"I don't know," she said, trying to be honest.
"But she is coming back, right?"
Igoshi shrugged. She wanted to say something comforting, something to relieve his worry, but she had no words that seemed good enough.
Tears sprung to his eyes.
"But she is alive," he said, determined. "I can hear her breathing."
"Yes, she is alive, but I don't know if she'll come back to us."
"She's in that other world now?"
"Yes."
Lucas bit his lip, then looked at his grandmother once again. "And she is not coming back?"
"She might have decided to stay there for a little while, Lucas," Igoshi said looking into his eyes.
"But then she will come back to be with us, right?"
Igoshi sighed. She grabbed the boy and pulled him up into her lap, then held him in her arms, while whispering:
"She might. She might not. Only time will tell."
Part IV
Learn how to see
Chapter 69
Bushlake, October 2016
He was watching him. Just as he had been for many months, he was staring at the boy, while he thought he was just dreaming. It was such a precious thing for Gubba, to watch people. He liked it. Especially this boy.
Julian Long was his name. He was sixteen and in the prime of his miserable life. Gubba had watched him for a long time because this boy was something special. He was loved by everyone in this forsaken town, the same town that had hated Gubba so much, the same town that had allowed his mother to hurt him, thinking they were all rid of him.
But he was going to show them; he was far from done. Far from done.
“They ain’t gonna like where this is going,” he muttered under his breath, using the same words his mother had said to him on the day she had chained him to the tree and left him in the burning sun. Yes, she was in prison now for what she had done. He knew she was because of what he had seen in her dreams, but it was far from enough. He wanted her to suffer, he wanted her to tremble and beg for his mercy. Just like the rest of this town soon would.
Julian was in his backyard where Gubba usually found him, on the swing of his childhood.
What was it about people and those swings they always returned to? Didn’t they ever get bored with visiting the same place over and over again?
Gubba was very grateful to E.T. for showing him how to find people and how to exploit this world. There was something truly amazing about tormenting people in a world they believed was safe.
“It was just a bad dream,” their parents or spouses would say to them as they woke up, bathed in sweat, gasping for air, heart pounding.
But it wasn’t, was it? No, this was Gubba’s playground, this was his world now. The past six months, after realizing that he could do more to people than make them wake up screaming, he had made his plans. He still didn’t understand fully how everything worked with all the different worlds and people visiting them in their dreams, not knowing it wasn’t a harmless dream, but another reality. He wasn’t even sure E.T. fully understood how it worked. But he understood enough to use it.
He had practiced, a lot. Over and over again he had perfected his skill set, getting better and better at finding the right people. He had learned that not all people were easy to find, and some were more receptive than others. As a rule, he had found that the more fearful they were, the easier it was for him to mess with them. Like this boy Julian who was filled with fear for so many things. He was an easy target and perfect because Gubba knew how much the town loved him and would mourn his death.
Look at him on that stupid swing, going back and forth like he doesn’t have a care in the world.
Gubba stepped forward, holding the umbrella in his right hand, still making sure it covered his face as he always did when watching people, so they wouldn’t be able to recognize him.
You can swing all you want, my little friend, you’re not avoiding what is coming. ‘Cause it’s coming.
Julian spotted him and stopped swinging instantly. His eyes grew big and wide as he watched Gubba come closer, walking fast and determined.
“W-who are you?” he asked.
When he was close enough, Gubba lifted the umbrella just enough for the boy to see his face properly, then smiled when he saw his reaction. In this case, it really came in handy to look like the monster he was determined to become.
“I, my little friend, am your worst nightmare.”
Chapter 70
Bushlake, October 2016
They were back at her old house. After losing the girl, E.T. had been desperately looking for someone else to replace her, but it wasn’t every day you found a traveler like her. E.T. had been looking for someone like her for more than thirty years, and now that stupid boy had destroyed everything.
Just because he couldn’t control his darn temper.
E.T. sighed and looked at her computer. This was one of the ways she searched for travelers around the globe. She looked for things out of the ordinary. Especially stories of people suddenly appearing in places or disappearing without a trace. Or even better, for people flickering, but those were so rare she had only encountered it once, with that young girl.
Six months had passed and E.T. was losing hope. She grabbed the bottle of gin from the cabinet and opened it. She poured some in her coffee cup and drank it. It stung wonderfully inside and made her relax.
She removed one of Gubba’s T-shirts from the chair and threw it on the floor. The boy annoyed her immensely. Ever since his screw up, she had been mad at him, but what was the use? What was done was done.
She had let the boy come back and stay with her because she still thought he might be useful to her in some way. Except for the food he ate, which was quite a lot, he wasn’t much of an expense. E.T. wasn’t rich, but she still had money from the man she married twenty years ago. It was only for a few years, but by the time he died, he left her enough to live off for the rest of her life, if she didn’t overspend.
E.T. sat back down, cup still in her hand, and scrolled through the news. It was all about the upcoming election. Would it be Bernie Sanders or Sarah Palin?
