A Dragon's Crimson Cry
By: Tippi
Ch 26 Family Bonds
Jake was wondering the endless world that was his dreams. The world was an even shade of gray until the gray slowly began to fill with color. The color made a place very familiar to Jake. Jake later found him self at the entrance to the kitchen at his old home. Despite the kitchen was smaller in reality within his dream it look like it was a mile long.
Jake walked into the kitchen light to see a sea of relatives stretched out across the larger than usual room. Few of the relatives he recognized and some he was only able to recognize from photo albums as they left the land of the living long before he was born.
To his left was the round kitchen table. Seated on the furthest end of the table was Haley dressed in a white blouse, pink skit, and pink unbutton sweater, her black hair still in pig tails. To Haley's left was Jonathan Long. He was in his usual brown suit with short cut hair and glasses. He adjusted his undamaged glasses before returning to reading the newspaper. Standing next to him was Susan Long placing a plate of toast and eggs in front of her husband. She wore a purple long sleeved shirt with flare jeans. Her hair was in a short thin pony tail.
As soon as she placed to plate down she turned to see Jake and gave him a smile.
"Hey Jake" she said her smile never fading.
His father put down his paper put on a smile and said "welcome back Jakers."
"Hey big bro" Haley said with the same smile as her parents.
Seeing his family alive and well made Jake's eyes begin to water. He ran forward and hugged his mom.
"You're back" Jake cried into his mom's leg.
"In truth we never really entirely left you" his mom said.
"Yes you did," Jake insisted "but you back and home with me."
"This isn't home" his dad said.
"What" Jake asked pull slightly away from his mom to look at his dad?
"O course," Haley piped in "Our real kitchen isn't nearly this big."
"This is kind of like a dream" Susan told her son.
"So this is a dream and you're not really here" Jake said taking a few steps back ready to cry again but this time in sadness.
"No we're really here but this is basically a dream" Jonathan said.
Susan hugged her son before saying 'you know what's happened and there's no way to bring back the dead.'
Susan then pulled back from her son to look in his face.
"There are many steps between living and dead" She stated to explain. "When one is in a deep sleep those on the outside can crawl their way to that step and find them. That's what we have done. But even when this is all over we're still with you."
"Sadly true" his sister remarked earning a quick glare from her parents.
"How" Jake asked.
"In a family… unique like ours when a family member dies all their power, like wisdom, strength, and skill is evenly dispersed to the next generation" Susan said. "Since you are the only one left of the next generation you got it all."
"So" Jake asked.
"It's like you are carrying around a bit of us with you so we're always behind you even if you can't see us" Susan explained. "Every member of the family is behind you."
"You ever need help just call" Jonathan said.
"But warned that we are merely to help not control, take advice and help but not let them take total control of your actions" Susan warned. "But more importantly more dangerous events wait for you on the horizon."
"How do you know" Jake asked.
"In the land of the dead there is not such thing as time we see the past, present and future" Susan said. "I want you to listen to your grandfather and always try to do the right thing."
"But…" Jake started before blackness started to seep into the sentimental and informational moment.
The black was engulfing the kitchen turning it to nothingness. Susan pushed her son behind her as stood to face the impending darkness.
Jonathan and the other relatives came forward putting them selves between Jake the blackness.
"Jake, I want you to get out of here find a safe place" Susan said turning around and gripping her son's shoulders.
"Where" Jake asked.
"It's your dream you can make anything you want," Susan said to her worried son "now go."
Once Susan let go of Jake's arm's he slowly started to back out of the room. When he was half way to the back door he turned around completely and made a mad dash for the door.
Once he opened the door and stepped out it disappeared. Jake found him self in the school yard. Many kids from his elementary were running around playing games and talking to friends.
It would have been a normal scene if it wasn't for the fact that hanging on the jungle-gyms was a 7 year old Trixie, Spud and Jake while the older 8 year old Jake was also standing there, but it seemed no one noticed him.
"So you're saying you believe in Santa and big foot but no the lochness monster" Spud inquired to his two friends.
"Well I use to but then some guy admitted it was a hoax" Jake answered.
"He said it was a sub with a cut out of a head and neck" Trixie explained.
"Yeah, the photo he said was fake but what about all the sightings" Spud asked.
"I don't know the photo is what made me believe in the first place now that that's out I don't really… ya know…" Jake told him.
Jake remember the conversation his and his friends younger self were having. He remembered the news story about some guy on his death bed confessing his photo of the lockness monster as a hoax. Not that a lot of 7 year olds listen to the news but the parents talk about it and then if filters down to the kids and something like this was an interest to kids worth hearing about.
Jake would have hung around for more of the happy memories but the blackness was beginning to engulf it.
Jake ran for the doors of the school but once through he wasn't in the hallway but his kindergarten classroom. Like before were the younger, 5 year old, versions of everyone just as he remembered them. And also once again no one saw the older Jake in the room.
The kindergarteners were sitting on the carpeted floor on the colorful numbered and lettered circle.
The teacher was sitting with them legs crossed slowly revealing cards with letters.
"And this letter is" the teacher said as she took the previous letter card that she had on floor to revile a new letter.
"L" the whole class responded.
"Good, does any one know a word that begins with the letter L" the teacher asked as many hands of students went up.
The teacher pointed to a red headed girl in pigtails "Lake" she said.
"Yes" the teacher responded before pointing to a blond head boy.
"Lion" the boy announced.
Jake was for a moment at a happier simpler time of his life and loving it. But soon the blackness had followed him a sought to take over this memory as well.
Jake went for the emergency exit in the back of the room. Once through the door he came into what looked like a hospital. To his right was a large window looking into a room filled with babies, newborns.
A younger Jonathan was looking in at the babies. A 3 year old Jake was tugging at his dad's leg begging for attention.
"You want to see your little sister" Jonathan asked finally looking down at his son.
Jake nodded as his father picked up and pointed out one of the babies. The older Jake looked in on the newborns to look at the same baby his younger self and dad were transfixed on.
Asleep covered in a pink blanket was a baby girl with a tuff of black hair on top of her head, not a lot just enough to tie a pink bow in. The card attached to the small plastic crib read Haley Elizabeth Long. It also had some other information like date of birth, gender, birth height and weight.
Jake could only look so long before the uniform white of the hospital was giving way to the blackness. Jake once again took off running and dash through some double swing doors of the hospital. Once through he was in his old room but it was much different. It was still the baby blue but stuffed animals piled a corner and many different furniture adorned the room. Like a changing table, rocking chair, and crib.
Jake heard a soft cooing coming from the crib. Jake walked over to peer through the bars to see a baby him wrapped in a red blanket. He wasn't asleep; he was wide awake with a toothless smile on looking up at his still mobile.
While Jake was preoccupied watching his baby self the darkness began to engulf the room. Noticing this Jake went for the door only to have it eaten by the blackness before he could reach it. With Jake's only way to escape gone he backed up to the center of the room as the blackness started to seep in around him.
Jake only had a small circle left of the floor the rest of the room fell victim to the blackness. The last bit of floor was swallowed up in a rush and Jake began to sink into the black like quicksand.
A/N This may get confusing later on if it isn't already so any questions just ask. Review