Chapter Text
Adam groaned at the flashing pink “Game Over” text on his screen. Another win for the Mother Brain, another loss for him. He dropped it on the couch and looked out the raindrop splattered window. Through the blurry spots he could see a little kid playing in the puddles collecting on the street. His mom was on the porch, talking to someone on the phone. He could barely hear her over the sound of the rain. He sighed and returned to his game.
He had completed the whole thing before, but it was short enough that replaying it was still fun. Adam attempted to dodge the lasers being shot at him by mashing the small jump button on the side until his fingers hurt. He knew it was more effective to actually plan where the character in colorful armor jumped, but he always panicked. He gave it one more half-hearted press before giving up.
Adams' thoughts returned to his mother. She had woken up an hour ago, but instead of greeting him and recounting what had happened to her at the hospital, she had called someone. Whoever it was had been on the phone with her for so long, Adam was starting to wonder if one of his relatives they never met had died or something. He couldn’t help feeling a little mad at the person she was talking to. It wasn’t like he got to see his mom that much, not with her lengthy graveyard shift and nap afterwards.
He got up and stepped across the hardwood floor. Adam put on his sneakers and walked outside. His mom didn’t even notice the banging of the door slamming shut, still engrossed in her conversation. He pressed his back against the wall, just out of her line of sight.
“Are you going to come too?” His mom said, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. It dimmed slightly at his inaudible response, but he could tell whoever it was hadn’t given her a straight no. “Yeah, I’ll tell Adam.” She smiled. “See you later. I miss you too.”
Adam ran back inside and leaped onto the couch. He rushed to turn his console on again and pretend he hadn’t been listening in. He unpaused the game and resumed the boss fight, just to make sure.
His mom walked inside, raindrops peppering her shirt. She sat down next him and brushed a strand of blonde hair that had escaped her ponytail away. “Hi honey. I know your sophomore year starts in four days, but until then, would you be okay with going to a little cabin? It's short notice, but it would be best if we got on the road today.”
“Why?” He asked hesitantly.
“It’ll be nice, I promise. It's only a couple hours away, and there’s a lot of nice nature. We can walk in the forest nearby, and have campfires, and-”
“Who were you on the phone with?”
His mom bit her lip. “I was talking to John.”
“Is he going to be there?” Adam said, already feeling a buzz of excitement and anxiety in his stomach.
She couldn’t hide the happiness in her voice. “He might. It's an old place of his that he hasn’t used in a while. He just has to get a little work done in a town close by, and then we can all do something together.”
Adam matched her smile. “Okay. I’ll go pack my bag.” He stood up quickly and sprinted up the stairs into his bedroom. He touched a band poster on his wall before falling onto his bed and closing his eyes. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see his father, but…it had been almost a year since he’d last visited, and that had only been for a day. Every time he left, his mom was an emotional wreck. He didn’t understand why he never stayed longer, if only to keep Adam from seeing his mom like that again.
He punched the pillow next to his head. His mom was completely and utterly in love with him, and he couldn’t even spend more than a day or two with her. Adam didn’t like to admit it, but some part of him wished John could just be his dad for once. To be someone who takes care of his kid and almost-girlfriend, not just check in occasionally. Adam opened his eyes and grabbed his backpack. Maybe this time would be better.
He pulled random sets of clothes out of his closet and stuffed them inside. By the time he had enough for four days and other necessities, there was only a small amount of space left. He evaluated everything on his desk before settling on his iPod. Adam zipped the bag up and hefted it onto his shoulders. He went down the stairs two at a time, narrowly avoiding tripping on the final step. He slowed his pace as he approached the driveway, where his mom was waiting. “That was fast.” She slid her suitcase into the trunk of their humble car.
Adam climbed into the passenger seat in the front and waited for her to get in. “I’m not bringing much.”
His mom nodded. She started the engine and backed out of the driveway. “I printed out some pictures of the place. They were taken for some news article.”
