Beyond Reality

by Indigo Hawkins

  Chapter 9

  "What has happened to you Todd?"

  "Nothing has changed. I'm still the same person that you've always known."

  "Stop it! That’s a lie! You're not like you used to be. You've changed. Why have you changed so much Todd?"

  "I'm telling you, I haven't changed! Is this all because of your stupid houses!?"

  "That's it Todd, stop it! These stupid houses are all I have left. They are the only thing with color in this house!"

  "They don't even match! And who are you to tell me what kind of person I am just because I don't come with you on the weekends to visit your friends!?"

  "Look at you! You don't even care about anyone else anymore! When was the last time we even did anything together!?"

  "Hey! I booked the trip that you wanted to take! I thought that's what you wanted!"

  "No its not!"

  " . . . Now why are you crying?"

  "Shut up Todd! Just shut up! You never used to act like this!"

  "Helen, we were younger then! People grow up!"

  "You didn't just grow up Todd! You died . . . and this thing replaced you!

  "Now just stop it Helen! Can you hear yourself!? How would you feel if I said all this stuff about you!? Not everyone can be as carefree as you always are!"

  "I just want Todd back! You've killed him . . . you've killed it all . . ."

  "Helen, where are you going!?"

  "Put down your business section sometimes and maybe you will see!...me again"

  " . .She .. . . . . . . . . . . . She will be back

  she has to come back . . . . . . . . . . . . Please let her come back."

  Todd replays their last conversation back in his head.

  Chapter 10

  A ceiling painted an ugly color, welcomed Todd back to his hotel room as he slowly opened his eyes. Taking a look around, his room appeared to have been ransacked, but after seeing the empty container in his hands and the spilled pills on the bedspread, Todd remembered that the pillaging was committed with his own hands. Todd touched his forehead, noticed that the pain and agony had receded sometime overnight, and then lifted himself into a sitting position before rubbing his face.

  "No sir," shouted an unseen man somewhere outside Todd's open window, "no sightings yet, but there is a reason for suspicions." The man was definitely one of Lieutenant Johnson's soldiers by the strict way that he reported information.

  "You're right," said another unseen man outside Todd's window, "there has been talk of a surprise attack, but the hour has yet to be found out." Todd lifted himself from the bed and walked over to the window as the two men continued to exchange advice. Looking outside, Todd found two men dressed in army uniform standing at the edge of the alley.

  "Hey," Todd called to the men, instantly grabbing their attention, ". . . could you keep it down please?" The two soldiers looked at each other as if having just witnessed an anomaly and then nodded to Todd before setting off down the road. Todd turned back into his room and walked towards his bed when suddenly he realized what one of the soldiers was wearing on his helmet. Quickly snatching up another container of tablets, Todd fled from his room and ran after the soldiers who had just been standing outside his window.

  The town was uneasily silent and the air was brisk. The glowing sun hung just over the horizon as dark clouds moved into position above the town like an umbrella. Fewer people now seemed to walk down the street than when Todd had arrived in Kinston.

  Todd was quickly at the barricades where innumerable men were preparing their defensive positions. Machine guns were aligned on the stacks of debris while others dug holes in the earth and filled sandbags with the dirt. Within the group of men walking to-and-fro, Todd spotted a green helmet, one of many, but its consistency was broken by a single yellow sticker. Todd immediately pushed his way through the preparing men and found himself face to face with the same young solder that had, just the other night, been shot down by gunfire.

  "It's . . . you . . ." Todd choked out. The soldier stared at him while holding a shovel full of dirt. "But you were shot dead the other night!" Todd pointed his finger at the soldier who only grew confused.

  "Ummm, look man," the soldier said as he looked around perplexed, "I don't know what you're talking about. I, like, just came in this morning so . . ." The soldier continued to turn his head left and right as if looking for the prankster who had sent Todd before him. It was clear to Todd that either the man had no clue whatsoever about his own incident the previous night, or he was merely pulling a trick. Even with both outcomes considered, Todd completely lost it and grabbed the soldier by the collar and shook him about.