Who cares?
E.T. finished her cup, then looked around. She felt a sadness come over her as she thought about all that she once had and now she was living like this. She poured herself another cup of gin, then sipped it while reading about the famine in Europe and how so many children were freezing to death in Scandinavia because of the Global Freeze they were experiencing.
Our oceans are drying out, some expert was quoted saying. Soon there will be more land than ocean. We can’t survive without our oceans.
E.T. scoffed, remembering how many times she had heard people talk about the end of the world, in so many different worlds. It was always the same. It was like people wanted to be afraid. Like they couldn’t exist without it.
E.T. didn’t care much about any of what was in the news. All she could think of, and had been thinking of for thirty years, was how to get back.
“You should have taken care of it on your own, you old fool,” she mumbled to herself. “Instead of letting that idiot destroy everything.”
She hadn’t believed she could do it. She was old and fragile, mostly skin and bones. She wasn’t strong like young Gubba. But now she regretted leaving it to him more than anything. He hadn’t understood what a treasure that little girl was. How rare she was.
As she thought about it, the door opened and Gubba entered. There was something about him, something different. E.T. squinted her eyes at him, then got up and walked closer, sniffing his T-shirt.
“What are you doing, old woman?” he said and pushed her away.
She smiled. “You’ve killed, haven’t you? I can smell it on you. You smell different. You smell like death.”
“It’s none of your business, old hag,” Gubba said as he pushed her again, then walked past her into his room, where he slammed the door behind him.
E.T. st
ood looking after him with nothing but the sweet smell in her nostrils, thinking about old times when she had ruled the worlds, when not only this world had been her oyster, but all the worlds had. Before it was all taken away.
I have to find a way back. I simply have to.
Chapter 71
Bushlake, October 2016
It was Anna’s idea. Andrew still wasn’t sure it was a good one, but how could he deny her anything after all she had been through? Andrew felt a pinch in his heart as he parked the car in front of the Hayseed Café. They had been in this strange small town called Bushlake for several weeks now and, even though it had been a rough start—to put it mildly—the place was starting to grow on him.
He entered the front door and held it open for Anna so her dog Lucy could guide her through. She was getting really good at finding her way using her cane and dog. Still, Andrew didn’t let her out of his sight. Since the night she woke up blinded six months ago, he had made it his one mission in life to keep her safe and take care of her. There was no more staring at the bottle, no more hours spent mourning his loss or feeling sorry for himself. This was it. If Anna was going to get by in this life, he had to be the one to guide her way. Well, he and Lucy, who had become a nice addition to their small family.
Anna wasn’t traveling anymore at night. As a matter of fact, she hardly slept anymore. Andrew wondered if it was because she was scared. He knew he was and he found himself often staying awake to keep an eye on her, but she told him she wasn’t going back. She couldn’t find her way, even if she tried. In the beginning, she did try again and again, but failed and woke up crying. She talked to Andrew about it in the mornings, or sometimes late at night when she couldn’t fall asleep. She would tell him how she was terrified of meeting this Umbrella Man again. She would also explain how badly she missed seeing her grandmother and her younger brother, then go on to tell stories about them. She would tell stories so detailed and wonderful that he no longer doubted she had lived through all of it, that she had actually—somehow that he couldn’t explain with science or his common sense—traveled to another dimension and lived an entire life there. It was still odd for him to think about, but for her sake, he decided to believe it. And when she had asked for his help to find her way back, he had told her he would do whatever it took. Even though he was slightly relieved that she couldn’t go back to that place anymore where this man could hurt her, he could see her longing grow every day. So, he had told her he would help her. As long as she stayed safe. He was going to make sure she did.
That was how they ended up in Bushlake. Anna had found this article online, a story written in an online forum for people believing in these types of things. This article was written by a young woman named Hannah Charles, who had one day woken up in her own bed, but not been able to recognize anything around her. Like her curtains that were brown, when she remembered having blinds. Like her cereal being different and even her job was something else. Worst of all, the article said, was that apparently, she was still together with the boyfriend she remembered leaving six months earlier.
When Anna read this girl’s story, she believed this girl had traveled like she used to herself. And she wanted to talk to her. Andrew couldn’t see any harm in talking.
They had found her in Bushlake, a small town out in the boonies. At first, it was hard to get her to talk to them since she was just trying to live her life not talking about this anymore. Everyone had thought she was crazy when she started telling how everything was different and saying that she didn’t recognize her own life anymore. They had been talking about admitting her to Whispering Pines and that scared her. So, she didn’t want to talk about it. She was just trying to live her life, she told them. But once she realized Andrew and Anna actually believed her, she had given in and told them her story.
“I want some of that wonderful cheesecake,” Anna said when Jean approached them. Jean seemed tired. It was no surprise. She had been taking care of the café all alone while Doris, who owned the place, was still recovering from her heart attack.
“Comin’ right up, hon’,” Jean said, forcing a smile. “Just the one piece, or is Dad having some too?”
