Now picture if you will the scene before you. I am sitting next to Howie, who has just been injured but yet, we have no idea what really happened. I almost drowned because a ‘bad’ Brian pulled me into the water and then I was saved by a ‘bad’ Howie when a tree almost landed on me. The woods are whispering my name and trying to kill me, a family just vanished into thin air and I now consider a ghost a good friend.
Can I just say what the holy hell?
Now further add to that, the fact that I’m youngish and am prone to over-reaction from time to time, and you have the reaction Howie was met with after he said “is that the understatement of the year?”
The chills I felt run down my spine were nothing compared to the goose bumps that started popping up all over the place. I had a vision of this guy grabbing me by the neck and pulling me back into the woods where some evil, satanic woodchuck would probably eat me. Okay I know that sounds ridiculous but hello? Have you been paying attention?
I was fine until he went to touch me, actually he put his hand on my shoulder and that was it, I lost it…completely.
“Get the hell away from me!!!” I screamed at him, pulling myself up off the ground and backing away from him.
“Nicky, what’s the matter?”
“Don’t you dare call me that!” my eyes scanned the area and landed on a big stick, it looked pointy and daunting enough that I ran and grabbed for it.
“Nicky!” I picked it up and pointed it over towards him like it was a loaded gun, “I said don’t call me that! Now what did you do with Howie?”
Howie looked utterly confused and his jaw even dropped slightly, “What?”
“You heard me! Where is he? What did you do to him?”
“Nicky…you’re scaring me.”
“I’m scaring YOU? I’m scaring You?”
“Yes, you’re scaring me…what the hell are you talking about. It’s me...D.”
“I don’t believe you!”
“Why? Is this some kind of crappy joke because frankly, now is not the time.”
I walked closer to him now, just so he could see how much of a joke this wasn’t. I hit him with the stick…and he was not pleased.
“Ow! What the hell was that for?”
“Where is Howie?”
He really was angry now, rubbing at his neck which I had made bleed. He moved to stand up, “Stay right there!” I barked at him, ready to hit him one more time if the need arose.
“NICK, you hit me again and I’ll beat the crap out of you!”
That made me hesitate slightly, “Just sit there….don’t move. You aren’t him; he saved my life in the woods.”
“Nicky…GUYS!” Howie screamed realizing that talking to me would do him no good. I wanted to hit him with my spear…I mean my stick again but I didn’t. Once the guys got there I’d tell them the whole story and they’d understand.
“Nick put that down this minute!” Kevin’s voice boomed and he made me jump but I didn’t drop the stick.
“No way…this isn’t Howie Kevin. Howie just saved my life in the woods.”
Howie glanced over at our oldest band mate with a deep look of concern on his face as Kevin started walking towards me very slowly and cautiously. “Nick, everything will be okay put down the stick.” He urged as if I was some madman.
“Kevin, you don’t understand…this isn’t Howie. I’m not sure who or what it is but it’s not him…”
“Nick are you on crack or something? This isn’t funny…put down the stick.”
“I’m not trying to be funny that is…” He didn’t give me a chance to finish he grabbed the stick out of my hands and pulled me close to him, feeling my forehead as he did. Once my ‘weapon’ was gone, Howie stood up and joined Kevin both of them looking me over.
“He just started going on and on about me not being me.”
“He feels really warm.”
“I’m not sick.”
“Than explain to me why you attacked me with a stick.”
“He actually hit you?” Howie nodded. Or the thing that looked like Howie…eep! I’m so confused.
“You hit him?”
“It’s not Howie…please Kevin, you have to believe me.”
“Oh okay then, I guess I’ll just take your word for it that the person standing right next to me is not who I think he is. Where is the real Howie? Oh wait…let me guess…did he turn into a tree?” Then Kevin turned towards the tree and started talking to it, “oh Howie don’t worry…we’ll figure out how to turn you back into yourself in a second. Maybe we can find a magical fairy to help. What do you think Nick? Got any idea where we can find a magical fairy?”
Kevin can be such a sarcastic ass when he is stressed and worried but I was all ready for him because if there’s one person on earth who can out smartass Kevin it’s me. Although I should say, since I was kind of still all flustered about the double Howies I just managed a small, “Huh?”
