The Dale Decision

Whistle - Solitude

Whistle slipped back the sleep mask and looked at the ceiling. She'd felt very tired before, and got in a bit of sleep, but now in the middle of the night, she had awoken... it wasn't because she was uncomfortable or anything strange was happening, thankfully enough – she was thinking... the things she could write about in letters, in stories, in poems... all from the day that had just passed.

She hadn't included the stuff about Dana Ebbson in the journal; she wasn't sure if she should. All the other things that had happened seemed appropriate enough... burying the time capsule, playing board games with the Dales, their extensive exploration of the grounds and seeing that statue of Holden Dale and his horse whose name was not known to them.

She had been on the lookout for more statues, like she was hunting for them – she saw some ornamental animals, which were delightful, but nothing as grand as the statue of Holden Dale, or the statues seen in Lady Clementine's gardens. Or that statuette in "Pound of Pluck."

Table tennis with Hayley and Kinsley had been fun to watch; but playing it herself didn't look appealing. She'd much prefer a game where everyone could just take their turn, and it felt more manageable like it was with throwing the ball in the hoop... still, Tis and Bis enjoyed it, and the conversations had been fun to listen to as well. Those were the most important things. Even one of the elder Dales – Whistle was pretty sure it had been Dalton – found it important enough to talk about to them. Whistle wished she had been more awake for that conversation. She had not yet recorded that in the journal; that would have to wait until morning.

This had been an eventful day. Inspiring, too, and satisfying. Good thing she had taken the time to write some of it down.

Not enough of it, apparently. Despite her tiredness, she couldn't sleep because of these seemingly endless thoughts... was this how Bis had felt during her insomnia?

That was another thought to add, but there was one dominating her mind.

Was... whatever had visited during the previous night, was it in their now vacated bedroom...? Was it alone in there, or was it roaming the house...? Was it seeking them out? It wouldn't have to look far; their bedroom was the next room over...

She looked over at her siblings; both were still wearing their sleep masks and both of them appeared relaxed and untroubled. She remembered how they had been the last night, but now they were being silent and peaceful... that was a reassuring sign.

Ma and Pa seemed the same. They hadn't mentioned anything odd that had happened during the night, like Nana had... if they were "visited," had they slept through it...?

She still remembered those feelings of sadness, of loneliness, that she'd experienced. How powerful they had felt. How those feelings had disappeared when she spoke out to it, acknowledged it...

She felt the need to investigate... maybe whatever it was needed to be placated again. Slowly, cautiously, she slipped back the covers and crept out of bed.

But she didn't move quickly; she was doubtful. She had so little understanding of what had happened last night – as did they all, really – she couldn't help but wonder if it was a good reason for deviating from the plan. So much of Tis' peace of mind depended on the plan and their adherence to it.

He hadn't come to a decision yet... but before they went to bed, he reminded them of his promise to tell them if his thinking had changed at all. Things were still delicate; she didn't want to upset that... after all, her siblings trusted her to follow the plan...

This had stopped her dead in her tracks. The door was still a little distance away. She looked back, and...

"Wis?" Bis' soft whisper came through the darkness accompanied by a small rustling noise. Whistle held her breath, hoping Tis didn't wake up; he wanted uninterrupted sleep. Both Whistle and Bis kept silent for a moment to see if he'd woken up, giving both of them time to adjust to the darkness. There was no sound or movement from him besides his breathing – that was indication enough that he was still asleep.