I could already hear an angry wail screeching in my ears, getting louder with each heartbeat.
“I’ll explain in a minute,” I told him, rushing the sentence from my mouth as fast as I could speak. I held my hand out toward him and asked, “Do you have a pocketknife?”
He dug his hand in his pocket and withdrew a lock blade, but before opening it he peered at me with curious concern.
“Just give it to me, Ben!” I shouted. “Now!”
The banshee scream was deafening now, and I was starting to lose my grasp on reality once again.
My friend opened the pocketknife then handed it to me, though I could still see reluctance in his eyes. I snatched the doll from the box and flipped it over. Holding it against the ground with my wounded hand, I slid the sharp blade beneath the ribbon with my other and then drew it upward. The sharp edge sliced cleanly through the criss-crossing purple bands, and they fell away.
The world bloomed in front of me and settled to a muted shade of reality. The scream was fading from my ears, echoing the word “no” as it disappeared into nothingness. I let go of the poppet then slowly twisted around from my kneeling position and sat back in the snow. Pressing the blade lock with my thumb, I slid the back side of it across my thigh and snapped the knife closed. Holding it out toward my friend, I let out a heavy sigh.
“That’s it?” he said as he took it from me.
“That’s it,” I replied.
“Okay… So whaddid you just do?”
“I broke a binding.”
“Broke a binding…” he repeated.
“Yeah.”
“That some kinda Witch thing?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Shouldn’t there’ve been sparks, or flyin’ monkeys or somethin’?”
“Only in the movies, Ben…I’ve told you that a…”
He cut me off. “I was kidding.”
“Sorry,” I breathed. “I’m just not in a very humorous mood right now.”
“Yeah, no shit… Okay… So, what happens now?”
“I get cleaned up and go see my wife. Maybe even bring her home.”
“Good plan, but I was talkin’ about with the Witch thing.”
“Nothing, Ben. It’s over. I’m done.”
He let out a harrumph and shook his head. “Ya’know, the way you were actin’ I woulda thought you were disarmin’ a bomb or somethin’.”
I hung my head and sighed again. “That’s closer to the truth than you can possibly know.”
CHAPTER 19:
Soft light was filtering into the room when I awoke.
I hadn’t yet opened my eyes, but I could definitely tell it was no longer dark. My brain was shrouded in the warm fog that hovers in the void between wakefulness and deep slumber. Somewhere in the back of my head, I knew the pleasant confusion would be wearing off soon, even if I would rather it did not. I tried to embrace the sensation, but as always it was fleeting, and my grey matter was already telling me it was time to get on with the day.
A momentary panic gripped me as flashes of memory were revealed through the rapidly dissipating haze. My heart fluttered, and although I feared what I might see, I slowly opened my eyes. The sudden palpitations began to settle as soon as I focused on my surroundings and saw the familiar trappings of my bedroom at home. I felt myself relaxing the moment I realized I wasn’t in a hospital room or even a sleazy motel hundreds of miles away.
However, no sooner had it faded than it flared in a second attack when I rolled over and found myself alone in the bed. It dawned on me that there was a huge gap missing in my memory. I had absolutely no recollection of getting into the bed in the first place. I concentrated on what I could remember. In the forefront was the fact that I had checked Felicity out of the hospital and brought her home.
Fortunately, that thought, combined with my nose, caused the burgeoning wave of anxiety to die out before it ever managed to fully take hold. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee was drifting through the house, locked in a battle with the smell of frying bacon as they both fought to overtake one another. That was all it took to remind me the month long nightmare was over.
My stomach rumbled, expressing its displeasure regarding the fact that I still hadn’t eaten since the previous morning. Given that I hadn’t even managed to keep that particular meal down long enough to digest, the growling was not at all unexpected. It wasn’t that I hadn’t had an opportunity to eat; I just hadn’t been especially interested in food, until now that is.
Throwing back the covers, I rolled up to sit on the edge of the bed. I rubbed my eyes then fumbled around on the nightstand for my glasses. Once I had them seated on my face, I stood and trudged into the bathroom before heading out to the kitchen.
“What are you doing up, then?” Felicity asked when I finally came around the corner a few minutes later. The background Celtic lilt in her voice was a welcome sound in my ears.
“Am I not supposed to be?” I asked.
“I was trying not to wake you,” she replied, walking over then slipping her arms in around my waist and laying her head against my shoulder.
I wrapped my arms around her and hugged tightly. “Pinch me so I know I’m not just dreaming this.”
“It’s okay,” she whispered. “You aren’t.”
“That’s good. I don’t think I could handle it if I was.”
“How did you sleep?” she asked.
“Good,” I said, pausing a moment before adding, “I think.”
She pulled back and looked into my face. “You think?”
“I don’t know,” I shrugged. “I don’t remember much after… Well, much after sitting down on the couch last night to be honest.”
“That’s because you fell asleep while we were talking.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to.”
“It’s okay.”
“So, if I fell asleep on the couch then how did I end up…”
“In the bedroom? I managed to get you up and guide you in there. You know, you actually follow orders very well when you’re asleep.”
I let out a half chuckle. “Yeah. I bet you enjoyed that.”
“It was amusing.”
“I don’t remember.”
“Aye, well it’s probably a good thing you don’t,” she said with a small grin. “Like I said, you follow orders very well.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m joking.”
“Yeah, so you say.”
She grinned again.
“I really am sorry. I finally get you home, and then I pass out on you. Not exactly a homecoming to remember I don’t suppose.”
“It’s okay. You needed the rest.”
“Bacon’s burning,” I told her.
“Ooops!” she said, slipping out of the embrace and hurrying over to the stove.
I stepped over and pulled a mug from the cabinet then filled it with coffee. After a swig I leaned against the counter and offered, “I still shouldn’t have fallen asleep on you.”