“What, did somebody die there or something?” He laughed and looked through the papers on the dashboard. The cabin looked kind of like a haunted house, with its worn down wood plank exterior and rickety construction. The woods looming behind it did not help. If someone had told him a crazy serial killer hermit had lived there, he would have believed them.
“Uh…”
“I know it looks rough, but the inside isn’t so bad.” She said unconvincingly. She looked over at him. “Give it a chance.”
Adam shrugged. “It’s cool. Maybe we’ll find a cursed family heirloom or something under the floorboards.”
His mom smiled, “And we can look in the attic for a doll that moves when you're not looking.” They smiled at each other.
“How was work?”
“Oh, I got cursed out, someone threw up on my shoes, and then he cursed me out. So an average night.” She turned onto the highway.
He looked out the raindrop-stained window at the cars speeding by them. Even with the windows down, it was still uncomfortably loud. He pulled his iPod out of his backpack and turned it on. He selected a random song and put the earbuds in, still watching the highway. At least the harsh sounds could be drowned out by his music. Adam let his blinks become longer and longer, until he slowly drifted asleep.
~
It was dark. He heard his mom and John talking below him. He looked out the cracked window, into the forest. It stretched out for miles, farther than he would ever see. A light was flashing, growing brighter and brighter, right in the middle of it. He wanted to get closer. He wanted to touch it. Like a moth to a flame, he felt himself walking forward. A sharp noise rang out, like if someone held their finger down on the highest note on a piano. The wood creaked at every step. The light pulsed invitingly, waiting for him. He reached out to it, and his hand went through the window like it was air.
The brilliant light grew, until it had consumed every tree in sight. Its tendrils snaked across the grass, and stopped at the base of the house. He looked down. It rose higher, up to him. His hand was outstretched. The light was coming closer. A faint burning sensation was tingling his skin, but he couldn’t stop. The brightness was almost there, it was so close to him. He felt himself being pulled to it. It was slowing down, like something was trying to stop it. It came to a halt just out of his reach.
The light asked him a question, and was awaiting an answer. He looked down to his parents downstairs. They were still talking, like they couldn’t see the beautiful thing in front of him. He called out to them. They did not respond. This choice was his, and his alone. The glow beckoned him. He fell down, farther than he'd ever gone, into the swirling light.
~
Adam shot up in his seat. His breaths were short and fast, echoing in his ears. He rubbed his eyes. The images from his dream were fading, until he couldn’t remember what it had been about. Something with a light…? Adam shook his head.
His mom glanced at him with concern. “Are you okay, sweetie?”
“Yeah. Weird dream, I think.” He mumbled. He retrieved his iPod and earbuds that had fallen into his lap and paused the song that was playing. “How long was I asleep?”
“A few hours. We’re pretty close to the cabin.”
He rested his head on the window. There was a forest on the edge of the two lane road, painted yellow by the setting sun. It looked familiar, in a way that he couldn't put his finger on. Adam shifted in his seat uneasily.
“How are you feeling?” His mom noticed his expression. “You usually get a little worked up before we’re about to see him.” She explained.
“I don’t know. Fine, I guess.” Adam pulled at the drawstrings on his hoodie. “It's just a little annoying how he comes out of nowhere and expects us to drop everything to meet him.
Her frown deepened. “You know John has a busy schedule. He’s doing his best.”
“Really? ‘Cause I doubt he isn’t able to spend time with his own family more than once or twice a year. He’s a mechanic, not an American diplomat.” He could tell that he was going too far, but curbing his temper was like trying to stop a train that's barreling down the tracks.
His mom sighed frustratedly. “You're being unfair.” She drove onto a small path in the forest, without another car in sight. Great, Adam thought, you’ve gone and upset her. He turned away from her and looked out the glass again. The trees were still agitating him, and he hated not knowing why. It was like there was a little pocket of answers in his brain that he couldn't find the key for. He looked straight ahead at the road. He could see a structure in the distance, obscured by even more trees. It looked like the house from the picture, in a way. Adam had been hoping that the photograph made it look worse than it was, but now he could see that it was the opposite.
