#and taught me how to do EVP recordings when i was a kid

[maxattax]

Occultism

Ectoberhaunt Day 10: Occultism

CW: Major character already dead

Summary: After Maddie's death, the Fentons hold a séance to contact her.

Jack Fenton was devastated by the untimely death of his wife. She went quickly and painlessly in her sleep, they said. Nothing he could have done. But Jack, a professional medium and exorcist, couldn’t accept the idea of never again speaking to the love of his life. He knew he had to contact her.

Jack sat at the kitchen table, one candle on either side of him and a ouija board in the middle. Across the table sat his kids, Danny and Jazz. Ouija boards were best used by multiple people, of course.

Jazz lit a bundle of sage and let the smoke waft through the room. “I protect this room from spirits who wish us harm,” she said, smoothly and practiced.

Danny lit the candles. “I light these candles to guide a lost soul to the flame.” Jack was proud that his kids so easily picked up their late mother’s role in the séance.

Everybody joined hands. Jack spoke loudly and clearly. “We invite the spirit of Madeline Fenton to speak with us today.” Each of them placed two fingers on the planchette. “Is there a spirit with us?” The planchette moved to Yes.

Before Maddie died, she and Jack had discussed what to do in the event of either of their deaths. In addition to the normal discussions, such as what to put in their wills, they came up with a passcode so that they could prove their identity during a séance. Her death was unexpected, but they were prepared.

“Maddie. If that is really you, what did we want to name our first dog, had we gotten one?” The planchette drifted across the board, frictionless beneath their fingers. B-U-S-T-E-R.

“Mads.” Jack’s voice broke. “Are you happy on the other side?” The planchette moved to Yes, but continued to the letters. M-I-S-S-Y-O-U. Jazz had tears streaming down her face, and Danny’s eyes watered. Jack had to stay strong for his family.

Danny spoke up. “Is there anything you want to tell us?” T-E-A-C-H-Y-O-U. It paused. M-A-N-Y-D-I-S-C-O-V-E-R-I-E-S.

Jack was overjoyed. Maddie wanted to continue their research on the paranormal from beyond the veil. He would still get to talk to her about their life’s work. “In that case, let us move to something a little easier to communicate with. Thank you for speaking with us.” The planchette moved. T-Y-I-L-Y.

“We love you too Mom,” Jazz said, voice cracking, a smile on her face.

Danny and Jazz were a bit more composed by the time Jack got the recording equipment set up. They’ve been so sad since their mother passed; Jack was glad they were able to make contact.

“Dad,” Danny said after several minutes of silence. “Why Buster?”

“Well, Ghostbusters had just come out. It’s not exactly accurate, but it’s a movie about ghosts! We loved it. Unfortunately we weren’t able to get a dog, living on campus, but if we were, we would have named it Buster.”

Danny shrugged. “Fair. It’s a good movie.”

Jack smiled. He connected the microphone to the laptop.

“Why didn’t we say goodbye when we finished with the board?” Jazz asked.

“Well, she wanted to stay and talk, so we don’t want her to leave yet. We’re all set. I’ll start recording.” He reached over and pressed Record.

“If there is a spirit with us, please identify yourself. If you are Maddie, please repeat our passcode.” He paused for a minute, allowing her time to respond. He continued on in this manner, asking questions about the afterlife. “What is it like?” “Are you confined to the house?” “Can you see other ghosts?” Danny and Jazz contributed their share of questions as well.

When they finished recording, Jack dismissed the spirit and pressed Play. There was not a dry eye in the room when the three Fentons heard Maddie’s voice, crackly but recognizable. She answered all of their questions, and then some.

Jack may have lost his wife, but at least he did not lose his research partner. Knowing that she was only a ouija board away lent comfort to Jack and his family in this difficult time.

#danny phantom #ectoberhaunt23 #eh magic #day 10 #occultism #my writing #i'm dedicating this one to my mom #who loved science but also definitely believed in ghosts #and taught me how to do EVP recordings when i was a kid

[thehooliganhangoutspot]

In this unpublished 2011 interview, the pop superstar’s late mother, Bernadette Bayot Hernandez, reveals how she raised six kids, one of them a Grammy winner, and how going back to their Filipino roots made them even closer

By: Tatin Yang - @inquirerdotnet Philippine Daily Inquirer / 12:06 AM March 12, 2014

The first time Bruno Mars performed here was in April 2011. Watching the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter thrill the crowds in Manila and Cebu were his Filipino mother Bernadette “Bernie” Bayot Hernandez, his sister Jaime and other family members.

