Last night’s sad dream suddenly popped back into her head. Katy with a Y had begged her to come back to finish healing her. Katy, can you hear me? I’m sorry you hurt. I’ll come back someday. I promise!
Poor Katy. She was lonely. The others didn’t like her after Twila’s healing sessions had changed her into a sort of in-between state: more than undead but less than living. Twila understood; her own soul-sucking emptiness had once gobbled her hopes of finding her soul-family. Until Zac had found her and taken her to live with her new mommy, Scarlett.
That reminded her. Why, oh, why had the Silver Lady stopped talking to her? Maybe she was punishing her for giving Ella’s special tea to Katy. Well, Twila didn’t want to think of bad things. This was going to be a fun day. She just knew it.
They were close to Grandpa Dean’s special secret place, a place she could almost see in the night’s darkest hour. But the Ancient Ones were getting trickier. Had they seen the mystical forest through her eyes? She stopped herself before Mommy saw what she was thinking. Thank goodness Mommy spent most of her time listening for the bad energy and not her thoughts, otherwise Twila would be in trouble all day long.
Up ahead, Uncle Luther waited for them by a big yellowish-brown KOA sign. Grandpa Dean made it to him first, cursing and panting all the way. She sent him another gentle blast of cooling-healing energy. She would work on everyone tonight just like she always did.
Mindy followed behind her, and Ella and Justin were in last place. Uh-oh. They’d have to clean the sump tank. Whatever that was. Her internal knowing hinted it was a stinky job.
Grandpa Dean motioned the warning sign when they all reached the KOA sign. “Looks like the place is deserted.” He put down the binoculars.
Twila eyed the gravel road to the campgrounds with eager anticipation. “I don’t feel any bad energy,” Twila assured, listening harder.
Dean turned to Mommy and rubbed his shaggy whiskers. “How ’bout you?”
Mommy cocked her head and listened. “I don’t feel anything good or bad.”
Luther set down his big duffle and grabbed his guns. “I’ll check it out.”
“Are you sure?” Ella frowned.
“I’m going with you!” Justin yipped. He was excited too. All of his chakras spun brightly, especially his heart center. He had changed so much since she had first met him. He wanted to be the best father in the whole wide world.
They watched as Uncle Luther and Justin snuck to the first RV. They peeked in the windows with their guns ready. Then, they knocked on the door and waited. Finally, Justin opened the door, and brave Uncle Luther went in.
Uncle Luther jumped out of the RV, plugging his nose, and went into a silly dance as if trying to shake off yucky energy.
Grandpa Dean chortled. “Hazard a guess they happened on a decomposing body.”
Twila leaned against Mommy. She didn’t want to see any more dead bodies. Dead people reminded her of the souls she hadn’t been able to save.
In the beginning of the pandemic, the Silver Lady had told her she could start healing the lost souls of humanity when she reached a pivotal point of spiritual growth. Whatever that meant? Just a bunch of grown-up talk that really meant she wasn’t grown-up enough.
When she reached a “certain level of ascension”—when she let go of anger, resentment, and jealousy, she would be ready. It wasn’t fair. Why did she have to be the perfect one when the bad energies were doing whatever they wanted and taking over the whole wide world?
“I don’t see any cabins,” Ella moaned.
“By the water.” Twila tried dusting off her new pink sneakers. Mommy was right. She should have worn her boring hiking boots, but they hurt her feet. “They sorta look like the cabin Laura Ingalls lived in.”
Ella sighed. “As long as it has four walls and a bathroom, I’ll be in heaven.”
Justin signaled the all-clear like a silly cartoon mime.
“Skedaddle.” Grandpa Dean scooted them on. “We’ll come back for the carts in a minute. Want to see what it looks like first.”
They made it to the gravelly road where the leafed-covered RVs and collapsed tents were. Had all these people been on summer vacation when the Super Summer flu attacked humanity? Maybe they had come there to hide from it. She blocked her internal knowing, not wanting to know the answer. Not today. She was tired of seeing—bad.
“Guys, check out the cabins!” Justin shouted.
They walked faster. A soft bed, a toilet, a shower—Twila couldn’t wait.
“Stay away from the south end,” Uncle Luther warned. “It’s not a pretty sight. But these three cabins are empty.” He grabbed a fishing pole with a weird-looking fishing lure from the back of an old truck. “I could eat a cow!”
“I wanna come,” Twila cried out. “I’m good at fishing, huh, Mommy?”
Grandpa Dean cleared his throat. Which meant, he didn’t want them having fun yet. “Folks, stay sharp. Let me sort this out.” He glanced at Ella and Mindy, thinking about the babies. “I want someone on guard duty.” He took a moment, taking in everything. “On top of that water tower. If the ladder’s in decent shape.”
“On it.” Justin ran for the rusty water tank, pretending not to see Ella’s squinty-eyed pirate stare that said, No way, Jose.
Dean turned to Uncle Luther. “What do the sleeping arrangements look like?”
“Four beds in each cabin, not to mention a toilet,” Uncle Luther
