmly and watched him sleep. "Alright." Jimmy said, "Enough is enough." Using his pass-key Jimmy burst into Jacks' living room. "Hey stupid wake up! Who the hell is the old broad?" While Jimmy was yelling at Jack another older person, a man, materialized next to the lady. He too was dressed in 50's attire. The two ghosts smiled at one another. At last Jack woke up. "What? Huh? Jimmy what do you want? Jimmy pulled his half-brother up by his collar and pointed to the two old people standing in the living room clear as day. "I told you, that you cannot sublet any of your rooms. How do you not understand that?" Jack looked at the quaint old pair, one of them looked familiar. "Mrs. Carstairs? Is that you?" She twinkled at him. "Yes Jack it is." Then she gestured to the ge1ntleman next to her, "Jack I want you to meet my husband Peter." Peter nodded at him. "Glad to meet you young man. Thank you so much for taking such good care of our resting places..." Jimmy interrupted him. "Jack. I don't care what you did for them. They cannot live here." Jack shook his head and looked at Jimmy like he was seeing him for the first time. "You can see them too?" Jimmy groaned. "Yes fuck nuts I can see them. And I will tell you something else, smart guy. I have seen at least five other people looking off your balcony." Jack stood up. "Five!? Five more? What?" At this moment five more ghosts floated into the living room from the balcony. They glided up next to Mr. and Mrs. Carstairs. One was in colonial garb and a another man had an enormous afro and was wearing psychedelic bell bottoms, Mrs. Carstairs squinted at Jimmy. "Peter I think that is Edna's boy, Jimmy-Joe. Don't you?" Jimmy's eyes bugged open wide and in a complete panic was soundlessly opening and closing his mouth while he jabbed his finger at their ghostly guests. Jack let out an frustrated sigh, sat down and buried his head in his hands. Mrs. Carstairs looked at the other ghosts and they nodded, so she floated forward a few paces nearer to Jack and Jimmy."Boys, I, we, understand that this must seem odd to y'all. But Jack took such beautiful care of our sacred resting places that we wanted to reward him." "So you made me a necromancer?" Jack asked in exasperation through his hands. Jimmy piped up. "Why couldn't you have let him win the lotto or something?" Mrs. Carstairs looked kindly at the pair ,"I am sorry, but we can't do anything about things like that." Jack stood up and faced the group. "Ok. So why me? And why now?" he pleaded. Mrs. Carstairs and the rest of the ghosts became agitated. "Jack do you remember those awful mages who chased you?" "Yes. Why?" "Well," she paused ,"We are all bound to them through the demon Cernat. They use our energy to do evil." A young girl ghost pushed thru the others."Mr. Jack. Those men do bad, terrible things. They hurt us. Please help us." The big black man with the afro chimed in. " Dudes are not righteous man." Mrs. Carstairs grasped her hands in front of her chest and pleaded- ,"Jack, if you help free us, we will remove the gift of necromancy." Without hesitation Jack responded ,"YES!" Jimmy looked at him ."You are nuts man.