  "Listen here!" Todd growled through his teeth as those around stopped and looked at the fuming man, "This is not funny! Just tell me what the hell you are doing. You were shot dead! You were shot dead!" Lieutenant Johnson was immediately on the scene and running towards Todd and the soldier.

  "Todd!" Lieutenant Johnson shouted, "What the hell!?" Instantly, Lieutenant Johnson threw his hands onto Todd and pulled him off the young soldier who gasped and choked. Lieutenant Johnson hurled Todd onto the ground and stood over him with anger running across his face. Todd crawled backwards, away from the frontlines, nearly falling into a crater.

  "He was killed Charles!" Todd cried pointing his finger at the young and confused soldier. Lieutenant Johnson began moving towards Todd in a menacing way.

  "Todd what are you talking about!?" he shouted, "He was sent in this very morning! Just get out of here Todd! I don't want you bothering my men anymore! You have done enough as it is! Now get out of here before I charge you will insubordination!" With that last word, Todd was on his feet and scrambling back behind lines. He ran from the soldiers but unfortunately his field of vision was not in front of him. After distancing himself, yet still looking back at the barricade, Todd ran straight into someone.

  Catching himself before he could fall down, Todd stumbled backwards and saw who he had collided with. He was now face to face with a man in an astronaut suit who stopped for the moment to look over the runner whom he had just crashed into. Then the astronaut progressed on his way towards the barricade.

  "Watch your step ole sport," the astronaut said as he passed, "there's no air 'round here." Todd watched in awe as the man in the astronaut suit walked with leisure on his way to the barricades. With every step as slow as if he were actually on the moon, the astronaut passed the soldiers and their barricade and made his way down the desolate highway into the landscape.

  Suddenly, a strange noise diverted Todd's attention away from the disappearing astronaut. Turning around, Todd watched in astonishment as a large trunk plummeted from the sky and landed, with a tremendous crash, smack dab in the center of the street. The large, sturdy box settled on the pavement with perfection, not appearing to have overturned or damaged itself in anyway. A moment passed while Todd looked up into the sky to find no sight of any carrier near or far.

  "Hey, look!" casually called a passerby. A few more faces began to show and soon seven people had calmly gathered around the trunk in the center of the street. Todd walked towards the crowd as they easily opened the lid of the trunk and gasped in wonder. Instantly, hands dove into the drunk and pulled out an assortment of clothing and apparel.

  "Look at this!" shouted a man, pulling out a sailor's cap. Each man and woman threw on the wide variety of clothing and looked themselves up and down in vanity while gasping in marvel.

  "How do I look?" asked one woman as she wrapped a flashy scarf around her neck. Todd stopped and watched with interest as the people surrounding the trunk, which had dropped out of nowhere, stood around and amused themselves with the many costumes.

  "Wow, this sure is a shame that we ain't got a body of water 'round here," said the man with the sailor's cap. Another man instantly shot up his head in interest and began to look around with glee.

  "Hey!" the man said, "I've got some shovels in my garage . . . we could dig a body of water!" All t
hose surrounding the trunk took immediate liking to the man's idea and quickly partook in separate conversation while smiling with joy.

  "And a boat just fell in my house this morning!" shouted another man, "we could use that too!" Cheers of excitement flew among those gathered and they all instantly split up to seek the necessary items for their mission. Todd took slight enjoyment in watching them hustle and bustle and was about to step near their trunk when shouts erupted through the air behind him. Todd turned around and saw, at the barricade, Lieutenant Johnson and some of his men moving around. At the instance that Todd began to move in the other direction, a man stood straight up and stared menacingly in his direction as if ready to call out orders to attack Todd.

  Todd marched back to his hotel room and immediately threw his suitcase on top of his bed, opened it, and began to pack. The few things that Todd had brought were tossed hastily into his suitcase without care or order. Jason sat on the bed, as usual, and watched.

  "What are you doing?" Jason asked as Todd stepped up to the desk where the many ceramics had been placed.

