Reality Lies by D.F. Downey (books recommended by bts txt) 📖

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She punched him in the side. “He’s not crazy. He just has a vivid imagination.”

 

“He doesn’t get it from me!” Joey laughed. “I mean you always tell me I have no imagination.”

 

“Very funny. I’m thinking about not taking him.”

 

“No? But you’re the one who was so gung-ho. Why the change?”

 

“I think he’s telling the truth.”

 

“What!” all pretense of sleepiness was gone, Joey was wide awake now. “The truth! That he was Jay’s dog? Maybe you should be the one going to a therapist.”

“I’m serious. Didn’t you hear what I told you over dinner?”

 

“Yes, but I didn’t believe it.”

 

“You didn’t say anything.”

 

“Did you hear what you told me? The action figures were alive and running around by themselves? Then you tell Jay they were toys and then they weren’t running around. You think that’s believable?”

 

“You’re right. I forgot. You don’t have an imagination. Why did I think I could talk about this with you?”

 

He could see she was upset. She drew away. He caressed her shoulder. “Go ahead, tell me your theory, your reasons. I’ll listen and try to get around reality.”

 

“You sure?” she asked tentatively.

 

“Yeah, I’m sure.” he said resignedly.

 

She moved closer, “Do you remember a few weeks ago, the first day of school. Robbie told us about a cat and a butterfly getting loose in the classroom?”

 

“Vaguely.”

 

“Well, the story was that Sally McKay made a clay model of her cat and when she went to the head of the class to show it off, a real cat jumped from her hands. Her mother told me they couldn’t find her model.”

 

“Maybe Sally’s a magician.” Joey replied impishly.

 

“I don’t think so.” Jackie responded patiently. “Later in the same class Jay went to display his art and a butterfly, a huge one, flew around the classroom.”

 

“Coincidence.”

 

“Do you remember about two years ago? There was that incident where the sky became crayon colors.” Jackie tried to jog his memory.

 

“Yeah, but I was at work.”

 

“I wasn’t. I’ve never seen anything like it before or since. They called it a “Crayola Sky”. Even the scientists couldn’t explain it. We were over at Ann’s house. The kids were coloring. Jay was there. It was the last time Johanna let Jay play with other children.” She continued, “They were drawing pictures or trying to. Mainly, they were breaking crayons as they dragged them back and forth across the paper, the usual wild kaleidoscope that young children manufacture.” She paused to check on his consciousness, “You still listening?”

 

“Yes, I am.” he said defensively.

 

“Alicia, you know Tom’s older daughter. She was about five at the time. She began making fun of Jay’s drawing. “What’s that?” she asked repeatedly. To which Jay replied simply “sky”. “No it’s not!” she answered then she giggled. Jay got more and more upset. Alicia grew more insistent. “Look out the window. Your drawing doesn’t look anything like the sky.”

 

“Jay never looked up. He continued coloring with his tongue hanging out between his teeth. Finally, he stopped drawing, walked over to the window with his picture and declared in simple triumph as he held it up. “Yes, it does.”

 

Jackie drew a breath and continued, “As one, we all looked out the large picture window on the far end of the room. The sky did indeed look like his childish drawing. We all ran outside, Jay bringing up the rear. From his vantage point, only part of the sky appeared this way, back over the house it all did. It strikes me now that when Jay came out the section of the sky shifted as he looked at it. His mother grabbed him and rushed him inside. She said he had to go to the bathroom. Now I remember. I saw them through the window as she spoke to him. I doubt if he went at all. When he came out he had his eyes closed and Johanna faced him towards the front of the house where the sky was still normal. She whispered and he opened his eyes. Slowly, he turned towards the Crayola Sky. As he wrapped his gaze around the horizon the sky resumed its normal hue. When everything had settled down, Johanna let Ann know they had to go. Until the first day of school that was the last any of us had seen of him. Now it all makes sense.”

 

Joe interrupted, “Yeah, we have a five year-old sleeping in our son’s room that can change the sky, can make a boy, a dog, who can bring plastic and clay objects to life. Now, what are we going to do about it?”

 

“Nothing, I’m going to see Johanna tomorrow, that poor woman, what a burden to deal with.” She paused, “One thing.”

 

“Yeah, what’s that?”

 

“At least I know she didn’t kidnap Robbie.” she started to get up.

 

“Where’re you going?”

 

“To check on the boys, I don’t think Jay realizes his... power.”

 

“Maybe we should separate them?” Joey said worriedly.

 

Jackie replied nervously, “Tomorrow.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 9

Jay had been trying to fall asleep for awhile but the strange surroundings were making it difficult. Finally, fitfully, he had drifted off. 

He saw a man, a scary man in shadow on his wall. The man was watching him and wouldn’t stop.

 

“Mommy! Make the bad man stop. Mommy? Mommy where are you?”

