✓ | FLOW ( eddie munson )

thirty. right on the money

veda henderson

          We all crouch down on the floor beside Nancy's bed, huddling together as if we are gathering warmth. Nancy sits in the middle, her eyes anxiously darting back and forth over the bed as we all wait for Dustin's plan. 

    Eddie kneels behind me, the warmth of his body engulfing my back. I feel his hand secretly graze the back of mine, his finger lightly rubbing against my palm. The small texture makes me feel better about the scary atmosphere as if he knows I need the comfort and exactly how to deliver it. I don't like showing affection in big ways, especially in public after everything that happened. I've never told him that, but he somehow just knows. 

    Everyone starts to become impatient, Steve muttering 'come on' while Eddie nods his head forward, silently urging the kids in the other world. 

    Suddenly, the same orange glow from the light fixture downstairs appears on the edge of the bed, Steve's flashlight aimed right at it. The same muffled voice echoes in the room, Dustin's words cutting in and out "Are you guys seeing this?"

    I reach forward, dipping my fingers back into the glowy scene and swirling my hand around as if I'm swimming in sparkling water. The light sprinkles from my fingers once more as I continue to swirl, something that sounds like Dustin's girly laughter echoing once more.

    Dustin's voice cuts through again, words mushing together until I can briefly make out him saying something along the lines of 'Not moving, unplugging, stand by'

    Before I have a chance to react, the glowing spectacle dims so low it practically disappears from the bed, the room falling back into the dark blue tinge of the upside down.

    "Try it now," Dustin's voice echoes.

    Eddie nudges my shoulder, encouraging me to reach over and touch the dull sparkles. I nod, mentally trying to figure out what to say or do with the light.

    "Okay," I mumble, nodding before reaching forward and using my pointer finger to trace a smiley face into the sparkles. I bite the inside of my cheek, anxiously waiting.

    "It works!" Dustin echoes.

    We all start to cheer. Eddie wraps his arm over my shoulder and gently shakes me in triumph.

     I grin, feeling relief at the fact that, for once, something is going our way in this shithole. I then reach back over, lighting up my finger with sparkles as I spell out the word 'stuck' letter by letter.

    Eddie beside me leans back and forth, muttering a 'mhmm' over and over again. I shake my head, smiling at his over-excitement. 

    "You can't go back through Watergate?" Dutin's yells filter through. 

    "What the hell's Watergate?" Nancy asks more to herself.

    "Cause it's in water and it's a gate," Robin dumbs it down.

    "Oh," Nancy replies.

    "That's cute," Eddie mocks. 

    I sigh, leaning forward to spell out another word letter by letter; guarded. I hear Dustin reply, verbally summarising everything we've tried to communicate. The tenseness of the room seems to lift, everyone feeling better at the idea of help. 

    "We think we have a theory that can help with that!" Dustin shouts. 

    "Yes, Dusty," I mumble to myself.