  "I'm leaving," Todd said softly as he stopped his haste and stared at the ceramic models, "I thought I could come here and help Helen . . . or me for that matter, but I can't. No one even wants me here." Todd looked amongst the aligned figurines and ceramics, reached out his arm, and touched one of the miniature buildings. "She wanted to stay here," Todd whispered as he brushed his fingers along the ceramic structure before recoiling and walking away from the desk, "well she can stay here. I never wanted those . . . those damned things anyways."

  "But you belong here," Jason begged, "It's a good place."

  "What do you mean I belong here?" Todd asked as he continued to pack, "I don't like this place and I don't understand how my wife," Todd paused and looked up, "Helen . . . could stand this place."

  "Maybe that's what she meant," Jason said. Todd looked at the teddy bear with concern.

  "What do you mean?"

  "Well," Jason began, "Maybe this is one of those places that you two couldn't agree upon . . .a place that she loves but that you hate. Maybe, perhaps . . . staying here would help you understand her."

  "No," Todd blurted out, turning back to his suitcase with speed, "People are shooting guns . . . men are dressed as mice . . . and adults are gathering shovels to dig a damn lake!" Todd latched his suitcase shut and stood up straight, exposing his square shoulders. He then gathered his coat and moved to the door.

  "Look!" Jason cried out with one last effort, "It's getting dark and you're obviously not in a mood to drive such a distance. Why don't you at least wait until morning?" Jason turned his head to the side and looked at Todd who relaxed a moment and then set down his suitcase, overcome with the teddy bear's appeal.

  "Okay," Todd glumly surrendered, "I will stay." Jason seemed to twitch with cheer.

  "Yes!" Jason shouted, "Now come on . . . let's watch some 'TV' or something." Todd could feel a warm glow emanate from the fuzzy teddy bear, as if his happiness were filling the room with a positive charge. A gentle smile crossed Todd's lips.

  Chapter 11

  The night crept over Kinston as quickly as the bombardments of artillery and gunfire broke the silence over the land. The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder and fire and passed through the streets on the moonlit wind. An open window in the town's hotel revealed a passive scene with Jason and Todd spread out casually on the bed with their heads lifted and their eyes on the room's television screen. An abrupt end to the otherwise submissive atmosphere came with the scream of a woman in the science fiction movie that they watched.

  "I find your portrayal of alien life forms to be amusing," Jason said unexpectedly over the pounding of gunfire outside.

  "Hey," Todd added, not moving a muscle but his lips, "you are the ones watching our television." Neither one laughed as the firing outside persisted.

  "But I am serious," Jason continued pointing his paw at the tall, green figure on the screen, "we don't look anything like that . . . maybe we did once but not now." Todd sat up and looked at Jason.

  "Did you ever look like us?" Jason turned his head with thought.

  "I think we did, actually, but with slight variations. I mean, basically our physical composite was the same."

  "Then how is it that we looked the same but you couldn't come up with the same television scenarios that we can?" Todd asked, nearly twisting his brain in a knot with his words.

  "Well, this would have been a long time ago," Jason said, "and although I am very old, I could not tell you why this is, but in our defense, we have never before seen the things that we have witnessed in this planetary system. We have, however, seen better portrayals of alien life forms than these." Jason pointed to the television again where a group of aliens had begun abducting a few screaming humans.

  "So you like our television . . ." Todd said, giving a small chuckle, "which shows do you particularly like?"

  "Well," Jason began, obviously thinking it over, "the most popular among us is definitely what you call the "Western", and next to that would have to be your animated pictures . . . but my favorite program, as I believe it to be pronounced, is Gilligan's Island." Todd looked down and thought about the Westerns, cartoons, and varied episodes of Gilligan's Island that he had watched as a kid. The memories of each character and conflict, which had long been lost in business troubles and work, floated to the surface of his consciousness with ease, as if silhouetted in his mind waiting to resurrect with a purpose.

  "Is that why you are here?" Todd asked solemnly, keeping his head down. Jason tilted his head and stared at Todd for a while.

