Despite the fact that two weeks had passed since Bryson had escaped the clutches of the insane man chasing him down with an axe, ending in an intense car chase, Bryson still found himself reeling from the situation.
Donny had asked what happened to Bryson's car, going as far as to burst out into a fit of laughter when he saw how wrecked it had been with a shattered window and the side of his car decamated, looking as if it could fall off at any moment.
"Holy shit, dude." Donny chuckled. "What the hell happened?!"
Bryson fibbed.. or really straight up lied, saying that it was just left like that one morning, adding that someone must have vandalized it for some reason. Donny didn't know why someone would want to do that, leading to another string of questions, Bryson having one lie after another to counter the questions.
He hadn't used his car since the accident. For one, he didn't know if it would even work, thinking it could break down at any time, and two, he really just didn't need to. He spent most of his time on campus in class and locked in his room, writing scripts, talking to his parents every once in a while, and of course, researching more about Oz, of course not finding much.
It was funny, Bryson thought. When he was younger, he wished he could just have his father leave him alone so he could wrap himself up in the comforting cocoon of Oz, watching videos or reading about it, dreaming of it, with no one to bother him. Now, he was mostly alone and when he didn't have any classes, he was locked in his room, doing just that. He felt his heart sink at the mention of his father. He used to hate it when he was around but now he just dearly missed him and wanted to see how he was doing, even though he had feared to see him in his poor state.
Bryson did call the number he was given and was met with the same familar voice as the man who protected him.
The man had explained that the man was an escaped convict out of state who had hitchhiked his way to the campus, intending to kill anyone he came across.
The man identified himself as a private investigator who had been hunting him down, in disguise. The insane man was now in custody, according to the protector on the phone.
Bryson felt at ease having some answers.. but he didn't think he believed them.
Yes, they were answers... but something about the man on the phone's explanation seemed so.. rehearased. He explained it almost too perfectly as if he was reading from a script.
Both men.. the way they acted. It didn't seem genuine. Something was up. What that was, Bryson had no idea, but it was something. But after nothing had happened for two weeks, he decided to accept that it was nothing but a regular chase scene and nothing else was going on.
But there were still those lingering questions.. why wasn't he ever questioned by any police? Anything? He had never been in a situation like this where the cops would be involved, but there had to be more to it than this, right?
Maybe not.
It would probably be helpful, he mused, to tell people about this. But his protector told him not to.
Besides, he had a habbit of keeping secrets. Besides, who could he really tell? Donny was his only real friend at this point, something he was grateful about, having a friendship, but Donny wasn't exactly one to talk about your problems to, especially not something this big a deal, as he often just made situations worse. His mom was too busy and stressed taking care of his father, who of course was still extremely sick with cancer, his sister was making a name for herself as a photographer over in New York, too caught up in things to really even pay attention, something Bryson was a bit envious of, that his sister was already doing what she wanted to do and here he was stuck in college, his life a mess.
The one person he felt he could talk to about his problems even slightly was his ex Alison when they were dating, but even she wasn't always the most understanding or open minded person to talk to and after she cheated on him he wasn't especially interested in discussing matters like these in front of her.
He hated the contrast, how happy and full his life had felt in comparison to now.
Things had never been better for him, his life was stable, and now it was in shambles.
Odd as it may sound, as he reflected on it, the chase he had been in was almost viewed as a.. postive memory.
Not for long... but as Bryson was searching for positive things to say about the year, it sprung up subconciously even though it made him squint in confusion.
His brain didn't lie to him.
It was a horrible experience and extremely scary, but it was the most interesting thing that had happened to him in so long, and the feeling of his heart racing, at the edge of his demise, barely escaping, just in the nick of time.. that feeling was familar.
It was what he found himself feeling in Oz. And while the situation was different, part of him did enjoy an aspect of the memory of the chase.. just for that. Although, it still scared the hell out of him.
In fact, it was the second time he had been scared that badly recently.
The first, while not nearly as intense, was just as eerie.
That phone call..
Nothing had ever really come of it.
The night of the chase when he was driving back to his dorm he did suppose the man on the phone may have been the man chasing him, but he quickly rejected the thought.. remembering the booming voice of the man on the phone compared to the sound of the man who had chased him was different, his chaser sounding more devoid of life and robotic with the man on the phone having a strong and startling presence.
He wondered if the events were connected for a brief moment, but he shook that thought from his head pretty quickly, deciding it was easier to explain if he took the word of the man who had protected him.. just an insane man with an axe trying to murder random people.
