Forever Land

Part 2

A child's shadow?

What in heavens name would a kid be doing out of bed?

Gwendoline wrestled with the pros and cons of finding out for a few moments before curiosity got the best of her. Her muscles groaned against the sudden exertion and their was a sluggishness to her legs that just just barely managed to catch her in time to stop a personal introduction with the floor. Carefully she straitened herself out and demanded her weak limbs do their jobs in allowing her to slink quietly over to the door.

Tentatively she peered out and down the hall. Someone was slipping around the corner, but she couldn't tell who it was. It was definitely a kid, but anyone she could think of to likely be up causing mischief wasn't in any shape at the moment to. Or in one case, had been moved to a room in direct view of the nurses station. Since his ghastly ghost prank poor bored, horrible, Lenny Garnier wasn't going to be causing any more trouble any time soon. Gwendoline didn't know what he was being treated for, he always looked healthy enough. And she was pretty sure compulsive lying, nefarious trickster, and all around bully weren't treatable ailments. Unless they were side effects to being touched in the head, he certainly was mental.

But if it wasn't Lenny... who could it possibly be. The blood fizzed through her veins and she felt her muscles tense with anticipation. So without a second thought to the consequences Gwendoline scurried down the hall after the mysterious person, a hand measured along the wall for balance. Her sock covered feet were mercifully silent, only a soft shush, shush of the hospital gown whispered around her ankles. By the time she reached the end of the hall her lungs were beginning to strain.

Cautiously peaking around the corner Gwendoline saw something that made her blood freeze in her veins. Maybe Mother was right after all. Adventures cause nothing but trouble. Because right there, in the middle of the hall was something most peculiar. A dark form the exact size and shape of a child, but yet it wasn't a child. It was pure darkness that seemed to writhe within itself. If Gwendoline had ever thought to imagine what her shadow would look like as a solid form, this was it. Or worse, perhaps it was her nightmares had come to life.

Her weak lungs seemed to contract, allowing in less and less precious air. She chocked on her own breath as it caught in her throat. She couldn't comprehend what she was seeing, any more than she could look away.

The shadow, for that's all she could think to call it, had stopped near the room of her friend Johnny. It seemed to be waiting for something. After a few moments, or perhaps it could have been hours, Johnny walked silently from his room. That couldn't be right though. Gwendoline raked a hand across her forehead, like she was trying to brush nonexistent hair from her face. Johnny couldn't possibly be out of bed as weak as he was.

The stoic ten year old who tried to act much to grown up for his age had been admitted to the hospital about a month ago for a brain tumor. They had gotten on quit well, but of coarse it couldn't last for long. He wasn't there to get better.

She was the only one he confided in. How afraid he was that he had let his parents down, like slowly dying was somehow his own fault. Or how sad he was that he would never get to be a great hero like his father who was a navy man, and it would seem had hoped his boy would follow in his footsteps.

Gwendoline must have made some sort of noise, because they both abruptly turned in her direction. Whipping back around the corner she cracked her head against the wall. For a moment black clouded her vision.

When had she gotten on the floor? It didn't matter. What mattered was that, that, was definitely Johnny. Their was no reasonable possible way when he hadn't even been conscious in days. Shakily she stood and peaked back around.