Like Father, Like Son
Dib shuffled around the park a little. The only thing he carried was a time scarred guitar case.
A few pedestrians gave him odd looks as he settled down next to a light pole. He opened his case and pulled out his acoustic guitar and the little bunny Oscar that he did his best to bring with him everywhere. He set Oscar upright in the open case and got ready to play. The guitar was marked with three red sevens on the neck under the strings.
The events of this morning were already fading into obscurity.
After a moment of tuning he started to play. People stopped to listen and threw some change in the open case.
After a time he stopped paying attention to the people around him. He never sang having discovered he had no voice for it.
He started playing harder abandoning music he knew. He dropped his pick but kept on. There was a sharp metallic twang and he stopped suddenly.
He stared at his hand and the gash along his thumb. Blood dripped down his wrist and he looked up.
A lot of the people had left except one person. A teenage boy with wide eyes and flat black hair. "The shadow wants you." He said in his thin, quavering voice.
"Todd?" Dib asked. He glanced at his hand again. There was no blood, no cut, his strings were fine. He looked back up and Todd was gone.
This was becoming too much.
He scraped the change from inside the case and put it in his pockets. He put the guitar and closed it up but kept Oscar out. He sat there twisting one of Oscars' ears nervously.
'Go home Dib.' Oscar said quietly. 'You belong there now.'
Dib was barely conscious to the fact that Oscar was actually talking. He had been so used to pale whispers and in his current mental situation he wasn't paying to much attention to anything.
'Stand up.'
He stood up and picked up his case. He stuffed Oscar in a coat pocket.
'Go to Todds' house.'
He paused. He hadn't been to Todds' house since...since...when? He'd been there some time. Hadn't he?
* * *
Todd looked out of his bedroom window. He had been spending his weekend trying not to get the crap scared out of him. He had managed it by locking himself in his room and writing.
Outside, in front of the house next door, was Dib.
Todd shrank back from the window. He knew Dib from school and was justifiably terrified of him. He did look remarkably like his childhood savior/tormentor after all.
He looked out again seen Dib still standing at the sidewalk that led to the house next door.
He decided to go see what it was the gangly boy was up to.
Todd went down the stairs as fast as he could glad that his parents were gone and weren't around to yell at him.
He was about five feet tall and wore dark clothes that usually kept him out of immediate notice. He had tried to become Dibs' friend until he had noticed the eerie resemblance to the 'Neighbor Man'.
He pulled open the front door and sprinted to the yard finding Dib at the front door of the other house.
Dib turned and saw Todd standing in the other yard. He stopped dead realizing how much like his dream this was.
'Open the door and go in.'
He swallowed hard but followed the instructions and opened the door going once more into the darkness.
Inside was no crazed man with screws for eyes like in his nightmare. Instead the place was remarkably clean of debris he thought he would find in such an old and obviously abandoned place.
He set his guitar case on an old table and glanced around. It was actually sort of nice here.
Something cold touched the back of his neck and his vision blurred. He stumbled and fell to the floor. He tried to get back up and failed. Something thin gray and icy cold flowed around him before he passed out.
Dib shuffled around the park a little. The only thing he carried was a time scarred guitar case.
A few pedestrians gave him odd looks as he settled down next to a light pole. He opened his case and pulled out his acoustic guitar and the little bunny Oscar that he did his best to bring with him everywhere. He set Oscar upright in the open case and got ready to play. The guitar was marked with three red sevens on the neck under the strings.
The events of this morning were already fading into obscurity.
After a moment of tuning he started to play. People stopped to listen and threw some change in the open case.
After a time he stopped paying attention to the people around him. He never sang having discovered he had no voice for it.
He started playing harder abandoning music he knew. He dropped his pick but kept on. There was a sharp metallic twang and he stopped suddenly.
He stared at his hand and the gash along his thumb. Blood dripped down his wrist and he looked up.
A lot of the people had left except one person. A teenage boy with wide eyes and flat black hair. "The shadow wants you." He said in his thin, quavering voice.
"Todd?" Dib asked. He glanced at his hand again. There was no blood, no cut, his strings were fine. He looked back up and Todd was gone.
This was becoming too much.
He scraped the change from inside the case and put it in his pockets. He put the guitar and closed it up but kept Oscar out. He sat there twisting one of Oscars' ears nervously.
'Go home Dib.' Oscar said quietly. 'You belong there now.'
Dib was barely conscious to the fact that Oscar was actually talking. He had been so used to pale whispers and in his current mental situation he wasn't paying to much attention to anything.
'Stand up.'
He stood up and picked up his case. He stuffed Oscar in a coat pocket.
'Go to Todds' house.'
He paused. He hadn't been to Todds' house since...since...when? He'd been there some time. Hadn't he?
* * *
Todd looked out of his bedroom window. He had been spending his weekend trying not to get the crap scared out of him. He had managed it by locking himself in his room and writing.
Outside, in front of the house next door, was Dib.
Todd shrank back from the window. He knew Dib from school and was justifiably terrified of him. He did look remarkably like his childhood savior/tormentor after all.
He looked out again seen Dib still standing at the sidewalk that led to the house next door.
He decided to go see what it was the gangly boy was up to.
Todd went down the stairs as fast as he could glad that his parents were gone and weren't around to yell at him.
He was about five feet tall and wore dark clothes that usually kept him out of immediate notice. He had tried to become Dibs' friend until he had noticed the eerie resemblance to the 'Neighbor Man'.
He pulled open the front door and sprinted to the yard finding Dib at the front door of the other house.
Dib turned and saw Todd standing in the other yard. He stopped dead realizing how much like his dream this was.
'Open the door and go in.'
He swallowed hard but followed the instructions and opened the door going once more into the darkness.
Inside was no crazed man with screws for eyes like in his nightmare. Instead the place was remarkably clean of debris he thought he would find in such an old and obviously abandoned place.
He set his guitar case on an old table and glanced around. It was actually sort of nice here.
Something cold touched the back of his neck and his vision blurred. He stumbled and fell to the floor. He tried to get back up and failed. Something thin gray and icy cold flowed around him before he passed out.