couldn’t trust.
That person was herself.
“Come on,” she said. “We’ve got work to do.”
# # # # #
“I don’t understand,” Jacob said.
To his credit, he was helping her roll up the sod despite the fact that she hadn’t explained.
“He shot his weapon three times,” she said. “It was either the same gun that went off, or it was a remarkably similar gun with the same rounds. Did you hear the way all three echoed in the same way?”
“Sure?”
“He didn’t move between the shots. This time of the evening, that’s a suicidal thing to do.”
“Is it any worse than dragging these big slabs with a winch?” Jacob asked. He was looking down at the big hunks of concrete that covered her incinerator.
“They’re both stupid things to do.”
“Should we wait for morning?” Jacob asked.
“Can’t,” Madelyn said. She moved the last of the sod and attached the hook to the ring on the slab. “I can’t afford to wait until tomorrow to find out if I’m crazy.”
Jacob just stood there.
“Move,” she said. “You need to move unless you want to fall into the pit.”
Jacob moved reluctantly. Madelyn activated the winch and pulled the slab. The grinding sound was louder and more ominous at night. It was the sound of a crypt lid being pushed away by a vampire. It was an undead sound.
The slab revealed a black rectangle in the ground. For a second, there could have been anything down there.
Madelyn pushed the button on her flashlight.
A bright beam leapt into the hole. Jacob took a step back from the light.
She saw only white powder down there.
Madelyn crouched and moved her light around.
“What are you looking for?” Jacob asked.
“Bones,” she said. “It takes two cycles to reduce the bones to dust. Noah’s bones should be in there. I don’t see anything.”
“He was sick,” Jacob said. “We knew he was going to die because his bones were being eaten from the inside out.”
Madelyn moved her flashlight from the pit up to Jacob’s face. He was being serious.
“That’s convenient,” she said. She returned her light to the pit and got down on her knees so she could see every corner. There was no need to move the other slab—there was nothing there.
“Convenient or not, it’s true.”
“Maybe,” Madelyn said. She stood up and wiped her hand on her pants.
“You have a different explanation?” he asked.
“Yeah. Maybe his bones aren’t there because I imagined him. Maybe some part of my brain was so desperate to survive that it invented the idea of my brother showing up right at the moment I was going to commit suicide. His arrival gave me an excuse to stay alive.”
“You didn’t imagine him. I came with him.”
“Which means that I’m imagining you too,” she said. It was obvious. She had been thinking it for a while. She hadn’t been able to admit it to herself until that moment.
“That’s stupid,” he said. “I’m here. I am physical proof of myself.”
“The brain is an amazing device,” she said. “I could be imagining everything. After all, Gabe didn’t see you. The computer at the camp didn’t respond to you.”
“ Your control panel responded to me. I’m not imaginary just because I don’t know how to use some antiquated voice interface thing. Besides, why would your brain be able to invent some physical evidence and not all ?”
“What do you mean?”
She clicked off her flashlight and put her hands on her hips.
“Why would you imagine me, right here in front of you, and not be able to imagine my father’s skeleton down in that pit? What’s the difference?”
She blinked and thought about it. No reasonable argument came to mind. She had intended to open the pit and prove it one way or the other, and that’s exactly what she had done.
Madelyn shook her head.
“You’re not real,” she said. “You’re a figment of my imagination.”
“Maybe you’re the one who isn’t real,” he said. “Maybe you did
That person was herself.
“Come on,” she said. “We’ve got work to do.”
# # # # #
“I don’t understand,” Jacob said.
To his credit, he was helping her roll up the sod despite the fact that she hadn’t explained.
“He shot his weapon three times,” she said. “It was either the same gun that went off, or it was a remarkably similar gun with the same rounds. Did you hear the way all three echoed in the same way?”
“Sure?”
“He didn’t move between the shots. This time of the evening, that’s a suicidal thing to do.”
“Is it any worse than dragging these big slabs with a winch?” Jacob asked. He was looking down at the big hunks of concrete that covered her incinerator.
“They’re both stupid things to do.”
“Should we wait for morning?” Jacob asked.
“Can’t,” Madelyn said. She moved the last of the sod and attached the hook to the ring on the slab. “I can’t afford to wait until tomorrow to find out if I’m crazy.”
Jacob just stood there.
“Move,” she said. “You need to move unless you want to fall into the pit.”
Jacob moved reluctantly. Madelyn activated the winch and pulled the slab. The grinding sound was louder and more ominous at night. It was the sound of a crypt lid being pushed away by a vampire. It was an undead sound.
The slab revealed a black rectangle in the ground. For a second, there could have been anything down there.
Madelyn pushed the button on her flashlight.
A bright beam leapt into the hole. Jacob took a step back from the light.
She saw only white powder down there.
Madelyn crouched and moved her light around.
“What are you looking for?” Jacob asked.
“Bones,” she said. “It takes two cycles to reduce the bones to dust. Noah’s bones should be in there. I don’t see anything.”
“He was sick,” Jacob said. “We knew he was going to die because his bones were being eaten from the inside out.”
Madelyn moved her flashlight from the pit up to Jacob’s face. He was being serious.
“That’s convenient,” she said. She returned her light to the pit and got down on her knees so she could see every corner. There was no need to move the other slab—there was nothing there.
“Convenient or not, it’s true.”
“Maybe,” Madelyn said. She stood up and wiped her hand on her pants.
“You have a different explanation?” he asked.
“Yeah. Maybe his bones aren’t there because I imagined him. Maybe some part of my brain was so desperate to survive that it invented the idea of my brother showing up right at the moment I was going to commit suicide. His arrival gave me an excuse to stay alive.”
“You didn’t imagine him. I came with him.”
“Which means that I’m imagining you too,” she said. It was obvious. She had been thinking it for a while. She hadn’t been able to admit it to herself until that moment.
“That’s stupid,” he said. “I’m here. I am physical proof of myself.”
“The brain is an amazing device,” she said. “I could be imagining everything. After all, Gabe didn’t see you. The computer at the camp didn’t respond to you.”
“ Your control panel responded to me. I’m not imaginary just because I don’t know how to use some antiquated voice interface thing. Besides, why would your brain be able to invent some physical evidence and not all ?”
“What do you mean?”
She clicked off her flashlight and put her hands on her hips.
“Why would you imagine me, right here in front of you, and not be able to imagine my father’s skeleton down in that pit? What’s the difference?”
She blinked and thought about it. No reasonable argument came to mind. She had intended to open the pit and prove it one way or the other, and that’s exactly what she had done.
Madelyn shook her head.
“You’re not real,” she said. “You’re a figment of my imagination.”
“Maybe you’re the one who isn’t real,” he said. “Maybe you did
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