But when he looked up "axe man" on the news on his search engine, he found no real results, at least nothing about the situation he had been in, which he found strange. You would think an axe man being caught would get some good media coverage, but he decided bigger things were happining in the world and that his small situation wasn't guranteed to be reported on. Besides, his mind was too occupied to care about those things.
In addition to the chase that night, he had been met with a new mountain of information relating to his Oz research.
Kids vanishing in his home state and never returning, from several years ago.
Similar to his experience, but he never did return. (Though, if he was honest with himself, with his current situation, he almost wished he didn't either.)
But with that said, he couldn't help but wonder what had happened to them. His mind automatically went to Oz, wondering if that really was where they went. The thought was nice to him, as it would give his whole situation some answers, but it was also unnerving at some point, as the thought of something bad happening to someone in Oz just didn't feel right, as Oz was an escape. The good guys always won there, right?
He hoped that the situation wasn't as sinister as he feared.
He just couldn't help but think it all revolved around Oz.
Especially with that creature that almost looked like a flying monkey. It was sighted just before a journal from that kid.
Most of the internet, the very small portion that was talking about it, had written off the whole "flying creature" business as part of a hoax. Bryson didn't know if he liked that idea or not. It calmed him, as the idea of one of those things causing trouble.. bothered him to say the least, but it also bothered him.. feeling that if it was fake, then he really had gone insane with this whole Oz business. He had spent a few nights at a time studying the picture, analyzing it in Photoshop and a bunch of other programs but ending up coming with nothing, anonymously talking to people on the "Investiage Ruffner" site to what others thought, though ever fully bringing up Oz, not even in an indirect way. He didn't know why, but he felt protective over the land, as if he shouldn't say anything.. that and he was slightly scared of the idea of being taken to an insane asylum. And while he didn't feel comfortable talking or even hinting about it to strangers over the internet, he did know maybe one person he could try to mention it too..
The man who had really catapulted him into investigating everything.
Professor Walker.
Ever since he had mentioned the "Investiage Ruffner" theory during his class, Bryson had been hooked, leaving him hopelessly scowering for more and more evidence.
Professor Walker had always encouraged his students to talk to him about the theories, as he was a very interactive teacher that loved discussing interesting things about the world, a teacher who geniunely cared about his students and learning, something Bryson admired as it felt sort of rare these days.
He was currently in his dorm, giving the picture he had printed out of the blurry Flying Monkey a few weeks ago to study a final look before lightly sliding it into his backpack, wrapping it around his shoulders and exiting his room, turning the knob and peaking out the door.
He had to admit, he was a bit paranoid leaving his dorm ever since the chasing incident, fearful that someone would pop out from the corner and try to harm him, but classes had just ended recently and it was a school night, no big parties going around, meaning people would be around to help if things got dangerous.
He peaked around the corner and slowly lifted one foot in front of the other out of the door, snapping his head quickly to close the door, not facing away from the hallway for too long as he was wary of something sneaking up behind him.
Once he was satisfied that no one was going to come after him, he turned and slowly walked down the steps, gulping as he still had the memory of rushing down these same steps, away from the man chasing him, pushing the thought from his brain and trying not to dwell on it too much, even though the sinking feeling that something was going on had been ringing through him for the past few months he just couldn't shake.
He sighed and trudged down the steps, beginning to walk to the building with Professor Walker's class.
As he walked, one of the more popular guys around the campus looked at him with a smirk, making a teasing remark. "Hey, man! Aren't you the guy with the sweet ride? You sure could pick up some babes with that thing."
He had gotten a good amount of grief and teasing around campus after word spread of his broken down car, people laughing whenever they saw it in the parking lot, which annoyed Bryson but didn't exactly make him insecure as it would have when he was younger. After his trip to Oz, one thing he never would allow himself was to get insecure over something so petty and shallow.
Bryson said nothing in response, as he was never one for confrontation and just didn't really care to make things worse. He always took pride of that aspect of his personality and just thought it would be better if everyone just loved each other and were kind to each other, even if people weren't kind back. He often wished that's how the real world would work. He wondered if that would ever happen one day.
He remembered, briefly that there was a world like that. Oz. Sure there was the occasional dangerous creature or evil witch, but the Ozians were always kind people, accepting people that even has a socially anxious 14 year old kid, Bryson felt comfortable around, and while he wasn't that shy or socially awkward anymore, he did miss the more appealing nature of the citizens of Oz.
He could hear a few more distant laughs in the background that were surely directed at him, but he simply ignored them. That kind of stuff didn't bother him anymore.
