boys “—like a…well, paranormal event.”
Allison nodded. “Of course. People love ghost stories.”
“There is a ghost,” Todd
insisted.
Jimmy gasped. “We saw that a tour guide died at the house. It
was on the TV news when we got back. My parents were worried. They hoped it
wasn’t you!” he told Allison. “Dad turned the news off. He says we’ll get to
know enough about the real world when we’re older.” He frowned. “I’m sorry. I
mean, I’m glad it wasn’t you, but I’m sorry about your friend.”
Todd took her hand and squeezed it. They were sorry, but Julian was an abstraction to them, a news story,
while their father was lying here in a no-man’s-land. “Yeah, we’re really
sorry,” he said.
“Thank you. I’m the one who found him, and it was heartbreaking
for me. I’m going to miss him very much. But, Todd, like I was telling you, bad
things just happen sometimes, even to good people. Listen, you have to trust the
doctors here, and you can’t get upset about the house or believe you have a
ghost with you. Okay?”
He looked at her stubbornly. “The ghost likes you. You can talk
to him. You can get him to leave my dad alone.”
As Allison struggled for speech, Rose Litton shrugged
apologetically.
“All of us, every one of us, will do whatever we can for your
dad, okay, Todd?” Allison finally said.
Todd whispered a solemn “Thank you.”
A moment later, Tyler returned. He offered Todd an encouraging
smile. “They’ll keep at it, young man. Meanwhile, you stay calm and help your
mom and little brother.”
Todd nodded. He studied Tyler, and then apparently decided to
trust him.
“I will. I’m going to help my mom and my family,” Todd said.
“Please, help her, though,” he said, glancing over
at Allison. “The ghost likes her.”
Rose moved closer to Allison. “I am so sorry,” she said again.
“He was just crying and going crazy, and the idea that you might talk to him was
the only thing that worked.”
“We’ll do everything we can from our end, Todd,” Tyler
said.
Allison noticed that the boy seemed to respond to him. He
nodded. “I can reach you if I need to, right?”
“We’ll be here,” Tyler promised firmly. “I’ll even give you my
personal cell number. You can call me anytime.”
Todd gestured at Allison. “She doesn’t understand,” he said.
“But she can help us, and you can help her. Please?”
“I’ll do whatever I can, buddy.”
He wrote down his cell number and handed it to the boy, then
took Allison’s arm to lead her from the hospital. She steeled herself not to
wrench her arm out of his grasp.
When they exited, she moved away from him. “That was wrong,”
she told him.
“What was?”
“You made that poor boy think we could help him by convincing a
ghost to leave his dad alone!”
“I didn’t say that.”
“But you believe they exist!”
They’d reached his car. He leaned against the roof, looking
over at her as she waited by the passenger door.
“I went in and spoke with Mr. Dixon’s doctors. There is
absolutely nothing physiological causing his problem—nothing they can discover.
Of course, they’re still testing. And he may come out of it himself. One of the
theories his primary physician has is that he put himself in the coma to avoid
some horrible fact or illusion he’d seen in his own mind. Whether you want to
believe I’m a quack or not, you have to admit that the power of the human mind
can be incredible. Maybe if we look into this and find something to say to the
kid, the family or even Mr. Dixon himself, we can reverse the situation.”
“If we can find something?”
“You know the history and the house better than anyone
else.”
Allison lowered her eyes, remembering the way she’d felt when
Todd was in the house yesterday, so convinced that something evil was still
alive there.
She looked back at Tyler. “I’m an academic. I believe in the
power of men and women to do good or evil. I
Allison nodded. “Of course. People love ghost stories.”
“There is a ghost,” Todd
insisted.
Jimmy gasped. “We saw that a tour guide died at the house. It
was on the TV news when we got back. My parents were worried. They hoped it
wasn’t you!” he told Allison. “Dad turned the news off. He says we’ll get to
know enough about the real world when we’re older.” He frowned. “I’m sorry. I
mean, I’m glad it wasn’t you, but I’m sorry about your friend.”
Todd took her hand and squeezed it. They were sorry, but Julian was an abstraction to them, a news story,
while their father was lying here in a no-man’s-land. “Yeah, we’re really
sorry,” he said.
“Thank you. I’m the one who found him, and it was heartbreaking
for me. I’m going to miss him very much. But, Todd, like I was telling you, bad
things just happen sometimes, even to good people. Listen, you have to trust the
doctors here, and you can’t get upset about the house or believe you have a
ghost with you. Okay?”
He looked at her stubbornly. “The ghost likes you. You can talk
to him. You can get him to leave my dad alone.”
As Allison struggled for speech, Rose Litton shrugged
apologetically.
“All of us, every one of us, will do whatever we can for your
dad, okay, Todd?” Allison finally said.
Todd whispered a solemn “Thank you.”
A moment later, Tyler returned. He offered Todd an encouraging
smile. “They’ll keep at it, young man. Meanwhile, you stay calm and help your
mom and little brother.”
Todd nodded. He studied Tyler, and then apparently decided to
trust him.
“I will. I’m going to help my mom and my family,” Todd said.
“Please, help her, though,” he said, glancing over
at Allison. “The ghost likes her.”
Rose moved closer to Allison. “I am so sorry,” she said again.
“He was just crying and going crazy, and the idea that you might talk to him was
the only thing that worked.”
“We’ll do everything we can from our end, Todd,” Tyler
said.
Allison noticed that the boy seemed to respond to him. He
nodded. “I can reach you if I need to, right?”
“We’ll be here,” Tyler promised firmly. “I’ll even give you my
personal cell number. You can call me anytime.”
Todd gestured at Allison. “She doesn’t understand,” he said.
“But she can help us, and you can help her. Please?”
“I’ll do whatever I can, buddy.”
He wrote down his cell number and handed it to the boy, then
took Allison’s arm to lead her from the hospital. She steeled herself not to
wrench her arm out of his grasp.
When they exited, she moved away from him. “That was wrong,”
she told him.
“What was?”
“You made that poor boy think we could help him by convincing a
ghost to leave his dad alone!”
“I didn’t say that.”
“But you believe they exist!”
They’d reached his car. He leaned against the roof, looking
over at her as she waited by the passenger door.
“I went in and spoke with Mr. Dixon’s doctors. There is
absolutely nothing physiological causing his problem—nothing they can discover.
Of course, they’re still testing. And he may come out of it himself. One of the
theories his primary physician has is that he put himself in the coma to avoid
some horrible fact or illusion he’d seen in his own mind. Whether you want to
believe I’m a quack or not, you have to admit that the power of the human mind
can be incredible. Maybe if we look into this and find something to say to the
kid, the family or even Mr. Dixon himself, we can reverse the situation.”
“If we can find something?”
“You know the history and the house better than anyone
else.”
Allison lowered her eyes, remembering the way she’d felt when
Todd was in the house yesterday, so convinced that something evil was still
alive there.
She looked back at Tyler. “I’m an academic. I believe in the
power of men and women to do good or evil. I
Similar Books