“What’s going on?” Brian said, running up with AJ close behind.
“Nick has officially gone bonkers.” Kevin said to his cousin, all the while still holding onto me by my FOREHEAD!
“Why are you saying that?”
“Because he just attacked me with a stick.” Howie felt the need to point to the stick maybe to show exactly how lethal it was.
“Fracky?”
“It’s not him Brian…God…why won’t anyone believe me?”
“He’s insisting that this isn’t Howie.” Brian looked at Howie then at me then back at Howie one more time.
“That’s Howie Nick.”
A small gust of wind hit my face and I was compelled to turn my head to avoid the breeze, that’s when I saw the other Howie still standing over by the trees. Maybe the one in front of us was the real one, “There he is!” I broke free from Kevin and pointed to the other one. Of course no one was able to see him but me. He also seemed to enjoy that, laughing at my expense before turning and heading back into the woods.
“Nicky…” Once again Howie put his hand on my shoulder, he was brave, and I’ll give him that. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about but I never saved you in the woods, maybe you were having a bad dream?”
I turned towards my friend, very confused and now slightly dizzy. Could it have been a dream? I mean after all, I did end up sleep walking over by the lake right?
“It probably was a dream Nick; I mean that’s how you ended up in the lake.” Brian added as if reading my mind.
“He did what?”
“He almost drowned; he jumped into the lake while he was sound asleep.”
Howie looked horrified when Brian said that. “What?”
“The lake…I…Do you swear you didn’t see me in the woods?” I was beginning to believe him.
He gently pushed back my hair from my eyes and looked into them intently, “I swear…now you should lie down, I think you are running a pretty high fever.”
“But I feel fine.”
“What were you saying about the lake?” He asked me as he draped a jacket over my shoulders.
“I had a dream, it was so real and I ended up jumping into the lake.”
“When?”
“When you ended up in the woods.”
Kevin walked into my view now with AJ following close behind. Both were helping carry the tent that had blown away earlier.
“Kevin…where is Mary Beth and her mom and dad?” He looked over at me and smiled, one of those ‘don’t upset the child’ type of smiles I have grown to detest over the years.
“I don’t know buddy…but I’m sure they are okay.”
“How can you be sure?”
“Well, I can’t be, but it kind of looks like they just left.”
“But think about how strong that wind was…I mean it knocked Howie clear out of…What did happen to you anyway Howie?” I decided to ask. Maybe he had already explained himself but I would sure feel better hearing a nice logical explanation for his disappearance. If he could tell me why I was seeing two of him, I’d even throw in a cookie.
“I’m not sure…the wind was blowing like crazy and I think I was dreaming....” He cut himself off as if he wanted to say more and thought better of it, “And I ended up covered in branches.”
“So, you don’t remember how you got there?”
He shook his head at me, “I know that seems strange but no, I don’t.”
“Guys help me get this tent up, I don’t trust this weird weather and I want us to be ready just in case the wind picks up like before.” Quickly Brian and AJ stood up to help but when I did he shook his head. “You stay there… same with you Howie. The three of us can manage.”
Howie nodded and then turned back towards me, “So tell me about this dream you had Nick. How you ended up in the water.”
“I don’t really remember…Brian was there and then I just kind of ended up in the water.” I know I left out details because if this wasn’t Howie, I wasn’t about to tell him what had happened although I have to say as we talked more I began to realize that it was really him.
“Did it all feel like you were actually awake?”
“Yes.”
“I had a dream too.” I looked over at him and his eyes were deep in thought, he looked scared.
“What did you dream?”
Suddenly a new gust of wind blew out of the north and behind it was a very deep cold air, bone chillingly cold. The two of us shivered as it continued to blow on, making Brian, Kevin and AJ’s job of putting the tent back together almost impossible.
The whispers on the wind were almost unbearable, seemed like a chorus of voices all screaming my name and laughing. Girl voices blended in with boys, children morphed into adults all doing the same thing, screaming my name and saying the word soon.
“Do you hear that Howie?”
“The wind? Yes, it’s really creepy.”