He eventually made his way to Professor Walker's room, and when he stepped in, the room was all but empty, only his professor there, reading glasses on his head, squinting and scrolling on the laptop seated at his desk.
Bryson smiled a bit.
Professor Walker was in his mid 60s, white, heavy set, bald, and when he wasn't teaching, always seemed to be chewing gum.
He was slightly eccentric, and depending on the kind of student you were, he was either really charming or just strange. To Bryson, he was certainly the former.
Bryson knocked at the side of the wall to introduce himself and make his presence known, causing the professor to look from the laptop and over to Bryson.
"Hey, Mr. Walker." He greeted. "I've been looking at some of the Ruffner stuff lately. Got some theories I.. wanted to share." Bryson told him, a slight bit of hesitance in his voice as he neared the end of his statement, realizing what he was about to do, still not even sure if he was going to even directly mention Oz.
Professor Walker looked from his laptop and over to Bryson, and soon the professor formed a warm smile, getting up from his chair and gesturing towards Bryson. "Well hello there, Mr. Scott! I'm glad you could make it and come discuss some theories! I rarely get any visitors wanting to discuss this! Please, have a seat!" He insisted, Bryson smiling and giving him a nod in return, obliging and sinking down into the chair across Walker's desk, letting his backpack next to the floor slouched against the chair.
Walker was clearly excited over having a student come visit him and discuss the theory, which was endearing to Bryson. Most students only cared about partying and getting drunk around here, so Bryson was sure the professor appreciated the slight little change of pace, always happy to make someone's day brighter like this. Walker truly reminded him of the people of Oz, jovial and extremely friendly. Perhaps that why Bryson was so fond of him and why he decided that Walker would be the person he would even come close to discuss this whole Oz thing with.
"So, what have you come up with, Bryson?" Walker asked.
"Well.. did you read that recent update.. with the missing kids in Tennessee.. from all those years back? And the journal and the... picture... the flying.. m-creature.." Bryson said, having to suck in his lip and stop himself from saying "monkey", which would just be a dead giveaway.
Professor Walker's face lit up in intrigue almost immediately at Bryson's words. "Oh, yes, yes. It was so interesting! Say, what do you think happened to those kids?" Walker asked, sparking up the conversation.
Bryson's eyes widened ever so slightly and he was ao anxious to spit out all of his ideas, particularly the ones pertaining to Oz, but he sucked in on his bottom lip to suppress any sudden words. "Oh.. um.. well. It's.. it's very interesting, for sure." Bryson started, Walker nodding and continuing the conversation almost immediately. "Isn't it? The story doesn't correspond with most of the other stories, does it? It's peculiar, but with the rest of the story, it's difficult not to consider noteworthy. With the journal.. and that... strange creature." Walker said, eyebrows furrowed, looking down and clearly thinking deeply about this. Bryson could see how geniunely interested the professor was in this subject, which made him feel even better about talking to him about this.
"Well.. it's interesting I mean.." Bryson started, taking a deep breath. Here it goes, he thought. Finally talking to someone about this.. or at least vaugely, anyway. He still wasn't sure what extent he would go.
Nevertheless, as soon as he began to speak it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of him, even though he hadn't revealed much. "Maybe they got transported to another world.. and never came back." Bryson started, almost letting out a small gulp because of how really overwhelming it felt to talk about this. He had kept this whole thing to himself for years and years, and the fact he was finally telling a soul, just a little, felt so surreal, yet so nice to him.
"And.. maybe.. that.. creature.. was from that world. And that's why the journal was spotted after the man shot the thing. Because it brought it over from that world. In our world.. I mean.. we don't have.. flying.. creatures. I mean.. not like the ones in that picture, anyway." Bryson explained. He took some pauses every now and then, feeling a lump in his throat as he spoke due to how overwhelming it all was to him. He could almost feel himself begin to break a sweat due to how strange and almost nerve wracking this felt. Talking about Oz like this had to be handled very delitcately, he thought, but he trusted Professor Walker with this kind of stuff.
Professor Walker stroked his chin and his blue eyes widened through his glasses, pointing at Bryson. "You know.. I was thinking something similar but I wasn't sure how to put it into words!" Walker exclaimed as if he had just made a revelation. "I just wonder where they go?" Walker wondered, his brows furrowing.
Bryson was so dangerously close to letting that word slip out, those two simple letters. Those two letters that had been haunting him for so long now, and as his mouth automatically went into an 'O' shape, beginning to say it, he stopped himself, not really meaning to. He wasn't ready to go that far, so he stumbled over his words and changed the subject a little as he noticed Walker already looking at him curiously. "Oh, um, yeah, oh, I have this picture.. hold on." He said, leaning down into his backpack, unzipping it and searching for a bit before finding the printed picture of the mysterious creature, slowly bringing it out from his bag and laying it out on the desk.
