Chapter 7
Daniel laid in bed staring up at the ceiling. He had tried all of the windows earlier and found one that opened. He really hated to sneak out into the night. He was afraid he would get caught but he couldn't let Jimmy think he was too scared.
He had warned Jimmy about Duncan's nightly visits and how he turned the power off to the room. Jimmy quietly laid in the big bed beside him. Since they had been small boys they had often slept in the same bed and never thought anything about it but now Daniel felt uncomfortable having his friend that close.
He hadn't had time to tell Jimmy about the incidents with the two women. He knew he had better just in case it happened again tonight. That was probably the reason he felt uneasy now, but he wasn't sure. It might even happen to Jimmy or again to him.
Of course Duncan hadn't helped when he stuck his head in the door. At least he didn't come in and examine him like he usually did but what he had said was almost as bad.
Daniel replayed it in his mind. He and Jimmy, were already in bed in just their underwear ready for the lights to go out. Duncan opened the door and walked a couple of steps in and stared down at them, shook his head as if he were disgusted. “I see you two boys are sleeping together. You're too old for that aren’t you.”
Daniel had wanted to say there was nothing wrong with it. He wanted to tell him to get out, leave them alone. He wanted to ask him what did he think they were anyway. There was nothing wrong with them. If anything there was something wrong with him. He was the one that always had to look at Daniel's naked body.
He wanted to say that. As he lay there he thought of all kinds of things he would like to have said but he hadn't. He just said it was more comfortable than the floor.
Duncan had shaken his head and left without saying anything else. Daniel had sulked for a few minutes until Jimmy burst into laughter. Jimmy as usual came to the rescue and called Duncan a pedophile and explained that it was an adult that molested children.
Daniel laughed and agreed with Jimmy but then he began to wonder about Duncan. He was strange, of course he had never done anything to him, except put antiseptic on his scratch. Well, there were the constant inspections of his body as if he was looking for something. But then he was a coach and into the physical development of healthy bodies.
That made Daniel begin to wonder about his own sudden growth, almost overnight growth. It all seemed to be connected to the visits by the red and blue women. He knew Duncan was aware of it or at least aware of something happening. Maybe that was why he kept inspecting him to see what was happening.
“Daniel?” Jimmy whispered, interrupting his thoughts.
“Yeah. Why are you whispering? Believe me you could scream in this room and nobody would hear.”
“All right.” Jimmy spoke out loud. “Are we going to go down and meet that girl?”
“Lynda.” Daniel corrected. “Sure, let's do it.”
They dressed and climbed out the window with the Ouija Board and a flashlight.
Although the sun had set about twenty minutes earlier there still remained a faint hint of its light over the horizon.
“We had better not turn the flashlight on until we're over the hill.” This time Daniel whispered as his feet touched the grass below the window.
They walked in silence up the first hill looking back occasionally to see if they were going to be caught. Each one sighed a little in relief as they passed out of sight of the house.
The stars above were the only source of light now and they started stepping carefully to insure their footing on the graveled road. Finally Jimmy flicked the flashlight on.
“There that's better.”
“Yeah.” Daniel agreed. “I hope there's no snakes out here.”
“Snakes? I hadn't thought about that as we walked up the hill. Makes me dread walking back.”
Daniel was a little surprised by his friend’s admission. Jimmy always seemed so brave but Daniel had thought about snakes. He even imagined stepping on one with each step he had made in the dark night. But now they had the flashlight.
As they walked Daniel decided this was a good time to tell Jimmy what had happened to him the two previous nights. He went into detail as much as he could and finished the story at about the same time they reached the gate.
“You dreamed it.” Jimmy said.
“Jimmy, I swear I didn't dream it. It was real. Honest to God. Jimmy, give me the flashlight.” Daniel held the light to his own face. “Jimmy, I give you my oath of, ‘do or die’. If it didn't happen I'll burn forever in a fiery hell.”
Jimmy stared at the eerie light on Daniel's face and had never seen his friend so serious in all his life. Jimmy shook his head. “I don't doubt you think it happened. It just all seems too insane. You can understand what I'm saying can't you. Put yourself in my shoes. What would you think?”
Daniel handed the flashlight back to Jimmy and shook his head in the faint shadowed light. “Yeah, I know. It don't sound real but it happened.”
Jimmy stared at him through the shadows. He had never known Daniel to lie not even before they had invented the ‘do or die’ oath. Why would Daniel lie now? Lie? That was the real word. Why would he fantasize something like this?
Daniel still saw the doubt in his friend's face. “You think I've imagined it. Here shine your light.” Daniel unzipped his pants and pulled down the front, showing the long red fingernail scratch across his belly and down his penis.
