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John David was pacing his cell, muttering to himself. “I mean, I know my daughter's been experimenting in the dark arts, but I thought that was just..”
Around the corner, just out of sight, Maureen murmured, “Close your eyes.” Jimmy obediently covered his eyes with one hand, not questioning his new, bloody, best and first ever friend. After all, she was helping, AND friendly. She probably hadn't done a single wrong thing in life.
“A phase all girls go through at some point…”
She led him a few more steps before stopping. “And uh..” Maureen’s voice was calm and comforting as it shifted beyond the darkness of his closed eyes. “Here you go.”
Jimmy wasn't sure what was supposed to be happening now, his eyes were still closed, and everything was still that weird darkness that isn't quite dark.
There was a hiss of pain, and then a word Jimmy didn't know followed by “those bars are hot.” But that was a voice Jimmy knew. At least, it sounded familiar. It sounded like bedtime stories and laughing at camera filters that made your nose big and your mouth tiny. It felt like the feeling of running down the hallway and throwing yourself into big warm arms at the end of the day while the front door stood open.
He slowly opened his eyes. “AH,” he cried softly, taking in his father across the room. He lifted his arms in pure joy. “DADDY!”
John David twisted around. “Wh- OH MY GOD. SON!” He didn't move towards Jimmy, and neither did Jimmy move towards him. “Maureen, thank you,” John said as she stepped up beside Jimmy.
“Oh, don't worry, I heard there was a spell going on, uh-”
The sound of his friend’s voice spurned Jimmy into action as he approached his dad, stopping only when his dad loudly yelled, “WHOA WHOA WHOA CAREFUL, these bars are really hot!”
Putting his hands on his knees, Jimmy's dad bent down to Jimmy's height and peered at him from between bars. “Have you come to get me?”
“YEAH!” Jimmy cried in a soft, happy yell. He repeated it, making his voice rougher because it sounded funny, and why shouldn't he make funny sounds with his voice? They were fun to make, and funny to hear and that was reason enough for him.
“Oh my God! That- How did you get down here?” John's words tumbled out quickly, as if he'd just realized his three year old son was in Hell.
Jimmy wasn't paying any attention, instead raising his hand to speak cause sometimes people did that on the iPad. And then as soon as no one was speaking. “Do you wanna see a dance?”
“No-” Maureen started, stepping closer and gesturing weakly with her hands.
But Jimmy's eyes were only for his dad and when no immediate denial was forthcoming, Jimmy lifted his arms above his head and performed his little dance. One arm went up while the other went down, his torso following the movements. As he got into the dance, he started kicking his feet a little to match his arms, and then got even more enthusiastic with all the motions, even crouching a little and standing back up in time with the other movements. His was proud of that dance. He’d made it out of two moves he’d seen on the iPad one time. Or maybe he'd seen that dance on the iPad. His dance wound down because now he wasn't thinking about dancing, he was thinking about iPad. And dinner. And Daddy's nap.
“When I stabbed the guard, I also took his key.” Maureen passed the key through the bars to an “Oh, thanks.”
The door was unlocked, but Jimmy wasn't paying attention anymore because the ceiling was actually really cool the way it looked like there could be little ships sailing around on all the little trails. And there were lots of spots of light on the floor and those were definitely pools of fiery lava and the ships were gonna sail over it and-
“AAH!” His dad engulfed him in a hug, his strong arms wrapping around his son.
Jimmy enthusiastically patted his dad’s leg until he pulled away slightly. “Daddy!” Jimmy smiled before continuing. Because it was important to make sure his dad knew about the nap. “You were having- you were having a nap.”
“Yeah I was having a long nap.”
“YEAH.” But Jimmy wasn't finished. “And then you wouldn't wake up and I was like ‘DADDY’.”
“Yeah I know.”
“‘Come on out of your bolognese. Your face is in the bolognese and you can't-’ Mummy says you can't lick it before you eat it.” He looked up at his dad for his reaction. This was important, he wanted to know why his dad got to lick the bolognese but not him.
“You- You know how when you were three, Mum told you about the birds and the bees?”
“I'm still three,” Jimmy interjected, holding up three fingers so his dad could count them. ‘Cause he clearly needed visual help.
“Yeah. She- she talked to you about the birds and the bees, but not about death.”
Jimmy wasn't really listening anymore, he'd twisted to look behind himself, and then around the room. “What's over here?” He started towards the other end of the room. There was all sorts of cool, blood encrusted metal, and he really wanted to explore and climb all over it. It looked so climbable, and definitely in no possible way could it be sharp.
“Jimmy. Jimmy. Jimmy! Jimmy! JIMMY!”
Jimmy turned to face his dad, a pouty frown on his face. “DON'T BE MAD!” he yelled. “I CAME TO HULL.” He emphasized his point by stomping one foot.
