Fear Of Darkness (novella)

Fear Of Darkness   A serial novel by Joe Lake.

(So far: Julie meets Susan, the social worker, who says that she is from five hundred years in the future and gives Julie a ring to travel in different parallel universes. Susan warns Julie not to turn the ring by herself. Then Julie’s husband, John, sees a person in an Obama mask running away. Back in the van, the hologram of a man’s face appears and tells them that Susan gave the ring illegally and it is to be given back. John tells the image to get lost.)

          

 The door to the Winnebago was still open and when John tried to step out, the solid glass-like barrier was still there. He shook his head with annoyance, then halted a moment and as it was still early morning, he felt tired and cuddled in next to Susan and went to sleep almost instantly.

        He woke to Susan’s clattering in the kitchen area. He could smell bacon and eggs and the intense aroma of the espresso machine. He sat up in bed, stretched his arms way up and yawned deeply.

        “Good morning, sweetheart,” said Susan. “Brekkie is nearly ready. Did you sleep well?”

        “I did, except for that idiotic apparition that appears in here now and then. It wants your ring back. I told it to get lost.”

        “Well, maybe we should throw it in the ocean, as the image demands.”

“Don’t be silly. Before we do that, I’d love to fly once more through the air like superman with the help of the ring. Maybe we could contact Susan somehow. I mean, she must have some control. She could come and get the ring herself and at the same time tell us what that silly hologram has to do with anything and why there is a ridiculous energy barrier at our door.”

“We can’t stay here at Cooee much longer,” said Julie. “The water tank is nearly empty and we need another gas bottle.” She tried to step through the door but the barrier was still solid. When she looked outside, it was daylight but they weren’t at Cooee beach any longer. There were huge, rainforest-like trees outside and it looked like an impenetrable jungle. “Come have a look at this. Pull the blinds up!”

John saw the van was surrounded by a wall of tropical vegetation. “I don’t believe it,” he said. “We’ve gone from the sublime to the ridiculous. Turn the ring quickly before something catastrophic happens.”

Julie sat down on the bed and turned the ring. This time the hologram appeared as Susan’s face.

(To be continued next month)

(To be continued next month.)