Chương 12: A Strange Encounter
T-4 Days to Incident
#Hours before sunrise: Summers Residence
Cacey was still in bed. It was almost a sleepless night. So many things happened yesterday.
“And those girls, were they gossiping about me behind my back? Something must be wrong. She didn’t know; she had no friends at her present school. What time is it?”
The bedside radium table watch was a glowing testament to a pre-dawn hour—3 o’clock in the morning. “It’s still this early!”
Cacey tossed and turned—not a wink of sleep. She felt as if her whole nervous system was on fire. Her eyes were burning. The crown and top of her head were so hot and sweating. She couldn’t keep her head on her pillow anymore. The weather was a bit on the summer’s side. The pillow, her pajamas—all were drenched in sweat. "I need a bath so badly!”
There was a bath attached to her bedroom. She quickly prepped herself for the bath while thinking about how she would handle it if there really was gossip going on about her. “What kind of gossip? How would I reply? Should I just ignore it? But will it be possible?”
As she looked at herself in her body-length mirror, the reflection appeared there as an unclad, pristine beauty of sixteen. Even so, she had to appreciate what she saw.
“I’m not so ugly, am I?” She placed her hands on both sides of her waist as if she were feeling the girth. “Slim and slender. Perfect!” She was timid, alright, but she gratefully appreciated her God-gifted beauty. She took her time brushing her teeth, then carefully shampooing her beautiful wavy hair, and got into the tub absentmindedly. She was going through numerous possible scenarios of how things could go bad for her at school. Her inner voice was loud and brave.
“I will say, How dare you spout nonsense? , Or, I should say, from today on, please, for God’s sake, don’t approach me! Leave me in peace.”
Cacey stared at the ceiling as if that were the enemy and made angry, contorted faces while pointing fingers at it. “Stay away, you hear me? Don’t you dare!!” As she kept venting her anger at an imaginary enemy, her nerves calmed down gradually, and she was feeling very sleepy. She got out of her tub and dried herself. She kept dozing off while drying her hair. The drier fell a few times from her hand. “How am I feeling so sleepy all of a sudden?” She thought.
She felt so relaxed! She jumped onto her bed and, cuddling her favorite big, fat bear doll, fell asleep.
Some time passed.
“Ahem!”
Cacey, in deep sleep, thought she heard someone clear their throat. She opened her eyes. Rubbing her eyes, she turned her face in the direction of that sound. What is that? The room was dark, as if deep into the night. “Who’s that sitting on my bed?” She screamed in her mind.
She assumed a sitting position and tried to discern the situation.
“Who are you?”
In the dark, the owner of the voice looked just like an obscure silhouette. With the curtains drawn, the room was pitch black. The only light coming through the window were the faint rays of the moon. The shadow moved a bit closer. Now, one side of its face was clearly visible. Cacey felt her heart jump in surprise and shock—it was her favorite fat, big bear doll. However, the only difference was that it was moving and probably the one who cleared its throat earlier.
“Do you recognize me now?”
Cacey was at a loss for words. “What can I say in this terrific situation?” She was searching for things to say.
Human nature is like this. Once alive, we will love the person in front of us, but the moment they are dead, we will hate to spend a single night in the same room with them. At the sight of her beloved bear doll moving and talking, Cacey felt as if she were facing a vile zombie.
“It’s better off dead! How? Why are you alive?” This was the first thought that came to her mind.
“I know… I know… If I weren’t supposed to give you a message, I would still be dead.”
“How do you know my mind? And what message are you talking about? I don’t need it. Go away!”
“Awww… awwee… That hurt!” The bear touched its chest where the heart should be. “I didn’t expect that reaction, at least not from you!” It was in a playful, light mood.
Cacey didn't… No, she couldn’t say anything. Her pulse was running high. Fear was written all over her face, eyes big and wide, and jaws half-open in disbelief and confusion.
“Come on! That face! It hurts even more, Cacey Summers!” The bear extended one of its plushy, fluffy hands. “Here, touch it! I’m the same, just talking and moving! Touch it! See!”
“No… Go away, you monster!” Cacey jolted backwards; her back touched the headboard of her bed.
The bear seemed to genuinely get hurt. Its shoulders slumped, and it looked really down. Both of them sat there for what felt like an eternity. None of them talked. This gave Cacey time to get her composure back. She took a deep breath. And slowly moved closer to the bear. She gathered her courage and softly touched those fluffy hands.
“They are still the same!” Cacey felt guilty. She hurt her most trusted companion, the one who lived as long as she could remember. It must be the same age as Cacey, if not older! Every episode of pain and happiness, they experienced them together. They promised to be together forever. It was that bear, that most secret friend that nobody knew about, her one and only confidant, the big, fat bear doll. Feeling a pang of remorse, Cacey began to weep. The sobbing sound felt like the ghost of midnight in a century-old haunted mansion.
A few minutes passed.
Cacey was a bit sober. She asked, “Tell me, my dearest friend. Talk to me. I’m so very sorry for not recognizing you. Forgive me, please! You’re the only friend I have.” With that, the bear’s face seemed to light up. It had a flustered smile on its face.
“Thank you, Cacey.” It touched Cacey’s hands lightly.
“I had a dream.”
“What kind of dream did you have?” The absurdity of a lifeless doll having a dream didn’t surprise Cacey anymore. “What could be more weird—a doll talking or a doll having a dream?” A thought crossed her mind.
“I saw an old homeless man.”
“What about him?”
“The man was laughing like an insane person.”
“And?”
“He was talking to a boy.”
“A boy? Who was he?”
“I don’t know. But the boy was drinking wine.”
Cacey did not know how to react to this situation. “A homeless man was laughing? A boy drinking wine? What is this—the stage of absurdity?” Her mind was whispering inward.
“But what about them? Why are they important?”
“I felt you knew the boy from somewhere.”
Cacey laughed out loud. “How can I not remember him then? The only boys I know are those 3XL boys, the pests!” The last part drew a faint disgust on her face.
“He appeared very thin and weak. You know someone like him?”
“Hahahaha… As I said, I don’t know... Cacey’s eyebrows furrowed. "Hold on a second. Where have I seen a boy like him before?”
“Why? You remembered something?”
A vague image flashed before her eyes for a second. She felt there was this boy that day. “A boy like that... He was in the cafeteria, asking for some puddings and bread. He is the only thin-looking boy that I know of.”
“Yes…yes…it was him!!” Cacey forgot the bear could read her mind.
“What? How? Why was he drinking wine?”
“That man tricked him into drinking. He was a bad man. He seduced him into drinking and smoking too."
“What? How can an adult make a minor drink and smoke?”
“That’s what I want to ask the man, too.”
“Anyway…what’s next? What did they talk about?” Cacey was curious. This situation that she was experiencing now was already absurd. “Let’s just stick to it till the end.”
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