“We’re here.” His mom parked the car on a patch of grass on the side of the road. He didn’t meet her eyes as he opened the door and got out.
Adam grabbed his backpack and stood in front of the cabin. He held up the paper and compared the image printed on it and what was in front of him. It must have been taken years ago, because the lower windows were now boarded up, and weeds had sprouted all around the property. The one thing that looked exactly the same was the forest, still lush and green as ever.
“This is his cabin?” Adam asked his mom, waiting to see if she would bring up their previous argument. From the look on her face, he would say that his mom was having the same thoughts as him. “He said he had stayed there before, and that he hadn’t checked in on it in a while…”
He eyed the rusted over pickup truck next to what used to be the driveway. “And we’re staying here?”
She nodded and went up to the front door. Adam followed her after running back to the car to get her suitcase. His mom gave him a tired smile and opened the door. The inside looked nicer than the outside, he decided. There was some furniture scattered around the entry room, and it wasn’t too dusty. It looked a little like someone had gone to a used furnishing store and bought the first couple things they saw. The cabin wasn’t too big, but it was more than enough space for the two of them.
“I’m going to go check out the bedrooms.” Adam carefully went up the stairs, afraid that one wrong step would send him crashing down to the lower level. They were all creaky, like the floor, and it didn’t help that otherwise the cabin was dead silent. Every noise was magnified by the thin walls, and he tried to step lighter. Adam held onto the railing until he reached the hallway on the second floor.
He peeked inside the door closest to the stairwell. It seemed like a bedroom, and had a queen sized bed with meager sheets and a dresser. That one was probably going to be his moms.
Adam looked to the other wall, where another door was. The doorknob was heavy and rusted over. He covered his hand with his sleeve and wrenched it open. The other room was also a bedroom, but with a smaller bed and a window that gave him an eyeful of the woods outside. That thing was inescapable. Adam groaned and set his backpack down on the bed. It didn't even have curtains.
He rested his hands on the windowsill and looked outside, into the trees. There it was again, that weird feeling from before. It was intensified, like he was doing something he had done before. Which couldn’t have happened.
“I’m going crazy.” Adam muttered. He dumped the contents of his bag onto the mattress and refolded the clothing. He set them under the bed, organized by which day he’d wear what. It temporarily relieved his edginess, but right when he looked up again, that damn forest wormed its way into his head.
It was like how he felt when his mom used to bring him to church. Like there was a thing he was supposed to understand, an important thing, that would be easy for anyone else, but something about it just wouldn’t click for him.
Adam remembered that last Sunday. He must have been no more than ten at the time. It had snowed a lot that year, and he had been anxious for afternoon service to be over so he could go sledding. The music was nice to listen to, it always made him sleepy.
He had been staring at the stained glass window of some angel while the priest turned off the lights and passed around the candles. Adam’s finger was in the air, tracing all the different shapes and colors, when he felt a hand pull him to the side. In his trance he hadn’t noticed the woman sitting next to him dropping her lit candle, and catching on fire. Somehow he hadn’t heard her screaming earlier.
Adam had watched her burn as she rolled on the floor, loudly praying for it to be over. According to the other attendees, it had only been for a couple seconds, but to him he spent an entire lifetime standing next to that bench. Soon enough someone put her out with a fire extinguisher. Since then he’d had a fear of fire. His mom had gone alone a few times afterward, but it didn’t take long for her to stop too. He snapped out of the memory and got up from his bed.
“Mom,” Adam yelled while running down the stairs. “Do you want help making dinner?”
“If we can find anything.” She was exploring the cabinets and nonfunctional fridge when he slid into the kitchen.
He opened and then quickly shut the oven after seeing the burnt mass left inside. “How far away from the closest store are we?” “At least an hour's drive, and that's to the nearest gas station.” She said, “I’ll go looking tomorrow morning.”
