I Believe in Love and Kindness 💜

Almost there. He was still puzzled by his abilities he gained when he died but he was sure this might be a new one or one he had yet realized until now. Being stuck in this expensive white and gold casket encased in a concrete crypt with his mummifying corpse in his family’s mausoleum is one of the most embarrassing things to ever happen to a once all powerful and influential billionaire real estate mogul. Dimma damn!

At least Dale isn’t here to see him in this state of humiliation. He’d laugh his ass off about this for sure. He loved seeing his dear old dad being put in his place. The cruel memories of Dale beating and belittling him before he died was still such a sharp dagger to his cold dead heart. 

Speaking of death. Dimma damn. Just because he’s Dimma dead, it still doesn’t mean he can’t smell things and the scent of his mummifying corpse was unbearable. Poor Doug had no idea how long he was imprisoned in his grave but it had to be more than a day. 

He needed to escape and go home to his grandkids and soon to be grandson-in-law along with those kitty cats. Despite hating cute fuzzy animals in life, he was coming to enjoy being in those three kitty cats’ company. Especially Old Tangie. He’s a good kitty cat and very wise beyond his years. And he’s business-like just like a Dimmadome. What could be better?

The deceased old man tried to concentrate, relaxing again as he tried to ignore the awful scent of decay from his old now unusable body he levitated over. The ghost of Doug Dimmadome continued to focus. He’s a Dimmadome and Dimmadomes never give up. They always keep going if they’re going to accomplish their ultimate goal and his goal is to break out of his deathly prison that Dimma damn brute of a fairy forced him into. 

Feeling at peace, zen, Doug’s specter glowed with an intense golden light, making him have some sort of an angelic sheen. His only thought was escape. He must get out. Nothing else mattered at that moment. He must leave this prison. Devin, his Little Lizzie and Mr. Periwinkle needed him. 

Hell, even those kitty cats needed him. Tangie, Baby Kitty Cat, and Peppy, they’re Dimmadomes too. Doug’s golden sheen glowed brighter and brighter as he floated, levitating higher and higher. He’s got this! He’s a Dimmadome goddammit! Dimmadomes never give up!

Ignoring the scent of death around him, he concentrated harder. Like his grandkids and even Dale, Doug was a nervous, lonely, and awkward man despite hiding it beneath his confident, outgoing, showboating real estate mogul image his entire life. Even in death, he hated to show his vulnerability but at least he’s dead so he doesn’t have an image to upkeep anymore. 

Dimma damn, if only Diane was here. She would help and comfort her old fool of a husband. He still didn’t understand why she chose him above all the other rough and tumble cowboys she had a thing for but she did. God, he’ll always love that woman. Just like his Momma, Diane never put up with his bullshit and never hesitated to put him in his place if she felt she needed to. And like his dearly departed mother, Diane Marie Masterson Dimmadome was one of the few people, if not the only one who could bring the once all powerful Doug Dimmadome to his knees. And by golly, he secretly found that sexy. 

Like his grandkids, whatever his beautiful and all wonderful wife wanted, she got with no questions asked. How poor Doug missed taking care of her. Even in death, he still took his wedding vows very seriously. The feeling of love for his dead wife consumed him as he glowed brighter and brighter. 

The mother of his only son whom he cared for until her breast cancer ultimately killed her. Then the glowing gold specter of the deceased man’s chest formed some strange red light over his cold dead heart. Doug kept his concentration. The thoughts of Dev, Liz, Peri, the cats and Diane continued to litter his mind. Hell, even Dale for some strange reason. 

Perhaps it was the longing for the Dale he once knew? The Dale before his kidnapping. The uncorrupted version of his son. Outside the said expensive casket and the concrete crypt it was contained in, bright lights seeped out of the seams of the shiny white marble outer coating which displayed a golden plaque with his name, birth and death dates etched into it. Then the entire inside of the Dimmadome Mausoleum was overtaken by a white blinding light. 

