At night, in the cell, Philip spent some time reading some of the books and magazines that Alexia had given him. He flipped the pages, avid to learn all the secrets of that new world. One of his cellmates, also sleepless, observed Philip's movements with curiosity. At some point, he decided to talk to Philip.

"You've been reading for hours those books and magazines. Have you really learned anything?"

"Feel free to ask me anything," the young man answered with a smile, trying to be nice.

"Reading is not for me. I'd rather spend time waiting. You see, I have to be patient. I'm sure I will be sentenced many years in jail."

"I guess that reading, or even learning a new trade, will be really good for you, Paolo. Good behavior, working and reading may reduce your sentence. I've just learned that in one of these books."

"Sounds great! I will take your advice. Hey, mind if I borrow one of the books you have?"

"What do you want to read?"

"Give me something about training new skills... Who knows, maybe you are right, and if I learn a new profession, I'll be able to help my family when I get out of here!"

The young wizard snapped his fingers and a carpentry training manual popped right in front of him. He gave the book to Paolo.

"Thanks, Philip. Can I call you Philip?

"That's okay. Enjoy your book, and remember: no one will deny you a book. Reading and working are the best ways to assist your family."

"Thank you, buddy. I'll get some sleep now. You should do it, too. Otherwise, you'll get eye problems if you keep on reading in the diming light from the hall."

"I'll do it soon."

As everyone slept, even the jailer, Philip's eyes began to change. Once again, they became reddish. Soon, he felt a presence inside the cell, hidden in the shadows. A boy about twelve years old wearing jeans and shirt came near to Philip.

Already used to seeing spirits, and knowing that he was the only one still awaken, Philip asked the boy: "What's up, boy? Are you lost?"

"Are you the Phantom Man?"

"I am. How do you know that?"

"In the place that I come from, everyone says that you help people to solve those earth problems that don't allow them to go. I can't stand being here without my dad any longer. My mom lives with my sister, and my grandparents want me to join them in the other side."

"Then, why don't you go with them? They will surely take good care of you. They know what is best for you, and they love you."

"I've got to talk to my dad. I know that he is carrying a lot of guilt for my death. When the police came, our car was attacked and I was shot many times. They tried to take me to a hospital while they took my father to prison. Didn't work. I lost too much blood and now I'm here, as you can see."

"What's your name?"

"Pedro."

"Who is your father?"

The boy gently pointed his finger towards one of the beds.

"Please, touch him, so that I can tell it's really him."

The spirit overflew the prisoners, until he came near to the one with tattooed arms. The man moved his body a little, and then murmured some words as if he was having a dream.

"Geovani is my father. I love him so much!"

"Don't worry, Pedro. Tomorrow I'll talk to him and tell him what you said. Go in peace to your grandparents," Philip paused for a moment. Suddenly, he had an idea. "Wait, I have a suggestion. Why don't you personally talk to your father about your feelings?"

"It's impossible! I've tried many times to get near my family. The only thing I do is get them scared if I let something fall or if I make a noise in a way that even I don't understand how it happens."

"Have you forgotten who I am? You can use me to talk to you dad. Stay here. I'm going to wake him up. It's a good thing that everybody is sleeping now."

Philip approached the boy's father and whispered: "Can I have a word with you?"

The bald man, still asleep, answered quite angrily as he saw it was Philip who wanted to talk to him.

"C'mon, man, what's up now? I just want to keep my distance from you. But I'd really love to punch your face, too. What was that you did to me? Do you want another fight to show off some of your tricks?"

"It's not that. I have a message from Pedro, your son."

"Now you're in trouble. Don't you dare say my son's name," Geovani said with tears in his eyes. "How do you know his name?"

He dried the tears with the back of his hand. Geovani carried a heavy burden for the guilt of his son's death, which was caused by his troubled life, and that guilt made him feel weak.

"He told me his name."

"Man, don't bullshit me... My son was the most precious thing in my life. I can kill you if you say his name again."

"Slow down, man! I'll tell you a secret. Promise me you won't tell anybody what I'm going to tell you. I'm a mage, and I'm capable of channeling dead people. You could say that I'm a sort of psychic, like the books of this time explain."

The bald man stared at Philip, pursing his lips with skepticism.

"Okay, then. Now let me sleep. That's enough... You're loony, man. Now leave me alone. Go!"

Without further ado, Philip's eyes became brighter, frightening every bit of Geovani's soul. He began to listen to a voice that he hadn't heard for a long time, and that gave him goosebumps.

The wind blew through the jail bars and touched Geovani's skin. The spirit whispered some words, and the sound of his voice made Geovani feel how badly he missed his son.

"Dear dad, please don't feel sorry for my absence. I'm fine, and I want you to know that it was not your fault. You didn't even shoot back, because all you wanted was to protect me. We all cross to the other side someday. Grandpa Marcello and grandma Paula are taking care of me. They send their love. Please, promise me that you'll take good care of mom and Nina. Be good and get out of prison as soon as possible, and live a better life. One day we'll all meet again. I love you, dad."

"Love you too, son."

Geovani believed in what he heard. That as his son's voice. He knew the names of the family... It could only be Pedro, and no one else. He was impressed by that phenomenon, plus the reddish burning eyes like fire that he saw. What was that? That was really intriguing.

"Dad, I have to go now. Grandpa and grandma are calling me."

"Stay a little longer. I need your company. I miss you so much that I can't live without you."

"You have to look after those who are still alive. One day we'll all meet again. Grandpa told me that. Be nice, dad. And don't get people hurt. This way, you'll be allowed to stay with us. Ask God for forgiveness and walk the path of good. Goodbye!"

Geovani raised his hand to wave goodbye, but before that Philip's eyes returned to normal. The young man blinked as he pulled himself together. The channeling had ceased. His voice was back to normal, which meant that Pedro was gone forever. It was time for Geovani to make a real change in his life.

"You'll get to see him again if you change your behavior. You've just had the biggest opportunity of your life; now, you must take care of yourself and protect your family. We're all entitled to a second chance to get our lives back on track and find happiness."

Geovani had cried only a few times in his whole life, and that was one of them. He couldn't hold back the pain buried inside him, especially when he thought that everything could've been different if things hadn't gone south. Instead of being jailed, he could be at home playing videogames with his boy. Nevertheless, Pedro had forgiven him, and shown him the way to make a change in his life.

"Thank you for letting me have such a precious and unforgettable moment. I would've never had it if it were not for you."

"You're welcome... Your son did it, not me. I'm just a vessel, and maybe that's my mission in this life. Get back to sleep and think about your son's words."

Meditatively, the man laid down on the bed. Once again, the gift of seeing the other world had given Philip a chance to help someone. However, he would have to watch out, for evil takes advantage of the will to do good to attack its victims.

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