Adam held up a box of uncooked pasta. “These don’t spoil, right? ‘Cause it looks like it hasn’t been touched in a decade.”
“That’ll work. We just need to find a pot and some water.”
Eventually they got all the rusted appliances working and a bland tasting meal on the table. He set his plastic fork down and looked across the table at his mom.
“So…when is he getting here?”
She sighed. “John didn’t give a definite answer. It shouldn’t be long though.”
Adam set his dishes on the counter and put on an optimistic smile, for his mom’s sake “Okay.”
By the time he was looking out the window again, it was dark. He took off his shoes and crawled under the thin sheet. Something felt weird about changing with the window open. He groaned internally at that forest unexplainably freaking him out again. Adam didn’t feel that tired, but he didn’t have anything else to do.
Luckily the bed was toward the door. If he had to fall asleep facing the window, he’d stay up all night. Adam closed his eyes. Now that the cabin was quiet, except for the occasional sound of his mom moving around downstairs, he could hear every single noise that came from outside. The wind blowing through those stupid tree’s leaves was like an orchestra. He rolled to his side and covered his other ear with his hand. As he was drifting off, glimpses of images of a light resurfaced in his mind.
~
Adam woke up to the sun streaming through the window. He flipped off the forest before grabbing a stack of clothing from under his bed. When he checked in her room, his mom was still sleeping. He lightly walked down the stairs, trying to avoid the creaking. The bathroom was small, but it seemed like the water was working. He took a quick shower, noticing how weird the water tasted. It probably came from the cabins well or something.
Once he had gotten ready, he left a note for his mom on the table and walked outside. It was hot and muggy, his least favorite combination. Adam strolled through the yard of forgotten items, all ridden with age. He stopped when he reached the end of the grassy stretch, at the edge of the forest. He was hoping that if he went in there, and saw that it was just a normal freaking forest, it wouldn't bother him anymore.
He inhaled deeply and pushed through the bushes circling the boundary. As soon as he was inside the tree line, he wanted to leave again. Every rustling plant and root that tripped seemed like a warning. I’m just going to walk around a bit and then go back, he thought. It was true that the forests near his town looked exactly the same, but this one had something…wrong with it. That was the only way he could describe it.
He’d barely spent a minute in the woods when he felt it. That sick feeling in his stomach when you realize you're lost. Adam spun around, and immediately forgot what way he had come from.
“God damn it.” He said under his breath. He looked up in hopes he could see something through the canopy of trees, but it was too thick. Adam sensed panic creeping up on him the more he tried to figure out where he was. Maybe the reason why he had that bad feeling about this place was because he was going to die here.
Adam drew in one shaky breath after another, still paralyzed by the decision he had to make. As a last resort, he looked in each direction. If this were a movie, he thought, the right one would show itself. He scrutinized every detail. His eyes caught a little gap between two trees.
Without a second thought Adam dashed through the opening and found himself in a clearing. It seemed like the only place in the whole forest where the sky wasn’t completely covered. A weak beam of sunlight escaped onto the grass. There were flowers adding a splash of blue to the glade. And there was a statue.
He took a step back. Had he walked into some hermit’s weird garden? The stone sculpture was one he’d seen before, an angel with a sword, foot pining a demon to the ground. It, like everything else around here, looked pretty banged up. One of its wings had broken off, and moss covered its stone body.
Adam sighed and sat down on a log. He was still lost. He should have just-
Your place of residence is behind you.
He jumped up. “Who said that?!”
I did.
“What the fuck…” Adam backed away from the statue.
What was it they said again…? Oh yes- be not afraid.
There it was again, that voice in Adam’s head. He leaped over the log and into the bushes, trying to get away as fast as he could. He ran blindly through the forest, and didn’t even notice when he breached the tree line and stumbled into the trash filled yard.
