Jump When Ready

by David Pandolfe

  “I see,” Martha said. “Please come in.”

  We stepped into a space I couldn’t have possibly imagined, a room the size of a house with gleaming wood floors and windows that reached the ceiling. Outside, I saw the snowcapped peaks of giant mountains where clouds drifted by, reflecting sunlight. Large snowy white eagles, unlike anything I’d ever seen even photographed on earth, rode currents of air, their wings spread.

  “Can I get you anything?” Martha said.

  “Do you have any root beer?” Nikki said.

  “Sure.”

  “How about a cappuccino, Red Bull or Fuze? Or maybe a chocolate milkshake?”

  Martha smiled. “Of course.”

  “Mountain Dew?”

  Martha played along. “Just ran out.”

  “Then that’s what I’ll have.”

  Martha laughed and looked at me. “Having fun getting to know Nikki?”

  “I think so,” I said.

  Nikki punched me in the arm, pretty hard.

  “I mean, yes. She’s very, um, different.” The funny thing was that I could now feel Nikki smacking me. Before, when she’d thrown that cone at my head, I hadn’t felt it. I wondered if this might be another one of those “between lives” deals. Maybe our reality sort of adjusted as we got to know each other better.

  Martha, I saw, was trying not to laugh. “Good, glad to see you’re getting along. Grab a seat and I’ll be right back.”

  Suddenly, I felt like slapping myself for having just been goofing around. What the hell was wrong with me? Something about this place made our old world seem less real. Like, just as suddenly, that other realm could become the dream and this the reality. I told myself I was going to need to stay focused.

  Nikki and I took a seat on one of Martha’s white leather sofas. Martha came back a moment later with cans of Mountain Dew and a bottle of water for herself. She placed the drinks down on her glass table and sat across from us.

  “Okay, what’s going on?” Martha’s expression told me she was ready to take our visit seriously.

  As I told Martha about what had happened, she listened calmly, pretty much as Nikki had before. She seemed concerned, definitely, but more about me than Bethany. She kept asking how I’d felt, how I’d reacted and if I was okay—almost as if what had happened on the other side barely mattered except for how it had affected me. When I finished, she finally asked, “Do you feel Bethany’s life is in danger?”

  I gripped the arm of the sofa, my fingers digging into the leather. “Yes! I don’t know what those two people are about. They could be total psychos for all I know.”

  Martha sipped her water and set it back down again. “I just need to be sure about what you’re feeling. You do realize that if Bethany dies, she doesn’t actually die. Not like you’re used to thinking.”

  The strange thing was that until Martha said it that way, it hadn’t once occurred to me. The worst that might happen would be Bethany ending up here with us. Or at least someplace like this.

  I relaxed just a little. “I understand, but…”

  Martha kept her eyes on mine. When I didn’t say anything more, she asked, “But what?”

  “Look, I know I drowned and now I’m okay,” I said. “Nikki died too but here she is sitting right next to me. I get that. But I still care about what happens to my sister, even if she’ll end up being fine and between lives or whatever. I care about my brother too. And what about my parents? They can’t take it. Not enough time has passed for them to take another hit like this! I’ve got to do whatever I can. I just have to.”

  Martha glanced at Nikki.

  “I already warned him,” Nikki said, apparently understanding words that hadn’t been spoken.

  Martha took a minute to consider things, then said, “Okay, Henry. I know there’s no way of stopping you. And I’ll help you in any way I can. But you have to know from the start that your chances are slim. More than likely, Nikki is right and you’ll find that you have no impact on events in the other realm.”

  Martha waited, so I nodded. I understood what she was telling me. I was basically powerless to do anything, no matter how hard I tried. On Earth, I couldn’t change the course of a floating dandelion seed, never mind help my sister.

  “These kinds of attempts at involvement can also have harmful effects,” Martha said. “You have to know this.”

  I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter.”

