Jimmy felt like he was stretched and twisted as he materialized on the other side of the portal. Goddard wobbled for a moment before gaining his balance. Jimmy asked him if he was alright. The robotic dog nodded and the chest panel flipped over revealing the message "ready when you are master."
Jimmy and Goddard found themselves in a long corridor full of unmarked doors. He knew that it was simply his mind's way of understanding what was in here. He guessed that if she was in here he would find her behind one of these doors. But which one would be the right one?
This was different then when he went into Carl's mind and a part of him was really glad that it wasn't Sheen's mind. He would probably be attacked by an army of Ultra lord dolls by now. The thought made him chuckle for a moment until Sheen's voice cut across the ethereal realm and rocked Jimmy to the core "they're action figures not dolls!" Jimmy decided it would be time to recommend some therapy for Sheen when he got back to the real world.
He asked Libby if she had any advice. Libby called her mother real quick and then responded that he should be careful because each door would contain a realm based on Cindy's fears and desires. Some would be dreams and others could be nightmares. He should be prepared to face the things that would scare her and to not let them stop him if he intended to get to her. She would be guarded in the very recesses of her mind where she had retreated.
He chose the door nearest him to start with. He would try every door he found until he was where he wanted to be. Nothing would stop him. He gritted his teeth and went through the door with Goddard right behind him. He hadn't seen the little girl watching him in the shadows of the corridor. But her large green eyes glinted for a moment before she slipped in to the open door after Jimmy the closing door just missing one of her blond pig tails.
In the first door way:
He looked around and it seemed like he was in Retroville. "Testing, testing, can you hear me Libby?" There was static for a moment and Libby came over loud and clear relaying that she could see and hear him. After a quick discussion with Libby it was decided that he clearly wasn't in a nightmare and it would most likely be safe to proceed forward since it appeared like he was in a sunny version of Retroville.
He wandered the streets of Retroville but the town seemed strangely deserted. The streets were clear of debris and everything seemed really pleasant yet the thought gnawed at the back of his mind whether he was really in a nightmare or a dream. His thoughts were interrupted when church bells tolled in the back ground. The music was beautiful and the acoustics of the relatively empty town carried the sound better than would have been possible in the real world. He headed cautiously in the direction of the music until he found the Retroville town church. He discovered that the whole town was there seated for a wedding.
He slipped inside and no one seemed to notice him. He got the impression that he was intangible to the people he saw around him and merely a witness to something that had been rehearsed many times before.
The wedding began and he watched as the bride walked down the aisle. Even though she was veiled he easily identified the male escort as Mr. Vortex. Clearly Cindy had dreams about being married. He assumed that it was most likely a common thing for girls to do that. He recognized everyone in the audience of course. There was an older version of everyone he had ever known including Sheen and Carl but he didn't see an older version of himself.
He felt almost guilty yet at the same time a little jealous as he watched wondering who she dreamt would be her husband. He felt more than a little relieved when he saw the groom really was an older version of himself. The smug part of him felt happier than he was willing to admit knowing that Libby was watching everything that was happening. Still it didn't stop her from whispering over the headset that she knew it all along. His face flushed bright red and it made her laugh spontaneously. The sudden laugh screeched over the mic and he yelped from the pain. But the wedding continued uninterrupted.
All except the little blond girl with pig tails that peaked over the pew she was sitting in. Jimmy didn't notice her as the ceremony continued. Instead he found himself enthrall with watching how Cindy dreamt their wedding would be like.
The wedding ended with the ceremonious kiss between the bride and groom before Jimmy slipped out of the church. He knew if he was to find the real Cindy he would have to go deeper into her mind. He signaled to Libby that he was ready and she pushed the preset sequence of buttons and a wooden door materialized in front of Jimmy right out of the air. He motioned for Goddard to follow and then slipped on in leading the way. As before his little blond follower slipped in after him undetected.
To be continued…..
A/N (no sheen was not on the radio and yes his voice reached Jimmy in Cindy's mind)
