on our own.
Hell, I don't even think I could find my way
out of this crazy ghost hotel without Gasp's help.
It was time to swallow the pride I'd just
welled up inside of me for this very occasion. I had my moment and
now it was time to get back to being the Jimmy Stone I've been my
whole life. Not the running-and-hiding-in-the-bathroom-stall Jimmy,
but not the yelling-at-Gasp-to-try-and-intimidate-him Jimmy
either.
"You're right, David," I said just loud
enough for him to hear but no one else. "You're always right,
man."
David smiled briefly and walked back across
the room to his seat on the floor next to Trex. He didn't say
anything about being right (that's not his style), but he knew he
was too. I'm not that dumb.
"I'm sorry, Gasp. I didn't mean to--"
"That's quite alright, Jimmy." Gasp slowly
moved from the floor and began to morph out of the solid body he'd
been in and back into the floating ghost we'd become used to. "I
know how people can get when they're scared. I know what it's like
to be surprised. I know how it feels to lose control and have no
idea what's going on."
I stood in front of Gasp, hanging my head
just long enough to show him that I was truly sorry and that I knew
I was in the wrong for what I'd said and done.
"I spent a lot of my time
in your world feeling those things, Jimmy. Fear, surprise, and
confusion. But that was a long time ago and, since I've been in Ghost Town, I
haven't had to feel them. Ever."
"That is," he said, "until
just a few moments ago when the Oracle Essex appeared and delivered
her message." Gasp's expression became one of deadly seriousness
and I knew he truly meant what he was telling us now. This
was not something
that Gasp was prepared for and it was clearly something that scared
him almost as much as it did us.
"I'd always heard
stories," he continued, "about the various Oracles and what they
do. I'd heard stories from some of the other Elders about how
they'd seen Oracles delivering messages of grave importance - often
death prophecies. It was all doom and gloom and, to be quite
honest, I never really believed they even existed. I mean, it's one
thing to hear stories from your peers, but it's another to
actually see something you'd heard so much about. I truly didn't think
I'd ever see an
Oracle."
"But why?" I tried desperately to ask. "Why
would she come here to deliver this message? Why is it so important
that we listen to what she says? Why me?"
"A letter, every week for
seven weeks," he continued without even really acknowledging my
questions, "was one thing, Jimmy. But an actual visit from an actual Oracle - that's
something completely different. For the Oracle Essex to actually come here and
deliver that message to us means that she - they - mean business."
I looked over at David and
Trex whose faces held the same confused and frustrated looks as I'm
sure I had on mine. At this point, we really just wanted to be
home. I didn't care if I had to clean up Dad's empty green bottles
for another fifty years. I just wanted to be home. I wanted to
be out of Ghost
Town.
"This is gravely serious," said
Gasp. "And I think we absolutely must heed her message."
"But how?" I asked. "It
was so vague. We don't even have any idea what these seven things are or how
to find them." I ran my hand through my hair and left it right on
top of my head, holding the bridge of my nose and squeezing until I
thought it might pop right off like a big fat zit. I needed to feel
a little of that pain to know I was still there. To know that this
wasn't all some big, bad dream that I could wake myself up
from.
"And what does she
mean Ghost Town be the
first ?"
"Actually," said Gasp, "I think I can
explain that one."
"Please," I said
completely exasperated. "I'll take anything you can tell me at this
point. We just need information."
"Ok, well. You see, Jimmy. This may come as
a shock to you, but Ghost Town is not the only world outside of
yours."
He was right. That did come as a shock
Hell, I don't even think I could find my way
out of this crazy ghost hotel without Gasp's help.
It was time to swallow the pride I'd just
welled up inside of me for this very occasion. I had my moment and
now it was time to get back to being the Jimmy Stone I've been my
whole life. Not the running-and-hiding-in-the-bathroom-stall Jimmy,
but not the yelling-at-Gasp-to-try-and-intimidate-him Jimmy
either.
"You're right, David," I said just loud
enough for him to hear but no one else. "You're always right,
man."
David smiled briefly and walked back across
the room to his seat on the floor next to Trex. He didn't say
anything about being right (that's not his style), but he knew he
was too. I'm not that dumb.
"I'm sorry, Gasp. I didn't mean to--"
"That's quite alright, Jimmy." Gasp slowly
moved from the floor and began to morph out of the solid body he'd
been in and back into the floating ghost we'd become used to. "I
know how people can get when they're scared. I know what it's like
to be surprised. I know how it feels to lose control and have no
idea what's going on."
I stood in front of Gasp, hanging my head
just long enough to show him that I was truly sorry and that I knew
I was in the wrong for what I'd said and done.
"I spent a lot of my time
in your world feeling those things, Jimmy. Fear, surprise, and
confusion. But that was a long time ago and, since I've been in Ghost Town, I
haven't had to feel them. Ever."
"That is," he said, "until
just a few moments ago when the Oracle Essex appeared and delivered
her message." Gasp's expression became one of deadly seriousness
and I knew he truly meant what he was telling us now. This
was not something
that Gasp was prepared for and it was clearly something that scared
him almost as much as it did us.
"I'd always heard
stories," he continued, "about the various Oracles and what they
do. I'd heard stories from some of the other Elders about how
they'd seen Oracles delivering messages of grave importance - often
death prophecies. It was all doom and gloom and, to be quite
honest, I never really believed they even existed. I mean, it's one
thing to hear stories from your peers, but it's another to
actually see something you'd heard so much about. I truly didn't think
I'd ever see an
Oracle."
"But why?" I tried desperately to ask. "Why
would she come here to deliver this message? Why is it so important
that we listen to what she says? Why me?"
"A letter, every week for
seven weeks," he continued without even really acknowledging my
questions, "was one thing, Jimmy. But an actual visit from an actual Oracle - that's
something completely different. For the Oracle Essex to actually come here and
deliver that message to us means that she - they - mean business."
I looked over at David and
Trex whose faces held the same confused and frustrated looks as I'm
sure I had on mine. At this point, we really just wanted to be
home. I didn't care if I had to clean up Dad's empty green bottles
for another fifty years. I just wanted to be home. I wanted to
be out of Ghost
Town.
"This is gravely serious," said
Gasp. "And I think we absolutely must heed her message."
"But how?" I asked. "It
was so vague. We don't even have any idea what these seven things are or how
to find them." I ran my hand through my hair and left it right on
top of my head, holding the bridge of my nose and squeezing until I
thought it might pop right off like a big fat zit. I needed to feel
a little of that pain to know I was still there. To know that this
wasn't all some big, bad dream that I could wake myself up
from.
"And what does she
mean Ghost Town be the
first ?"
"Actually," said Gasp, "I think I can
explain that one."
"Please," I said
completely exasperated. "I'll take anything you can tell me at this
point. We just need information."
"Ok, well. You see, Jimmy. This may come as
a shock to you, but Ghost Town is not the only world outside of
yours."
He was right. That did come as a shock
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