  Martha looked me in the eye, her expression serious. “You say that now, but you’re used to thinking short-term. In your life, you most likely thought of a year as being a long time. Ten years would have been a stretch for your imagination. Fifty years was essentially unimaginable. What you’re gambling with now involves a much longer time.”

  I couldn’t deny it. The truth was I’d never thought much past a year or two at best, never mind anything like fifty.

  “I hate to be this blunt,” Martha said. “After all, you just got here and you’re still acclimating. But the fact is, because of the way you Transitioned you’re already stuck for a while. Don’t get me wrong. Occasionally there are exceptions, but people—young people, especially—who left their last life under traumatic circumstances tend to take quite some time to move on again.”

  That was something that had crossed my mind a few times. How long did we remain between lives? How long had the others been here?

  Martha seemed to read my thoughts. “Your friends haven’t been here all that long in the scheme of things. However, what you need to know is that for every moment we go back we stay here that much longer. It’s not a punishment, it’s an effect. By going back, you’re telling the Universe you’re not ready to move on. As a result, you get what you asked for. Most of the time, this isn’t really a problem. In fact, most of the time it’s completely natural.”

  Martha stopped and waited. I got the feeling she wanted to be sure I was paying attention.

  “But some of the time?” I said.

  “Some of the time, souls get trapped. They care too much about their last life. They become so involved with those they left behind, or with whatever happened to them, that they can’t find a way to leave again. Do you understand what I’m telling you?”

  I thought about all those stories I’d heard—about haunted places where souls wandered the same halls, fields or roads for hundreds of years. “You’re saying you really become a ghost?”

  “Yes,” Martha said. “Sometimes it’s forever. Some souls just never come to terms with the fact that there’s no way for them to exist in their old life again. And they can’t ever get past failing to be seen, or heard, by whoever they were hoping to get through to. They just can’t accept that it’s hardly ever possible for that to happen.”

  Nikki cleared her throat. “Sorry, Martha. There’s something I probably should have mentioned before.”

  Martha turned to Nikki. “What’s that?”

  Nikki jabbed a thumb in my direction. “River Rat said his sister could hear him. I think we may have a Speaker on our hands. Not sure, just putting it out there.”

  So, that’s what Nikki had been getting at before back at the pond. Maybe I was a Speaker, whatever that meant. But while Nikki had seemed surprised at that possibility, Martha didn’t. Then again, as far as I knew, Martha always remained calm and collected.

  “I see,” Martha said. “That could change things somewhat, but not necessarily for the better.” She brought her attention from Nikki to me again. “As we just discussed, getting too involved with those in the other realm can have negative consequences. And as you may have learned from watching Curtis, it can be far from pleasant for those on the other side when they interact with us.”

  I felt my face grow warm. Until then, I hadn’t realized Martha even knew about my little adventure with Curtis. Thankfully, she didn’t look pissed off like the others had when they’d discovered what we’d been up to.

  Jamie had explained some things to me on the day that Curtis and I crossed over. He
’d told me that what Curtis and I had done was called Poltergeisting. It wasn’t okay. You should never do anything now that you wouldn’t have done when you were still in your life. He’d also explained that Curtis was what they called a Manipulator, someone who can control physical objects in the other realm. Apparently, having that kind of ability was extremely rare.

  I was about to ask Martha about how all of it worked when she looked up at the ceiling as if hearing something. Nikki and I waited, glancing at each other while Martha continued to listen to whatever it was we couldn’t hear.

  After a few moments, Martha got up. She smiled at the two of us but it showed in her eyes that something was bothering her. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m needed elsewhere. But I can see that you’ve made up your mind. Please don’t hesitate if I can help in any way.”