“Make that three pieces,” Andrew said. “We’re waiting on someone.”
Just when they had come to town, someone found the body of a boy in the swamps close by. The boy had been one of the town’s beloved kids, Julian Long, and all hell broke loose afterward. Especially since two more were killed soon after. It wasn’t until Anna met some woman named Stephanie Boulder, a local reporter, and she learned that one of the victims, Kristi Gardner, had made drawings of a figure that Anna knew a little too well…
A man with an umbrella.
“Am I late?” a voice said and Andrew looked up with a smile.
Stephanie Boulder had her hair down. It was the first time Andrew had seen it in all its glory…her big red curly hair that surrounded her pale freckled face.
He smiled. “Right on time. We just ordered.”
Chapter 72
Bushlake, October 2016
“I’m so sorry for being late,” Stephanie said and sat down. “Grams had a few too many beers for her own good for lunch, so I had to put her to bed.”
“It’s okay,” Andrew said. “We just got here ourselves.”
“How is Grams doing?” Anna asked. She had gotten really close with Stephanie’s grandmother while living with them. She reminded her a lot of Igoshi.
“So-so,” Stephanie said. “She doesn’t tell me much, you know. The cancer is eating her, that’s for sure. Seems like she is getting smaller each day that passes, but she keeps her spirits high. I woke up last night because she was playing loud music. I found her dancing in the living room, the crazy old bat.” Stephanie stopped to chuckle, but it wasn’t a happy chuckle. Anna knew she was sad because she knew she was going to lose her soon. It was a feeling Anna knew and understood better than most people.
“That’s what it was,” Anna said, remembering waking up the night before because of the music.
Anna had only explained the most necessary things to Stephanie. She hadn’t talked to her about how she used to travel the worlds at night, how she lived her life in another place as well as here, a very different life. It was too soon. Just believing that someone could actually kill you in your dream was a lot to swallow for her. It was for most people.
But Stephanie had met Umbrella Man herself and been hurt by him in her dreams, and so had several others in town. It seemed like he had found a way to cause a lot of trouble around here. For a long time, he had been tormenting people in the town, creating nightmares for them and hurting them badly, especially the younger ones. In total, he had killed three people, that they knew of.
That was about to end.
Jean arrived with the cheesecake and they ate in silence. Anna sensed Stephanie was worried and so was her dad. They chewed very slowly, making hardly any sounds. Anna couldn’t blame them. They had made a plan, but they all knew it was risky.
“I want to go in too,” Anna said suddenly.
“No,” Andrew said harshly, without even giving it a second thought. “I won’t allow it.”
“But, Dad.”
“No. Not gonna happen. It’s too dangerous.”
“I want to,” she continued.
He shook his head. “No. We agreed. Stephanie will do it. Mandy will help her. Mandy has met him before too and she’s the one who works at Whispering Pines. You’re just a kid. You stay here with me.”
“But Mandy is a teenager too.”
“She is older than you and…well, she can see,” Andrew said.
Anna bit her lip in anger. He had to throw that at her, didn’t he?
“Besides, you haven’t been able to go back for six months, remember?” Andrew continued.
“I have been back,” Anna said defiantly. She crossed her arms in front of her, then mumbled under her breath. “Just not to the place I wanted to go.”
“Fact is,
you’re blind, Anna. You can’t find your way. Besides, this guy wants to hurt you. If you go back, he might do it again. He might even kill you this time. There’s no way I’m letting you do this.”
Anna growled and ate more of her cheesecake. She knew he was right, even though she didn’t want to admit it. She still didn’t know how to navigate in her dreams. She couldn’t fight him. But she was terrified by the idea that they were going to get face to face with this guy. She knew him. She knew how merciless he was. What if they didn’t make it? What if he hurt them? Where would that leave Anna and Andrew? Where would that leave this town?
Chapter 73
Bushlake, October 2016
Stephanie and Mandy both sounded so calm when sleeping, so it was hard to imagine they were about to face the terror of their lives. Anna listened to their breathing while standing in the middle of the room. It was her idea to do the experiment at Whispering Pines, the mental institution right outside of town because she knew some of the patients here were like her. They had traveled too and come back and talked about it, then probably been deemed insane and drugged to an extent that they didn’t wake up in this world anymore. But they would be very much alive in the other. It gave Mandy and Stephanie a chance to have some help, in case they needed it, she thought. And if they really managed to find Umbrella Man, then they sure needed all the help they could get.
Mandy’s hand was twitching in her sleep now; Anna heard it like an inconsistent drum on the sheet. Soon, she was also moaning lightly. Anna spoke to her dad.
“Something’s happening,” she said. “To Mandy. Her hands are shaking.”
Anna had given them the it’s like a house explanation that her own grandmother used to give her. And now she only hoped that they had found the same room as each other, that they walked through the same doors. It worried her that it seemed to be only Mandy’s heartbeat she could hear, only Mandy’s hands that were shaking, drumming on the sheet. Why wasn’t Stephanie in distress? Weren’t they together?