i am rham jas. seer.
how can i help you?
i have the ability to see certain energies.  sometimes these ' energies are a foretoken of things to come. sometimes not. sixty dollars, please.
then go. there are many who would claim to be seers. but they are not. although you would pay them little.  you would receive nothing. if you.are not serious, go. rham jas turns to depart through the beaded curtain.
platinum card. very good. he swipes ray's card through the credit card machine. int rham jas's back room - night a sparsely furnished, dimly lit room. the walls are lined with old books. rham jas stands before stephanie and ray, who sit at a card table. stephanie giggles with excitement.
that's quite all right. so, you wish to know something of your destiny. very good. we shall see what the fates have in store. rham jas crosses to the window and closes the curtains.
that is true. but.  "we should not pretend to understand the world only by intellect."
yes. from his treatise "psychological types".
because he wasn't afraid to bring god into the equation. rham jas takes a seat at the table, across from stephanie.
your hand, please. stephanie extends her hand to rham jas. he closes his eyes and concentrates. stephanie smiles excitedly to ray, who raises a skeptical eyebrow.
you,work with money.
but.  you've lost something.
no. no, you're right. something's been taken from you.
a button.
if you would please, both be quiet. rham jae concentrates, his eyelids flutter. stephanie appears uneasy. the flame of the candle begins to flicker as a breeze sweeps through the room. the wind chimes tinkle. ray pulls his collar closed against the sudden chill in the air. rham jas's back stiffens.
i think that is enough for now.
i'm sorry. i'm tired and i see it's become quite late. of course i will refund your money.
a bad spirit has come upon you.
did you blaspheme the dead while visiting a grave site?
do you play with ouija board or confer with those who practice the black arts?
then perhaps someone has cursed you.
what did it sound like.
that would be the lamia. the "black goat".
it is a nasty spirit. a taker of souls. a creature of misfortune for you and those around you. it is often summoned by the gypsies for their dour deeds. on the third day the lamia comes for the owner of the accursed object.
something that the old woman took from you, cursed, then gave back. now it dawns on stephanie. she looks to the threads on her coat.
no matter what condition the button is in, you would still be the owner. the lamia would still come to take you.
yes. there are many ways to appease a spirit. the simplest is a blood offering. an animal sacrifice. a small creature would do. you could sacrifice a chicken. it's all in here.  rham jas produces a modern book on animal sacrifice which he sets before her.
you will be surprised what you will be willing to do when the lamia comes for you. she considers his words, looks down to the book. close on a diagram of an animal sacrifice - a creature's heart being cut from it's body. camera pulls back to reveal that stephanie now site at her kitchen table, reading the book. we see other diagrams: the heart being placed into a skillet over an open fire. the burial of the smoking heart. stephanie's kitten purrs, as it rubs against her leg. stephanie closes the book, shutting out the disturbing images. she hears the shriek of the rusty gate outside. she moves to the window and peers out. the rusting iron gate is open. stephanie senses a change in the room.  shadows shift and grow deeper. the air is suddenly oppressive. something is coming.
it was a limited printing! please control yourself!
we are dealing with elusive and powerful forces. there are no guarantees. she wants to shout, but instead, closes her eyes and sits.
we must somehow dissuade the spirit from taking your soul.
1 a seance. and it should be soon. for tomorrow will be the third night.
no. but i know someone. i can arrange what is necessary, but you must understand that everyone involved in this would be taking a great risk with their lives.
twenty thousand dollars. cash. by tomorrow. 5
i'm sorry. not possible.
no. there will be others involved and i cannot-ask them to accept such a risk for less. good night. he hangs up. the line goes dead. she tries to throw the phone but it's attached with a short metal cord. she turns to the pawn broker.
miss brown. allow me the pleasure of an introduction.  a woman rises from the shadows.
shaun san dena the eighty year old woman smiles a toothless smile to stephanie.
shaun san dena is an experienced 41 medium. furthermore, she has a personal knowledge of the lamia.
you must allow the darkness in. you must invite the dead to co-mingle with your spirit.
yes. now repeat these words.  i welcome the dead into my soul.  rham jae waits for stephanie's response. she's shifts in her seat uncomfortably.
you must believe it! stephanie takes a deep breath and they begin the chant again. this time,, together.
yes. the parlor's crystal chandeleir tinkles. a tea cup and saucer tremble for a moment. stephanie's eyes search the room.
who now inhabits the body of shaun san dena?
silence! lamia, please, surely we can dissuade you from taking this insignificant woman? surely she's not worthy of your greatness. the possessed shaun san dena laughs.
lamial i command you to leave this-- a chair sails through the air and shatters across rham jas' back, knocking him to the ground. milos' body is hurled up against the chandelier, shattering it. glass rains down upon stephanie. on the ceiling, milos is spun.about like a pin wheel. stephanie races for the door but a .huge bureau lurches in front of her, blocking her path. rham jas rouses a stunned shaun san dena.
you must banish the spirit! shaun san dena places her hands on her ayes, then over her heart and chants an ancient gypsy incantation up toward milos. milos shrieks. a white vapor streams from his body as the lamia is torn from him.
you must not stop! a withered pair of hands reach down from above and clutch at stephanie's face! it is mrs. ganush that now floats above her! her long yellowed fingernails scratching at stephanie's skin.
milos, call an ambulance!
she's not breathing. rham jas attempts to administer cpr to no avail.
gata, gata, para gata.  bodhi suaha. gone, gone, gone beyond. gone beyond the beyond. hail the goer.
yes.
no. i'm afraid you misunderstand. rham jas looks at her with pity.
the,lamia can not'be banished by a medium. this was our lesson tonight. i'm sorry.
no. you saw her drive the lamia from the seance. that is all. it will be back.
perhaps on this final evening, you should finish up the business of this world. for before the night is through, the lamia will come for the owner of the accursed object.
unless, of course.  you were no longer the owner.
the lamia comes for the owner of the accursed object. just make a gift of it.  to demonstrate, he hands the envelope to stephanie.
and you've given away the curse.
because we are speaking of murder. stephanie looks from the envelope containing the button to rham jas. she places the envelope carefully into the side 'pocket of her purse. rham jas tries to conceal the sadness and fear he feels for her.
whatever you decide, you have until sunrise.' she nods goodbye as ray's car pulls up. ray opens the door. for her and she gets in.
there are gypsy blessings that are bestowed upon the dead.  and the gypsies give gifts to their departed to curry favor with the deceased soul. yes. i do believe you could give the curse to someone who has passed on.  for truly, the soul never dies.