by RP Halliway
Brenda shook her head again. “With Roger’s message, it wasn’t a feeling that his future self was unhappy or anything like that. It was more of a feeling that all of the Rogers I could sense had something they longed for. Something missing in the current path. But nothing about his future.”
“No future?” Evie asked, repeating Silas’ question.
“Nope!” Maddie shook her head, and swung her legs. “Future is ha-ard!”
Brenda nodded to Maddie. “The future is very hard. I can’t get any connections past a few seconds ago. I imagine if someone could connect with the future, they would probably be consumed by greed and end up destroying themselves.”
“Or just go crazy trying to get there,” Maddie said.
“Have you tried?” Evie asked the young girl.
“Every psychic has tried!” Brenda said. “It is like the holy grail in a way.”
“I tried—a lot!” Maddie answered, then put her hands on her cheeks and pulled her face down to show her frustration. “There was always something blocking me.”
“I see,” Silas said. “Nobody ever sees the future then?”
“Not that I know of,” Brenda said.
“There’s old man Postoffice!” Maddie stated in a know-it-all way.
“He doesn’t see the future,” Brenda said, rolling her eyes at Maddie.
“But he knew the future,” Maddie said, seemingly reminding the older woman of the information.
“Maybe,” Brenda said, scoffing at the young girl. “Or it could be just coincidence.”
“Old man Postoffice?” Silas asked, pretty sure he and Evie were missing some inside joke.
“Oh, yes,” Brenda said, remembering Silas and Evie were there. “That is what we called him. His actual name is Postice.”
“And he saw the future?” Evie asked.
“He knew the future!” Maddie corrected.
“He might have known the future,” Brenda said. “It is hard to really say if he saw the future, or knew the future, or if he was just lucky.”
“You should go ask him,” Maddie said, matter-of-factly, providing the simple answer to their query.
“We could?” Silas asked, not sure how open all of these different people would be to talking to strangers.
“If you want,” Brenda said with no emotion, giving a small shake of her head to Maddie.
“How did you find him?” Evie asked, wanting to know more.
“Maddie and I met him—maybe three or four years ago—at a convention. He set about to find us, actually. I have no idea if he is still alive,” Brenda said.
“He’s alive,” Maddie assured them, giving a huge gappy grin as her legs swung in front of her.
“Why was he at the convention?” Silas asked.
“He seemed to be looking for actual psychics,” Brenda replied, after spending a few moments trying to recall details. “He was asking about dreams too,” Brenda said.
Dreams? Was that a coincidence? Or were they meant to talk to this old man Postoffice?
“And the future,” Maddie added. “He wanted to know if I ever saw the future.”
“How did he figure out you have psychic abilities?” Evie asked.
“Just by asking,” Brenda said. “I remember he went about it quite smartly, asking people very specific questions. He managed to eliminate almost all of the fakers immediately. And then he started casual conversations with the remaining attendees, getting enough information to put together who had abilities and who didn’t.”
“And you?” Silas asked Brenda. “Did he find you?”
“Yes,” Brenda said, slowly shaking her head. “I still don’t know how he did it.”
“I just told him I was for real,” Maddie said with a big smile. “He’s a little mean, but he’s funny too.”
“Funny?” Evie asked, confused at the old man being mean and funny.
“He kept asking funny questions,” Maddie said. “And he got madder and madder when I answered them.”
“It isn’t nice to toy with people like that, dear,” Brenda said, then turned to Evie and Silas. “He lives near Boston, at least from what I remember. His name is pretty unique, so you should be able to ask around and find someone who knows him.”
Evie pulled the paper out of her pocket and nodded. “I thought the name sounded familiar. Roger has his name on the list of people that might help with dreams and artifacts.”
“Postice doesn’t like people,” Maddie said happily, like that was a good thing. “And he’s like a milll-lllion years old.”
“He’s really probably in his 80s,” Brenda said. “But he doesn’t like people, that’s for sure. I suppose being rich makes people suspicious of everybody.”
“He’s ree-allly rich!” Maddie bounced on the stool. Brenda fixed her with a glare.
“Postice,” Silas started, reading from his phone after a searching the name. “An early investor in medical technology, reportedly starting when he was only fourteen with his first ten dollars.”
“Sounds like him,” Brenda said.
“See, that’s what he knew,” Maddie stated bluntly, with a cocky attitude. “He knew what was going to happen. And he used it to get rich,” Maddie finished with a ‘told you so’ look to Brenda.
Silas shared his phone with Evie, and together they skimmed the paragraphs of the life of Postice.
“Such a sad life,” Evie said, reading the elderly man’s profile. “His family suffered such tragedy.”
“Yes,” Brenda said, a growing confidence in her voice. “And that is one reason for the disbelief. I would think anyone that could see the future would have a bit of power to prevent events such as those.”
“There’s a big difference,” Maddie said bluntly, more to herself than to the others.
“What difference?” Evie asked.
“A big difference between seeing the future and knowing the future, and knowing all the future and knowing only one thing,” Maddie explained.