  Martha walked us to the door in no particular hurry, but she didn’t say anything more and I wondered if she might have vanished even before the door fell closed.

  ~~~

  Jamie stood at the bottom of the stairs, arms crossed and staring up at us like he’d been waiting there the entire time. “What’s going on?”

  “A lot,” Nikki said. “None of it good.”

  We went into the food court and filled Jamie in. My brain was spinning after everything that had happened, while now I was trying to figure out what to do with the things we’d talked about with Martha—that I probably didn’t stand a chance at helping Bethany and all that stuff about time and going back and souls getting trapped as real ghosts. But I couldn’t allow myself to take all of that on right now.

  “Do you think Martha’s right about the whole Speaker thing?” I said. “I was thinking maybe I could use it somehow. But it seemed like she didn’t think it was a good idea.”

  “My guess is she just doesn’t need it,” Nikki said.

  “Why?” I kept drumming my fingers on the table, worried sick about Bethany. Still, I needed to learn as much as possible. I already knew that being with her wouldn’t make any difference if I didn’t have some sort of plan.

  “You heard what she said, right? Being able to interact with the other realm isn’t necessarily a good thing. It can totally backfire. Besides, she always discourages us from getting involved. And maybe…” Nikki’s words trailed off while she thought about something.

  “Maybe what?”

  “Maybe it’s about more than Martha just having a Manipulator or a Speaker on her hands.”

  Nikki looked at Jamie and it seemed like she was waiting for him to say something.

  Jamie stared back at her. “What?”

  “Did I say anything?” Nikki turned back to me. “A Manipulator can bother people. As you’ve already seen, not so fun for those on the other side. It can be the same sort of deal for a Speaker, but it’s not like you’re a total creep. Then again, you seemed pretty happy when you and Curtis got back the other day.”

  Nikki was never going to let me live that one down. She’d probably loved watching my face turn red when Martha brought it up.

  Jamie leaned in closer, the points of his mohawk poking toward my eyes. “The whole objective for Martha is that we eventually move on. She volunteered for this. That’s what Service is all about.”

  Nikki clamped her hand over mine to make me stop tapping on the table. “I’m sorry. I know you’re freaking. Anybody would be but it’s making it hard to think.”

  I forced myself to relax and sat back. “But what does it mean?”

  “It means Martha is ready to move on herself but we have to first,” Jamie said. “It’s some sort of deal she made. I guess she’s okay with that, but it’s a well known fact that people our age have a hard time moving on. On top of that, those of us who can actually affect people on the other side supposedly take forever. That’s where the whole scary ghost thing comes from. Poltergeists and all that. Kids who keep bugging people for decades. I bet the last thing Martha needs is two idiot, teenage ghosts keeping her here for some sort of eternity.”

  “What two idiot teenaged ghosts?”

  Jamie and Nikki stared at me.

  “Okay, got it.”

  “Wow, those donuts smell great,” Nikki said. “Must be a new batch.”

  The weird thing was, while I hadn’t noticed before, now all I could smell was donuts. But that’s how the food court worked. It made whatever you wanted. Nikki must have wanted donuts so there they were. Suddenly, I realized I was starving and couldn’t remember when I’d last eaten anything.

  Nikki turned to me and raised her eyebrows. “Do you mind grabbing some?”

  I looked back at her. “Did you like break your leg or something?”

  “Just don’t feel like getting up right now. Never mind.”

  But all I could think about was the donuts so I went to get some. Sure enough, fresh donuts were waiting on the counter—glazed, chocolate, cream filled, you name it. When I got back to the table, Nikki and Jamie were staring at each other.

  “Nothing at all, right?” Nikki said. “Honestly?”

  “Why would I lie?” Jamie said. “What about you? Are you trying to tell me something?”

  “Not exactly. I’m just kind of wondering if maybe—” Nikki stopped when she realized I was back.

  I waited to be sure they were done, then tried to get them back on track, “So, the whole Manipulator, Speaker thing. What does it all mean? Is there anything we can do with it?”

  Nikki glanced at Jamie again, then sighed. “That’s a great question,” she said. “I just wish I knew.”

  7

  Gone Too Long

