Shadow Cave (29 page)

“
That why the thing was so heavy?
”

“
Yes.
”

“
Are you sure it
’
s not yours, Annabelle?
”

“
No, it must be.
My memory, you know.
”

“
Nothing a little fresh air won
’
t fix, right?
”

I gave him the thumbs up sign.
“
Right.
”

***

The town was called Grandview, and it bore a striking resemblance to many of the medium sized
east
coast towns that I was so familiar with back home.
It seemed to hold every modern convenience.
A
large stone building with a tower spire on top
bore
a sign that read
‘
Library
.
’
There were two grocery stores, a video store, a furniture store, an outlet mall, five clothing stores, several factories, a salon, and a day care center.

There was also a school and a hospital
, and
best of all
,
a coffee shop.
There was so much so see and to do.
I wanted to visit each and every building that I had driven by.
I felt compelled to explore every inch of the city
, to learn
it inside and out.
It was difficult to explain, but going through Grandview was like coming home.
It fit somehow.
I fit.
Of course, I reasoned, my immediate warmth for the town could have been attributed to the fact that no one in town had tried to sell or kill me yet.

More likely, it had to do with Bob, my
‘
uncle
’
...
Annabelle
’
s uncle.
I found myself wondering about the real Annabelle while
walking
around the town square with my double latte.
Who was she and where had she gone?
She must have
looked like me
,
at least to some degree
,
and had disappeared seven years ago.
Making
a mental note to ask Bob if he had any family albums
,
I crossed the street to a park and took a seat on a heavy wooden bench.
Lilacs were blooming in side sprays all around the park
,
and the scent was intoxicating
,
like the rose bushes in Marta
’
s garden.

The
charade
could not go on
for much longer.
Bob and Marta were good people.
They did not deserve to be lied to.
If only there had been something
else to do at the time,
a
thought
came
with
much
regret.
It was still terrifying to think what would have happened to me if Bob had not found me
,
especially with Lydia bidding on me.
I was more grateful than Bob would ever know.
He had probably saved my life that day.
But the current situation would have to come to an end.

I had a job to do.
Finding my brother was my main concern
.
After that we would be going home.
I was lucky enough to have a wonderful family to return home to.
But that did not mean Bob and Marta
wouldn
’
t be missed
.
And even Harold, who had visited nearly every day.
I tossed my empty Styrofoam cup into a trash receptacle and wiped my mouth.
Whoever Annabelle was, she was one lucky girl to have such a loving family.
The urge
to help look for her
was strong
and
I dreaded the moment that I had to tell Bob and Marta my true identity.
Unfortunately that day was coming soon.

I climbed back into the car and tried to put everything else out of my mind except Mike.
Finding him had to come first
,
and to do that, I needed to focus.
The library seemed like the most logical place to start.

The first thing that struck me about the library was the smell.
The second was the smell.
I was once again relieved to know that some things in life are absolute.
Libraries and coffee were basically the same no matter where you went.

I took a seat near the back and contemplated my next move in what I was coming to see as the giant chess game I had stumbled into.

There were two places that it would be feasible and logical to start to
research
...
the
meadow and wherever Kahn could be found.
I thought of how nice and tidy it would be if he actually lived somewhere in the meadow
,
if the meadow was real and if life was ever that tidy.
It never was
, but
it was still a nice thought.

I looked around at the two stories of books lining the walls and aisles.
I could not begin to comprehend how many maps and historical books were housed on those massive shelves.
I needed to narrow the search down
,
and I needed some help.

The librarian
’
s station was large with a curved countertop
-
desk area.
Books were stacked in neat rows on the desk.
There was also a computer, an adding machine, a telephone, and
two
machines that I could not identify.
My eyes lit up when I spotted the phone.

“
May I help you?
”

“
Yes.
I need help with some research; getting started
,
”
I explained.

She brushed her blonde hair back and smiled.
“
Getting started always seems to be the hardest part.
Why don
’
t you tell me a little bit about your project and I can help you get started.
”

I considered blurting out
‘
immortal sorcerers and imaginary meadows
’
, but thought better of it at the last minute.

“
I
’
m looking for a meadow where green jewels hang from the trees.
And I am looking for Kahn.
”

Her eyes grew wide and darted around the room before coming back to rest on me.

“
I
’
m sorry.
You have to leave now.
”

“
But
—
”

“
No
!
”
She put a hand out as if she expected to be forced to defend herself at any moment.
“
I can
’
t help you.
”

“
I just want to look at a couple of books.
”
I protested in exasperation.

She looked around again and lowered her voice.
“
There is a woman who may be able to help you.
”

“
Who would that be?
”

“
Her name is Miranda.
She lives at the
north
end of town.
”
She scribbled an address on a tiny scrap of paper and pushed it at me.
“
Please take it and go.
”

I shrugged and walked out before she could have a complete meltdown.

The address was 2372 Fifteenth Street.
The bookstore was on Fourteenth Street, so I was pretty confident Miranda would not be too hard to find.
I was correct.
I pulled into her driveway ten minutes later.
Her house was a modest white Cape Cod style structure with black shutters and trim.
The sign in the yard proclaimed
‘
psychic
’
in ornate black lettering.
I turned the engine off and sat in the car for several minutes.
The librarian had referred me to a psychic.
I groaned but figured I ought to be grateful that there wasn
’
t a mental ward in town.
Although, I considered as I climbed the steps a second later, a mental ward was sounding better by the hour.
They had nerve pills.

The old woman who answered the door was not at all what I had expected.
She wore a pale blue dress adorned with brightly patterned sunflowers and she smelled like chocolate chip cookies.

“
Hello?
”

“
Hi
—
I am Clai
...
ah
,
Annabelle.
I
’
m here for…that is, I saw the sign in the yard
—
”

“
You
’
re here for a reading
,
”
the
old woman guessed.
“
Come in.
”

The house was cool and comfortable.
I was further surprised to find that it was tastefully decorated.
There wasn
’
t a crystal ball or string beads in sight.

“
No, I am not here for a reading.
The woman at the library told me to come here.
I asked her for help finding a book and some maps and she got scared, wrote down your address, and told me to leave.
”

Miranda laughed and motioned for me to sit.
“
Paula always did tend to be a bit on the nervous side.
Now, if I may ask, what did you ask her to help you find that spooked her so terribly?
”

What the hell
, I thought
.
Why
not?

“
I asked her for help finding information about a meadow and Kahn.
”

“
Ah.
Well, therein lays the problem. Kahn is a sensitive topic for most people.
Especially around here.
”

“
I
’
m beginning to see that.
”

“
There is good reason.
Before there were protected areas, Grandview was one of the most targeted areas in this land.

“
Families were the first. You must understand that destruction requires something whole in order to
exist:
just as evil requires goodness.
There was a lot of good in this town, a lot of children
; and
later
,
a lot of brave men and women who fought with everything they had.
”

“
The city is beautiful.
”

“
Yes, we have recovered.
Most of the people here now are too young to remember the wars.
But the stories never die.
And sometimes the stories are worse than the reality.
”

“
This area is safe now.
”

“
No child.
The city is safe now.
But beyond that, it is very dangerous.
”

“
Yes, I know.
”

“
There are rumors of children who become curious and wander beyond the fence from time to time.
They do not come back.
”

“
Is that true?
”

“
Yes.
”
The woman
’
s eyes misted.
“
There are beasts
t
here, both man and wild.
”

I swallowed past the lump that had suddenly formed in my throat and thought of the real Annabelle.

“
So, you see, Kahn is a touchy subject here.
”

“
I
’
m sorry.
”

“
Why do you want to find him?
”