"I've been studying this.. it's easier than staring at a screen, I think... so I printed this out. Get a better look at it. I'm no photo editing genius or whatever.. but uh.. I've looked at it a bit. What do you.. what do you think it is?" Bryson asked softly, looking at him, his eyes almost pleading for answers and showing his true desperation. He had longed for someone else's opinion on this for so long, not just about the picture, but about Oz.
Professor Walker carefully eyed the photo on his desk and slowly took it, eyeing Bryson curiously. Walker seemed to realize how invesed Bryson truly was, giving him a certain look of realization before turning his full attention to the photo, clearly invested himself as he squinted at it, adjustin the photo and trying to frame it properly so he would have some good lighting. "Now this.. seeing it in person all big as a picture.. quite helpful, those computers hurt my eyes. You must be really interested in all this, huh? I don't have too many students such as yourself." He mused as he studied the picture, tracing it with his fingertips, Bryson watching closely the entire time.
"Very interesting indeed.. in the picture all you can really see is a hint of the wing and bit of a leg.." He said, giving out a slight sigh. "I do wish this had more media coverage and more minds on this." Walker remarked, Bryson agreeing completely.
"It's funny, you know.. flying creatures.. reminds me of The Wizard of Oz!"
Bryson froze.
"You know.. with the flying monkeys and all that." Walker clarified, seemingly mistaking Bryson's frozen stance as confusion.
Bryson's mind was racing and he began to sweat, his heart racing in excitement and nervousness.
So someone else finally had that idea.
It felt... well, Bryson had a wide range of emotions in response to this.
It felt as if the lid had just been blown off something major, as if he said something he shouldn't have.
The whole thing almost felt forbidden. He had grown so accustomed to keeping this to himself, it felt like a sin to continue letting these words escape from his lips.
It was scary, but freeing at the same time.
It wasn't good to keep things bottled up. Bryson knew this. So talking about this, even as subtly and timid as right now, was truly overwhelming for him. He had to suck in his lip as if to prevent too much information coming out too soon.
He scratched against the chair, leaning forward a bit and listening in closely, opening his mouth and thinking a bit before he decided what to say next, making sure to carefully choose his words.
"Oh, yeah, yeah." He said in a hurry, realizing he needed to say something soon as he had been silent for too long. "Um.. that's interesting.. that you say that. I mean.. I was thinking.. well.. I mean look at the legs on it. It looks kind of.. furry, I suppose? It seems like.. well a primate, the creature." Bryson noticed, gesturing his head to the photograph on the table, relaxing as he eased himself into the conversation and began to feel more natural about discussing the topic at hand.
"Yes, yes!" Professor Walker exclaimed in agreement, nodding as he continued to study the photograph. "I've been wondering what sort of creature this could be.. everyone on the site said it seemed fake, which it very well could be.. but if fake, it does look real."
"Doesn't it?" Bryson replied, his voice showing how interesting and more comfortable he now was. "I zoomed in on it on my computer, the fur just seems so real and detailed, you know? I mean, sure there's suits like this.. and I mean even then, it could be taken from a picture of an actual animal and just edited, but I don't know. If it's a hoax.. it just.. doesn't seem like your average kind of hoax." He explained.
Professor Walker nodded, squinted and continuing to examine the photograph. "Glad to see someone as invested as I am." He chuckled out. "I do wish other students were as interested as you and I. We need more with a fascination for the conspiracy theory."
It was much more than a fascination for a conspiracy theory, Bryson noted mentally. It was both that and a desperate search for the land he had traveled to five years ago, both from missing it and for wanting the satisfaction of knowing he wasn't insane and that he really did go to this place.
"It's funny, you know." Bryson remarked, Walker already looking up in intrigue. "Those kids who vanished were from Tennessee. I grew up there." He stated. He didn't know why he brought it up, just picking random thoughts from his brain, perhaps as a segway to delve deeper into the whole Oz thing.
"Oh, really, now? Same town?" Walker asked, deeply interested as he tended to be.
"No, I lived more in the eastern area."
"Oh, I see, I see. I'm actually from North Carolina, right next to it. Came down here to become a big professor, or so I thought." Walker said with a slight chuckle.
"Oh, yeah? I came down here to become a big filmmaker. Hasn't worked out so well." Bryson said with a half hearted laugh.
