Banished To Earth Book Two Dreamscape (32)

   Chapter 60

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     Darkness of the heart is there a deeper night than that? Pry had lost herself in that darkness. She was an ember, compressed into an imperceptible glow at the bottom of an ink black ocean of guilt and pain. So removed from hope that finding her, spotting her microscopic fleck of light, could well prove impossible. It was the closest thing to utter obliteration she could condemn herself to, death of will, of love and most importantly hope…

      Chase slept. Davin dreamed, built his inner world. The ocean, the sand, blue sky golden sun and distance, possibility.

   Unlike Pry’s bottomless night, his bright new world had no limits, no darkness. The further he looked the more he saw. Hope was always in one direction or the other.

    He determined, more like decided, that Pry was somewhere toward the cradle of sunrise. Made sense to him, so he went with it.

    Transversely Chase, his Mother, and the Urgis were east where lay the sun’s burial plot. Again, made sense to him, so he went with it.

   It was after all, a construct. And, over time a construct so sturdy and resilient, it could withstand and completely deflect the harsh light of reality even when Chase was awake.

    Feeling like Robinson Crusoe he struck off east, the sun forever froze at half zenith, pointed the way…

   A full month had passed since Davin’s death. Trudy’s farm, had in too many ways become a prison…

     “Today Tucker!” Silhouette shouted across the breakfast table. “We leave today.”

   Beth glared at Sil, as she led Nikki to the living room. “Tucker is going to take you riding today.” She said as they settled down on the couch.

   “He did that yesterday and the day before that.” Nikki pouted.

   Trudy sat down beside them, “Then you can help me in the garden.”

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   “I want to play with Pry’s hair.” She whined. “I want Davin to come back. He’s not dead. I just know it.”

   “Sweetie,” said Beth, “Bad things happen and they hurt, and the hardest thing to do, is to move on, but we have to.”

    Silhouette and Tucker still seated at the table easily heard Nikki. “See, we are hurting her. She’s just a kid!”

   “Fine,” said Tucker, “I’ll go right now, look and look, do a lot of killing, turn around and see nothing behind me. It’s a whole ‘nother world out there, and we’re not part of it! That barrier’s got to be a one-way ticket to Hell.” He was shouting Nikki was wailing.

    “Happy, now!” Beth shouted at Tucker as she bundled up her baby and marched out of the house.

   “Well, great, replay mornin,’’’ Trudy got up and followed Beth outside.

   “I’m going to check on Pry.” Silhouette said. Her eyes softened a bit when she looked at him, and saw shame etched all over his face
  “Why?” He asked.

    “You didn’t mean that.”

  “No, I didn’t. But…”

      “I know you’re scared, but not of dying.” She said. “You don’t want to lose her.”

   “Too late for that. Your’re right we gotta do something. That old fairy’s no help.”

   “Wanna stick another pipe through the barrier, look some more.”

   “Naw, it’s too depressing, still less depressing than Pry.”

   “We can’t stop Tucker, and this junk we’re doing to each other, that’s what’s gotta stop. If we could just reach Pry. I’m not sure she can even hear us now.”

   “I know, come on Sil, let’s give it another shot. You are our clown after all.”

  “I’m never going to live that down. Sava, you little, oh never mind.”

  He smiled. She smiled back.

   A few minutes later they were easing up behind Pry. Slumped in her usual place, had she spent the night there?  Probably.

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   Already slight and petite, she looked more like a lifeless doll propped against the back of the white wicker chair, than a living person.

   “Has she stopped moving.” Sil asked, stepping onto the sun-bleached balcony.

   “I can’t tell.” He replied through a whisper.  “Pry?” He sighed into her right ear as he kneeled by her right side, want somethin’ to eat? You’re going to blow away one mornin’. We don’t want that.”

   Her tiny head tilted away from him. Her lifeless yellow hair hung all the way to the floor.

   “Look Tucker.” Silhouette’s voice was tinged with excitement. The sun shone silver on one strand of white hair floating from the left side of her head. “I think something good is finally happening, Tucker, come and see.

     Twisting around on his boot heels he was shoulder to shoulder with Sil in an instant.

    His eyes widened, as a grin spread across his face. Something good was happening…”

  

 Time did not exist for Davin, only his trek, his quest to find Pry Athamel Thobay. That was his reality. He existed for nothing else.

    Some time back a tiny dark splotch slowly came into focus, miles in front of him. Stayner? He did not sense that. In fact, he had not sensed the fool for a very long time now. Chase? No. He was still oblivious to his presence. In fact, he had, for the time being stopped looking through his eyes. Probably not the best choice. Then again, giving Chase headaches every time he said something nasty about Pry was something he could not help and he feared would eventually expose him.

    He already knew about as much as he needed to know about the Urgis. For all he knew he was already back on Earth fighting Stayner. Of course, if Chase died, where would that leave him. In any case, he was in no position to do anything against Stayner or Chase. Moreover, the closer he got to that distant blotch the better he felt. And there was that sense of urgency ever sense he spotted it far off in the distance.

   He was certain it was Pry and that she was in dire need.

    The blotch was darkening, clearly not a good sign, he tried to shift toward it, but here, strangely, in this dream state he was not Hunter. He was simply a desperate man struggling to find his wife. But then that was all the super power he really needed. Love generated will and will empowered him to keep walking.

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    The blotch was black now and well defined. The fact that it looked way too much like Mabel just before she swallowed him did not deter him in the least. It only spurned him on. He was running now. Sand kicked up behind him. The sun beat down. His imagined swim trunks were sopping wet with sweat.

   Panting, hot, drained of his Hunter abilities, he began to wonder if Chase had not managed to detect him and weaken him somehow. No. It was not Chase. It was Pry. Her sadness was an emotional pit of hopelessness draining him of his will.

    She was the black hole now, slowly killing the very thing she pined for. He quickened his pace. Muscles burned against bone, sweat like acid boiled on his eyeballs. Pounding against his chest, he feared his heart would shatter his rib cage at any moment.

   Enraged at the pain, he dug in and drove himself forward. Just as Mabel had swallowed him, he imagined Pry could do the same.

    The blotch was now a wall. It blotted out the western horizon. The beach, the sky was no more. Only an onyx wall. Black sky, alabaster floor, hard rock cold and unyielding.

   Pounding it with both fists it simply stood there, unbreakable, from the outside. Still he pounded, knuckles shattered, skin ripped away, blood slinging in all directions, he slammed himself against the wall, yelling her name, louder and louder, until a speck of silver appeared in the stone. It was not a crack but the needle end of a single hair strand boring toward him.

   He pressed his head on it. A deep hum reverberated against his skull. It was almost through. Waves of pain tore through his body. His hands ached. Blood and sweat dripped from them. His legs melted beneath him. Sinking down, he clawed back up. The strand must find its mark, his right temple. If it took forever, he would stand here forever until it pierced his brain.

     His imagined reality had become tangible in ways he had not anticipated. Or was Pry’s nearness solidifying his fantasy?  He did not know. It did not matter. He would not move only push himself toward her for as long as it took. It did not take much longer…

   

   Saucer-eyed Silhouette and Tucker watched the strand straighten, push through the cool morning air and vanish.

   Pry heaved back, air rushed into her emaciated frame as light drained back into her eyes.

   “Davin!” she sighed, just before she looked at them and smiled.