Ben spends weeks at the hospital, quickly learing that cooperation is the key to avoid being given his “medicine”.    —   Faith and Jimmy come to visit him almost every day, and often leave in tears when they learn that his “problem” has not improved. He’s not sure what the doctors are saying to make them think so. Ben has not said a word to anybody about “end of the world” stuff, and he has done his best to steer clear of the topic with his new doctors. He has seen Dr. Kennedy around the hospital, but she has avoided him since the night Maria was … Continue reading Chapter 6.11 – Smoke

  It is shortly past midnight when Ben wakes up in an unfamiliar hospital bed.   His head is still swimming from the sedatives, and he doesn’t remember much about what happened after Sarah yelled at him. All he knows is that he seriously freaked out, and caused some major damage. He really doesn’t know where the rage came from, and he starts to feel guilt about the trouble he has caused. This is not how he wants things to be. He doesn’t want to be the troubled, high-maintenance kid any more. But even now, he cannot suppress the feeling that … Continue reading Chapter 6.10 – Connection

The combination of Doc’s tired eyes and tricks played by shadows cast in the moonlight, make for difficult hiking through the dense woods that line the seashore. Had it not been as simple of keeping the shoreline in sight through the woods, he would have become hopelessly lost. It is difficult for Doc to fathom that a thriving town should be here in place of the woods. He has given up trying to come up with a scientific explanation for now. Whatever is happening defies the laws of physics, nature, and mathematics. There is a high probability that the dreams he and Hope … Continue reading Chapter 6.9 – Cabin

A small hotel on the main highway leading into Sim City acts as a staging area for Doc and Gerard as they travel to Sunset Valley. They find themselves with quite a problem, however. It seems nobody has ever heard of Sunset Valley. After the long flight from France and a gruelling rush-hour commute out of the big city, Doc feels his patience being tested like never before. He showers in his tiny efficiency room, wondering how many more curve-balls are going to be thrown at him. As if in spite, the water goes ice-cold part way through his shower. — … Continue reading Chapter 6.8 – Map

Ben finds himself standing alone at the beach, strumming at the strings of Papa Mark’s old guitar. The ability comes to him with amazing ease and quickness. Perhaps the countless hours spent banging on that old xylophone as a toddler weren’t such a waste of time after all. He allows his anxieties about the disappearing world to also disappear as he plucks out melodies fresh from his imagination. It almost feels as though he can repel the forces consuming his world with nothing more than a guitar. A new door has been opened for him, providing a way for him to lose himself … Continue reading Chapter 6.7 – List

Sarah has said nothing to Ben about their ghostly meeting with Jiang Xi. — Granted, great-grandmother Mei’s passing that same evening was especially difficult for her. Their mother, Faith, was amazing in the way she explained it to both Ben and his sister. And even though she worked really hard not to cry when talking about it with them, Ben could see the sad feelings in his mother’s eyes. It is real quiet around the estate over the following days. But it becomes even more quiet when Papa Mark leaves for China. He apologizes, especially to Ben, for making a … Continue reading Chapter 6.6 – Invisible

The old church becomes Doc’s home over the next few days, as he fixes broken plumbing and repairs items around the building that have fallen out of maintenance. He does this in exchange for a safe place to sleep and regular meals. It is a commodity he had not enjoyed since he found himself “here”. His conversations with Gerard on the topic of science and faith take on new scope, given the state of their present situation. Both men are forced to consider possibilities they would have otherwise dismissed. Gerard concedes on many of his preconceived ideas of the universe, … Continue reading Chaper 6.5 – Sermon

Father Gerard Dupont stares at the vagrant man standing in the church narthex. It has been nearly twenty years since he took vows devoting his life to the clergy. Though some would consider him to be relatively young, he wears the burdens of witnessing many tragedies on his worry-lined face. But looking into his eyes, all that can be seen is the joy that comes from the blessings of his vocation. He has presided here, in this rustic church, for most of his tenure as a pastor. Or at least that his how his recollection of things has been until … Continue reading Chapter 6.4 – Pastor

Ben turns to blaze a trail up the steep hill leading to the estate as the ghostly figure moves closer. Sarah, however, stands her ground and gives no indication that she intends on following her brother’s lead. There is no way in Strangetown that he is going to leave his sister alone to get eaten by some creepy spirit, so he reluctantly inches closer to his sister’s side. Still, he can’t help himself but think that he can run faster than her, should the encounter turn ugly. As if reading his thoughts, Sara shoots her brother a nasty glare. Ben … Continue reading Chapter 6.3 – Water

Making close friends can be a little bit tough for a kid whose perception is that the world around him is disappearing. Ben does have friends at school who seem mostly cool. They are nice enough, and never feed into the rumor going around that he is nuts. But he never gets the feeling that they are completely convinced he is not crazy. It’s most obvious when he talks about places and sims that he knew were real the day before; but today nobody remembers that they had ever existed. It gets to be pretty scary sometimes, especially when he wonders … Continue reading Chapter 6.2 – Apparition

Doc wipes grime and sweat away from his exhausted eyes and fights off the need to sleep. He has spent the last few days frantically racking his brains to find a way to make sense of what has happened. Is this what they call crazy? Was his life with Hope merely a delusional fantasy? Was it just a symptom of some kind of mental break? It was so vivid, so real. He held his children, he can remember every detail, even the unmistakable scent that accompanies new babies in the house. His hands shake from the combination of anxiety and … Continue reading Chapter 6.1 – Crazy

Ben Barimen is just a typical kid who enjoys typical kid things. The fact that he is heir to Sunset Valley’s wealthiest estate, does not seem to faze him in the least. His parents and grandparents work hard to keep him grounded and humble. That is not to say that he is left wanting for anything, however. From the youngest age, he is exposed to a very diverse world of skills and activities. One of his favorite things to do, seems to be fishing with his great-grandfather. He had been going with the elder Barimen even before he could hold … Continue reading Chapter 6 – Ben