Chapter Eight
"So... do you just tune into 'em, or don't you have a choice?"
I sighed, berating myself for ever having agreed to drink with the man the week before, but although I was frustrated, I couldn't exactly blame Denny for asking so many questions. After all, he might not have thought much of it when I had my vision, but once the shock had worn off, I knew he would start trying to understand just why it all happened. It was a natural response, and I had to do my best to accept that. Not that it would be very easy for me, of course.
"They come to me when it best suits them," I explained as I cast a line into the water. "Most of the time they don't have the energy, though, so it's not like I hear them all at once." I paused for a moment and watched my bobber bounce along on the slow rolling waves, but like a watched pot, it did nothing. "Unless I'm underwater."
"Then what?" I felt my face warm to realize that I had said it, but I tried to play it off as nothing and shrugged. "Ah, you don't know, huh? That's okay. It's not like you can know everything about it, right?"
But I did know, and I also knew that I could never tell him the truth. It would be too hurtful... for the both of us.
"Hey, Denny. I've got a question for you." He just looked at me out of the corner of his eye to let me know I had his attention and went back to watching my line. "How do you actually believe any of this? I mean... there's not a lot of people who believe in ghosts or whatever, right? Most of them would just say, 'Yeah right,' and move on."
"Yeah, but those people aren't fishermen like I am either," he chuckled. "Seamen are a superstitious bunch- where I come from anyway." I could understand that. I had always heard that that was the case, after all, but a part of me had begun to wonder if Denny ever thought of himself as anything more than just his profession. Not that I had a chance to ask when he suddenly cried out, "Fish on!"
"Oh!" Before I could even try to reel in the line, Denny had snatched the pole right from my hand. "Hey, that's-"
"No time!" I thought to argue with him, and then I decided it wasn't worth it. Besides, it was hard not to smile when I saw the excited grin plastered on his face. He was like a little kid, and maybe it was because of that that I let him catch the darn thing. "Ha! Not bad for your first fish, Mark... A foot maybe?"
"You were the one who caught it," I reminded him. He didn't even hear me because not a moment after he held it out to me. It was a sea bass, and although I didn't know what size it was just by looking at it, I agreed it was a big fish. "Denny, I can't take that," I insisted as he continued to offer it to me. "That's yours."
"No, it's not," he laughed, shaking his head. "I just got over-excited is all."
"Just how much time are you willing to waste?" The Voice whispered, seemingly come from no where. "There is still so much you don't know, and yet you're still sitting there."
By this time, I had learned to ignore the Voice. I still heard her, of course, but her words had become nothing more than a distant murmur lost among my own thoughts. She was there, and yet at the same time, she wasn't. While I was more than happy with the arrangement, I could tell she was getting impatient.
Just leave me alone, I ordered. Whatever it is, it can wait. I won't be much longer now. As soon as I thought it, I felt the air chill, but I only shivered slightly. Thankfully, it was not enough for Denny to take notice, and so we went on with our conversation as usual. "I forgot to ask," I continued, "but how'd it go this morning?"
"Not bad," he replied with a shrug. "I got enough to get by, so I can't complain."
"Enough small talk," the Voice hissed. "You have no time to hear what I say, and yet you sit here. For what? What can this fool tell you that is of any importance?" Did she feel threatened by him? "He is a fool."
Maybe he is, I agreed, but you certainly aren't any better. When I thought I heard a distant growl, I felt the color drain from my face. She was angry, and even though I didn't quite understand why, I decided it was best not to stick around and find out. "I hate to cut this short," I began, "but I apparently forgot I needed to do something very important." My friend raised an eyebrow. "See you tomorrow when you get back?"
Denny stared at me a while longer, but he eventually laughed and clapped me on the back. "Because I have so much to do after that, right?"
I smiled in return, but as soon as I stood and turned my back, it disappeared. The Voice- whoever she was- was getting stronger. While she had been confined to the Phillips' home in the beginning, she quickly seemed to be everywhere. The only place I hadn't heard her was at the farm, and even then, if she put up enough of a struggle, she was more than capable of finding a way to speak up.
"Oh, Mark. It is you," Felicia called, waving to me from her front door. The woman smiled as always, and although she held a broom in her hand, she was more than happy to ask me to stay. "I haven't put dinner on yet, but if you'd be willing to have me buy that fish of yours, I'll be happy to get started."
"I can't ask you to pay for what you're going to feed me," I reminded her. "Besides, I really have to go." But to where? The Voice had only told me to leave the beach, and yet I did it without thinking at all. Idiot.
"Well, how about I just buy the fish then?" the woman offered. "Even if you can't come to dinner tonight, it'll get eaten."
"Sounds like a deal," I agreed at last with a small smile. After all, if I didn't give it to her, my only choice was to eat it, and there really was no point in that. Not when I had 'more important' things that needed doing. "I don't think I'll be around much later, so give the others my best." Felicia gave her promise to do so, but just as she closed the door again, I felt an even worse chill run down my spine. What now?
There was no answer at first, but I knew the Voice was still there. She was watching, but just what she was looking out for, I could only guess. As if understanding my curiosity, however, she was finally kind enough to reply. Despite it still not being much of an explanation.
"Be patient, Mark," the Voice assured me with a chuckle. "You'll see soon enough... Yes, you'll see."