Jimmy's jaw dropped in a gap. “Gees, what the hell? My God, something really did happen and what happened your penis looks bigger.
Daniel zipped his pants and started climbing the gate. “I told you.”
Jimmy handed the Ouija Board over with the flashlight to Daniel and followed.
They crossed the log and stopped at the edge of the creek. Daniel now had the light and shone it across to the other side.
“Lynda.” He called out and waited.
The only sounds they heard were those of the nocturnal creatures forging their lively hood and the faint screech of a distant owl.
“Looks like she's not going to show, let's go back.” Jimmy said.
“It's not ten yet. Let's cross over and wait. I don't know―I just have this feeling that she will show. We'll wait until fifteen after and if she doesn't come we'll go back. Okay?”
“Okay.” Jimmy said with some reluctance but followed Daniel's lead. He couldn't believe how brave Daniel seemed now. He had changed so much in just a short time, both physically and mentally.
They crossed the road and Daniel led the way to the burnt out cabin. He stepped through the remains of the threshold and flashed the light around the area.
No one was there with only the sound of the crickets calling. The stillness of the night seemed to close in on them.
“Hello.” Came Lynda's voice from behind them. Jimmy jumped from the startle but Daniel just turned.
“Hi, we made it.” Daniel turned the light on her lower body so as not to blind her. “Where's your flashlight?”
“Don't have one.” She said as she walked toward them. She still wore the red dress from earlier in the day but their artificial light made it seem to cling and shine like silk or satin, not like the flat cotton it was earlier in the day.
“How do you see?” Jimmy asked trying to hide his awe of her.
“I manage.” She laughed blithely. “I've traveled these hills and paths all my life. I know them by heart.”
“We brought the Ouija board.” Daniel held it out for her inspection.
She touched the board with a show of respect that surprised Daniel. From what he had seen in his short life most people thought of it as just a parlor game but he knew different.
“How does it work?” She asked, glancing first at Jimmy and then to Daniel as if he were the one that had the answer.
Daniel sat down on the soil which substituted for the cabin's floor. He crossed his legs and la
id the board down. Jimmy joined him and sat as they both looked up at Lynda. She grabbed the bottom of her dress and sat down rearranging it over her knees.
Daniel laid the flashlight beside the board and set the planchette on it.
“What's that?” Lynda asked Daniel but before he could answer Jimmy interrupted.
“That's a planchette. We call it the plain shit.” He reached out and slid it around the board several times. “We touch it and ask questions. Then it moves to answer your question by spelling it. Of course if you ask it yes or no questions, it's faster.” Jimmy reached over and patted Lynda on the knee and smiled.
Lynda tilted her head forward and squinted her eyes staring at him. Jimmy moved his hand and shivered when the sensation of a cold-willy ran up his spine. The sensation was so great he even shook his head as if to release the energy.
“What was that?” He turned to Daniel who he thought had the answer to everything.
“What was what?” Daniel asked.
“Nothing.” Jimmy shrugged. “I just had a shiver hit. I guess it's my imagination.”
Daniel looked at his friend. That wasn’t like Jimmy. Usually Jimmy was more outspoken. He always told it all but it wasn’t like him to try to peek up her dress. Usually it didn't bother Daniel when Jimmy put the move on the girls. Even he had got to see a breast when Jimmy had talked this one girl into showing hers to them both. But this time Daniel didn't like it when Jimmy touched Lynda. Daniel thought about it for a moment as to why he felt like that. He finally dismissed the thought.
“Let get started.” Daniel reached out and touched the planchette. “Here…, your index finger of each hand on it lightly, don't press down.”
Jimmy and Lynda both followed his example.
“Okay, now just close your eyes and relax a moment and try not to think anything. It clears the air.” Daniel shut his eyes and breathed deeply.
They sat there for almost a minute listening to the sounds of the night.
“I'll ask the first question.” Daniel took the lead. “Then we will take turns asking questions counterclockwise. I'll go…, then Jimmy then you. Okay?”
Lynda smiled faintly and nodded her head.
“Is there anyone here?”
The planchette sat unmoving as they stared down in expectation and then slowly almost methodically it began its tedious trek to “yes.”
Daniel nodded to Jimmy. Jimmy inhaled briefly trying to calm the butterflies in his stomach. He wasn't sure why he felt so scared but this seemed so different than usual. “Who are you?”
Slowly it spelled out the word, “J.I.B.B.E.R.J.A.B.”
Jimmy sighed in relief at the word. “It's our old ghost friend Mr. Jibberjab. We've talked to him before.”
“Shh!” Daniel hissed for his friend not to talk, then nodded to Lynda.