Doug’s crypt shined a golden ethereal light as his specter emerged from the tightly sealed marble coating. The ghost of the former owner of the Dimmsdale Dimmadome, still in his state of meditation, levitated above the ground. The red heart shaped light eerily glowing from his chest casted him out of the powerful magic, breaking Jorgen Von Strangle’s enchantment that imprisoned him. 

A sound of shattering glass was heard as the spell was broken. The golden glowing of Doug’s specter slowly dissipated as the red heart shaped glow coming from his chest disappeared. Then he snapped his glowing blue eyes open. The former owner of the Dimmsdale Dimmadome looked around to find himself free from his suffocating prison. 

Still levitating on his back, the ghost stood upright. He was so bewildered that worked. Dimma damn, that was something. He floated down to the shiny white marble floor, his black cowboy boots making contact. He wandered over to the adjoining crypts where Diane’s remained beside his. Like his body, hers, inside her sealed concrete crypt, was also encased in an expensive gold and white casket. 

He made sure of it when she died. His glowing blue eyes grew misty with shining diamond-like tears as he placed his pale transparent hand on the marble coating of Diane’s crypt, his fingers tracing the outline of the golden plaque that displayed the name of his beloved with her birthday and death date. Seeing that date made his heart ache. If only he could hold her and feel her warmth again. At least they get to lay next to each other for their eternal sleep. If only her specter would join him.

That was a thought for another time. Not wanting to dwell on his longing for his Diamond Cowgirl, Doug tore his blue gaze away from his wife’s crypt. Still with Dale on the brain, he had to know what his son had been up to. 

No doubt that he’s been up to no good but how? The curiosity just wouldn’t leave his cold dead brain. Doug had to know but…like his grandson, his hunches were usually right. It was as if he was born with a strange clairvoyant ability just like Dev and it always disturbed him. Even the dreams and nightmares he had in the past turned out to be premonitions. Diane’s death and Dale’s kidnapping were prime examples. 

Now that the tower had been reduced to rubble, Doug wondered where Dale resided. He shut his eyes again to focus. He has to track him down. Where is Dale? He concentrated, thinking of only finding his son. He had to know where he was and what he’s doing. 

The only thought that flooded his mind was “Find Dale”. Finally pinpointing his location, Doug shifted to his solid corporeal state as his blue eyes snapped open, turning to a dark shade of violet as his tracking ability took full effect. The Dimmadome Blood Link is now ready to find his son. 

Though, he couldn’t leave the mausoleum being in this state. The public knows he’s Dimma dead. Alarming them and thinking that he’s a zombie isn’t the right choice. Speaking of, he heard the sound of footsteps tapping the marble floor. Quickly, Doug shifted to his transparent state and surrounded himself with his balls of white and gold lights. They swirled like a vortex rendering himself invisible again. 

Good thing too because a living human showed up. Invisible ghost Doug observed the man with his high tech equipment and odd looking suit. He’s clearly not a maintenance worker hired to maintain his family mausoleum. Instead this older man was clearly hunting for something. 

The ghost listened to the man, “I know they're around here somewhere. My fairy tracker detected traces of their magic. They have to be…..FAIRIES!”

Poor Doug silently groaned to himself saying in his cold dead brain recognizing this man from his past outings in Dimmsdale back in the day, “This Dimma damn joker. I thought he was dead by now.”

Not knowing he was being watched, Denzel Crocker continued his search. Doug continued to study him. Time certainly wasn’t kind to that man. The ghostly old man followed him around the mausoleum. He’s not going to find anything. Whatever fairy magic that held him prisoner is gone or at least he thinks it is. 

Crocker then stopped in front of the adjoining crypts of Doug and Diane. His machine was reacting. The elderly former teacher/ex-godkid brightly smiled with excitement, “YES! I found them! They must be inside that crypt. I got you now…..FAIRIES!”

