The Drafted Reality and Dreams

CHAPTER 20: CLARENCE

There wasn't anyone who seemed suspicious around the street. I have asked around but nobody gave the answer I was hoping for. I walked up the driveway of the house and noticed that Ted was no longer outside, in the front. I went inside of the house and saw what appeared to be a letter on the kitchen counter. I grabbed the letter and started reading it. "The man with the melted skin" was the only thing that caught my attention. Him again? And when I thought our lives were back to normal, he had to come haunt us again.
I crumbled up the letter and threw it away. "Hope you like digging" I went into the backyard to find Ted but he wasn't back there. Where is he? I wondered. I found the shovel and the small dirt pile in one of the corners. The dirt pile doesn't seem to have been bothered with ever since the phone first got buried. I used my hands to dig and found a small note.
I unfolded the note and read it.

Dear Mrs. Francis and Mr. Hidden,
It seems the hidden man decided to go against the one rule that I told him. I guess he thought that it was all fun and games. But I proved him wrong, I dealt with him for now and may this treasure hunt continue. Find Mr. Hidden and you will get a reward. Here's a free hint to get you started. The phone may ring but it won't be heard. Deep under is where the rings may echo but in reality all you could hear is silence. Where am I?  Find the phone first and you get much closer to your treasure.

Sincerely,
The man with the melted skin

Mr. Hidden? Who is he? I stood there in silence before figuring out what he meant. Ted, is he Mr. Hidden? I cursed under my breath, going back inside of the house. I sat down at the breakfast table with the note sitting in front of me. The phone. Where could the phone be? I could call it but as the note said, "the phone may ring but it won't be heard." Which means that it's not near here, that or it's somewhere underground.
I went back into the backyard and tried to dig further in the small dirt pile. There wasn't a phone but another note.

Dear Mrs. Francis,
It seems that you're much smarter than you look. Here's another hint, look where the nightmare of your dreams has come to hunt you. It appears that your dearest has turned into a ghost and was close to a corpse. Where am I? You may come tomorrow or the day after that but you won't be able to find the hidden man if you sit there and ponder.

Sincerely,
The man with the melted skin

"Look where the nightmares of your dreams have come to hunt you."

"It appears that your dearest has turned into a ghost and was close to a corpse."

The amusement park is where to go isn't it. Going there the first time was easy, going there the second time is a nightmare. Especially that haunted house. If I have to go there just to get a phone that will lead me to Ted. Then I guess I have no choice but to go with this man's game.
I went back inside of the house, as soon as I walked into the kitchen I heard a door slam shut. I went towards the table to put the note next to the other one. I slowly went towards the staircase to be careful not to make much noise. I peeked my head but didn't see anything.
I chuckled as there was no noise after the door closed. I guess I'm just a bit paranoid, I told myself. I walked away from the staircase–my shoulders relaxed–I sat down at the table, looking at my phone to check the time.
I got back up and grabbed myself a cup of water to refresh my mind. I soon heard heavy footsteps coming from upstairs.
"Ted?" I said, going towards the staircase.
"You up there?" There was no sound other than pure silence. I went up the stairs and noticed that the door to Edson's room was cracked open. Shouldn't he be at school? I thought. I grabbed the doorknob and pushed it open.
"Hello?"