"Walter, this is Ms. Dahlia Gillespie. She very much wanted to meet you."

I was six-years-old at the time. I clutched tightly to the Red Priest's hand as I looked at the formidable lady that stood in front of me. I hid my face behind his arm. Usually, he scared me as well, but at least I knew him. Why was this Gillespie lady here at the Wish House? Why did she want to meet me? Why not one of the other kids?

I peeked my eye out from behind the Red Priest's arm. Ms. Gillespie kneeled down to my eye level. She smiled a knowing sort of smile at me. "Hello, Walter," she said, "I'm pleased to meet you."

I built up the courage and extended my hand to shake hers, whilst the other hand slightly loosened its grip on that of the Red Priest's.

"There," she said as she shook my tiny, trembling hand, "you see? I'm not so bad, am I?"

"Uh-uh." My voice trembled.

She gave me one final smile before standing up again. Her face completely shifted to its original, cold expression. "Father Stone, I need to speak with you outside."

The Red Priest let go of my hand. Actually, it was more like he tossed my hand away. He and Ms. Gillespie went outside the small classroom and shut the door so I couldn't listen. I looked about me and was stricken with loneliness. But this wasn't just any loneliness. It felt like an eerily familiar loneliness, being left by myself in that room. I felt a chill go up my spine at this thought, but immediately shook it out of my head when I heard their voices raise outside.

I was only able to catch a few words here and there. I heard the Red Priest say someone's name. It sounded like "Alyssa." Then I heard Ms. Gillespie say the words "dead," and "worthless," but I couldn't hear anything in between. What were they talking about? How did it have anything to do with me?

I heard the doorknob start to turn and I jumped, startled out of my eavesdropping. Ms. Gillespie walked in as the Red Priest held the door open. A flash of panic went through my head as I saw him shutting the door behind her. I thought, are you really going to leave me in here alone with her?!

This time, she made no attempt to smile. "Walter, you must be wondering why I'm here to see you?"

I nodded my head, and I tried my best not to show how much she scared me.

"Well, Walter, I have something very important to tell you. We found your mother."

I went numb. My heart leapt with joy, but my head was having trouble believing her.

"Where is she?" I suddenly found my voice. I realized, at that moment, that she was nothing to fear. She wanted to help me. To reunite me with my mom. I decided that I liked her, after all. She was definitely nicer than the other adults here.

"She is asleep. In a place called Ashfield. I will show you where she is."

"OK! I'll get my jacket, and..."

"No!" I suddenly felt as though someone had crushed my spirit. I knew she was a nice lady, so I didn't understand why she would tell me that she could take me to my mom, and then tell me that she wouldn't. Maybe my mom didn't want to see me? Maybe Ms. Gillespie was just trying to protect me from that pain?

She noticed that my face grew sad. "No, Walter... You misunderstand me. I will not be able to take you to see her today. However, I will come back in two days to get you. Then I will take you to her." I immediately perked up.

Those next two days were excruciating to wait through. I really didn't get along with the other kids, so I couldn't go talk to any of them about my excitement. My mom. In the flesh. Right in front of me! I wondered if she would recognize me. Would she hug me?

The day came, and I was up especially early. I wanted to be able to leave as soon as Ms. Gillespie arrived. I combed my hair, and I put on my clip-on tie. I wanted my mom to be proud when she saw me.

Ms. Gillespie took me by the hand and walked me to the bus stop. It was about an hour long bus ride. From there, we transferred to a train in the South Ashfield Station, with which the ride was only about five minutes long. When we got off the train, we had to walk five blocks. I was both tired and filled with energy at the same time!

As we walked up to the apartment building in South Ashfield Heights, I could hardly contain my excitement. When we went in, Ms. Gillespie was having a hard time keeping up with me as I rushed up the stairs, although she was holding my hand.

"Can you please walk the rest of the way, Walter?" she grunted when we reached the floor. I noticed she was out of breath. "Sorry, Ms. Gillespie." She nodded in a somewhat irate sort of way.

We walked up to a door. Door 302. I was grinning from ear-to-ear. I waited for Ms. Gillespie to knock. She didn't budge. "Ms. Gillespie?"

She didn't look down at me. She kept looking at the door as she responded. "This is your mother, Walter. Her spirit is in this room." At first, I was confused. How could this room be my mom? But the more I thought about it, the less it made sense that she might lie to me. I was filled with joy, and did my best to hug the door. I gave it a kiss, then looked up at Ms. Gillespie.

"I'm not going to be able to stay with her, am I?"

"No, Walter. You see, her soul is troubled. She could not possibly take care of you in this state. She needs you. And there is someone living in this room, further preventing you from being with her. Would you do anything for her? Would you do anything to be with her again?"

"YES! What do I have to do?"

Ms. Gillespie put her hand forward and took mine. As we walked away, I turned and said, "Goodbye, mommy. Don't worry, I'll see you soon!" I looked back up at Ms. Gillespie. "Won't I?"

"Yes. But not right now. We will let you know when the time comes."

As we started to make the turn to get to the stairs, I took one last look behind me at my mom. I was stricken with that same, eerie feeling of loneliness I had had two days earlier. I shook it off and supposed that it was just my feeling lonely about leaving my mom.

A week later, I had a strange nightmare. One of the other priests, Father George Rosten, was there, and he was chanting something in gibberish. I was strapped onto a large, slanted table. He walked over to me with a knife and cut my left arm. I screamed and cried in pain, and fought to get out of my restraints. He walked back to the table where he had his weird tools. I noticed a strange creature on the ceiling. It looked almost like a deformed, bald man. Except, as it inched closer, I could see that it was wearing some sort of flesh-toned leather, which tied in the back, that covered its entire body. Where its forehead should have been, there was the same symbol that was sewn onto the Priests' clothing. Its head twitched back and forth, and to and fro with such a freakish speed that I wasn't sure whether it frightened me more or less than it was making me feel sick.

I started crying as it slowly crawled up to me. I desperately tried to break free. This all felt so very real. I tried yelling at myself to wake up, but that didn't work. I looked at Father Rosten and begged him to save me, but he kept his back to me during the whole nightmare. The creature crawled onto the table, its head became still. Its eyes were covered by the leather bodysuit, but I knew he was looking at me, my face only an inch or two away from where its face should have been.

With one of its gloved hands, it reached deep into my wound, then lunged into the cut on my arm. I screamed and cried louder. Calling for help. Feeling desperate. I silently wished I had made friends at the Wish House, because maybe someone might have cared enough to rescue me. The creature completely entered my body, and then the nightmare went black.

I woke up the next morning in a cold sweat, tears accompanying the perspiration on my face. I was so glad the nightmare was over. I put my left hand up to wipe the sweat off of my forehead, and I noticed red on my arm. I was startled by it and looked. I had a cut on my arm, just like the one I had in my nightmare. I decided that it must have happened while I was asleep, and looked about me to see if I could figure out how I had gotten it. I couldn't figure how, but I told myself that this is why I had the nightmare.

After I got changed, I made my bed and went to eat breakfast with the other kids before my daily scripture readings.