"Well, you're a lot younger than me, now. So don't feel too bad, you've got all the time in the world. Me? Not so much."
Bryson was a little comforted by this, as time and time escaping him had been a worry of his as of recent. Walker seemed to share this same problem, and it was nice to know he wasn't alone in this.
His thoughts were interrupted when Walker seemed to notice something about the photo, highlighting it by pressing his fingers against the picture.
"Those wings.. they're pressed in the corner.. but you can see them." Walker stated lowly.
Bryson gulped. The wings had been haunting him and he could see that Walker also took notice of how eerily real they seemed.
Bryson decided now was the time. He was going to mention the idea.
He sucked in his breath.
"It's funny... flying monkeys." Bryson stated, biting his lip for a second and adjusting his position in his chair. "Maybe those kids.. went to Oz." He said, letting out a nervous chuckle. The way Bryson said it, the tone. He said it as if it was supposed to be a joke, trying to ease into everything, but he couldn't stop his heart from racing and breaking a few sweats, squeezing his palms shut and nervously anticipating Walker's response.
This was it. He was now finally openng up to someone about this.
"You know.. I know you're joking and all, but hey. Maybe. You never know."
Bryson took a deep breath. Walker actually believed he was joking, relieved for the time being.
"I've heard stories." Walker continued.
Bryson lifted up in his seat almost immediately, perched up and raising his brow. "Stories?" He asked, looking almost too interested, which Walker seemed to notice, raising his own brow but not saying anything.
"Oh, yes. I know a fellow, actually.. who was just talking to me a few days ago over the phone with.. we share our theories a lot. Been a good friend of mine for years. I mentioned that the creature in the picture looked like some kind of winged monkey and he started talking about some incident in some other town I don't remember, down in Tennessee, which try as I might, I couldn't find anything about online, but alas.."
Bryson was now extremely interested. Was this going to be about Oz? He had to stop himself from excitedly telling Walker to go on, but he managed to keep himself calm, not wanting to seem too obvious.
"The story goes there was this boy. 9 years old. Boy named Aiden Parker, I believe. More recent incident. Happened in 1999.."
As Professor Walker began to tell the story, Bryson was completely hooked and felt himself get wrapped up in the whole atmosphere of it.
"He was unknowingly kidnapped by his dad and his grandmother. Aiden had run away because he found out that his mother was having another baby. The boy had become convinced she was trying to replace him with the new baby. Supposedly this was due to his father and grandmother brainwashing him into thinking this. Aiden ran away to his father's house with his dad and his grandmother, seperate from Aiden's mother. His parents had divorced."
Bryson listened closely, briefly remembering all the times from many years ago when his parents would frequently scream at each other and threaten divorce, pushing that thought away from his mind to continue listening.
"Aiden's mother actually had full custody of him. But.. when Aiden showed up at his dad's place, his dad and grandmother packed up their things.. sent Aiden to the airport. They were a wealthy family.. and they put him on one of their private jets to Africa all by himself, despite the fact that there had been numerous warnings of a tornado hitting the area."
Bryson furrowed his brow and he gasped a tad. All the way to Africa?! The situation sounded so messed up and the boy's father and grandmother sounded so twisted, wondering why anyone would want to do such a thing, but he was also struck in a new wave of interest at the mention of the tornado.
He could still remember that sound. That horrid, yet beautiful sound of the tornado approaching him as he cowered in that old, decayed farm. The very last sound he heard before he was swept away to the place that forever sealed his fate as both a better person and a confused obsessor of the mystical land.
Bryson continued to take in every word of the story, wondering why he was just now hearing of all this. He was sure it wasn't on the internet as he had scowered for Oz stories for so long. He also was confused as to why so many people had vanished that lived in Tennessee, wondering for a moment if there was some sort of connection. This was all so similar to what happened to him and the growing pile of information had taken him aback.
"The jet soon arrived in Africa.. but it didn't make it to the airport. While the jet was flying over the jungle, a storm was occurring, and soon it transitioned into a tornado. The jet got caught in the tornado and crash-landed in a jungle of Africa."
Bryson was completely hooked. He had a worried look. Yes, he didn't even know if this story was true, and even if it was, it happened a long time ago, but nevertheless, he was concerned about the ending of the story. "What happened next?" He asked hurriedly, not even waiting for any pauses, wanting to know immediately what was next and if tied into Oz at all.
"Well.. it gets more interesting here." Professor Walker stated, beginning to rub his chin, Bryson biting his lip and shuffling in his seat, almost bouncing in his seat because of how excited he was to hear the rest.