 

Jay wanted to go outside but he didn’t know how. He kept walking in circles. Every time he turned a corner he was back where he started. He closed his eyes and started pounding on the wall. After awhile he didn’t feel the wall anymore and opened his eyes. He was outside, the sun was up and he wasn’t scared at all. He could see his house in the distance and started running. Run as he might, the house never got closer. In fact, it kept getting farther away.

 

In the bed next to him, Robbie watched in wonder as the view kept changing. The walls moved then disappeared and suddenly he could see outside. It was like a movie he had watched with his dad, where you felt like you were flying. Fortunately, he had opened his eyes after the scary man had appeared in Jay’s dream so he didn’t see him.

 

Robbie got out of bed and headed to the left. He had received his first two-wheeler for his birthday and had barely gotten to ride it. Now was his chance. He was in bright sunshine one moment then pitch darkness the next. He was turned around and couldn’t find his way back to the light.

 

He started running but quickly tripped over something in the dark. He was frightened, he began crying.

 

In the back bedroom Jackie could faintly hear his cry. She rolled over and poked her husband, “Joey, do you hear that?”

 

Joey protested, “I don’t hear anything, go back to sleep.”

 

Jackie was insistent, “Get your lazy butt up! Our son’s in trouble!” she shouted.

 

“Okay, I’m going!” he stopped then asked. “He isn’t in his room?”

 

“It doesn’t sound like it.” She was out the bedroom door before him, running toward Robbie’s room. She threw open the door and they were blinded by the sunlight then hit in the face with a stiff blast of fresh air.

 

“What the…” Joey’s words said it all. What the indeed.

 

Jackie looked at the bed to find Jay was still there, seemingly sleeping peacefully. Robbie was nowhere to be found in what was left of the bedroom.

 

Joey began tossing things around and Jay started to stir. The vista outside began to narrow. “Sssh!” Jackie signed as quietly as she could while trying to draw Joey’s attention.

 

“What?” he mouthed, responding quickly to her guidance.

 

“If we wake Jay or even disturb his sleep I don’t know what will happen to Robbie. He could become trapped.”

 

The two stood still and watched as the wall opened up to its former size. They could hear Robbie clearer now. His voice was coming from the left.

 

“I’m going to go down.” Joey volunteered. “But first I got to get something.” He returned quickly with a flashlight and a ball of twine.”

 

Jackie was impressed. ‘He might be slow to start but once he gets started he really comes through.’ she thought.

 

He was about to venture out when they caught sight of a visage flowing towards them. The figure grew in size until it towered over them. “Johanna?”

 

There was no reply. Jackie quickly realized that this was Jay’s view, his dream and they couldn’t interact with it. “Hurry Joey! Get Robbie! This could close to our world at any minute.”

 

She could see Joey until he cleared the corner. When he disappeared from sight there was silence. She couldn’t stand it. Then to her horror everything started to darken. She could palpably feel Jay’s fear as a vague shadowy figure raced towards his mother. “Hurry Joey!” she called.

 

Finally, he answered, “I found him! We’re coming!”

 

He had tied the end of the twine to the bed post and she could see it moving up and down as someone followed it in. Jackie began to think they would make it. Then the shadow swallowed Johanna and everything disappeared. The room was as it was albeit with the twine passing through the wall. Jay hadn’t woken but he had shut the dream down. ‘They were lost! Why did I let this child in my house?’ she thought as she stared at Jay sleeping peacefully. She sat on the edge of the bed sobbing.

 

She had been there for she didn’t know how long when the door knob began to turn. “Oh no, where’s he off to now?” She whispered in horror.

 

“Jackie? You coming to bed or what?”

 

She flew to the door and hugged Joey. “Is Robbie all right?” she prayed.

 

“Yeah, I figured under the circumstances everyone would be better off if he slept in our bed for awhile.”

 

“You got that right.” As they headed back to the bedroom she asked the obvious question. “How did you escape? Everything closed up.”

 

“Once you cleared the corner, everything was normal. It was night and dark but I had a flashlight. We were able to find the front door.”

 

“I’m just glad the two of you are all right.” Jackie cried.

 

“Yeah, but I still don’t know what we’re going to tell Robbie.”

 

“We’ll think of something.”

 

Suddenly, Jackie bolted out of the room. She was gone before Joey could react. He could hear her running down the stairs. After several minutes she returned.

 

He was about to ask her why she left when she began telling him, “I think I might have solved the problem.”

 

“Really?” Joey couldn’t disguise his skepticism.

 

“No, I’m serious.”

 

“Go ahead.” He knew she would tell him regardless.

 

“I figured the reason Jay’s dream manifested the way it did was because he fell asleep in darkness. The darkness unleashed his imagination. So I got a night-light and put it in the room.”

 

“You really think that will