Poor ghost Doug began to seethe with his anger. That crazy son of a bitch was contemplating desecrating not only his grave but Diane’s?! And for what?! Just to satisfy his crazed hunt for something he doesn’t deserve to find?! The nerve!

That’s it! Doug began to wrack his cold dead brain. He must do something to not only protect his resting place but his Diamond Cowgirl’s too! Then a DEVious thought came to mind as he formed the same mischievous smile as his grandkids and Dale underneath his white mustache. With the Dimmadome Blood Link still in full effect, he can use this Denzel Crocker’s body to possess him while tracking down Dale. Yeah, that’s it! It’s too easy!

As Crocker was too distracted with fiddling with his belt searching for something to assist him with breaking into Doug’s and Diane’s crypt, invisible ghost Doug slowly approached his prey. The deceased elder Dimmadome felt like he was a kitty cat stalking a mouse like how he observed from his grandkids kitty cats a few times when those nasty rodents somehow got into Lizzie’s apartment. 

He had no idea how useful those cute fuzzy animals were until his Little Lizzie took Tangie in. Watching him hunt down and kill mice a few times was always so entertaining. He’s a good little hunter. 

“Here we go!” Crocker said excitedly as he withdrew something that resembled a sledgehammer from his belt. 

Before the crazed old man could raise it to start smashing into the gold and white marble crypt before him to find the “fairies” he was searching for, suddenly, Denzel Crocker felt his old body stiffen. He dropped the instrument making a clattering sound as it hit the shiny marble floor. 

He heard a familiar voice from a famous now dead billionaire in his head that he hadn’t heard in years, “Night, night crazy fairy hunter. Time for yer nap. Now, don’t mind little ol’ me. I just need to borrow your livin’ body.”

Crocker tried to say something in return but his soul was rendered into a deep sleep as Doug’s specter took full control. The body of Denzel Crocker stood there with his eyes closed until they snapped open. 

Through the goggles of his fairy hunting suit, his fully alive blue eyes shifted to the dark violet of the dead man’s ghost that now possessed him. The now possessed body of Denzel Crocker picked up the sledgehammer and strolled out of the Dimmadome Mausoleum. Now that Doug Dimmadome is in full control while Crocker’s soul is in stasis, the deceased billionaire removed all of Crocker’s fairy hunting equipment, including the suit. 

He didn’t need to make himself look suspicious when he hunts down Dale. But first….

Doug grabbed the sledgehammer and raised it. The heavy instrument made contact with Crocker’s fairy hunting equipment as he smashed it which also included the suit. There was no way that crazy old koot was going to hunt down his soon to be grandson-in-law or his parents. That fairy family deserved to be safe as Mr. Periwinkle and his Little Lizzie are destined to be together. 

Plus, with Mr. Periwinkle being Devin’s fairy guardian, it was another good reason. That purple man with a cane, wings, and a floaty crowny thing is family. He’s a Dimmadome too despite not having a single drop of Dimmadome blood in him. 

Fully satisfied with destroying that crazy Denzel Crocker’s fairy hunting equipment, Doug tossed the sledgehammer into a nearby dumpster behind a barbecue joint along with the remains of Crocker’s inventions. Getting a whiff of the tasty meat and barbecue sauce being prepared for the restaurant’s customers, Doug felt rumbling of hunger for the first time in six years. Delicious barbecue ribs sounds really good right now. No. There’s no time. Trying to ignore the signals of the body he was currently borrowing, he must focus. Walking with Crocker's stringy legs, he can feel where Dale is. 

Doug followed the life essence of Dale’s soul. The living human beings that passed him as he walked on the sidewalk paid him no mind. Good. He’s incognito. All Dimmadomes are Dimma damn brilliant, including him. That’s where Dale, Lizzie and Devin get it from. Hell, he even got it from his Daddy. Intelligence runs in this family. Even the ability to fight. The Dimmadomes, male or female, are built tough. 