"Afterwards, Aiden woke up in the African hospital in the month of December, surrounded by his grandparents, his mom, and two villagers, a man and a woman.. where it was revealed that he had been missing for four months and that his mom and grandparents hadn't stopped looking for him. When the villagers had brought Aiden in, the African police that contacted his mom and grandparents and they hopped on the first plane to Africa and stayed there.. all until Aiden woke up six months later."
Yet another parallel of what had happened to Bryson.
He had been reported missing during his trip to Oz and woke up back in Tennessee once he was sent back, all after being taken away by tornado.
"Once Aiden was awake, he couldn't stop talking. He kept going on and on about this story about how he had met the Oz character 'Dorothy Gale,' and-"
Bryson sat up from his seat almost instantly, the chair sliding out, leaning forward in a quick motion, his hands leaning against the desk.
Now he was more than interested, he was completely and utterly engulfed in this story. As soon as Oz, and then of course Dorothy was mentioned, there was no going back, he couldn't even hide it.
Whenever he heard Dorothy's name, something just happened to him. It just made something click in his brain, as if it caused a switch in him to go off and he couldn't mask the excitement and intense feelings he had for, shown clear in his widened and big eyes.
"Dorothy?!" Bryson exclaimed, his mouth hanging open in shock.
Walker gasped in surprise, jumping back a bit in his desk, shocked at Bryson's reaction, looking at him dumbfounded. "Uh.. um... yees. Dorothy. Um. Is something the matter? I don't understand?"
Bryson closed his mouth, looking shell shocked. He hadn't realized what an intense and over the top reaction he had given, slowly realizing how strange it would have looked for him to just suddenly jump at Dorothy's name, but he couldn't help it. "Uh.. y-yeah.. I'm.. I'm fine."
His mind was reeling.
What did this mean?
Hearing about Dorothy again.. even if it was before he came to Oz.. it was so strange, yet so nice.
Was this his Dorothy, though? The one he had met, went on an adventure with, and fell in love with?
He had often wondered, laying awake at night.. how she was doing, what had happened to her and how her life was. Hearing about her in any capacity.. even if this story was fake, it was so nice to him, even though it did raise a million questions in his scattered brain.
The story was set in 1999, based on Dorothy's age, she would have been a baby by that time, wouldn't she? But that couldn't be right.. he knew Dorothy had lived in the late 30's/40's when he had met her. But then how did she age in the real world? Did she just not age from 1999 to the time he came to Oz? Or maybe Oz just transcended time and space.
He had no idea, but thinking about it made his brain hurt, as well as his heart race and swell in excitement at the thought of the farm girl.
Before he could gather his thoughts, Professor Walker carried on, forcing Bryson to shake his head and snap out of it, eyeing his teacher and continuing to listen, trying not to drift off and wonder more about Dorothy and Oz.
"I know it sounds crazy, but that's how the story goes. The boy said he stayed with Dorothy Gale.. her aunt and uncle for a few days and eventually went to the land of Oz.. describing it as the movie depiction and novel depiction rolled into one.. except the Witch was beautiful, and the Wizard had turned out to be a 19 year old boy named Joey Oscar, who had ended up in Oz by time travel."
Bryson was completely flabbergasted. The whole story.. if this was true.. hearing about someone else's experience in Oz.. he wasn't alone in this. If this whole thing was true, he finally had some answers, it seemed. Or at least was beginning to.
Oscar.. Joey Oscar. That was the name of the wizard in some forms of media, he remembered.
And time travel. How did one end up in Oz through time travel? It sounded so interesting. Was that just another way to reach Oz? Was it a product of time and space.. an alternate dimension? The more he learned, the more confused he got.
After years and years of research, he was finally hearing about someone's Oz experience, all thanks to his teacher.
It was so surreal and it caused him to rub his temples, sighing and confused, though at the same time feeling his heart race.
He hadn't been this excited about anything in years, not since.. well, his adventures in Oz.
He could feel his body begin to tingle at just how excited he was, it was a strange feeling but it was the most optimistic or positive he had felt about anything in a long time, finally feeling as if he was finding a trail to get out of the woods.
"I don't remember every little detail he told me.. something about the 1900's.. something about a spaceship..."
Bryson listened in eagerly, squinting as he tried to make out what those phrases meant. 1900s? Could that have something to do with how Dorothy's time and his collided? And a spaceship? It sounded so random, yet so interesting. What could that mean?
Aside from his deep interest, he couldn't help but wonder about the kid. Aiden. Where was he now?
He took out his phone and quickly went to his notes, typing in the name 'Aiden Parker' to remind himself to look it up later. He wondered if it was possible to contact him, he was surely now a fully grown man, assuming he was still around.
