The Sun is Shining

002

Stanley Uris was seated on his living room couch in his apartment, attempting to complete his new puzzle. The latest one that had been added to his collection was of all different kinds of birds, his favorite animal. He had gotten it from one of his college friends at the most recent Christmas party they had gone to. As he got one piece closer to finishing it, one of his roommates walked out into the kitchen.

"Okay, you all had better clear yourselves for vacation time because I just booked us for a cruise. You can thank me later," Stanley and his other two roommates looked up from their free time. Tanner Bunting had to be the most adventurous person in the world, always managing to get his buddies to join him on ridiculous journeys around the world. Well, mostly the United States.

"Thank you for what? When is this happening?" Ethan Anderson began to rant off questions that usually got on everyone's nerves. Ethan reminded Stanley of someone, but every time he started to question who that was, he could never figure it out.

"Keep your shirt on, E. It's the first two weeks in July, so please tell me you all can get away from work?" Tanner asked, trying not to blow up from excitement. Stanley exchanged glances with Ethan and with Malcolm Rogers; all of them wondering the same thing.

"I guess I can give a notice to my boss about taking two weeks off for vacation," Malcolm eased his way into his answer, hoping it was good enough for Tanner. Tanner pointed a finger at him, before snatching a box of Triscuits from the cupboard.

"Yes, let's keep this going. Stan, you in?" Stan turned back to his puzzle, trying to figure what his boss would say. After coming up with nothing, he shrugged his shoulders.

"It's summer, why not?" Tanner began to jump for joy, looking absolutely ridiculous in front of his best friends. Not that he cared.

"Considering your boss is usually too high to even notice that he comes into work in his pajamas, I'd say you have a good chance of getting away for a while without being noticed," Malcolm snorted at Tanner's retort. Stanley gave Tanner a glare, before rolling his eyes and going back to his puzzle. When he noticed a piece had been dropped underneath the table, he began to cancel out the argument that ensued between Tanner and Ethan and reached for it.

His cellphone buzzed on the coffee table, Stanley looking through the clear table to see who was calling. When he couldn't read it clearly, he snatched the puzzle piece and placed it on the table, before answering the phone.

"Stanley Uris speaking," he continued to drown out his friends' voices to hear the caller.

"Stan? Is it really you?" Violet asked, as her family helped her pack for their trip back to Derry, Maine.

"Uh, yeah. I'm Stanley. And who is this?" Stanley began to swat at his friends to stop being loud. When Malcolm saw this, he nudged Ethan and Tanner to be quiet. When they took a glance at their friend on the couch, they went silent.

"Think it's that girl from the other night?" Tanner asked them, softly.

"What? Stanley's never asked for or gotten a girl's number ever," Ethan responded, gulping down the rest of his drink. All three men watched Stanley, as though he was a part of a Hallmark movie.

"Stan, it's Violet," Stanley's eyes bugged at the vague remembrance of the name. "Stan?"

"I'm sorry, who is this?" Stanley needed to know he wasn't dreaming. This voice, this name; it was someone he knew, but his brain wasn't letting him remember.

"Violet, Violet Hockstetter," Stanley nearly dropped the phone in shock, "but I go by Violet Kemp now. We knew each other when we were younger, in Derry?" He didn't need to know that last bit of information, as he began to remember everything that ever happened just from hearing her last name. He remembered everything, including the events of that summer.

"Lettie?" Violet smiled on the other end of the phone, happy to know he remembered her. It made her heart flip. She had nearly forgotten about her childhood crush on Stanley, before she had left. "God, sorry. Hi. I guess I don't know why I didn't," Stanley glanced over at his friends, who seemed shocked that it was a girl that had called, "How long's it been?"

"It seems like forever, doesn't it?" Violet responded, hearing him chuckle. "Um, it's been twenty-seven years." Stanley smiled at his friends before walking a ways away, realizing what she meant.

"It's come back, hasn't it?" Violet could hear the fear in his voice, which instantly gave her a lump in her throat. "That's why you're calling me?" Stanley heard a sharp intake of air, nearly confirming his thoughts.

"Y-yeah, Mike just called me. I-it's starting again, Stan," he could hear her worriedness, "I'm scared." Stanley thanked God that he wasn't the only one that was scared out of his wits.

"D-did he call the others? I mean, w-what if they don't come? What if y-you don't go?" Violet began to cry silent tears, as her memories began to blind her. She had to do this. She had to save him.

"Stanley, I'm as scared as you are, I kid you not. But don't you remember? All eight of us made a promise to each other," Violet's family members stopped their packing momentarily, seeing her in tears. "I don't want to do this and I wish it had all been one terrifying nightmare, but if we don't..."

Stanley listened as she trailed off. He wished he was as strong as she was, but he just couldn't. This was his life now. How could he just drop it all, on the offchance of losing his life to an ancient being that logically shouldn't be on earth? As he was about to respond with an 'I'm sorry', he heard Violet sniffling on the other end. She was crying.

"I-i don't know, Vi," he trailed off this time, not really knowing how to handle a girl crying. Then yet again, what would the odds be that the next time he found himself talking to a girl who was crying, they'd be discussing the supernatural?

Violet could practically hear him shrugging their promise off, so she responded with the only thing she knew would work.

"What if we go together?"