Desert Son Trilogy: Desert Son, Wayward Soul, Spiritual Intervention (Books 1-3)

by Glenn Maynard

  It was definitely not their book. Carter quickly lifted his eyes and placed them on Brenda, but she was reading the paper and not interested in what she believed was Willy’s coloring book. His eyes then moved over to Billy and Willy. They were making faces at each other and Billy was whispering into Willy’s ear, per the usual, and making Willy giggle.

  Carter’s curiosity was off the charts at this moment as he loved glimpses into the lives of strangers. Maybe it was Carl or Wendy’s diary that Willy had plucked out of their bedroom. Maybe it was a diary from Wendy’s parents. Maybe it was her father’s before he died. It felt so wrong to want to see what was inside that diary, but who hasn’t wished to be a fly on the wall, he reasoned. There was no belt or lock on the book as it appeared to have fallen off during the ages. Great security system back then, he thought. Carter assumed people weren’t as nosy back then as they are today.

  Again, he looked up from the diary to see that nobody was really paying any mind to him. He looked back down at the cover and saw the age all over it. Slowly, so he didn’t disturb the cover or the pages in between, Carter opened up the diary to page one. He looked up again to see that Brenda had suddenly become interested in what he was reading, but she had no idea what it was. She put the paper down, walked around the twins, and positioned herself to read over Carter’s shoulder. Carter saw her position and turned the book back to show her what he had in his hands.

  “Holy shit,” she whispered, then covered her mouth with her hand. “That’s the book he was talking about?”

  “This is the one,” said Carter.

  “Hey Willy,” Brenda said aloud, “where did you find this book?”

  Willy turned to her and stared with a straight face. Time seemed to pass at an awkwardly slow pace, and Brenda looked a bit uncomfortable with this kid who creeped her out from the start.

  “Where did I find it? I found it in our bedroom. We were playing in the closet and it fell from the top shelf and landed on my head.”

  “Wow,” said Brenda, “I hope you didn’t get hurt.”

  “I’m all right.”

  “That’s good. Can we have the book?”

  “No,” said Willy.

  Carter broke into the conversation at this point. “Actually, Willy… this is my book. That was my room, so therefore my book… before you guys even got to Colorado. So I will be taking this book into my room.”

  Willy looked at Carter in disgust, and then he looked at Brenda and said, “Maudie and Shirley’s book, kid.” He then ran to his bedroom, and Billy followed in tow.

  Carter and Brenda looked at each other in horror because of what Willy had just said. Perhaps he had read the names in the diary, so they weren’t completely blown away, more than they were interested beyond belief, and they could wait not a second longer. He opened the diary again and returned to page one, and could see the first page handwritten in print from a blue pen. Then he instantly noticed that the date was about a year to the day that old man Martin had left Carter and his Mother for dead. He began to read:

  June 5, 1975

  Dear Diary,

  Is that how I’m supposed to begin, Alexandra? You’re not so hot now, are you? Or maybe you are? It must have been a hot way to go. I found your diaries that you didn’t want nobody to find. I found them, and you gave me the idea to get one myself. Here it is. You’re gone a year now. Wish it was sooner. That damn guy you brought into my house was good for nothing. You knew it, and you still brought him into my house and he took my girl Shirley right under your nose… and mine. You both got what you deserved. It’s too bad that little guy was found and made it out. It was big news all over the country. I was big news all over the country. Nobody knew it but me. Nobody still knows it, not even that little shit who made it out alive, cuz he was too young to know. He’ll never know. As for my first writing in this diary, I say in your face you, and to that guy who got hit in the caboose with the caboose. Ha!

  Marty

  Carter slowly let the diary in his hands descend to his lap. He looked at Brenda, and her eyes were opened wide in disbelief. This was groundbreaking stuff. They had been living Martin-free in this house for four years now, and not once did they come across any of Martin’s writing. He didn’t seem like the writing type, and he certainly did not look the part of a man who wrote in a diary.

  “What a son of a bitch,” said Brenda. “The only reason he did this diary was to laugh at your mother’s death. He wanted to show her up and she did nothing wrong. She didn’t do a thing to that scumbag and he did everything to her to get back at your father.”

  “And Shirley,” Carter reminded her.

  “And Shirley… you’re right, but why would he even bother to rub salt in their wounds since he was the only one to survive?”

  “So he thought.”

  “Right… so he thought. It must’ve been a shock to him when the story became national news and he found out that you survived. I wish I saw his crusty face when he learned that tidbit.”

  Carter and Brenda decided to move onto the living room couch to get more comfortable while they made their way through subsequent diary entries. After that first one, they needed a couple of minutes to recoup. Fortunately, Carter was 30 years removed from that event, and Carter and Brenda were four years removed from Martin. They took solace in the knowledge that Martin was gone, and never to be heard from again. He was still speaking through his diary entries, but they agreed to burn the book after reading it, so even his thoughts would be obliterated. Carter lifted the book up to his face, while Brenda leaned on his right shoulder, so that she could read along with Carter.