  "No," Jason replied, "We aren't here just for the television. We have to stay here and keep everyone on track." Todd instantly lifted his head with confusion and looked at Jason.

  "What?"

  "Oh," Jason replied, "I thought you meant us, but you just meant me." Todd remained silent and looked at Jason with fright as Jason continued off topic, "I have to stay here and help everyone out-"

  "What do you mean?" Todd hoarsely blurted out. His eyes widened as he leaned closer to Jason before reaching over to the remote and flipped off the television. The sounds of war became clearer as Todd grew deeply concerned.

  "Huh?" Jason asked.

  "You said," Todd started, "that you . . . more than one of you . . . are here. You mean on earth?" Jason nodded innocently.

  "Yes," Jason replied, "we have to help everyone stay interesting." Todd immediately leaned back with terror.

  "What are you talking about?" Todd demanded, "What kind of track are you keeping us on?" Jason stopped moving and quickly silenced himself. Todd, with his eyes still wide open with horror, began to see Jason slowly beginning to fade and materialize back into the air. At the same time, a menacing headache began to crank out faster and faster into his head.

  "Todd," Jason began subtly, "I think you need to take more pills now . . . I won't be here long-"

  "Shut up and tell me!" Todd shouted, "What are you doing here!" Jason sat quietly as his image pulsated.

  "Look," Jason began, "Like I said before, we like this town, but it's not like the rest of your world so we just wanted to help keep this town interesting."

  "Oh my God," Todd whispered to himself before staring back at Jason, "You are controlling these people?" Jason casually nodded.

  "Just for a little while," Jason heedlessly continued, "Just until-"

  "Stop," Todd said patiently, holding his hand against his thundering head. The pulsating pain began to grow.

  "Yes," Jason continued, hastily answering the question, "We are controlling them, but just until they go back to being exciting." Todd turned his head to the side as the realization flew through his head.

  "You are controlling the Sheriff?" Jason nodded.

  "Yes."

  "And you are controlling the Deputy?" Todd asked and was again answered with Jason nodding.

  "Yes." Todd began to loose his breath with every reply while his hea
dache intensified.

  "And Mike?"

  "Yes?" Jason answered innocently. Todd stood up from the bed and walked to the corner of the room and looked down at the floor.

  "What about those soldiers . . . and the Deputy," Todd whispered before turning around and facing Jason again, "they were shot! They were dead!" Tears quickly formed in Todd's eyes as a lump grew in his throat.

  "We . . ." Jason stuttered, staring back at his unstable companion, "we brought them back." Todd instantly lunged at the bed and collapsed to his knees which struck the floor with a painful thud. Tears poured out of Todd's eyes and he reached out his hands and grabbed the fuzzy bear and shook it.

  "Why not her!?" Todd cried, "You killed her! Bring her back! . . . Bring her back NOW!"

  "We can't," Jason said softly as Todd increased his grip and clamped his teeth.

  "Why not!?" Todd roared, heaving his chest in and out with every growing breath. A pause fell between Todd's gasps and in that moment Jason leaned forwards towards Todd.

  "We didn't know, Todd," Jason spoke regrettably, "We didn't know . . ." Todd released Jason and collapsed to the floor before weeping uncontrollably. The carpet was quickly stained with tears as his fists pounded the floor.

  "Did you control her?" Todd belted out with momentary control.

  "What?" Jason asked, barely hearing the words Todd croaked out. Todd immediately jumped up from the floor and glared at Jason before stiffening his limbs in rage.

  "DID YOU CONTROL HER!?" Todd shouted at the top of his lungs, barely able to see through the shield of tears over his eyes. Jason sat still, disappearing more and more.

  "No," Jason said, growing quieter. Todd stumbled backwards and threw himself against the side of the desk, shaking the entire structure and rattling the ceramics on the shelf. He wrapped his arms around his face and soaked up all the tears while his blubbering continued throughout the overwhelming pain in his head. An unusually close artillery shell hit nearby, causing the lights to flicker and the ground to rumble.