Darkness Descends

by J. C. Kavanagh

  The sound of jangling coins diverted her attention and she hustled to her cell phone. It was a text from Max.

  Can we talk before school?

  Jayden typed her response. Staying home today. Got things to do.

  She walked to the living room window and opened it, ushering in a wave of warm September air. Moments later, Max responded.

  Can I call you right now?

  Puzzled, Jayden replied, Sure.

  Her phone rang and Jayden connected. “What’s up, Max?”

  “I’ve been thinking about Connor,” he began. “And why we haven’t met him in the real world.”

  “And...”

  “And I’m wondering if maybe we should try to find him, kinda make it happen instead of waiting for it to happen.”

  “And how would we do that?”

  “Well, I have a few ideas... he said his little sister is in a coma somewhere and I thought we could start with that.”

  “You mean searching hospitals?” Jayden considered his idea. “Do we even know her name? Or Connor’s last name?”

  Max’s sigh was loud enough to force Jayden to shift the phone away from her ear. “Maybe you have a better idea?” he asked with annoyance.

  “No,” Jayden retorted, “but aren’t there privacy laws about things like this? We can’t just call the hospital and say, “Uh, hey there, do you have a comatose girl at your place, and sorry, I don’t know her last name or age, but maybe you can just give me the names of all the comatose girls there. Oh and thanks for sharing with a stranger.”

  “Gee whiz,” Max snorted, “it was just an idea!”

  Jayden sat on the couch and put the phone to her forehead. Be nice, she told herself. She took a deep breath and put the phone back to her ear. “Sorry, Max, I’m not having a great morning. Or week, actually.” There was no response from Max, so Jayden continued. “Maybe we should ask Connor where he lives? The next time we’re dreaming together.”

  The silence from Max lingered. “Are you still there, Max?” Jayden asked.

  “Yeah, yeah,” he finally answered. “I guess what I really want to know is – why are you and I meeting in the real world? And more importantly, does it have anything to do with getting out of the dream world?”

  * * *

  Wasiem Nanjee arrived before noon, as promised. Jayden opened the apartment door and beckoned him inside. It was the first time he had been inside the apartment since helping Jayden and her mom move there. He quickly surveyed the place and then raised an eyebrow at Jayden. “Is it me or has the place not changed at all in the last eight years?”

  “Yeah, it’s the same, just more dust and grime.”

  He swallowed hard, peering at her sympathetically. “Well then... the police suggested we bring a current photo of your mom so they can distribute it amongst the force.”

  Jayden spread her arms in a gesture of despair. “I don’t have any pics of her.”

  Surprised, her dad asked, “Not even on your phone?”

  Jayden shook her head. “The only picture I have of mom is from my middle school graduation, over four years ago. It’s a pic of you and me and her.”

  “Well, bring it anyway,” he suggested. “It’s better than nothing.”

  They drove in silence to the police station and waited to speak with the officer who had spoken to Jayden’s superintendent. Thirty minutes later, they were escorted to a small cubicle where a constable sat with a landline phone to his ear, hands hovering over a keyboard. He gestured for them to sit in the chairs fronting his desk and nodded vigorously into the phone. “Yeah, yeah, I’m working on it.”

  Hanging up the phone, he stood and introduced himself. “Police Constable Kowalski. How can I help you?

  Jayden’s dad handed over the family photo and said, “You were at my daughter’s apartment earlier this week inquiring about her damaged Jeep. And I called earlier about a missing person. My ex-wife – Jayden’s mom. They told me to bring a current photo but this is all we have.”

  Kowalski nodded curtly at Jayden and then examined the photo. “There should be a record of your call about this. What’s the name of your ex-wife?”

  “It’s Patricia Watson-Nanjee. Patty,” Wasiem answered, spelling her name.

  The officer keyed in Patty’s name and the search results popped up moments later. His face did not register any emotion but his eyes looked at them accusingly. “It says here that she turned herself in earlier this week. That she wrecked her daughter’s car.” He pointed to Jayden. “That you?”

