by Harper Lin
Once inside the car, I locked the doors, started the engine, and peeled out of there under the blurry gaze of a couple of men sharing a drink from a paper bag.
Only once I saw the cheery sight of Aunt Astrid’s front porch did I let out a sigh. It seemed as if I might have been holding my breath for the entire drive.
“Can I…”
“Sleep overnight here?” Aunt Astrid finished my sentence. “Absolutely.”
I sighed with relief. “Thanks.”
We didn’t say too much about what we had heard. I didn’t tell Aunt Astrid about the face I had seen. I would wait until the sun came up and Bea was with us. The hustle and bustle of a normal day under a normal sun could chase away the shadows and boogeymen.
The Park Family Secret
“I stayed awake all night waiting for the phone to ring. I was sure I’d get a call from Jake telling me my mom and cousin had been picked up for breaking into a government building,” Bea said, pouring hot tea into our cups the following morning in Aunt Astrid’s kitchen.
“You have no idea,” I said, wrapping my hands around the warm mug.
“Did you find out anything?”
Aunt Astrid sipped her tea and looked at me. I hadn’t told her what I’d read in the documents on the Thompson family. I felt a little guilty even mentioning it. It was obviously something that was intended to stay buried.
“Yes,” I said, looking back at Aunt Astrid.
“So? Don’t keep me waiting.” Bea’s eyes bounced back and forth between us.
“There was something there. Something that knew we were there and wasn’t very happy,” Aunt Astrid said.
“What happened?”
Aunt Astrid told Bea in great detail what had happened while I had my back to her as I read the complete Thompson file. She saw people coming and going, heard conversations about the building and the files, and she also saw where the protection spell had come from.
“Topher?” Bea gasped, looking at me.
“This is the first I’m hearing about this too,” I said, shaking my head in disbelief. When we had gotten back to Aunt Astrid’s place, we were so shocked and exhausted that sleep overcame us almost instantly. Even if we had wanted to talk about what had happened, our minds just wouldn’t allow it.
“I’m not sure why but…” Aunt Astrid shook her head and pulled an apple pie, with one slice missing, out of her refrigerator. With three graceful movements, she swept up three rose-decorated small plates, pulled three forks from the copper canister on the counter, and snagged the pie server from the cutlery drawer.
“Well, I’m not sure what to make of this, but from what I saw in the file, that may not be so hard to believe.” I took another sip of tea as a heaping slice of apple pie made its way in front of me.
Pulling her chair up to the kitchen table, Aunt Astrid took a seat.
“There was a birth certificate in there. Well, there were lots of them throughout the years and nothing strange, nothing out of order except…” I felt as though I was gossiping, and that was bad enough, but I saw no other way to help get this situation under control. “I saw Thomas Thompson born to mother Alice Thompson and father…”
Bea’s back straightened, and her eyes widened.
“Lei Park. Min’s father.”
“What?” Bea and Aunt Astrid cried at once.
“Hey, I’m not saying it’s true. I’m saying that that’s what was on the birth certificate. But why would it be there if it wasn’t true? I mean, the whole thing is really messed up, right?”
“Min’s father was Tommy Thompson’s father too?” Bea exclaimed. “How could that be?”
“Well, the certificate didn’t go into details, but I’m guessing that when they were younger, Mr. Park and Miss Thompson had a fling that resulted in a child.” I shoveled a huge scoop of apple pie into my mouth so I wouldn’t have to say any more.
“Well, duh, that’s what happened,” Bea said. “But something like that would have gotten around. People would have heard about it. This is a small town, and gossip tumbles from mouths as easily as the water down the waterfall.”
“That is a beautiful comparison,” I said, giving Bea a wink.
“Thank you. But still, don’t you think someone would have spoken about this before?”
“People can keep secrets if they choose to. It’s just that so many people choose not to,” Aunt Astrid said.
“If that’s true, then it might explain why Topher seemed so agitated at the play,” I said, thinking hard while cutting myself another piece of pie.