His dad was silent for a moment, running a hand down his face. “This is Hell, it's slightly better. Um..” He bent down to Jimmy's level again. “Listen, I- I died, and that means I can't come back with you, but the fact that you're here means I can leave Hell –or Hull whatever you want to call it.”
Jimmy heard exactly five words of that, those words being ‘can’t come back with you’. “You're not coming with me??” His dismay was clear.
“I'm dead!”
“Why aren't you coming with me??”
“‘Cause I had a heart attack, Jimmy.”
Jimmy pouted, whining at his dad because his displeasure needed to be voiced and this was obviously the best way to voice it.
“But…” Maureen interjected softly. “You can.”
Jimmy's dad ran his hands through his hair before turning to Jimmy's friend. “Listen, I- Maureen, thank you so much for everything that you've done, but I- I-”
Jimmy started cheerfully patting the carved wooden chair next to him. It was so delightfully hard and rough. And it made such a silly ‘thump’ every time his hand hit it.
“The book. The book,” Maureen said with a soft intensity.
“What book?”
Jimmy twisted around, suddenly interested in the conversation again. He liked books. Especially bedtime stories. His dad was really good at reading those. “OH, I've got it in my pocket!” Jimmy cried jubilantly, reaching for his back pocket. “Let me slowly take it out of my pocket!”
For just a second, a second that seemed longer, Jimmy saw the ghost of a man drift forward and hand his friend a book. Only she seemed like a ghost too. “If only someone could have put it in my pocket.” Jimmy heard himself say. “But I guess no.”
“A random man helped,” Jimmy said aloud, holding out the book for his dad to take.
“That's not a man, that's a woman,” his dad said, handing Maureen the book without looking at it.
“Oh, I've done it again,” Jimmy said sadly, looking down.
“What the fuck is this?” Maureen said, using a word Jimmy didn't know, but figured he'd try out later. It sounded like it might be fun to yell at things.
Maureen then lifted up the book and showed the title to John who gaped at it, and then Jimmy. “‘Alice in Wonderland’..? What? But-”
“You should read it to us, Daddy!” Jimmy sat down on the floor, looking up expectantly. His dad always said to sit down when you're listening, after all.
“”Jimmy..” Maureen said gently, “Do you have any other books in your pockets?”
Jimmy thought about that question for a second, reaching forward to tug at his dad's trousers absently. “Nope! I just thought that- when- when that Daddy's done with his nap I'd go like ‘DADDY. Read me a story’. And then I'd say please, cause Daddy likes it when I say please.”
The adults ignored this speech, looking down at the book in Maureen's hands. “I'm… I'm afraid I can't send you back,” Maureen said quietly. “They don't keep that kind of book down here… we might escape otherwise..”
John crouched down beside Jimmy. “Jimmy, listen, this is important.”
“You're wearing trousers,” Jimmy pointed out, tugging at them again.
“So are you.”
“OHHAHA!” Jimmy cried, looking down at his indeed trousers covered legs.
“This is important, Jimmy. When you go home, you need to tell Alice…” John paused his voice faltering slightly. “Tell her that I love her so so much. And I'm sorry.”
Jimmy blinked up at him. “Alice isn't allowed in my room.”
“Yes.. well.. go into her room instead,” John replied impatiently. “And tell Mum that-” Jimmy raised his hand and John sighed. “What?”
“Alice didn't like you- it when you took your nap. I went in her- in her room to play with her toys and she yelled at me.” His eyes implored his dad to explain this odd behavior. Alice didn't yell at him, not even when he yelled first. It was unlike her.
John sighed before continuing, “And tell Mum that I love her too. Can you do that Jimmy?”
“Tell Alice that you love Mummy and tell Mummy you're in Hull?”
“What? No, I-” John sighed, this was hopeless.
“Here.” Maureen appeared at his shoulder with paper and a pen.
“Oh thank God.” John hurriedly bent over the paper, scribbling furiously.
Jimmy looked up at his friend. “You have pretty hair like Mummy.”
Maureen smiled slightly. “Thank you. I'll miss you, you know?”
Jimmy didn't understand how she could miss him when he was right here, or why she seemed sad, but he stepped forward and gave her a big long hug.
His dad looked up from the paper. “Jimmy- Jimmy don't touch the murderer..” but he didn't say anything further, dropping back into hurried scribbling.
When Jimmy pulled away to investigate his dad's shirt, Maureen wiped at her eyes. “I miss my kids.” She'd originally only killed to protect her husband and kids from some dangerous men from her past, but unfortunately she wasn't successful and her husband and three kids were killed. In her grief, she'd turned to books on Satan, and hunted down the rest of the men.
Unfortunately, the deaths of the men and her family were all attributed to her, and in the end, with nothing left to live for, she'd ended her life.
But John wasn't one to feel sympathy for what the news labeled a serial killer, and Jimmy couldn't begin to understand. But he just reminded her of her own son and she wished she could do something more to get John David home.
“Finished!” John hurriedly folded the letter and tucked it in Jimmy's pocket. “Give this to Alice, okay, Jimmy?”