“I don't know what to ask?” She paused and looked to Daniel as if he would tell her, but he just shrugged his shoulders. “Are you a ghost?”
“He told us before he was.” Jimmy said but his eyes widened as he stared down as the planchette began to move to “NO.”
“No!” Daniel repeated. “Before you said you were a ghost, why did you tell us that?”
“NOT UNDERSTAND.” The board slowly spelled.
Daniel stared at Jimmy to see if he would ask the question he had on his mind and as if by telepathy Jimmy seemed to read his mind. “If you're not a ghost what are you?”
“ENTITY.”
“Entity?” This time Lynda repeated it. “What is that?” She paused as Daniel's eyebrows raised up and then she went on to clarify her question. “Is that like an angel or demon?”
“YES.”
Daniel swallowed trying to get the fear lump from his throat. “Are you an Angel?”
“NO.”
Jimmy jerked his hand off the planchette as if he had been shocked but replaced them when Daniel scowled.
“Then you're...,” Jimmy stopped and inhaled deeply trying to calm himself. “Then you're a demon?”
The planchette sat there unmoving for several seconds as if the question were being contemplated and then slowly answered, “NO.”
The three of them looked at each other in confusion. Jimmy and Daniel watched Lynda as she worked to formulate her next question.
“If you're neither angel nor demon, then what are you?”
“I EXIST.”
Daniel shifted back and forth on his butt as the cold soil took it's numbing toll. “You're an entity. We talked to you before, why are you here?”
“PROTECT.”
“Protect who?” Jimmy asked quickly.
“SELF.”
“But who are you protecting yourself from?”
The planchette rose into the air and spun around several times and flopped down in Daniel's lap.
The three of them jumped up from their sitting position and backed away from the board. Daniel swatted at the planchette knocking it to the ground several feet away.
“What was that?” Jimmy cried out.
“I don’t know,” Daniel answered in between breaths. “But whatever it is, it thinks I’m going to hurt it. I don’t think we’re going to learn anything more tonight.”
He paced around the board staring at it for several seconds. “I don’t think I want to know anything else but I believe it has something to do with what has been happening to me.”
Lynda tilted her head and looked at Daniel. “What happen to you?”
“I don’t want to say right now. It’s all too crazy. I think it’s time to go back home. Do you want us to walk you home?”
“No, I’ll be all right. You forget I’ve lived around here all my life. How about you two? Do you want me to walk you back home?” She laughed trying to ease the tension.
“We’ll be okay.” Daniel answered and then grunted when Jimmy elbowed him in the side. Daniel turned and glared at him.
Jimmy gave her a closed lip grin. “You could spend the night with us.”
Lynda scrunched up the right side of her face, raised her eyebrows and lowered her eyelids trying to look serious. “I don’t think you boys could handle that.”
Daniel’s eyes flew open wide and his jaw gaped. Jimmy was doing it again. He couldn’t believe the nerve Jimmy had.
Jimmy moved over closer to her. “Who’re you calling boys?”
“Well,” Lynda pulled her shoulders back forcing her breasts forward. “I seem to be the only woman here.”
Daniel stared at them in disgust. It was as if they were possessed by a sudden grip of sexual lust. He had felt that same way the two previous nights.
Jimmy reached down and grabbed his crotch and squeezed up a lump. “Here take hold of this and I’ll show you a man.”
Lynda’s eyes danced in the pale shadows and she reached for his offering.
“Stop it.” Daniel screamed so loud the echo repeated up the hollow. “Have you two gone crazy?”
“I don’t think this is the time or the place for this.” Daniel said in a huff and stomped off towards the log that crossed the stream.
“Wait a Minute.” Jimmy yelled and reached down and picked up the flashlight and Ouija Board.
“Daniel. Lynda called. “I, I’m Sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”
Daniel stopped when he heard her apologize. What was he doing? These were his friends and after all, hadn’t he done a similar thing last night and more. He was being a hypocrite. He turned around and looked back.
“It's okay Lynda.” He walked over to where she stood. Her palms were in her hands covering her silent sobs. “Lynda, come here, really, I'm the one that's sorry. I shouldn't have gotten mad.”
He held out his arms and she moved into them. She leaned her head against his shoulder and he stood there quietly holding her.
After several minutes Daniel pulled her away and looked at her. “Can we see you tomorrow afternoon?”
She nodded
, rubbing at her eyes with her hand. “Okay.” She said so softly it made his heart sink. “I, I'm sorry, I ....”
Daniel put his finger to her lips. “Shh! We'll all talk about this tomorrow when we're not all on edge.”
Lynda nodded, turned and walked away. Daniel stood there watching after her for a moment and then joined Jimmy on the other side of the creek.