  After talking to Jamie and Nikki, I kept trying to put things together. First of all, I wasn’t sure if being a Speaker was that big of a deal. As far as I could tell, the fact that I’d even managed to catch Bethany’s attention was enough to earn me the title. But what good had it done? It wasn’t like I’d been able to stop anything from happening.

  On the other hand, it seemed like being a Manipulator put you in a different league altogether. After all, Curtis could inflict a serious case of the willies upon the Tommy Balboas of the world armed only with a bar of soap. Maybe I could get him to help. But would he? I didn’t really get the best feeling about it. From what I’d seen, Curtis seemed committed entirely to maintaining a bad attitude.

  Still, I had to try. So, I climbed to the third floor and knocked on Curtis’s door. At first, the music kept blaring in there. I think he was listening to Led Zeppelin. When I knocked again, the music stopped.

  “What’s up?” Curtis said from somewhere inside his room. It didn’t sound like he was approaching the door.

  “Hey, it’s me.”

  “Who’s me?”

  I could easily imagine Curtis smirking.

  “Henry.”

  “Henry the dead kid? Or Henry the kid between lives?”

  It seemed like a test. I knew which answer would get the best result. “Henry the dead kid. Got a minute?”

  Curtis laughed. “A minute? God, you’re hilarious. The way things are going, I’m guessing I could spare a century.” The door whacked itself open against the wall. “Enter,” Curtis said, from where he lounged across the room on a black leather sofa.

  His place was dimly lit with black-light posters featuring bands from the 60s and 70s. Lava lamps gurgled and glowed. If there were windows, they must have been covered by dark curtains.

  I crossed the room and took a seat across from Curtis. He listened while I told him about my situation, although he didn’t say anything when I finished. He just kind of sat there staring into space.

  “So, what do you think?” I asked. “Can you help me?”

  Curtis sat up straighter and stared at me. For a moment, I felt my hopes rise. Then he said, “Can I think about this?”

  I couldn’t believe my ears. “Didn’t you understand what I just told you? My sister’s been abducted! Look, I need your help.”

  Curtis ran his hand through his hair, pulling it back before letting i
t fall around his face again. “Look, bro, I get that. But the thing is I’m really not much of a people person. Know what I mean?”

  I jumped to my feet. “So, you’re saying no? You can’t possibly mean that! Come on, am I hearing you right?”

  “I’m sure there’s nothing wrong with your hearing.” Curtis said. “After all, that’s not an issue. Here, the blind can see and the mute can sing. I’m just saying I need some time to think about things.” Curtis grinned and winked. “Can you possibly check back with me later? You know, like maybe in the morning. Whenever that is.”

  I stared at him, fighting the urge to take a swing at his face. When he didn’t say anything more, I turned and walked toward the door. “To hell with you.”

  “So they say,” Curtis said from behind me. “But who believes in any of that?”

  ~~~

  After I finished throwing things around in my room, I walked down the hall still trying to calm down. I knocked on Jamie’s door, then Nikki’s, wondering if either would open. For all I knew, they could be at the food court or pool. Maybe bowling or skydiving. Possibly riding dinosaurs. Who could say?

  Amazingly, both doors opened. We stood there staring at each other.

  “We need to talk,” I said.

  Jamie looked at Nikki, then back at me. He shrugged. “Sure, dude. How about we go to your pond? Nikki says it’s nice.”

  I still had to come up with some sort of plan, so going there to talk made as much sense as anything else. And it wasn’t like there was any real travel time involved. Once we were outside, it didn’t take long before we were walking on a path leading off the road, the same path I remembered walking with Bethany and John when I was a little kid.

  I didn’t want to mention my conversation with Curtis. In a way, I felt bad now for asking him to help first. Despite Curtis’s skills as a Manipulator, it seemed more important now to enlist these two people I’d come to know and trust. And from the way Jamie and Nikki acted around each other—the bantering and the whole frenemy routine—it seemed like they’d known each other for a while. I wondered if the time they’d been here had taught them anything I might be able to use now to help Bethany. Which brought to mind what I’d been wondering about before.