  Jayden nodded.

  “Well, it also says here she requested a medical examination.”

  Jayden strained forward. “But why?”

  The officer continued to read from the monitor. “It says here she wanted an examination before being evaluated for admittance to a rehabilitation facility.”

  “Rehab?” chimed in Wasiem.

  “That’s what it says here.”

  “Where can we find her?”

  The officer looked at the calendar on his desk. “Well, I’m not sure where she is right this minute, but the report says she went to the County Hospital on Tuesday.” He cocked his head in confusion. “And you obviously don’t know any of this since you’re submitting a Missing Person Report.” Both Jayden and her dad nodded.

  “She declined her legal rights while here. Apparently she wanted to sober up before the medical examination.” The officer stood with a dismissive wave, handing Jayden the family photo. “You probably know the rehab facility shares grounds with the hospital. Perhaps you should look there before you file the report.”

  Wasiem thanked the officer and they left. Back in her dad’s car, relief and anger washed over Jayden. “Aagh,” she cried, punching the dashboard of her dad’s car. “Why didn’t she call? How could she do this to me? What is wrong with her?”

  Placing his hand gently on Jayden’s cheek, Wasiem stroked her face. Exasperation and exhaustion filled her eyes and she closed them, soaking up her father’s calm affection.

  “I’m taking some vacation time so we can figure this out together,” he said. “I know you told me you want to live with your mom, and that you love your school and that you have a great gang of friends there.” He paused and looked intently into Jayden’s eyes. “But, I’m not sure if you were telling me the whole truth.” Before Jayden could interject, he continued. “It doesn’t matter – because I think now is the time for you to paint your own life’s masterpiece, and now is the time for you to believe you don’t have to take care of your mom.” He took her hands in his. “You see, Jayden, I believe the crossing point of independence has come for your mom and she’s finally embracing it. And with that, I believe now is the time for you to come live with me.”

  Tears spilled from Jayden’s eyes. “And this is supposed to be part of my crossing point, right?”

  Her dad nodded. “Together, we can work it out.”

  Jayden leaned back against the headrest. “You always know how to make things right,” she whispered.

  Wasiem pointed at his daughter. “And you do too. You just have to believe it and make it happen.”

  Chapter 16

  Drunk on a Slinky

  It was a quiet night at the Mortimer household – only Max was home. Friday nights were usually spent under the neon lights of a football stadium, cheering on Junior’s team, and this night was no exception. Max had declined, though, citing a homework assignment. He was normally an unconvincing liar, but this time his contrived excuse was accepted by the family. Self-assigned homework counts as homework, right?

  By 11 p.m., Max had explored every Internet search engine he knew to find headlines or articles of any female child recently admitted to the hospital in a comatose state. He began his search within the county and, when that brought ‘0’ results, he extended it, section by section, across the country. If a young girl was taken to the hospital in such a state, it had not been reported as ‘news.’ Maybe Connor lives in a different country? Max stre
tched and yawned, determined to think of something, anything, that would provide a clue to Connor’s whereabouts.

  Sighing, he prepared for bed, accepting his search failure. He was certain of one thing, though: tonight would be a night of travelling to Dick’s dream world. In anticipation, Max pulled the General Jaxxon shirt over his head and smoothed it over his chest. His mind embraced the motivational invincibility that the shirt evoked and he tapped his chest with a fist. I am, I really am, invincible.

  Lying down, Max kept his body rigid and his eyes open until sleep stole upon him, its lethargic fog melting all willpower to remain alert. He closed his eyes and succumbed to sleep’s call.

  * * *

  The light. Oh, the brightness. It’s the sun – it must be morning. Max pried opened his eyes just a smidge and then closed them tightly. Not the sun. The cross over. I’m at the cross over.