So far, so good. Nobody who recognized this crazy bastard has approached him yet. If someone who knows Denzel Crocker approaches him, he’ll try his best to impersonate him. Doug continued walking. He can feel it, he’s getting closer. 

Dale has to be in this neighborhood. Using Crocker’s eyes, Doug could see he was in some sort of neighborhood where the rich Dimmadelphia Elite lived. Or….at least he thinks so. It appeared some of those mansions or big houses had no one living in them as many had “For Sale” signs posted along their curbs from local realtors. 

Doug kept his wits about him. The more he walked, the less people there were. Was this entire neighborhood abandoned or was it just this part? Gauging his surroundings, he did see that some of the houses were occupied. Okay, so it wasn’t completely abandoned. That’s good.

Still keeping his focus, he pushed the thought from his mind. At least Denzel Crocker’s soul is a heavy sleeper so he has plenty of time to check out what Dale is doing. Doug continued his walking, speeding up as the Dimmadome Blood Link grew stronger the deeper he strolled into this neighborhood. 

Though, he felt an eerie chill rush not just through Crocker’s spine but through his own specter that something was wrong. Very wrong. Again, looking through Crocker’s eyes, Doug felt so disturbed. There were less houses and mansions. Where the hell is he going? But he can’t turn back now. 

No. Dimmadomes don’t give up! He must know what Dale is up to. Still, the deceased old man was starting to feel creeped out. Only trees and thick brush filled the empty lots. Where is he going? Where is the Dimmadome Blood Link leading him to? Certainly not to the remains of the Dimmadome Tower. 

That was located across town where all the more modern mansions were located. This neighborhood had mostly vintage ones that ranged from being built during the 1970s up to the late 2000s. Doug could tell that the previous expansion projects of this neighborhood were either stalled or just cancelled all together. 

Seeing a faded billboard, he stopped in his tracks. Doug recognized it as one of his own, gazing upon the faded gold Dimmadome “D” insignia. He slowly approached that empty lot. Walking into the tall grass, the sound of crunching vegetation was heard below Crocker’s feet. Raising one of Crocker’s skinny arms, he used his hand to pull away the vines that had overtaken it. 

Revealing the rest of the faded image, Doug stared at his own face. He remembered this project. Come to think of it, this is the neighborhood he worked on slowly over the years until he had to stop all together. Not that the funding and the investments fell through. It wasn’t that. This project was never completed due to his cancer. 

Poor Doug wanted to resume the construction if or when he ultimately beat his prostate cancer but sadly, it was never meant to be. It was just too much for his body in the end. He sighed. At least the thing he wanted to build in this area was already completed long before his death, though he doesn’t remember which street it was on. It was supposed to be a surprise for his Little Lizzie upon her 18th birthday. Though the one he was going to have built for Devin never came to fruition.

Pushing that thought from his mind for the time being as it was so gut wrenching, he needed to continue his search. Climbing out of that tall grass and sticker bushes, Doug knelt down and ripped out the prickly stickers that stuck into the cuffs of Crocker’s trousers. When he leaves this body, he doesn't want him to wonder where he journeyed to when he awakens, despite how disgusted he is with this Denzel Crocker person for nearly desecrating his and Diane’s graves.

Finished with that, Doug continued his search. Crocker’s eyes turned an even darker shade of violet, feeling like he was getting closer. Dale is here. Reaching the end of this road, he encountered an old vintage white 1980s mansion that looked like it was ripped from the Hollywood Hills. 

This residence looked like no one had resided in it for quite a while, gauging the realtor sign laying on the long winding driveway. Dale is here? How? He doesn’t own this place. Or maybe he did buy it as he can afford a place like this. He has to live somewhere now that the tower is gone. 

Doug knelt down and picked up the sign. Clearly someone ripped it out of the ground and didn’t dispose of it properly. Suddenly, he dropped it on the concrete, feeling this borrowed body shaking, rejecting him. Oh no. He thought he had more time. Is he waking up?