  July 12, 1975

  Dear Diary,

  Thought I was gone for good did ya? I just didn’t know what else to say since I was so satisfied with my accomplishments in the first writing. I’m so happy with the way things ended. Shirley was my girl. Darren had no right. The world wronged me. Wronged… is that even a word? Well this is my personal diary and I say it is. Nobody ain’t gonna see this thing anyhow. I’ll make sure of it. Maybe it won’t disintegrate like that fool Alexandra said, but I can always burn it on my way out of this world as long as I know when it’s my time. This is my house and nobody will ever take that away from me. Everybody seemed to want to try, but look where they are now. I love it. Ha!

  Marty

  October 2, 1975

  Dear Diary,

  I am so bored writing in this diary that I find it hard to do so. That’s why it takes so long to get back to it. I’m not the only one hiding something. Everybody seems to have skeletons in the closet. Mine will stay there. Oh, I forgot to mention that damn baby was sent across the country to that ocean in the east. Someone actually adopted the fool. He came from real bad genes and he doesn’t deserve a good breath in this life because he needs to pay for the sins of his parents. I will track down that little fucker until I can no longer do so. He’s not worthy of this world with his filthy genes. He won’t even be safe after my death. I will personally see to it.

  Marty

  November 20, 1975

  Dear Diary,

  I just can’t get myself to do this anymore. It’s just not for me. Goodbye.

  Martin

  Brenda looked at what appeared to be the final entry, but noticed a faint writing a couple of pages further into the book. Carter fanned the pages and saw that there was only that one entry remaining. He dug in:

  May 15, 2004

  That was as far as they got when Brenda chimed in loudly, “What the hell! That was yesterday!”

  Carter calmed her down by declaring that Willy had the book and probably was scribbling a message. They got right to it:

  Dear D
iary,

  I’m back. It’s been a long while, but finally made my way back. It’s so good to be back, and they don’t even know it. Almost forgot how to write in these things. Long live Shirley! May the others rot in hell.

  Maudie

  Carter closed the diary and put it down on the coffee table before them. The room was silent and neither Carter nor Brenda could speak right away. They were absorbing the entries. They were only about a half hour into their babysitting stint and so much had transpired. They could hear the giggling of Billy and Willy in the other room. Carter looked at Brenda and finally was able to break the silence of the room.

  “Is it me, or did that last entry creep you out?”

  “All the entries creeped me out,” said Brenda. “Martin was a demented psychopath. But what was that last one all about? Do you think he post-dated it just to be creepier than he already was?”

  “I wouldn’t put it past him, but the writing was a little different, and Willy had the book. You don’t suppose… ”

  “No, couldn’t be. He’s a child. He’s only four years old.”

  “But the entry was from Maudie, and isn’t that the name Wendy said Willy claims to be?”

  “Oh my God. She did say that! The date matches that theory, too.” Brenda grabbed her head with both hands, running her fingers through the sides of her hair. They could hear the twins laughing some more in the other room, but this time Brenda heard it as a mockery. Carter was thinking the same thing. It was like the little creeps were laughing at them.

  Carter still tried to repress the reality. “He could have read the earlier entries that Martin wrote, and created that last one without really knowing what the hell he was doing.”

  “Yeah, I guess anything is possible, but at such a young age?”

  “Well,” said Carter, “we did know that something was wrong with that kid. He’s not like any other kid that I know, and even Billy isn’t like him. They’re twins… you’d think they’d be more alike. I can deal with Billy, but Willy gives me real bad vibes. It’s like he’s an old soul.”

  Brenda nodded her head in agreement. “Let’s call them in here and see what they have to say… before their parents get back.”

  “Brenda! Are you serious? You want to interrogate four-year-old twins?”

  “Damn right I do.”

  “Whoa. Slow down, Trigger. I’m not sure they have anything to do with these diaries, and if they did, there couldn’t possibly be evil intent.”

  “Carter, don’t judge a book by its cover. All we’re going to do is ask them a couple of innocent questions about where the book came from, and if they did any writing in it. That’s something I would ask them in front of their parents.”

  Carter thought about it for a moment, and Brenda kept pounding away at reasons to summon them into the living room for questioning. She even went as far as volunteering to get the twins into the living room under pretenses that were purely false.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Wendy called to say the date was going to be longer than anticipated, so later that night after dinner, they made their move. Once the twins were sitting on the love seat across from them, Brenda started the interrogation process, which she referred to as a fun babysitting game.

  “Billy,” she began, “how do you like living here so far?”

  Billy smiled and said, “I like living here… better than Texas.”

  “That’s great. I’m glad you like it. How about your brother Willy?” Brenda switched her eyes to Willy.

  “I’m glad he came too,” said Billy.

  Carter and Brenda laughed at that comment. It was innocent.