“What are you talking about?” Aunt Astrid asked.
“The play. You guys were in your seats when I was in the back with Min and Blake. Topher came galloping along with his britches in a bunch, calling Min all kinds of names. It makes a little more sense that he’d have some animosity toward the men in the Park family.”
“But Topher was never rude to them before. He might be a bit on the eccentric side but never hurtful,” Bea insisted and sipped her tea.
“Right, but now he’s got an Unfamiliar attached to him, feeding him lies and pulling him down into that darkness where who knows what worms its way into his mind,” I said. “Maybe thirty years ago, he did hate Lei Park or everyone in the Park family for this indiscretion but came to terms with it. If there was still just a sliver of resentment, that creature would find it and infect it until it became a consuming cancer.”
“And all the while making it look like Old Murray was the problem.” Aunt Astrid nodded. “All along, that Unfamiliar had its vise grip on Topher and—”
“Pointed out to Topher that someone in the Park family was a closer living relation to Alice than anyone else in town. If he gets his hands on Min, or preferably Lei Park, then raising the dead and giving life to the Unfamiliar will probably work.” I swallowed hard as I thought about the face I’d seen staring back at me through the frosted glass at the orphanage.
“What?” Bea asked. “Your face just went pale.”
I wasn’t sure if I should say anything about it. Maybe I hadn’t even seen it. Maybe I had just gotten wrapped up in the moment and my mind was playing tricks on me. Maybe it was a result of the old spell hanging over that place like webbing.
“When we were getting out of that building, I saw something,” I said.
“The Unfamiliar,” Aunt Astrid said as if she already knew.
I looked at her with wide eyes. “How did you know?”
“I caught a glimpse of it moving through time. It rips the fabric of the dimensions like it’s going through paper.”
“What was it doing hanging out at an old government building that practically no one ever visits?” Bea asked.
“That I don’t know,” Aunt Astrid said. “But I knew we stirred it up just a few minutes after I was shown where the files that might help us were. I just thought we could get out of there before it made it through to our dimension. I guess I was wrong.”
I shivered. Even with the comfort of the sun and the protection of my family around me, I felt vulnerable, as if I was only wearing a towel and had to go slay a dragon.
“Does that mean the Unfamiliar sometimes detaches itself from Topher?” Bea asked, pushing her empty plate aside.
Aunt Astrid walked to her pantry and opened the door, revealing not just canned goods and baking supplies but three shelves filled with books. The one she retrieved was a small black leather-bound thing with fingerprints in flour on the cover. The pages inside were yellowed and almost transparent with age. She peeled them away from each other delicately, one at a time. “According to this…”
“What is that one? I don’t think I’ve ever seen it,” I said, peeking at the writing.
“This is sort of like the Cliff’s Notes on Unfamiliars,” Aunt Astrid said, her brow wrinkling over her nose. “It won’t tell us how to get rid of the little bugger, but it will tell us its schedule.”
I looked at Bea, who shook her head and shrugged.
�
�The Unfamiliar is strongest during the full moon, but last night was two nights before the full moon. It was weak, and Topher must have either pushed it out of his mind or was so exhausted when he fell asleep that it couldn’t get through to him. We can assume it whispers to him incessantly, driving him crazy one word at a time.”
“That poor man,” Bea said. “He needs a healing spell, but it’s no good to do one until the Unfamiliar is gone.”
“So it came sniffing around for us. It knows we’re here. It knows what we are. And it isn’t scared.” Aunt Astrid had barely touched her pie.
I finished my second slice of pie and washed it down with the remaining tea, which had gone lukewarm. “Well, it’s going to be up to something tonight. My gut is telling me that we need to let the Parks know they’re in danger.”
“How are you going to do that?” Bea asked. “Do you realize how crazy our story would sound? Not to mention how embarrassing for them? There’s no easy way to address the issue.”