Adam braced his hands on his knees and tried to stop his shaking. He was really crazy. He collapsed on the ground. That couldn’t have been real. That’s not possible. Maybe it was his overactive imagination, or an experimental weed killer, or he could still be sleeping in his bed. Adam chewed on his lip and looked up. Based on the position of the sun, it was already the evening again. He’d only spent a couple minutes there, right…?
He wiped the sweat off his face and glanced at the forest. Ugh.” He actually felt even more uneasy about it now. All he’d accomplished was freaking himself out and hallucinating or something. Adam trudged back to the cabin. His mom was waiting for him outside, paper bags sitting on the table.
“Where were you?” She put her hands on her hips.
“I lost track of time, I’m sorry.” Adam apologized. “It didn’t feel like that long, I swear. Did you go to a grocery store?”
His mom nodded. “We can have a proper dinner now. And no, John hasn’t called yet.”
Adam pulled out some of the vegetables and canned foods and set them on the table. “I wasn’t going to ask.” He already knew the answer. His father wasn’t known for being punctual. “So, what are we making?”
“I was thinking we could try soup. It’s easy, right? You just combine the ingredients and boil it in a pot?”
“Yeah.” He evaluated everything that she had bought and settled on a mix of zucchini, beans, celery, and vegetable broth. Adam gave his mom the job of chopping the greens while he boiled and seasoned the broth.
Compared to the night before, their meal was much more enjoyable, and it let him take his mind off whatever had or hadn’t occurred earlier. He slowly ate his meal and delayed going upstairs as long as possible. But, with nothing else to do, he changed into his pajamas in the bathroom and said goodnight to his mother. As Adam walked in the room, he purposefully turned his head away from the window. He didn’t want to see those stupid trees ever again. He beelined to his backpack and took out his iPod.
He started one of his playlists and got comfortable in his bed. As long as some of his favorite music was playing and his eyes were closed, it didn’t matter that he was in the middle of nowhere with a forest that was making him insane. Adam felt unease tightening his chest when he caught the wind howling in between songs. He was being stupid, getting scared by spooky noises like a little kid.
Adam didn’t want to think about that voice, but he couldn't deny that it had a distinct sound. Laced with authoritative superiority and boredom. As he switched positions for the fourth time, he shuddered at the thought of having to stay at this place for three more days.
~
He stood at the foot of the forest. He hated it and everything in it, but there was…a pull. Something that had caught his throat and was reeling him in. Yesterday wasn’t real, and he had to prove it. Adam entered the ominous collection of trees.
Adam knew that all the plants and grass looked the same, but for some reason it felt like they had shifted since he’d last gone in. Even though he was sure that this was the exact same spot. He picked up a sharp rock and carved the letter “x” on the closest tree to him. Then he could find his way back without having to rely on some weird voice in his head.
He attempted to remember what he’d done the day before. Had he gone straight ahead, or turned at the bush? Adam memorized where he was going and what was behind him. No way he’d get lost again.
After walking around for way longer than yesterday, Adam smiled triumphantly. There was no clearing, or creepy statue, or voices in his head. It hadn’t happened. He sighed with relief. It was just a bunch of harmless trees.
Adam looked around. He’d lost his train of thought and was back to not knowing where he was. He groaned. What he really should’ve done was never gone in here ever again. But no, he needed total proof he wasn’t crazy. Adam rubbed his eyes and set off walking in a random direction.
“If I get out of here and back to the cabin,” Adam said aloud, “I’m never going back in the forest ever again.” He shook his head at his own stupidity and pushed through the underbrush, only to find himself back in the glade.
His common sense told him to turn around and continue finding his way home, so of course he ignored it. Adam hesitantly set foot on the overgrown grass. It looked the same, but unless he’d gone in a huge circle, it wasn’t in the same location.
So, you’ve returned. Are you going to run away again or can we just talk? “Wh- hey! I didn’t run away.” He said indignantly, to no one. The voice was back. So much for not being insane and not hearing voices.
I do exist, if that is your question. I’m not a figment of your feeble imagination. It's insulting that you would think such a thing.