I nodded and waited for it to finally die down. I have come to the conclusion that after this, I am never ever going to want to go camping again. I’m sure that will make the guys very happy, for all I know maybe this was all some elaborate hoax on their parts to try to forever scare me into wanting to never leave my house.
“Nick, was I in your dream?”
“No, just Brian.”
“Because you were in mine.” Why didn’t that surprise me at all?
“What did I do?”
“You didn’t do anything, you were just there and I…”
“Come on guys!” We both looked over at Kevin who motioned for us to follow him into the tent. They had managed to get that up in record time. I stood up and helped Howie to his feet and together we made our way into the tent just as rain started to fall.
“Great…what next? A plague of frogs?”
“Relax AJ, its just rain. Rain never killed anybody.”
“Yeah tell that to all the people that Noah left off the Ark.”
Kevin laughed but then looked over at me with a serious expression on his face, great he’s going to yell at me or something. “Nick, I wanted to say I’m sorry for the magical fairy comment I made earlier. I’m just stressed.” Or apologize! What?
“That’s okay.”
“I really wanted to get out of here but now with the rain…”
I nodded, “I just hope Sarah and Mary Beth are okay.”
They all looked at one another again. I hated when they did stuff like that. It made me feel so small. “I’m sure they are fine.” Kevin reassured once again but this time he didn’t sound so ‘reassuring’
“I have to say I’ll be happy to be out of here. No offense to you guys, but this vacation blew ass chunks.”
“How poetic AJ.”
“Well it did.”
I wasn’t really paying attention to the conversation the guys were having over a supper consisting of cold hot dogs and beans and instead I was hoping I’d see Casper appear. He wasn’t showing up as much as before and when he was coming he always seemed scared and that was not making me feel better. He was the only one who could tell me what was going on and if Howie was Howie and where Mary Beth’s family went to. I needed answers.
“Nick, eat.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Eat…it’ll make you feel better.”
“Kevin I said…” But I rolled my eyes and grabbed a hot dog because it was Kevin and I wasn’t going to win this battle.
Brian whispering in my ear, suddenly made me jump, “Have you seen him yet?”
“No.”
“I wonder where he is?”
“I don’t know.” I felt a pair of eyes on me and I knew they belonged to Howie without even looking up. He was staring at me, almost through me.
“Think he’ll show up tonight?”
I looked over at Brian and shrugged, “I’m not sure but I’m going to go talk to D…I’ll be right back.”
“Oh…okay.” Brian seemed confused by my sudden departure but I had to finish the conversation we had started before.
He saw me and pat the place next to him, “Are you feeling better?” I nodded as I sat down beside him.
“I’m sorry for hitting you with that stick before.” And I was, I can’t believe I actually did it.
“It’s okay.”
“You were telling me about a dream you had…”
“Right…”
“You said I was in it.”
“You were, it’s weird though because it kind of was you and kind of not.”
“How so?”
“You’ll think it’s weird.”
“Trust me Howie…I think you’re safe.”
“Okay…I dreamt that Sarah was your mother and you weren’t listening to her. She kept telling you not to go play in the woods…”
I felt chills once again and I instantly regretted asking in the first place, but just like watching a train wreck…I had to know. “So I was young?”
“A little younger, yes.”
“Oh, okay then what?”
He hesitated, “Well then you came running over to me and gave me a hug…just like you always do.”
“Uh huh…”
“But, suddenly a woman’s voice started whispering in my ear and the next thing I knew; I grabbed your neck and strangled you. I wanted to stop but I couldn’t. She wouldn’t let me. Sarah just watched and kept saying ‘see? That’s what you get for running off.’” He paused for a while, while he shivered and shook away the memory. “Anyway, when I woke up, I was in the middle of the woods covered by branches…then I heard Kevin call my name.”
I didn’t know what to say to that, so I just sat there and stared at him.
“Okay guys let’s get some sleep.” Kevin said taking the lantern and blowing it out, leaving me to sleep next to the guy who just dreamt of killing me.
Thanks for reading, not sure if there will be a new chapter next week. I'm alternating breaks on stories so I don't get burnt out. lol Sorry about that but nothing will be discontinued. I promise :O)