“No, there isn’t. You want to do it?” I asked, looking at Bea with puppy dog eyes.
She put her hands up in front of her and shook her head. “No way. I’m getting my own house in order before I butt in on anyone else. Besides, you’re the one Min has eyes for. It would be better coming from someone he knows and cares for.”
“Has eyes for?” I felt my cheeks flash hot pink. “What are you talking about?”
“Oh, nothing.” Bea folded her arms across her chest and snickered.
Marshmallow jumped into Aunt Astrid’s lap, hopped up on the table, and made herself comfortable there.
“Treacle was here this morning. He looked like he had gotten into a little scuffle,” Marshmallow said to me.
“I’m sure he did,” I said. “Did he say where he had been or where he was going?”
“He didn’t want you to see him the way he looked, so I assume he was going to the shelter for a quick cleanup from Cody and Old Murray before you could see him.”
“Oh, that little sneak. Thanks for the tip.” I scratched Marshmallow behind the ears, starting her purr engine.
“Sure, but you didn’t hear it from me.”
Bea and Aunt Astrid didn’t hear my conversation with Marshmallow, but I think they could tell something was up.
“I’m going to go get this thing with the Parks over with,” I said. “It isn’t something that needs to be put off any longer. Plus, if it is the full moon the night after tomorrow, we have to be prepared.”
Again, I thought of that thing that had grinned at me. It suddenly wasn’t as scary as what I had to tell the Parks. I thought what I needed to do was walk off the two slices of pie I had just eaten while I came up with a script that would prompt the Parks without revealing the whole story.
Leaving Aunt Astrid and Bea to discuss the plan for the evening, I drove to the animal shelter to pick up Treacle. I’d drop him off at home with a little food and a stern talking-to, then I’d head off to the Parks’ house.
Monsters Under the Bed
The shelter was several healthy blocks away, and with the sun shining on my face and just a kiss of a breeze blowing through the trees and carrying the smell of mimosa, I was feeling better. I knew I still had a lot of work ahead of me in the next few hours, but I was beginning to feel like I could handle it. Come what may, I’d make it through, along with the other Greenstones.
But as I caught sight of the sign for the shelter, something inside me started to doubt my success. And not just success in talking with the Parks but everything. Suddenly the sun was covered by storm clouds and the flowers wilted. I knew it wasn’t really happening, but it felt like it was, way deep down in my soul. Not realizing my pace had slowed down, I felt as though maybe I should turn around.
“Treacle is in there. At least, I think he is. I can’t just leave him,” I said, my steps getting smaller and smaller.
The thought of my cat made me square my shoulders and pick up my pace. If I got hurt, that was one thing. But if something thought of hurting my cat, well, that was just plain cruel. I wasn’t about to leave Treacle just because of a few woogie-boogie feelings.
I tried to focus and call his name with my thoughts, but I couldn’t get through. Something was blocking my thoughts. Now my steps really quickened, until I was almost running up the sidewalk to the front entrance. Before I could even get my hand on the front door handle, I heard yelling.
It sounded like a poker game gone bad. I instantly recognized Cody telling someone to just calm down. I heard a female voice saying she was sorry and didn’t understand. It sounded like Naomi LaChance. She had been stopping in regularly to check on Topher while Cody worked at the shelter, probably because she still felt attached to Tommy.
A million thoughts went through my head as my hand touched the door handle, took hold, and pulled it open. I took two steps inside. Cody was saying he was sorry over and over. He and Naomi were cornered and looking at an old man, who had his back to me as I walked in.
“What’s going on?” I asked, a little out of breath. I heard Treacle calling me from the back room. In my mind, I answered him, but he kept calling and talking too fast for me to understand what he was saying.
“Cath. Oh jeez, you might want to go and get Chief Talbot or Jake or someone to come over here right away.” Cody’s eyes looked at me then darted back to the old man who still had his back to me.
