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The Maze - Nineteen spiritualist group and his psychic readings, that he kept his unusual talents a secret from those around him. When the spirits were ready to continue their plans for him, Ted learned he had no choice but to follow. Their return was signaled by a visionary dream Ted had in January 1986. As soon as the dream ended, he awoke with clear memory of the details. He had been traveling along the interstate when he saw a road sign that read, “Amarillo, Texas.” That was all he recalled, but instinctively he knew that the message was prophetic. The forces that had sent Raphael, with his urgings toward New Mexico, were up to their old tricks, Ted realized. He wondered why they took such an interest in his whereabouts, and he had never under- stood the significance of his move to Albuquerque. But the message on the road sign was clear. He would be moving to Amarillo, although he had no indication of when this would happen. The answer came a few weeks later. His supervisor called Ted into the office and told him that the company had just purchased several facilities in Texas. A rush of exhilaration ran through Ted as he realized what was coming next. “One of our new offices is in Amarillo,” the supervisor said, “and they’re going to need a sharp credit manager. It’Il be a promotion for you, of course, with a good raise, and we’ll pay moving expenses if you take the position.” “All right,” Ted replied, sensing that it would do no good to resist. Soon he made arrangements for his mobile home to be moved, and as he drove out of New Mexico and into Texas he saw a road sign identical to the one he’d been shown weeks before. The dream, as so many others had done, proved accu- rate. Still, he refused to be goaded back into an interest in the psychic world. All his concentration went to the new job and settling down in Amarillo. Later that year, however, he was surprised by a phone call from Frank, an old friend who was also a psychic. Ted had met him back in Georgia when his spiritualist work was at its height. “Guess what?” Frank began. “‘A good friend of mine lives Masquerade of Angels 188 The Maze - Nineteen in Amarillo now, and I’m down here visiting her. Since you and I haven’t seen each other in several years, what do you say I come over and spend some time with you while I’m in the area?” Ted agreed, and Frank arrived soon after for a visit. Three months later, he phoned again. “There are a lot of people I’ve met here,” he told him, “who would really like to have psychic readings, but there’s no one around to do it. Why don’t you help out?” Before that moment, Ted had no intention of ever taking up spiritualist work again, but impulsively he agreed to Frank’s request. “Tt’s been a long time,” he said, “but if you think these people really need help, I guess I could try.” He couldn’t believe he was saying that, yet somewhere inside he felt that resistance would be futile. The demand for readings in the area was great, and it grew even more once he began working on a weekly basis and his reputation for accuracy spread. He met quite a few new people, giving whatever help he could, and as time passed he grew more comfortable with the work. But there were some problems, and plenty of skeptics who did their best to undercut Ted’s influence. Such things were annoying, but it wasn’t until repercussions from one of his readings exploded that he came to regret his involvement. When a certain woman came to him, asking about her marital troubles, Ted dutifully described to her the visions he received from spirit guides. This time they were apparently too specific, for the woman deduced enough from the read- ing to catch her husband in an illicit affair. When the husband found out that the psychic reading had exposed him, he came after Ted in a vengeful spirit. The situation got so testy that Ted decided to forego more readings, rueful that he had let himself get back into the work in the first place. Some of the people wanted his help, but many more were intent upon demeaning his abilities and attacking his reputation. The headaches just weren’t worth it, he told himself, determined to give it up again and focus on his own happiness. Masquerade of Angels 189