Inquirer Lifestyle had the opportunity to interview Bernie about raising her children in Hawaii with Filipino values, working hard to make sure her kids’ dreams were realized, and making peace with tattoos.

She and Bruno were obviously very close, from the way she talked about him. When he lit up his first electronic cigarette, he tweeted that he was quitting the real thing for his mom.

She was the first girl he wrote a song about; his first composition, “I Love You Mom,” was recorded when he was only 4 years old, with lyrics that go, “My mommy helps me with my voice/ ’Cause a superstar singer is my first choice/ I love you, Mom, you are my favorite girl/ I love you, Mom, you’ll always be my favorite girl.”

In June last year, Bernie unexpectedly died of a brain aneurysm; she was only 55. When Bruno received another Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album for “Unorthodox Jukebox” two months ago, he dedicated his win to his mom: “Ma, I know you’re watching, I hope you’re smiling, I love you.”

Below is the unpublished interview with Bernie, along with her daughter Jaime:

At first glance, Bernadette Bayot Hernandez is your typical Filipino mom. Her bag is bursting with knick-knacks and family photos, complete with a big bag of pastillas as her baon, which she presses into my hand and insists that I try. Facebook confounds her, and she calls her daughter when she needs a photo e-mailed or when she wants to see her Facebook account, which her kids made for her.

She was horrified when her son got a tattoo, and occasionally begs him to stop adding tattoos to his body. It’s a scene we’ve encountered with our own moms, except that Bernie’s tattoo-happy son also happens to be Bruno Mars.

Tell us how you ended up in the US.

Bernie: We’re a big family. I have six brothers, and my mom was worried about us growing up, especially since my dad was the only one supporting us. My grandmother was a US citizen; she petitioned for us to join her… We were on our way to San Francisco to be with her, but had a stopover in Hawaii. It reminded us so much of the Philippines that we never made it to San Francisco. This was in 1968. I was 10 years old then.

How did you end up back here? Is this your first time to be home?

I was here 15 years ago. When Philippine Airlines was asked to be a sponsor for Bruno, Vivienne Tan, PAL’s EVP, knew that we were Filipino-Americans and wanted us to be the first family to be brought in under her pet project. She had people search for a way to get in touch with us, and my brother, John Valentine, who is also an artist, had a website, and they got in touch with him to ask if they could sponsor our family to fly back under this project.

What is this project about?

THE BAYOT family entertain the kids along with DSWD. Their charity work is a partnership with Philippine Airlines’ initiative to encourage Filipino-Americans to come home, reconnect and give back.

It’s PAL’s new drive to bring back Filipino-American families to come visit, get in touch with their roots, and maybe check and see if there’s anything they can do to give back to the country. When we were invited, I was really excited and grateful. I even told them my dad was an employee of Philippine Airlines before we moved to Hawaii, and they were surprised.

PAL flew nine of us—myself, my mom, my brothers John, Lawrence, Douglas, Christopher, John and Franklin, and my daughter Jaime. It was really generous of PAL; I can’t thank them enough.

What places have you visited so far?

My whole family and I were invited by (Cebu) Gov. Gwen Garcia to perform for the inmates at the Cebu Penitentiary; we all sang for them, which they enjoyed since it’s always [been] them doing the entertaining. My brother John even wanted me to do the hula, and I said he was out of his mind!

So your whole family is into music?

Yes, our whole family! My dad was a singer, my mom a dancer, so we really got all that talent. My dad used to sing to us when we were little. All my kids sing. All my brothers sing.

Every time we get together, there’s always music, that’s why when karaoke came along, which was also around the time Bruno was born, he had to fight for that mic. At age two, he just wanted that microphone, always.

Were you the one who taught Bruno how to sing?

I don’t know if we taught him exactly, but he was always surrounded by music. So it was automatic for him. Bruno, I knew he was special the moment he was born. I would like to say that he came out of me holding a mic, but of course that wasn’t the case! But he was singing even before he started talking.

I bought him a piano when he was just two, and he went on the piano and just started playing tunes, not just banging on it, but he’d play actual tunes!

He started performing professionally at four, he’d be onstage five nights a week with our group—Bruno was the cherry on the cake, he was our finale.

He’d impersonate Elvis, and Priscilla Presley actually hired him to open for a tribute to Elvis in Memphis. Elvis’ estate rarely gets impersonators but when they saw Bruno, they got him to open for the event. They paid for everything and gave us a tour of the house.