  “Not you, Billy,” said Brenda. “That question was for your brother Willy.”

  Billy whispered into Willy’s ear. Willy smiled and said, “I like living here better than Texas.”

  “Wow,” said Brenda. “That’s very insightful.”

  Carter looked over at Brenda, and she made a guilty face at him, which was the direct result of her sarcastic comment.

  “So tell me Willy,” Brenda pressed on, “where did you find that book?”

  Billy whispered into Willy’s ear and Willy replied, “I found the book in the closet.”

  “Did you know the book was there?”

  “Yes.”

  Billy whispered in Willy’s ear, and Willy changed his answer. “No. I found it when I was looking… for games.”

  Carter cleared his throat to indicate that he had something to ask and wanted to be next. “Billy… why do you keep whispering into Willy’s ear?”

  Billy looked stunned. It almost looked like he was about to cry. That’s all that he needed was for Carl and Wendy to come in to crying twins, or have the kids tell their parents that Carter made them cry while they were out. He contemplated taking that question off the table, but then Brenda softened the blow.

  “Billy, that’s okay that you whisper in his ear. Are you just shy, or is he afraid to answer questions on his own?” She turned to Willy and said, “Is that it Willy? That’s okay if it is. I was shy when I was your age too.”

  Willy shook his head in agreement, and it was best for everyone involved to move on to the next question.

  “Willy, I want you to try to answer this question without help from your brother,” said Brenda. “Did you read the book and were you able to understand it?”

  Willy looked at Billy, then moved his eyes to Brenda and said, “Yep.”

  “Now tell me… did you write inside the book? Did you write anything at all inside the book on the white page?”

  Billy began to whisper in Willy’s ear, but Brenda stopped him quickly before he could do so by saying, “Billy no!”

  Willy again looked over at his brother, then moved his eyes to Brenda and said, “Yes.”

  “Wow, that’s a very good answer and I’m so proud of you for telling me the truth. Did you write the name Maudie after you wrote in the book?”

  “Yes..Maudie.”

  “Why did you write the name Maudie if your name is Willy? Why didn’t you write your name… which is Willy?”

  “I’m Maudie.”

  “No, you’re name is Willy. That’s what your parents named you. Your name is Willy.”

  Billy was staring at Brenda during this interrogation, but Willy was not answering anymore. Billy then came over to Willy and whispered something into his ear. Willy smiled at Brenda, then shifted his eyes over to Carter and said, “Your girlfriend’s pretty.”

  Carter was not expecting that comment, so he was taken aback. They were little children in the way they acted, but they were like little men in the way they spoke. There was a bit of a lull in the conversation after that until Carter thought of a reply. “Yes, she is pretty. I’m glad you think so. “

  “I always thought so,” Willy replied.

  Brenda redirected Willy’s focus with additional questions. “Willy… how do you spell Maudie? Can you spell Maudie for me?”

  “M-A-R-T-Y,” he replied.

  Brenda turned to Carter and whispered, “That’s the way a four year old would say Marty.” Then she turned back to Willy and said, “Why do you claim to be Marty if you are Willy?”

  Willy looked over at his brother, and then returned to Brenda. “Just a feeling. Sometimes I feel like an old man… and I’m only four.” He held up four fingers. “I sometimes feel that I already… died.”

  “Well, your name is Willy, so you should continue to use that name. Don’t try to be someone you’re not.”

  “I’m not just Willy, though.”

  Brenda looked
at Willy, then Carter, and then back to Willy, who kept looking at his brother. She began to tremble. This four-year-old boy was freaking the hell out of her and she just wanted to shake him and scream at him that he was not Marty, or Martin, or Maudie, or any of those guys. He was Willy and only Willy, and he’ll only ever be Willy.

  Carter could only look on as a spectator. He was hoping to hell that Martin was a thing of the past and hadn’t just returned to the house he built with his own hands. It was very unsettling to think that Martin could possibly have returned to his house in the form of this boy named Willy when the Blankenships moved from Texas.

  He remembered his mother saying that Willy had lobbied hard for the family to relocate to Boulder, Colorado, and fate seemed to steer them to this particular house. There was more going on than met the eye, or so it appeared. Carter and Brenda knew all about this reincarnation thing, so Willy was someone to watch. All of the signs were there, but in the end they were praying that it was just a series of coincidences.

  Brenda needed a break from all of this, so she sent the kids to their room to get into their pajamas and into bed, while she and Carter remained behind to discuss this breaking news. The kids insisted on being tucked in, so they promised they would be back in a few minutes to do just that. Once they ran off toward their bedroom, Carter sat down on the couch and Brenda plunked herself down like a tired sack of potatoes, exhaling to complete her merger with the couch.

  “I can’t do this anymore,” she exclaimed.

  “It’s unreal,” replied Carter. “If Willy is really Martin reincarnated, then that means he is back for you… Shirley.”

  “Us. He’s back for us… not just me. How the hell can that really be him?”