Murphy saw the besotted teen before him. He knew this was fake. He reached out and pulled Mia to him. He staggered out onto the porch. Mia started to come around. He tried to step down, but she pulled him back. “Look!”
He looked down and didn’t see anything.
“It’s the pit.”
He picked her up and propelled himself off the porch, landing free of what Mia thought was the pit.
Ted had left the com. Murphy placed Mia in his arms. “She’s not here.”
“Come on, Mia.” Ted tapped her face. Her eyes were cloudy, but the longer he held her, the clouds disappeared.
“Ted?” she said, looking around, surprised to see where she was. “Whoa, you’ll never believe where and when I was.”
Ted pulled her to his chest. He held her tight. Mia heard his heart beating fast.
She waited until he was calmer before she pushed away. “Put the camera on me. I have to tell you what I saw before it fades.”
Cid focused in, and Mia began to talk about the room and the manuscript she found. “I think that it’s important to find it. It’s called Strawberry Wine. The house wouldn’t have shown it to me otherwise. That house is living. I don’t know exactly how this is, but it’s a living entity.”
Burt walked over and smiled. “And cut.”
Cid lowered the camera. He was sweating bullets. Murphy moved behind him. He gently pulled him away from the house and over to the command truck before Cid went all wonky too.
Audrey walked over with Mark. “See, she’s fine. Sensitives get a giant dose of whatever the rest of us get.”
Mia looked over. “Sorry to scare you. I wasn’t afraid until Murphy was going to step into the pit that surrounds the house.”
“The bad-feeling areas,” Mark said.
“Yes,” Mia said. “It surrounds the place.”
Audrey looked at Ted and saw the worry on his face. The poor guy had to deal with this each time Mia reached out to the other world. How helpless he must feel.
Mia reached over and grabbed Ted’s hand. “I’m fine. Maybe I’ll sit the next tour out.”
Burt spoke up, “Do you think it’s safe enough to do the architectural tour on the exterior?”
“If you stay one…” Mia’s eyelids drooped, and she shook herself awake. “Stay two yards away. Whoa, I need some caffeine. I’m falling asleep.”
“You heard her. Cid and Audrey, prepare to dodge some brambles. We roll in five minutes,” Burt ordered.
Mia staggered towards the command center. Ted scooped her up and carried her over to the lawn chair inside. “No OOBing,” he said before he let her fall asleep. He came back and placed a monitor patch on her chest. He wasn’t taking any chances she was going to OOB out without him knowing it.
He sat down. “Jake, roll film from Curly and the Oculars on monitor three.”
Ted watched as the bots’ feeds were coordinated time-wise, and he was given a three dimensional representation of the room. He saw Mia looking at something in the corner. She had such an interesting expression on her face. Mike and Mark were moving out of frame into what he suspected was the living room or front parlor. Burt had started to change lenses when he became fixated on Mia and then Mike. Curly’s special lens showed a slightly different picture. There were waves rolling in and out of the place. Mia wavered slightly as she got caught in their pull. He saved this film on a separate flash drive before concentrating on the exterior architectural tour.
Mark and Sam climbed in the back and watched the filming.
Murphy walked alongside the team as they talked about the building, the land, and then had a discussion on spotting a house with good bones. Ted sat back, loving the way Audrey and Cid debated structure and personal preferences.
“From the outside, this house is weathered. It’s lost two porches,” Audrey pointed out.
“Porches are easy to build,” Cid said. “Back before air conditioning, a good porch with a three foot or so overhang lent shade and outdoor living space to a home. You don’t need four porches.”
“Wouldn’t this house lose its charm without them?” Audrey asked.
“Think about it with a wraparound porch instead.”
“And cut,” Burt said. “Great place to put in drawings. Good job, team.”
“That’s some duo there,” Sam said. “I’m not into ghost hunting shows, but I’d watch to see those two debate old houses.”
“I think it’s a great new facet to explore,” Mia said from behind them.
“Morning, sunshine, have a nice nap?” Ted asked.
“Yes. Sorry about that. Sam, Mark, sometimes the echoes get inside of me, and it takes tremendous effort to pull out of the waking dream. Fortunately, I had Murphy to pull me out of there and Ted to bring me back to this world,” Mia explained. “It’s kind of worrying, considering that doesn’t happen unless I put my bare hands on things.”
“Or people,” Mike reminded her from the outside of the truck.
“Yes, people, but I’m learning to block most input. It’s like stealing thoughts. It unsettles me.”
“Things forbidden have a secret charm,” Mike quoted.
“Ah but ‘All enterprises that are entered into with indiscreet zeal may be pursued with great vigor at first, but are sure to collapse in the end,’” she countered.
“Grandpa Sam, they can quote Tacitus.”
“I find it amazing myself,” Ted said, looking from Mia to Mike. “You are the last two people on earth that I’d ever think read, let alone could quote Tacitus.”
“See, Mia, he thinks we’re stupid.”
“Wait, I didn’t say that,” Ted defended.
“Don’t worry, Mike. He can’t equate that pretty people can be smart,” Mia said and hopped off the trailer. “Now let’s see if Burt has enough energy for another try.”
“Doghouse time,” Sam said and patted Ted’s back. “I suggest flowers or chocolates. It worked for me and my foot-in-mouth ways for forty years.”
Mark giggled. “She winked at me