We hear Bruno has a tattoo of your name on his arm. Tell us more about it.

When he was a kid, he was afraid of needles, but when he moved to LA, I didn’t know all these tattoos were happening. When I saw my son, I was all, “Why did you do that? Please, Bruno, don’t put any more tattoos, you have such beautiful skin, why are you gonna ruin it?”

And then he lifts up his sleeve and says “Aw, but what about this?” It was my name, and it was the full name, that’s long! And I said, “Well, okay, that one’s all right.”

What changes has fame brought to your lives?

It hasn’t changed our hearts, but the attention takes a little getting used to. I still work, but many people drop by the house, and it gets busy, and they’d ask me, “Why are you still working?” And I’d reply, “Well, what do you want me to do?” We’re all the same.

So you still work?

Yes. That’s all I’ve been doing all of my life. This is the first time that I’m actually not working, because of Bruno. He keeps telling me to relax, so I’m here, just enjoying it.

What was it like raising six kids by yourself?

It was tough, but I did it. I was a single mom. I cleaned houses—everything—just to make it work. I sewed, sold paintings. I don’t know how I managed it, to tell you the truth.

How did you feel when Bruno won his first Grammy?

I was there at the Grammys and he was nominated for seven awards, and he won the one I wanted him to win. It was kinda surreal, we couldn’t believe it. After he performed that night, he received a standing ovation, and to see that, that was incredible. Is that my son? I can’t believe it.

You mentioned a charity that you had. What is it about?

Jaime: We started an organization called m.a.m.a earth—the mama stands for Mothers About Making Amends.

We like to focus on grassroots organizations that need help, like the last one we did for Haiti where we helped set up a birthing center and installed a water system that lets them operate 24 hours. We want to be able to tell our donors where their money went exactly, versus donating to bigger organizations where you can’t really pinpoint what happens to your donation. It gets closer to the heart that way, I think.

What are you planning to do here in Manila through m.a.m.a earth?

Jaime: We were thinking of a way how to help, and Social Welfare Undersecretary Celia Yangco brought us to an orphanage with blind kids; she said they were in need of educational materials, so we’re working on a way to help them.

Bernie: We really want to focus on moms and children, especially after seeing the inmates in Cebu. I mean, with the husbands in jail, who’s looking after the kids now?

Your affinity to family is evident in your choice of charity work. You really grew up close to each other?

Bernie: Yes! Sometimes, a little too close! I remember though, that even when we were still here, my dad would always bring home hungry kids we didn’t know. They’d beg for money but my dad didn’t believe in giving money, he’d rather bring them home and feed them. So, I got that habit, too. Whenever I see a hungry kid, I melt. I would give my last dime for a hungry child. The kids near our hotel now, they’d come running to us every day, and we’d feed them, give them pizza and candy. I was raised that way, and I want to continue that tradition of helping.

Jaime: And toothbrushes! My mom wanted them to brush their teeth after eating all that candy!

What else have you done here, aside from that?

Jaime: We visited Resorts World, that was beautiful. From Cebu, we got a taste of the tropical vibe. I want to go back and see all the islands.

Any shopping?

Bernie: I like a bargain, I’m a smart shopper. I’m a seamstress, too, so I don’t buy many clothes. But I’m dying to go to Greenhills and buy some beads, since I make jewelry, too.

Tell us more about raising your kids the “Filipino way.”

Bernie: I taught my kids how to be polite, well-mannered. Coming from a big family, my mom was very old-fashioned, and I learned to carry over what she taught me. I’m so proud of my kids, they turned out so well.

Jaime: Coming back here, I realize now that I came to be this way because of my grandparents and family. The things taught to me, I see here, like respect for others, especially elders. That’s something you don’t see in other places. Everyone’s so nice and warm, very welcoming and hospitable, and I intend to raise my kids the same way.

……………………………………………………………………………………………… Nerd here: The reason I’m submitting this article, is in honor of Bruno’s charitable act for Flint, Michigan. I’m submitting this because I see there are people questioning Bruno’s heart and if he’s truly genuine with his efforts. This unpublished article proves that he is. Bruno comes from an entire family where they highlight the importance of helping others and giving back. This is something that his mom has taught him to do. Bruno is basically carrying on the legacy of what his mom has instilled in him. Of being kind to others and helping those in need. Bruno is genuinely a good person and his kind gestures are coming straight from his heart. ❤️