Demon
Chapter 56

Natalie

Angel tells me that the grownups are downstairs talking about the wedding, so we probably have a few minutes at least to talk. I have a lot to tell Timothy, but that will have to wait. The most important thing is to talk about what happened with his dad. That’s where we have to start.

“Okay, Timothy, tell us what happened,” I tell him. “I think you should go first, then we can replace out from Angel what Guardian says too. We’ll figure everything out.”

He looks so relieved to see me, and to have us here talking to him.

“Well,” he says, “this morning Mom left to go to work while Dad was still asleep. That’s the same thing that happened last weekend too. I told her it was fine, I can get my own breakfast and take care of myself. She told me that I could wake him up if I needed anything. I didn’t plan to bother him, but all of the sudden I could hear Guardian yelling at me to go in there.”

I already have a lot of questions, but I don’t want to interrupt him. I know Angel is keeping track of everything, and will be telling us more details from Guardian. So I just nod.

“When I got in his room, he was asleep, and nothing looked like it was wrong at first. But I could tell that Guardian was super worried, so I went closer, and I realized that he was hardly breathing. So I tried to wake him up. I yelled and shook him, but nothing was working. I was starting to panic.”

I reach out and hold Timothy’s hand. I feel so bad that he went through this alone.

Angel whispers to me, “He wasn’t alone, darling. Guardian was with him, helping him the whole time.”

Yeah, that’s true. It makes me feel better. At least he had that.

“Anyway, all of the sudden I remembered what happened on the jungle gym with Jonathan. The way that I grabbed his mind to make him stop pushing you. So I tried that, to grab my Dad’s mind to wake him up. That seemed to work, he woke up and was breathing okay again. But he was still super tired, and I didn’t want him to go to sleep again. So I told him I was hungry, even though I wasn’t, just so he’d get out of bed to make some food. Then when we were done eating, he still seemed really tired, and I thought taking a walk outside would help. So I asked him to take me to the park. I wanted to keep him awake and busy until I could talk to you guys and replace out what was really happening.”

Wow, that’s a lot.

He’s not quite done. He surprises me by getting a big smile on his face. “While we were at the park, he taught me how to climb up the jungle gym!”

Gabe grins. “Really? Way to go, Timothy!”

“That is great,” I tell him. “I’m glad you had a nice time at the park, and that your dad seems to be feeling fine now. But do you have any idea what was wrong? Why wasn’t he breathing?”

“I don’t know,” he says. “That’s why I needed to talk to you guys. Guardian must know what happened.”

I look over at Angel.

“Yes, Guardian has filled me in on many of the details about what occurred.”

I get ready to start repeating everything to Timothy and Gabe. Nobody is taking notes this time, but I don’t think we should take the time to do that right now. Our parents are going to make us come downstairs for lunch pretty soon. Angel nods, to let me know that’s right.

“The problem seemed to have started when Timothy’s father was trying to replace a way to stop having nightmares which have been troubling him and preventing him from sleeping well.”

When I repeat that, Timothy says, “Yeah, I knew he was having nightmares. Last weekend when Mom was at work and Dad was asleep, he scared me half to death by yelling in his sleep. He said he had a bad dream. I’ve heard him yelling in the middle of the night a few times, too.”

Gabe nods sympathetically. I think that he has had bad dreams sometimes. Funny, I don’t remember ever being bothered by my dreams. It’s sad to think of Timothy’s dad having nightmares. I wonder why. I wonder if there’s any way to make it stop.

“That is also what he was wondering, how to make it stop. It was having a very bad effect on his health, by preventing him from getting enough rest at night. Timothy’s mother was also harmed, because every time his father woke up from a nightmare, it woke her up too. They were both very tired and upset by the situation.”

Timothy looks surprised and sad when I repeat this. I don’t think he had realized how bad it was getting, not just for his dad, but for his mom too.

Angel hesitates a moment, and I can tell he’s doing the thing where he doesn’t want to tell me something. I would normally be annoyed by that, but we don’t have time to argue about it, and I also think maybe he is trying to avoid saying anything that would upset Timothy. “Fine, keep your secrets,” I think to him. He gives a wry smile and a shrug. He knows I know what he’s doing.

“Timothy’s father tried to replace remedies to solve the problem. For instance, sometimes he found that drinking alcohol would help him sleep better. But last night he was so troubled by the dreams that he tried to take a new type of medication. Guardian believes that he took too much, and that is why he fell into such a deep sleep that he almost stopped breathing.”

“Is he okay now?” Timothy asks. “I wasn’t sure if I should call 911 or something, but after he woke up I tried to just keep him busy enough to stay awake. I hope I didn’t do something wrong.” He’s been so worried about this, I can tell.

“He is well. Timothy’s actions in keeping him busy, and especially going outside in the fresh air, helped his body process the medication in his system better, so that it is no longer interfering with his functioning. He feels much better. Tell Timothy that he did everything just right.”

I smile and tell all of that to Timothy, and he whoofs with relief.

Gabe says, “Well, there is something I really don’t understand. What is this about grabbing minds? I remember you said something about that after the whole Jonathan thing, but I never figured out what you meant. Then you did it again with your dad? What does that even mean?”

Timothy takes a breath in to start to answer, but he’s interrupted. His Mom calls up the stairs, “Kids! Come on down for lunch!”

Gabe jumps up, then holds up a finger to Timothy. “Hold that thought!”

Natalie’s

While we are proceeding down the stairs, she silently asks me, “Do you think it would help if I touched Timothy’s dad? It helped so much with Grandfather, could it help him?”

“I believe it may, my dear. Timothy’s father has been experiencing much mental distress, initially linked to his service on his ship during the recent military conflict. That is what led to his nightmares, and it continues to trouble him. Your touch seems to be able to remedy mental and emotional afflictions. It could very well assist him.”

She nods, resolved. Gabe notices, and realizes that we have continued discussing the issue, but he cannot ask about it as we have arrived in the room with the adults.

Their parents are already gathered around the table, eating lunch. “Come and get some food, kids,” Laura tells them. “You can take it over and eat on the coffee table.”

Gabe of course, always ravenous with his pre-adolescent metabolism, immediately complies. Timothy considers the selection of foods and places a few items on his plate. Natalie, however, first approaches Michael.

She reaches out, placing her hand on his shoulder as she stands next to him. He looks at her with some surprise, still chewing a bite of sandwich which is in his mouth. He swallows quickly.

“Well?” she asks me silently.

“Yes, it has an effect. His soul flares slightly, indicating that there is damage that your touch can heal. He also feels a slightly increased sense of well-being.”

She smiles at him. “Timothy told us that you helped him learn how to climb a jungle gym. I know that it has bothered him that he can’t do it. Thank you for helping him.”

Gabe and Timothy stare over from the coffee table a few feet away. They see exactly what is happening.

“Oh, sure!” he replies, not expecting this thanks from Timothy’s friend. “That’s what fathers are for, right?”

She nods, snuggles a little closer to him to give him a brief hug, then joins the other children.

Gabe looks at her questioningly, significantly. She nods affirmation.

She whispers to Timothy, “It helped. I want to try it some more before we go home. I have a plan.” Gabe leans his head in so he can participate.