He was gonna get down to the bottom of this. Maybe those journalism courses he took would finally come to proper use.
He did find it interesting, though, that Aiden was so willing to tell his Oz stories to everyone. Bryson kept it secret, knowing that if he told anyone he would be mocked and maybe even deemed as crazy and locked away in a mental facility somewhere.
He wondered if that very thing had happened to the Aiden kid, shuddering at the thought, hoping that wasn't the case, because based on his own experiences, if this whole story really had been told by a boy named Aiden and not made up, he believed him.
"So.. what happened to him after all this?" Bryson questioned softly, deeply curious, slowly slinking back in his chair after realizing he hadn't sit down yet after standing up at the mention of Dorothy, but still tapping his foot as it was hard to stay put with the excitment he was feeling, eagerly anticipating Professor Walker's answer.
"Well, supposedly.. he went back with his mother.. back home to Tennessee. Family told him it was all a dream. He agreed eventually."
Bryson simply looked at his Professor blankly.
He always was extremely bitter towards the idea that Oz was just a dream.
Even when he was little and watched the movie, he heavily resented the idea. Oz was a special place, it had to be real. And the whole notion that it was nothing more than a dream bothered him.
When he was little, he didn't care for the idea that Dorothy, the land she visited, her adventure, and her friends were just the result of a fever dream.
Now, after visiting the place himself, he was against the idea even more.
That happened, Bryson thought.
It was the most important thing that ever happened to him.
It was the best experience of his life and the idea that it was just a dream bothered him.
He didn't think it was.. he was pretty sure it was real.. when someone woke up.. they knew if it was a dream pretty quick, bringing relief or disappointment. But that wasn't what happened. He knew it was real.. only a small doubt in his mind convincing him otherwise, the part of his brain that was trying to be logical.
But his heart beat his brain in this instance, and in his heart he just knew it was real.
That, and he was also worried that if it was a dream, he had some serious psychological issues.
He wondered if Aiden's stance of Oz being a dream was something he actually believed or if he just eventually agreed to it to not appear insane.
Bryson sat there in silence for a few moments, looking at the ground, biting his lip, chewing on it, deep in thought.
"Professor... do you.. believe that story?" He asked softly, for a small moment sounding like that young, fragile 14 year old again.
He desperately wanted to know.
He needed a second opinion.
He needed more answers.
He needed him to say yes.
It would be like finally getting an answer.
That someone believed his own story about his adventure in Oz.
"Well.. most people would say no. But I'm open minded.. and you know what I think? You never know." He stated. "Being the person I am.. the kind who likes to believe in magic.. you know what? I'll say yes!" Professor Walker said with a big smile and a nod.
Bryson began to tear up.
Finally.
Someone believed him.
Indirectly? Sure.. but it still had the same impact.
"T-thank you.." Bryson said softy, tears beginning to fill his eyes.
He was just so overwhelmed, finally hearing someone else have an Oz story, having some sort of confirmation of someone else having a similar experience as him.. but what finally led to him shedding a few tears was this man right in front of him.. this man who he had no relation to outside of being in his class and this conversation right here.. believed him. Well, in Bryson's own way, he thought.
"Come again?" Professor Walked asked, furrowing his brow, slightly confused.
Bryson gulped and shook his head, realizing what he had said. He didn't mean to say it, but he just had that he had to, on instinct.
"Oh, uh.. n-nothing. Just.. thanks for sharing the story.." Bryson said. He wanted so badly to let it all out. To tell him everything and let the whole story spill out of him like clockwork. But he wasn't quite ready.
"Oh, yes! It's.. it is quite interesting." Walker stated, leaning forward a bit. "Do you believe it?" Walker asked, clearly very curious.
"Of course." Bryson said without hesitation.
Again, he didn't mean to say it, but it was difficult for Bryson to really even function properly under these surreal circumstances. He wasn't doing such a good job at hiding his secret like he had been the past few years.
"Really, now?" Walker said, raising his eyebrow, seeming surprised at how sure Bryson was this was real.
"I.. I mean.. I of course.. don't know for sure." He stated, which was true. It could have easily been a hoax. But like his own experience, his heart told him it was real. "But.. I dunno. Maybe I'm just like you. And I wanna believe stuff like this. It's a nice idea, isn't it? Believing in that sort of stuff... the fantastical. It's just.. a cool thought, right? And an escape from the real word, too." He stated.
