Beauty & the Geek

Chapter 18

Once, when she was a young child, around seven, Maddy went through a phase, as most young children do. This phase stood out. It didn't involve doing the same thing every day, like wearing a specific color or eating only peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch. No. Each night, as Maddy drifted off to sleep, she'd have daunting nightmares. Spiders, snakes, sharks, or monsters would terrify her. She'd wake up gasping for air and crying. But, like all things, these nightmares were temporary. They persisted for three months, then ceased and disappeared. Maddy discovered inner strength and a newfound sense of resilience.

Bob, a beacon of support, always knew how to calm his daughter down. He was there by her side, whether it was a comforting hug, a warm cup of cocoa, or a shared cuddle. But the man's true strength was in his words. He'd encourage her to face her fears and give her the knowledge that she could beat anything. 

On one occasion, Bob held his daughter close after a horrible nightmare of slithery, slimy snakes. He shared, "Maddy, everyone has something they're afraid of, even me. You have to learn to treat all types of fear like dreams. Dreams only last for a moment while you're sleeping. No matter how terrifying or gloomy things seem, you hold on until you wake up."

When Maddy woke up from the strange grey zone, she couldn't help but remember her father's words. They brought her comfort but also raised many questions. Was that place real or just a fantasy, like the movie The Neverending Story?

As Maddy awakened, she heard Jen and Katie's loud conversation greet her. It reverberated in her head. Their voices were full of energy and enthusiasm, filling the air with a shrillness that pierced the peace. Maddy winced as the noise began to throb, and she couldn't help but groan, "Could you two please keep it down? My head is starting to pound with a dull ache."

"Keep it down," Katie remarked. "How can we keep it down when you rose off the floor? That wasn't supposed to happen!"

Jen noted, trying to calm herself down, "Your body floated. It was like, 'Beam me up, Scotty! Bodies aren't supposed to float off the floor! They only float in water!"

Maddy was unaware of this and wondered, "How high?"

The girls got to their feet and gestured with their hands, keeping them at waist level. "Maddy, the expression on your face was so haunting. It was as if you were in a trance, your eyes wide open and focused. You felt completely disconnected from what was happening," Jen recounted.

Fear is one thing, but what they're saying is a whole other terrifying level. Her heart pounded in her throat, and she felt a chill run down her spine. She could see the concern in Katie's eyes as she asked, "Where did you go? Your body was here, but your mind was elsewhere."

Maddy fidgeted, weighing the risks of sharing her secret with friends. She worried that they might see her as crazy and never speak to her again or, worse, divulge her secrets to her aunt. Maddy's fears clashed with her need to talk about what happened. "Please, promise me that you won't think I'm nuts. I really need to share this with someone. Promise," she pleaded as she looked into her friend's eyes.

The two girls displayed their promise fingers, anxiously awaiting her reaction. Then Maddy spilled the beans. She detailed her accidental entry into a parallel world, depicting the eerie and mystifying "grey zone." As Maddy shared her experience, her friends listened intently. They looked worried, as shown by their furrowed brows and troubled expressions.

She recounted her previous visits to the location, recalling the first time when she lost consciousness and the second time when the baseball struck her on the noggin. Maddy explained in detail the hilly terrain that emitted an eerie red glow, speculating that it might be the dwelling place of a genuinely malevolent entity.