Read Online The Annihilation of Foreverland by Tony Bertauski - Free Book Online Page A

mind was like water and the memories swirled like grains of sand. There was something he was supposed to remember but it was so hard. Summer camp? FBI? Damn, he couldn’t remember it now.
    He had journeyed through the needle to some… dream. Foreverland .
    It was torture to get there.
    The taste still lingered, but it wasn’t just in his mouth. It was in his head, too. Metallic. The taste of the needle.
    The price to pay for reality limited only by the imagination. Danny looked at his hands, turned them over and studied the creases in his palms. Is this Foreverland, still?
    He decided it wasn’t. But it was hard to tell.
    When the doorknob slowly turned, Danny threw the covers over his lap. The door cracked open. An eyeball slid into the opening and the door closed again. Before he could decide if it was Mr. Jones’s eyeball, the door flew open and banged on the wall, followed by a mob.
    “Danny Boy!”
    Zin was the first one in the room. The others were right behind him. Danny curled up under the covers just before they piled onto him. They were slapping his back, his legs, his butt, shouting his name and whooping loudly.
    “What a player!” Zin threw open the curtains, stabbing Danny’s eyes with light. “The kid went lucid on his first round! ON HIS FIRST ROUND!”
    There were high-fives and another dog pile on top Danny. Zin mercifully pulled them off. The celebration continued in the center of the room.
    “You all right, Danny Boy?” Zin asked
    “A few aches.”
    “Yeah, but you did it,” Zin said. “You did the impossible, you opened your eyes. No one does that.”
    The room got quiet. They stood like they were posing for a group photo, waiting for Danny’s words of wisdom. He had none. They looked at him, expectantly. Everyone was there, except Parker.
    “Poof.”
    That was Sid’s explanation for Parker. He snapped his fingers, said, “Ole Parker is a puff of smoke, Danny Boy. He’s gone on to bigger and better, my friend. Bigger and better.”
    No one explained it much beyond that, other than Parker graduated and was likely on his way back home, all healed up.
    Bigger and better.
    “Poof.”
    That was Sid’s explanation for Parker. He snapped his fingers, said, “Ole Parker is a puff of smoke, Danny Boy. He’s gone on to bigger and better, my friend. Bigger and better.”
    No one explained it much beyond that, other than Parker graduated and was likely on his way back home, all healed up.
    Bigger and better.
    T he slam dance of celebration began again. “And now you need to get out of bed, son! You’ve been sleeping for two damn days while we’ve been back in the real world. We need you, Danny Boy. We’ve been holding your slot open in the game room and we’re about to drop in the standings. We can’t wait any longer.”
    “Relax, Sid.” Zin stood between them. “The kid hasn’t eaten in two days, either.”
    “Then let’s eat,” Sid said. “Get dressed, we’ll eat. We’ll game. Daylight’s burning, son.”
    Danny put his hand up to pause the ceaseless slam dance. It was hurting his head.
    “Give him some privacy,” Zin said. “Kid’s in his underwear.”
    “He was butt naked two days ago. Underwear is a step up,” Sid countered.
    “All right, well, give him a second. We’ll meet down in the cafeteria, right, Danny Boy? When you’re ready, you come down. What do you say?”
    Danny nodded with his eyes closed. He listened to Zin push them out. The chaos faded down the hallway. Danny dropped his head on the pillow. He needed some silence, just enough space to let the sand settle in his head. The last grains were falling into place.
    We found you.

    Mr. Jones was the happiest Danny had ever seen him.
    No more hunching over. He walked upright and smiled all the time. He was proud of Danny, he said so every day. Looked like he was about to cry once or twice. Even the other Investors took notice. They shook Mr. Jones’s hand and congratulated him, like he’d done something