"You understand me completely, then." Walker replied with a slight chuckle. "I like the way you think!" He added, making Bryson smile a little. He was such a jovial man, having the same kind of charm as a Santa Claus sort of figure.
Bryson remained silent for a few more seconds before thinking of something. "Hey.. um.. Professor Walker.." he started, rubbing his fingers against his palm, Walker looking up. "Hm?"
"Those kids.. if we wanna connect this whole thing to.. one situation. You think they went to Oz?" He asked softly, knowing how ridiculous it probably sounded, but he felt he could ask the open minded professor.
"You know. After I heard that story and began connecting it to the flying monkey picture.. what else makes more sense? Maybe we've cracked the whole 'Investiage Ruffner' theory, eh?" Walker said with a slight smirk.
Bryson gave a half hearted smile.
By this logic, he had cracked the code as soon as he heard about it.
Finally he was sharing these thoughts with someone.
He continued to drag his fingers along his palm, deep in thought.
He was going to say it.
He went to Oz.
Come on, say it.. that was the phrase that rang through his mind.
It was time to tell someone.
But he was still so protective of the land.. he wasn't sure if he should.
He decided he would just leave it anonymous.. as if it was just a story he heard.
"Mr. Walker.. I have a story for y-"
But before he could continue, his cell phone began to buzz in his pocket.
He almost jumped, still a little paranoid whenever he heard it ring after the phone call with the man threatening him.
Bryson looked at Walker for a second before reaching over to grab his phone from his jean pocket, sliding it out and looking down at it.
It was from the hospital.
He squinted, wondering why the hospital would be calling him.
He thought for a moment, maybe it was an update on his father's health.. but he realized judging by the number, it was from this state, of California, and not from Tennessee.
"I guess I should take this."
"Oh, go ahead! Better here then in class." Walker quipped, Bryson giving a slight chuckle in response.
Bryson stood up and swiped, answering the call.
He was met with what seemed to be the voice of a middle aged woman.
"Hi, is this Bryson Scott?"
"Yes, this is him." Bryson responded, his face falling, wondering what this could be about and why a hospital would be calling him.
"Yes, we have a boy here, his name is Tommy Davis. It appears he's had a seizure and he's currently unconscious, he's been waking up and falling back into an unconscious state. He was saying he knew you. Could you come down here and-"
"What?!" Bryson exclaimed, completely shocked to hear this news.
"Yes, he-"
"I'll be right there!" Bryson exclaimed, hanging up the phone and turning to Professor Walker, who seemed confused and almost worried at what was going on.
"Sorry, Professor. I'll um.. hey we can finish this talk another time, right? Yeah, umm. Just keep that picture, have a good night!" Bryson told him, yanking for his backapck and rushing out of the room, leaving the photo of the flying monkey behind with a slightly confused Walker who watched in surprise as Bryson fled.
Bryson ran out of the room, not exactly sprinting but running at a fair pace. It was funny, Bryson thought. This was the second time within a few weeks he had been sprinting across the campus and into the parking lot.
"Hey! You in a hurry to get back to your sweet ride?!" Someone called out, Bryson rolling his eyes as he ran to his old, broken down car, quickly getting in one from the side that wasn't so broken, the left hand side, as he was wary of breaking the other side, sliding into his seat and quickly starting the car.
As he pulled out of the driveway, quickly but not too fast as to not be reckless, he began to think about Tommy, that boy he had met with the Oz book.
He realized he had meant to stay in touch with the boy, as he had a bad feeling that something was going on at home. The boy had been bullied and something seemed off with him in general, as if something was going on with him. He felt guilty for being too distracted and busy with school work, submitting scripts, and Oz research to remember that he intended to check up on the boy, and now the boy was seemingly in fatal danger.
Tommy was such an innocent and sweet kid, if something bad was going to happen to him, Bryson would never stop feeling bad about it. He hadn't known Tommy long, but he would be devastated to see something happen to him as he cared about people in general and just wanted the best for everybody.
His heart raced as he quickly drove away from campus, on the same road where the chase had taken place two weeks ago.
He sighed, panting and beginning to ruffle through his hair, just hoping that Tommy would be okay.
/
Author's Note: The mystery unravels. Any guesses on to what's going on? Soon, more will be revealed, especially when we get to Oz. But for now, I'll keep you all guessing.
I was shocked at how long this chapter came out. It's the longest chapter from either of the two stories, actually. I was originally going to have the talk be just a part of the chapter, but I came up with more and more ideas and decided it was rich enough for the whole chapter.
I also intend to go back and give these chapters different names and will do the same for the first story, I think it helps organize everything, so look out for that.
See you all soon!