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Part 1-15: Parks
Fergus and Dack stood close to each other, the crowbar at their feet. Deluxe sat against a wall, consoling Persi. Willy was nowhere to be seen. The clock was still and silent.
“Alena!” cried Deluxe, and scrambled to her feet.
Fergus and Dack stared at me.
“Where’d he go?” I said, turning in a circle. The room was Willy-free.
“Where’d you go?”
“You met it, didn’t you?” said Persi.
“I, hey, whoah.” I tried to talk but then Deluxe was clinging to me like a vice. I squeezed her back.
Deluxe popped off me, and began to hop as she spoke. “We saw Willy reanimate! You shouted and Dack made to brain him, but then Persi intercepted! He hit her by accident and it sent tingles all up his arm. Persi’s okay, but then you were both gone! You and Willy. Gone! Folded up into the fabric of reality or behind a cosmic curtain or …tell me where? Where!”
During this, Fergus and Dack came a little closer, looking at me funny, like I might say ‘wifi’ again and turn them all into dust. Honestly, I couldn’t promise that wouldn’t happen. I swallowed, and did my best to explain what I had seen and heard.
“Sounds like some kind of temporary pocket universe, or blister, or maybe a fracturing of the light-cone…” said Deluxe, talking to herself.
Persi crawled up closer. “It said it was called Eden?”
“Yeah, that’s what it said.”
“Some garden this is, huh?” said Fergus.
I chuckled, way too loud and shrill. The quip was lost on Persi. Dack was busy rubbing his arm and watching Deluxe theorize.
“And it too said it wanted help?” Persi continued.
“You all better start taking numbers,” I said, trying to cling to the fading levity. It was no good with the clock watching over the room.
“Park with water lights,” said Fergus. “Boyo could mean a couple of places. There’s a few fountains that light up Terrace Cove Park smack middle of downtown. Lots of people. Then there’s a pair of public swimming pools that have night lighting at Henderson Recreational. Also pretty crowded this time of year what with league sports starting up.”
“So what can we do then? Hit up these parks and—” I was interrupted as a massive yawn crawled up and out of my throat. The room swam a little and I stumbled. Fergus caught me by the arm and I steadied myself.
The yawn spread to Dack, and I saw Deluxe fighting it off too.
“We need a refuel,” she said, blinking one eye at a time. She did that when she was trying to ward off sleepiness.
“Yes,” said Persi, “you should go. I don’t know how much it can hear when it’s not ticking, but I wouldn’t want to risk it.”
“But what are we doing?” said Dack.
“I’ve some ideas,” said Deluxe, “but the brainfuzz proliferates.”
“I’ll let you back any time, if you need me. Just come into the building and say my name.” Persi smiled. “I won’t ever be asleep at the watch.”
“C’mon, let’s get away from that,” I said, tossing my head at the clock and making my way to the door.
“Here, least I can do,” said Persi. “Goodbye, and thank you for helping.”
I started to ask what she meant, then everything flickered as the overhead lights came on, for real this time. The flashlight popped to life again, casting a triangle of yellow light along the ground from where I must have dropped it. Everyone was still here, except Persi and the clock. The furniture was rearranged.
“Now where are we?” said Fergus.
I picked up the light and looked at the door. It wasn’t an interior door: it had the big push bar on it.
Deluxe noticed it too. She twirled slow, with her arms out, and said, “Another pocket.”
Dack exhaled and went over to the door. He pushed it open; the orange glow from the street poured in.
“Yep,” he said. “Let’s uh, …let’s get the hell on out of here.”
We followed him out. The door shut, and Deluxe reopened it to check. The stairwell was there when she did. In my ear, she whispered, “Really really awesome first date, …’cept for all the, you know.”
“Mhm,” I said, and gave her a soft punch in the shoulder. Despite the exhaustion, I felt much better than I had back at home, wrapped in a blanket, cowering on the couch. I had met Willy (or whatever was in Willy) face to face and it didn’t murder me. There were others that knew what was up and maybe even a plan, if Deluxe had put something together.
Dack drove us home in relative silence, each of us alone with our thoughts. We arranged to meet tomorrow, first thing. I wondered if we’d ever see them again, but then I remembered that we knew where Dack lived and doubted Deluxe was going to be giving up on him any time soon, treacherous clock demons or no.
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