“Now, Topher, you need to just calm down. I don’t know what your issue is, but we can help if you’ll just relax a bit.” Naomi’s voice was barely any calmer than Cody’s. She was visibly shaking.
“Topher, come on, man. You and me are friends. There’s no need to get mad. I don’t even know what I said. I just…” Cody stumbled over his words, his eyes wide and scared.
Topher was blocking the door and preventing me from getting any farther in the room. I looked at his hands and didn’t see a weapon, but his fists were clenching and unclenching in a menacing and deliberate manner. There were papers and a broken potted plant on the floor, along with an overturned waiting room chair, and I saw a new crack in the plaster of the front reception desk.
“Hey, Topher,” I said in a quiet voice. “It’s me, Cath Greenstone. What’s going on here?”
His head tilted a little in my direction as if he was listening, but he didn’t turn around. Everyone stood still. Not a sound came from any of us until Topher spoke. Or at least the words came from his mouth. I don’t think it was really him talking.
“I know you,” he said. “I know you are still afraid of monsters under your bed.”
The words struck me dumb, and before I could utter anything, the old man spun around to face me. It was Topher’s body and face, but something was working just below the surface. My eyes blurred, as if I was viewing a photo taken in mid-movement or perhaps filtered through a frosted window.
The temperature in the room dropped at least twenty degrees, and I was paralyzed with fear. I wanted to run, but the thought of Treacle in his cage held me there. With Cody and Naomi just as scared as me, well, someone had to stand up to it.
“Under the bed,” it hissed again.
The evil smile fell from his face, and the Unfamiliar looked at me seriously. Before I could call out a binding spell or even a simple hex to numb his legs, the old man rushed to me and pushed me into the wall, where my head snapped back and thudded against the fake wood paneling. Out the door he went. I didn’t dare chase him.
“What was that all about?” Naomi asked. “He was as pleasant as punch all day until he started talking to you.” She elbowed Cody, who looked at her apologetically.
He was just a kid compared to the rest of us. Compared to the Unfamiliar, he was just a baby who it could easily frighten.
“I don’t know,” Cody said, sitting on one of the waiting room chairs and running his hands over his short dark hair. His eyes looked worried as if he might be in trouble.
I rubbed the back of my own head and sat next to Cody. “What were you guys doing
?” I tried to act as baffled as they were even though I knew the thing that was hiding there in the old man’s body.
“I just brought him over to get a little fresh air,” Naomi said. “While Old Murray is still recovering and taking it easy, Topher doesn’t have anyone, really, to look out for him except for Cody. So I’ve been stopping by his place. I asked if he wanted to take a walk and see Cody.”
“And he was okay with that?” I asked, still trying to remain calm.
“Yeah. We walked here, and Cody brought him out a little cup of water and told him that he went to visit Old Murray,” Naomi continued, still standing in the same spot as if she was afraid to move.
I put my hand on Cody’s shoulder. “How’s he doing?” I hoped Cody couldn’t feel my nerves trembling.
“He’s doing great. That’s what I told Topher. I told him how good the old man was doing, thanks to Bea’s alternative medicine and what the doctors did for him, then I said I saw Mr. Park, and it was like someone flipped a switch, right?” He looked at Naomi, who was nodding as she swept a couple of stray strands of long black hair away from her face and nervously tucked them into the bun she was wearing.
“Lei Park stopped by to see Old Murray?” I asked, hoping maybe I wouldn’t have to pay a visit to the Parks’ residence.
“No, no. I meant Min Park. He’s a mister too, you know.”
I nodded. That made more sense. Min was that kind of person.
“It just sent Topher off the deep end. He started knocking things over and yelling out all kinds of gibberish that made no sense. Then he was saying things like, ‘If it doesn’t work with him, I’ll try you next. The both of you. The both of you.’” Cody looked at Naomi again.
“What is that, like, dementia? Could he be having a breakdown after living all those years by himself out in the woods?” Naomi asked, picking up some of the papers on the floor.