“I see,” Evie said, but not really understanding the difference.
“Do you think it is worth talking to him?” Silas asked Brenda.
“Stay away if he is grouchy,” Maddie muttered loud enough so that she knew the others heard.
“You could at least ask,” Brenda said. “Your path seems to be a bit curvier and round-about than most. I don’t know what you are ultimately looking for.”
“I don’t know either,” Silas answered. “Starting from a face in a dream to learning so much information.”
“I think we’re still trying to figure out our path, and why,” Evie said. “Right now we have theories and stories, but still no reason for traveling all over the country with some random stranger.” She pointed to Silas, causing Brenda and Maddie to laugh.
“Our journey has been strange from the onset,” Silas saud. “Maybe old man Postoffice will just be the next strange thing on our path to figuring out these dreams.”
“Maybe,” Brenda said. “And I probably can’t give you much more information on your dreams, or your quest. I brought Maddie in to try to see if she knew anything more, and it appears we are both out of ideas.”
“I’m getting hungry, too,” Maddie said.
“You can get on home now, Maddie,” Brenda told the young girl. “I think we’ve kept you long enough. Get Angel to walk you home.”
“I’m a big girl!” Maddie protested, folding her arms across her chest.
“Get Angel to walk you home,” Brenda said once more with no question in her voice. “It’s getting late.”
“Yes, Mademoiselle Ranier,” She jumped off the stool with a cocky snap of her head in Brenda’s direction, enough to make her dark hair swing widely behind her.
“Nice to meet you, Esmeralda,” Evie said, shaking the young girl’s hand.
“
Likewise, Evie,” Esmeralda said, with a slight bow. “And you too, Silas.”
Before the remaining adults could start conversing, a loud shout echoed down the hall. “Angel!!” Maddie shouted without reservation. “I need you to take me hoo-oome!”
Brenda shook her head with a small smile, and Evie and Silas laughed at the spirited young girl.
“We’ve probably kept you long enough as well,” Silas said after the house grew quiet. “We don’t want to intrude any longer.”
“It isn’t a bother,” Brenda said. “Your case is one that I will probably have to dwell on for a while. If anything connects, I’ll let you know.”
“We would greatly appreciate that,” Silas said, jotting down both of their numbers on a piece of paper. “Please call anytime.”
“I will,” Brenda said. “Remember that time doesn’t exist for me.”
They laughed. But as Evie laughed, she started to wonder if time existed for any of them.
Chapter 14
Silas and Evie settled in the car. “Back to Roger for food?” The neighborhood still showed no sign of activity anywhere. Evie and Silas felt the eeriness of it.
“Or we could get food, just the two of us,” Evie said, her face lighting up. “There was a ton of stuff to process today.” She looked deeply at Silas.
Silas grinned. “Just the two of us it is.” He pulled the car out onto the empty street and drove away. “Any place in particular?” He asked as they drove through the business district toward the hotel.
“No,” Evie said.
Silas smiled as his idea took shape. “I got it.”
The pair drove in silence for the short span of time until a parking lot appeared with a ‘Family Grocers’ sign on the building behind it. Silas looked over to Evie, and saw a small smile and a glint in her eyes.
They walked through the entryway, the doors sliding open as they got within range of the sensor. Silas grabbed a cart, and pointed it towards the stocked aisles in the store.
“I’m off to the meat section—you head to breads and condiments if you want,” Evie said, scanning the hanging signs for the contents of each aisle.
“Yes ma’am.”
After walking through a few aisles, Evie met Silas carrying some meat and cheese in her arms. The pair combined their items and headed to the checkout.
“We can save a bit of money here too,” she said looking at the cost of the grocery purchases compared to eating out at a restaurant. “I can’t really afford big spender stuff.”
“I don’t want to do that much more spending either.” He placed all of the items on the belt for the cashier.
“Split it?” she asked.
“Split it!”
“This is the most relaxed I’ve felt all day,” she said, happy for the familiarity of food shopping contrasting with the lecture-type setting earlier. “I hate learning new stuff too fast, especially when I don’t understand it.”
Silas opened the trunk and adding the bags. “I’m with you. I felt like I was under a microscope all day at Roger’s place. I know he is a great guy, but damn, that really blew my mind. And the Bible stuff . . . I’m not at all up to speed on that, and Paul just kept spouting verse after verse. I couldn’t keep track. And to be honest, I would like to understand what a multiverse is first.”
The pair laughed together.
“Apparently we aren’t in danger,” he said, echoing Maddie’s cryptic statement from earlier.
She gave a small laugh. “That’s not a warm fuzzy feeling. I would like to know that I am safe.”
“I’ll keep you safe,” Silas said, looking at Evie, and while said in a light-hearted manner, she could tell he was being sincere too.
“I know you will.” And she knew it was true. There was something about Silas. About her connection with him. More than just the dream they shared. It was like they were meant to be together.
“And you dad scares the pants off of me!”
“He really should.”
