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Authors: Ray Garton
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head. “No, I told you, that was a onetime deal. You’re a little old for this, aren’t you, Miles? Come on, now, Tiger, get back into bed.”
“But you can’t turn the light out,” Miles said.
“I got up earlier,” Mom said, “and his door was closed and the overhead light was on in here.”
“How about this.” Dad shuffled over to the desk and turned on the squat lamp that stood on its corner. “We’ll leave that one on, okay? Will that do for now?”
“Do I have to go back to bed?” Miles said.
Mom said, “It’s after three o’clock in the morning.”
“But it’s the weekend, there’s no school. Couldn’t I stay up and watch TV for a while?”
Dad’s voice was firm. “No. Now go back to bed. You can leave that lamp on, but—” He went to the door and turned off the overhead light. “Not that one. And leave the door all the way open, if you want. Okay?” Dad scooped Miles up in his arms and carried him to the bed. He spotted the penlight on the floor, put Miles down on the bed, and picked it up, handed it to him. Miles twisted the head of the penlight to turn it off, then slipped it under his pillow.
Dad frowned for a moment, turned to Mom, and said, “Go back to bed, honey, I’ll be there in a second.”
Mom kissed the top of Miles’s head. “Go back to sleep, sweetheart.” Then she turned and left the room.
Dad sat down on the edge of the bed. “You keep that light under your pillow?”
Miles nodded. “He only comes in the dark. He doesn’t like the light.”
“Come on, Tiger. It’s only a dream. There’s no man coming to your room. Okay?”
To say yes would be dishonest, but to disagree with Dad would only drag it out.
“You know that, right?” Dad said. “It’s just a bad dream.”
Finally, Miles nodded once. It was no dream, but there was no point arguing.
“Okay, big guy.” He kissed Miles’s cheek. “We’ve got work to do today, so we’re both going to need all the sleep we can get.” He stood and left the room, leaving the door wide open.
The lamp on the desk was not quite bright enough to illuminate that section of the room where the voice had come from, where Miles had seen the fat man. He lay awake, staring at the spot for a long time. He started nodding off now and then, but jerked awake each time, eyes suddenly wide, watching. Miles finally dozed off as the first light of dawn began to seep through the windows.
CHAPTER FIVE
Saturday, 9:17 a.m.
The next morning was gray and drizzly. Jenna made buttermilk pancakes for breakfast. David was relieved that he did not have to go out job-hunting again. There were probably plenty of garages open on Saturday, but he needed the break. He was discouraged by his failure to find work, and it nagged at him.
He was also bothered by the incident in the basement the previous evening. He had never seen jenna in such a state. She was usually so levelheaded, so unflaggingly reasonable about everything. But she had been convinced she’d seen Josh in the basement. It disturbed David. He was not a believer in things supernatural— but neither was Jenna, and the fact that she believed she was seeing Josh’s spirit, that he was somehow trying to contact her, was troubling.
David and his older brother, Jerry, and younger sister, Karen, had been raised in Redding, where their parents had found religion when David was eight. Life had changed suddenly after that. Their parents stopped letting them watch television and read Bible stories to them instead of fairy tales and adventure stories. They went to Sunday school and church every week and prayer meetings on Wednesday nights. Worst of all was the constant prayer. His parents seemed to pray at the drop of a hat—first thing in the morning, before bed at night, before they left the house for any reason, and before each meal—and David and Jerry and Karen were expected to bow their heads and close their eyes and be still.
“But you can’t turn the light out,” Miles said.
“I got up earlier,” Mom said, “and his door was closed and the overhead light was on in here.”
“How about this.” Dad shuffled over to the desk and turned on the squat lamp that stood on its corner. “We’ll leave that one on, okay? Will that do for now?”
“Do I have to go back to bed?” Miles said.
Mom said, “It’s after three o’clock in the morning.”
“But it’s the weekend, there’s no school. Couldn’t I stay up and watch TV for a while?”
Dad’s voice was firm. “No. Now go back to bed. You can leave that lamp on, but—” He went to the door and turned off the overhead light. “Not that one. And leave the door all the way open, if you want. Okay?” Dad scooped Miles up in his arms and carried him to the bed. He spotted the penlight on the floor, put Miles down on the bed, and picked it up, handed it to him. Miles twisted the head of the penlight to turn it off, then slipped it under his pillow.
Dad frowned for a moment, turned to Mom, and said, “Go back to bed, honey, I’ll be there in a second.”
Mom kissed the top of Miles’s head. “Go back to sleep, sweetheart.” Then she turned and left the room.
Dad sat down on the edge of the bed. “You keep that light under your pillow?”
Miles nodded. “He only comes in the dark. He doesn’t like the light.”
“Come on, Tiger. It’s only a dream. There’s no man coming to your room. Okay?”
To say yes would be dishonest, but to disagree with Dad would only drag it out.
“You know that, right?” Dad said. “It’s just a bad dream.”
Finally, Miles nodded once. It was no dream, but there was no point arguing.
“Okay, big guy.” He kissed Miles’s cheek. “We’ve got work to do today, so we’re both going to need all the sleep we can get.” He stood and left the room, leaving the door wide open.
The lamp on the desk was not quite bright enough to illuminate that section of the room where the voice had come from, where Miles had seen the fat man. He lay awake, staring at the spot for a long time. He started nodding off now and then, but jerked awake each time, eyes suddenly wide, watching. Miles finally dozed off as the first light of dawn began to seep through the windows.
CHAPTER FIVE
Saturday, 9:17 a.m.
The next morning was gray and drizzly. Jenna made buttermilk pancakes for breakfast. David was relieved that he did not have to go out job-hunting again. There were probably plenty of garages open on Saturday, but he needed the break. He was discouraged by his failure to find work, and it nagged at him.
He was also bothered by the incident in the basement the previous evening. He had never seen jenna in such a state. She was usually so levelheaded, so unflaggingly reasonable about everything. But she had been convinced she’d seen Josh in the basement. It disturbed David. He was not a believer in things supernatural— but neither was Jenna, and the fact that she believed she was seeing Josh’s spirit, that he was somehow trying to contact her, was troubling.
David and his older brother, Jerry, and younger sister, Karen, had been raised in Redding, where their parents had found religion when David was eight. Life had changed suddenly after that. Their parents stopped letting them watch television and read Bible stories to them instead of fairy tales and adventure stories. They went to Sunday school and church every week and prayer meetings on Wednesday nights. Worst of all was the constant prayer. His parents seemed to pray at the drop of a hat—first thing in the morning, before bed at night, before they left the house for any reason, and before each meal—and David and Jerry and Karen were expected to bow their heads and close their eyes and be still.
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