To answer his question, the voice of Denzel Crocker spoke with absolute fear, “Where am I? Why can’t I control my body?”

Oh shit. Should he fight for control? He should try, “Go back to sleep. I’m not done yet!”

Crocker's voice emerged from his body as his shook, “G…get…o…out….o…of….m…m…my body!”

“Not yet! I need to see what Dale is doing first, then you can have it back!” Doug’s voice rang out from Crocker’s vocal cords.

It then dawned on him, “This…this isn’t the work of fairies! Wait….” a gasp escaped from him, “You’re….you’re Doug Dimmadome, former owner of the Dimmsdale Dimmadome!”

The deceased Dimmadome elder sighed. His voice echoing from Crocker’s mouth again, “Yes, that’s me. Doug Dimmadome, former owner of the Dimmsdale Dimmadome. There’s no time for chit chat. I have a mission to complete.”

Crocker’s old body shook with fear, “You’re supposed to be dead! Give me my body back!”

“Not yet! Dimma Damn, you’re just as stubborn as my son!”

Crocker’s soul continued to fight him. He just wasn’t going to let up. Dimma damn, he’s tougher than he thought he was. He better not get the Galax Institute involved….well shit! The realization came down on poor Doug like a ton of bricks. This crazy bastard does work there. As a janitor but still!

Poor Doug couldn’t decide which was worse, the Galax Institute or even an exorcist. Dimma damn! The soul of Denzel Crocker continued to battle for control of his body. He must try to cast this dead son of a bitch out. By how, he doesn’t know. 

“Let me go!”

Doug was getting so annoyed with this man, his voice ringing out of Crocker’s mouth again, “Can you just go back to sleep? You still need to pay me back for nearly desecrating mine and my wife’s graves.”

“But…but…fairies…”

Attempting to set him straight, Doug snapped, “There ain’t no fairies anywhere in my family’s mausoleum! Think before ya act next time!” he sighed with impatience, “Your Momma obviously didn’t raise ya right and it shows.”

“You…you don’t know my mother.”

“You’re right, I don’t. Now, will ya kindly go back to your nap, so can see what my good for nothin’ son is up to?”

Crocker wasn’t going to take this lying down. He wasn’t going to let this dead man possess him anymore, “No! I….w…will not let you! Get OUT!”

Unexpectedly, Crocker’s soul was starting to push him out. Dimma damn! This man isn’t as weak willed as he thought. Well, this was a bust. Doug’s specter tried to fight Crocker’s soul off but the crazed fairy hunter easily got the upperhand. 

Taking the deceased Dimmadome elder by surprise, Denzel Crocker’s soul cast him out of his body. Now that he was back in control, he looked around. Where is that dead cowboy? Doug still couldn’t believe it. This is the first time someone overrode his possession ability. 

Well, now that he didn’t cooperate, he didn’t want to keep him around. Crocker stopped in his tracks. He just stood there, frozen with fear as balls of white and gold lights emerged and swirled like a vortex before him. They gave way for ghost Doug to appear. 

The only thing that escaped from his mouth was a frightened scream with sheer horror. Oh crap! Just like fairies, ghosts are real! The Galax Institute was right all along! Wait until AJ hears about this! 

The transparent old man slowly approached him, snarling with his threat, “Don’t ya say a Dimma damn word to that ghost hunter organization. If ya do, I’ll make your life a livin’ hell! And don’t you think of goin’ near my family or my family’s mausoleum again in search of your delusions. I’ll haunt you for the rest of your miserable days! Ya hear me?!”

Crocker let out another fearful shriek trying to back away from him, “Go away! Get away from me!”

Doug smirked from beneath his mustache, still walking slowly towards him. Crocker continued to back away from the ghost. Then he tripped and rolled backwards down the hill. Doug just stood there and watched him until he ended up on the bottom. He chuckled, shaking his head seeing that crazy old fool was still alive but covered in dirt and leaves with stickers in his clothes while being knocked out.