“Your room or mine?” he asked, waving the bags of groceries toward the two hotel rooms.
“Mine.” She pulled her key out and slid it into the electronic lock. “Your hands are full.”
“As you wish.”
Evie smiled, catching the reference to one of her favorite movies.
Silas unpacked the groceries onto the small table in the room, spreading the items out for sandwiches. “Hearty grain bread, mayo, mustard, tomatoes, pickles—both sweet and regular—cheese, of course, and the tasty meat sticks you procured.”
“Sliced lean turkey! Not tasty meat sticks!”
He looked at the buffet on the table. “This looks like a feast.”
“That it does,” she said. They’d have leftovers for tomorrow.
Evie jumped on the bed and grabbed the remote. “And because I don’t really want to think about anything anymore, I just want to watch something on TV!”
“Agreed.” Silas watched her as she clicked through the various TV channels.
“I don’t want to think about anything, just get totally distracted.” She stopped at a channel featuring a couple constructing a new home. “This is it.” She didn’t wait for any input from Silas. She put the remote down and slid off the bed to make her sandwich.
“That’s fine. As long as you can stand my commentary on what they are doing wrong!”
“Fair enough. Commentary away.”
Evie carried her sandwich to one side of the bed and jumped on, shaking the bed as Silas tried to sit down.
“Hey! I could have dropped my Croissant!”
The couple watched the home show, making new sandwiches and talking and eating together, Evie in the bed, and Silas making due sitting on one edge of the bed, using a chair as a makeshift table.
“That was so good,” he said after finishing his second sandwich. He collected all of the extra groceries and stowed them in the small fridge.
“Yes it was. One of the most enjoyable meals of the trip so far. My brain didn’t have to think about anything!”
“So true. I like Roger, and enjoy his discussions—as much as I understand them. And his food is top rate. But there is something about just being . . . this!, that is more enjoyable.” He waved his arms around the room.
“Yep. Oh, here comes another show!” She bounced on the bed to get comfortable.
Silas looked at the situation and wondered what to do.
“You look troubled,” she said, somewhat seriously, but also knowing exactly his dilemma.
“Yep. I’ll stick with the chair for now.” He moved the chair to the corner to allow for watching the show on the TV, and took a seat.
“Suit yourself. The bed is fair game—one foot on the floor, you know.” She patted the empty side of the bed for Silas.
He smiled back, and stuck with sitting in the chair.
The show passed in mostly silence, with some commentary and humorous comments from both them. The next show changed to a different genre, and she clicked the TV off.
Silas thought for a few moments, then sat on the bed next to Evie. “Should we try to track down Postice?”
She thought for a moment before replying. “I was thinking the same thing. He might not have any more information than Brenda did.”
“Let’s ask Roger?” Boston was a long way away, and he didn’t want to go there for nothing. He dialed Roger’s number and put his phone on speaker, placing it on the bed between them.
“Hello Silas,” Roger said. “How are you and Evie doing tonight?”
“We are fine. We had the meeting with Mademoiselle Ranier.”
“Good! Good!” Roger said. “How is Brenda?”
“She is just fine,” Evie said. “We had a good talk with her and also Maddie.”
“Ah, young Maddie. What was the consensus?”
“There wasn’t really much they could tell us about the dream or the artifact,” Silas said. “They admit the dream is unique, but haven’t a clue for the source of it, or how to describe it.”
“Ah, that’s disappointing—for me at least. I was hoping there would be some sort of connection between the Change Theory and your dream.”
“We were hoping that too,” Silas said. “The only lead Brenda and Maddie settled on was to talk to some guy named Mr. Postice.”
The phone was silent for a while. “Ah, Postice. I included him on the list because he seemed to be interested in dreams.”
“Is he worth talking to?” Evie asked.
“I haven’t talked to him for a while. I was presenting the Change Theory to a convention group and met him, probably—two years ago? Before I was able to fully define and defend the entire thing, and it doesn’t seem like he’s been back at any area conventions lately. At least not an official one.”
“I see,” Silas said. “Doesn’t seem like a good lead then?”
“I wouldn’t say that,” Roger said. “Any information might provide the spark of an idea. I just don’t have the same connection with him as I do with the others. I don’t think my reputation would get you very far.”
“Should we call him?” Silas asked.
Roger paused. “I’ll call him first. I’ve been meaning to talk to him for a while anyway.” And the line went dead.
“I really didn’t want to talk to Postice at all,” Evie said. “He just feels like an angry old man to me.”
“Well, we truly don’t know him,” Silas said, “and it would be too quick to judge him harshly.”
“I know. I don’t want to judge him. But I just get that feeling from the stories of Brenda and Maddie. It feels odd to just expect him to meet with us out of the blue. Who are we?”
“True. I don’t like forcing meetings on people just because of this crazy dream. But everyone that we’ve talked to so far actually understands this crazy quest.”
“And actually has gone out of their way to help us. That is pretty amazing.” She leaned over the edge of the bed to the nightstand and opened the top drawer. “I knew it! They still put Bibles in here.”