“Okay, Daddy.” A weird sensation swept over Jimmy, and he could hear his sister's voice from a distance.
“Return to me. Return to me. Return to me.”
“We have to go now if we're going, Daddy!” Jimmy reached for his dad's hand. John smiled sadly before crushing Jimmy in a hug and kissing his forehead for a last time. “I love you, Jimmy. Make good choices, okay?”
Time and space around Jimmy distorted and he felt weightless. “I'm floating, Daddy!”
No one responded.
And then Jimmy screamed. Partly because it was fun, partly because it felt appropriate, and partly because he was falling.
Finally, a soft pop sounded, and he found himself back in the bathroom in Balham, Alice standing over him. “Jimmy? Jimmy, where's Dad?”
“Daddy is…” Jimmy turned all the way around. “Where's Daddy?”
“That's what I asked you..” Alice dropped to her knees on the hard tiles, her head in her hands. “I knew I shouldn't have sent my three year old brother. I should have gone myself even if it meant staying in Hell. Oh, Dad… I'm sorry.”
“I want iPad,” Jimmy said decisively. The iPad solved problems, like this one. If he played longer, his dad would come home and Jimmy would run to give him a hug and then they'd read bedtime stories together.
Alice ignored him, pushing to her feet and running down the hall into her room.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jimmy climbed into bed, still confused. Where was his dad? It'd been all day now, and he was sure that his dad had been awake in Hull, so why wasn't he home yet? It was weird without him… quiet… different… sadder… wrong…
And no one came in to tuck him in. He waited for his mum, but she didn't come in. He waited for Alice, but she didn't come either. And now he was left waiting for his dad. Any minute now. Any minute he'd be here.
But minutes slid into more minutes. And more until it'd been an hour. Jimmy was tired and he walked to the door, tripping over toys, until he reached the hallway. “Daddy?”
It wasn't John David, it was just his sister trying to slip back into her room. “Oh… little brother, you're still awake.”
“Where's Daddy? I want a bedtime story,” Jimmy whined.
Alice hesitated before taking his hand. “Jimmy.. Daddy isn't coming home. It'll be a long long time before we see him again.”
“A LONG time?” Jimmy asked, feeling this might mean something.
“A really long time,” Alice said quietly.
“Why?” Jimmy asked.
Alice shook her head. “Why don't I tell you a bedtime story?”
“Oh!” Jimmy exclaimed, tripping over more toys until he grabbed the hamper and pulled his trousers out. “I have a bedtime story! It's in my pocket!”
But instead of a book, he pulled out a piece of folded paper.
Alice was at his side in an instant. “Jimmy, what's that?”
Jimmy shrugged, tossing it on the floor and climbing into bed. “Daddy can tell you when he comes home.”
His sister picked the paper off the floor and opened it with trembling hands. “It's addressed… to.. me..” she whispered, recognizing her dad's handwriting easily.
“Read it, read it, read it, read it,” Jimmy cried, bouncing up and down on the bed with every word.
Alice lowered herself to the corner of the bed. “Dear Alice, I am so so sorry I can't come home, I'm going to miss you, and Jimmy, –”That's ME!” Jimmy interrupted jubilantly– and Mum so much. I know it must have been your witchcraft that sent Jimmy down here –”What's fish raft?”– and I want you to know that because of that, I can leave Hell.” Alice paused her reading to press her trembling hand to her lips.
“I want iPad.” Jimmy started to crawl out of bed, but Alice started reading again.
“This letter could never tell you just how much I love you, my daughter –even your witchcraft. I'm sorry I gave it such a hard time before.. I just thought you'd get made fun of for being weird. I hope you can forgive me. I hope you can forgive me for missing the rest of your birthdays and your wedding someday. Hell, I can barely forgive myself for missing those. But I'll watch you, don't worry about that.” Alice was crying now, and Jimmy didn't understand why. After all, it was only words. But she didn't stop reading.
“And Jimmy.. you've annoyed me to the ends of my patience, but you're a bright young boy–Alice interrupted herself with a watery laugh, “and clearly more psychic than me.”– and I'm sure you'll do something noble with your life, since I couldn't. I love you, and I'll miss reading you stories every night.
And to Mum… well there's so much I could say, but no space to say it, so I'll leave you with the same words I've said every day since our wedding day. I love you. I love you all so so much and I'm sorry. Love, Dad.”
“That was a good story,” Jimmy said sleepily. “Can we read it again tomorrow?”
Alice wiped at the tears on her cheeks. “S-sure, Jimmy.”
“Alice..?”
“Hmm?”
“Where's Daddy?”
Alice hesitated. “He's in heaven, thanks to you.”
“Heaven's in the clouds,” Jimmy said sleepily. “And then when it rains, everyone's dead on the floor. Daddy's dead on the floor, in the bolognese, taking a nap.”
“Goodnight, Jimmy.” Alice turned off the light and closed the door.