by Gary Fry
It was at this stage that Jack always reached a mental impasse. He’d consulted experts on paranormal activities in this field—university professors and independent scholars alike—but had learned little more than he’d already acquired or intuited. But one thing separating him from many cranks in this field was a solid piece of evidence. He’d arranged to have that chunk of the strandlike thing he’d detached while saving Paul analyzed by a private scientist. And after two days, this guy had returned to Jack, audibly bewildered and excited.
“It appears to be an unprecedented composite of rubber and metal, but…at the same time, neither of them. In truth, I simply don’t know what it is. It’s certainly like nothing ever found…on this planet anyway. Can I share it with colleagues? It might help us understand a lot more about…well, about the universe.”
But Jack had refused; he’d thought that by granting media-hungry men and women access to his treasure, he’d somehow invite trouble. The public furor accompanying the case had long since diminished, inevitably replaced by unthreatening material about celebrities, politics, and money. And that was the way Jack preferred it. He was unable to figure out what this feeling implied, but he’d learned over the years to trust nebulous impressions derived from his language-less body.
And this was all he did, from one day to the next: walk the mysterious beach, remaining wary of rumbles in the sand or any short black objects poking up from the ground. He always held the unidentifiable chunk of material in one hand, looking forward to Paul’s next visit. That was good enough for Jack. In any final analysis, that was what life was about. This and many other connections, however resistant to rational analysis, gave his life meaning.
About the Author
Gary Fry lives in Dracula’s Whitby, literally around the corner from where Bram Stoker was staying when he was thinking about that character. Gary has a PhD is psychology, but his first love is literature. He is the author of many short story collections, several novellas, including the upcoming DarkFuse title Lurker, and four novels, among them The House of Canted Steps (PS Publishing) and Conjure House (forthcoming from DarkFuse). He was the first author is PS Publishing’s Showcase series, and none other than Ramsey Campbell has described him as “a master.” His latest book is the short story collection Shades of Nothingness (PS Publishing). Gary warmly welcomes folk to his web presence: www.gary-fry.com.
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