Laura slipped under the covers. The thought of the strange tweed man in her neighbor's garden filled her head. She couldn't tell her mother about it because she was certain her mother would think she was being silly. She didn't know anyone here and she figured freaking her neighbors out over something that she might've seen in the rain seemed like a poor introduction.
Plus, she felt so sleepy. She had to sleep. She had to dream.
It was all eyes. Warm and safe. Something called to Laura. A soft voice. She was held close. The eyes were sweet comfort. They showed her no pain. No hatred. The eyes were joy. The voice never stopped. It called to her.
She reached her hand out to touch. To caress. She had to show how much she loved the eyes. They called out for love. She had to touch them. Be near them.
Laura awoke with a start. Her body ached. She rolled over and grabbed her phone.
"Four-thirty?...That's not possible. I slept for seventeen hours?...That can't be..."
Laura stumbled to her feet and made her way to her living room to find her mother asleep on the couch, a box half unpacked on the floor and a porcelain rabbit in her hand. Laura leaned over her mother and tried to shake her awake, but her mother just kept sleeping.
"Mom?" Laura, said, still shaking her. "Mom, wake up. Mom? Mom! MOM!"
Laura was shaking her mother violently now, just trying to get her to react to something. She put her head to her mother's chest and she had a heartbeat and was breathing, but she wouldn't wake up. Laura collapsed to her mother's side. She had no idea what to do.
Suddenly her mother sat up with quickly. She let out a deep breath.
"Mom! You're awake!" Laura shouted, in relief.
"Yeah...Uh...why am I out here? What time is it?"
"It's like four thirty in the afternoon."
"I was so tired...I don't know why...I had to sleep." Dianne said, staring off at nothing.
"Me too. I only just woke up."
"Well, get ready. We have to go to Mr. Getz soon." She said, staggering to her feet and walking to her room.
"Right..."

A few hours later Laura and her mother headed across the rainy street to Charles Getz's house. He greeted them both with a big jolly "Hello! Dianne! Franklin! Welcome to my palatial estate!" He let out one of his booming laughs. "Come in! Come in! There's some chips and dip, drinks, oh and lots of cakes and stuff! Help yourself!"
Charles took their coats and led them to the people gathered in the living room. They were all standing around and chatting.
"Mom, I'm going to get something to eat." Laura squeezed her way through the crowded living room and found the plastic tables covered in sweets and chips.
"Complementary cakes. I love complementary cakes." A voice said from over Laura's shoulder.
"Yeah. It's nice." Laura turned around to face the source of the voice. "Wait! You're him. You're the tweed man!"
"That's me!" He smiled, putting a powdered donut into his mouth. "Mmmmmm. Powdered donuts are so delicious. Messy, mind you. But, delicious."
"What were you doing in my next door neighbor's garden?"
"Oh! Nothing. Just getting my bearings, figuring out where I was and all that. Oh! They have chocolate cake!" He slides a thick piece of cake onto a plate and dives into it with a plastic fork.
"You're new here, too?" Laura said, eyeballing the strange tweed man.
"A bit. You're new here?" His mouth was coated in chocolate.
"Yeah. I just got here yesterday."
"Why'd you move here?" He said, his demeanor seemed to change. There was a focus that wasn't there before.
"Uh..uh. My mom. She had to move here for work and I still live with her so I had to come too." Laura stammered.
"I see-Oh! where are my manners? What's your name?" A smile splashed across his face.
"...Laura" she said, waiting to see how he'd react.
"Laura! Splendid name! My name is The Doctor." He reached out to shake her hand. "Now, Laura, have you noticed anything strange?"
"Strange? I don't know. I slept longer than normal."
"Really? Sleeping too much?
"Yes."
"Hmm..." The Doctor got real quiet as if lost in thought. "Well! Let's have a seat! It looks like they're going to start soon!" He gestured to Charles walking to the front of the room.
"Get started?...I thought..." Laura said, sitting down next to The Doctor.
"Folks! Now! Settle down! Settle down!" Charles waved for everyone to sit down in the folding chairs that filled the room. "Now today is a special meeting! Today we welcome two new residents! Dianne Morrison and her son Franklin!"
The people gathered clapped heartily for them. Charles continued. "Now. as always we're so happy to have you all here. Without you, there'd be no happiness. No joy!" His tone grew more stern and cold. "No power...The Eyes live within us all!"
The room cheered in unison: "THE EYES LIVE WITHIN US ALL!" To Laura's shock she found that she had cheered along with them.
"The Eyes are love!"
"THE EYES ARE LOVE!"
"The Eyes are hope!"
"THE EYES ARE HOPE!"
"The Eyes...are our master!"
"THE EYES ARE OUR MASTER!"
Laura wheeled back in her chair in shock. She turned to The Doctor who stared down at her with a look of concern. "Laura, are you alright?"
"Doctor, I don't know what I'm doing. I feel sick. I remember the eyes...I slept too much...Doctor..."
"Laura!" The Doctor held Laura and watched her slip into near unconsciousness. All the while the chants grew louder:
"THE EYES ARE LOVE! THE EYES ARE HOPE! THE EYES ARE OUR MASTER!"