  He could hear the faint resonance of pounding metal and repetitive chants but the sound was muffled, as though filtered through a closed door. Shielding his eyes, Max glanced away but where there was full light on his right, there was only smoky darkness to the left. “It’s like a protective wall over there,” he thought. “Like a black shield.”

  Max shifted his mind into neutral, allowing his body to absorb the weightlessness, the feeling of being suspended in zero gravity. This is how General Jaxxon feels – indestructible.

  Max waited for the inevitable invitation, and for the strange figure within the light to extend his hand.

  “Max.”

  There he is.

  “Max,” said the man’s gentle voice. “You have to cross over.”

  “Wait!” Max interrupted. “Who are you? What are you?”

  “You have to cross over now,” repeated the voice, “before it’s too late.”

  “Wait! I need to know... are you m-m-my Protector?” Max asked, holding his breath in anticipation.

  “I AM WHO YOU WANT ME TO BE,” thundered the voice.

  “Okay man, okay!” Max said. “Then that’s who you are. That’s who I want you to be... my Protector.” Max unclenched his hands and stretched out his arms. The falling sensation began even before he stepped into the light.

  * * *

  At her dad’s home, Jayden sprawled across her comfortable bed, burrowing deep into the mattress and pulling the down-filled duvet up around her chin. The roller-coaster of emotions that day had taken its toll. She was emotionally exhausted. Between fits of anger at her mom’s disappearance had come bouts of wailing and sobs she couldn’t control. During all of her tirades, her dad stayed beside her, holding her hand when she needed it and rubbing her back when she needed that too. He did not chide her nor did he try to stifle her emotions. He let her march, hip-deep, into the tortured emotions surrounding her relationship with her mother. Only when Jayden had exhausted the deep well of negativity did her dad steer her toward acceptance, toward peacefulness, toward love. “You cannot hate what you cannot control,” he advised. She railed again, though, stymied that her dad wouldn’t take her side. “Ma left me,” she shouted. “She doesn’t care about anyone or anything. So why should I?”

  She had never before spoken to her dad like that. The constant uncertainty of life with her mother bubbled up and completely overpowered any sense of tactfulness. She laid her soul bare until there was nothing left to hide, nothing left to feel.

  “It is not your fault,” he said in a gentle voice. “What she’s doing now – acknowledging she has a problem and doing something positive to fix it – that is the strongest thing she’s done in years. In fact, it’s the best thing she’s done for herself since you were a child.”

  The tears came again, but with them, and with her dad’s cleansing words, came hope. Hope that her mom’s brave new beginning would endure. Hope that her mom’s bitterness would melt away. Hope that the hole in her mom’s heart would be filled with something good. She went to bed, depleted of energy and finally devoid of emotion.

  Jayden rolled over and hugged her pillow with one arm. Tomorrow, they were going to visit her mom. It had taken her dad several phone calls and many explanations but he had found her and, just like the police constable said, she was at the county rehab centre. Patty had agreed, though reluctantly, to see them.

  Jayden felt herself sink into the blackness of sleep and she welcomed it. But just as her mind was falling into a sleep state, her ears picked up the sound of water. Running water.

  Wet. She was soaking wet. One ear was plugged with water and Jayden shook her head, trying to clear it. I hate water in my ear! The sting of sand scraping her cheek forced her to open her eyes. She was lying face-down on a stony, granular beach. Water from the river was lapping around her feet and, though the air was as warm as the water, Jayden shivered. She pulled herself to her knees, realizing that not only was she in the dream world, but that she had arrived there without the blinding light hand-off from her ‘Protector.’ She pressed her lips together. Is that important?

  The full moon was in its rightful place in the sky, gleaming benevolently, its reflection rippling on the rapidly flowing river behind her. The beach was bright under its glare, but the woods ahead, at the base of the squat mountain, were in deep charcoal shadow. Jayden remained crouched, eyes searching in every direction for Max and Connor. She knew her orange pyjamas were a beacon in the moonlight so she stood upright, as if announcing her arrival. Of course, you’re letting that Dick-character know you’re here too. Dismissing the thought, Jayden cupped hands around her mouth and whisper-shouted: “Guys! Where are you?”