“Daniel,” Jimmy began as they crossed the gate and headed up the hill, “I don't know what came over me. I mean, well, you know what I mean. I know what I was doing but it just seemed like it was someone else doing it, not me. I mean, I would have done it but not quite like that, so, so vulgar and all.”
“Jimmy, I truly understand. It happened to me. I told you. It's just like something takes control of you and you can't quit. The only thing different was that I didn't have anybody there to stop me.” He paused as they walked on, the flashlight’s gleam bobbing up and down as they walked. “Jimmy, I don’t know if I would have stopped it if I could. Any of it. Even the first night.”
They walked on in silence, making their way up and over the first hill, an occasional bird screeching in the distance and the sound of the gravel road popping beneath their feet.
Daniel stopped as they started up the second hill and whispered. “Jimmy, turn off the light and look up there.” He pointed at the road ahead where a dark silhouette loomed. Jimmy switched off the light. The dark figure seemed to be approaching them.
Their heart began to pound not sure who or what it was. “Let's lay down in the grass there.” They hunkered down low to the road and made their way to the grass and lay down on their bellies.
They breathed shallowly and listened as the sound of gravel began to grow louder in their ears. They raised their heads and stared at the dark figure as it stopped in front of them.
“What you two boys be up to?” The sound of Tarla's voice pierced the night and they thought their hearts were going to explode.
“Oh my god,” Daniel said as he began to stand up. “You scared us to death.”
“Now, you don't sound so much like you be dead but if Master Duncan catches you, you just might wishes you be.”
Jimmy joined Daniel, flicking the light onto her face and asked her accusingly. “What are you doing out here?”
Tarla squinted her eyes together severely. “If you be smart you’ll move that light from Tarla’s face.”
“Uh, sorry.” Jimmy apologized.
“I see you boys leave earlier from my room. I sits and watches until I sees your light come up over the first hill. I sees in the darkness. I comes out here to make sure you be okay. I thinks something maybe wrong with you two. I can feel these things.”
“We’re okay, Tarla.” Daniel said. “Are you going to tell Duncan?”
“There be no need to tell on the two of you as long as you remember this. If you goes out at night make sure you be back in your room before one o’clock in the morning time. It’s after one now.”
“Why one?” Daniel asked a little more bravely since she said she wouldn’t tell on them.
“At one, strange things sometimes happen in these here hills. Things that people will not discuss in the light of day. Don’t you never mind exactly what it be, you just listen and if you don’t give me your promise, then I promises to tell Master Duncan on you and he’ll be sending Master Jimmy back to his home. Do you agree?”
“Okay.” Daniel said, knowing he wasn’t going to get any other answers from her now.
“And you Master Jimmy?”
“Okay.”
“I wants your most sincere promise. Cause if you do go out it could be dangerous. Do you give it to me?”
“Do or ....” Jimmy glanced at Daniel’s dark face after beginning to say, do or die. Before he could finish Daniel interrupted him.
“Tarla!” We both give you our most sincere promise. Right Jimmy?” He nudged Jimmy’s side in the dark.
“Yeah, our most sincere promise.”
“Okay, then just don’t be forgetting your promises. Now hurry off and get back to the house. I’ll follow you to make sure you’re okay and ...?” Tarla trailed off as she barely voiced the word “protected,’ but Daniel heard it.
There was that word protected. It was the second time it came up tonight but how would she protect them and from what? He wasn’t sure if now was the time to ask.
“Okay. Goodnight Tarla.” Daniel said as he hurried up the hill with Jimmy close behind.
When they got to the top of the last hill they crest its ridge and stared down at the blackness of the white house nestled below.
“Daniel.” Jimmy whispered when they were out of earshot. “Why didn’t you give our, “do or die” promise?”
“Something’s going on and I’m not going to bind myself to anything I don’t intend to keep.”
“I don’t understand.
“I don't either but I plan to find out.” Daniel was the first one to reach the window and jumped easily up to the ledge. It had been so easy it shocked him. He guessed the work he had been doing was making him stronger. But should his strength increase this quickly. He had only been here a few days.
After he crawled into the room, Jimmy handed the flashlight up with the Ouija Board and reached up to pull himself in. He struggled for several seconds and Daniel reached down and helped his friend.
Daniel couldn't believe it. He had crawled in so easily but Jimmy, who had always been the most athletic, had trouble. He closed the window and they both skimmed down to their underwear and climbed into bed.
Daniel's last thought before sleep becoming his evening shade, was hope. He truly hoped the women would come tonight so Jimmy would believe him. But he wasn't sure how Jimmy would respond or if they would be after Jimmy instead of him.