Adam opened and closed his mouth. I mean, that is what a not-real voice would say. But he decided to humor it. “Then what are you? Like, a talking statue, or…? Not that I believe you.”
I’m an angel. I just happened to be temporarily imprisoned in this statue. Why are you in this forest?
He glared at the moss covered statue. “Because it freaks me out. Also, hold on, you're an angel? From the bible and all that?”
Yes.
“Really? So Heaven, Hell, God, that's all real?”
You humans haven’t even come close to understanding it in its entirety, but yes.
“Huh.” Adam lowered himself to the ground and stared up at the sculpture.
…is that all you have to say? Most would have a stronger reaction.
“I don't know. I haven’t really thought about the whole religion thing much.” He shrugged. “It seemed pretty far-fetched. I didn’t really like church. Why are you in that statue though? If you're an angel, can’t you just…get out?” The voice took on a sharper tone. I spoke out against the course of action Heaven is taking, so they made this statue my prison for a decade. I am banished to this specific rock as some kind of a sick joke from my siblings. My “great victory,” immortalized forever. It sounded like he was getting angrier. The only reason they didn’t curse me for a longer amount of time was because they knew that even with their collective powers, I will still be able to break free.
Adam could sense that he had hit a nerve, and if this guy was a real angel, he didn’t want to be pissing him off.
That is correct, you would not want to irritate me. The voice was more mocking now.
“Get out of my head!” He hissed.
In my current state, that is the only way I can communicate. I’m sure you aren't overjoyed to have a conversation with me, but as this is the first time I’ve been spoken to in five years, I implore you to continue.
“Hey, I’m still not convinced you're real.” He sighed. “But I don’t have anything else to do, so fine.”
As long as you are here, I do have a favor to ask. Adam narrowed his eyes. “What?”
Can you clean this dreadful insect infested vegetation off the statue of me? As long as I’m bound to it and it is a representation of me in your mind, I want it to look decent.
“I guess. I’m not going to be your little human servant though.” He picked a stick up off the ground and used it to scrape off some of the things growing on his precious statue. “So this is you, huh?” Adam wiped away a spider web from the angel. “What’s with the messed up guy under your foot?”
That is my brother, Lucifer. The statue is based on a painting of the same scene, the archangel Michael defeating Satan. Good’s triumph over evil.
“Uh-huh…” He stood back and admired his hard work. “Do you know what time it is? I don’t want my mom getting worried.”
The sun has just begun setting.
Adam wiped his hands on his shorts. “Then I should get going. Time is all messed up in this place, I think.”
That may be my fault. As I slowly destroy my restraints, it seems the energy is affecting the whole area.
“So you're the reason for that bad feeling I get? And the dreams?”
That may be the case. I apologize if it’s caused you distress.
“Thanks?” He said uneasily. How weird was that? An angel apologizing to him. He hadn’t read the Bible much, but they didn’t really seem like the friendly type.
As I’ve said, you humans have portrayed us inaccurately.
He shuddered. Adam really didn’t like the idea of some ancient being reading his thoughts. “Okay, I’m going to leave before you go too deep into my psyche. Not that I have anything to hide.” He added quickly.
~
So, you’ve returned again?
Adam rolled his eyes. “Yeah. Don’t get used to it though, we’re going back to Windom tomorrow.”
Oh. Michael actually sounded a little unhappy about that. What brought you back?
“I mostly wanted to get out of the cabin. My moms super emotional right now ‘cause John’s a no show. He didn’t even call or anything.” He said bitterly. “Told us to spend a couple days over at his shitty barn waiting for him, only to ghost us.”
John is your father?
“Yup.” Adam leaned against one of the surrounding trees. “Not that he’s ever been much of one.”
I understand how you feel…my father has been absent too.
“Woah, like, your father, God?”
Yes. He is technically the father of all creatures, but the archangels have a special bond with Him.
“He’s gone? I thought his whole thing was that he's watching over the human race from the clouds or whatever.” Adam tried to see past the leaves and at the sky.