  Cough.

  Jayden crouched again, unsure where the sound originated. There was no one on the beach around her. Spying a leafy bush midway to the woods, Jayden ran forward in a crouched position and slumped beside it.

  “I was wondering when you were going to get your butt over here.” It was Connor, his blue eyes twinkling in the moonlight. He pivoted on one knee and pointed to the woods where a ginger head bobbed between the trees. “He arrived just after you did.”

  “Arrived?”

  “Yeah, that’s kinda how it happened. I was suddenly here, and then you appeared, and then I heard crackling noises behind me and voilà, there was Max.”

  The two hurried into the woods, joining Max. His face expressed the relief they all felt. “We made it!”

  “That waterfall, though...” Jayden shuddered at the memory.

  “This journey, though...” Connor emphasized. “This journey... us being together again, it’s for my sister. To find and rescue her.”

  “Yeah,” agreed Max. “About that, your sister.” He paused.

  “What about her?” asked Connor.

  “There was something I wanted to ask you.” Puzzled, Max put a hand to his forehead. “Or maybe something I had to tell you?” He shook his head violently, the springy mop of hair flying side to side as he wracked his brain for an answer. He studied Connor’s face, then Jayden’s. Bewildered, he sputtered, “That’s so weird. I can’t remember what it was. I j-j-just remember it was important.” He spread his arms. “About us.”

  “Us...” Connor let the word hang in the air.

  With impatience, Max shook his head again. “I got nothing... nada.”

  “Well, I’m sure it’ll come back to you,” Connor said encouragingly.

  Max was not as optimistic. “There’s got to be a reason for that. For not remembering.”

  “We need to move,” Jayden interrupted. “Before we have uninvited company. Like that Dick-guy. Which way do we go?”

  Connor tilted his head back, peering through the tops of the trees. “We have to keep the moon at our eleven o’clock,” he replied, pointing forward and slightly to the left. “That will keep us on track for the top of the mountain and the Town of Sleepmore. But the main thing is to search for signs of Georgia – she could be anywhere.”

  The three surveyed their surroundings, eyes adjusting to the semi-gloom shadows within the moon-rayed forest.

  “Ready?�
� Connor asked. The others nodded. Connor snapped a dead branch from the nearest tree and held it beside him like a walking stick/weapon. He set the pace as they semi-jogged through the upward-sloping forest, with Jayden and Max in single formation behind him.

  The sound of their laboured breathing sliced through the night air. If there were any creatures in the forest, they remained silent, wary of the jogging intruders. Strange-looking pine trees towered above them, their broken, jagged limbs jutting out at all angles. They were naked of healthy branches and needles, except at the tops, where the feathery limbs spread upward to the night sky. Jayden slowed her pace and examined one of the ‘naked’ trees that stood in the full moonlight. A second, narrow type of tree leaned against it. Jayden followed the upward growth of the smaller tree and noticed it was snaking around the tree like a vine. Peering at the other ‘naked’ trees, she saw most of them also had a second, narrow tree growing alongside. Jayden came to a stop and hunkered down on one knee. Max pulled up beside her.

  Wheezing, Max called out to Connor. “Hold up!”

  Breathing heavily, Connor turned and headed back toward them, his face red with exertion. “What’s up?” He paced back and forth, unable to keep still. “I can see a clearing about fifty metres ahead,” he said, panting. “Come on, we’re almost out.”

  “Wait,” Jayden said. “Check out these trees.”

  The boys strained their necks looking upward. Max circled the tree next to him, rubbing the springy bark of the narrow tree. “These little ones aren’t trees,” he said. “They’re vines. Tarzan-strong, blood-sucking, er, sap-sucking vines.”