He is…away.
He let out a laugh. “You guys don’t even know where he is?”
No, we don’t. But that does not mean that we should ignore His wishes and destroy His perfect design of what Heaven is meant to do. His words hurt like pin pricks in Adam’s brain.
“Okay, okay. Calm down. Obviously you’ve got a problem with Heaven right now.”
I suppose that is true.
Adam put his hands up. “Let's change the subject before you explode my head or something. What've you been doing the past couple years?”
I have watched the nature around me. Plant’s growth and death. The countless life cycles that keep the balance in this ecosystem. Having so little to do for so long has let me appreciate all the intricate details of this forest.
The pressure on his head lessened. “That's cool. Have you tried getting other people's attention? So you could have someone to talk to and stuff?”
It was only recently that this prison was weak enough for my thoughts to get through.
“I think I'd go out of my mind if I couldn't speak to anyone for five years.”
Five years is inconsequential for a being that's been alive since the dawn of time. Do not feel sorry for me.
Adam scoffed. “I don't!”
Okay. Why is your mother emotional about your fathers absence?
“He’s the love of her life, duh. ‘Cept he doesn't really understand that. He’s never around to see the aftermath of him coming and going all the time. She cries a lot, and spends a lot of time looking at the photos of the three of us. She never wants to talk to me about it though.”
And that bothers you?
“Obviously!” He snapped, “I guess you’ve never had to see your mom hurting and not be able to do anything about it.”
I do not have a mother.
“Exactly.” Adam ran his hand through his hair. Why he was telling this freaky angel everything about his life, he didn’t know. Michael could still be all in his head. An elaborate hallucination, but it's possible. A lot more likely than whatever he was telling him.
Adam, what can I do to convince you I am not imaginary?
“I never told you m- oh, right. You were reading my thoughts again.”
Correct.
“I don’t know. There's not much you can do.” He said. “It won’t matter anyway, I doubt we’ll come back here.”
That is unfortunate.
Adam approached the statue. “...is there anything you want me to get you before I leave? Y’know, for entertainment.”
Some literature would be helpful.
“Okay. I'll get you a book. There's got to be a couple lying around.” Adam gave where he assumed Michael was a little wave and stepped into his yard.
He ran back to the cabin and looked through the shelves. Most of the books there weren’t anything Michael would be interested in, and the rest of the bookshelf was too disintegrated to be legible. Adam pulled out a study on modern understandings of religion. Maybe he’d get a kick out of it, maybe not, but it was what he was going to get.
Adam could hear sad music coming from upstairs. He grabbed the book and went back into the yard. He’d take the trippy forest over what was happening there. He went directly from the forest to the clearing again, which was sort of helpful.
Have you brought something for me to read?
He held up the paperback. “Yeah, it's religious stuff. I thought you'd find it interesting.”
Interesting choice. At the very least it will be good fertilizer for the plants.
“Wow, way to trust my judgment.” Adam set the book in front of the sculpture. “How are you going to read it though? It's not like you can flip the pages.”
I will find a way.
He awkwardly touched the statue's hand. How do you shake a stone hand? “Good luck, I guess. Don’t get too bored.”
Thank you. I do hope we see eachother again.
“Sure.” He walked away from the clearing unsteadily. This could still be in his head, right? He didn’t know what he wanted the answer to be. He just needed to get as far away from here as possible. It was really messing with him.
Unlike the last time, he didn’t appear in the yard right away. Adam wandered around the forest, and the more he looked at everything, the more he started to kind of understand where Michael was coming from. Everything in the ecosystem relied on another to survive, like fibers coming together to form cloth. Being stuck here for years didn’t seem that bad. He rolled his eyes. He was definitely going crazy.
Getting back to the cabin and falling asleep was a blur, and the ride back home was silent. He could tell that his mom had been holding out a little hope that John would arrive the morning they left, but no luck. He looked out the window at the trees passing by him. They felt different somehow. Maybe because he had seen what was inside.